by Cat Schield
And now she knew it had been all along. When she’d agreed to marry him, she’d fooled herself into believing that sexual desire and mild affection would make her happy. After several nights in his arms she’d completely fallen under his spell. It was as if all her life she’d been moving toward this man and this moment.
Recognizing that her motivation for marrying Gabriel had changed, she had to ask herself if she was no longer concerned whether one day she’d become a queen...what did she really want?
Love.
The thought made her knees weak. Olivia braced herself against the stone railing. Deflated, she stared at her hands. At the engagement ring sparkling on her finger.
She couldn’t be falling in love with Gabriel. He certainly wasn’t falling in love with her.
This was an arranged marriage. A practical union for the good of his country. A sensible bargain that would lead to stability and children. She hadn’t expected to fall madly in love with her husband or be deliriously happy. She expected to be content. To feel fulfilled as a mother and someday as a queen.
Sexual satisfaction hadn’t entered into her plans—not until Gabriel had kissed her.
Olivia turned away from the softly lit garden and returned to her suite. As she closed and locked the glass door, her gaze fell on her desk and the locked drawer where she’d placed copies of important paperwork, including a file with some of her medical information. Had those scratches always marred the lock’s brass surface? The idea that someone in the palace could have tried to break into her desk was ridiculous. And then she recalled the night the twins arrived. There’d been a maid at her dresser in the middle of the night. When nothing was missing she’d seen no reason to pursue it.
A few hours later, when Libby entered the suite, Olivia was still seated at the desk. She’d opened the locked drawer and hadn’t found anything disturbed, but with the twins’ arrival at the palace having been leaked to the press and the mysterious appearance of Marissa’s bracelet, Olivia had checked each page of her thick file to make sure it was intact.
“Why are you looking through your papers?”
“I might be mistaken, but I thought I spotted fresh scratches on the lock and wanted to make sure my medical file hadn’t been rifled.” Olivia glanced up when Libby didn’t immediately comment. “What’s wrong?”
“Prince Christian is systematically interviewing the staff about the leaks to the press.”
A chill chased across Olivia’s skin. “He thinks someone inside the palace is providing information?” She remembered the photos of Gabriel and Marissa. Those hadn’t been paparazzi shots. They had been taken among friends.
Olivia touched the lock again, wishing she could determine if the scratches were recent. If someone had gotten their hands on her medical records it could have catastrophic results. “Keep me updated on the investigation,” she said, “and see if you can find a more secure place for these.”
* * *
Gabriel was having a hard time keeping his mind on today’s biotech plant tour. For the past several days he’d been touring manufacturing plants in Switzerland and Belgium in search of other businesses that would be interested in moving their operations to Sherdana. He probably should have sent Christian to do this. His brother had made a significant amount of money investing in up-and-coming technology. Christian would have been interested in the product lines and the way the manufacturing facilities were organized. Gabriel was finding it as dry as overdone toast.
That’s probably how both his brothers felt about what went into the running of the country. These days, they had little in common. It often amazed Gabriel that three people could share a womb for nine months, communicate among themselves in their own language until they were teenagers and participate in a thousand childhood adventures together yet be so completely different in their talents and interests as they entered their twenties.
Nevertheless, this trip couldn’t have come at a better time. The past few nights with Olivia had been some of the most passion-filled of his life. She’d slipped effortlessly beneath his defenses with her eager sensuality and curious nature. He’d become obsessed with the soft drag of her lips across his skin and the wicked suggestions she whispered in his ear as he entered her.
His constant craving for her company warned him he was fast losing touch with why he was marrying her. Cool, sophisticated elegance and a warm heart. Not feverish kisses and blazing orgasms.
Gabriel cleared his throat and tugged at his collar as the head of the factory droned on. He definitely needed some space from her. Unfortunately, the distance wasn’t having the effect he’d hoped for. Being apart was supposed to cool him off. That was what he’d anticipated, but that wasn’t the result.
He daydreamed about her at the oddest moments. Him. Daydreaming. Like some infatuated fool. He’d never expected her to preoccupy him in this way. She was supposed to be a sensible mate, an able partner in governing the country, not a hellcat in bed.
Hope.
The tattoo drove him crazy. Its placement. Its message.
It awakened him to possibilities. He wanted to throw sensible out the window and take chances. Because of Olivia he wanted to shake up the established way of doing things. She’d awakened his restless spirit that he’d believed he’d conquered after ending things with Marissa.
Every day he was finding out that Olivia was more than he’d expected.
And he’d be a fool not to worry about the power she now had over him. Yet he was helpless to stop what was developing between them. The best he could hope for was to slow things down until he shaped the relationship into something he was comfortable with.
But was comfortable going to make him happy in the long run? Was he really going to shortchange his future all for the sake of feeling safe and in control?
* * *
A few days after Gabriel left on his trip, Olivia was scheduled to have a private lunch with the queen. Ten minutes before the appointment, she slipped pearl earrings into place and stepped in front of the mirror to assess her appearance. She’d chosen a sleeveless pink dress edged in white with a narrow white belt to highlight her waist, and accessorized with a pair of floral pumps. The feminine ensemble required a soft hairstyle so she’d left her hair down and coaxed out the natural wave with a light blowout.
This morning she’d awakened to some discomfort in her lower abdomen and wasn’t feeling on top of her game, but wasn’t about to cancel on the queen.
Drawing a fortifying breath, she entered the private dining room that only the immediate royal family used. Pale blue had been chosen for the chairs as well as the curtains framing the large windows. It was the only splash of color in a room otherwise dominated by white walls and lavish plasterwork painted gold. More intimate than many of the other rooms on the first floor, it nevertheless didn’t allow her to forget that this was a palace.
“You look lovely,” the queen said as she breezed into the room. She wore a classic suit of dusty lavender and a stunning choker of pale round Tahitian pearls. Noticing Olivia’s interest, she touched the necklace. “An anniversary gift from the king,” the queen explained, her smile both fond and sensual.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Matteo has exceptionally good taste.”
The queen gestured toward the dining table, capable of seating twelve, but set for two. As the two women sat down, a maid set a glass of soda on the table before the queen.
“Diet cola,” she, sipping the fizzy drink with pleasure. “I got a taste for it when we visited the States two decades ago. It’s my indulgence.”
Olivia nodded in understanding. She wasn’t much of a soda drinker herself, but she understood how someone could come to crave a particular item. Like a tall, bronze-eyed prince for example.
The servers placed plates of salad in front of the two women and the queen l
aunched a barrage of questions to determine what Olivia knew about Sherdana’s current political climate and their economic issues. Although Olivia had been expecting to discuss the wedding preparations, she was just as happy to share what she knew about the country she would soon call her own.
“Does my son know how bright you are?” the queen asked, her expression thoughtful as the maids cleared the main course and served dessert. She frowned at the plate in front of her and sighed. “Oh, dear. The chef is experimenting again.”
Olivia stared at the oddest fruit she’d ever seen. About the size of her fist with a leathery hot-pink skin, it had been sliced in half to reveal white flesh dotted with tiny black seeds. A hollow had been carved out of the center and filled with yogurt and sliced strawberries.
“Dragon fruit,” the queen explained. “And from what I understand quite delicious.”
Olivia took her first bite and was surprised at the wonderfully sweet flavor. It had a texture like a kiwi with the seeds adding a little crunch to each bite.
“You look pale.” The queen pointed at Olivia with her spoon. “I expect you’ll get more rest with my son away.”
Olivia’s entire body flushed hot. The queen had just insinuated that she knew where Gabriel had been spending his nights.
“Oh, don’t look so mortified,” the queen continued. “You are to be married and my son was determined to have a short engagement. Besides, there are no secrets in the palace.”
“No, I suppose there are not.” Olivia knew better than to think her nights with Gabriel were something between just the two of them. She’d grown up surrounded by servants who knew most everything about her daily habits.
“How are the twins’ dresses coming for the wedding?” The queen had taken a few days to approve the idea of Bethany and Karina being a part of the ceremony, but Gabriel had at last persuaded her.
“They should be finished later this week. The lace Noelle has chosen is beautiful. I think you’ll be pleased.”
“Noelle is very talented. You will all look beautiful.” The queen nodded in satisfaction. “I must say, you’ve accepted this situation with Gabriel’s children much better than most women would in your position.”
“It’s hard to imagine anyone not adoring those precious two,” Olivia admitted, but she understood what the queen was getting at. “I love children. Helping to make their lives better is the foundation for all my charity work. I would be a wretched person and a hypocrite if I turned my back on Bethany and Karina because of who their mother was.” And what Marissa had meant to Gabriel.
“They certainly have taken to you,” the queen said. “And you seem to have everything it takes to be an excellent mother.”
“Thank you.”
The queen’s praise should have allowed Olivia to relax, but the tick of her biological clock sounded loud in her ears.
Eight
“How was the trip?” Christian asked as he and Gabriel crossed the tarmac toward the waiting limo. “I hope you brought me a present.”
“Naturally.” Gabriel hoisted his briefcase and deposited it in his brother’s hands. “It’s filled with all sort of things I’m sure you’ll find vastly interesting.”
“Unlike you?”
“Technology is more your and Nic’s thing.” Gabriel was aware that the trip had been less productive than he’d hoped. Mostly because he’d had a hard time concentrating. Thoughts of Olivia had intruded with a frequency he’d found troubling. “You probably should have gone instead of me, but it was something I needed to do. I want to encourage more technology firms to move to Sherdana. The best way for me to do that is to speak to companies that might be looking at expansion.”
“I’ll bet you hated it.”
Gabriel shot Christian a quelling look. “I can’t expect to enjoy every aspect of my position. Some things must be done no matter how painful. This was one of them.”
“Is your future wife another?”
This time Christian laughed out loud at his brother’s sharp look.
“How I feel about my future bride is none of your business.”
“Come on, you’ve got to be a lot happier about having to get married these days. From what I hear, you two have been acting like a couple kids in love.”
Gabriel growled in displeasure, but couldn’t ignore the electric charge that surged through him at the mere thought of seeing Olivia again and feeling her soft lips yield beneath his. Each of the past four nights he’d gone to bed alone and found himself unable to sleep. Plagued by memories of Olivia’s smiles and her sassy sensuality, he’d lain with his hands behind his head, staring up at the blank ceiling and doing his best to ignore his erection.
Cold showers had become his 2:00 a.m. ritual. How had she bewitched him in such a short time?
“Neither one of us is in love,” Gabriel muttered. “But I won’t deny we’re compatible.” He leveled a hard gaze at his brother, warning him to drop the matter.
“Not in love?” Christian cocked his head. “Maybe you’re not. But are you sure about her?”
Christian’s question roused a memory of the last evening before his trip. He’d almost succumbed to Olivia’s plea to spend the night. She’d seemed so vulnerable, her characteristic confidence lacking. But that didn’t mean she was in love with him.
“Ridiculous,” he said. “We’ve only spent a couple weeks in each other’s company.”
“You don’t believe in love at first sight?”
Gabriel regarded his brother’s serious expression with curiosity. “Do you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Is that why you do your best to chase every woman away who gets too close?” Gabriel wondered if his brother was taunting him or if he was offering Gabriel a rare glimpse into his psyche. “Have none of them made you feel as if you were clobbered by something beyond your understanding or control?”
Something flared in Christian’s gaze but was quickly gone. His mocking smile returned. “Who wants to settle down with one woman when there’s a banquet of lovelies to sample?”
“One of these days someone will appeal to your palate and you’ll find that you can’t get enough of that particular delicacy.”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“I’m getting married because I have to.” Gabriel was well aware that he’d dodged the question and not with any finesse.
Christian’s eyes narrowed. “And if you didn’t have to?”
“Since that’s never been an option, I’ve never really thought about it.”
And he didn’t want to think about it now because it opened old wounds. Would he have stayed with Marissa if marriage to her had been possible? Had he loved her or had he inflated his feelings for her because circumstances made it impossible for them to have a future?
“Well, I certainly stirred you up,” Christian taunted.
“Wasn’t that your intention?” Gabriel countered, staring past the hedge that bordered the driveway to the palace. For a moment he glimpsed a pair of ponies and the two little girls riding them. Despite his tumultuous thoughts, he couldn’t help but feel joy at the appearance of his daughters and feel sorry for Christian. His cynical attitude would undoubtedly prevent him from experiencing the wonder of holding his own children in his arms and feeling their enthusiastic kisses all over his cheek.
“God,” Christian exclaimed, “you are smitten.”
“I caught a glimpse of my angels out riding.”
Christian snorted. “They’re not exactly angels. In fact, they’ve been turning the palace upside down with their version of hide-and-seek, which entails them finding some tiny nook and not coming out until every servant is called upon to look for them. It’s been worse these last few days with Olivia feeling unwell.”
Gabriel frowned. “What did you say ab
out Olivia? She’s ill?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“I spoke with her last night. She said nothing.” Gabriel rubbed at the back of his neck. “How bad is it?”
“I don’t know. She hasn’t been out of her suite for the last two days.”
“Has she been in bed that whole time?”
“I don’t know,” Christian sounded amused. “But if you’d hinted that you’d like me to check on your English flower in her bedroom, you should have said something.”
Gabriel didn’t even look at his brother as he exited the car and strode into the palace. Tension rode his shoulders as he entered the foyer, barely hearing the greetings from the staff on duty. Why hadn’t Olivia told him she wasn’t doing well? He took the stairs two at a time and turned in the direction of his fiancée’s suite. His knock was answered by a maid.
“I’m here to see Lady Darcy,” he told her, his scowl compelling the young woman to step back.
Three women occupied the room. Olivia sat on the couch with her feet up, her back to him while Ariana sat opposite her facing the door. Olivia’s private secretary was by the desk. His sister’s lilting laugh broke off as he entered.
“Good afternoon, ladies.” He forced himself to approach Ariana first. His sister looked splendid as always in an evening-blue dress. The color flattered her golden skin and dark brown hair. She wore a simple gold bangle at her wrist and gold hoop earrings.
“Welcome back, Gabriel,” she said, standing as he drew near and making her cheek available for a kiss.
“We missed you,” Olivia echoed, turning to gaze up at him. Her normally pale complexion lacked its customary healthy glow and there were shadows purpling the skin beneath her eyes.
Concern flared. He sat beside her on the sofa and touched her cheek with his fingertips. “Last night on the phone, why didn’t you tell me you’ve been ill?”
“It’s nothing.”