Читать книгу Heiress's Royal Baby Bombshell - Jennifer Faye - Страница 10

MAYBE SHOPPING HADN’T been such a bad idea.

Noemi clutched the colorful shopping bags stuffed full of goodies and headed for the door. She’d purchased some jeans in a bigger size that had spandex in them, making them so much comfier. They fit her a lot like her leggings. She’d pulled on the waistband and was surprised by how roomy they were without being baggy.

She’d also found some loose blouses and sweaters that hung down to her hips. For a while, they would hide her growing baby bump. It wasn’t the figure-flattering clothes she normally wore, but it was so much better than what she had before. And she just wasn’t ready for maternity—not yet.

As Maria had suggested, Noemi had taken time to do some Christmas shopping, including purchasing two designer sweaters. One for her newfound brother, Leo, and one for Sebastian. She and Sebastian might disagree—heatedly at times—but she still loved him.

With big black sunglasses and a gray knit beanie pulled low, she stepped outside the store and started up the sidewalk toward her car. The snow clouds had passed and the sun shone once more. Up ahead a crowd of people swarmed the sidewalk and spilled out into the roadway. She glanced around, wondering what was going on.

She would love to turn and avoid the crowd, but they were standing between her and her vehicle. And her numerous bags weren’t light. She kept moving toward them. Surely the crowd would part and let her through.

She was on the edge of the group when an excited buzz rushed through the crowd. Noemi paused and turned to a young woman who was holding up her cell phone as though to snap a picture.

“Do you know what all the fuss is about?” Noemi asked.

The young woman with dark hair pulled back in a ponytail smiled brightly. “It’s the best thing. Crown Prince Maximilian Steiner-Wolf has just arrived.”

Noemi had heard the name before, but she knew nothing of the man. It seemed as though she was in the minority as the crowd continued to grow.

Noemi glanced around, curious to see the prince.

The young woman pointed to the shop in front of them. “He’s in that store. Right there. Can you believe it? But his bodyguards aren’t letting people in.”

Noemi felt sorry for the guy. As the face of Cattaneo Jewels, she’d had her fair share of exposure to publicity, but the crowd of people forming around the store was extreme even to her. “And everyone is just standing around waiting for him to come out?”

The young woman gave her a look like she’d just grown a second head. “Well, yeah. Of course.”

Noemi nodded in understanding, even though she didn’t. Her arms ached from the weight of the bags. She continued to make her way to her car.

“Excuse me,” Noemi called out, finding it difficult to thread her way through the crowd.

A cheer rose in the crowd. Then the crowd rushed forward. At last, there was room to walk.

Thud!

Someone ploughed right into Noemi. She lurched forward. In an effort to keep herself upright, she lost her grip on the packages. They fell to the ground in a heap. Her arms waved to the side as she tried to steady herself. Suddenly there were strong hands reaching out, gripping her by the waist.

Once she’d regained her balance, she turned and found herself staring into intriguing hazel eyes. It was Max. Her heart lodged in her throat. What was he doing here? Waiting to see the prince?

“Noemi?” His eyes widened with surprise. And then a smile lifted his lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

He bent over and started to pick up all her bags. She hadn’t realized until then just how many packages there were, but Christmas was her favorite holiday. She had to make sure she bought something for everyone. Maybe more than one thing for everyone—especially her young nephew. It was going to be a difficult Christmas without her parents. And she felt driven to do everything possible to make the holiday bearable.

But right now, her thoughts centered around the father of her baby. And here she’d been thinking she would never see him again. She averted her gaze from him as she knelt down next to him. She scrambled to gather her packages.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He scooped up most of the packages and straightened. “I was planning to go skiing.”

When she straightened, she had to lift her chin in order to look him in the eyes. And that was a dangerous thing to do because every time she gazed into his eyes, she forgot what she was about to say.

Just then a flash went off. And then another. And another.

“What’s going on?” She glanced around as everyone was looking at them. And then the lightbulb went on in her mind. “You.” Her gaze met his again. “You are the prince?”

His jaw flexed as his body stiffened. “Yes. I am Prince Maximilian Steiner-Wolf.”

Her mouth gaped. Realizing that everyone was watching them, she forced her mouth closed. How was this possible? Was she really that out of touch with reality that she’d missed the father of her baby was royalty?

She had so many questions for him, but they lodged in her throat. This wasn’t the time or the place to rehash the not-so-distant past.

“Come with me,” he said.

Not waiting for an answer, he took her hand and led her to a waiting black SUV. With the help of two men, they reached the vehicle without people stepping in their way.

She wasn’t sure it was wise being alone with him, not when he still filled her dreams, but it beat being in public where everyone was watching them and eavesdropping. Once inside, she turned to him. She needed answers. She needed to know why he’d kept his title from her. She needed to know so much.

“Not now,” he said as though reading her mind. Turning to the driver, he said, “Go.”

“My vehicle is back there,” Noemi said.

“Don’t worry. We’ll come back for it. Later.”

The driver, as though used to driving through crowds, safely maneuvered the SUV past the sprawling mass of people.

She turned to the window and stared blindly at the passing shops. This had to be some sort of dream. Perhaps she’d fallen back there and hit her head. Yes, she thought, grasping at straws. She’d hit her head and this was all a dream. Because there was no way that she was pregnant with a prince’s baby.

“Noemi?” Max’s voice cut through her thoughts.

She had absolutely no idea what he was asking her. She turned to him. “What?”

“I asked where you are staying.”

“Um...” She thought about returning to her vehicle and decided that Max was right. Later would be better to pick it up. “Take a left at the next intersection.”

His dark brows rose. “Those are private residences.”

She nodded. Her neighbors were some of the most prominent actors and actresses, athletes and notable figures in the world. Since she’d been coming here all her life, she took it all for granted. But now, seeing it from a stranger’s perspective, she realized that it might be impressive. But to a prince? Nah.

He was probably wondering why she lived in such an exclusive neighborhood. Apparently she wasn’t the only one in the dark. He didn’t recognize her even though her face had been plastered on every glamour magazine as well as television promos for a number of years.

She gave the driver directions to her family’s chalet. When they reached the gate to the exclusive community, she put her window down and assured the guard that it was okay to let them through.

“I’ve never been to this part of Mont Coeur,” Max said. “I’ve always preferred to have my accommodations close to the slopes.”

As they passed the large and impressive chalets, she noticed that most displayed Christmas decorations. Some sported a door wreath while others had a bit more. Normally their chalet was the most festive of them all—but not this year. Her father had always taken care of the outside decorations. However, this year Noemi had done it by herself and the twinkling lights weren’t quite as spectacular as prior years.

Her palms grew damp as her heart raced. She couldn’t relax, not with Max next to her. She didn’t know what made her more nervous—the fact that they’d spent the night together or the fact that the man she’d slept with was royalty. When Maria heard this, she was never going to believe it.

He longed to kiss her berry red lips.

The memory of their sweetness taunted him.

Max gave himself a mental jerk. Now that he’d found Noemi again, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. What were the chances of them running into each other again?

Slim.

Had she figured out his true identity and planned this reunion? Not possible. He hadn’t decided on coming to Mont Coeur until last night. Even then, he’d only told his trusted staff.

Max gazed over at Noemi. Her posture was stiff and she kept her face turned away. He wondered if the source of her discomfort was from their collision, the run-in with the fans, learning he was a prince or all of the above.

Normally learning that he was the crown prince had women falling all over him. But Noemi had pulled away. In fact, if she sat any closer to her door, she’d fall out. Most interesting. He’d thought they’d both enjoyed their time together.

But it wasn’t too late. He still had a chance to find out if there was truly a spark between them.

When the SUV pulled to a stop in front of a luxurious chalet, Noemi said a quick thank-you followed by goodbye. It’d be so easy to just let her go. He’d still have his good memories, but he’d never know what had been real and what had been part of his wishful imagination.

As he watched her head for the front steps, he told his security team to wait for him. He hopped out into the snowy driveway and followed her.

“Noemi, wait.”

For a moment, he didn’t think she was going to stop. Her hand reached for the doorknob, but then she hesitated. She turned to him but didn’t say anything. Her gaze didn’t quite meet his. She stood there waiting for him to have his say.

“You didn’t even tell me your last name. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.” When she sent him a puzzled look, he added, “Letting you get away without knowing your name.”

“Oh. It’s Noemi Cattaneo.”

“Your name. It sounds familiar.”

“You’ve probably heard of our family business. Cattaneo Jewels.”

Of course, he’d heard of them. Who hadn’t?

“Your family’s business has the distinction of handling some of the world’s finest and rarest jewels.”

“Have you done business with us?”

“Not me personally, but my family has.” He was getting off point. “Anyway, I wanted to say...” his Adam’s apple bobbed “...I’m sorry. I’ve handled this all wrong.”

“It’s not your fault that people recognized you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Not that. I’m sorry for before, when I insisted that we keep things casual and not exchange phone numbers.” He stepped closer to her. “I’ve been thinking of you—”

“Don’t.” She shook her head. “I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity. I—I just handled things poorly before. And I want to apologize.”

Her gaze momentarily widened but then she glanced away. “We did the right thing. Our lives are too diverse. I mean you...you have a country to run. And I am... I mean, I have things to do.”

He’d never witnessed Noemi nervous before, not that they’d spent a lot of time together. But in the time he’d known her, she’d come across as confident and fun. The Noemi standing before him was different and he wanted to know what had changed her. Why did she avoid looking at him directly?

He is a prince?

How is that possible?

Noemi had so many conflicting emotions flooding her body that she didn’t know what to say to him. Part of her longed to fall into his arms and pick up where they’d left off before. But logic told her to tread carefully. Max was a very powerful man. There was no way she was going to blurt out that she was pregnant with his baby. Finding out that he was royalty changed everything. She needed time to think.

“Have dinner with me?” His voice stirred her from her thoughts.

She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

The hopeful look on his face faded. “Was our time together that forgettable?”

“It definitely wasn’t forgettable.” The words were out her mouth before she realized she was revealing too much. She’d barely been able to think of anything else these past few weeks since learning she was pregnant.

That wasn’t exactly true. She’d thought a lot about him ever since they parted—even before she’d learned she was pregnant. She would wonder what he was doing and who he was doing it with. And she wondered if he ever stopped to think about her.

“That’s good to hear,” he said. “So we’ll do dinner.”

She recalled the mass of people waiting for him outside the ski shop. She couldn’t even imagine the spectacle they’d make by having dinner in public. It would be an utter zoo.

Though it pained her to say, she uttered, “We can’t.”

“Sure we can.” He smiled like he had all the answers to their problems.

Again, she shook her head. “Everyone knows you’re here at the resort. They’ll all be on the lookout for you.”

“And you don’t want to be photographed with a prince?”

She glanced away and shrugged. The ramifications of the photo would be catastrophic once her pregnancy became known. Until she had a plan for this baby, she didn’t want to make any more mistakes, especially where the public was concerned.

He laughed. “Do you know how refreshing you are?”

He was amused? Her lips pressed together into a firm line. She didn’t know what there was to be smiling about, but then again, he didn’t know about the baby.

She lifted her chin. “I don’t care to be laughed at.”

“I’m not laughing at you.” His amusement faded. “I think you’re amazing.” As though her lack of response went unnoticed, he said, “Most women I’ve met would fall over themselves to have dinner with me. But not you. Which makes me that much more determined to see you again. In fact, I’m not leaving here until you agree to have dinner—no strings attached.”

“Not tonight.” She wanted to clear her head—and do an internet search.

He arched a dark brow. “I have the feeling if I let you get away tonight that there won’t be another chance for us to get together. You’ll always have an excuse. And I can’t stay here forever—no matter how tempting that may be.”

“I promise we’ll do it another time.”

“Must I beg, ma chérie?”

“You speak French?”

He nodded. “French and Italian as well as English. Ostania is situated near France, Italy and Switzerland. We speak French but it’s heavily influenced by the surrounding countries. I could tell you more about my country over dinner.”

It wasn’t his country that she was interested in learning more about. And they did have much to discuss. Her hand instinctively moved in the direction of her tiny baby bump, but she caught herself in time and lowered her arm to her side.

“If you’re worried about privacy, we can have dinner at my condo.” A hopeful look reflected in his eyes.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

She didn’t miss the part of a wealthy, devastatingly handsome prince begging her to have dinner with him. But as much as she wanted to spend more time with him, there was another part of her that worried about what would happen when he learned of the baby. Would he reject her? Would he reject his own flesh and blood? Or would he try to take the baby from her? The thought of it sent a chill through her.

Proceed with caution.

The only way she would find the answer to any of these questions was if she were to do as he asked and dine with him. Not sure if it was the right decision or not, she said, “Okay. I’ll have dinner with you.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I’ll send a car for you at seven.”

She shook her head. “I can drive.” And then she recalled that she’d left her car back in the village. “Except my car is still in the village.”

“I’ll send my car. And if you give me your keys, I’ll make sure your car is picked up and waiting for you at my condo.”

That would be convenient, but it would also make her an easy target for the paparazzi. And she wasn’t ready to be a headline on every gossip site.

She checked the time on her phone. “You may send your car for me at...seven fifteen.” That should give her just enough time to sort through her purchases to find something appropriate to wear and do an internet search. “Does that work for you?”

Both his brows rose. She wasn’t sure if he was surprised that she hadn’t fallen all over herself to do as he wanted. If that’s what he expected of her, he was in for a surprise. With a baby on the way, she had to stand firm and speak up when necessary.

Max gave a curt nod. “I’ll see you then.” He turned for his vehicle. A few steps later, he paused and turned back. “Is there anything specific you would like for dinner? Perhaps something you’ve been craving?”

Craving? Did he know about her pregnancy? She sucked in her stomach. As he continued to stare at her with an expectant look on his face with no hint of suspicion, she realized he’d meant nothing by his choice of word.

She shook her head. “Anything is fine. I’m not a picky eater.”

That response rewarded her with another surprised look on his face. Apparently the prince wasn’t used to women who weren’t picky. She wondered just what sort of women he normally dated, but she resisted the urge to ask.

“I’ll pick something special.” He turned and walked away.

The desire to run in the house and head straight to her computer was overwhelming, but she restrained herself. She waited until he was inside his vehicle before she let herself in the chalet. With the door shut, her movements became rushed. She threw off her hat and coat before kicking off her snowy boots. And then she took the steps two at a time.

She grabbed her laptop from the desk and threw herself down on the bed. Her fingertips moved rapidly over the keyboard. Maybe it wasn’t right snooping on the internet, but now that she knew her baby’s daddy was a famous royal, she had to learn more. From her own dealings with the paparazzi, she knew most of the articles would be fiction or wildly exaggerated. But that didn’t stop her from looking—

Noemi’s breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of headlines splashed across the screen that were worse than she’d allowed herself to imagine. In fact, with photos to back up the headlines, she wondered if she’d been wrong about Max.

“Twin Blonde Bombshells for the Prince!”

“Prince Maximilian with Woman Number Five in as Many Evenings!”

“The Playboy Prince Strikes Again!”

“Prince Max and His Harem!”

Disheartened, Noemi closed her laptop. She’d thought the night their baby was conceived that they’d shared something special. She never imagined that she was just one more notch on his bedpost. The thought hurt—a lot.

She placed her hand upon her midsection. “What have I gotten us into?”