Chapter 15
It struck her how different their status was. He had an entire suite to himself, including a fully functional kitchen that he admitted he never used, a cozy dining room, two more bedrooms complete with their own bathrooms, a magnificent den/library, a gym and an indoor pool.
"Holy crap!" she exclaimed, and he grinned as she wandered from one room to the next, taking it all in.
"You don't need to go anywhere else. You just need to stay right here."
"Mother would have something to say about that." He encircled her waist with his arms and held her to him. The joy of having her in his arms was too much to bear. The fact that she was in his bedroom, combined with everything else, made his life complete.
"Ready to eat?" he whispered.
She nodded. "Something smells delicious." She allowed herself to be led through to the dining room, where a table was set with a linen tablecloth and a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice was waiting for them.
He lifted the silver covers to reveal Jamón Ibérico de bellota, a rich, nutty ham that simply melted in the mouth. There was also gambas al ajillo, sizzling shrimp cooked in olive oil and smothered in garlic and chili peppers.
Pulling out the chair for her, he bent and kissed the back of her neck, sweeping her thick hair aside to get to her skin.
It was their first official date, their first meal together, and within minutes, he had her relaxing and laughing at some of his amusing anecdotes.
"I don't know anything about you," she murmured. They had consumed the meal and were sipping the wine.
"What do you want to know?" He leaned back in the chair, his fingers toying with the stem of the glass as he stared at her. He had a way of staring at her with that heavy-lidded look that always made her melt.
"I know what I read in the magazines." His thick eyebrows lifted, making her laugh.
"Yes, sue me. I read the celebrity rags."
"You know I'm thirty-five and heir to the throne." He shrugged a little carelessly. "I spent most of my life trying to avoid that particular responsibility. I was groomed since I was a child. My father..." A grim smile touched his sensual lips. "He was old-fashioned and I wasn't allowed to 'mingle with the lesser people'."
"He was a bigot."
"Precisely." He wasn't offended by her scathing comment. "I ran with people who were proper according to his standards. I spent my time alone. I was educated partly in the UK and took several courses at your Harvard University. He did not like Americans, but he was practical. He discovered early on that I was, er, smart and he wanted to exploit that."
"It was drummed into my head that I should always be the best. I hold double majors and a few minors. I can speak six languages and know a smattering of a few more. Strangely enough, even though I was being groomed, he did not encourage me to take an active role in running the kingdom. He loved the idea that I was drifting from one woman to another. That made him proud." He drank some wine, his eyes never leaving her face.
"I was taught in all the skills, all the gentlemanly sports. Sword fighting, horse riding, I'm a sharpshooter and am skilled in several self-defense techniques. He wanted to make sure my education was well rounded. He was a hard man and not easy to like. He ran the kingdom with a rod of steel and did not thinkabout people's feelings. None of that mattered to him. He did as he bloody well pleased." His smile came then.
"Mother was determined to fix what he had damaged. It took several years, but she had brought this place to where there was no longer any fear or stunted growth, but people could approach her with the knowledge they would not be rebuffed or worse."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you of the same mindset?" She was leaning her elbow on the table, her chin propped in her palm, an avidly interested look on her lovely face. He wanted to end the conversation and take her to his bed.
"I'm starting to think that way." He leaned forward suddenly to brush his lips on hers. "Anything else, or do you want to tell me about you?"
She had to clear the huskiness from her throat. "You already know my story."
"Your mother brought you up. It was just the two of you."
She nodded.
"You still miss her."
"I do, yes."
"Would she have approved of me?"
