CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER TWELVE
R ENE STARED AT the woman in front of him, not sure what to say in his own defence. Her honesty had floored him, but the sadness in her eyes was crucifying him.
He’d been livid this morning when he’d seen the photographs—which he’d spent twenty-four hours using every resource and legal avenue at his disposal trying to have destroyed—plastered all over the internet. The more reputable sources had at least blurred out Mel’s nudity, but many others had not. The headlines, though, had been predictable and salacious. And all of them far more critical of Melody’s behaviour than his: The Prince and the PA’s Secret Snowbound Love Shack! The Queen’s Ambitious PA Snares a Prince! Rescued at Last…but Did She Want to Be?
He didn’t really care about the hit to his own reputation. It wasn’t as if the press or the usual keyboard warriors on social media had ever taken him seriously—and, in truth, given his past behaviour, he had brought most of that negative attention on himself. But Melody’s vilification—a woman whose status and lack of experience of this kind of exposure made her much more vulnerable than him—had made him feel sick. The sight of those intrusive photos had also triggered vivid memories of Melody not just in his bed yesterday morning, but under him on the white rug that first night, cradling him as he thrust heavily inside her…
And suddenly the impotence and shame and fury had increased tenfold. And he’d known he could not stay away from her a moment longer.
The fury though had not just come from her lie about that first night in the chalet, but the growing fear that he might have done something unforgivable. A fear which had morphed into anger during the frantic arrangements to figure out a way to protect Mel, deal with the repercussions of that night and get them both as far away as possible from the viral storm.
The decision to whisk her away to Mermaid Cay—because it was the only place he could think of where they could be alone until the publicity blitz blew over—had been a kneejerk one. But he could see now that decision and the possibility of a pregnancy had also been a convenient excuse to insist on privacy and seclusion.
But as she stared back at him now, with the sheen of tears in her eyes, the last of the excoriating anger deflated, until all he had left was the fear.
He needed to protect her. And if she was pregnant they would have to figure out what to do about it. But his intentions had not been entirely altruistic, or unselfish. Because he still wanted her.
Something had happened in that cabin which had blindsided him. And it hadn’t just been the sex, however much he might want to believe that.
When she had announced with that crack of pain in her voice that he was the only man she had ever slept with, it had delighted him on one level while also adding to his fear. Because he could see all her vulnerabilities—after she had laid them bare with honesty and openness and the kind of genuine, unsullied emotion which he had never possessed. Never could possess.
Her tale of the bastard who had fathered her and then deserted her was far too reminiscent of the thoughtless way he had treated her—by walking away four years ago, while protecting himself, and two days ago, while persuading himself he was trying to protect her.
A part of him knew that the decent thing to do now would be to let her go. Free her from the toxic legacy not just of her own father’s callous behaviour but also his own. But he had never been a decent man… And, frankly, how could he do that when she might be pregnant with his heir?
Stop lying to yourself. This isn’t about a possible pregnancy. It isn’t even about your guilt over those photos and your failure to stop them. This is about your inability to put her needs above your own.
He sucked in a breath and forced himself to face the truth.
He didn’t want to let her go. Not yet. He’d tried to do that over the last twenty-four hours, and it had only made her situation worse—and the yearning more intense. If nothing else, they needed this break to finally deal with the obsession they had fallen into with each other.
If she was pregnant he would demand marriage—and make the engagement real. But he would never be whole, never be able to offer her more than physical pleasure and financial support, would never have the courage to be honest and unafraid, not to mention dependent on another human being. Because his father had beaten those sensibilities out of him a long time ago.
But he owed her at least some of the truth if he was going to persuade her to get on the damn plane, because he could see the usual stubbornness in her eyes, as well as the hurt he had caused.
‘Melody, I left that morning because the police confirmed my suspicions about the drone. I was desperate to have the photos destroyed, if possible, before anyone could publish them—so getting back here as soon as I could was important.’ He ran his thumb down the side of her neck, felt her delicious shudder. ‘I’m only sorry I failed to find the bastard before he sold those photos to the highest bidder.’
She tugged away from his touch, the hurt and confusion on her face still there. ‘Why couldn’t you come and tell me that, before you left?’
At least this question was simple to answer.
‘Because I didn’t want that bastard getting a chance to take any more photos of us together,’ he said.
‘But you could have contacted me, told me what was going on, this morning?’ she said, but she didn’t sound quite so sure any more. Or so upset.
Progress .
‘Did you want me to?’ he replied.
She simply stared at him, the vulnerability in her eyes crucifying him all over again.
‘After the photos went viral,’ he continued, because he could see she was struggling to understand her own reactions at this point, ‘I figured the last person you would want to talk to was me, given that I was the one who had made you a target in the first place.’
Instead of agreeing with him, though, as he had expected, she frowned, then stared down at her hands, which were clasped so tightly in her lap the knuckles had whitened.
She huffed out an unsteady breath. ‘This mess isn’t your fault, Rene,’ she said so softly he almost didn’t hear her. ‘I may want to blame you for a lot of things, but you’re not responsible for what unconscionable people choose to do for a living.’
He thought of all the times he had been caught in compromising positions before that night four years ago—the excessive drinking and partying once his father was gone, and the endless round of beautiful women he’d had on his arm in the years since, to try and force Mel from his mind. And he knew she was being na?ve about his role in this debacle, and far too forgiving.
He tucked a knuckle under her chin, tipped her gaze up to his. ‘I’ve been a target my whole life, Melody. I knew the score. I should have protected you from them and I didn’t.’
She blinked slowly, her expression unsettled and even more unsure. ‘That’s not your job,’ she said softly.
Yeah, it is , he thought but didn’t say, because he knew it would only exacerbate her stubborn streak.
The soft rap on the window had them both tensing, before he realised the car had stopped moving.
‘Your Majesty, we have arrived at the hangar,’ his flight attendant said, who stood by the car. ‘Are you ready to board?’
‘Just a minute,’ he said.
He turned to Mel, who looked flustered now, and still hopelessly confused. Time to push his advantage.
‘Come with me, Mel,’ he said, determined to use the carrot first, and at least make it sound like a question, before he made any more demands. After all, he already knew Mel did not respond well to the stick. ‘We can’t do a reliable test for at least ten days, according to the obstetrician I contacted. By which time my legal team will have hopefully had some luck having the photos taken down.’
She took another deep breath, her indecision clear. But at least it wasn’t an immediate no.
‘Can you stop the press release saying we’re engaged? It’s not true and it feels dishonest to pretend it is,’ she said. ‘And I’m perfectly capable of protecting my own reputation.’
Frustration and even hurt twisted in his gut.
‘No, I’m afraid not,’ he said smoothly. He’d be damned if he would take her away now, only to leave her even more exposed to prurient speculation when they returned. Plus, there was a chance she could be pregnant, in which case he had every intention of making the engagement a real one. ‘A select number of journalists have already been briefed.’
She sighed. ‘I really wish you hadn’t done that…’ she managed, and he found his temper kicking in. Why was she so damned determined not to announce an engagement? If she was carrying his child, marriage would be a fait accompli . Surely she knew enough about royalty and how it worked to understand that.
‘Isn’t it going to make things even more complicated when we return and we have to announce the engagement’s off?’ she offered.
‘We’ll deal with that situation when we know you’re not pregnant,’ he said curtly.
Her frown deepened, but she didn’t reply. At least she wasn’t going to argue the point right now.
More progress.
‘What exactly are we supposed to do on this island for ten days?’ she asked.
He laughed, he couldn’t help it, the tension in his gut releasing, while the familiar heat spiked. ‘The place is an island paradise. Fully staffed, with perfect weather at this time of year. There’s swimming and snorkelling, sailing and some great hiking trails… And if none of that appeals to you—’ he paused, going in for the kill ‘—I’m sure we can think of something else to amuse ourselves.’
He wasn’t about to pressure her into having sex with him. But denying their chemistry had already got them into a world of trouble over the last four years… And he saw no reason not to take the opportunity this break offered to finally deal with this insane physical attraction. After all, they’d both been without sex for four years, which was precisely why they’d been unable to keep their hands off each other in the cabin. At least now they would be fully conscious and not under stress, so they could make informed decisions about how to proceed—while preventing any other unforeseen mishaps if they chose to indulge themselves. And didn’t they deserve the release good sex could bring, after the emotional rollercoaster they’d both been on in the past week? Not to mention denying themselves for four years!
Cupping her cheek, he ran his thumb over her lips, rewarded when she didn’t pull away, and awareness darkened her eyes.
Her breath caught on a sensual sob.
‘I need an answer, Melody,’ he pressed. ‘Are you coming with me or not? Or do you want to continue arguing? Because we both know how that is likely to end,’ he finished, his voice becoming huskier by the second.
She eased away from his touch, but he could already see the answer in her eyes. And heat pulsed in his groin.
‘Okay, I’ll come,’ she said, still frowning. ‘But only because I really don’t have a lot of alternatives—and I don’t want to put the people I love in the firing line.’
He let out another husky laugh, knowing he had won, despite the adorably belligerent expression on her face—which he would take any day over hurt and vulnerability.
Grasping her neck again, he dragged her back for a swift kiss. ‘Good,’ he said, releasing her to get out of the car and announce their departure to the flight attendant.
As he escorted her across the tarmac to the private jet, he placed his palm on the small of her back and felt another delicious shudder. The triumphant feeling surged. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear, ‘And please don’t feel you have to spare my ego,’ he teased, ‘by implying my company isn’t enough to persuade you.’
She scoffed, the tart sound a balm to his soul. ‘Don’t worry, Your Majesty’ she said, throwing the words over her shoulder as she mounted the plane’s stairs ahead of him, ‘I won’t.’