Page 9 of Falling for the King

Reaching the door that accessed the inside of the palace he dragged out his swipe card, trying to forget Katerina doing the same thing. He’d needed to call on every ounce of his iron clad self-control as her fingers scraped along his chest, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He’d wanted to …

He wrenched the door open and slammed closed such thoughts.

Instead he forced himself to focus on the success of the charity his beloved grandmother had started which helped disadvantaged teenagers. He’d reinstated it after his father’s death and it had gone from strength to strength in the last three years with Katerina as its figurehead. Although that description didn’t do justice to the hard work she put into it, like all the charities she was involved in. This evening’s fundraiser was testament to that, it was for a mentoring program she’d lobbied to form part of the charity remit. It surprised him that she was doing a debrief this morning, after all the hours she’d put in leading up to and at the gala, never mind for the tour. He pushed back an unfamiliar pang of unease. He was doing the right thing taking her along. But it didn’t change the fact she was pushing herself too hard, and that raised a protectiveness towards her he was finding difficult to contain.

Especially now that he’d glimpsed the real Katerina for the first time in years, in those moments when she’d finally got off her feet. Tired and sore she’d been worried that she’d upset him. It had been like a blow to the chest. Did she think he was some kind of tyrant? Like her father? Or his brother? Those thoughts chilled him. None were acceptable. And yet mulling over the night with her had been … relaxing. No. Who was he kidding? It hadn’t been relaxed; it had been charged.

His steps stilled. This had to stop. He was thinking about her far too much. He started walking again but changed his destination and headed towards his office. He was going through the information on potential brides he’d inexplicably left unactioned and was making a plan. Tonight.

Chapter 3

‘Ready?’ Xavier asked her.

Katerina inclined her head, that was all she could manage as she struggled to rein in the nerves that had suddenly taken control of her voice box.

You’ve done it before. Many times. It’s no different because you’re with the King.

Liar.

She drew in a breath. She wouldn’t let Xavier see any doubts as he searched her face with an inscrutable look. Something flashed deep in his eyes and her heart gave an accompanying funny little jump. It’s the jitters, she consoled herself as he raised his hand, giving the signal for the doors to open.

Following him, she stepped out of the plane to the roar of the crowd. Stopping to stand beside him at the top of the stairs, she waved like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to be touring together, standing together. The fingers on Katerina’s left hand dug into her clutch purse, there was nothing natural about any of it. This was an honour suitable for his wife, not his sister-in-law. But she wasn’t going to reveal such thoughts to anyone. Not the welcome party who waited at the start of the red carpet, nor the cheering people being held back by barriers, and definitely not the king. The king, who apart from a query about the state of her feet and health in general when she first boarded four hours ago, had been all business ever since, going over the plans for today, and for the next month. Had she imagined the tension from last night, from the last week? She’d purposely not dwelled on it during the flight, including the thirty-minute break he’d insisted on. Instead, she went over her itinerary and briefing notes again. Did he really think she was going to put her feet up and have a nap like he’d wanted? For a start she wasn’t a child. And secondly, there was no way that would happen, she had work to do. But the reality was, she’d been glad for the reprieve from his company. She was aware of him in a way she had no right to be, than she wanted to be, and she would do everything possible to make sure no-one realised it. Especially him.

She caught the glint of the press cameras then ignored them, as she’d been trained to do. The fact she and Xavier were touring together had been a surprise that garnered a lot of interest. Despite never attracting unsavoury headlines due to his impeccable behaviour, the king had been a constant source of press fascination his whole life. Max, on the other hand, had given them plenty of fodder with his wild antics which became more pronounced, not less, after his marriage. Katerina had never fully gotten used to the intrusion in her life. Right from her first date with Max, thanks to a tipoff from him, they’d pursued her relentlessly. It had taken years for her to learn to never read the tabloids, especially as their fairy tale romance disintegrated in front of all the world. She hated knowing that her private matters were so public. Not to mention the lies that were published alongside the truths, half-truths and the downright bizarre. And Max’s death hadn’t lessened their interest in her, it had heightened it.

She continued smiling and waving to the hundreds, possibly thousands who’d turned out to greet them at the regional airport, their first stop. Despite the unseasonably cold weather, every age group and dress code were present, from jeans to the traditional Maynetian costume. Many held signs, flowers and gifts for the king and some, she noticed, were addressed to her. A lump formed in her throat, the enduring affection of the people was something she never anticipated and never took for granted. Max had tried to belittle her attachment and made fun of her numerous early mistakes, but the people of Maynet had been quicker to understand and forgive than her husband. It had made her work relentlessly to learn the ropes, despite his lack of support. She’d understood then, like she did now, that she had a purpose here, and she put all that she had into it, she would never ease up.

Aware that the allotted time had been spent, she snuck a look at the king. He stood a body width away. The wind that played havoc with her coat twisting it around her legs, flattened the dark suit against his frame, outlining an impressive chest and shoulders, broad and strong enough to carry the weight of ruling the country. His effortless stance conveyed what was already known—that all the power, authority and responsibility that went with his title, had found a worthy home with him.

Like a magnet pulled her she started to turn, to look at him fully, to drink in the sight. Reality snapped her back. What was she thinking? Every move of theirs would be monitored, analysed. She couldn’t afford to put a foot wrong, never mind stand there gawking at him.

Xavier gave a final wave and oblivious to her internal battle, indicated for her to walk down the stairs with him. Holding the handrail, she went slowly placing her heels carefully on the metal steps that rocked with the wind. Keeping pace with her until the bottom he stepped onto the red carpet and held out a hand to assist her down the final deep step.

She tucked her bag under her arm and placed her hand in his. Despite the cold, a surge of heat raced through her. Disconcerted, she flung her eyes to his which for once were almost at the same level. For one crazy moment she was transported back to last night, to being carried in his arms, pressed against him. She wanted to anchor her hands on his shoulders and …

No, she did not. And if she did, which she didn’t, this was not the time nor place to be thinking about it.

Forcing herself not to wrench away in self-disgust, she notched up her smile and stepped down onto the tarmac.

‘Thank you,’ she said looking up to the knot of his dark blue tie and eased her fingers open.

He hesitated then dropped his hand and turned to the local mayor who stood waiting for them.

***

Xavier moved along the line of local dignitaries, all the while conscious of Katerina following him, shaking hands and chatting to them. He hadn’t toured with anyone for years, not since his wife had died, which must explain why he was so attuned to Katerina, the soft murmur of her voice identifiable over the noise surrounding him. The icy wind didn’t seem to faze her, nor did the sizeable number of people who’d turned up. She now seemed completely at ease, making him wonder if he’d imagined her look just before departing the plane. Something about the set of her face had unsettled him. He’d wanted to comfort her, to reassure her everything would be alright, that frozen look reminding him of her first public engagements. Until he realised how unnecessary, not to mention unwelcome that would be. All day she’d been the same as she always was around him—focused, unflappable and a little bit reserved. Her boundaries clearly back in place as though last night had never happened, when he’d lost his mind and overstepped propriety.

Reaching the end of the group a little girl, with a replica of Katerina’s famous top bun hairdo, shyly stepped forward clutching a bouquet of flowers.

Xavier crouched down balancing on the balls of his feet to greet her. ‘For the princess,’ the child whispered edging away from him, holding the flowers in a death grip like she was expecting him to make a grab for them.

He bit back a laugh and twisted around to Katerina who’d reached the end of the welcoming line and beckoned her over. ‘Princess, these are for you.’

Her polite mask in place, her gaze skipped past Xavier before landing on the girl. A smile broke across Katerina’s face that reached her eyes and eased all traces of tension. The type of smile he hadn’t seen in far too long but hadn’t realised until that moment. A smile that made him, for one mad second, want to be the one receiving it.

Katerina came forward easing down next to him. He struggled not to open his mouth and drag in a chest-full of springtime as her scent washed over him, as though it had been years, not moments since he’d last smelt it.

‘These are beautiful flowers. Are you sure they’re for me?’ Katerina asked her, thankfully snapping him out of a moonlit corridor with her in his arms.