by Holt, Layla
She smelled so sweet, like exotic fruits and chocolate. It wasn’t enough that he had kissed her when he arrived. It wasn’t nearly enough. Jaime melted in the softness of her lips. She moaned into his mouth and his self-control crumbled.
He deepened the kiss and stroked her shoulders, back and everywhere he could reach. Ariana’s fingers clawed his back, as if she couldn’t get enough of him. Jaime lost track of how long they had been kissing and, as he came up for air, he realized that the car had stopped. He reluctantly drew away from Ariana.
“We’re here,” she said.
The car doors were flung open and Jaime stepped out to a grand snow-white palace, with massive columns that fronted the building. His breath caught. He had expected grand but the structure in front of him defied the normal definition of grand.
Uniformed guards stood at the entrance as Ariana took his hand and led him in. The inside was even more impressive with high ceilings, gold framed mirrors, paintings and chandeliers that sparkled as if they were made from real gems.
“Everyone’s in the family room,” Arian said, leading him through the foyer.
The palace was designed around a central courtyard with a fountain in the middle. They walked across it to another entrance through curved wooden doors that resembled works of art.
“This is the South wing and where the private royal quarters are,” Ariana explained. She then led him through an intricate maze of hallways.
“I’ll never remember this,” Jaime said.
She laughed. “You will, I promise.” She stopped in front of a door and pushed it open. “Welcome.”
Inside, Jaime was met by several pairs of eyes. He was drawn to a beautiful woman seated with a book on her lap. The resemblance to Ariana was uncanny and Jaime knew without an introduction that she was Ariana’s mother.
Ariana took him to her mother first. “Jaime, this is my mother, Queen Christia of Asencia. Mother, meet my fiancé, Jaime Cohan.”
Jaime realized his blunder. In his joy at seeing Ariana, he’d forgotten to ask her about protocol. How was he supposed to greet her family? Her mother was a queen. He couldn’t just shake her royal hand.
In his confusion, Jaime executed a bow and something that resembled a curtsy at the same time. Laughter broke out in the room. He felt like a complete idiot. He was glad that his siblings were not there to see it. They would never let him forget his blunder.
Queen Christia stood up and took his hands. “You don’t need to bow in private. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She was as tall as he was and her eyes were penetrating, as if trying to read his character.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Your Majesty,” Jamie said, now recovered from his gaffe.
She sat back down.
“This is my brother, Crown Prince Daxton,” Ariana said, moving him to a dark-haired man with his leg stretched out on a footrest and covered with a cast. “He’s clumsy, as you can see.”
Her brother laughed and then shifted his gaze to Jaime, a curious look in his eyes. Jaime shook his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Your Royal Highness. Sorry about that. It can’t be pleasant to have your movements limited so much.”
Prince Daxton grinned good-naturedly. “I’m looking on the bright side. I get to rest for the holidays. It’s been an exhausting year. Please call me Dax. All my family do.”
“Moving along. Dax will keep you talking to him all evening,” Ariana said and tugged at his hand. “This is my lovely sister-in-law, Princess Sala.”
The pretty woman smiled at him and shook his hand. Two cute little girls that reminded him of his nephews and niece sat around the Christmas tree, playing with the decorations.
“This is Iyana and Cerie,” Ariana said, kissing the girls on the forehead.
“Hi,” Jaime said. “That’s a pretty tree. Has it just grown taller or is it my imagination?”
The older of the two giggled. “It can’t grow inside the palace.”
Ariana led him back to the seating area to join her family.
“What are your first impressions of Asencia?” Prince Daxton said. “Ariana told us that it was on your list of places to visit.”
He’d been too busy kissing Ariana to notice his surroundings. “The people are really friendly and warm.” He kept a straight face. “That tells you more about a place than anything else.”
“You’re right,” Daxton said. “A friendliness survey was conducted in all major cities in Europe and Asencia emerged number one.”
In his research on the royal family of Asencia, Jaime had read about King Ramona’s automobile accident that had put him in a coma two years previously. Despite their joy, he could just imagine the heartbreak of having a family member in a coma.
“I’m not surprised,” Jaime said.
“Ariana, why don’t you show Jaime to his suite,” Queen Christia said. “I’m sure he’d like to freshen up and maybe rest before dinner.”
“Thanks,” Jaime said with relief. He didn’t mind chatting and getting to know each other but he and Megan had spent the better part of that morning working in the vineyard.
He felt more than a little tired and a shower would freshen him up.
“We’re very happy to have you here with us,” Queen Christia said and stood up as he and Ariana left the room.
Chapter Ten
Ariana paused outside her father’s room inhaling deeply to brace herself. She had never gotten used to seeing her father in the coma state he was in, no matter how many times she saw him.
The door flung open startling her. Jenna, one of his regular nurses jumped back startled and both women laughed.
“Go on in, I’ve just finished turning him.”
“Thanks,” Ariana said and entered. The strong smell of antiseptic burned her nostrils as she shut the door behind her.
It was necessary to keep the room completely disinfected as her father’s immunity was compromised by the coma. In the last four days she had been home, she made a point of visiting her father at least thrice a day.
In that time, she had brought him up to date on what she had been doing since leaving Asencia. The only thing she hadn’t told him was that her engagement to Jaime was not real.
She had made the decision to tell him before she introduced Jaime to him. Ariana had always been a daddy’s girl and when she and her mother clashed, he had been the voice of reason that bridged the gulf between mother and daughter.
She hated lying to him, even by omission.
Ariana approached the hospital bed and plastered a smile on her face even though her father never opened his eyes. Still, she believed that he could feel her smile from her voice.
“Papa,” Ariana said and kissed his cheek.
He lay on his back, unmoving, apart from his chest, which rose up and down reassuringly.
“Jaime arrived safely and he’s refreshing himself in his room,” Ariana said. She took his hand and rubbed it between both of hers.
In the early months after he came home from the hospital, she had often held his hand to feel its warmth and to reassure herself that he was still there. As she stared at the stillness in his face, Ariana tasted panic in her mouth.
She had been gone for four months and nothing had changed. Her father looked exactly as he had before she left. What if this was it? What if he never woke up from his coma and he grew old and died without ever having opened his eyes?
Her heart pounded hard against her chest and she fought down the panic. She was going down a road that was as unhelpful as it was depressing. No one knew what would happen tomorrow. People had been known to wake up from comas. Her father would wake up too. She had to believe that.
Tears swam in her eyes and, for a few seconds, Ariana could not speak. She reminded herself to be strong for her father. Keep her fears hidden away. He had to know that she, like the rest of the family, believed that he would be well again.
She rubbed his hand. “Papa, there’s something I have to
tell you, something no one else knows. It’s about Jaime.” She inhaled deeply and forced herself to continue.
“He’s not my real fiancé. This is going to sound so stupid and I know you’ll be upset.” She told him about the humiliation she had gone through when her fiancé dumped her and married her best friend.
She couldn’t return to Asencia as a loser. “I know you understand Papa. Jaime is a really good person. I’ll bring him before dinner and you can hear for yourself. He’s a wonderful person and he has been raised well.”
She half stood and kissed his forehead. “I’ll go and get him.”
Feeling as though a heavy load had been lifted off her shoulders, Ariana left her father’s suite and made for Jaime’s room. Her mother had insisted that as her fiancé, Jaime was family and should have a guestroom in the family quarters.
She knocked on Jaime’s door but there was no response. She placed her ear against the door to listen to the sound of the shower. Nothing. She gripped the door handle and opened it slowly. Tiptoeing in, she smiled when she saw the reason why he was not responding.
He had fallen asleep. The smile froze when Ariana saw that he was half naked, only wrapped in a towel. Knowing that she was invading his privacy but unable to help herself, Ariana tiptoed to his bed and sat down on the edge.
As she studied him, Ariana became aware of her own heartbeat. Her gaze settled on his face. He was a gorgeous man with a manly, sexy face. Nothing feminine about Jaime Cohan. He was all man. Her insides trembled as her gaze dropped to his lips.
He kissed as he did most things. As if it was the most important thing he would ever do in his life. When she lowered her gaze to his chest, her breath hitched. His chest, honed with muscle, contracted and expanded as he breathed in and out.
Ariana placed her hand palm down on his chest. Her breath quickened and her legs turned to water. Then she saw it. A scar that looked fairly recent that went across his chest.
She was about to remove her hand, when Jaime’s hand shot out and covered hers. He opened his eyes and she let out a cry of fright. She only had a moment to take in his stormy eyes before he pulled her until she was half lying on his body.
They moved simultaneously until their mouths were angled over each other. Kissing Jaime was becoming an addiction. That was the last rational thought Ariana had before she was swept away in Jaime’s intense kisses. She used one hand to anchor herself and the other to caress his chest.
Sounds of pleasure filled the room before Ariana realized that they were coming from her. Realizing what was happening, she broke away and lifted herself from Jaime’s body.
She sat back on the bed and stared at his scar. “What happened?” She touched the scar again with her fingertips.
“A knife,” Jaime said. “It happened in Afghanistan. I was tired, fed up and the ground was wet, plus the rain was coming down hard. I sat down and refused to take another step.”
His voice sounded so far off. As if he had left the palace and was back in Afghanistan.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Ariana said, regretting taking him back to a painful period in his past.
“It’s okay,” Jaime said and sighed. “Anyway, one of the rebels, his name was Omar, squatted besides me, took out a knife and sliced me across the chest.”
Tears sprung to Ariana’s eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s over,” Jaime said. “It was the most frightening period of my life. I realized then how fragile life is. We’re one step away from death at any moment.”
Ariana’s mind went to her father. She couldn’t bear if he left them. He was only fifty-seven years old. A sob choked out of her.
“Hey,” Jaime said and pulled her to him.
She rested her head on his chest as she bawled unattractively but unable to stop the torrent of tears flooding his chest.
“What is it sweetheart?”
The use of the endearment made her cry even harder. Her father had liked to call her his sweetheart.
“I’ve just come from seeing my father,” Ariana explained when she stopped crying. “When you said we’re a step away from death, I thought about him. Just the thought of losing him...”
“That’s not what I meant,” Jaime said. “The point is that life is precious and, as long as you have breath in you, one must live life as well as one can. Do good things, meet and love people. Don’t let fear stop you from doing all the things you want to do.”
Ariana sat up. “You’re right.”
“How is he?” Jaime asked.
“Same as always. Still in a coma,” Ariana said. “You would think that we would get used to it but we don’t. I’ve found my mom crying in his room several times and Daxton as well.”
“It’s not possible to get used to that kind of thing,” Jaime said.
“I told him I’d take you to meet him before dinner,” she said. It was a big deal. Apart from family, no one else was allowed to see her father.
“I’d be honored,” Jaime said.
Her gaze rippled down to his muscular, wide chest before she looked away. “I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
“I won’t be long,” Jaime said.
Ariana stood outside Jaime’s room and mused over what had just transpired between them. She had never lost control of her emotions that way, ever. She always saved those moments for when she was alone in her room.
Jaime disarmed her. He stripped down her defenses, forcing her to bare her heart to him. She tried to figure out a reason why that was so. Why had it never happened with any other man?
He was as good as his word and three minutes later, he was standing beside her, clad in a blue button-down shirt tucked into black pants.
“Do I need a tie?” he said.
“No,” Ariana said. “You look good. We only wear formal dress for dinner when we have company.”
The shirt stretched perfectly across his shoulders, molding the hard planes of his chest. She had touched that chest and she could almost remember how it felt when the hard muscle rippled under her fingers.
Ariana took him to her father’s suites. Jen, the nurse, was in the seating area and she waved them in. Ariana took Jaime’s hand and led him to her father’s bedside. He lay as still as always, his features so well arranged as if he was surrounded by perfect peace. She fervently hoped that was so.
“Papa,” Ariana said. “Remember I told you that I would bring Jaime Cohan over to meet you. Well, here he is now. Jaime, this is my father, King Ramona of the Kingdom of Asencia.”
Jaime moved closer. “It’s an honor to meet you, Sir.” Even though her father couldn’t see him, Jaime bowed. “I just want to reassure you that your daughter is safe with me. I’ll make sure no humiliation or hurt comes to her. I’ll do whatever it takes and for that, I give you my word.”
Ariana’s eyes filled up. That was quite a promise to make but she had a feeling that Jaime meant it. As she wiped her eyes, she thought she saw a movement in her father’s eyes.
“Did you see that?” she asked Jaime.
“What?” he said.
He was standing close to her father and if he hadn’t seen it, then it must have been her imagination. “Nothing.”
They stayed for a few minutes as Jaime told her father about himself and his family. About how his father had started Candin Inc and how proud they were as a family to provide a livelihood to so many people.
Ariana had noticed that about him and his family. What made them proud was the number of people that their company had impacted. Not the money the company made but the difference it made. Ariana loved that.
Chapter Eleven
Jaime couldn’t stop admiring the Royal family dining room. It was adorned with rich red and gold colors, from the centerpiece at the table to the massive gold chandelier hanging from the high ceilings.
It was a room that could easily intimidate a person.
“You’re not eating your food,” Ariana whispered into his ear.
“I’m daz
zled by my surroundings,” Jaime whispered back and Ariana giggled.
“Jaime,” Queen Christia said. “First of all, I want to say that we’re all excited about this engagement and we’re all looking forward to getting to know you better.”
Jaime smiled. “I am too.”
“What are your plans?” the queen said. “You two live on opposite ends of the world.”
Jaime understood then that he was being grilled. “Our engagement happened so fast that, to be honest, we haven’t had time to plan for the future.”
It was the wrong thing to say. The queen frowned and shifted her gaze to Ariana. “I’m surprised at you, Ariana.” She turned back to Jaime. “Where will you live? How long are you staying for Jaime? All these are important questions that you should discuss as soon as possible.”
“I plan on returning home after the holidays, Your Majesty,” Jaime said. “One thing we agree on is that Ariana and I plan on making this a long engagement.”
The queen’s features softened. “I think that’s wise. A long engagement is a good opportunity to see how compatible you are. I don’t know if Ariana has told you this, but divorce is not allowed in Asencia unless under special circumstances.”
Jaime nodded. “I like that. When I get married, it will be for life.”
She nodded, satisfied for the moment. Relief flooded Jaime.
“I’m glad that you’re here,” Daxton said. “It means you can take over some of my Christmas duties. With this leg, I’ll make a terrible Santa and everyone will know that it’s me.”
“Daxton,” his pretty wife admonished. “Ask Jaime in a nicer way.”
Jaime beamed. “I don’t mind helping but I have to tell you, I’ve never been a Santa. What do I say to the kids?”
There was silence before everyone shouted, “Ho, ho, ho.”
“Very funny,” Jaime said. “Give me all the work you need me to do. I’ll be happy to help.”
“I approve of Jaime,” Daxton said to Ariana and to Jaime’s amusement, she blushed.
They were an easy bunch to get along with. They reminded him of his own family. There was a lot of laughter and teasing over dinner and when it was over, Ariana invited him to sit at her favorite spot by the fountain in the courtyard.