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IT WAS THE ideal way to wake up. A warm body next to his, their limbs intertwined, and soft lemon-scented hair under his nose.
Once his eyes had flickered open he really didn’t want to move.
He glanced at the clock. It was only six a.m. So far he’d seen one a.m., two a.m. and five a.m. Thankfully he’d missed three a.m. and four a.m. Last night had been a good night and Gabrielle’s steady breathing had definitely played a part in that. It was likely that Gabrielle’s day was due to start any minute. He would dearly love to wake her up with the promise that had been hovering between them since they’d first met.
His body wanted him to wake her that way.
He gave a little groan as she shifted next to him and laid her palm on his bare chest. He wasn’t quite sure how Gabrielle wanted to play this.
The palace staff would be looking for her any minute. Would Princess Gabrielle want to be found in his apartments, wearing only a T-shirt and her underwear? He didn’t think so.
He gave her a gentle shake. ‘Gabrielle, wake up. We have patients to check on and you have a country to run.’
She made a comfortable little noise as she snuggled closer, her fingers brushing the hairs on his chest. ‘It can’t be time yet. It just can’t.’
He smiled. The temptation to stay here was too strong. Things were changing. A few days ago he’d thought he was going to have a harmless fling with a colleague. He hadn’t contemplated anything else.
But circumstances had changed. For both of them.
The attraction between them was still strong. He would happily act on it in the blink of an eye. But Gabrielle wasn’t just thinking about herself now. Everything she did would be examined and watched. He didn’t want to make the front-page news in Mirinez. He didn’t want her criticised or judged because of a casual relationship.
It was clear Gabrielle was already going to have to bear the brunt for the work her brother had ignored. He’d abdicated just as things were about to come to a head—that much was clear.
Her soft hair tickled under his nose and she moved her leg, brushing his thigh.
He groaned out loud.
She sat up in bed. ‘What time is it? Oh, no. They’ll be looking for me.’
He smiled. Her hair was mussed up and one cheek showed a crease from the pillow. ‘That’s what I thought. That’s why I woke you.’
She swung her legs around the edge of the bed then paused, her dark eyes fixing on his. ‘You were pretty amazing yesterday. Did I even thank you?’
‘You don’t need to thank me. I’m a doctor, it’s what I do. But I thought you were pretty amazing too. We make a good team.’
Her smile reached her eyes as she nodded. ‘You’re right, we do.’ She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it. ‘I’ll need to check up on what’s happened with the directors of the mine. I’ll probably need to give an update to Parliament.’ She stood up and walked across the room. His pale T-shirt outlined her figure in the early morning light. ‘And then I’ll meet you back at the hospital and help review the patients.’
He pushed himself up in the bed. ‘You won’t need to do that. I’m sure there are enough doctors at the two hospitals who can help me review the patients.’
‘You don’t know what the private hospitals can be like. Some doctors only like to see their own fee-paying patients.’
‘Well, I didn’t meet any of them last night. Maybe the fact that Princess Gabrielle was front and centre in the whole affair helped them find their civic sense?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m fairly sure that the cold light of day and the arrival of the hospital accountants will mean that today will mainly be about finances.’
He slid out of bed and started to search through his backpack for some suitable clothes. ‘Then I’m sure you can find a way to deal with it. This was an emergency situation. It might be the first, but you have to plan ahead. Give the task to Parliament to deal with.’
She looked thoughtful then walked back over to him, putting one hand on top of his arm and reaching the other up to touch his cheek. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘This wasn’t exactly how I imagined us spending the night together.’
He shook his head. ‘Me neither.’
She licked her lips. It was almost as if she was trying to stop the words that came to her lips. ‘Then let me make it up to you. How about dinner tonight? We haven’t had a chance to spend much time together.’
‘I like the sound of that.’
She stood on tiptoe and planted a soft kiss on his lips. ‘Then let’s make it a date.’ She grinned as she spun around and headed to the door. ‘And dress appropriately, Dr Darcy!’
* * *
It was odd. She’d worked with the guy at close quarters for two weeks. She was still sorry that their night at the bar had been curtailed and waking up in his arms this morning had felt much more comfortable than it should have.
The day had gone quickly. There had been legal requirements, more agreements to sign, a meeting with Parliament, then she’d shared the rest of the day between the two hospitals. By the time she’d got to the first, Sullivan had reviewed all his patients and gone to the second hospital to help with communication with the Chinese patient.
He’d been right. The hospital doctors had cancelled their theatre lists and reviewed all the accident victims. It was only the finance departments that had a whole host of queries, but she’d expected those.
She was only just beginning to get a handle on exactly how much work her brother had left behind. He still hadn’t answered any calls or emails. He must have heard about the explosion in the mine but he still hadn’t called home. It was probably just as well, because right now most of what she’d say to him couldn’t be repeated.
She adjusted the straps on her black dress and gave a wriggle. She hadn’t quite got used to wearing formal clothes again. Yesterday the scrubs had been a relief. And when she’d opened her wardrobe tonight to find something to wear to dinner, she’d felt strangely nervous.
The thoughts of the press finding out about Sullivan being in the palace with her still made her nervous.
Any man who decided to be with Princess Gabrielle would need to know what he was getting into. Every inch of his life would be exposed to the press. Sullivan could be sparky. Sullivan could be fun. His doctor side was compassionate and expertly efficient. But there was part of him that was private.
She needed to tread carefully. When she’d woken this morning, for a few seconds she’d felt nothing but bliss. But as soon as she’d opened the door and walked down the corridor to her apartments her royal life had been back, front and foremost.
Something was blossoming between them, that much was clear. That had been the impetus for tonight’s invitation. She’d spoken on instinct, wanting to reach out and find out what came next.
Later her stomach had churned. Her emotions had cooled and rational thoughts had filled her brain. A tiny little seed was taking root. She liked him. She liked him a lot. Make the wrong move and Sullivan could be scared off by the press.
He?
??d served two tours of duty. He probably wasn’t the kind of guy to be scared off by a few photographers or articles. He didn’t strike her as that kind of guy at all. But she just didn’t know. And she was scared.
Scared enough to have spoken at length to Arun today. Everything about tonight was to be entirely private. Sullivan had insisted on organising everything, but she had made sure there would be no whisper about what they were doing.
Her black dress with sequins around the V-shaped neckline was a favourite. Anji, one of the palace ladies-in-waiting, gave her an approving smile. ‘Your Majesty should wear your mother’s necklace with that.’
Gabrielle gave a little start. She’d completely forgotten about the family jewels. In a way, she was surprised that Andreas’s wife hadn’t taken them all with her.
‘Where are they?’
Anji smiled. ‘In the main safe. The diamond drop necklace would look perfect with that dress.’
Gabrielle stared at her reflection for a second. Anji was right. It would look perfect. But opening the safe and wearing the family jewels would be another step towards being the ruler, remaining the Princess. Her stomach flipped over. She still hadn’t got used to the idea. This all just seemed so unreal. Almost as if she were living someone else’s life.
Her mouth was dry. ‘Okay, would you tell Arun I’d like to access the safe?’
It was ridiculous that she should be nervous. She’d already seen the administrative work that needed to be done for Mirinez. She hadn’t even questioned that there were treaties to sign, deals to negotiate. But this was different. This was personal.
A few moments later Arun appeared behind her and led her down the corridor to the family safe. He gave her a nod. As Head of Security he knew every item in the safe. She sucked in a breath as it was swung open.
‘I half expected the family jewels to be gone,’ she joked.
Arun glanced over her shoulder. ‘Some of them were. I had to make sure they were returned.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You mean...’
