At His Majesty's Convenience (10 page)

“They'll do no such thing.” Jake had entered the suite and obviously expected her to follow. He'd totally ignored her comment about heading for her room. “They wouldn't dare.”

That's what you think.
Powerful people could afford to be blissfully ignorant about what others thought, since no one would dare say anything to their face. She, on the other hand, was more likely to get a realistic picture of their true feelings since people didn't bother to try to impress a mere assistant.

But would they act differently now they thought she was engaged to Jake?

She glanced down at her perfectly tailored dress. It might be interesting to see how they behaved now the tables were turned and she was the one about to marry a king.

And it would certainly be educational to see how Jake behaved in their midst now that he was officially engaged to her.

“You look stunning.” Jake's low voice jolted her from her anxious thoughts. His gaze heated her skin right through the green silk as it raked over her from head to toe, lingering for just a split second longer where the bodice cupped her breasts.

“Thanks. I guess almost anyone can look good when they have a crowd of professionals available to take charge.”

“You're very beautiful.” His dark eyes met hers. “Without any help from anyone.”

Her face heated and she hoped they'd put on enough powder to hide it. Did he mean it or was he just saying that to mollify her? She didn't really believe anything he said anymore.

On the other hand, maybe he'd come to see her in a new light since he started considering her as wife material. She did feel pretty gorgeous under his smoldering stare.

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” A sudden vision of herself in his bed—which was less than forty feet away—filled her mind. “Okay, maybe not everywhere. How long do we have until dinner?” She wasn't sure hanging around in his suite was a good idea. It might be better to spend time in more neutral territory.

“About half an hour.”

“And who arranged this dinner if I didn't?” Curiosity goaded her to ask the question. The palace seemed to be running pretty well without her input, which should
make her feel less guilty about leaving, but it irked her somewhat, too.

“Livia. She's been really helpful the last few days. Really stepped into your shoes.”

“Oh.” Andi stiffened. Why did it bother her that Livia might be after her job? She was planning to leave it, after all. Still, now that she remembered more of her past, she knew Livia had always felt somewhat competitive toward her, and resentful that Andi was hand in glove with Jake while she did the more routine work like ordering supplies and writing place cards.

She couldn't help wondering if Livia might now be resentful that Jake planned to marry her—talk about the ultimate promotion.

If you were into that sort of thing.

“Champagne?” Jake gestured to a bottle chilling in a silver bucket of ice. He must have had it brought here during the interview.

“No thanks.” Better to keep her head. She had a feeling she'd need it. “But you go ahead.”

“I couldn't possibly drink alone. And it's a 1907 Heidiseck.”

“Are you sure it's not past its sell-by date?”

He chuckled. “It was recovered from a ship that was wrecked on its way to deliver champagne to the Russian Imperial family. It's been brought up from the bottom of the sea and tastes sublime even after decades of being lost.”

“Very appropriate, considering the history of Ruthenia.”

“That's what the friend who gave it to me thought. Won't you join me in a toast to our future?” His flirtatious glance tickled her insides.

She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “Not until I've figured out whether I want us to have a future.”

Jake tilted his head. “You're very stubborn all of a sudden.”

“That's because we're discussing the rest of my life, not just some seating placements or even a corporate merger.”

“I like that about you. A lot of women would jump at the chance to marry me just to be queen.”

Or just because you're embarrassingly attractive and shockingly wealthy.
She tried to ignore those enticements herself.

Jake lifted a brow. “That doesn't mean much to you, does it?”

“I've never had the slightest desire to be called Your Majesty.”

“Me, either.” He grinned. “But if I can learn to put up with it, I'm sure you could handle it, too.”

“Did you always know you'd be king one day?” She'd wondered this, but never dared ask him.

“My parents talked about it, but I thought they were nuts. I planned to be a king of Wall Street instead.”

“And now you're doing both. I bet your parents would be very proud. It's a shame they weren't alive to see you take the throne.” She knew they'd died in a small plane accident.

“If they were alive they'd be ruling here themselves, which would have been just fine with me.”

“You don't like being king?” She couldn't resist asking.

“I like it fine, but it's a job for life. There's no getting bored and quitting. Sometimes I wonder what I would have done if I'd had more freedom.”

“You were brave to take on the responsibility. Not everyone would have, especially with the state Ruthenia was in when you first arrived.”

“I do feel a real sense of duty toward Ruthenia. I always
have, it was spooned into me along with my baby food. I couldn't turn my back on Ruthenia for anything.”

She didn't feel the same way. In fact she could leave and never look back—couldn't she? She hadn't been raised to smile and wave at people or wear an ermine robe, but she had always felt a strong sense of commitment to her job—and her boss.

Who stood in front of her tall and proud, handsome features picked out by the light of a wall sconce. She admired him for stepping up to the responsibilities of getting Ruthenia back on its feet, and committing himself to help the country and its people for the rest of his life.

She should be touched and honored that he wanted her help in that enterprise, regardless of whether he loved her.

Still, she wasn't made of stone. Something she became vividly aware of when Jake reached for her hand and drew it to his lips. Her skin heated under his mouth and she struggled to keep her breathing steady.

He's just trying to seduce you into going along with his plan. It doesn't mean he really loves you—or even desires you.

Her body responded to him like a flipped switch, but then it always had, even back when he saw her as nothing more than an efficient employee. Heat flared in her belly and her fingertips itched to reach out and touch his skin.

But she'd resisted six long years and she could do it now.

She pulled her hand back with some difficulty. Her skin hummed where his lips had just touched it. A quick glance up was a mistake—his dark eyes fixed on hers with a smoldering expression that took her breath away.

But she knew he was an accomplished actor. You had to be to pull off international diplomacy, especially when
it involved placating all the outrageous characters he dealt with in Ruthenia.

“You're very suspicious.” His eyes twinkled.

“Of course I am. I woke up from amnesia to find myself engaged to my boss. That kind of thing makes a girl wary.”

“You know you can trust me.” His steady gaze showed total confidence.

“I thought I could trust you.” She raised a brow. “Over the last day I've learned I can't trust you. You used me to your advantage, without consulting me.”

His expression darkened. “I couldn't consult with you because you didn't know who you were.”

“You could have waited until my memory came back and we could discuss it calmly.”
Instead you decided to convince me between the sheets.
He'd undermined all her inhibitions and drawn her into the most intense and powerful intimacy.

Too bad it had worked so well.

“Time was of the essence. Independence Day is coming right up.”

“And you couldn't disappoint the people of Ruthenia.”

“Exactly. I knew you'd understand.”

She did. The people of Ruthenia and his own reputation were far more important than her feelings.

Did he even know she had feelings?

She had three days to put him to the test.

A
ndi would have liked to sweep into the dining room and smile confidently at the gathered Ruthenian dignitaries and their snooty daughters, then take her place at the head of the table.

But it didn't work like that.

The toe of her pointed shoe caught in the hem of her dress on her way into the anteroom and she pitched through the doorway headfirst. Jake, walking behind her, flung his arms around her waist and pulled her back onto her feet before she fell on her face into the Aubusson carpet. It was not an auspicious entrance into high society.

Her face heated, especially when she saw the looks of undisguised glee on Maxi's and Alia's faces.

Jake laughed it off and used the occasion to steal a kiss in front of the gathered audience. She was too flustered to attempt resistance, which would have looked rude and
strange anyway, since as far as everyone knew they were madly in love.

The kiss only deepened her blush and stirred the mix of arousal and anguish roiling in her gut.

“Congratulations!” A portly older man with medals on his jacket stepped forward and bowed low to Andi. She swallowed. This was the Grand Duke of Machen. He didn't have any marriageable daughters left, so he was one of the few non-hostile entities in the room. He turned to Jake. “We're all thrilled that you've finally chosen a bride to continue the royal line.”

The royal line?
Andi's muscles tightened. As Jake's wife she'd be expected to produce the future king or queen. Which meant that even if it were a marriage of convenience, there would be some sex involved. She'd already learned that making love with Jake touched something powerful and tender deep inside her. Not something she could do as a matter of routine. Could he really expect that of her? It was different with men. They could turn off their emotions and just enjoy the pure physical sensations.

If only she could do that.

A glance around the room revealed that not everyone was as thrilled as the grand duke. Maxi's father Anton Rivenshnell looked grim—salt-and-pepper brows lowered threateningly over his beady gray eyes. Maxi herself had abandoned her usual winning smile in favor of a less-flattering pout.

“I suppose an American bride seemed a natural choice when you spent your entire life in America,” growled Rivenshnell, his dark suit stretched across an ample belly. “Though this is naturally a disappointment for the women of Ruthenia.”

Jake seemed to grow about a foot taller, which, considering his already impressive height of six-one, made him
a little scary. “Andi has demonstrated her commitment to Ruthenia over the last three years, living and working by my side. She is one of the women of Ruthenia.”

Ha. Andi couldn't help loving his spirited defense of her. “I've never been so happy as I am here.” The honest truth. She wasn't going to lie. “I've spent every day enjoying the people and the beautiful countryside, and I've come to love Ruthenia as my home.”

“And you fell in love with your boss, too.” The grand duke's laugh bellowed across the room.

“Yes.” She managed a shaky smile. Again, it was the truth—but no need for Jake to know that. As far as he was concerned she was just fulfilling her part of the arrangement.

Andi felt very self-conscious as they were ushered into the dining room by a rather smug Livia. This was the first time she'd attended one of these affairs as a guest, not one of the staff members hovering along the walls ready to serve the diners and tend to Jake's needs. Livia shot her at least three meaningful glances, though she couldn't actually tell what they meant.

At least she managed not to fall on her face on her way to the end of the table, where she was seated far, far away from Jake, probably in between two daddies of rejected girls.

Jake was seated between Alia and Maxi, just as she'd sat him before she lost her memory. Then she'd done it as a joke, to torment him with his two most ardent admirers and hopefully put him off both of them. Now he must have planned it himself, for reasons she could only guess at.

Did he intend to have affairs with each of them now that he was no longer on the hook to make one his queen? Surely quiet little Andi wouldn't object.

The very thought made her seethe. Still, she didn't
remember Jake ever cheating on one of his many girlfriends. On the other hand, he rarely dated the same one for long enough to get the chance. As soon as a girl showed signs of getting serious, he brought an abrupt end to things.

Andi had rather liked that about him. He never continued with a relationship just because it was there. He was often blunt and funny about the reasons he no longer saw a future with a particular girl. And it always gave her fresh hope that one day he'd be hers.

And now he was. At least in theory.

Irritation flickered through her at the sight of Alia brushing his hand with her long, manicured fingers. Jake smiled at the elegant blonde and spoke softly to her before turning to Maxi. The sultry brunette immediately lit up and eased her impressive cleavage toward him. Jealousy raged in Andi's gut and she cursed herself for caring.

“Your parents must be delighted.” The gruff voice startled Andi, who realized she was staring.

“Oh, yes.” She tried to smile at the white-haired man by her side. Up close she could see he was probably too old to have a jilted daughter, so that was a plus.

Her parents would be happy if she married Jake. At least she imagined so. How would they feel if she refused to marry him?

“Have they visited Ruthenia before?”

“Not yet. But I'm sure they'll love it here.”

“I imagine they'll move here.” His blue eyes twinkled with…was it warmth or malice?

“They have their own lives back in Pittsburgh, so I don't think they'll be leaving.”

“But they must! Their daughter is to be the queen. It would be tragic for a family to endure such separation.”

“It's quite common in the U.S. for families to live hundreds or even thousands of miles apart.”

“In Ruthenia that would be unthinkable.”

“I know.” She shrugged. Was he also implying that having such a coldhearted and independent American as their queen was unthinkable? “But they have jobs they enjoy and friends where they live. I'm sure they'll come visit often.”

“They've
never
visited you here? How long have you been here?”

“Three years, but it's an expensive trip and…” He was making her feel bad, and she had a feeling that's exactly what he intended. “Have you ever visited the States?” She smiled brightly. Every time she looked up, someone was peeking at her out of the corner of their eye. Including Livia. She was beginning to feel under siege.

Jake shot her a warm glance from the far end of the table. Even from that distance he could make her heart beat faster. He looked totally in his element, relaxed, jovial and quite at home in the lap of luxury, surrounded by Ruthenian nobles.

Whereas she felt like a scullery maid who'd wandered into the ballroom—which wasn't a million miles from the truth. In all her dreams of herself and Jake living happily ever after, they lived happily in a fantasy world of her own creation. While life in the Ruthenian royal palace was definitely someone's fantasy world, it wasn't hers, and Jake was clearly making a terrible mistake if he thought this could work.

 

Jake beamed with satisfaction as staff poured the coffee. Andi looked radiant at the far end of the table, resplendent in her regal gown and with her hair arranged in shiny curls that fell about her shoulders. Ruthenia's haughty beauties disappeared into the drapery with her around. He'd tried to reassure them that his marriage was a love match and not
a deliberate insult to them and their families. He couldn't afford to lose the support of Ruthenia's most powerful businessmen. Noses were definitely bent out of shape, but no one had declared war—yet.

A love match. He'd used the term several times now, though never within earshot of Andi. He couldn't say something so blatantly untrue right in front of her—at least not now that she had her memory back. He knew nothing of love. Raised by a succession of nannies while his parents traveled, he'd been groomed for duty and honor and not for family life and intimate relationships. Love seemed like something that happened in poems but not in real life, and he didn't want to promise anything to Andi that he couldn't deliver.

He was hotly attracted to her and admired all her fine qualities, and that was almost as good. Many people married for love and ended up divorced or miserable. It was much more sensible to go into a lifetime commitment with a clear head and a solid strategy.

Andi seemed concerned about the lack of love between them once her memory returned and she knew they hadn't been involved. His most important task over the next two days was to convince her they were meant to be together, and surely the best way to do that was to woo her back into his bed. The warm affection they'd shared stirred something in his chest. Maybe it wasn't the kind of love that inspired songs and sonnets, but he ached to enjoy it again.

It took some time for the guests to filter out the front door, and he kept half an eye on Andi the whole time in case she should decide to slip away. She looked tense, keeping up her end of every conversation but looking around often as if checking for escape routes. He'd been so busy rebuilding the relationships he'd worked hard to cement in the past three years by dancing with different girls that he hadn't danced
with Andi. There was plenty of time for him to catch up with her after the guests left.

He kissed Alia on the cheek and ignored the subtle squeeze she gave his arm. He slapped her father on the back and promised to call him to go over some business details. So far, so good. Now where was Andi? She'd managed to slip away as the Kronstadts made their exit.

Irritation and worry stirred in his gut along with a powerful desire to see her right now. He strode up the stairs from the foyer and intercepted her in the hallway outside her room.

He slid his arms around her waist from behind—just as he'd done when she dove unceremoniously into their company earlier. A smile spread across his mouth at the feel of her soft warm body in his arms, and he couldn't wait to spend the night together.

But she stiffened. “I'm tired, Jake.”

“Me, too.” He squeezed her gently. “We can sleep in each other's arms.”

“I don't think that's a good idea.” She unlocked her door and he followed her in, arms still wrapped around her. Her delicious scent filled his senses. He twirled her around until they were face-to-face—and noticed her face looked sad.

“What's going on, Andi? You did a fantastic job this evening.”

Her mouth flattened. “We should close the door, for privacy.”

“Sure.” That was a promising start. He turned and pushed it shut. “Why do you look unhappy?”

“Because I can't do this. I don't fit in here. I feel like an intruder.”

“That's ridiculous. You fit in here as well as I do.”

“I don't. I felt out of place and people kept going on about
me being American. They obviously don't like the idea of you marrying a foreigner.”

“Monarchs nearly always marry foreigners. That's how the British royal family ended up being German.” He grinned. “They used to import brides from whichever country they needed to curry diplomatic favor with. It's a time-honored tradition.”

“I don't think marrying me will get you too far with the White House.”

“Oh, I disagree.” He stroked her soft cheek with his thumb. “I'm sure any sensible administration would admire you as much as I do.”

Her eyes softened for a moment and a tiny flush rose to her pale cheeks. But she wouldn't meet his gaze.

He placed his hands on either side of her waist. She had a lovely figure, a slender hourglass that the dress emphasized in a way her stiff suits never could. The tailored bodice presented her cleavage in a dangerously enticing way, and a single diamond sparkled on a fine chain between her small, plump breasts.

A flame of desire licked through him. “You were the loveliest woman in that room tonight.”

“You're sweet.” There was no hint of sparkle or a smile in her eyes. She didn't seem to believe him.

“You know I'm not sweet.” He lifted a brow. “So you'd better believe me. Every minute I danced with those other girls, I wished I was dancing with you.”

 

But you weren't.

He'd danced with those women because it was good for the nation's economy to keep their families on his side. Maybe he'd desired them, too, but that wasn't why he twirled them around the floor. Andi knew that business would always come first with Jake. She's always known
that, and admired it. But now that she contemplated the prospect of spending the rest of her life with a man who didn't love her, it seemed like a mistake.

Mostly because she loved him so much.

The press of his strong fingers around her waist was a cruel torment. Her nipples had thickened against the silk of her bodice, aching for his touch. The skin of her cheek still hummed where he'd brushed his thumb over it.

She even loved him for the fact that he'd marry a woman he didn't love just for the sake of his country. That kind of commitment was impressive.

Unless you were the woman he didn't love, and had to watch from the sidelines, or even under the spotlight, while he gave his heart and soul to Ruthenia and its people.

His presence dominated her room, with its neat, impersonal decor. He was larger than life, bolder, better-looking and more engaging than any man she'd ever met. Wasn't it enough that he wanted to marry her?

Why did she think she was so special she deserved more than he offered? Maybe it was the independent-minded American in her who wanted everything. It wasn't enough to be queen and have a handsome and hardworking husband—she had to have the fairy-tale romance, as well.