He nodded. ‘Yes. I like it.’ He dropped his hand and caught hers, leading her out of the apartment.
The driver was waiting outside and the journey to one of Manhattan’s oldest buildings didn’t take long. There was a red carpet leading up the steps and into the building, lanterns along the way, illuminating the guests as they made their way in.
As soon as the media recognised Caius and Poppy they went wild.King Caius! Queen Poppy! Over here, please, look this way!The clamour was almost overwhelming. Poppy was more used to the media not recognising her because she’d always stayed below the radar—so this was intense. But Caius had a strong arm around her and she unashamedly relished the sense of protection.
‘Caius! We’ve missed you! Will you be at the polo match?’
Poppy felt Caius tense beside her and then he said with a forced joviality, ‘I can’t say I’ve missed you too.’
There was laughter and then a more snide and pointed question. ‘They say leopards never change their spots—are you really a reformed man, King Caius?’
Caius stopped again and his hand tightened on Poppy’s but she didn’t say anything. His jaw looked hard enough to crack. Then he faced the wall of paparazzi and pulled Poppy even closer, saying, ‘How could I not be reformed when I have this beautiful woman as my wife?’ He looked down at her and Poppy had only an inkling of what was coming when Caius bent his head and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth.
Then it was over and he was leading her into the venue, a museum that had been transformed into a magical setting featuring thousands of candles and the outdoors seemingly transplanted indoors with plants and trees and vines covering almost every surface.
Her mouth still tingled after that kiss. That hadn’t been a kiss. She’d felt the pent-up emotion that had nothing to do with her. She pulled her hand away and Caius looked at her. ‘Are you OK? Did I hurt you?’
Poppy shook her head quickly, terrified he’d see shades of the neediness and hurt she’d felt yesterday after the scan. Caius had been caught up somewhere in his past just now, where she couldn’t reach. Again. Another reminder of letting him in too deep. She’d been so pathetically relieved last night when she’d woken and found him in bed. Wanting her. Now she wanted to kisshimhard, to punish him for making her want him. Need him.
‘No, but don’t use me like that again to make a point.’
Caius cursed, and faced her. ‘I’m sorry. I just…hate them. They’re parasites but I let them feed off me for a long time and so I was frustrated because I hate myself for it too, for creating that monster. And now I’ve brought you onto their radar. They’re insatiable.’
Poppy’s hurt and anger diminished at his honesty and a part of her now was glad she had been there for him in the moment. That he had allowed her to feel that emotion even if it had been directed at himself.
‘I’m responsible for bringing myself onto their radar too. I can handle it, Caius. What was the polo match they mentioned?’
‘It’s an annual match for charity. I usually play with the European team against the South Americans.’
‘And you’re not?’
‘I hadn’t even thought of it. It’s the week after next.’
‘I’ve never been to a polo match.’
Caius raised a brow. ‘I can let them know I’m available to play if you want to go?’
Poppy smiled at Caius, glad to see that he’d visibly relaxed since the barrage outside. ‘That sounds like fun.’
Caius watched Poppy deep in conversation with a diplomat’s wife. She was fascinating to observe. She invested her whole self in whoever she was talking to. Not looking over people’s shoulders like so many in this kind of situation, looking for the next more important person to appear.
And, as a result of her genuine interest and attention, people walked away from her smiling, glowing.
She was also very easy to look at in that dress that seemed to defy gravity, showcasing her generous breasts and acres of pale skin. Her red hair stood out in the crowd and Caius liked that he could find her easily. She’d gone to the bathroom earlier and he’d found himself unable to focus properly until he’d seen that distinctive red head reappearing on the other side of the room.
When she’d appeared to be getting stopped by every single person en route back to where he’d been, he’d simply cut a swathe through the crowd to get to her. She’d met his eye just before he’d reached her and sent a silent message ofget me out of here, please, and Caius had duly obliged, taking her hand and telling her rapt audience apologetically that he had to introduce her to someone.
He had to admit he was still a little off-centre after the interaction with the paparazzi, and then with Poppy. That kiss had been born out of frustration, yes, but there had also been a lot more going on. He’d felt a need to counteract that snide remark insinuating that he couldn’t change.
Insinuating that maybe Poppy wasn’t enough. Caius had felt anger rise, and suddenly he’d been kissing her, an instinctive reaction.
But now he could see that he would never have turned to another woman and had that response. He would have smiled and employed the charm that had become his stock-in-trade response.
But he couldn’t do that around Poppy because he could no more be superficial with her than he could keep pretending that she hadn’t got to him deeper than anyone else. Like the way she was all the way embedded deeper in his life than anyone else ever had been.
And it wasn’t just because of the pregnancy. She wouldn’tbepregnant if their connection hadn’t been so deep and visceral the first night they’d met.
They’d connected emotionally.No.The rejection of that assertion was immediate. They were having a baby. They were married. He wanted her. He felt protective of her, naturally. That was all.
