He groaned.
Siobhan picked her head up. “Is everything…alright?”
As their gazes met, a becoming pink blush colored her cheeks.
So, she’s not wholly immune to me. He grinned at her, emboldened by the delicate coloring on her cheeks. “Yes, fine. I’m just…hungry.”
She didn’t miss the sexual innuendo and it made her nipples tingle at the thought of his mouth sucking on them. Her lips parted.
His smile grew and he asked her in a husky voice, “Aren’t you?”
Yes! “Not really,” she said dismissively, hoping he was fooled by her shrug, and looked down at the book again, not seeing a single line but remembering the taste of him in her mouth. She wanted him to come over and take her right then and there.
Oh, but she’s such a threat to my equilibrium. One minute he wanted to kiss her in rough mind-altering passion just for looking at him, the next he wanted to strangle every last breath from her beautifully formed body for not agreeing to marry him.
He wanted to tie her up and drown her in the lake.
Or rather, tie her to the posts on my bed and drown myself in her.
Shaking his head, he sat behind the desk and turned on his computer, shifting his focus from the stunning woman lounging nearby to the emails in his inbox.
He let out a small sigh when his eyes returned to her slender form, looking as if it belonged to his office, to him already.
It’s not going to be easy.
16
3:45 p.m
“Jumani, could you please come here?” Angus called through the intercom, frowning as he sorted through the sheaf of papers on his desk.
A moment later, his butler appeared at the threshold of his office’s doors. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Come in.” He straightened the papers into a neat stack, put them in a manila envelope, and handed it to Jumani. “I need these sent to Ewan immediately.”
“I’ll take care of it right away, Sir. Also, His Grace, the Grand-Duke, wants to have a word with you.”
Angus rolled his eyes impatiently. “Tell him I will call him—”
“I don’t give a tinker’s damn about you calling me,” came a gravelly voice from the doorway.
The speaker was Ludwig Von Kroenenberg, a fit, sturdy man with a lionesque head and shock of blond hair and startling blue eyes. Ludwig was Angus’s age.
They’d attended boarding school together, played pranks, discovered girls, and grew up side by side, before going to university together. They’d gone their separate ways briefly when Angus had come back to assume his post as a king, but a scant year after, Angus had made the irrecusable proposal of having Ludwig as his partner in Lekten Royal Bank.
Angus rose and walked to the door to greet his friend. “How did you find me here?”
Ludwig chortled, returning the warm hug. “It’s not as if you don’t come here when you want to hide, my friend. You are a man of habits.”
“I like my routine.” Angus smiled and motioned to Siobhan, who was discreetly watching them from under her eyelashes. “Come, I want to introduce you to someone.”
As they approached, Siobhan lowered her book and looked up with a smile. “What a lovely creature you dragged in, Angus. Is it royal?”
The line surprised Angus and had Ludwig chuckling.
“Ludwig, this is my fiancée, Siobhan.” Angus mastered his composure and motioned with his hand between the two of them. “Siobhan meet the Grand-Duke of Lektenstaten, Ludwig Von Kroenenberg. And yes, he is a member of royalty, though some would say he is a second-class royalty.”
That drew another chuckled from Ludwig, and a lovely giggle from Siobhan.
Angus smiled at her. “He’s my first cousin through my maternal grandmother’s side. We’re childhood friends and partners in Royal Lekten Bank.”
“Hmm. Well, I won’t hold it against him.” She stood up, now with a genuine smile on her face, and held out her hand to Ludwig. “Pleased to meet you, Your Grace. Or would it be Your Highness?”
“Please, just call me Ludwig,” he took her hand and kissed it. “And the pleasure is all mine.”
“Okay, that’s enough pleasure for everyone.” Angus didn’t like the way Ludwig and Siobhan immediately connected. “Siobhan, I’ll let you get back to your book. We’ll have dinner with Ludwig soon so you can get better acquainted. He’s only here for a few minutes.”
Siobhan executed a partial curtsy and sat back down. The men crossed to the far side of the room, where Angus insisted that Ludwig join him for a drink. He served both of them brandy and motioned to the set of sofas on the outside of the room.
Ludwig settled into the armchair and raised his crystal snifter to Angus. “So, you’re engaged.”
Angus raised his own glass, returning the salute. “Yes.”
“I never thought Snow White was your type,” Ludwig said, amused, and took a long sip from his brandy.
Without taking his eyes off of a lounging Siobhan, Angus said, “She isn’t.”
“Nor slim, small women.”
“Yep. Tall, thin, and blonde for me,” Angus said absently.
“Rhetoric aside, Angus, if it is another wife that you want, there were plenty of others to choose from. Catherine Marine was an excellent example, although compared to your feisty fiancée…”
“She is something of a surprise, isn’t she?” Angus smiled. “Beautiful, delicate, informal. Refreshing.” She was simple and uncomplicated and he knew, instinctively, that she would not put him in pressurized situations of demanding impossible things—unless it was his love—or something for the sake of their child.
“And you are infatuated,” Ludwig chortled.
Angus laughed. “It’s just bloody lust.”
“If you say so…” Ludwig chuckled and leaned back into the armchair, getting comfortable. “Let me tell you all about the merger, so you can go satisfy your…bloody lust.”
Despite trying with all his might, Angus’s attention was not on any of the business complications Ludwig was explaining but on the woman curled up on the sofa, reading a romance with a small smile on her pink lips.
“Angus, what is it?” Ludwig asked perceptively.
He and Angus had shared confidences since their friendship began in boyhood. They were as close as brothers—indeed, closer than many. Each trusted the other with his dreams and desires, hopes and fears.
Angus took a deep breath. Suddenly, everything rushed out of him in a frustrated confession. “She’s, argh, she’s so aggravating at times and so damned ravishing at others. I can hardly keep my head straight. I’m trying, but I don’t understand what she wants. One minute she looks at me like I should kiss her, the next, like I’m insane for trying. Hot, cold, hot, cold, she makes my head spin in circles until I can hardly see straight.”
Ludwig chuckled knowingly.
Angus frowned and continued, “I’m a smart man, Ludwig, a ruler of a country, a cunning businessman. I’ve outsmarted and out-guessed some of the worthiest of adversaries. I’ve won the Romanis over to our side, against the worst odds, I must say, but I can’t seem to conquer her. I can’t figure her out.”
“Maybe the problem is that a woman doesn’t need to be conquered, Your Majesty,” Ludwig said thoughtfully.
Angus’s brow furrowed in thought. He’d had women as lovely as she, so why did he feel an inexplicable sense of urgency to send Ludwig away and join her—to have her again in his bed? Angus knew he would have her again—soon. So why do I want her at this moment?
Ludwig sipped his brandy. “Maybe she needs to be won.”
“Maybe,” Angus mused. He knew why he was attracted to her but he didn’t understand the degree of his attraction. “But I don’t have time to woo her, I must marry her and soon. She’s pregnant with my heir.”
Ludwig choked and banged a fist on his chest, coughing, drawing Siobhan’s attention to them.
Angus gave a her a smile as he thumped Ludwig’s back.
“T
hanks, I’m fine,” Ludwig said, with a last cough. He cleared his throat and stared at his friend. “So, old man, how many times do you suppose we have sat in this very spot and contemplated the nature of the world?”
“Hundreds, maybe more.”
“And how many times have we vowed never to allow any woman to trap us into the unrelenting bonds of matrimony?”
“I can’t recall one.”
Ludwig rolled his gaze toward the ceiling. “Very well. How many times have I vowed never to be trapped into wedded bliss?”
“You? Once again, hundreds at least. But it’s not precisely a trap if one is heading into it willingly,” Angus said mildly.
“Call it what you will, a trap is still a trap. And pregnancy?” He rested his elbows on his knees, leaned forward and whispered, “Are you sure it’s yours?”
He was not mad at his friend for voicing the question. Ludwig knew about his disappointment with himself for not getting Innes pregnant and Angus couldn’t stop the grin which opened in his face. “Yes. It’s mine.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“I saw the proof.” Angus looked over at her, hesitating for a second, before confiding in his friend, “I was her first.”
“Well…” Ludwig was stunned for a moment, then he clapped his friend’s back, saying, “Congratulations!”
Which made Siobhan look at them. She caught Angus’s eyes and gave him a smile.
“I should be going,” said Ludwig, as he noticed Angus and Siobhan exchanging glances. He stood up and hugged Angus. “Don’t forget, my friend, women want to be won.”
“I won’t,” Angus nodded. He would court her the good old-fashioned way. Marriage as a business proposition would not be her style, and he wouldn’t blame her. But it certainly would work for him. Love was a complication, and after years of no complications in his dealings with women he was ready to concede what he needed might be a challenge.
Ludwig clarified, “Won, not conquered.”
“I hear you.”
Ludwig walked over to Siobhan on his way out. He took her hand, his eyes gleaming with amusement, and whispered, “Make Angus beg for it. The hardest battles have the sweetest victories.”
Then he was off.
Siobhan did not know what he was referring to. And though he smiled as he spoke, and apparently had good intentions as far as Angus was concerned, she was haunted by the mystery long after he had gone.
Make Angus beg for…what? Me? Yes, please. She wanted to be a prize worth winning.
But…no. She shook her head at herself. Make up your mind already! You want him, you don’t, you want him again.
In an effort to distract herself, she folded her bookmark in half, neatly lining up all the corners, and kept folding it until it was nothing but a thin strip the size of her finger. But it didn’t help much, because her mind insisted on bringing Angus to the fore, forcing her to muse about her situation.
She didn’t know what to do.
And hours later, after tossing and turning in bed, she still didn’t know.
17
Thursday, March 10, 2016
9:30 a.m.
Angus closed the newspaper he had been poring over and squeezed his eyes shut. Almost eight days.
A full week had passed—seven days lush with fragile light and delicate dawns, purple nights, and the arrival of spring.
And in those passing days, those jewels of Lennox were a thousand sights he wanted to share with her.
He couldn’t go on like this—they couldn’t go on like this.
With a sigh, he leaned back and looked up at the blue sky, thinking about their discussion about marriage once more.
She wanted his love. She wanted his heart.
Giving her his name, his money, his houses, wasn’t enough for Siobhan and Angus doubted it ever would be.
He did not believe Siobhan was out to take his money. He was giving it to her freely and she was giving him hell for it.
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d felt even a faint glimmer of this type of protectiveness about a woman. And while he could chalk it up to the fact that Siobhan was pregnant with his heir, he knew it was not that. No, this was much more than just her being pregnant.
Despite all of his attempts to keep her out of his emotions, to keep her at arm’s length and not let her in, she was working her way to his fractured heart.
He couldn’t allow that to happen. What if she leaves? What if she dies?
So, it was best for him to maintain some distance, pretend to be aloof about his feelings for her. He could fight his emotions, even if he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
He’d been trying to win her as Ludwig had suggested, to no avail. He had brought her clothes and her old and ugly glasses from London but she was still giving him only cool civility, and a man couldn’t do a bloody thing with that kind of response.
He’d largely ignored work even though he sat in on conference calls with some of the most powerful men in the country, listening to their droning voices but not really comprehending what was going on. Not when she occupied his thoughts, his mind, his...everything.
Like the sharp businessman he’d always been, he had attended meetings with Ludwig and their vice-presidents, but his eyes were never far from the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes until he could be free to leave his office to find and face off with the woman that had done nothing but infuriate him time and time again.
These kinds of meetings had commanded his attention before he had met Siobhan, giving him the satisfaction of yet another win in his column in terms of business. The expanding of his Royal Asset Management was coming along at a rapid pace. Their newest venture for the newly formed merger between Lekten Royal Bank and a small German bank was almost finished which would have kept his mind busy enough without Siobhan in it. And as for the deals regarding Prime Minister, he had no qualms they would be settled by the end of the month. Things were on the upswing. He should be on top of the world.
But he wasn’t. In his personal life, he was struggling to keep his head above water. Angus rubbed a hand over his face, his body both physically and mentally exhausted. He had tried hard to erase all haunting memories of the vision of Siobhan’s face when she discovered he had kidnapped her.
Damn it! He pounded his fist upon his desk, sending papers fluttering and pens scurrying.
He would give her anything she wanted. Anything but leaving me. Never that.
And lord knows he wanted her in his bed. I should have ravished her yesterday. Or this morning.
In spite of her protests, he didn’t doubt she would have submitted. Didn't doubt she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Victory was there for the taking.
Bargain or no bargain, she would have been forced to concede to her desire for him—exactly as he wished.
Why isn’t that enough?
She was in his thoughts day and night. In every waking moment and in every dream.
He wouldn’t lose, of course. Wouldn’t permit himself to fail. His existence had all the makings of a gilded, living hell and he could find no exit. As swiftly as it had assailed him, his rage evaporated. How did I make such a mess of it?
As if his thoughts conjured her, Siobhan came out on the veranda where they customarily took their breakfasts, holding another damn romance in her hand. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” Angus stood and walked to the where her place was set, pulling the chair for her to sit. “Please, sit. Do you want me to request something special for you?”
She eyed the food laden on the breakfast table, swallowing hard. “I think I need a moment.”
Angus shook his head and said, “You need to eat, Siobhan.”
She let out a laugh. “I was wondering how long this nicety was going to last before you started bossing me around again.”
“I’m not bossing you around.”
She shook her head slowly. “Do you really believe the words that come ou
t of your mouth? How can you not see what you have done?”
This limbo between us has to end. “Have I done something to offend you?”
“Besides drug me, kidnap me, and keep me prisoner? Besides being patronizing and censuring most of the time?”
He realized he would have to be more specific. “Have I done something to offend you lately?”
Lately? Siobhan looked at Angus, feeling that same sadness and rage build up inside of her. Lately he had done all the things she had just mentioned, now including ruining this morning before it ever got started! Why does his mind fail to register every single thing he has done to me?
She briefly considered pushing him into the nearby pool to get him to understand what she was feeling, then decided against it. He wouldn’t drown but would surely be spitting mad. She had enough to worry about without listening to him rant and rave.
Then with a sigh, she served herself a bowl of fruit salad and a cup of steamy tea, and sat, opening her book.
Angus had never wanted to kiss a woman more. He wanted to kiss her so badly, he could taste it. He’d devour the pink sweetness in those lips, stroke all the tart words from the tip of her tongue. Teach her a lesson or two. Leave her breathless. Rattle her to her bones.
Angus waited, counting the ticks of the clock. After she had dutifully eaten all her fruit salad and drank her tea—and after the tenth quick turn of her book page, it became apparent that she intended to neither eat—nor say—anything more.
Angus continued his study of her, taking a periodic drink of his now lukewarm coffee.
She’d been trying to feign disinterest in him as she ate and read, but her eyes hungrily sought to study him.
Siobhan abruptly set her book down and dropped her elbows on the table, something that would have earned his mother’s highest rebuke. “May I ask you a question?”
He inclined his head.
“Why do you drink it?”
His brow creased.
She pointed to his cup. “You’ve grimaced after every sip. Why drink it, if you despise it?”