At His Majesty's Convenience / Her Little Secret, His Hidden Heir: At His Majesty's Convenience

“Oh, there are the suitcases, under your bed.” Livia pointed. Andi could see the edges of two black rolling cases.

“You’re very obsessed with those.”

“I thought you were going to take off and leave us. At least to do that interview.”

Andi frowned. Had she planned a job interview somewhere?

“I was even starting to think that if we both went back to New York we could share an apartment or something. Guess I was wrong.” She widened her eyes, which fell again to Andi’s hand.

“You were. I’ll be staying here.” She smiled, and conviction filled her voice. How nice it was to be sure of something.

“I bet you will.”

A million questions bounced around Andi’s brain, as many about Jake and life at the palace as about herself. But she couldn’t think of any way to ask them without giving the game away, and she wasn’t ready to do that yet. On the other hand, at least Livia could help her find her way to her own office. That would be one less problem for her to bother Jake with.

“Why don’t you walk to my office with me?”

Livia looked curious. Andi worried that she’d made a misstep. She had no idea what Livia did at the palace, and her clothing, dark pants and a blue long-sleeved peasant shirt, didn’t offer any clues. “Sure.”

They set out, Andi lagging a fraction behind so that Livia could lead the way without realizing it. They went along the hallway in the opposite direction from Jake’s suite, and up a flight of stairs to the third floor. At the top of the stairs a blond man hurried up to them. “Goodness, Andi. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” She blushed, mostly because she had no idea who he was. Luckily it was an appropriate response.

“Cook wanted me to ask you whether we should do duck or goose on Thursday for the Finnish ambassador.”

“Whichever she prefers would be fine.” She froze for an agonizing second while it occurred to her that Cook might be a he.

His eyes widened. “I’ll let her know. I suspect you have a lot on your plate right now, what with, well, you know.” He smiled. “We’re all very happy for you, Andi.”

She forced another smile. He’d looked surprised by her lack of decisiveness. She must usually be a very takecharge person. At least the engagement gave her an excuse to be out to lunch—literally and figuratively. She was “preoccupied.”

They reached a door halfway down a corridor on the third floor, and Livia hesitated. Andi swallowed, then reached out a hand and tried the door. The handle turned but didn’t open it. “Oh no. I forgot my key! You go on with what you’re doing and I’ll go back and get it. See you later.”

Livia waved a cheery goodbye and Andi heaved a sigh. She counted the doors along the hallway so she could find her way here alone next time. Back in her room she searched high and low for the key. When she found a black handbag at the bottom of her closet, her heart leapt.

She’d already discovered that the phone in her bedroom was for business only. Not a single personal number was stored in it. She’d called each one with hope in her heart, only to find herself talking to another bank or supplier. She must have another phone somewhere.

Eager to see her wallet and find out some more about herself, she dove into the bag with her hands. A neat, small wallet contained very few clues. A New York driver’s license, with an 81st Street address, about to expire. A Ruthenian driver’s license ornamented with a crest featuring two large birds. A Visa credit card from an American bank, and a MasterCard from a European one.

She seemed to be living a double life—half American and half Ruthenian. But that wasn’t unusual among expats. She probably kept her accounts open, figuring she’d go back sooner or later.

The bag did contain a keychain containing two keys—her bedroom and office? Other than that there was a small packet of tissues and two lipsticks. No phone. Disappointment dripped through her. Maybe she just had no life.

Except Jake.

She glanced at the business phone on the dresser and her nerves sizzled with anticipation at the thought of calling him. She felt a lot safer in his large, calm presence.

But she didn’t want to be a bother. She’d wait until she really needed him.

Keys and phone in the pocket of her jeans, she set off back for the locked office. Her instincts proved correct and the smaller key opened the door. Like her bedroom, her office was neat and featureless, no photos or mementos on the desk. She’d be worried that she was the world’s dullest person, except that apparently she was intriguing enough for a king to want to marry her.

She opened a silver laptop on the desk. Surely this would reveal a wealth of new information about her life—her work, anyway. But the first screen asked her to enter her password.

Andi growled with frustration. She felt like she was looking for the password to her own life and it was always just out of reach. Password, password. She racked her brain for familiar words. Blue, she typed in. The screen was blue. Nothing happened. Jake? Nothing doing. Love?

Nada. Apparently her computer, like her memory, was off-limits for now.

Irritation crackled through her veins. She pulled open the drawers in the antique desk and was disappointed to find nothing but a dull collection of pens, paper clips, empty notebooks. The entire office revealed nothing about her. Almost as if every trace of her individuality had been stripped away.

The way you might do if you were leaving a job.

A pang of alarm flashed through her at the thought. Had she stripped her office bare in preparation for abandoning it? She could see how getting engaged to Jake could mean her leaving her job as his assistant, or at least changing it dramatically. But surely Jake would have mentioned it?

She picked up her phone and punched in his number. Feelings of helplessness and anxiety rose inside her as she heard it ring, but she fought them back.

“Hi, Andi. How are you doing?”

A smile rose to her lips at the sound of his deep, resonant voice. “Confused,” she admitted. “I’m in my office and feeling more lost than ever.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

She blew out a long breath as she put the phone back in her pocket. It was embarrassing to feel lost without Jake at her side, but wonderful that she could call him to it at any moment. She glanced at the ring on her finger. The big diamond sparkled in the sunlight, casting little shards of light over her skin, a symbol of his lifelong commitment to her.

At least she knew what it felt like to be loved.

She flew to the door at the sound of a knock. A huge smile spread over her face at the sight of him, tall and gorgeous, with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

“I missed you,” he murmured, voice low and seductive.

“Come in.” Her belly sizzled with arousal and her nipples tightened just at the sight of him. “Do you always knock on my office door?” It seemed oddly formal if they’d worked together and dated for years.

A shadow of hesitation crossed his face for a split second. “I suppose I do. Would you prefer me to barge right in?”

“I don’t know.” She giggled. Nothing seemed to matter all that much now that Jake was here. “I guess it depends on if I’m trying to keep secrets from you.”

“Are you?” His brow arched.

“I have no idea.” She laughed again. “Hopefully if I do, they’re not very dark ones.”

“Dark secrets sound rather intriguing.” He moved toward her and lifted his hand to cup her cheek. Her skin heated under his palm. “I might have fun uncovering them.”

Their lips met, hot and fast, and his tongue in her mouth drove all thoughts away. She pressed herself against him and felt his arms close around her. Much better. Wrapping herself up in Jake was the best medicine for anything that ailed her.

His suit hid the hard muscle beneath it, but that didn’t stop her fingers from exploring his broad back and enjoying the thickness of his toned biceps. Her fingertips were creeping into his waistband when a sharp knock on the door made them jump apart.

She blushed. “Do we get carried away like that often?”

Jake shot her a crooked smile. “Why not?”

A glance at the door sent her cheer scattering. “I won’t recognize the person.”

“I’ll help you out.”

She drew in a deep breath as she approached the door. “Who is it?”

“Domino.” A male voice. “Just wanted to take a peek at Jake’s calendar for tomorrow.”

She glanced back at Jake and whispered, “I have no idea where your calendar is.”

“You can peek at it in my head, Dom.” Jake’s voice boomed across the room.

A compact, dark-haired man in a gray suit flung the door open and entered. “Sorry, Mr. Mondragon, I didn’t know you were in here. I just wondered if there was a set time for the Malaysian High Commission’s arrival.”

Andi listened while Jake rattled off a few planned events for the following day and tried to keep them filed in her brain in case anyone else asked her. It couldn’t hurt to practice using her memory again. Still, she didn’t truly breathe again until Domino backed out with a slight bow.

“I feel like the world’s most incompetent assistant. Is the calendar on the computer?”

“Yup.”

“It’s password protected and I don’t know the password. Do you know it?”

Jake looked thoughtful. “No.”

“Any ideas what it might be?”

“None whatsoever. I guess there are some dark secrets between us.” He lifted a brow playfully. “Maybe you have it written down somewhere.”

“That’s another thing.” She frowned, apprehension twisting her gut as she prepared to tell him. “There’s nothing personal in here at all. It’s all business all the time, as if all the personal effects had been removed.”

Jake blinked and his gaze swept the room. A furrow deepened between his brows; then he shrugged. “I’m not much for personal knickknacks in the office, either. Why don’t we take a break and go stroll around the palace? Then at least you’ll know where everything is.”

Andi was a bit alarmed by the brusque way he changed the subject. One question burned in her mind. “Am I still your assistant? I mean, now that we’re engaged.”

“Yes, of course.” Jake looked startled for a second. “I’d be lost without you arranging my life.”

“Then prepare to get lost, since I can’t arrange my own computer desktop right now.” Tears loomed again. Apparently they’d never been very far away. “I still don’t remember anything at all.”

Jake took her into his arms again. His scent, familiar and enticing, wrapped around her as his embrace gave her strength. “The doctor said it would take time for your memory to return. Come on, let’s go for that walk. There’s no point getting upset over something you can’t control.”

The palace was so large that probably no one knew exactly how many rooms it had or how to get to all of them. As Jake explained, it had been the home of several dynasties of Ruthenian royals, all of whom had left their own stylistic stamp, so the building had everything from fortified turrets to elegant rows of French windows opening out onto a terrace for alfresco dancing.

As they walked about, on the pretext of discussing the decor, everyone stopped to offer their congratulations on their engagement. Some people hid their surprise, but Andi could tell it was a startling occurrence. Could they really have not noticed a romance occurring—over several years—right beneath their noses?

Five

“Jake, congratulations on your engagement.” The silvery tones emerging from his phone dripped with acid. Jake glanced across his suite to where Andi reclined on the sofa looking through a tourist brochure about Ruthenia.

“Thanks, Carina.” Lucky thing she couldn’t see how happy he was not to be marrying her.

“Quite a surprise.” Her tone was cool. “I had no idea you were involved with your assistant.”

“You know how these things are. It seemed … unprofessional, but you can’t halt the course of true love.” He’d already explained the same to three other would-be queens, so it rolled naturally off his tongue.

“Indeed.” She cleared her throat. “Daddy accuses you of toying with my affections, but I assured him that I’m a big girl and that he should still fund the new industrial development.”

These veiled threats were becoming familiar, too.

“I do hope he will. We look forward to entertaining you both at the palace again soon.” He was smiling when he hung up the phone. Right now everything was going as smoothly as could be expected. He was now officially off the hook for choosing the next queen of Ruthenia. No one had actually pulled support from any key projects or threatened to fund a revolution. It was probably a plus that he hadn’t offended one Ruthenian big shot by choosing the daughter of another. Selecting his American assistant as his bride had left all the local families equally offended—or mollified. And so far things were working out nicely.

He couldn’t understand why he’d never plotted this tidy solution together with Andi, before she lost her memory. Choosing his wife now seemed like an agenda item he’d neatly checked off.

“Why don’t you join me on the sofa?” Her come-hither stare and soft tones beckoned to him.

Blood rushed to his nether regions and he stiffened. Of course there were some aspects of their engagement that should remain off-limits until Andi’s memory came back. It was one thing to pretend to love your assistant, it was quite another thing to actually make love to her.

“That dinner was delicious, but I find I’m still hungry.” Andi’s blue eyes sparkled. She curled her legs under her and stretched one arm sensually along the top of sofa.

Her voice called to a part of him that wasn’t at all practical. Jake was struck by a cruel vision of the black lacy underwear beneath her jeans and T-shirt. She’ll be angry if you sleep with her under false pretenses.

But were they really false? He did intend to marry her.

Which was funny, as he’d never planned to marry anyone. His parents’ long and arduous union—all duty and no joy—had put him off the whole institution from an early age. They’d married because they were a “suitable” match, his father the son of the exiled monarch and his mother the daughter of a prominent noble, also in exile. They’d soon discovered they had nothing in common but blue Ruthenian blood, yet they’d held up the charade for five decades in the hope they’d one day inhabit this palace and put the Ruthenian crest on their stationery again.

They were both gone by the time the “new regime” crumbled and Ruthenia decided it wanted its monarchy back. Jake had assumed the mantle of political duty, but it didn’t seem fair or reasonable to expect him to take it into his bedroom, as well.

He’d much rather take Andi into his bedroom. Her lips looked so inviting in that sensual half smile. And he could just imagine how those long legs would feel wrapped around his waist….

But that was a really bad idea. When she got her memory back she’d likely be pretty steamed about the whole scenario he’d cooked up. She’d be downright furious if he took advantage of her affections, as well. Much better if they kept their hands to themselves until they could talk things over sensibly.

“Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” His voice sounded tight.

“Why? I’m not going to sleep there, am I?” She raised a brow. She seemed far more relaxed, bolder, than he’d seen her so far. She was obviously feeling comfortable, even if her memory still showed no signs of returning.

“I think you should. It’s a question of propriety.”

She giggled. “You are joking.”

“No.” He felt a bit offended. “It’s a royal thing.”

“So, we’ve never …?” She rose from the sofa in an athletic leap and strode across the room. “I don’t remember the details about my own life, but I remember general stuff and I’m pretty sure that it’s totally normal for dating couples to … sleep together. So I don’t believe that we’ve been dating for years and never done more than kiss.”

Jake shrugged. She had a point. If only she knew he was trying to protect her. “Okay, I admit we may have been … intimate. But now that we’re engaged and it’s all official and formal, I think we should play by the rules.”

“Whose rules?” She raised her hand and stroked his cheek with her fingers.

His groin tightened and he cleared his throat. “Those official, hundreds-of-years-old rules that the king should keep his hands off his future bride until after the wedding.”

Her mouth lifted into a wicked smile. “These hands?” She picked up his hands and placed them squarely on her hips. Heat rose in his blood as he took in the curves beneath his palms. She wriggled her hips slightly, sending shock waves of desire pulsing through him.

I’m in full control of my hands and my mind. The thought did nothing to reassure him, especially when one of his hands started to wander toward her backside. Andi pressed her lips to his and her familiar scent filled his senses. Next thing he knew his hands were straying up and down her back, enjoying the soft curves under his palms.

His pants grew tight as Andi pressed her chest against his. He could just imagine what those deliciously firm breasts must look like in her lacy bra. If he coaxed her out of her T-shirt—which would not be difficult—he could find out right away.

But that might lead to other things.

In fact, he was one hundred percent sure that it would.

He pulled back from the kiss with considerable effort. “Don’t you have some … embroidery to do or something?”

“Embroidery?” Laughter sparkled in her clear blue eyes. “Do I really embroider stuff?”

He chuckled. “Not that I know of, but does a man really know what his fiancée gets up to in the privacy of her room?”

“I guess that depends how much time he spends there.” She raised a brow. “Maybe we should go to my room?”

Jake froze. That seemed like a really bad idea. Which underlined what a bad idea all this kissing and cuddling was. Much better to keep things professional, with just enough hint of romance to keep the people around them convinced. At least until Andi came back to her senses.

He flinched as Andi’s fingers crept beneath the waistband of his pants. He’d grown rock hard and the thought of pushing her away was downright painful. Her soft cheek nuzzled against his and his fingers wandered into her hair. She looked so different with her hair loose, much less formal and more inviting.

Her cool fingers slid under his shirt and skated up his spine. Jake arched into the sensation, pulling her tighter into his embrace. Her breathing was faster and her pink lips flushed and parted. He couldn’t resist sticking his tongue into her mouth and she responded in kind, until they were kissing hard and fast again.

“Still think I should go to my room?” She rasped the question when they came up for air.

“Definitely not.” He had to take this woman to bed, whether it was a good idea or not.

He reached under her T-shirt and cupped her breast, enjoying the sensation of skin and scratchy lace under his fingers. He could feel her heartbeat pounding, like his own, as anticipation built toward boiling point.

“Let’s go into the bedroom.” He disentangled himself from her with some effort and led her into the other room. The plain white bedcovers looked like an enticing playground and he couldn’t wait to spread her out on them and uncover her step by step.

He swept her off her feet—eliciting a shriek of delight—and laid her gently on the bed.

Suddenly horizontal, Andi looked up at Jake with alarm. Her entire body pulsed and tingled with sensation. About to reach for the buttons of his shirt, her fingers stopped in midair. Their eyes met, his dark with fierce desire that made her insides tremble.

Everything about this situation felt new and different.

Jake’s hands showed no hesitation as he unzipped her jeans and slid them off. Heat snapped in her veins, deepening the sense of unease creeping over her.

“What’s the matter?” Jake paused and studied her face.

“I don’t know. It just feels strange.”

“Go with it.” He lifted the hem of her T-shirt and eased it off over her head. Her nipples stood to attention inside her lacy bra, which was now exposed to view along with its matching panties. Jake’s devouring gaze raked her body and Andi felt both very desirable and very, very nervous.

Jake unbuttoned his own shirt and shrugged it off, revealing a thickly muscled chest with a line of dark hair running down to his belt buckle. His powerful biceps flexed as he undid the belt and the button of his pants.

Andi’s hesitation flew away. “Wait, let me do that.” She rose to the edge of the bed and unzipped his pants as excitement and arousal replaced her apprehension. She pushed them down to reveal dark boxers and powerful hair-roughened thighs.

Both in their underwear, they stretched out on the cool white sheets, skin to skin. She touched his chest with a tentative finger, enjoying the warmth of his body. She traced the curve of his pec and traveled lower, to where his arousal was dramatically evident against the dark fabric of his shorts.

Jake’s taut belly contracted as she trailed over it then paused.

She looked up at his face. The naked desire in his eyes further unraveled her inhibitions. She let her hands roam lower, tugging at his boxers until they slid down and his erection sprang free. She gasped, and he chuckled. Then she pulled the soft fabric down over his strong legs until he was totally naked.

“You’re gorgeous,” she breathed. Then she blushed, realizing that must sound silly when she’d seen him naked many times before.

“You’re far more gorgeous.” His slightly callused fingers tickled her skin as he ran his hand along her side, from her bra to her panties.

“But you’re not seeing me as if it was the first time.”

“Yes, I am,” he murmured. Then he looked up. “At least that’s what it feels like.” Excitement danced in his dark eyes. “I could never grow tired of looking at you.”

Andi swallowed. If Jake’s feelings for her were anything like the intense roar of passion pulsing in her veins right now, she could understand how this could feel new and fresh even after several years.

He slid his arm behind her back and tugged her closer. Her belly flipped as it touched his, and her breasts bumped against his chest.

“Time to unwrap this present,” he breathed. He propped himself on one elbow and deftly undid the clasp on her bra, releasing her breasts. She felt his breathing quicken as he tugged the lacy fabric off over her arms and lowered his mouth to one tight pink nipple.

Andi arched her back and let out a little moan as Jake flicked his tongue over the delicate skin. The sound of her own voice in the still night air startled her, and quickened her pulse further. She pushed her fingers into his thick hair and enjoyed the silky sensations roaming through her body as he licked and sucked.

“Kiss me,” she begged, when she couldn’t take the almost painful pleasure anymore. He responded by pressing his lips to hers with passion and kissing the last of her breath away.

Arms wrapped around him, she held Jake close. His warm masculine scent filled her senses and the heat of his skin against hers only increased her desire. Fingers trembling with anticipation, she took hold of his erection. Jake released a low moan as she ran her fingers over the hard surface, then tightened them around the shaft, enjoying the throb of pleasure that issued through him.

Had she really done this before? She couldn’t believe it. Again that odd sensation of unfamiliarity almost dampened her pleasure. Everything she did was like taking a step into the dark and hoping the floor would still be there under her foot when she put it down. Where would these strange and intense sensations and urges lead her?

Jake’s mouth crushed over hers once more and her doubts crumbled beneath the fierce desire to feel him inside her.