AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Amadeo nearly laughed out loud, but not with humour.Okay?Was that it?
While finally admitting to himself that his wife was sexy had flicked a switch in his brain that had meant Elsbeth was all he could think about, she’d continued with her day, blithe and oblivious. After his disastrous tennis match, he’d sat on his balcony with a cold beer in a futile attempt to calm the explosive feelings shooting through him. Only when an hour had passed did he realise he hadn’t wrenched his eyes from the garden and that the reason his stomach lurched at every sound and movement was because he was waiting for her to appear.
And that had been the moment he’d said,To hell with it. This thing he had for his wife clearly wasn’t going to disappear just because he commanded it. It was time to do something about it. And so he’d strode back inside, giving orders to his butler, and hit the shower. He could share a meal with his wife before sex. That wasn’t breaking any rule.
‘Is this a new dinner set?’ he asked once their first course had been served. It was nothing like the fine china the family ate from, a variant of which had been given to Elsbeth for her personal use. He wondered if she’d ransacked the storeroom.
‘It’s from the art college we went to a couple of weeks ago.’
His brows drew together. At one of their engagements they had awarded prizes to graduating students at Ceres’ top art school. ‘This won an award?’
‘No, but it was on display.’
‘I don’t remember seeing it.’ As far as he remembered, it had been the usual paintings and ceramics exhibited. He had no recollection of crockery displayed that had comedic cactuses painted on them.
‘It’s all still a novelty for me,’ she said kindly. ‘I imagine you’ve been undertaking engagements for so many years it’s become monotonous.’
‘Undoubtedly,’ he agreed. Their coming engagement-free week would be a welcome break from the monotony. The summer months, August in particular, were always exceptionally busy with engagements, the Ceresian tourist sites organising events to entice visitors, businesses and the charities the Berrutis patroned opening their doors and gardens to the public. Amadeo, his siblings and their parents, highly aware their positions were dependent on the Ceresian public’s goodwill, tried to attend as many of the different events as time would allow. Now that September had arrived, the children had returned to school and tourist numbers reduced, the number of engagements would significantly reduce, allowing them to concentrate more on their specific charities and the non-public-facing part of royal life.
He looked closely at his side plate before looking back at Elsbeth, a burn in his loins as he imagined stripping her naked and examining her with the same close scrutiny.Dio, that sleeveless dress she was wearing... Like all the other clothes she wore, it showed not the slightest hint of breast or cleavage, only her arms and shoulders exposed, but what little flesh was on display was enough to make his fingers itch to dip into the shallow where her graceful neck met her collarbone.
Swallowing the moisture that had filled his throat, the knowledge they would soon retreat to her bedroom a pulse that throbbed in every part of him, he forced his attention to stay on the conversation in hand. ‘Did the student offer it to you?’
‘No, I got in touch and asked if it was for sale.’ At his raised brow of surprise, Elsbeth felt a pang of anxiety. ‘Is that not the done thing? No one said I shouldn’t.’ She meant Lia, her private secretary, who reported to Amadeo’s private secretary. Lia hadn’t batted an eyelid when Elsbeth asked about the possibility of buying the set. Lia had sorted it all out for her, including arranging for the talented student to dine with Elsbeth two nights ago so Elsbeth could get an insight into her quirky, creative mind. She didn’t want to get Lia into trouble for any of this.
He gave a bemused shake of his head before reaching for his red wine. ‘You are not answerable to me. How you spend your money and furnish your quarters and instruct your staff is up to you.’
She blew out the breath she’d been holding. This was the first purchase she’d ever made for herself with her own taste in mind. She’d taken a leap of faith that Amadeo had meant it when he told her she was an autonomous woman.
She had to admit that buying the dinner set had felt amazing. She’d actuallyfeltautonomous. Inviting the student to dine with her had been a new experience too. In the palace, she’d shared her parents’ quarters, every minute of her day controlled and decided for her.
What felt even more amazing though, were the thrills racing through her to have Amadeo’s full, sole attention. Dangerous though. She knew that. Her head, at least, was clear, and knew not to read anything into the looks from him that made her bones melt. She was projecting her own desire for him onto him. To imagine anything more was to set herself up for a fall. That he was here, spending time with her outside work duties... She mustn’t read anything into it. He’d probably been bored.
He speared a tiny tomato. ‘The things you have added and replaced to your quarters—the ones I’ve seen—are all striking and modern. You seem to have...eclectic taste,’ he added drily before casting his gaze around the pastel pink dining room. ‘Tell me honestly, what do you think of your quarters’ furnishings and decorations?’
‘Do I have to?’
He grinned. ‘You should blame Alessia. I put her in charge. I thought that, as a young woman, she’d have a better idea of what you’d like than I would. Maybe it would have been better to put Clara in charge.’
A tiny giggle escaped from her mouth before she even knew it was coming. ‘I would have liked to see the results of that.’
‘I wouldn’t.’
That did make her laugh, and as her eyes met Amadeo’s clear green gaze, a rumble of laughter spilled from his lips and hit her veins like a pulse of energy.
How could she possiblyfeellaughter? It didn’t make any sense but it felt as real as if it were a living entity. Everything about him did, from his voice to his slow smiles to the glimmer in his eyes. She didn’t just see them, she felt them through the buzz in her veins and the pulses of heat that came close to sucker-punching her.
She’d never imagined a person could be so in tune with another and so alive in their company, but she knew she wouldn’t betray herself so long as she concentrated on their conversation. What she mustn’t do was think about what would happen once their meal finished, but then telling herself not to do that immediately made her think of it and, as she gazed into his eyes, heat coiled its way from deep in her pelvis and into her veins as a sudden image flashed through her mind of Amadeo following her down the corridor, closing the bedroom door and taking her into his arms...
‘Are you okay?’
Her heart thumped and she blinked sharply to pull her brain back into focus but that pulled Amadeo’s dreamily handsome face back into focus too and sent her pulses soaring all over again. Grabbing her glass of wine, she smiled brightly. ‘Of course.’
‘You’re sure?’ His probing stare bored into her. ‘You look flushed.’
‘It’s a little warm in here, that’s all.’ She drained her wine in one swallow.
She was lying. Amadeo knew it. The vacuous smile was the giveaway. And the faint tremor in her hand as she put her empty glass on the table and reached for the bottle to top it up. Another improvement, he noted. A month ago, she would have gone thirsty.
