The aide scurried off to pass on the message.
When Poppy got to her rooms and Caius shut the door behind them and locked it, Poppy was breathless. She couldn’t help giggling. She felt as if she were playing truant. This place had always been so serious, living under the dark cloud of her father’s disappointment, and for the first time she felt light-hearted.Oh boy. She was in so much trouble already, because she knew it was second nature for Caius to be charming and seductive and mesmerising, but in this moment she didn’t care. She wanted him too badly.
She wrapped her arms around Caius’s neck. ‘Take me to bed, Caius.’
He lifted her up into his arms. ‘How can I disobey a direct order from my queen?’
For now, Poppy knew. While this intense absorption in each other lasted. She just hoped that when it ended, she would still be intact. At least she knew not to fall for him. Because for someone like her who’d survived the worst form of rejection, the rejection of a parent, she knew she wouldn’t survive it again.
Chapter Eight
‘NAP, MY ASS.’
Poppy looked up as Stephen came into her office a couple of hours later. Her body was still tingling.
She looked at him over her glasses. ‘Is that any way to speak to your queen?’
He made a snorting sound and hitched his hip onto the corner of her desk. Poppy sat back.
‘So, youhavesuccumbed to the considerable charms of our new king consort. I can’t say I blame you.’
Poppy fought off a blush and an illicit thrill to hear him described asour king consort. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Stephen waved a hand. ‘Oh, please, we knew within twenty-four hours of your arrival on that island that you were indulging in very traditional marital relations.’
Poppy came forward and leaned her forehead on the desk, groaning softly. But then, she should have expected as much. It wasn’t as if there were any such thing as secrets in a royal household.
She lifted her head again. ‘And if I am?’
Stephen suddenly looked more serious. ‘I heard him on the phone that day too and he laid out pretty specifically how he expects the marriage to go…’
Poppy avoided Stephen’s eye, pulling over a file. ‘Yes, I don’t need a reminder.’ Her voice was too clipped.
Stephen stood up. ‘Poppy…’
Reluctantly she looked at him and his eyes widened as if he’d seen something on her face. ‘You’re not…falling for him?’
The pit of Poppy’s stomach seemed to open up. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
Stephen opened his mouth again but the ring of his phone sounded and he said, ‘Saved by the bell,’ as he answered the call and walked a little away from the desk.
Poppy stood up and walked over to the open French doors that opened out onto the terrace. She put her hands on the wall and gripped it tight, feeling a little dizzy.
It wasn’t love, she assured herself—what she was feeling for Caius. He was a sexy, charismatic man and it would be impossible not to have a monumental crush on him but that was all it was.
Poppy was making up for lost time. She’d never had her rebellious moment.What about Paris?prompted a little voice. She ignored it.
She was also coming to terms with the fact that the Caius she’d spent time with over the last few days wasn’t at all like the man she’d expected him to be.He seduced you to pass the time on an island.Even if he had denied that was the reason for wanting her, Poppy couldn’t afford to forget who he really was, as Stephen had just said…
Stephen wrapped up his call and Poppy turned around ready to deny Stephen’s suggestions but just as she opened her mouth, Caius appeared in the doorway of her office, saying apropos of nothing, ‘You have horses.’
‘Um, yes,’ said Poppy, a little shocked to see him there, her gaze tracking avidly over his powerful physique in dark trousers and a blue shirt that made his eyes pop even more. His hair was still damp from the shower he’d insisted they take together after making love. Her insides clenched. She struggled to focus. ‘We’ve always had horses here. We’re famous for our riding trails that go up into the mountains.’
‘Is it safe for you to horse ride when pregnant?’
Poppy shrugged. ‘I don’t see why not. It’s not as if we’d be galloping.’
She looked at Stephen, who put out a hand, saying, ‘I can double-check with the doctor, but why don’t you go to the stables in the meantime and I’ll let you know?’
