Читать книгу The Dreaming Of... Collection - Оливия Гейтс - Страница 39

CHAPTER ELEVEN

‘SO, JUST SO we’re clear, you want me to enquire whether she’s a good kisser, or should I go the whole hog and ask her if she’s dynamite in bed, too?’ Jasmine folded her arms and drummed her fingers against her elbows.

She knew her foul mood stemmed from the tossing and turning she’d done last night. And her triple vomiting session this morning. She knew why she’d tossed and turned. Just as she feared her suspicions on why she was throwing up would be confirmed, as soon as she found a way to visit a chemist. She wasn’t afraid to admit she was terrified of what the results of a pregnancy test would show. And not just for herself. She’d already thrown Reyes’s world into chaos once. How would he react if it turned out she was carrying his child?

She’d debated through the night whether to tell him of her suspicions, and had elected to wait. There was no point stirring the hornet’s nest even harder until she had concrete proof.

Feeling weak and more than a little apprehensive of what fate held in store for her, she’d have given her right arm not to perform the task of finding Reyes Navarre a bride.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze coolly assessing. ‘The latter qualities I will discover for myself long before our wedding night. Once you’ve tackled the more important characteristics of loyalty, trust and dependability, of course.’

‘I’d never consider anyone who didn’t possess those qualities. But how on earth am I supposed to know whether she’s a good kisser or not?’

His eyebrow quirked and she had a feeling he was toying with her. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be good at your job?’

‘Brokering deals and calming anxious parties before multinational mergers, yes. Judging whether a woman is a good kisser based on her pedigree, not so much.’

‘So you’re admitting failure before you’ve even started?’ he asked.

She looked away, afraid he’d see the depth of the anguish she couldn’t will away, no matter how much she tried. ‘I’m not afraid to admit I’m not the right person for this job. We slept together, Reyes—’ she saw him tense, but she forced herself to continue ‘—and despite everything that happened afterwards, it wasn’t a casual thing for me. I can’t just brush it off...’ She stopped before she dug herself into a hole she’d never be able to emerge from.

‘Are you saying you can’t stay objective in this task?’

She forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘I’m saying I have feelings. I’ll do it if you want me to but I don’t have to like it.’

A look crossed his face, but his expression shuttered before she could read it. ‘Understood.’

Jasmine forced herself to glance down at the shortlist she’d compiled at four a.m. when she’d finally conceded sleep was a pipe dream. She rattled off the names, watching his face for a reaction. His features remained blank.

‘I’m going to call their representatives. Arrange for us to meet them in Paris next week. Shall I arrange to send your private jet for them or do you want them to fly commercial?’

‘I don’t micromanage. Liaise with my head of security on modes of transport. And we’re not flying to Paris next week. We’re leaving tomorrow, and then on to Santo Sierra at the end of the week.’ He slid his chair closer to his desk and opened a file.

‘What?’ Her heart thumped harder with a mixture of desolation and anxiety. ‘I’m good at my job, but I can’t find you a bride in twenty-four hours, Your Highness.’ Pressure built in her head with the knowledge that she needed to find out once and for all whether she carried his child.

‘Have you seen the news today?’ he enquired.

‘No. Should I have?’

His fists tightened on the desk for a moment before he relaxed. ‘There was a riot in San Domenica last night.’

‘Santo Sierra’s capital?’

He nodded. ‘Several people were hurt, including women and children, in the main square. Thankfully, no one was killed. My people are growing restless. Their anxiety is being fuelled, no doubt by Mendez’s people. I have to return soon or things will get worse.’

The throb of worry in his voice was unmistakeable. For the first time she accepted that his councillors were right. Santo Sierra needed a good news story to bolster the people’s confidence in its monarchy.

Caught in the quandary of having her feelings ravaged in the process of finding Reyes a wife, while suspecting she was carrying his child, and doing what she could to fix the damage she’d caused, Jasmine took a deep breath and gathered her composure.

‘I’ll make sure the candidates are in Paris for when we arrive.’ She picked up her tablet and headed for the door.

‘Jasmine?’

Her heart stuttered at the use of her first name.

‘Yes?’ Her answer emerged shakier than she would’ve wished.

‘Cross Petra Nikolova off your list. We dated briefly once. She’s been known to take certain banned substances on occasion. The last thing I intend to foist on my subjects is a drug-dabbling queen. And you can also delete Sienna Hamilton.’

Every single good intention fled out of her head. Her anxiety ramped up, along with a buzzing in her head and a sick feeling in her stomach she shockingly diagnosed as writhing jealousy. Coupled with the suspected extra hormones raging through her body, Jasmine had to lock her knees and count to ten before she could speak.

‘What’s wrong with Miss Hamilton?’ Her voice trembled in a way she detested.

When his eyes locked on hers, his expression was far from mocking. ‘She’s a serial cheater. She’s discreet about it, but I prefer not to wonder in who else’s bed my wife has been when I return home at night.’

She stared at him, dying to ask why pain clouded his eyes when he talked about adultery. But, unwilling to drive the knife that seemed to be wedged in her chest further, she wiped the question from her mind. Realising she hadn’t taken a breath since Reyes mentioned kissing other women, Jasmine forced herself to breathe.

‘You realise that leaves me with just three candidates?’ she said around the knot in her throat. It was three more than she wanted to deal with, but she couldn’t see any way around this harrowing task.

He cracked a hard, sad smile. ‘Then you need to make doubly sure they are right for the job.’ His tone said she was dismissed.

Which was good because Jasmine couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Except she couldn’t leave just yet.

Reyes raised his head when she retraced her steps to his desk. ‘Can I help you with something else?’

‘I need to go into town this morning.’

He frowned. ‘Why?’

Because I need to know whether my life is about to change for ever.

‘I need stuff.’

He looked down his nose at her. Waited.

A blush warmed her cheeks. ‘Women’s stuff.’

Her tiny hope for him to feel a little bit of her embarrassment died a quick death when he returned his attention to his papers.

‘Reyes? Can I get one of your men to drive me into town?’

‘No,’ he replied.

‘Come on—’

‘I’ll drive you myself. We’ll go after lunch.’

No, no, no!

* * *

Entering the solarium, she sank into the nearest lounger, clenched her fingers around the tablet to stop them shaking.

She tried to reason with herself. The likelihood that a crown prince would be caught shopping for feminine products in a chemist was very minimal.

But then so had the likelihood of her ending up in his bed in Rio. The odds that she could be pregnant with Reyes’s child were one in a million, but she knew to her cost that fate was vested in singling her out for her parlour tricks.

She could be worrying over nothing. The tenderness in her breasts could be the result of her imagination. Or the residual effect of Reyes caressing them last night...

She forced herself to look at the list of candidates she needed to contact...and flung the tablet away. Covering her face with her hands, she caught a low moan before it escaped.

What was wrong with her? One night of sex and one heavy-kissing session with Reyes Navarre and she couldn’t handle the idea of him with another woman? No, she couldn’t deny that her feelings were more to do with the fact that she might be carrying his baby. And the growing sense that she couldn’t stand the thought of him being married to someone else whether his child was growing inside her or not.

Would Reyes go ahead with marrying someone else if she was carrying his child, or would he consider another option? Like her...

Hope rose up inside her. She pushed it away.

She was going crazy...

He would never consider her in a million years. Her heart lurched. Shaking her head, she focused on the names.

One young duchess. One daughter of a media mogul. One self-made millionaire with an extensive philanthropic background.

On paper any one of the remaining three could be crown princess material and would no doubt do whatever it took to secure the attention, if not the heart, of a man like Reyes Navarre.

So get a move on...

The quicker she got this over with, the quicker she could return to her life. Forget all about Reyes and the feel of his mouth on hers, his strong arms around her.

By the time Reyes strode into the solarium, Jasmine had secured the enthusiastic agreement of all three and had arranged for their travel to Paris.

‘Something’s come up. I can’t take you into town. Make a list of what you need. I’ll have Carmelita get them for you.’

Her stomach lurched in a queasy roll. Having Reyes find out what she suspected before she knew for sure was out of the question. ‘Umm...I’d rather get them myself. If you’re busy, it can wait till we get to Paris.’

He frowned, but nodded and walked away.

Jasmine wasn’t proud of taking the coward’s way out, buying herself some more time before she had to face whatever fate had in store for her. So when the tears stung her eyes, she raced up the stairs to her room and let them fall.

* * *

‘You’ll be dining with the duchess at the Paris Ultime this evening at eight. I’ve reserved a private dining room for you and once you review the menu I can provide it to the private chef who’ll be catering for you. The duchess is allergic to shellfish. Oh, and she doesn’t eat carbs after six, so she requests that a bread basket not be served. She can’t resist the temptation, apparently.’ Jasmine made her voice crisp, businesslike, so the pain of the vice tightening around her heart wouldn’t bleed through her voice.

Reyes raised an eyebrow at her as their limo left the private airport and drove towards the French capital.

‘You think it’s a good sign that the woman who’s to bring hope to my people can’t resist a simple bread basket?’

Jasmine shrugged. ‘We all have our faults. If hers is a simple carbs issue, then you’re all set.’ She tried to keep her voice light, but the stone wedged in her belly made even thought difficult.

The last thing she wanted to discuss was the eating habits of Reyes’s future queen.

‘Do you resist bread baskets after six, Jasmine?’

God, why couldn’t she stop her heart from flipping over each time he said her name like that? ‘Nope. Bread is a vice I happily embrace.’

The moment the words were out of her mouth, she regretted it. A chill permeated the atmosphere. Reyes stared at her, tight jawed. Jasmine wondered whether to apologise, but then dismissed it. She’d apologised enough. She was here, making amends. Even if it involved doing a job every fibre of her being rejected.

After several minutes, she cleared her throat. ‘Liliana Simpson will have lunch with you tomorrow, and I’ve scheduled Berenice Holden for an early dinner. Once you make your decision, I’ll liaise with your royal press secretary about making an announcement. I’ve also arranged for a few photographers to take some pictures...’ She stopped when his jaw clenched harder. ‘What?’

‘One camera, one photograph, one photographer.’ His tone was acid.

‘But I thought you wanted the world to see that you’re alive and dating? You can’t hide away for ever. You need to get in front of the people. Show them that you care about them. That you’re excited to lead them. And that you’re also not a eunuch.’

‘Excuse me?’

She attempted a shrug that fell short of the mark. ‘One photograph isn’t going to do the job.’

‘You forget there was a riot in my kingdom less than twenty-four hours ago. I can’t be seen living it up in Paris, proving my manhood, while my people are suffering. The article will stress heavily that I’m on my way home, possibly with a potential bride in tow. The intention is to take their minds off their anxiety without making it seem like I’ve forgotten about them, is it not?’

‘Yes, of course. I’ll take care of it.’

As she made unnecessary notes in her tablet her mind raced. She could feel the waves of tension coming off his body, and knew Reyes would rather be in Santo Sierra, seeing to his people, than here in Paris vetting potential brides.

While the thought perplexingly lifted her heart, she couldn’t help but be concerned for him.

‘Have you thought about what you’ll do about Mendez?’ she asked.

His mouth compressed. Wedging his elbow on the armrest, he glanced at her. ‘Once the wedding is done and I’ve elected a new council, I’ll make him a take-it-or-leave-it offer. The time for pandering to his whim is over.’

She nodded. When he turned to look out of the window, she stared at his profile. The question she’d been avoiding hovered on the tip of her tongue.

‘Can I ask you a question?’ she blurted.

Grey eyes narrowed on her. ‘Go ahead.’

‘Why are there no pictures of you taken since your mother died?’

A chilled look entered his eyes. ‘Because I don’t court publicity. Not like...’ He stopped and exhaled harshly.

Her heart clenched at the bleakness in his eyes. ‘Like your mother? I know she liked to...that she was a media darling.’

‘Less of a darling, more of a whore,’ he countered mercilessly.

Jasmine flinched. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Why? We finally have something in common. Mothers who would’ve been better off remaining childless.’

‘I wouldn’t go as far as that. After all, if that had happened, neither you or I would be here.’

His gaze raked her face, as if he were trying to burrow under her skin, see inside her soul again. ‘And our night in Rio would never have happened,’ he murmured.

Her breath stalled. ‘No...I guess not.’

‘Do you regret that, Jasmine?’ he rasped.

‘I like it when you call me Jasmine. Miss Nichols makes me sound like a kindergarten teacher.’

A low, deep laugh broke from his lips, but he continued to stare at her. Then he lifted his hand and traced a finger down her cheek. ‘You haven’t answered my question, Jasmine.’

‘Do I regret Rio?’ The truth wasn’t difficult to admit. But she feared the can of worms she would be opening by admitting it, even to herself. She licked her dry bottom lip. ‘The first part, not at all. It was the most memorable night of my life.’

His eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. ‘And the second part?’ he demanded.

‘The second part...very, very much. I would do anything to take it back.’

He said nothing, but he nodded after several seconds. And she dared to hope that he believed her.