“And the queen?” the doctor asked.
Alex didn’t hesitate. “The queen will of course want nothing but the best care for Mr. Houston. Now please, see to it.”
Luke just gave her a sleepy grin, as if proud of her imperious tone, and she resisted the urge to clench his hand in hers again.
CHAPTER NINE
A week with a head injury was a long damn week, Luke decided. Even though the doctor had cleared him for work, declaring that he was fine and the injury had been minor, Alex was insistent that he continue to take it easy. The lights in his room were deliberately low, and he wasn’t allowed visitors, his phone, the Internet, television, or scripts to read.
Other than the head injury . . . it was kind of nice. The incessant buzz of Hollywood had dimmed, and in its place was Alex. She was there to have breakfast with him every morning, she took her meals at his side and ate the same bland things he did, and since he couldn’t do much, she kept him company and they talked. He napped a lot, but mostly they talked.
He never got tired of hearing her voice, her husky, sweet laugh. He was falling for the woman, and that could be a problem. She was out of his reach, and even if she wasn’t . . . he had a movie to finish.
A movie that he really needed to check in on.
Luke was in a palatial bed in one of the palace suites normally reserved for visiting royalty. A dozen pillows were propped behind his back, and a fluffy blanket covered his legs. He was in pajamas that Alex’s personal shopper had purchased for him, and his things had been retrieved from the hotel. He was well rested, though itching for a workout, and as comfortable as he could possibly be.
Alex was at his side, curled up in a chair, stifling a yawn, and writing a few notes to give to staff later. She was always awake, he’d noticed, and wondered if she was getting enough sleep.
Luke reached over and nudged her with his hand. “Tired?”
“Mmm? No, I’m fine.” She gave him a bright smile. “I might have another cup of tea, perhaps.”
Yeah, she’d been mainlining tea like he did coffee. “I feel fine. You know that, right?”
“One of the doctors said that you should probably relax for another week—”
“And all the other doctors said I was fine. Really, Alex. Even my stitch is gone. See?” He pointed at the tiny red slash on his brow, where the wound had been.
Her full lips pressed together, unhappy.
“Can I have my phone?”
“Absolutely not.” She gave him a stubborn look.
“I need to talk to Nick.”
“I already talked to Nick. They’re delaying shooting while you get better.”
He sighed, frustrated, and then nudged her again. “You’re bossy.”
“I’m the crown princess.”
Luke settled back in the pillows. “So I don’t get a say in things?”
Her expression softened a little, and Alex looked uncomfortable. “Luke, it’s not that I’m trying to be overbearing. It’s just—”
“I know, Princess. It’s just frustrating. I promise you I’m fine. My head hasn’t hurt since that day and meanwhile you’re running yourself ragged trying to take care of me.”
“I’m not,” she protested, straightening in the chair.
“You are.” He patted the bed next to him. “Why don’t you come and curl up next to me? We can nap together.”
She bit her lip, her gaze on the bed. A hint of a flush touched her cheeks. “If someone sees us—”
“If someone sees us, they will see two exhausted people sleeping next to each other, fully clothed. And they will think nothing of it.”
Alex hesitated a moment longer. He patted the bed again, and she slowly got up, closing her notebook. “I’m not getting under the covers.”
“That’s fine.”
She moved to the side of the bed and sat gingerly. So prim, his princess. Luke shifted over a little and indicated she should move in closer to him. She glanced at the door to his room, then slipped her shoes off and crawled over the bed to him.
And, holy fuck. He was glad the blanket over him was thick so it could hide his erection. Just that small moment of her crawling toward him? That was going to live in his fantasies forever.
This had been the longest he’d dated someone without even getting to second base. All they’d done was kiss. And while kissing Alex was amazing, he was craving more intimacy with her. Maybe now was the time to approach it. He was only human, after all.
She snuggled in next to him, tucking her head against his shoulder, and he felt the curve of her breast against his side. Her arm went to his waist and she gave a small sigh.
“Better?” he asked, voice husky. His cock ached at her nearness.
She nodded and poked his rib with her finger. “You need to sleep, though.”
“Of course.” He closed his eyes and pretended to relax. Truth was, he couldn’t. Not with her warm, sweet body pressing against his, the scent of her shampoo in his nose, the tickle of her hair against his skin. He could tilt his head just a little and then they’d be face-to-face. He could brush his lips against hers and pull her against him and let her know that he was willing to take things to a whole new level if she was.
The soft sound of gentle breathing interrupted his thoughts.
“Alex?” he whispered, glancing down at the woman curled against him. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly slack. She slept on.
Damn. Of course, now that he’d decided to put the moves on her, she would pass out against him. In the next moment, though, he felt guilty. She was exhausted from nursing him and worrying over him. She was entitled to a little sleep. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pulled her close against him. He ignored the way his body reacted and settled in, relaxing.
His dick would just have to wait a little longer. Some things were worth waiting for, and Alex was definitely one of them.
***
Alex woke up from her nap, disoriented. She was warm and felt delicious, a pair of arms holding her close. Her cheek rested on a broad chest.
Luke.
She yawned, trying to peep over his chest at the clock.
“It’s late,” he murmured. His arms tightened around her.
He was awake? Oh, mercy. Alex sat up, gazing down at him. “I . . . Have you been awake long?”
“Awhile.” Luke’s mouth tugged at the corners in a smile. “You were so tired I didn’t have the heart to wake you up.”
“Nonsense. You’re the patient here. You—”
He put a finger to her lips, jolting her into silence. “I may be the patient, but it’s not right for my princess to exhaust herself trying to take care of me.”
Her nipples pricked at his words. His princess? He made her sound like . . . something he wanted to keep. Something cherished and valued and adored. Alex licked her lips and gazed down at him. The look on his face was soft, but there was a sensual hint to his gaze that made her body go alert. As she hesitated, his hand slid up and down her arm, caressing her.
“You all right?”
Was she all right? The man she loved had a head injury and . . . Oh.
She was in love.
Dumbfounded, Alex stared down at him. Had she always been a little in love with Luke? Even when she hadn’t known him, he’d seemed the epitome of her male ideal—handsome, witty, charming, and polite and kind in his off-screen interviews. Getting to know him had only reinforced her high opinions of him, and . . . yeah. She was definitely head-over-heels for the guy.
Before she could think twice about it, she leaned in and kissed him, her lips brushing against his in a gentle caress.
Luke groaned, and his arms went back around her, pulling her down against him. His tongue slicked into her mouth, and then she was lost in the kiss, her mouth hungrily fixing on him. With rough hands, he dragge
d her over him until her hips cradled his, and she felt the firm press of his . . . privates pushing against her. Alex gasped against his mouth, but she didn’t want to stop. All of this was wonderful and exciting and exactly what she wanted. Involuntary, her hips rocked against him, and she was pleased to hear his low groan. She could make him feel good, too.
“You’re so fucking sexy, Princess.” His hand went to her hair, even as his mouth plundered hers with deep, stroking, wet kisses. “And you’re mine, aren’t you, Alex?” His other hand moved up and down her arm, rubbing her, as if wanting to touch her more and not quite sure he had permission.
“All yours,” she breathed against his mouth. “I belong to you, Luke.” It felt thrilling and oddly powerful to say the words.
The breath hissed out of him and his hand slid to her breast, cupped it gently. “Been waiting weeks to touch you. It’s been a damn torture, but every moment with you is worth it, Alex. I’m addicted to your smiles, the smell of your shampoo, the way that you make everyone feel important, that damn dimple of yours . . .” His thumb flicked over her taut nipple, sending shockwaves through her body. “Tell me I’m not the only one who’s going crazy at not being able to get a few moments alone together.”
“You’re not.” Her hips rocked against him again. She wanted to crawl under the blankets with him. She wanted to press her overheated, naked skin against his. She wanted—
Someone knocked at the door.
Alex jerked to her feet, rolling off of Luke and stumbling to the far side of the bed. She scrambled to her chair and picked up her notebook, one hand smoothing at her hair. Oh, dear lord. Did she look like she’d been kissing him? Were her nipples evident through her sweater? She clutched the notebook to her chest to hide them, just in case. “Enter,” she called. To her relief, her voice was steady.
Luke fell back on the pillows, running a hand through his tousled hair. His expression was bland, too. Such good actors, the both of them.
One of the nurses entered the room with a meal tray. “Just coming in to check on you. How’s your head?”
“It’s fine,” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Just fine.” He sounded irritated.
Alex jumped to her feet. “I really should go. I have a few things to get done before the evening runs away.” She gave Luke a polite smile and hoped he could see the frustration in her face as the nurse passed by. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He nodded at her. “See you then, Princess.”
She turned and swiftly stalked away, out of the room and down one of the long, echoing halls of Bellissime Palace. Her mind was whirling full of naughty thoughts, but one thing was becoming crystal clear to her.
She wanted to take things to the next level with Luke. She wanted to be in his bed. It was time to stop being the prudish princess everyone thought she should be and take what she wanted.
***
Late that night, after everyone in the palace had gone to sleep, Alex was awake. She was thinking about Luke.
More specifically, she was thinking about the secret passage that led out of her room. One of the rooms it connected to? Luke’s chamber.
No one but the royal family knew about the passage. And her mother was gone, and Grandmama was too old and set in her ways to go poking around at night.
Alex could see Luke. Sneak into bed with him. They could just cuddle like when they’d napped earlier, because that had been amazing. Or . . . they could do more. She was ready for a lot more. And she suspected Luke wouldn’t need much convincing. But she hesitated, torn between what she wanted and what was proper. Royal princesses didn’t throw themselves at men, even if it was the modern era. Going to him went against every bit of decorum she’d ever been taught. If it got out, there’d be a massive scandal. She’d be destroyed in the papers. Bellissime would be a laughingstock. The scandal would last for years, if not decades.
But . . . no one would find out. Luke’s room was private, it was late, and no one knew about the secret passage.
She fiddled with the ties on her silk robe, uncertain. What if she went to him and he turned her down? Or worse, he didn’t turn her down . . . and then told everyone in Hollywood about the time he slept with a royal princess? If she did this, she had to be sure about him.
And she had no way of being sure. It’d be a leap of faith.
Her hands trembled and she knotted and unknotted the sash of her robe, hesitating. Was she ready to leap? What would happen if she never did?
She might end up a virgin princess all her life, a la Queen Elizabeth of England.
She might end up marrying someone who she didn’t love, like her mother and her grandmother before her, just because it was expected.
Or . . . she could leap.
Alex checked her hair in the mirror one last time, then hit the switch for the secret panel. This was her life, and she was going to claim it and the man she wanted. If she hesitated . . . she’d be stuck in the same loveless rut she was always in, and she was tired of that.
She wanted to take a chance on Luke. Please, please don’t prove me wrong about you.
Alex kept a flashlight by the door to her room and she clicked it on and headed down the narrow secret passage, her mind whirling. Would Luke be asleep? Should she let him sleep since he had a head wound? The doctors said he was fine, but was she pushing him because sex with him was what she wanted? Had she come on too strong earlier? Would he think her vulgar if she approached him now?
Goodness, she needed to get out of her own head. She was going to make herself crazy before she ever got to her destination. She gave herself a little tap on the cheek to clear her mind and swung her flashlight at the hidden doors that led to different rooms, looking for the Imperial Suite, where Luke was ensconced. She hesitated again. Was this a mistake? Once she showed up in his room, asking for sex . . .
Well, there was no going back from that, was there? She had to make absolutely sure that this was what she wanted. Alex shone the flashlight on her feet, wiggling her toes in her slippers. One step forward, or turn away.
She stepped forward.
CHAPTER TEN
Luke wasn’t asleep. Hell, a man who took as many naps as he did in a day due to the fact that he had no phone, no computer, no books, and no TV? He was surprised he got any sleep at night. Instead, he stared up at the ceiling, thinking.
Thinking about his career, the movie, his future . . . and Alex.
The last month had been an eye-opener. He’d always pushed back when his publicist had wanted him to date other high-profile women to increase his visibility. He wasn’t into climbing the social ladder. But now? Now it seemed like everything was a social ladder. He was dating Alex, and he’d been offered more big roles in the last two weeks than he had in the last eight years of acting. It should have been exciting. Instead, he found it annoying. They didn’t want him for his acting ability. They wanted him for his ability to pull tabloid headlines.
He was pretty sure Nick was pissed at him, too. Production had mostly halted while they waited for Luke to get better. Even when he had been on set, he hadn’t been giving it his all. He’d balked and fussed at the graphic sex scene in the movie (thankfully shot without Alex there) until Nick had decided to go a different route entirely, and they’d faded to black on the scene instead. He’d just felt . . . strange about making out with Pam on camera knowing that Alex would see it. Nick had bitched and thrown a fit, but Luke hadn’t caved. And now that Luke was on bed rest? Nick had a standing invite to come and visit at the palace, and hadn’t shown up once.
Pissed was probably too mild a word. On the verge of recasting the role was probably more like it, but Luke was now the hottest thing in Hollywood, he thought cynically. There was no way he’d get a better box office draw than Luke now, so they were stuck together.
Plus, he suspected Nick’s brittle ego had been bruised when it got out tha
t Alex was romantically interested in Luke and not Nick. Sometimes directors were funny that way.
Alex. His thoughts went to her and her regal face, that dimple that flashed when she really smiled. How utterly sexy she’d been in bed with him earlier. He’d wanted to flip her down into the bed and push himself on top of her. They’d gone really slow in their relationship—real fucking slow. He wanted her, and he wanted more of her. After having her in his bed earlier? It felt real damn lonely to be there by himself.
His hand went under the blanket and he stroked his cock, imagining Alex’s soft mouth and the small noises she’d made when he’d kissed her. Fuck, she’d been pretty. It felt wrong to have a jerk-off session in the posh bedroom with her sleeping a few doors down, but if he didn’t get rid of some of the tension in his body, he’d lose his mind. Just thinking about Alex made him want her. Not just her body, but her smiles, her teasing conversations, her simple joy.
He had it bad for the princess, all right. And he didn’t even mind it. Being with her felt good and right, like he’d found his other half.
Luke’s hand stroked up and down his shaft again. Too bad his other half was currently in her virginal bed down the hall. He’d love to sneak in next to her, slide under the covers, and—
The wall moved.
Luke jerked upright in the bed, flicking on the light. This palace was old but surely it wasn’t fucking haunted, was it? His heart hammered as the shadows moved.
And then Alex stepped out.
“Princess? What the fuck—”
She put a finger to her lips and clicked her flashlight off, then turned to the wall and touched the underside of an old painting. The wall slid closed again and she moved forward toward him.
He stared. “Is that a secret passage?”
She nodded, her hair tumbling around her shoulders. She wore a silk night robe and her breasts swayed as she moved toward him on the bed. “Please don’t say a thing about it, Luke. Only the royal family knows. It’s for emergencies only.”
“I won’t say anything.” He sat up straighter in the bed, the covers falling to his waist. Hopefully they’d hide his rather rampant erection that was not being helped by Alex’s presence . . . and in that silky robe. “Why are you here? Is everything all right?”