“In four months? There’s not time, Edward. Not unless it’s us.”
She could see the indecision in his pursed lips and furrowed brows, until his expression evened out again.
“I’ll need to leave.”
“Edward, no.”
“There’s no use fighting about it. I can’t leave in the middle of our investigation into the security breach but, after that, we should consider if my leaving is the best thing for both of us.”
Cat pursed her lips and tucked her head against his neck again. Maybe what she felt with him wasn’t the same as he felt for her. She wasn’t enough for him as a woman and, as a princess, perhaps she was also too much. A lot came with being a royal, and she wasn’t ignorant. She knew they’d be judged, by her family first, then the public.
Cat was in her mid-thirties. She didn’t expect true love anymore. She just wanted to feel safe and cared for. She wanted someone she could be herself with when her day of royal duties was done.
That man might be Edward.
And she didn’t want to give him up without a fight. “You said you couldn’t stop thinking about me.”
“Catharine.”
“That means you care for me, at least a little.”
His arms gave her another squeeze. “More than a little.”
Her heart beat faster. “Then give us a chance. We’re not talking forever; we’re just talking about tomorrow.” And the day after that, and every day after that, she didn’t add.
He held her for several long moments, then kissed the crown of her head. “We should go, or you’ll be late to dinner.”
He hadn’t said yes, but he hadn’t pushed her away, either.
Progress.
She nodded against him and inhaled deep, taking in the whole of him as she did. She memorized his unique, musky scent and the way his beard scratched welcomingly against her skin. She wanted more.
If they were forced to reject each other, she’d find some way to show him what they were missing with each other. And, if that didn’t work, at least she’d have a memory she could cherish until she married a more ‘appropriate’ man.
The thought of that sent a bolt of pain through her, but she rallied.
A princess, after all, should put duty above all else.
“You’ve probably made a mess of my hair and makeup. I should see to it before we leave.”
He gave her another look but let her go. A few minutes later, with her looks touched up, they left her apartment and walked down the halls towards the dining room.
The Royal Wing of the palace featured several individual apartments and guest rooms, but also many shared rooms they all enjoyed. Since she and her siblings were all grown – several of them scattered across Valleria, Europe, and beyond – whenever there was a chance for a family dinner, they sat down together.
These days she usually just ate with her parents, or even just her mother if her father was busy with state business. As her siblings paired off – first Alex and Rebecca, then Marcello with Grace, Nate with Charlotte, who went by Charlie, and even Arianna with Finn in his home country of Brazenbourg – they often ate dinner alone in their respective apartments, and the table became less and less crowded.
Today, however, with a security breach – in the Royal Wing, no less – she was in for a lively dinner, to say the least.
She walked into a large sitting room a few minutes later, Edward taking his usual spot just outside the door, and found her brother Nate arguing with Charlie.
Charlie was livid, her distinctly American accent raised and her words clipped. “It’s. My. Fault.”
“Of course it wasn’t your fault. It was a security breach,” Nate said calmly.
“Am I or am I not in charge of the kitchens? Did I or did I not take that position over from Coco when she retired a few months ago? Then that means this is my fault.”
“You are in charge of the kitchens, but you’re not in charge of the security for the palace.” Nate lifted a hand to cup her cheek. “Charlotte-mine, it wasn’t your fault.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Cat chimed in and both sets of eyes turned to her. “Don’t blame yourself, Charlie.”
“Everyone else is,” Charlie muttered.
“Then they’re assholes,” Nate said firmly. “Things like this happen. We deal with it and move on with our lives. All right?” Nate pressed a hand over her left side, where Charlie’s scar from a gunshot wound was now cleverly concealed by a tattoo; the same tattoo was etched onto Nate’s skin over the scars left from his wound.
It was a tattoo their mother had yet to learn about; she wasn’t fond of Nate’s tattoos.
Charlie took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “Yes, all right. Your parents might not feel the same way, though, or the rest of your family. They might blame me.”
“They don’t,” a voice called and everyone turned to see Gabriel in the doorway. Nate stepped back as his father walked over to Charlie and kissed her forehead. “You are not to blame here. None of us fault you. I’ll also say that we admire the excellent way you oversee the kitchens. I’d wager even Coco, who ran an extremely efficient staff, would be impressed with what you’ve done in your short tenure.”
Charlie looked almost frightened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply, or insult–”
“None of that, Charlotte,” Gabriel said easily. “We can all understand that you may feel uneasy, but you’ve no need to be. Understand?”
When Charlie nodded, he said, “Good. Then let’s get our drinks and head to the dining room. I’m afraid I haven’t much time for a meal, but your mother’s insisting on a family dinner.”
“I heard that.” Genevieve walked in, and her simple knee-length black dress and matching jacket shimmered as the slivers of silver thread that adorned it caught the light. “Are you saying you don’t like family dinners?”
“Not at all, my dear. Though, I will confess, I like them much more when I’m not dealing with a crisis.”
Genevieve rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “When are you not dealing with a crisis? Forty years we’ve been married now and I know all your tricks, Gabriel.”
His lips tipped up into a grin. “We shall see, my dear, we shall see.” When Genevieve narrowed her eyes at him, his grin shifted to a broad smile and he chuckled. “May I get you a drink?”
After a moment, she uncrossed her arms. “I’ll just have something with dinner.”
“As you wish, my dear.”
“Go ahead. I’ll join you in a second. I just want to speak with the children a moment.”
He nodded, lips still tipped up, and walked to Cat. “Are you all right, my child?”
“Yes, Papa.”
Gabriel pulled his daughter into his arms. “I was none too pleased you were nearby when the intruder was roaming our halls. None too pleased.”
Since her father’s ‘none too pleased’ meant ‘really fucking angry’, she did her best to allay his fears. “I’m perfectly fine. The agents took care of me.”
He gave her a quick squeeze and kissed her forehead, then let go. “Good. You let me know if you’re not fine, understand?”
“Yes, Papa. I will.”
Gabriel nodded and left the room.
Cat turned to her mother, ready to scold her. “Mama, you shouldn’t be angry with Papa at a time like this. He’s stressed.”
Genevieve scoffed, but with a smile on her face. “That was all an act, Catharine. Your father’s very worried and needs some time to relax. I know my husband, and even a small smile and dinner with his children will help. These family dinners aren’t for me, they’re for him.”
Cat’s mouth fell open, and she saw Nate and Charlie wore similar expressions of surprise on their faces. They always thought it was their mother who wanted these dinners. It was shocking to realize that, though she loved having her children around her, she was really using them as a means to help their father.
Knowing that, family dinners might become less irkso
me.
Knowing her family, however, it would be only by a little.
“Charlotte,” Genevieve called as she walked over to her and took her hand. “I know you’re worried, but you’ve no need to be. We all adore you, and none of us blame you. We don’t blame Marcello, either, come to that. Don’t dwell on what’s happened. Just focus on the future and what we can do to prevent this from happening again.” Genevieve gave Charlie’s hand a quick pat. “Now then, let’s go to dinner. I believe the others said they’d meet us there.”
A few minutes later, settled at their large dining table, appetizers were served just as Alex and Rebecca came in, followed by Grace.
“No Marcello?” Nate asked Grace.
“I’m afraid not. He said he’ll be here soon, and that we shouldn’t wait for him to begin.”
“Sorry we’re a bit late, everyone,” Rebecca said as Alex held her chair for her.
“Don’t worry about that now,” Genevieve said. “Have a seat. We’ve much to discuss.”
“Yes, we do,” Alex said as he took his own seat. “Any news, Papa?”
“Marcello will give us an update when he arrives, though Agent Bashiera may know more.”
All eyes, including Cat’s, turned to Edward, who was standing against the wall in a loose form of attention. He stepped forward at her father’s call.
“Your Majesty, Prince Marcello asked that I defer to him regarding any updates.”
Gabriel nodded. “We’ll wait for my son, then.”
“I’m here,” Marcello called as he strode into the room. He gave Edward a quick pat on the back, and Edward stepped back into position against the wall. Marcello walked around the table to give his mother a kiss on the cheek, then took his seat next to Grace. His plate appeared instantly and everyone settled in to eat.
“What news?” Alex asked.
“Bash, you tell them anything?” Marcello asked Edward.
“No, Sir.”
Cat had never heard Edward called that before. “Bash?”
“It’s his nickname,” Marcello said dismissively. “Right. Well, as you all know, we captured the intruder. His name is Cesaire Sacheverelle, and we’ve had trouble with him before,” Marcello said, tipping his head to Alex and Rebecca. “He’s the one who took the pictures of Alex and Rebecca around Christmas. This time, however, he was planting mics and cameras around the Royal Wing.”
“What?” came the outcry from everyone except Alex and Gabriel.
“We’ve taken down everything he planted and swept all the halls and rooms, including our apartments. Everything’s clean.”
“How did he get in?”
“Someone gave him a valid security card. We’ve traced who it belongs to, but they’ve gone missing.”
“Who is it?” Charlie asked nervously. “It’s someone from the kitchens, isn’t it?”
Marcello gave her a long look. “Andre Nouveau. Do you know him?”
Charlie muttered under her breath, and Nate put his arm around her. “Yes, I know him. He’s one of our head chefs. He took some time off to visit his parents in France. He was due back in a few days.”
“By all accounts, he never made it to France. No record of him at the borders and his suitcases were still in his apartment. His parents had already filed a missing persons report for him in France.”
Charlie cursed under her breath, so that only Nate heard it, then spoke clearly. “I don’t believe he’d willingly do anything to harm the royal family. I really don’t.”
“We don’t, either. The way things look, I believe he’s an unwilling accomplice.”
Charlie pursed her lips. “But probably a dead one by now, right?”
“We don’t know that yet.”
Charlie sighed and nodded; Nate tightened his hold around her.
“I don’t understand,” Grace said. “You said the intruder was a photographer. If he just wanted photos, why was he planting microphones?”
“He wasn’t behind this; he was blackmailed into doing it. Bash interrogated him, finally got him to break and tell us everything. We’ve got a woman’s name and we’re trying to track her down now, but we’ve only got a few hours to do it.”
Alex pushed aside his now empty appetizer plate. “The equipment was set to begin recording at midnight, wasn’t it?”
Marcello nodded. “Our tech guys have set up the cameras to broadcast loops of older feeds we have, hopefully to buy us some time. I don’t know what’s going to happen at midnight, but I want everyone in the bunker well before then. After dinner, grab what you need and head down there.”
“Do you think we’re in danger?” Cat asked, her voice uneven, and she snuck a glance at Edward; his intense gaze was palpable even from across the room.
Marcello took a long sip of wine. “I’m not taking any chances. Until we know what this is, nobody takes any chances.”
“Will we be able to leave the palace tomorrow?” Rebecca asked, her face tense. “I’ve got to be at the hospital mid-morning for a charity event.”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to see how the night goes.”
Rebecca nodded and massaged her stomach. Cat briefly wondered if she was simply upset about the breach, her wedding dress, or if she was bothered by something else entirely. Visiting local hospitals was standard for a royal – or a future royal, in her case – and could usually be rescheduled fairly easily.
“Darling, everything will be fine,” Alex said softly and took her hand away from her belly to link with his. “The threat is under control, you’ve got a new wedding dress, and everyone’s safe.”
Genevieve gestured to the servers to bring in dinner. “Speaking of, I found out about the state of your wedding dress, Rebecca, and I don’t appreciate not hearing it from you directly.”
Rebecca shrank into her chair, but Alex was not having any of that. “Mama, it’s not Rebecca’s fault the dress designer is a lunatic. I won’t have you scolding her, especially when she’s clearly upset about it.”
“Exactly right, Alex,” Cat agreed fervently. “Besides, Mama, we’ve already found another dress. Everything is perfectly on track again.”
“And that’s another thing. You found another dress without me?”
“Mama,” Alex said shaking his head. “Do we need to remind you – again – that this is our wedding? Rebecca does not need your approval for a dress.”
“Alex,” Rebecca said softly.
“No, darling. It’s not right.”
Genevieve pursed her lips. “This is a major event. If we weren’t royals, you know I wouldn’t fuss so much, but we are. Most weddings aren’t for the bride and groom, but this one really isn’t. There’s a lot at stake here, what with all the heads of state and important officials that will be in attendance.”
“We’re not unaware of that fact, Mama, trust me. And trust Rebecca. She understands duty, almost better than us.”
Rebecca’s face paled at that; Cat once again wondered if something else was going on.
“Of course I know that. Rebecca, though you may not officially be my daughter yet, in my eyes, you already are.”
The tension in the room melted into something soft and warm.
“You’ll find out from my other children, if you haven’t already, that I’m nosy, opinionated, and pushy. If I’m like that with you, it just means you’re one of the family, and you are.”
“Thank you,” Rebecca said in a low voice, then her face crumpled and she burst into tears. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.” She leapt from the table and ran from the room; Alex got up barely a moment later and followed her.
Genevieve frowned. “Should I go, too? I didn’t mean to upset her.”
Gabriel took his wife’s hand. “I think everyone knows she wasn’t angry, my dear.” He gave her hand a kiss. “Let Alex see to her. You can talk to her later tonight. We will all be in the bunker together, after all.”
Genevieve nodded. “All right. Let’s get on with dinner then; I’ve a lot to see to
before midnight comes.”
“Yes,” Nate agreed. “I also think it’s best if we wait to discuss any more details about the threat until we get to the bunker. We could all use a break from it right now.”
Everyone agreed, and not just because Charlie’s face was awash in worry.
But because everyone’s was.
Cat gave Edward another furtive glance; his eyes were boring into her, his body still at attention, ready to strike against any harm that may come.
She wanted to be in his arms again, feel them around her, feel his cheek against her hair and the tremble of his low voice against her skin.
After dinner, she’d try to get what she wanted.
Edward followed Catharine down the hall to her apartment. After doing a quick sweep inside, he gave her a nod and headed for the front door.
“Wait,” she said. Her voice was soft and breathy, just as it always was after a glass or two of wine.
And damn it, his cock responded every time.
“I need help with my necklace again.”
Danger. His mind knew it. His body, however, decided to ignore his mind and went to her. He swept her hair to one side and his fingers brushed her nape as they undid the clasp.
Her hands lifted to her throat to grab the necklace, so he let go.
However, she didn’t catch it in time.
The necklace fell into her lush cleavage, the two ends of the clasp barely peeking out. “Oops.”
Sense had Edward stepping back, even while his hands itched to reach for it.
He’d hold back, however, even if it killed him.
Heat blasted through him when she plunged her own hand into her dress and began to wiggle in a vain attempt to reach it. She could have easily pulled it out, he supposed, if it weren’t for her current inebriated state.
He watched her teeth bite her bottom lip in concentration. Her right hand shifted inside the dress, while her left hand tried to manipulate the beads – and, by proximity, her breasts – from the outside.
She failed.
He knew it when he heard the soft clink of pearls on the floor and her eyebrows shot up. She pulled her hand free and bent over to pick it up. The sight of her heart-shaped ass nearly caused him to groan out loud.
Catharine & Edward Page 6