by Kristi Gold
“I think he’s probably wet,” she said. “I also think we should stop by the nursery first and check it out.”
A good plan. At least she could assist him when he took his first venture into diaper changing.
Piper followed behind him as he traveled the lengthy hallway past several unoccupied guest suites. He stopped immediately right of the staircase landing and opened the door to the nursery that he had once occupied with his two brothers almost thirty years ago. The room had been left much the same, with two cribs and a small single bed set against the sand-colored walls, a large blue trunk holding the toys from his early childhood positioned in the corner. The miniature round table and chairs were still centered in the room, the place where Elena had taught the boys lessons as well as her native language, Italian. Where she had read to them nightly before bedtime in lieu of the mother Adan had never known. But that had lasted only until he’d turned six years old, when he’d been unceremoniously shipped off to boarding school.
The baby’s cries began to escalate, thrusting the bittersweet memories away. He stepped aside to allow Piper entry, plagued by a sudden sense of absolute helplessness when he couldn’t think of a blasted thing to do to calm his son. He hated failure in any form, and he’d worked hard to succeed in nearly everything he’d endeavored. Yet somehow this miniature human had left him virtually defenseless.
Piper crossed the room to the dressing table and set the tote and carrier at her feet. “Bring him over here.”
“Gladly.”
After he laid the infant on the white cushioned surface, Samuel continued to wail at a decibel that could possibly summon the palace guards. Piper seemed willing to speed up the process by sliding the yellow-footed pajama bottoms down the infant’s legs. She then leaned down to retrieve a diaper that she set on the end of the table. “You can take it from here.”
While the child continued to cry, Adan surveyed the plastic contraption and tried to recall a time when he’d watched his sister-in-law change one of the twins. Sadly, he could not. “I am not well versed in proper diaper-changing procedure.”
Piper sighed. “First, you need to remove the wet diaper by releasing the tapes. But I need to warn you about something first.”
He suspected it wouldn’t be the last child-rearing caution he would hear. “Take care not to flip him on his head?”
She frowned. “Well, obviously that, and make sure you’re ready to hold the diaper back in place if he’s not done. Otherwise, you could find yourself being anointed in the face.”
He certainly had never considered that. “How do you know these things?”
She withdrew a white container from the bag and opened it to reveal some sort of paper wipes. “I learned the hard way. I used to babysit for a family with three boys, and two of them were in diapers.”
This woman—who had been a stranger to him twenty-four hours ago—could very well be his savior. After he lowered the diaper and didn’t have to dodge, he readied for the next step. “Now what?”
“Gently grasp his ankles with one hand, lift his bottom, then slide the diaper from beneath him with your free hand.”
Adan had earned a degree in aeronautics, yet this task seemed astronomical. Fortunately the boy found his thumb to pacify himself while his fumbling father figured out the process. And thankfully his hand easily circled both the infant’s ankles, and raising his legs was akin to lifting a feather. Once he had the diaper removed and the baby lowered, he turned back to Piper. “Piece of cake.”
She took the plastic garment from him and discarded it in the nearby bin. “True, but he’s still little. Just realize there will soon come a time when he’ll be much more mobile, and a lot less cooperative.”
The image of his child vaulting from the dressing table assaulted him. “Will I need to strap him down?”
Piper laughed. “You’ll have enough experience by then to handle him. And you’ll probably want to change him in a place that’s a little lower to the ground.”
He shook his head. “I had no idea that caring for someone so small would require so much knowledge. I am ill equipped for the task.”
“You’re more than equipped, Adan.” She handed him a damp paper cloth, set the container aside, then grabbed the clean diaper and unfolded it. “But right now your son requires that you finish this task. After you clean him up a bit, repeat the first step, only this time slide the diaper underneath him.”
Piper displayed great patience as he followed her instructions to the letter. Once he had the infant rediapered and redressed, he noticed that his son had fallen asleep.
“Grab the bag and we’ll put this little guy to bed,” Piper said as she lifted the baby, crossed the room and placed him on his back in one of the two cribs.
Tote in hand, Adan came to her side. As he watched his child sleep, he experienced a strong sense of pride. “I must say he’s quite something.”
“Yes he is,” she replied in a hushed tone. “Now let’s go so he can have a decent nap before it’s feeding time again.”
After one last look at his son, Adan guided Piper into the corridor, leaving the nursery room door ajar. “Do you think it’s all right to leave him all alone in an unfamiliar place?”
She patted his arm and smiled. “He’s going to be fine for the next hour or so. And I’m sure Elena will have the monitor in place very soon so you can track his every move. But you will need to send out for supplies tomorrow.”
“I prefer to take care of the supplies myself,” he said on a whim. “However, I could use some counsel on what to purchase, if you would be so kind as to accompany me into the village. I can also show you the sights while we’re there.”
“Aren’t you afraid someone might recognize you?”
He was more afraid she would reject his plan to spend more time with her. “I have ways to disguise myself to avoid recognition. We would appear to be tourists exploring the town.”
She hid a yawn behind her hands. “I could probably do that. But at the moment, I could use a nap. Jet lag has taken hold of me.”
What an inconsiderate buffoon he’d become. “Of course. If you’ll follow me, I will show you to your quarters.”
Adan guided Piper toward the suite opposite his, situated two rooms down from the nursery. Once there, he opened the door and she breezed past him, coming to a stop at the end of the queen-size bed. He stepped inside and watched as she surveyed the room before facing the open windows that revealed the mountains in the distance.
“This is a beautiful view,” she said without turning around.
“Yes, it is.” And he wasn’t referring to the panoramic scenery. She was beautiful. Incredibly beautiful, from the top of her hair that ruffled in the warm breeze, to her man-slaying high heels, and all points in between. What he wouldn’t give to divest her of that black dress, lay her down on the purple silk bedspread and have his wicked way with her....
“That peak is really prominent.”
She had no idea, and he was thankful she hadn’t turned around to find out. After regaining some composure, he crossed the room and moved behind her. “The largest mountain is called Mabrứuk. Legend has it that it blesses Bajul with fertility.”
She turned, putting them in close proximity. “Fertile as in crops?”
“Actually, livestock and village offspring. We’ve come to know it as the baby-making mountain.”
She smiled. “Did its powers reach all the way to Milan?”
“Perhaps so.”
Her smile disappeared, replaced by self-consciousness. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. Obviously you were shocked over learning you had a son.”
An understatement of the first order. “Yes, but I am in part responsible. If I had answered Talia’s messages, I would have known much sooner. But I frankly did not have the desire t
o speak with her after we broke off the relationship. Six years of Talia’s antics had been quite enough.”
“And that brings me to a question,” she said, followed by, “if you don’t mind me asking.”
After all his talk of honor, she deserved to grill him as much as she would like. “Ask away.”
“Why were you with Talia all that time if you found her intolerable?”
A very good question. “In all honesty, my attraction to her was purely physical. But in defense of Talia, she has not had an easy life. She practically raised herself in the back alleys of London after her mother died and her father drowned his sorrows in the local pubs. Beneath that tough and somewhat haughty exterior resides a lost little girl who fears poverty and a loss of pride.”
Piper released a caustic laugh. “Sorry, but that doesn’t excuse her for bringing a baby into the world and basically ignoring him after the fact.”
He recalled the recent conversation he’d had with Talia in the study. “She told me she had considered giving Samuel up for adoption, but she also felt I had a right to decide if I wanted to be a part of his life.”
“And she thought springing him on you was the way to handle that?”
“Talia is nothing if not spontaneous. And as I’ve said, I refused to answer any correspondence.”
She sighed. “Look, I know it’s really none of my business, but I suspect she could be using Sam as a pawn to get you back into her life.”
“Or perhaps for monetary gain,” he said, regretfully voicing his own suspicions.
Piper reacted with a scowl. “She wants you to buy your own son from her?”
“She did not exactly say that, but it is a possibility. And if that proves to be true, I would willingly give her any amount of money for the opportunity to raise my child without her interference.”
Her features brightened. “I admire your conviction, Adan. Sam is lucky to have you as his dad.”
She could have offered him an accommodation for bravery in battle and it would not have meant as much. “And I appreciate your faith in me, Piper. Yet I am well aware of the challenges ahead of me.”
She favored him with a grin that traveled to her diamond-blue eyes. “Just wait until you have to give him a bath this evening.”
That sent several horrific images shooting through his muddled mind. “Bloody hell, what if I drop him?”
She patted his cheek. “You won’t if you’re careful. And I’ll be there to show you how it’s done.”
He caught her hand and brought it against his chest. “You have been a godsend, Piper McAdams. And you now hold the distinction of being the most attractive tutor I have ever encountered.”
“Then we’re even,” she said, her voice soft and overtly sensuous.
He tugged her closer. “In what way?”
She wrested out of his grasp and draped her arms around his neck. “You happen to be the best kisser I’ve ever encountered to this point.”
He wanted to kiss her now. Needed to kiss her now. And he did—without any compunction whatsoever, regardless of his responsibility to his sleeping son. With a bed very close at hand and her heady response to the thrust of his tongue, all reasoning flew out the open windows.
“Excuse me, Emir.”
Abdul’s voice was as effective as having ice water poured down one’s pants, thrusting Adan away from Piper. He tried to clear the uncomfortable hitch from his throat before facing the servant. “Yes, Abdul?”
“I have Ms. McAdams’s luggage.”
“Then bring it in.”
The man set the bags at the end of the bed, then executed a slight bow before hurrying away and closing the door behind him, something Adan should have done to avoid the predicament.
He sent Piper an apologetic look. “I am very sorry I did not see to our privacy.”
She touched her fingertips to her lips. “We really shouldn’t be doing this.”
The declaration sent his good spirits into a nosedive. “Why not?”
“Because I can’t help but wonder exactly how much you really knew about Talia’s pregnancy.”
This time when she called his honor into question, he responded with fury. “I did not even remotely suspect she might be pregnant. Otherwise this issue would have been resolved in the beginning. And it pains me to know you hold me in such low esteem that you think I would abandon my own child.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That was an unfair assumption since you seem so willing to care for your son.”
His anger diminished when he noted the sincerity in her voice. “You do have every right to doubt me, Piper, in light of my initial fabrications. But I swear to you again that I will do everything in my power to prove my honor.”
She answered with a slight smile. “After meeting that man-eater, Talia, I now understand why you might be driven straight into celibacy.”
That vow was the last thing on his mind after he’d kissed Piper. “As I’ve said before, she had little to do with that decision. I am determined to demonstrate my ability to maintain control over baser urges.”
“Then we should probably avoid situations where we’re going to lose our heads and do something we both might regret.”
He could not argue that point, but he would have no regrets when it came to making love to her should they arrive upon that decision. He might regret any emotional entanglement. “I suppose you’re correct, but chemistry is very hard to control.”
“We’ll just have to learn to control it for the time being.”
Easier said than done. “And let us both hope we can maintain control.”
“Believe me, you’ll have enough distractions taking care of Sam.”
Perhaps while caring for his son that would be true, but she served as his primary distraction in private, the reason why he began backing toward the door—and away from these foreign feelings for Piper that had little to do with physical attraction. “Speaking of my son, I should go see about him. In the meantime, you should rest.”
She yawned again and stretched her arms above her head. “A nap would be fantastic. So would a shower. Is there one nearby?”
Old habits reared their ugly heads when he almost offered his personal facilities—and his assistance—but instead he nodded to his right. “You have an en suite bathroom through that door. And my room is right across the hall, should you find you require anything else from me.”
Her grin returned. “I’m sure I’ll manage, but thank you for everything.”
“My pleasure, and I do hope you get some much-needed sleep filled with pleasant dreams.”
No doubt he would be having a few pleasant—and inadvisable—dreams about her.
Four
At the sound of a crying baby, Piper awoke with a start. She tried to regain her bearings only to discover the room was too dark to see much of anything, leading her to fumble for the bedside lamp and snap it on.
Since she hadn’t bothered to reset her watch after she showered, she didn’t know the exact time, nor did she know how long she’d been sleeping. She did know that her once-damp hair had dislodged from the towel and her pink silk robe was practically wrapped around her neck.
After pushing off the bed, she immediately strode to the dresser to untangle her hair with a brush and to select appropriate clothing before setting off to see about Sam. But the continuous cries had her tightening the robe’s sash as she left the room and plodded down the hall on bare feet.
She paused at the nursery to find the door ajar and a disheveled sheikh pacing the area, a very distressed son cradled in his arms. She strolled into the room, feeling slightly uneasy over her state of dress—or undress as the case might be. While she wore only a flimsy robe, he was dressed in a white T-shirt and faded jeans, his feet also bare. He looked tousled
and sexy and, oh, so tempting...and she needed to shift her brain back into an appropriate gear. “Having problems?”
Adan paused the pacing to give her a forlorn look. “I have fed him twice and diapered him more times than I can possibly count, and he still continues to cry at the top of his lungs.”
Taking pity on the prince, she walked up to him, took Sam from his grasp and began patting the baby’s back. “Did you burp him?”
He lowered his gaze. “Actually, no, I did not.”
“Then it’s probably just a bubble in his tummy.” She sat down in a nearby rocker, draped the baby horizontally over her knees and rubbed his back. “Did Talia happen to mention anything about colic?” she asked, and when he seemed confused, she launched into an explanation. “It’s an odd occurrence that happens to some babies at the same time every night. Basically a stomachache that can’t quite be explained. On a positive note, it eventually resolves itself, usually when they’re around three months old.”
He slid his hands into his pockets and approached her slowly. “I highly doubt Talia would have known if he had this problem. Are you certain it’s not dangerous?”
He sounded so worried her heart went out to him. “No, it’s not dangerous. But it’s probably wise to have him checked out by a doctor as soon as possible, just to make sure he’s healthy and growing at the right rate. And please tell me Talia left some sort of medical records with you.”
“That much she did,” he said. “My sister-in-law, who also happens to be the queen and head of our ministry of health, is a physician. I will have her examine Samuel as soon as she returns at the end of the week.”
Although Sam’s sobs had turned into sniffles, she continued to gently pat the baby’s back in hopes of relieving his tummy distress. “It’s good to have a doctor in the family. How do you think the king will take the news about Sam?”
Adan leaned a shoulder against the wall. “He is no stranger to scandal, so he has no reason to judge me.”