Pregnant with a Royal Baby! (12 page)

Ginny said, “You know crazy people are going to try to steal that bouquet from her. You’re going to have to have someone escort her to her hotel and maybe even out of the country.”

“Yes. Security will take care of it.”

But he couldn’t stop staring at her. He might have closed the soft place in his soul, but his brain was working overtime to figure her out. What she had done had been a tad reckless, but it was very Ginny. Very sweet. Very warm. She’d used the wish her groom was to grant her for someone else.

And
that’s
why he knew he couldn’t sleep with her. No matter what she said or did or how she phrased things, she was innocent. Too nice for him.

But she was also hurting. She really believed she’d always be alone.

He couldn’t think about that. He had to be fair.

They received dignitaries for hours. Even Dom was tired by the time his father, brother, cousin and Ginny’s entourage escorted them to the palace ballroom.

They entered amid a trumpet blast and after toasts and a short speech by his father welcoming Ginny into the family, they finally ate.

Still, in between dances, he managed to find time to speak to his detail and arrange for their luggage to be taken to the yacht that night, instead of the next morning.

There was no way in hell he was taking her back to his apartment, where they’d not only had privacy, they’d had friendly chats and a wonderful kiss.

Even he had his limits.

The staff on the
Crown Jewel
was too big to be in on the marriage ruse, but precautions were easier there. He and Ginny would be sleeping in the side-by-side bedrooms of the master suite, but the yacht was also so big that he could keep his distance. They’d sail so far out onto the ocean that even long lenses couldn’t get pictures. And the staff would rotate so the same people wouldn’t see them twice and wonder why they weren’t kissing or holding hands.

Not only would this work, but it would be easy.

Piece of cake, as Ginny would say.

* * *

When they had to take a helicopter to the yacht, Ginny knew why Dom had chosen it as their honeymoon spot. The pilot put the helicopter down on the landing pad, and Dom helped her out, gathering the skirt of her gown so she didn’t trip over it as she navigated the steps.

Walking across the deck, under the starlit sky, she glanced around in awe. “It’s the friggin’ Love Boat.”

He turned to her with absolute horror in his eyes. “What?”

“You never saw the television show from the eighties?
The Love Boat?
”

Clearly relieved that she was referencing a television show, not referring to something about their relationship, he said, “You weren’t even born in the eighties, so how did you see it?”

“My mom watched reruns all the time. It’s a show about a cruise ship.”

His eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying our yacht is big?”

“Your yacht is huge.”

“If that’s a compliment, I accept it.”

It wasn’t a compliment. She was telling him she knew his plan. He intended to use this big ship to avoid her for the two weeks they were to be away. But he didn’t seem to catch on to what she was saying.

It didn’t matter. She was happy to have figured out his plan. She’d thought the night of the formal dinner for her friends had been her moment, and when it turned out that it wasn’t, she’d hoped her honeymoon might give her another shot. And here she stood on a boat big enough to rival an aircraft carrier. It meant her options for finding another moment were seriously limited. But at least she knew what she was up against.

A security guard opened the door for them and Dom motioned for her to enter first. She stepped inside, expecting to see stairs with metal railings painted white, expecting to hear the hollow sound of a stairwell. Instead, she entered a small lobby. Sleek hardwood floors led to an elevator. Gold-framed paintings hung on the walls.

She spun around to face Dom. “Seriously? Is that a Picasso?”

Dom said, “Probably,” as the elevator door opened. She hadn’t even seen him press a button for it.

They rode down, only a few floors, before the door opened again onto a room so stunningly beautiful it could have been in a magazine. Huge windows in the back displayed the black sky with the faint dusting of stars. A taupe sofa flanked by two printed club chairs sat in front of a fireplace. The accent rug that held them all in a group was the same print as the club chairs. A long wooden bar gleamed in a far corner. Plants in elaborate pots converted empty space into focal points.

She wanted to say, “Wow,” but her chest hurt. Her knees wobbled. This was her wedding night. But unlike a normal bride who knew what to expect, every step of her journey was a mystery. She wanted one thing. Dom wanted another. And only one of them could win.

Security guards entered behind Dom, rolling the cart carrying their luggage. She’d packed her four bags with care. Even though Dom had told her she’d need only a bikini and some sunblock, she’d brought clothes for romantic dinners—and undies. Pretty panties, bras and sleepwear that she and Joshua had chosen from catalogs so exclusive that prices weren’t listed beneath the descriptions.

Joshua had said, “If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it.”

And at that point she decided she didn’t want to know. Dominic could afford to buy and sell small countries. She wasn’t going to quibble over the price of the nighties she’d probably need to seduce him.

The bodyguards disappeared down the hall with the luggage cart carrying their bags.

“Nightcap?”

She pressed her hand to her tummy. “I probably could use some orange juice.”

He walked to the bar. “Tired?”

Was he kidding? Even if she was exhausted, nerves would keep her awake tonight. The last time they’d been in this position, she hadn’t had to seduce him. They’d seduced each other. Which meant, she shouldn’t be nervous. She should be herself.

Pushing the empty luggage cart, the bodyguards left with a nod to Dom.

And suddenly they were alone.

Straightening her shoulders, she faced him with a smile. “You know what? I think I’ll just go change.”

She glanced down at her beautiful wedding dress. It would now be cleaned and pressed to be put on display in the part of the palace open to tourists.

“It seems a shame to take this off.”

“It is pretty.” He smiled. “You were a stunning bride.”

Her spirits lifted. No matter how strong he was, he liked her. He’d always liked her. She could do this.

She walked back down the hall to the room she’d seen the guards take their bags and found herself in another sitting room. She shook her head. “These people must spend a fortune on furniture.”

The tulle underskirt of her gown swishing, she turned to the right—the side of the suite her room was on in the palace—and headed to that bedroom. She opened the door on another sitting room, this one smaller, and walked into the bedroom, only to find it empty. She glanced in the walk-in closet, thinking they might have carried her bags the whole way in there, but that was empty, too.

She walked out of the bedroom, through the small sitting room, then the big sitting room and to the hall. “Dom?”

He ambled to the front of the hall where he could see her. “What?”

“My stuff’s not in my room.”

“It has to be. I saw the bodyguards carting it back.”

“Well, it’s not here.”

He huffed out a sigh. “Let me see.” He walked back along the hall and through the sitting room into the second bedroom of the master suite. Doing exactly as she had done, he frowned when he didn’t see her bags in the bedroom, then checked the closet.

“That’s weird.”

“Yeah.”

He slowly faced her. “They might have put your things in my room.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t get weird notions. My instruction was for your things to be put in your room.” He went into the master bedroom.

On impulse, she followed him. Nothing ever really went as planned with the two of them, so maybe the thing to do would be let things happen.

His room didn’t have a sitting room. The big double doors opened onto an enormous bed. Beige walls with a simple beige-and-white spread on the bed gave the room a soothing, peaceful feel. But Dom didn’t even pause.

“No luggage here,” he said, finding the bedroom empty. He turned to the walk-in closet. He opened the grand double doors and sighed. “And there’s everything.”

“They think we’re sleeping together.”

“I told them we’re not.”

“You actually told them?”

“I told them this marriage is a show for the heir.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m the one who should be embarrassed. This is my mess we’re cleaning up.”

“Oh, yeah. Every woman loves it broadcast that her new husband doesn’t want her.”

“It wasn’t broadcast. A few key servants know the secret. It’s why we’re on the yacht, not at the villa. There are many servants here, and they rotate. None of them is going to see us enough to put it all together.”

Suddenly weary, she decided this was not a seduction night. It was a total bust. How on earth could she seduce a guy who had told his servants his marriage was a sham? She turned to leave but stopped and faced him again.

“You know how we did that thing with the cuff links?”

He cautiously said, “Yes.”

“Well, there are a hundred buttons on the back of this dress, most of which I can’t reach. Can I get some help?”

His relieved “Sure” did nothing to help her flagging spirit. If anything, it made her feel even worse.

Just wanting to get this over with so she could race out of his room, go to her room and be appropriately miserable, she presented her back to him.

His fingers bumped against the first button. She felt it slide through the loop. When it took a second for him to reach for the next button, she realized her hair was in the way and she scooped it to the side, totally revealing the long row of buttons to him.

“That’s a lot of buttons.”

Holding her hair to the side, she said, “Exactly why I need help.”

He quickly undid three or four buttons, then she felt his fingers stall again.

“Getting tired, Your Majesty?”

“No. I’m fine.”

But his voice was pinched, strained.

Another two buttons popped through the loops.

“You’re not wearing a bra.”

“Didn’t want the straps to show through the lace.”

He said, “Ump.”

Another two buttons popped. Then two more. But when his fingers stalled again, she felt them skim along her skin. Not a lot, just a quick brush as if he couldn’t resist temptation.

When he got to the last buttons, the three just above her butt, his hands slowed. When the last button popped, she almost turned around, but something told her to be still. His fingers trailed up her spine until he reached the place where he could lay his hands on the sides of her waist. He grazed them along the indent to her hips, then back up again. When they reached her rib cage, they kept going, under her dress to her naked breasts.

Her breath caught. She wanted to tell him she was his. That she’d been his from the moment she laid eyes on him. But she knew this wasn’t as easy a decision for him as it was for her.

“You are temptation.”

She turned, letting the top of her dress fall as she did so. “I don’t intend to be.”

“Liar.”

She shrugged. “Maybe a little.” She raised her gaze to his. “But would it be so, so terrible to pretend you like me?”

He shook his head, as he lowered it to kiss her. Their mouths met tentatively, then she rose to her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his strongly, surely.

She might not get forever. But she wanted this two years enough that she was willing to reach out and take it.

He cupped his hand on the back of her head and dipped her down far enough that her dress slithered around her hips. When he brought her back up again, the dress fell to the floor.

“No panties, either?”

She stood before him totally naked. No lies. No pretense. When she whispered, “It was actually a very heavy dress.” He laughed.

Another woman might have worried, but Ginny smiled. Part of what he liked about her was her ability to make him laugh. She wasn’t surprised when he slid his arms around her back and knees, and carried her to the bed.

CHAPTER NINE

G
INNY
AWAKENED
THE
next morning with Dom’s arms wrapped around her waist. She squeezed her eyes shut, enjoying the sensation, then told herself she had to get her priorities in line before he woke up.

They hadn’t talked the night before. They’d had an amazing time, but they hadn’t spoken one word. She hadn’t been expecting words of love, but she knew making this marriage real hadn’t been what he wanted. Though she hadn’t actually seduced him, which had been her plan, he could still be upset that he hadn’t been able to resist the temptation of their chemistry.

She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He searched her eyes. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

And pragmatic Dom was back.

So she smiled at him and stretched up to give him a kiss. “I do.”

“I’m serious about not wanting this to last and about us not getting emotionally involved with each other.”

“I hate to tell you, but I’m pretty sure raising a child together will more than get us emotionally involved.”

“I’m not talking about being friendly. I’m talking about being ridiculously dependent.”

Even as he spoke, he rose from the bed. With the fluidity and ease of a man comfortable with who he was, he stretched and reached for a robe.

She sat up, almost sorry he was covering all those wonderful muscles when he secured the belt around his waist.

He picked up the phone and, without dialing, said, “Bacon, eggs, bagels, croissants, and the usual fruit and juices.”

He hung up the phone and walked into the bathroom.

Ginny stared after him. The man really was accustomed to getting everything he wanted. But constantly seeing the evidence of it was a good reminder that he wasn’t going to be persuaded to do anything, be anything, other than what he wanted.