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Rowan watched as Juliana stood effortlessly. A swift pang of jealousy stole through him. How he missed the ease with which he used to be able to move. He shook his head and swiveled so that his feet were hanging off the bed. Gently, he pushed up and made a rather desperate grab for his crutches. When he was steady, he turned to find Juliana redressed in her fleece clothes, hiding what he was starting to consider one of the seven wonders of the world.
“You have to take those clothes off,” he said. He pointed to the closet behind her. “Grab one of my shirts.”
Juliana looked reluctant.
“No way you’d wear those with your boyfriend.”
Juliana looked down, skeptical. But she turned and headed to the wardrobe. He crutched to the door.
All things considered, the first phase had gone well. He knew Barrington had been caught off guard, but they would need to be convincing. If they could pull this off with the duke, the rest would be easy. Once the story hit the public, things would get dicey. He might have convinced Juliana to keep it from her siblings, but she would have to do a good acting job to get them to believe she’d kept such a big secret for months. It was the one part of his scheme that could backfire on them. But it would be more believable if everyone seemed to be taken by surprise.
“Like this?” Juliana asked.
Rowan looked over to the closet. Juliana stood in front of the open door. There was light behind her, making the white of his shirt contrast with the olive of her skin. The sleeves of his button-down were rolled up. The material swallowed her, hanging down past her ass. She’d only fastened one button, and the peekaboo of her silk pajamas was sexy as hell. But thankfully, she looked like a little kid in her dad’s shirt, and the thought of that took sex right out of it.
“Perfect,” he remarked.
She walked to him. He wanted to curl his hand around her back and lead her out, but instead, his hand gripped his crutch. She reached forward, pulling the door open for them. He allowed her to go first.
Barrington sat at the small dining table. When Juliana approached, he stood and pulled out a chair for her. To the duke’s credit, his eyes stayed up, not once doing a sweep of her body. Juliana sat, pulling the shirt around her. Rowan put a crutch to the side and pulled out his own chair.
Barrington returned to his seat, crossed his legs, and clasped his hands together in front of him, the picture of urbane elegance. Even at six o’clock in the morning, he was outfitted in an Armani suit, his tie was crisp, and his hair perfect. Rowan knew that he hadn’t inherited much from his father. The eyes and, as much as he was loathe to admit it, the drive. He despised the man, but he knew his desire to succeed, to be the best, had come from Barrington. It made Rowan hate him just a little bit more.
Barrington looked from Rowan to Juliana. His expression was bemused, like he already suspected something wasn’t quite right. Rowan dropped his hand to Juliana’s thigh, and he squeezed gently. She bestowed this adoring smile on him. For a second, with that look, he almost believed she liked him.
Barrington cleared his throat, and Rowan looked at him. “Am I to assume the two of you are together, or is this just a tryst of convenience?”
Juliana stiffened next to Rowan. He swept his thumb along the side of her thigh, calming her. Rowan had realized Juliana had a bit of a temper when she came to apologize to him after the infamous kiss. Part of him wouldn’t mind seeing her unleash it on Barrington, but right now was not about vindication—it was about setting the stage.
Rowan moved his hand from her thigh and ran it up her back to the nape of her neck. With his thumb on her jaw, he gently turned her head to him. He leaned over and placed a kiss near her ear.
“Ready?” he whispered loud enough for Barrington to hear.
Then, he drew away from her, so he could look into her eyes. She gave him a slight smile and nodded. Perfect.
He winked at her and then returned his attention to Barrington. “We’ve had a bit of an interesting courtship.”
Juliana laughed, and it was so genuine that Rowan smiled over at her without meaning to.
Barrington looked back and forth between them. “Oh?”
Rowan shrugged. “You obviously know about the kiss.” At Barrington’s nod, Rowan continued, “Jules came to see me after, to apologize. Of course, I was dating Alicia at the time. But when we met again at the gala, we were able to spend some time together. And things progressed from there.” Rowan dropped a kiss on the top of her head and then replaced his hand on her thigh.
“The gala was a long time ago. You’ve been together this whole time?” Barrington’s voice held a note of incredulity.
“Uh, no,” Juliana answered. “We were until his injury. Then, he decided it was too much. With his recovery and rehab. Then, I couldn’t find him for a long time.” She took a bit of a shuddering breath, and Rowan struggled to keep a straight face. She was a star. “Of course, I was hurt. So, I agreed to come here, to meet Frederik. The queen had no idea what was going on, but she felt I could use a change of scenery. I was shocked to discover Rowan was here.” She met Barrington’s gaze and lifted an elegant brow. “I was surprised by everything I discovered.”
Barrington leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “All of the things you said to the press.” It was a statement, but the question was implied.
“What is it you’ve always told me? People will believe what we want them to believe as long as we get the press on our side.”
Barrington smiled in a greasy car salesman kind of way. “I’m flattered you remember anything I’ve said.”
Rowan merely grinned.
Barrington studied them for a long moment. “Is this serious?”
Rowan and Juliana locked eyes with each other, and without looking toward Barrington, Rowan answered, “It is.”
“Splendid,” Barrington clapped his hands together loudly before he stood up. He pushed his chair under the table and faced them. “We should announce it as soon as possible. At the same time, we can share who you really are. The Lenten celebration is not the right time for it. But soon. I’ll get our press secretary to coordinate with the palace.”
“I haven’t told my family yet, so I think this all might be a bit premature. We weren’t ready to share this with the world.”
“Why not?” Barrington demanded.
“For one, we’ve just worked out some of our differences. And two, we want more time to be together without the pressure of the country’s expectations on us.”
Barrington considered her as Rowan’s respect for her grew. “Your Highness, you must understand the state of things in our great country since you came here to meet Frederik. A joining of our two houses would be advantageous, not just for our two families, but for the country as a whole. Let me suggest you reach out to your family soon. I am certain they will feel as I do. This is a situation we will all benefit from, and we should capitalize on it as soon as possible.” He glanced at his watch. “The physio will be here momentarily, and I have things I must attend to.” He bowed to Juliana and left the room.
Rowan took a steadying breath. His brilliant plan had worked famously. And yet, he still felt like a wild animal backed into a corner.
