Tempting the Crown Read online

  He followed my gaze to a ship leaving the marina. “No. My father’s death wasn’t planned.”

  Shit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound ignorant of your family’s history. I’m very sorry.”

  His eyes floated in my direction. “How long have you been in Galona?” He quickly changed the subject.

  “Ten months,” I answered.

  “Have you spent all your time in the city, or have you ventured out of Freychon?”

  “Not much,” I admitted. “I’ve gone to the beach with my friend a few times. I did a vineyard tour.”

  “Not much, is correct.” He frowned.

  “Well, I don’t have a lot of free time.” It might sound better if I explained I wasn’t uninterested in his country. I was up to my eyeballs in my dissertation research. “I will explore the country. I just need a little time.”

  His eyes narrowed. “And what is it that takes up so much of your time?” His voice was cold, icy.

  “My dissertation.”

  He arched his eyebrows. “You’re at the Conservatory?” It seemed to change his tone.

  I nodded. “I’m here on a scholarship. Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be done, and then other times I don’t want it to be over. But for now, it’s time consuming. I keep telling myself I’ll travel when the writing is complete. At least it brought me here.” I smiled. I rattled on longer than I intended.

  He leaned against the table, his heavy arms shifting the weight of the surface. “The burning question is what do you study, Miss Washington? Should I guess?” His smile was devilish. In the sunlight, I could see flecks of amber in his dark eyes. They were subtle, but they were there. “You seem to be an avid learner.”

  Holy shit. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. What happened between us last night and this morning was not me. It was alternate me. The me who wanted to try something wild and naughty. The me who needed a break from the notecards.

  “I-I. Literature,” I sputtered. Contrary to what he thought, I wasn’t schooled in stripper or hooker activity. Last night was a first.

  “Maybe you’d be interested in the royal library.”

  “The royal library?” I knew there was a special collection in the city that hadn’t been archived for public use. I had no idea it was housed here. Like The Titan, I thought it was an urban legend. Just a much nerdier one.

  “Collected for centuries. It’s downstairs.”

  “It’s here? In the palace?”

  He nodded lazily. “Would you like to see it?”

  “I would love to see it.” The smile quickly dropped from my face.

  I wasn’t supposed to stay. I had been given explicit instructions to get the hell out of the fantasy as soon as the sun came up. The contract was clear. No loitering. No stalling. No segue way to the next part of the day. The Titan created a one-night binding contract.

  “Something wrong?” He poured a second cup of coffee for me. The china mugs were small.

  I looked down at his T-shirt, covering my breasts. The shorts tied around my waist. “I need to leave. I can’t overstay my welcome.” I started to rise from the table. My clothes had to be around here somewhere.

  “Sit,” he commanded.

  My skin bristled. “But I know I should leave.” The truth was I didn’t want to wait around to be kicked out. I could leave with some shred of dignity if I collected my things and left of my own accord.

  “Do you see anyone from The Titan here?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  He pulled his expensive watch into the sunlight. He tapped it. “The fucking contract has expired, Molly.”

  “What does that mean?” I could feel something in the air changing. “What are you saying?”

  “It means, you’re staying.”

  I blinked. “But I have…I can’t. Can I?” My head was spinning. This wasn’t part of the plan. It was strictly forbidden.

  “You can and you will.” He seemed confident whatever he said was law. Maybe it was.

  He rose from the table. “I’ll have some clothes delivered.”

  “And the library?” I blurted.

  He laughed. “Yes and then I’ll take you to the library.”

  He walked inside, leaving me on the balcony to bask in what was an unbelievable situation. Was this happening? The china cup rattled as I lifted it from the saucer. I looked out at the city below. This was a royal view. The king’s view. And in this moment—it was mine.

  11

  Damon

  I shouldn’t have said it. The moment Molly offered to leave, I should have let her walk out the door. It would be easy to send her home. Watch that cute ass take a step on the other side of my residence and never let it cross the threshold again. But I couldn’t fucking do it. I always got what I wanted and I wanted her. Every part of her.

  Membership in the society couldn’t dictate what I did as king. Lesage could fuck off if he thought I cared about his code of honor.

  This was my country.

  My laws.

  My way.

  I waited in my office while she changed. I needed to review the itinerary for the day. It was delivered promptly at 8 a.m. each morning in a black leather case. It was called the lodestar. It always had been. It sat on my desk.

  I pressed my thumb to the latch. Once my thumbprint was recognized the device unlocked, revealing the official royal schedule. There was a complete listing of every event my brothers and sister would attend today, as well as the talking points I needed to address for my lunch with the prime minister of the Bostique islands.

  My sister Isabel was on the other side of the country representing my interests in the irrigation of the country’s olive groves. Although we couldn’t match Spain, our farmers were out producing our neighbors per square acre. It was something I thought worth investing in. Irrigation would double their production.

  I ran down the list. Liam had a dinner with the Chinese ambassador. Trade was the number one topic. Klein was on the west coast for the opening of a data research center. Galona tax payers had funded the project.

  I held my breath when I saw Dominic’s assignment. Sending him to represent the crown was always a risk. He had a late morning engagement at the hospital in the city. I groaned. As long as Kenley stayed close by, we should be able to avoid a scandal this morning.

  I glanced at my aunts’ and uncles’ locations for the day. My cousins were also scattered. Nothing related to official crown business on the list. I folded the page and began to read the diplomatic situation with Morovina. I exhaled. I hated tiptoeing around the fucking obvious.

  “Hi.” Molly tapped on the door.

  I looked up from my notes, closing the royal briefing with a click.

  I stood from my desk. She was wearing the clothes I requested. A slim black skirt that showed off miles of legs and a sleeveless silk shirt. She looked edible. And I knew exactly how sweet she tasted. My cock twitched. Fuck, she had thrown me off my game.

  “Are you busy? Should I come back?” she offered.

  “No. I was going over today’s agenda. I can look at it later.” I walked to the front of the desk, taking her palm and dragging her toward me.

  My hand slid along her jaw, twisting her hair through my fingers. Her lips parted and I couldn’t resist. My kiss wasn’t gentle or romantic. My tongue plunged into her mouth, coaxing a moan from her throat.

  I gripped her ass with my other hand.

  “Ready to see the royal library, Molly Washington?” I teased.

  She dragged her lips over mine. “Mmmhmm.”

  “Let’s go.”

  I straightened my jacket, positioning my cufflinks so that the family crest was upright. I pressed the button on the elevator.

  Molly seemed to have more time to take in her surroundings. “Are there other people here?” she asked.

  I cocked my head toward her. “You’ll have to elaborate. My staff is nearly 200.”

  “Oh.” She fidgeted nervously. “Visitors? Touris
ts perhaps?”

  I nodded. “Not in this part of the palace. There is a limited route. I try never to intercept them. It causes a security nightmare in the palace if the tourists see me.”

  “This place is enormous. What do you do with all the rooms?”

  The doors retracted and we stepped into the foyer. Last night’s security had been replaced with two fresh faces. They stared straight ahead as I guided Molly along the corridor.

  “You’ve seen the king’s residence.” I winked. “I do share my roof with three princes and a princess. It can get crowded.”

  “Your brothers and sister?”

  “Yes. We all have apartments. The first two floors are reserved for official state business. Meetings, balls, state dinners, field trips for children. The living quarters for some of the staff and the kitchens. Then there are the art galleries, the gardens, and the recreational areas.”

  “Holy shit, this is insane. It’s a city inside a city.”

  I laughed at her language. Rules changed outside my residence. Decorum mattered.

  “You’ll watch that dirty mouth.” I eyed her. “Save that for my bed, Sapphire.”

  Her mouth opened in shock. Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry.” She sucked in her bottom lip. “And you can’t call me that,” she scolded playfully. I liked how easily she fell into banter.

  “Don’t apologize. Just watch what you say. You’re in a royal household. I’ll call you what I want.”

  I saw her back stiffen. Her heels clacked against the marble floor. It took everything in me not to smack her ass firmly and press her up against the wall next to the coat of arms. The knight could watch me fuck her. Watch her come hard as I defiled the family heirlooms.

  “Here.” I pressed the small of her back. “The library.”

  Her gasp was worth everything. She stood at the entrance. I’d never thought about what this room would look like through the veil of someone else’s eyes. But Molly gave me that glimpse. Her awe was palpable.

  She walked toward the shelves, careful not to touch any of the volumes. Her fingers hovered just short of the spines.

  “These are amazing. I can’t believe this collection. There are books in here that must be over a hundred years old. I-I’m speechless.”

  I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “You can touch the books, Molly.”

  She shook her head. “No. I couldn’t. They’re too precious. The history of these texts is priceless.”

  I walked toward her. I wrapped my arms around her back, sliding my fingers through hers. She sighed into my chest. “Like this.” I reached our hands forward, gliding over a crumbling hardback.

  She gasped slightly when she saw the cover, then giggled. “You would pick Cantar de mio Cid. Such a classic rebel.”

  “Not breaking any literary laws I take it?”

  “Not with this one. I can’t believe this is real.” She leaned into me as she scanned the shelves upward toward the ceiling. It formed a stained-glass dome.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I looked up in this room. I couldn’t remember when I gave a shit about ancient texts or what was in here. How many copies of Shakespeare were there? Did we have Keats and Kipling? How extensive were our American authors?

  I straightened her shoulders so that she was standing upright.

  “I have lunch with the prime minister.” I don’t know why I felt like I needed to explain my absence. I didn’t share my schedule with anyone. I never had.

  “Oh.”

  “But stay.” I turned for the door. “And touch the books, Molly.”

  She grinned slyly. It was the first glimpse of the girl in my bed this morning. “Maybe. If you think it would be ok.”

  “I expect it.”

  I closed the door behind me.

  12

  Molly

  I got lost in the books. Hours passed. It could have been days. I didn’t stop to find anything to eat or drink. I was mesmerized by Damon’s family collection. I had questions. Who put it together? Were there records on where each book was acquired? How did they catalog it? Was there a palace librarian?

  I thumbed through a tattered copy of Le Petit Prince. I guessed it was worth more than my apartment. My neck and shoulders were sore. I had my own research to complete. And I hadn’t checked in on Brooklyn.

  There was no way to know when Damon would finish with the prime minister. I had no idea which prime minister was here. It was surreal to think I was in the same building as world leaders. I returned the book to the shelf and ventured out of the library. The halls were quiet. I remembered which direction we had walked this morning.

  The elevator was at the end of this corridor.

  I arrived, smiling at the guards.

  “Hi.”

  The one on the right broke his staring contest with the wall and cut a glance at me.

  “I’d like to go upstairs.” I knew my voice wasn’t confident. I didn’t know the protocol or what to say. If he would scoot, I could hop on the elevator.

  “His Royal Highness has not given instructions, mademoiselle.”

  “Well, I—I’m visiting.” I tried to think of how to put our arrangement in suitable terms. I had already been warned once about my word choice. “His Royal Highness asked me to stay.” It sounded funny referring to him that way. I knew he was the king, but I don’t think the weight of his position had hit me yet. After last night I felt things were as personal as they could be between us.

  The men didn’t budge. “There are no instructions,” he repeated.

  I crossed my arms. What in the hell was I going to do? I couldn’t wander aimlessly around the palace. They weren’t going to let me upstairs. I was starving. And I needed to get home to check on my best friend.

  I was going to make one more attempt to plead for their compassion when an older gentleman appeared from a side room. He was thin with a silvery mustache.

  “What is this? Are you lost, madam?”

  “Oh no.” I shook my head. “I’m visiting the king and wanted to return to the royal residence,” I explained.

  “Master Sutcliffe, we don’t have her on the royal roster and there are no instructions from the king,” the guard informed him.

  “I see.” He glanced at me. I could tell from the way he looked at me, he wasn’t going to take pity on me. “You’re sure you didn’t get separated from a tour group?”

  “I’m not on a tour of the palace. I’ve been with Damon.”

  His eyes widened at the use of the king’s first name.

  “I was in the royal library, studying texts. And now I’d like to go upstairs.”

  He folded his hands behind his back. “I’m afraid that is impossible. Do you have some form of identification?”

  I had nothing on me. It was against all the rules of The Titan.

  “No.”

  “Then, I’m going to ask you to leave.” He turned to the security officer. “If this becomes a problem, please call me.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He stormed off down the corridor toward the library.

  I sighed. “Is Georgan here?” I asked. “The driver?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would he be able to take me home?”

  The officers looked at each other.

  “He brought me here last night. I’m not a tourist.” I was getting irritated with the royal treatment.

  They finally seemed to be convinced by some part of my story. “Outside, mademoiselle. His car is parked in the tunnel.”

  “All right. If you see D—” I corrected myself. “His Royal Highness, will you please tell him for me that I went home?”

  “Certainly.”

  “Thank you.” I felt this innate need to curtsy, but stopped before I reached the hem of my skirt. I turned for the door and walked outside. I recognized the car from last night. Georgan polished the eagle on the hood.

  “Bonjour.” I smiled. Maybe talking to the driver wouldn’t be as awkward. “Hola.” I didn’t
know what to say.

  He looked up from the hood ornament.

  “Oui?”

  It was hard constantly bouncing between French and Spanish. “I was wondering if you would be able to drive me home?”

  “Of course.” He rounded the engine and met me at the rear door.

  I looked at the palace over my shoulder. Something told me I should stay. Camp out next to the king’s security, no matter how they glared at me. But the fantasy had to end at some point. It couldn’t last forever. I knew how this worked.

  “Merci.” I nodded as Georgan closed the door behind me.

  It was strange to be in the same car from last night. It didn’t feel the same without Damon. He had consumed the air around us. Now, it just felt like an empty back seat.

  Georgan called through the speaker, “Do you have the address, mademoiselle?”

  “Oh yes. It’s 1408 Rue de Santa Lucia.”

  I settled into the seat as he pulled from the curb and drove us through the tunnel. We exited on the other side of the entrance. The palace grounds were immaculate. The flowers whizzed past me. We turned outside the gate and I wondered if I would ever be back here.

  Would I see the king again? Or had I just made the stupidest decision of my life?

  ***

  My notecards were exactly where I had left them fanned out across the living room floor.

  “Brooklyn?”

  “In here.”

  I walked to her bedroom. We shared a comfortable two-bedroom apartment. It was one of the perks of the city. Freychon wasn’t as expensive as other European hubs.

  “Hey.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here. I was getting worried.”

  “I’m sorry.” I sat on the edge of her bed. “No phone, remember? I couldn’t call you.”

  “But I was back by nine. Where have you been? I thought something happened.”

  Shit. I didn’t mean to scare her. And I didn’t know what I could or should say without revealing more than I was allowed. It was strange how yesterday, I felt like Brooklyn and I were the ones who shared the secret—we shared the bond of going through the Titan experience, but that had shifted overnight. I had some sort of weird allegiance to Damon. He was the one I felt I shared the experience with. I didn’t want to share it with her. I didn’t know if that was selfish or naïve, but it seemed like something I needed to keep private.