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His skin was hot—hotter than she’d expected—and very smooth. Velvety almost, and she could feel the shift of hard muscle beneath her palms. As if he’d tensed as she touched him.
And she realised she was staring down at him, looking into his dark eyes, watching the gold burn bright, like treasure at the bottom of a dark river. She’d put her hands on men before, of course, in training and on missions. But it had never felt like this, as if she wanted to run her fingers over him, stroke him...
One corner of Xerxes’ mouth curled. ‘I wouldn’t look at me like that, if I were you. Not if you don’t want me to start getting ideas.’
Her jaw tightened, a flood of embarrassment washing through her. Getting ideas? How ridiculous. Presumably he was talking about sex, but she was a guard and he was a prince and about to be engaged, so why would he say that?
‘Apologies, Your Highness,’ she said stiffly, trying for her usual flat monotone. ‘I wasn’t aware I was looking at you like anything. But I won’t do it again.’
‘Perhaps not taking your clothes off would be a start.’ He said it lightly, but there was a certain tension in the words. ‘I was going to offer to leave the room like a gentleman, but you didn’t give me time.’
Calista ignored the velvety skin beneath her palms and stepped into the circle of blue fabric he was holding out. ‘Again, apologies, Your Highness,’ she repeated, staring at his glossy black hair, since there wasn’t anywhere else safe to look. ‘You seemed impatient.’
Slowly, he rose to his feet, pulling the gown up with him. ‘Hold out your arms.’
She did so and he carefully tugged the sleeves over her hands, sliding them up her arms to her shoulders. His fingers didn’t touch her bare skin, not once, and she was profoundly conscious that he hadn’t. It made her skin feel overly sensitive, as if it craved the brush of his fingers.
But no, that wasn’t right. She didn’t wish that. He was her ultimate superior and her job was to protect him, even though her position was largely ceremonial and she disapproved of him. And besides, despite his thoroughly deserved reputation, there had never been any hint of impropriety since he’d returned to Axios, and certainly not with his staff.
What a pity.
Calista pretended she hadn’t had that particular thought.
‘You should be more circumspect, soldier,’ the prince murmured, settling the gown on her shoulders. ‘You must be aware of my reputation. Taking your clothes off in front of a man like me will only cause gossip. Not exactly what either of us wants on the eve of my engagement.’
Calista stilled, an icy feeling creeping through her. Oh, she really hadn’t thought of that and she should have. What was happening to her? She was always calm and controlled, and she never let her emotions get the better of her. Never.
You must do better.
Gritting her teeth, she looked him in the eye. ‘I’m sorry, Your Highness. I hadn’t considered that.’
He was very close. His hands had dropped to his sides but he didn’t step back. And he was looking down at her, his dark gaze unreadable. She was a tall woman, but next to his height and broad, muscular strength she felt small. Dainty almost.
Almost female.
‘You’re full of apologies.’ He adjusted one sleeve of the gown. ‘But words are empty.’ He tweaked a bit of fabric on the other sleeve. ‘It’s action that matters. Or, at least, that’s what I learned when I was in the army.’
She stared. Somehow, the fact that he’d once served as a common soldier had slipped her mind, though it shouldn’t have.
‘You look surprised,’ he said when she didn’t speak. ‘All princes of Axios are required to do military service.’ His mouth curved in one of his practised smiles. ‘Me? I prefer words. They’re so much less painful than bullets and they don’t tend to kill you.’
Bitterness had crept into his voice, a note so very slight that if she hadn’t been staring straight at him she might not have heard it at all.
Curiosity gripped her and before she could stop herself a question slipped out. ‘You didn’t enjoy your service? Why was that?’
His eyes widened as if the question had taken him by surprise, then something else flickered across his beautiful face. Something that she thought looked like pain. But it was gone so fast she wasn’t sure she’d seen it at all.
Of course he didn’t enjoy it. He was disinherited and exiled for rank cowardice.
There were many theories about why he might have been banished, but no one knew for sure. King Xenophon had never given a reason and after he’d exiled his son he’d never spoken of him again.
But Xerxes only gave another smile, practised and empty, the gold in his eyes taking on a sharp glint. ‘Because there were no pretty women in the barracks, of course.’ He stepped back and circled around behind her. ‘No flirting, no drinking. No sex. Not my thing at all.’
Calista began to turn around to face him again, because he was lying. That wasn’t the reason.
Except he murmured, ‘Keep still.’
She froze, very conscious of his warmth at her back, of the bare skin of his chest so close to her own. The scent of pine forests and hot sun surrounded her, reminding her strangely of her childhood, of the games she’d used to play in the woods behind her house before her mother had left, of being a princess rescued by a knight from a dragon.
