Escaping A Royal Wedding (20 page)

Erik chuckled and moved to stand in front of her, daring her to ignore him. “I didn’t think it was very far from your mind. It is definitely a top priority of mine,” he said more quietly and he leaned forward, wanting to test how far her Florence Nightingale feelings would extend.

She immediately stepped out of his reach. Obviously not very far, he grimaced. He knew he could pull her into his arms and kiss her and she would respond. But he also knew her well enough to know that she would still be angry after the kiss was over. He might as well deal with her angry feelings and get them out of the way first.

He took one of her hands in his and kissed the soft skin on her wrist. “Talk to me Ana. What can I do to make things right?”

“You can’t,” she said stubbornly, pulling her hand away quickly for fear that he’d see how much she loved his touch. Turning her back on him was her only defense. “It won’t work, Marcus…I mean Erik,” she finished off sarcastically, furious that she didn’t even know what his name was.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around. Looking down into her furious green eyes, he said, “There has to be some way. We’re going to be married in two weeks time. We have parades and all sorts of odd happenings over the next two weeks, all of which we will have to appear together. You’re going to have to get over this and the only way to do it is to get to know each other all over again and learn to trust each other.”

“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared back at him.

Erik smiled at her stubbornness. He didn’t think it would help his cause if he told her how cute she looked digging her heels in like this. “Ana, you’re being silly.”

Ana walked toward the doorway and shrugged her shoulders. “Marcus, or Erik, whatever your name is, I don’t know who you think you are but I intend to figure out a way out of this. I won’t live my whole life wondering if you’ve found someone better than me and have that person tucked away in one of your estates like you were offering to do with me.”

“Well, then, you leave me only one option,” he said but didn’t continue. He waited for his words to sink in.

“I don’t want to hear your option,” she said and continued walking. She made it all the way to the doorway before her curiosity got the better of her. “What?” she demanded.

He closed the distance between the two of them until he was right in front of her. Looking down into her angry green eyes, he smiled and said softly, “I’ll just have to make love to you until you cry out your true feelings for me. I think you’re in love with me. I intend to prove it.”

Ana was shaking her head before he’d finished. “No,” she whispered, already knowing she was weak where he was concerned. “Don’t you come near me,” she said and took a step backwards, then stumbled over her feet in her haste to get out of the gym and away from the heat of his body.

As soon as she made it back to her rooms, she saw the message and groaned. Her mother was requesting a meeting. Ana only had a few minutes to get herself together before she showed up.

The knock on the door came only moments after Ana finished pulling a brush through her hair. Her mother then stood in her doorway, looking around to see who else was in the room.

“Where’s Prince Erik?” she asked, walking into the room.

“I don’t know,” Ana said, pretending an indifference she didn’t feel.

“I thought the two of you were just in the gym together?”

Ana was amazed. “Mother, is there anything that happens in this palace that you don’t know about seconds after it happens?”

Natasha laughed. “Of course, but it doesn’t have to do with my family so I don’t pay any attention to it. But you, my dear, are very important to me so I do keep tabs on what is happening with you.”

Natasha sat down on one of the sofas and looked eagerly at her daughter. “So? What do you think of Prince Erik now that you’ve finally met him?”

“I don’t like him,’ Ana said. “But does it matter?”

“No,” her mother laughed. “And I don’t believe you’re telling me the truth. He’s the man you went away with, isn’t he?” she asked.

Ana froze. “I’m sorry?” pretending to not understand her mother’s question. She wasn’t ready to admit everything to her mother, despite the fact that she was desperate to ask her for advice.

Natasha smiled at her daughter’s obvious lie. “He’s the man you fell in love with in America, isn’t he?”

“Love?” she squeaked.

Natasha smiled gently. “Yes, dear. A simple stranger couldn’t engender this kind of emotion within you. You’re too strong willed to let some silly man do this to you.”

Ana stood up and started pacing the room again. “So he is.”

“Well, then, that solves that,” Natasha said and stood up. “How are the dress fittings coming? I understand you have several for the upcoming balls. I’ve seen the dresses you chose and they are lovely.”

Ana crossed her arms over her chest. “Mother, does it matter that I don’t like him? Or trust him?’

Natasha moved over to place her hands on her daughter’s stiff shoulders. “You like him more than you want to and you definitely trust him. Or you never would have fallen in love with him.’

“Thank you, Natasha,” a deep voice said from the doorway.

Ana swung around to face the man under discussion. She noticed that he had his shirt, coat and tie back in place and looked like he’d never been out of them. “I didn’t invite you in,” Ana said rudely.

“Ana!” her mother gasped. “You can’t speak to him that way,” she said and started turning toward Erik to apologize.

He stopped her with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it. But could I have some time alone with her? She and I have a lot to discuss.”

Natasha nodded her head. “Absolutely. Dinner will be on the veranda in three hours,” she said and slipped out of the room.

There was silence for a long time before Erik spoke. “Are you going to admit to it? Or do I have to force it out of you,” he said just as his hands touched her arms from behind.

“Neither. I think you should leave.”

Erik chuckled. “I don’t mind. I’d like doing this the hard way,” he said and spun her around so she was off balance. Ana fell into his arms, her hands gripping the muscles of his biceps to keep her from falling onto the floor.

“What are you…” Ana couldn’t finish her sentence because she looked up into his eyes and the heat in his gaze stole her breath away.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he said and didn’t give her time to protest. His lips touched hers and he smothered her protests.

Ana wasn’t immune to the heat of the kiss. She melted in his arms, her own creeping up to wrap around his shoulders. He stood her up and she leaned into his body, craving the touch that she’d missed for so many weeks.

After several long minutes, he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” he said.

“Erik, this isn’t going to work,” she said, leaning her forehead against his chest.

He pulled her closer, loving the feel of her soft body against is. “Yes, it will. We’ll make it work. I guarantee it.”

She pulled back slightly but again, he wouldn’t let her out of his embrace. “No. You’re just like my brother. He needs variety in his women. I don’t think the man has been with one woman for more than a couple weeks.”

“That might have been true before I met you. But now, it isn’t accurate. There’s a difference.”

“What’s that?” she asked, wishing she didn’t care.

“I love you.”

Ana’s eyes snapped up to his, wondering if he was telling her the truth. “Why?”

Erik laughed. “I have no idea. Maybe because you got under my skin and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. All I know is that I’ve been going nuts since we parted in Grand Cayman and I don’t think I’ll ever let you go.”

“So I’m like a thorn in your side?”

“More like a need than a thorn. You make the day worth getting up for,” he said, pulling her closer to hug her. “It isn’t just sex, Ana. I could have gotten that from anyone. It’s you I want.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you. And you love me.”

“How do you know?” she asked, smiling at his arrogance.

“Because you never would have gone to bed with me if you didn’t.”

She laughed at his comment. “It was because I’d read in the newspaper that you were out dancing with another woman at a night club. I wanted to get back at you. I just didn’t know it would be with you.”

Erik smiled but shook his head. “No, you would have done some thing else if you hadn’t already loved me. But you can use that excuse all you want,” he said and bent over.

Ana had no idea what he was going to do so she was unprepared when he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her into the bedroom. “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to see through her hair that was now hanging over her face. “This really isn’t princess like behavior. I’m supposed to be steeped in decorum,” she said, laughing as he tossed her onto the soft bed in her bedroom.

“I like my princess to be more on the wild side,” he said and followed her down.

He kissed her, his hands framing her face as he did so. “I love you, Ana. Please marry me,” he said.

Ana threw her hands around his neck. “Okay. And it’s just our luck that we have this silly wedding already planned,” she said happily.

“Isn’t that convenient?” he laughed as well before bending down to kiss her gently, showing her how much he loved her with his hands and his body as well as with words.

Chapter 10

Ana looked down the aisle, taking a deep breath as she listened to the pipe organ play the wedding march.

“Are you ready?” Marabeth asked, searching her sister’s features for any sign of sadness or frustration and finding none.

“I’m ready,” Ana claimed, a little nervous about walking down the aisle but only because of all the eyes that would be focused on her. Even being a royal princess and living in the public eye couldn’t prepare her for this moment when thousands of eyes will be watching her, television cameras whizzing and photographers flashing their cameras in her face. But she wasn’t nervous about what she’d find at the end. Ana knew that Erik was there, waiting for her, ready and willing to make their future together with love as the force binding them throughout the years. The politics had settled their betrothal but love would guide them through the rest of their lives.

“Here we go,” Marabeth said, and squeezed her sister’s hand only moments before she stepped out into the cathedral and walked down the aisle as the maid of honor.

Ana waited and watched, remembering what she’d been told. As soon as Marabeth reached the end of the long aisle, the music changed and Ana knew that it was her turn. She stood up straighter and took her father’s arm, smiling up at him with excitement. “Let’s go,” she said.

At the end of the aisle, Erik saw her and his eyes told her everything she needed to know. It wasn’t the betrothal contract, or the sex or the obligations of either title. It was love that had brought them together.

“I love you,” he whispered as she moved to stand beside him.

“I love you too,” she said. Then both laughed as they turned to face the minister who rolled his eyes at the couple claiming their love before the ceremony even began. “Dearly beloved….”