Читать книгу The Wedding Party Collection - Кейт Хьюит, Aimee Carson - Страница 67
ОглавлениеALYSE AWOKE GRITTY-EYED and still feeling exhausted. Lying next to Leo, she hadn’t slept well, conscious of his hard, powerful form just inches away from her even when she’d been falling into a restless doze.
Now as sunlight streamed through the windows she wondered what the day would bring. They were meant to fly to St Cristos, a private island in the Caribbean, that morning to begin their honeymoon. A week completely alone, without the distractions of television, telephones, computers or any other people at all. A week, she still hoped, when they could get to know one another properly, or even at all.
A knock sounded at the door and before Alyse could say or even think anything Leo was snaking his arm around her waist, drawing her close against the seductive heat of his body. Shock turned her rigid as she felt the hard contours of his chest and thigh against her backside—and then the unmistakable press of his erection against her bottom.
‘Vieni,’ he called and then murmured against her hair, ‘Sorry, but the staff will gossip.’
Alyse barely took in his words. She’d never been so close to him, every part of her body in exquisite contact with his. The crisp hair on his chest tickled her bare shoulders, and the feel of his arousal pressing insistently against her bottom sent sizzling darts of sensation shooting through her.
She shifted instinctively, although whether she was drawing away or closer to him she didn’t even know. She felt a new, dizzying need spiral up inside her as his own hips flexed instinctively back. Leo groaned under his breath and his arm came even more firmly around her. ‘Stop wriggling,’ he whispered, ‘Or I might embarrass myself. I’m only human, you know.’
It took a few seconds for his meaning to penetrate the fog of her dazed mind, and by that time two young serving women were wheeling in a breakfast tray, the smell of fresh coffee and breakfast rolls on the air.
Embarrass himself? Was he actually implying that he wanted her that much? That a mere wriggle of hips could send him over the edge?
Leo let go of her, straightening in bed as he adjusted the duvet over himself. ‘Grazie,’ he said and the two women giggled and blushed as they left the room, casting covert looks at the two of them in bed. Alyse realised the strap of her negligee had fallen off one shoulder, and her hair was a tangled mass about her face. Did she look like a woman who had been pleasured and loved? She felt like a mess.
She tucked her tangled hair behind her ears and willed her heart rate to slow. Despite the obvious evidence of his arousal, Leo now looked completely unfazed and indifferent as he slid out of bed and went to the breakfast tray to pour them both coffee.
‘Sorry about that. Basic bodily function, at least for a man in the morning. I think we convinced the staff, at any rate.’
Disappointment crashed through her. Basic bodily function. So, no, it had had nothing to do with her in particular. Of course it didn’t. ‘It’s fine,’ Alyse murmured. She took a steadying breath and forced herself to meet his wry gaze. ‘We’re married, after all.’
‘So we are.’ He handed her a cup of coffee and sipped his own, his expression turning preoccupied over the rim of the porcelain cup. ‘But I imagine all this pretending will get tiresome for both of us after a while.’
Alyse stared into the fragrant depths of her coffee. ‘Like you said, the press will get bored of us now that we’re married. As long as we seem happy in public, they won’t really care.’ It hurt to say it, to imply that that was what she wanted.
‘Perhaps.’ Leo nodded slowly, and Alyse imagined he was wondering just how soon he could return to his simple, solitary life.
And when he did what would she do? Over the last few months she’d bolstered her flagging spirits by reminding herself that, just like Leo, she had a duty. A role. As princess and later Queen of Maldinia she would encourage and love her people. She would involve herself in her country, its charities and industry, and in doing so bring hope to a nation.
She tried to hold onto that idea now, but it seemed like so much airy, arrogant nonsense when she considered how the majority of her days were likely to be spent: in loneliness and isolation, separated from a husband who was perfectly happy with their business arrangement.
‘When do we leave for St Cristos?’ she asked, not wanting either of them to dwell on the bleak future they both clearly envisioned.
‘We leave the palace at eleven o’clock for a public appearance in the front courtyard. Photo opportunity and all that.’ He smiled and Alyse saw the cynicism in the twist of his lips, the flatness in his navy eyes. He never used to be so cynical, she thought. Pragmatic, yes, and even cold, but he’d approached their engagement with a brisk and accepting efficiency she’d tried to match, rather than this jaded resentment.
Was he feeling as she did, that marriage had changed something between them, made it worse? Pretending after the vows had been said seemed a greater travesty than before, something she’d never considered as Leo’s fiancée. She didn’t think Leo had considered it either.
‘I’ll leave you to get dressed,’ he said, putting down his coffee cup. ‘I’ll meet you downstairs in the foyer a few minutes before eleven.’
Wordlessly Alyse nodded, seeing the practicality of it yet feeling a needling disappointment anyway. Was every interaction going to involve a way to avoid each other? Would her life consist of endless awkward exchanges without any real intimacy or emotion, ever? Something would have to change. She couldn’t live like this; she wouldn’t.
Maybe, she thought with no more than a flicker of weary hope, it would change on St Cristos.
Several hours later they boarded the royal jet and Leo disappeared into a study in the rear of the plane. Alyse had been on the jet before when she’d flown between England and Maldinia, yet the opulent luxury always amazed her. Her own family was wealthy and privileged—her father had built a financial empire and her mother had been an heiress—but they weren’t this kind of rich. They weren’t royal.
You are now.
It still felt unreal. If she didn’t actually feel like Leo’s wife, how would she ever feel like a princess? Like a queen?
Pushing the thought aside, she made herself comfortable on one of the leather sofas in the main cabin of the plane. Just as planned, she and Leo had made their appearance outside the palace doors. A crowd had surrounded the palace; posies and bouquets of flowers had been piled up by the gates. Alyse had spent a few minutes chatting, smiling and laughing, while Leo had looked on, his smile faint and a little bit wooden. While the people loved the handsome, enigmatic prince, he didn’t engage the crowds the way she did, and never had. This, she knew, was why Maldinia’s monarchy needed her. Why Leo needed her.
Nothing else.
Now, with the crowds and reporters gone, she wondered just how she and Leo would spend their time alone. Judging by the way he’d disappeared into the jet’s study, alone was the operative word.
She felt a sudden stab of annoyance, which at least felt stronger than the misery that had been swamping her since their marriage. No matter how fake their relationship was, Leo’s determined ignoring of her was just plain rude.
Fuelled by her outrage, Alyse rose from the sofa and went to find Leo in the study. He sat at a desk, his dark head bent over a sheaf of papers. He was dressed for travel in a crisp blue button-down shirt and dark trousers, but he still looked magnificent, his muscles taut and powerful underneath the starched cotton of his shirt. He glanced up as she approached, his dark brows snapping together.
‘What is it?’
‘I just wondered if you intended to spend the entire time in your study,’ she said, her voice coming out close to a snap, and Leo looked at her in something close to bewilderment.
‘Does it matter?’
Impatience warred with hurt. ‘A bit, Leo. I understand you don’t want things to change between us, but a little conversation could be nice. Or are we going to spend the next week trying to avoid each other?’
He still looked flummoxed, and now also a bit annoyed. ‘I’m not trying to avoid you.’
‘It just comes naturally, then?’
‘We’ve been on this plane for ten minutes,’ he replied, his voice becoming so very even. ‘Don’t you think you can entertain yourself for a little while longer?’
Alyse shook her head impatiently. She could see how Leo might think she was being unreasonable, but it was so much more than this one journey. ‘I can entertain myself just fine,’ she said. ‘But I don’t particularly enjoy living in isolation.’
Leo’s mouth thinned into a hard line. ‘The plane will take off in a few minutes. I’ll join you in the cabin before it does.’
His words seemed so grudgingly given, yet Alyse knew at this point it was better simply to accept them at face value. Now was not the time to force a confrontation, to confess that she didn’t think she could live like this for so much as a morning, much less a lifetime. This was, after all, what she’d agreed to all those years ago when King Alessandro had spelled it out so plainly.
Feelings come in time, don’t they? She’d built her hopes on that one throwaway remark, clearly meant only to appease her. She’d lived for six years believing it could be true. She might as well have built castles in the air.
Leo had already turned back to his papers, so after a second’s uneasy pause Alyse turned around and went to the cabin.
He didn’t come out for take-off. Her annoyance turned to a simmering anger as the staff served her sparkling water instead of the champagne left chilling in a bucket, clearly meant for the two of them to toast their marriage.
She avoided their eyes and reached for her e-reader, bitterly glad she’d filled it with newly purchased books before she’d left. Clearly she’d be getting a lot of reading done on her honeymoon.
A few hours into the flight Leo finally made an appearance. ‘Sorry about that,’ he said, sitting across from her. ‘I had a bit of work to catch up on before we go off the grid.’
Despite his casually made apology, Alyse couldn’t let go of her anger. ‘If you don’t want your staff to gossip, perhaps you should be a bit more attentive to your bride,’ she answered tartly. ‘We’ve only been married for one day, you know.’
Leo stared at her, nonplussed. ‘Even couples wildly in love have work to do.’
‘Even on their honeymoon?’
He narrowed his gaze. ‘I have a duty to my country—’
‘This whole marriage is about duty.’ She cut him off and realised too late how shrewish and hurt she sounded. How ridiculous, considering the nature of their relationship.
‘Careful,’ he said softly, glancing at the closed cabin doors.
‘Our whole life is going to be about being careful,’ she retorted before she could stop herself. She hated how her hurt was spilling out of her. She’d kept it hidden for so long, why was she weakening now?
‘And you always knew that.’ The glance he gave her was repressive. ‘I think we should save this conversation for another, more private time.’
‘At least I have a conversation to look forward to, then.’ Leo just stared at her, and Alyse looked away, trying to reclaim some of the cool composure she’d cloaked herself with during the last few years. She’d never lit into him like this, never showed him how much his indifference hurt her or how much more she wanted from him.
‘What’s wrong with you?’ he asked after a moment and he sounded both curious and exasperated. ‘You’ve never acted like this before.’
‘We’ve never been alone like this before,’ she answered, her face still averted. ‘I just don’t want you to ignore or avoid me for the entire week. I’ll go crazy.’
Leo was silent for a long moment. ‘I don’t mean to ignore or avoid you,’ he said finally. ‘I’m just acting as we always have. I thought you accepted the nature of our relationship—preferred it, as I do.’
Alyse struggled to keep her face composed, her voice even, but his words hurt so much. Too much. ‘I’ve accepted it,’ she said carefully. ‘But it feels different now. We’re married, after all, and we’re going to spend more time together. Time alone. It would be nice if we could enjoy it, at least.’
That was so much less than she wanted, but at least it was a start—if Leo agreed.
He didn’t answer, just reached for the champagne and poured two flutes, the bubbles fizzing and bursting against the crystal sides. ‘I suppose that’s not an unreasonable request,’ he said eventually, and Alyse didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his grudging tone.
‘I’m glad you think so,’ she answered, and accepted a glass of champagne.
He eyed her evenly. ‘I suppose we should have discussed our expectations of what our married life would look like beforehand.’
‘Would it have made any difference?’
‘Not to me, perhaps.’ He raised his glass. ‘To what shall we toast?’
Alyse couldn’t think of a single thing. ‘To the future,’ she finally said, and heard the bleakness in her voice. ‘Whatever it may hold.’
Nodding in acceptance, Leo drank.
Leo watched Alyse slowly raise the flute of champagne to her lips. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and dark. She looked rather unbearably sad, he thought, and he had no idea why. What did she want from him? And why, after so long accepting the status quo, did she seem to want things to change?
Shifting in his seat, he turned towards the window. Outside the sky was an endless, brilliant blue. He thought of the week they were to spend on St Cristos, which was apparently the most elite honeymoon destination in the world—chosen, of course, to perpetuate the myth of their relationship. The relationship—a word he didn’t even like to use—that he didn’t want to change.
But it would have to change in some ways as they spent more time together, he acknowledged. Alyse had a point, even if he didn’t like it.
And she seemed to want such change. Want more. Leo felt everything in him recoil at the thought. He didn’t do relationships, or intimacy, or emotion, or any of it, yet it seemed Alyse expected a little of all of the above.
He could manage some conversation, he told himself. Some simple pursuits and pleasures...such as the consummation of their marriage. Perhaps he and his wife could find some sympathy with each other in bed. They certainly didn’t seem to have much out of it, although he was honest enough to admit he’d never really tried.
He didn’t want to get to know Alyse. He didn’t want their relationship to be anything than what it was: a carefully managed façade. He never had.
Yet now it seemed she wanted something else. Something more.
Well, she wouldn’t get it. He didn’t have anything more to give. Suppressing a sigh, he took another sip of champagne. Why did a thought that had once comforted and strengthened him now make him only feel restless and on edge?
* * *
By the time they arrived in St Cristos, Alyse was feeling strung out and exhausted. She hated the constant tension she felt in Leo’s presence; before today, they’d only seen each other for various occasions, usually formal, and always with other people around. They’d never had more than a few hours in each other’s company at a time, and never more than a few minutes alone.
She had hoped that when they were alone properly things would become more natural. They would chat, get to know one another, behave like normal, civil human beings. Except civility, in Leo’s world, was a cold-hearted, emotionless thing and Alyse didn’t think she could take much more of it.
After their brief exchange on the jet they’d barely spoken, and they’d ridden in silence from the island’s tiny airstrip to the exclusive resort. Alyse stared out of the window at the verdant hills on the horizon, the palm trees fringing the narrow track with their fronds drooping to the ground. In the distance the sea glittered under an afternoon sun; it was seven hours behind Maldinia here.
The resort came into view, a gracious grouping of thatched huts that looked both simple yet luxurious. The limo pulled to a stop and Alyse saw that all the staff was lined up outside the main hut, beaming and expectant.
She knew the resort was closed to all other guests this week in order to give her and Leo maximum privacy, yet right now she felt too tired to sparkle and charm the crowd. She wanted to curl up into herself and hide.
‘Here we go,’ Leo murmured, and with a rather grim smile he helped her out of the limo.
Alyse didn’t remember what she said to all the people assembled; she shook hands and murmured pleasantries and Leo put his arm around her, kissing her cheek to the sighs of several chambermaids. After what felt like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, they were led to their guest quarters in a private cove.
Alyse stood in the middle of the hut on its raised wooden platform and stared at the few, expensive furnishings: a couple of teak bureaux, a rattan chair and a huge bed with soft linen sheets. Mosquito netting was draped over the entrance, tied back now, so she had an unrestricted view of the sea lapping only a few metres away.
There were no electrical outlets, she knew, no computers, televisions, telephones or mobile reception. Nothing to keep her and Leo from spending time with one another.
Except Leo himself.
‘I think I’ll take a look around,’ Leo said. ‘Why don’t you get settled?’
So much for spending time together. Alyse set about unpacking her cases, even though one of the resort staff had offered to do it for her. Right now she wanted to be alone.
Unpacking her few outfits for their week on the Caribbean island didn’t take long, however, and after she’d finished she prowled restlessly around the hut, wishing Leo would return, yet half glad he hadn’t. His obvious lack of interest in so much as conversing with her was hard to take.
Since Leo still wasn’t around she decided to go for a swim. With a twinge of self-consciousness, she changed into one of the bikinis that had been selected for her; she had not chosen or even seen any of the clothes in her cases, not even the shorts and tee-shirts.
The bikini was a little more revealing than she would have liked but, shrugging aside any self-consciousness—she was alone, after all—she headed for the sea.
The sand was silky under her bare feet, the water lapping her toes clear and warm. Standing there, gazing out at an endless horizon, Alyse felt just a little of the tension she’d been carrying lessen and her shoulders relaxed a fraction.
Maybe when Leo returned they’d have that private conversation he’d resisted on the plane. She’d talk to him properly, explain that she didn’t want to act like strangers any more. If they couldn’t act as a normal husband and wife, at least they could be friends. Surely that would be more bearable than this horribly stilted awkwardness and avoidance?
Taking a deep breath, she dove into the water, kicking her feet as she swam several metres underwater, enjoying the freedom and the silence of the world below the waves.
When she surfaced, slicking her hair back from her face, she felt a jolt deep inside—for Leo was standing in the shallows, dressed only in board shorts as he gazed out at her.
‘I wondered when you’d come back up for air,’ he said, his eyes narrowed against the sun’s glare. ‘I didn’t know you were such a good swimmer.’
She stood, for the water was still shallow there, and came up only to her waist. ‘There’s a lot we don’t know about each other.’
Even from this distance she saw the heat flare in his eyes as his gaze roved over her bikini-clad body, rivulets of water coursing down her skin. She felt her own body react—muscles tautening, awareness firing through her, hope flaring. ‘Yes,’ he said slowly. ‘So there is.’
Alyse’s heart started thudding even as she strove to sound natural. This was the first time she’d ever seen desire in Leo’s eyes, such blatant hunger. It thrilled her to the core, but it surprised and even scared her too, for there was something raw and untamed in Leo’s gaze, something she’d never seen from him before. Something she’d craved. When she spoke her voice came out in a husky whisper. ‘Do you want to have a swim?’
‘I think I might.’ He waded into the water, and her breath caught in her chest. He was so beautiful, his body hard, sculpted and perfect. He dove neatly into the sea, and she watched with mounting anticipation as he kicked through the water towards her, cutting through the waves to come to stand right next to her, the water lapping at his hips and running down his chest.
He was close enough to feel the heat coming off his skin, to touch him, and she longed to press her hand or even her mouth against his damp chest, to catch the droplets of water with her tongue and taste the saltiness of his skin...
Her heart felt as if it were pounding in her throat. ‘It’s lovely here, isn’t it?’ she commented, knowing she sounded inane. She didn’t know how to act, what to say. All she could do was feel—this overwhelming desire and, even more frighteningly, hope coursing through her. Hope that, if he felt this for her, there could be more. There would be.
Yet now she couldn’t think about the more, only about the now. About the reality of the desire kindling in his eyes; her breath went shallow as he lifted one hand as if he would touch her. He’d never touched her without an audience.
‘It is lovely,’ Leo agreed in a low voice. He reached out then and touched her cheek and, even though she’d been expecting it, craving it, the caress still caught her by surprise so her breath came out in a ragged shudder.
He stroked her cheek gently with one finger. ‘You’re lovely.’ She stared at him, ensnared by the heat of his gaze, the touch of his hand. She saw something hard in his gaze, something cynical in his smile, and she still couldn’t keep from wanting him. ‘I wonder,’ he mused softly, his finger still stroking her cheek, ‘How do you make something that’s been false, true? What’s fake, real?’
Her heart seemed to burst within her like fireworks had gone off in her soul. The very fact that he was even asking the question gave her a hope that was painful in its intensity. ‘I want to,’ she whispered, her heart beating so hard now that it hurt, the thuds slamming her chest. ‘I want this to be real, Leo.’
His lips twisted again, caught between a grimace and a smile. He bent his head, his lips a whisper away from hers. ‘This is real enough,’ he murmured, and then he kissed her.
It was as different from the chaste kisses he’d pressed upon her for the sake of the cameras and the crowds as could be, as she could possibly want.
His mouth slanted over hers with dark possession and he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips before he went deep into her mouth, and she gasped at the sensations scorching through her. Leo’s touch felt so intensely pleasurable it was painful, as painful as the hope that still burst through her and lit her on fire.
Leo fastened his hands on her hips and fitted her against his arousal as he blazed a trail of kisses from her mouth to her cheek and jaw, and then down her neck to the vee between her breasts, his tongue licking the salt from her skin. Alyse shuddered and tilted her head back, allowing him greater access to her body, to everything in her.
‘Leo...’
He lifted his head, gave her one of his cool smiles. ‘This has all got a bit out of control, hasn’t it? I don’t want to have our wedding night right here in the sea.’ He stepped away and Alyse felt a sudden rush of cold emptiness. ‘In any case, I only came to find you and tell you dinner will be served shortly. The staff of the resort are setting up a table here on the beach.’
Alyse’s mind was spinning, the hope draining out of her, leaving nothing but that aching, pulsing need. Somehow she forced herself to sound as unconcerned, as unaffected as he seemed to be. ‘We could eat in the restaurant.’
‘Ah, but this is more romantic.’
Alyse watched Leo swim back to the beach and with a deep, shuddering breath, willing her wayward body back under control, she dove underwater and started back towards the shore.
* * *
As soon as he reached their hut, Leo grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. He needed a cold one. He hadn’t meant lust to overtake him quite so much when he’d joined Alyse in the water, but the sight of her barely clad body had driven all rational thought from his mind. He’d been waiting a long time for his body’s basic needs to be fulfilled, and the kiss he’d shared with her had been surprisingly sweet.
No, not sweet—hungry, demanding and raw. It had awakened a deeper need in him than he’d ever acknowledged before, and it had taken nearly all of his willpower to step away from her. She was surely a virgin, and he knew she deserved more than a fumbled grope on the sand. He wanted to take his time, bring them both pleasure and not just release. That was one area of their marriage where, he hoped, they could both find some kind of happiness.
Still, he didn’t like how close he’d come to losing control there in the water. He never lost control, never even let it slip—and the last person he wanted to weaken him in that area was his wife.
By the time he’d spent ten minutes in an icy shower he felt his composure return and his libido calm down. He changed into a fresh pair of chinos and a dark green polo shirt, and headed back to their hut.
Alyse had already showered in a separate bathroom and was sitting in a rattan chair, her hair damp and curling about her shoulders. She wore a floaty blue sundress that brought out the blue in her eyes, her legs tanned and endless, her feet bare.
Every time he’d seen Alyse she’d been surrounded by stylists, her clothes carefully chosen, her make-up perfectly done, not a hair out of place. Now he saw her face was make-up-free and the sun had already caused a few freckles to appear on the bridge of her nose. She looked better like this, he decided. More natural. He wondered if she missed all the primping and attention, if she enjoyed the clothes, make-up and jewels.
He didn’t know, and decided not to ask. He didn’t need to know. He didn’t want to care.
Yet even so he couldn’t suppress the flicker of interest—and, yes, desire—this new, natural Alyse stirred within him.
The sun was just starting to set, sending long, golden rays across the placid surface of the sea, and Leo could see the staff already setting up their romantic table for two there on the beach. He busied himself unpacking his things while Alyse read, conscious of her nearness, the warmth and softness of her, and even the subtle floral scent of her shampoo or perfume, something he’d never even noticed before.
Even now he remembered the feel of her lips on his, the lush softness of her mouth, her breasts, the hunger of her response. His libido stirred insistently and he blew out an impatient breath. Control.
‘Dinner’s ready,’ he said more brusquely than he intended, and nodded towards the table now laid for two on the sand.
Alyse looked up from her e-reader and, tossing it aside, rose from her chair. The sundress she wore clung to her figure, highlighting the small yet perfect roundness of her breasts, her tiny waist, her endless legs. Even though she was thinner than she probably should have been—no doubt due to the stress of the run-up to the wedding—she still had a lovely figure, an amazing figure, and Leo’s palms itched to touch her. His body stirred again, insistent, demanding.
Tonight, he decided. They would make their marriage real tonight—real in the only way that mattered, the only way possible.
In bed.
