Mum's The Word!

“Fine.” The word came out a little garbled. What magic had he wrought to make her forget her surroundings so completely? “I’m fine.”

From outside came the twins’ high-pitched voices lifted in childish delight. Olivia pushed away from the wall and went in search of them. In the stable yard, beneath the watchful eyes of the grooms who’d taken charge of them, they each stood on a mounting block in order to better acquaint themselves with their new pony.

Olivia fought anxiety as she watched the girls, but soon she calmed down. These ponies had obviously been chosen for their placid demeanor; otherwise the excited movements of the twins would have startled them. The geldings were well matched in size, color and markings. Bethany’s had a long, narrow blaze that stretched from forehead to right between his nostrils. Karina’s had a wider stripe of white that spread out as it reached the nose. Both ponies had two white front socks and one back.

Bethany was the first to notice Olivia. She threw her arms around the pony’s neck and said in an excited voice. “Look at my horse. Her name is Grady.”

Olivia started to correct Bethany on the gender of her new pony, but Karina jumped in before she could speak.

“Peanut.” The quieter twin looked so delighted that Olivia wondered if she would still demand a puppy for her birthday.

“They’re lovely,” Olivia said. “But I think they’re both boys.”

The girls were too excited to listen and went back to petting and chattering to their ponies. The head groom came over to where Olivia stood.

“They will make fine horsewomen.”

“I believe you’re right.”

“Would you like to see the mount His Highness chose for you?”

It had never occurred to Olivia that she would receive a horse as well when she told Gabriel how she loved to ride whenever she spent time at Dansbrooke. The park around the palace wasn’t as extensive as the lands surrounding her family’s country estate, but she welcomed the opportunity to get whatever exercise she could.

“I’d love to see him.” She laughed. “Or her.”

“It’s a mare. A Dutch Warmblood. I heard you’ve done some eventing. You’ll find Arioso is a wonderful jumper and an eager athlete.”

The beautiful chestnut had large, soft eyes and a gentle disposition, but before she had time to do more than stroke the mare’s long neck, the twins had finished with their ponies and joined her at the stall.

Deciding they’d had enough for one day, Olivia gathered them together and bid the grooms goodbye. After depositing them with a pair of maids in the nursery, she returned to her room to bathe and dress.

Olivia took a long time preparing for the evening. She played with hairstyles for an hour before settling on a softly disheveled updo that required only a couple of pins to keep it in place. The gown she’d chosen was a simple black sheath that bared her arms and appeared demure in the front but dipped low in the back.

Anticipation began to dissolve her calm as she zipped up the dress and fastened simple diamond dangles to her earlobes. Boldly eschewing panty hose, she slid her feet into elegant patent leather pumps.

She wanted everything about her to say “touch me.”

And surveying her appearance in the full-length mirror, Olivia felt confident she’d done just that. That left only one more thing to do. Olivia popped the top on the jewelry box and laid the wide bracelet across her wrist. Libby helped by securing the clasp.

“Is this all for my brother’s benefit?” Ariana had slipped into the room after a soft knock.

Olivia felt her cheeks heating. “Do you think he’ll approve?”

Ariana smiled. “How could he not?” Her gaze slipped over Olivia, stopping at the diamond-and-emerald bracelet. She reached for Olivia’s hand, as the color drained from her face. “Where did you get that?”

“Gabriel sent it to me.” Concern rose in Olivia. Why was Ariana looking as if she’d seen a ghost? “Why? Do you recognize it?”

“Gabriel sent it?” Ariana echoed. She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“You recognize it?” Olivia felt her heart hit her toes. “It’s cursed, isn’t it?”

“You might say that.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s none of my business.”

There was no way she was letting Ariana get away without an explanation. “If there’s something wrong, I need to know.”

“Really, I shouldn’t have said anything.” Ariana backed toward the bedroom door. “I’m sure everything is fine.”

It wasn’t like Ariana to hedge, especially when it came to things that distressed her. And seeing the bracelet had obviously upset the princess.

“What do you mean everything is fine? Why wouldn’t it be? What aren’t you telling me about the bracelet?”

Olivia caught Ariana’s wrist in a tight grip. Startled, the brunette looked from the hand holding her, to the bracelet on Olivia’s wrist and finally met her gaze.

“I don’t want to upset you.”

“And you think that’s going to persuade me to let you walk out of here without spilling the truth?” Olivia tugged her future sister-in-law toward the wingback chairs flanking the fireplace. She didn’t let go until Ariana sat down. “Tell me what about the bracelet upset you.”

Releasing an audible sigh, the princess leveled her pale gold eyes on Olivia. “The last time I saw that bracelet was the night before Gabriel broke things off with Marissa.”

Pain lanced through Olivia, sharper than anything she’d experienced this morning as she’d watched the pictures of Gabriel and Marissa on the television.

“He bought it for her.”

“Yes. It was...for their second anniversary.”

The cool platinum burned like acid against Olivia’s skin. She clawed at the clasp, blood pounding in her ears. Her excitement over having dinner alone with Gabriel vanished, replaced by wrenching despair. The first gift he’d given her had been the bracelet he’d bought to celebrate two years with Marissa?

The clasp popped open beneath her nails. Olivia dropped it on the mantle and sat in the chair opposite Ariana, unsure how much longer her shaky legs would support her.

“How did he get it back?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she returned it when they broke up.”

Olivia felt sick. It was bad enough that Gabriel had given her the trinket he’d bought for another woman, it was worse that it was a returned gift. “I thought I’d seen it before,” she murmured.

Ariana leaned forward and placed her hand over Olivia’s. “I’m sure this is all a huge misunderstanding. Maybe I’m thinking of a different bracelet.”

Olivia drew comfort from Ariana for a moment, before sitting up straight and bracing her shoulders. “The only misunderstanding is mine. I thought tonight was supposed to be the beginning of something between us.” She offered Ariana a bitter smile. “I forgot that our marriage is first and foremost a business arrangement.”

“I don’t believe that’s true. I saw the way Gabriel watched you this morning. He was worried by how you reacted to the press coverage of the twins’ arrival and all the scandal it stirred up.”

“He’s worried about losing the deal with my father.”

“Yes, but there’s more to it than that. He had other opportunities to secure Sherdana’s economic future. He chose you.”

Ariana’s words rang with conviction, but Olivia shook her head. The sight of the bracelet made her long to hurl it into the deepest ocean. She felt betrayed and yet she had no right. She was marrying Gabriel because he was handsome and honorable and she would one day become a queen. Her reasons for choosing him were no more romantic than his.

“Ask him to tell you about the first time you met.”

“The party at the French embassy?” Olivia recalled his stiff formality and their brief, stilted conversation, so different from their exchange in the garden this morning.

“Before that.”

Olivia shook her head. “We didn’t meet before that.”

“You did. You just don’t remember.”

How was that possible? Every time he drew near, her stomach pitched and her body yearned for his touch. His lips on hers turned her into an irrational creature of turbulent desires and rollicking emotions. If they’d met, she’d have recognized the signs.

“Your brother is very memorable,” she argued. “I’m certain you are mistaken.”

Ariana’s eyes glowed. “Just ask him.”

Abruptly filled with uncertainty, Olivia looked down at her gown and noticed the brush of cool air against her bare back and arms. She’d dressed to entice Gabriel. She’d wanted his hands to go places no man had ventured before. Even after learning that he’d given her a bracelet that once belonged to his former lover, she still wanted him. She ached with yearning. Burned with hungers unleashed by an hour in the bath tracing her naked skin with her fingertips, imagining Gabriel doing the same.

“Damn it.” The curse shot out of her and startled Ariana.

“Oh, I’ve really done it,” the princess muttered. “Please don’t be mad at Gabriel. That was five years ago. I’ll bet he doesn’t even remember the bracelet.”

Olivia’s gaze sharpened into focus as she took in Ariana’s miserable expression. “You remembered.”

“I’m a woman. I have an artist’s eye for detail.” Ariana shook her head. “Gabriel is a man. They don’t notice things like fashion. Now, if he’d given you a set of antlers off a buck he’d shot, that he’d recall.”

Olivia recognized that Ariana was trying to lighten her mood, but the damage had been done. She wasn’t half as angry with Gabriel as she was with herself. For being a fool. For not realizing that she never would have agreed to marry Gabriel unless she was already emotionally engaged.

But it was too late. She was already in too deep. The only thing she could do now was keep her wits about her and not allow herself to be disappointed again.

* * *

To his intense shock, Gabriel was second-guessing himself.

As he towel-dried his hair. As he shaved for the second time that day. As he dressed in gray slacks and a black collarless button-down shirt.

All he could think about was what a mistake he’d made with the bracelet he’d chosen for Olivia’s first present. As beautiful as the item was, he couldn’t help but think she’d appreciate something more romantic with a little history attached.

He was grimly amused with himself. Since when had he devoted this much time and energy to a gift for a woman? In Marissa’s case, he’d always zeroed in on the most flamboyant piece available, the more expensive the better, and been richly rewarded for his generosity.

Gabriel slid a watch onto his wrist and checked the time. He had half an hour before Olivia was due to arrive if he wanted to fetch a particular piece from the vault. “I have a quick errand to run,” he told Stewart. “If Lady Darcy arrives before I return, serve her a glass of champagne and assure her I won’t be long.”

With that, he exited his suite and headed to the vault, his mind on the perfect thing to present to his fiancée. It took him exactly ten minutes to find the necklace and return. Stewart was alone when Gabriel returned.

“Dinner is set to be served at eight.”

“Perfect.” Gabriel had no interest in rushing. At the same time, he wanted plenty of the evening left over for getting to know Olivia thoroughly. “You ordered all her favorites?”

“Of course.” Stewart’s head turned at the light knock on the door. “That must be Lady Darcy. I’ll let her in, then make myself scarce.”

Gabriel grinned, glad she was as eager to begin their evening as he. Stewart went to answer the door. With his pulse kicked into overdrive, Gabriel found himself holding his breath in anticipation. Realizing what he was doing, he exhaled, wondering how long it had been since the idea of spending time alone with a woman had excited him. But Olivia wasn’t just any woman.

She aroused him faster and more intensely than anyone since Marissa. To look at her, it made no sense. She was elegant, cool and poised. Not the sort of sultry, lush temptress that turned men’s heads. But today he’d discovered an inner core of vibrant, sensual woman hiding within her. The little he’d sampled explained his craving for a more prolonged taste.

A tense conversation was taking place near the door. Gabriel frowned as he spied the petite woman standing in the hall. Not Olivia. Her private secretary. Although curious about the content of their discussion, Gabriel made no attempt to listen in. He would learn what it was about soon enough.

The exchange at the door came to an end. Stewart came toward him, wearing a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your Highness.” Stewart looked as if an elephant had stepped on his toes. “Lady Darcy has declined your invitation.”

Dumbstruck, Gabriel stared at his assistant. Declined his invitation? Outrageous.

He’d anticipated their evening alone and the chance to learn more about her. “Is she ill?”

Stewart hesitated. “I didn’t...get that impression.”

“What impression did you get?” he demanded, impatient at his secretary’s caginess.

Stewart squared his shoulders. “That perhaps she was unhappy...with you.”

“With me?” When they’d parted this morning she’d been all dreamy eyes and feminine wiles. What could have possibly happened in the past twelve hours?

Without another word to Stewart, Gabriel exited his suite. Long, determined strides carried him down the hall toward the rooms assigned to Olivia. He barely noticed the maid scurrying out of his way as he passed her. He did, however, notice Ariana stepping out of Olivia’s suite.

“Gabriel, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to collect Olivia for dinner.”

Ariana’s gold eyes widened. “Didn’t you get the message? Olivia’s not up to having dinner with you tonight.”

He leaned down and pinned his sister with a steely glare, wondering what mischief she had been up to. “What’s wrong with her?”

Ariana set her hand on her hip and regarded him with annoyance. “She’s not feeling well.”

“Then I’d be remiss in not checking on her,” Gabriel intoned, sounding as suave as he could through gritted teeth. “Step aside.”

But his sister didn’t budge. “Leave it tonight, Gabriel,” she coaxed. “Give her a little time.”

“Time for what?”

“Honestly,” his sister fumed. “You can be so insensitive sometimes.”

What was he missing? “Enlighten me.”

Ariana pressed her lips together, but Gabriel kept up his unrelenting stare and she finally sighed. “She’s had your affair with Marissa thrown in her face all day.”

He remembered the expression on Olivia’s face while the footage of him and Marissa had played on the television. But he thought they’d cleared the matter up in his office. Why was she letting the past bother her? Gabriel nudged his sister aside and reached for the door handle.

“Gabriel—”

“This is none of your concern. It’s between me and my future bride.”

“Fine.” Ariana tossed up her hands. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With her dire words ringing in his ears, Gabriel entered Olivia’s suite. Some impulse prompted him to slip the lock before scanning the space. His fiancée was not in the bedroom. After his encounter with Ariana, he’d expected to find Olivia sulking over some perceived slight. Then he noticed a slight billowing of the sheer curtains over the French doors leading out onto the terrace.

Olivia stood near the terrace railing staring out over the pond and the park, her gaze on the path where they’d walked and kissed this morning. She wore a black dress that bared her back in a plunging V. She’d knotted her hair on top of her head, exposing the nape of her neck. The sight of all that bare skin did unruly things to his body. He’d always been a sucker for a woman’s back, finding the combination of delicacy and strength an intoxicating combination.

Gabriel shoved aside desire and refocused on the reason he’d come here in the first place.

“We’re supposed to be having dinner in my suite.”

“I don’t feel up to it,” she replied in a cool tone, not bothering to turn around.

“Then you’re not upset.”

“Of course not.”

He didn’t believe her. For the briefest of moments he wondered if she was trying to manipulate him with some feminine trickery. He almost laughed at the notion. Marissa was the only other woman who’d tried to best him with her wiles. He’d quickly set her straight.

Time to set Olivia straight, as well. “I thought this morning you understood that whatever was between Marissa and me has been over for three years.”

“What sort of evening did you have in mind for us tonight?” She turned around and faced him and he got his first glimpse of her expression. Genuine anger shimmered in her gaze. “Were we to sip champagne and become lovers or did you plan to educate me on Sherdana’s upcoming social and economic challenges?”

What had gotten into her? This morning she’d been like warm honey in his arms. Tonight she’d become an ice sculpture. All this because a few reporters dredged up old news from three years ago?

“I’d hoped we’d spend some time getting to know each other tonight, but I had no intention of rushing you into bed.” Tired of sparring with her, he stepped within touching distance. “I thought that we’d reached an understanding this morning.”

“So did I,” she murmured, the fire fading from her tone.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Our marriage is an arrangement.”

“Yes.” He grazed his fingertips up her sides from her hips, letting them coast along the side of her breasts. The hitch in her breath told him the fight was over. “But it doesn’t have to be all business between us.”

“And it isn’t,” she agreed. “It’s just that I’m not really sure what’s happening.”

So, he wasn’t the only one struggling to find his way. Ever since last night, he’d found himself drawn to her as never before, but he wasn’t sure she felt it, too. And now that he knew she did, he wasn’t about to let her run away from it.

“We have strong sexual chemistry,” he told her, and then in a softer voice confessed, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Her scent flowed around him, feminine and enticing. As desire began to assert itself, he noticed the details his anger had blinded him to. For a woman intent on denying him her company, she’d dressed with care. He dipped his head and drank in the feminine scent of her. She’d dabbed a light floral perfume behind her ears. His lips found the spot and made her shiver.

“Gabriel, please.” Her hand on his chest wasn’t going to deter him now that he’d gotten wind of her imminent surrender.

“Please, what?” he inquired. “Stop?”

Knowing it was what she had in mind, he tugged the pins from her hair and tossed them aside. The golden waves spilled around her face and shoulders.

“Yes.” But the word lacked conviction.

“You’re lying,” he pressed. “And badly. This is what you wanted when you dressed tonight.” He took her stiff body in his arms and immediately the fight began to drain from her muscles. “My hands on you.” He dipped his head and drew his lips across her cheek, finishing his thought with his breath puffing against her ear. “My mouth tasting your skin.”

Her body was limp against him now, all resistance abandoned.

“We’re meant to be together.” He was more convinced of that than ever. “You know it as well as I do.”

She’d closed her eyes to hide from him, not realizing how futile her actions were. “Yes.”

Six

Without sight, all her other senses came to life. The unsteady rasp of Gabriel’s breath told her he too was disturbed by the attraction between them. But was it enough? Hadn’t she discovered less than an hour ago that she wanted more from him? So much more.

His fingertips grazed along the sensitive skin inside her arm, from the hollow behind her elbow to the pulse jerking frantically in her wrist. Gently he laced their fingers and began to pull her along the terrace. Her eyes flew open.

“Where?” Her gaze found his and she saw feverish hunger blazing in the bronze depths.

“To bed, of course,” he teased, but there was nothing lighthearted about the determined set of his mouth or the tension that rode his muscles. Tension that communicated across the short distance between them.

“What about dinner?”

Inside the suite once more, he drew her close, sliding a hand over her hip to pull her against the hard jut of his erection, and bent to whisper in her ear. “You made me hungry for something besides food.”

His lips dropped to hers, lingering at the corner of her mouth for too long. His unproductive nuzzling wasn’t getting the job done. She wanted a kiss. A real, hard, deep kiss with no possibility of interruption. Growling low in her throat, she lifted on tiptoe and framed his face with her hands, holding him still while she pressed her mouth to his. Her tongue tested the seam of his lips as she flattened her breasts against Gabriel’s broad chest, eager to convey her desire, letting her hunger shine through.

Gabriel captured handfuls of the dress near her shoulder blades and pulled the edges forward and down, baring her torso to the waist. Olivia gasped at the sudden rush of cool air over her breasts.

He slid his hands up over her rib cage until his fingers reached the undersides of her breasts. Smiling with male satisfaction, he cupped her and kneaded slightly.

She arched into the pressure of his hands, offering herself to him. Reaching behind, she found the dress’s zipper and slid it down. With a determined stroke of her palms against her hips, the dress pooled at her feet, leaving her wearing nothing but her black pumps and a white lace thong.

He had tracked the progression of the dress to the floor, his gaze sliding over her legs as the falling black fabric bared her to him. Liking the way his nostrils flared at the sight of her nakedness, Olivia stepped out of the dress and kicked it aside.

Pressure built inside her as she hooked her fingers in the thong, determined to rid herself of it, as well. Gabriel’s hands covered hers, halting her actions.

“This is your first time.” His voice sank into rich, warm tones that did little to equalize her pulse or diminish her hunger. “I want to take this slow.”

“I don’t.”

His lips moved into a predator’s smile, slow and lazy. “You’ll thank me later.”

And with that, he swept her feet off the floor.

Placing her in the center of the big bed, Gabriel stepped back to rid himself of his clothes. Olivia raised herself on her elbows to better catch the unveiling of all that amazing bronze skin. From the little contact she’d had with his body, she knew he was lean and well-muscled, but nothing prepared her for the chiseled perfection of his torso as his shirt buttons gave way. She goggled at the sheer beauty of his broad shoulders and the sculptured magnificence of his chest.

He raised his eyebrows at her obvious curiosity, his hands going to the belt buckle. As he unfastened the top button, he kicked off his shoes. His pants hit the floor, followed by his socks.

He left on his boxers, but Olivia’s eyes were drawn to the way they bulged in front. Her obvious curiosity and lack of concern turned him on and sped even more blood to his groin. Making this the most amazing night of her life might prove challenging. She certainly wasn’t playing the part of nervous virgin.

He climbed onto the bed.

“What’s this?” His finger grazed a black Chinese character in the hollow beside her hip bone and her stomach muscles twitched.

“A tattoo.”

His elegant British fiancée had a tattoo? And in a very sexy spot, he might add. He frowned.

“What does it say?”

“Hope.” She bent the leg opposite him and braced her foot on the mattress so she could cant her hips toward him. “I got it in college. My one wild act freshman year.”

He imagined her baring her body for the needle, sliding down jeans and underwear. And the thought of another man touching her there made him want to roar in outrage.