Royals: For Their Royal Heir: An Heir Fit for a King / The Pregnant Princess / The Prince's Secret Baby

* * *

Alix felt marginally more under control dressed in his trousers. Up until a couple of minutes ago he had felt as if someone had drugged him and he’d lost any sense of rationale or control. And he had. And about something so fundamentally important to him that he was still reeling.

But he was already becoming distracted again, losing focus. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching Leila cup her breast in her hand, a small smile playing around her mouth, and just like that Alix was hard again, ready for her.

That first initial thrust into her body... It had been heaven and hell—because he’d known that while he was experiencing possibly the most exquisitely sensual moment of his life she’d been in pain. Even though he’d been as gentle as he could... And then, when that pain had faded from her eyes and her body had begun to move under his, Alix hadn’t had a hope of retaining any sense at all. He’d become a slave to the dictates of his body and hers.

He’d had to push her over the edge—touching her intimately, taking advantage of her inexperience—because he’d known he couldn’t wait for her completion.

And then he’d exploded. Inside her. Without any barrier of protection.

Alix curbed the panic. Stepped into the bathroom. ‘How are you feeling now?’

Leila immediately dropped her hand from her breast and tensed, opening her eyes, her smile fading. But then it came back...shyly.

‘I’m okay. I think.’

Alix reached for a towel and held it out. Leila stood up and Alix couldn’t help watching as the water sluiced down her perfect body. Her skin was like silk. She was exquisite. Slim and yet all woman, with full hips and breasts. Alix gritted his jaw to stop thinking about how it had felt to be cradled by her hips and thighs. How right it had felt. Right enough to send him mad—to make him forget important things. Like protection.

Leila rubbed herself dry with the towel, avoiding his eye now, and then Alix offered her a robe. She turned her back to him to put her arms into it and when she turned around again, belting it, she looked worried.

‘Is something wrong?’

Alix felt a weight on his chest. Her eyes were so huge, so green. So innocent.

‘Come into the bedroom. I asked the housekeeper to send some food and drinks up.’

He took her hand and led her out. A table was set up near the window. A candle flickered in the dim light. The sounds of the canal lapping against the building came faintly from outside.

They sat down and Leila looked even more worried. ‘What is it, Alix? You’re scaring me... ‘

‘We didn’t use protection.’ He grimaced. ‘That is, I didn’t think of it. I presume you’re not on any form of contraception?’

Leila shook her head, damp tendrils of dark hair slipping over her shoulders. Her cheeks coloured. ‘No...I didn’t think of it either.’

Alix’s voice was harsh. ‘It was my responsibility.’

She avoided his eyes for a long moment, and then she looked back at him. ‘I think I’m okay, though. It’s not a fertile time in my cycle. I’ve just finished a period.’

Something eased in his chest even as something else pierced him. A sense of loss. Strange.

He took her hand. ‘I wasn’t thinking. Ordinarily I never forget. And I can’t afford to forget...’

He saw when comprehension dawned in those huge eyes.

Leila pulled her hand back. Her voice was stilted. ‘Of course. A man like you has to be more careful than most. I understand.’

Alix felt a bizarre urge to say something to reassure her, to tell her that it was nothing personal. But he couldn’t. Because it was true. He would have to father an heir with his Queen and no one else. His own father had created a storm of controversy by bedding numerous mistresses, who had all come forward at one time or another claiming to have had children by him.

It had been one of the many reasons the people of Isle Saint Croix had become so disillusioned with their King and overthrown him.

‘It won’t happen again, Leila. I’m sorry.’

Her eyes snapped back to his and Alix quirked a smile. ‘I don’t mean that. We will be doing that again, I just won’t forget about protection again.’

Food lay on the table between them, unnoticed, and Alix forced himself to try and retain a modicum of civility. He held up a piece of cheese. ‘Are you hungry?’

Leila shook her head and then looked away, embarrassed.

Alix reached across and took her chin, tipping it up. He smiled. ‘But you are hungry for something...?’

It entranced Alix that she seemed to have no sense of guile, or of playing the coquette. And why would she? She’d been a virgin. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and he saw the same insatiable appetite that had been awoken inside himself. His body hummed and soared with it.

She nodded, telling him silently what she was hungry for. Alix wanted to groan. ‘But you’re going to be too sore...’

Leila shook her head, her eyes on his now. Feminine and full of that innate knowledge that a man couldn’t possibly ever fathom. Amazing that she already had it. Alix had never really noticed it before now, because he’d never seen it as a spontaneous thing. The women he was usually with were all too cynical even to attempt it.

‘I’m okay. Really.’

Her husky words took him out of his reverie. He needed no further encouragement, so he dropped the food, stood up and led Leila back over to the bed.

* * *

When Leila woke up again it was morning. She opened her eyes and saw that the room was bathed in sunlight. She was on her own. But just as she thought that, Alix strolled out of the bathroom, straightening his tie. He was impeccably dressed. Shaved. Cleaned up. When Leila felt utterly wanton.

She sat up and clutched the sheet to her body, thoroughly disorientated. Alix leaned against one of the four posters of the bed and crossed his arms. A sexy smile played around his mouth. ‘You look adorable...all mussed up.’

Leila scowled, and then grew hot when she thought of how mussed up she’d become when Alix had taken her to bed for the second time. Somehow in the dimly lit bathroom and bedroom last night it had been easier to face this man. Now it was daylight, and a return to reality and sanity was here. And it was not welcome.

Twinges and aches made her wince as she leant out to the side of the bed to look for some clothes.

Alix was there in seconds. ‘Are you okay?’

Leila looked at him and couldn’t breathe. ‘I’m fine... What time is it?’

She had no clue what the etiquette of this kind of morning-after scenario was. A morning-after in Venice, after a night of more debauchery than she’d ever known she was capable of. Mortification washed through her in a wave.

Alix glanced at his watch, oblivious to her inner turmoil. ‘It’s after ten. I’m sorry about this, but I do need to get back to Paris for a lunchtime meeting.’

Leila forced herself to meet his eyes, even though she wanted to slither down under the covers and all the way to Middle Earth. ‘Of course. I need to get back too.’

Alix put his hands either side of her hips, effectively trapping her. ‘You’re not regretting anything, are you?’

His face was so close she could see the lighter flecks of grey in his eyes. And she knew that no matter how embarrassed she was right now, how gauche she felt, she really didn’t regret a thing.

She shook her head and he pressed a firm kiss to her mouth before pulling back.

‘Good. The housekeeper has sent up some breakfast, and I had some clothes sent over for both of us.’

‘You did?’ Leila boggled.

Alix shrugged and stood up. ‘Sure—I called my assistant in Paris and she got them sent from a boutique here in Venice.’

Of course, Leila thought wryly to herself. She’d almost forgotten for a moment who Alix was. The power he wielded. The ease with which he clicked his fingers and had his orders obeyed. The ease with which she’d fallen into bed with him...

She had to stop thinking about that.

Galvanising herself, Leila got out of bed and pulled the sheet off the bed, tucking it around her body, all the while acutely aware of Alix’s amused gaze.

‘I’ll have a quick shower,’ she said, and walked to the bathroom with as much dignity as she could while trailing a long length of undoubtedly expensive Egyptian cotton behind her.

Once in the bathroom, Leila could hear Alix’s phone ring and his deep tones as he answered. It was a welcome reminder that he was itching to move on, to get back to Paris and his life. And she needed to get on too.

As she stepped under the hot spray of the shower she told herself that if all she had was this night in Venice with a beautiful exiled king then she would be happy with that.

She valiantly ignored the physical pang in the region of her chest that told her otherwise. She was not her mother, and she was not going to fall for the first man she’d slept with.

* * *

An hour later they were back on Alix’s private jet, taking off from Venice. Alix was talking in low tones in another guttural language on his phone. She guessed it must be a form of Spanish. It was a relief not to have his attention on her for a moment.

Leila looked out of the window and took a shaky breath. Hard to believe her world had changed so irrevocably within less than twenty-four hours.

She wore the new clothes Alix’s staff had sent over. Beautifully cut slim-fitting trousers and a loose long-sleeved silk top, with a wrap-around cashmere cardigan in the most divine sapphire-blue colour.

They’d even sent over fresh underwear and flat shoes. She felt cossetted and looked after. Dangerous. Because he did this sort of thing with women all the time.

When they’d been eating breakfast, just a short while before, she’d caught him looking at her intently. ‘What?’ Leila had asked. ‘Have I got something on my face?’

Without make-up she’d felt bare. Exposed.

Alix had shaken his head. ‘No. You’re beautiful.’

And then he’d reached for her hand and she hadn’t been able to look away from him.

‘I want to see you again. Today...tonight. Tomorrow.’

Her heart had stopped, and then started again at twice the pace. ‘But this was just one night...’

Wasn’t it?

That was how she’d justified her outrageous behaviour. It had been a moment out of time.

Alix had looked a little fierce. ‘Is one night enough for you?’

Trapped in his steely gaze, she’d asked herself if she could do this. Agree to an affair with this man? Have more of him? Yes, a pleading voice had answered.

Would he even let her go after she’d acquiesced so spectacularly? She knew the answer. Slowly she’d shaken her head. It wasn’t enough for her either. She wanted more—shamelessly.

Alix’s fingers had tightened around hers. ‘Well, then...’

And now here she was, hurtling back towards the real world and a liaison she wasn’t sure she knew how to navigate. She heard Alix terminate his call and thought of the dress he’d bought for her to go to the opera, and these new clothes.

She turned away from the view and found him looking at her. Before she could lose her nerve she said quickly, ‘I don’t want to be your mistress. I appreciate the clothes this morning, but I don’t want you to buy me anything else.’

He looked at her for a moment, as if he truly couldn’t understand what she was saying, and then he shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Fine.’

Leila thought of something else and felt the cold hand of panic clutch at her gut. The prospect of press intrusion. Being photographed with Alix. It would inevitably bring scrutiny, and she did not want that under any circumstances.

She said, ‘We can’t go out in public. I don’t want to end up in the papers. I’m not prepared for that kind of intrusion.’

Alix straightened, and something flashed across his face—surprise?—before it was masked and Leila thought she might have imagined it.

‘I have an entire team at my disposal. I will make sure you’re protected.’

Leila looked at him. She thought of Ricardo...and of the fact that Alix had been in and out of her shop a few times now and no one seemed to have picked up on it. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe the skeletons in her closet wouldn’t jump out to bite her.

She forced a smile. ‘Okay.’

CHAPTER SIX

‘EARTH TO ALIX...HELLO? Anyone home?’

Alix blinked and looked at his friend and chief advisor, Andres, who had flown in from Isle Saint Croix to meet him. Andres was Alix’s secret weapon. Devoutly loyal to getting Alix back on the throne, he was also working as a spy, of sorts, in the current regime in Isle Saint Croix. He was the reason Alix was going to get reinstated as King.

‘Have you heard a word I’ve said?’

Alix knew he hadn’t. His head had been consumed with soft silky skin. Long dark hair. Huge green eyes like jewels. Soft gasps and moans. The heady rush of pleasure when he— Damn. He jerked up out of his chair. This was ridiculous.

Leila was like a fever in his blood. He couldn’t concentrate.

He went and stood at the window, and then after a few seconds turned back to his friend and said, ‘I’ve met someone new.’

Andres made a small whistling sound, his boyishly handsome face cracking into a wry grin. ‘I know you move fast, Alix, but this is your fastest ever. Usually you leave at least a week between switching partners. This is good, though—when will we see pictures hit the press?’

Alix folded his arms and scowled at his friend’s exaggeration. And then he thought of what Leila had said about wanting to avoid press intrusion. And, as much as he needed it right now, suddenly the thought of paparazzi hounding her was very unpalatable. It made him feel almost...protective.

There had to be a solution. His brain seized on an idea and it took root. And the more it did so, the more seductive it became.

‘Our supporters on the ground are aware that we are conducting a campaign of misdirection, aren’t they?’

Andres nodded. ‘Absolutely. They know that you’re primed and ready to return, no matter what the press says.’

‘Then if I was to leave and go to my island in the Caribbean for ten days it could only work in our favour?’

Andres huffed out a breath. ‘Well, sure... I mean, you’re just as contactable there as here... And if there are photos emerging of you frolicking in the sun with some leggy beauty the opposition will be taken completely by surprise when we pull the rug right out from underneath them.’

Alix smiled, sweet anticipation flooding his blood. ‘My thoughts exactly.’

Andres frowned. ‘But, Alix, you do know that your island is totally impenetrable by the outside world? No paparazzi have ever caught you there. It’s too far—too remote.’

Alix’s smile faded as he got serious. ‘Which is why you’re going to arrange for one of my most trustworthy staff on the island to take long-range grainy photos—I’ll let you know when is a good time. Enough to identify me, but not Leila. He can email them to you, and you can send them out to whoever you think should get them for maximum beneficial exposure. I want this controlled.’

Alix felt only the smallest pang of his conscience and told himself he’d still be protecting her identity.

Andres’s eyes gleamed with unmistakable interest at the lengths his friend was willing to go to for a woman, but Alix cut him off before he could say anything.

‘I don’t want to discuss her, Andres, just set it up. We’ll fly out tomorrow.’

* * *

‘You want to take me where?’

The blinds were down in Leila’s shop and she’d just closed up for the evening when Alix had appeared, causing a seismic physical response. She hadn’t heard from him since that morning, when they’d arrived back from Venice, and she didn’t like to admit the way her nerves had stretched tighter and tighter over the day, as she’d wondered if she’d hear from him again. In spite of what he’d said.

And now he was here, and he’d just said—

‘I have an island in the Caribbean. It’s private...secluded. I’ve cleared my schedule for the next ten days—I need to take a break. I want you to come with me, Leila. I want to explore this with you...what’s going on between us.’

Leila felt sideswiped, bewildered, along with an illicit flutter of excitement. ‘But...I can’t just leave! Who’ll look after my shop and business? The last thing I can afford now is to close up.’

Smoothly Alix said, ‘I can hire someone to manage the shop in your absence. They won’t have your knowledge, obviously, but they’ll be able to cover basic sales till you get back.’

Leila opened her mouth to protest, but the truth was she wasn’t really in a position to take orders for new perfumes until she found some factory space, so all she was doing in essence was selling what they had. She could mix perfumes on a very small scale, which was what she’d done for Alix. So she was dispensable.

Weakly, she protested. ‘But we’ve only spent one night together. I can’t just take off like this.’

Alix raised a brow. ‘Can’t you? What’s stopping you?’

Leila felt irritation rise. ‘Not everyone lives in a world where you can just take off to the other side of the earth on a whim. Some of us have to think of the consequences.’ But right then Leila knew she wasn’t thinking of financial or economic consequences—she was thinking of more emotional ones. Already.

Then Alix did the one thing guaranteed to scramble her brain completely. He came close and slid his hand around the back of her neck, under her hair, and tugged her towards him.

He said softly, ‘I’ll show you the consequences.’

His scent reached her brain before she even registered the effect it was having on her. Her blood started fizzing, and between her legs she was still tender but she could feel herself growing damp.

An acute physical reaction to desire. To this man.

Hunger, ravenous and scary, whipped through her so fast she couldn’t control it. And when Alix lowered his mouth to hers she was already lost. Already saying yes, throwing caution to the wind. Because the truth was that dealing with him in this environment was scarier—so maybe going to the other side of the world would keep them in fantasy land. And when it was over she’d come back to normality. Whatever normal was...

When the kiss ended they were both breathing heavily, and Leila was pressed between the counter and Alix’s very hard body. They looked at each other.

Shakily, Leila said, ‘This is just... It won’t last.’ She didn’t even frame it as a question.

Something infinitely hard came into Alix’s eyes and he shook his head. He almost looked sad for a moment. ‘No, it never lasts.’

Leila drew in a slightly shaky breath. One more step over the line couldn’t hurt, could it? She was doing this with her eyes wide open. No illusions. No falling in love. She was not her innocent, naive mother.

‘Okay, I’ll come with you.’

Alix just smiled.

* * *

‘There it is—just down there.’

Leila looked, and couldn’t quite believe her eyes. She’d never seen such vivid colours. Lush green and pale white sand, clear azure water. Palm trees. It was like the manifestation of a dream she wasn’t even aware she’d had.

She couldn’t actually speak. She was dumbfounded. This was the last in a series of flights that had taken them from Paris to Nassau and now in a smaller plane to Alix’s private island, which was called Isle de la Paix—Island of Peace.

And it looked peaceful from up here. They were circling lower now, and Leila could see a beautiful colonial-style house, and manicured grounds leading down to a long sliver of beach where foamy waves lapped the pristine shore.

She was glad she’d agreed to come here—because she knew this experience would help her to keep Alix in some fantasy place once their affair was over.

They landed, bouncing gently over a strip cut into the grass in a large open, flat area. Leila could see a couple of staff waiting outside and an open-top Jeep.

When they left the plane the warmth hit Leila like a hot oven opening in her face. It was humid—and delicious. She could already feel the effects sinking through her skin to her bones, making them more fluid, less tense.

The smiling staff greeted them with lilting voices and took their bags into a van. Alix led Leila over to the Jeep, taking her by the hand. When he’d buckled her in, and climbed in at the other side, he looked at her and grinned.

Leila grinned back, her heart light. He suddenly looked more carefree than she’d ever seen him, and she realised that he’d always looked slightly stern. Even when relaxed. But not here.

‘Would you like a brief tour of the island, madam?’

‘That would be lovely,’ Leila responded with another grin.

They took off, and Alix drove them along dirt tracks through the lush forest that skirted along the most beautiful beaches she’d ever seen. The sun hit them and the Jeep with dappled rainbows of light, bathing them in warmth. Leila tipped her head back and closed her eyes, revelling in the sensation.

When the Jeep came to a stop she opened her eyes again and saw that they were on the edge of a small, perfect beach.

Leila leant forward. The smell of the sea was heady, along with the sharper tang of vegetation and dry earth. She itched to analyse the scents but the view competed. It was sensory overload. And the most perfectly hued clear seawater she’d ever seen lapped the shore just yards away.

Alix jumped out of the Jeep and came around, expertly unbuckling her belt and lifting her out before she could object, strong arms under her legs and back. He walked them down to the beach. It was late afternoon, and still hot, but the intense heat of the sun had diminished.

He put her down and looked at her, raising a brow. ‘Have you ever skinny-dipped?’

Leila’s mouth opened and she blustered, ‘No, I certainly have not!’ even as she felt a very illicit tingle of rebellion.

Alix was already pulling off his clothes. He’d changed on the plane before they’d got to Nassau, into a polo shirt and casual trousers. Leila gaped as his body was revealed, piece by mouthwatering piece.

She’d only seen him naked in the dimly lit confines of the Venetian palazzo, and now he stood before her, lit by the glorious sun against a paradise backdrop.

He was stunning. Not an ounce of fat. Hewn from rock. Pure olive-skinned muscular beauty. And one muscle in particular was twitching under her rapt gaze.

Leila’s cheeks flamed and she dragged her gaze up. She sounded strangled. ‘I can’t—we can’t! What if someone comes along?’ She glanced behind her into the trees.

But then Alix was in front of her, his hand turning her chin back to him. She looked at him helplessly and he said, ‘Listen. Just listen.’

Leila did—and heard nothing. Not one sound that didn’t come directly from the island itself. No sirens or traffic or voices. Just the breeze and the trees and birds, and the water lapping near their feet.

‘It’s just us, Leila. Apart from a handful of staff at the house, we’re completely alone.’

A sense of freedom such as she’d never felt before made her chest swell and lightness pervade her body. She felt young and carefree. It was heady.

‘Now, are you coming into the water willingly? Or do I have to throw you in fully clothed?’

Leila started to shrug off her jacket, and said, mock petulantly, ‘Fine, Your Majesty.’

Alix watched her, stark naked and completely blasé. ‘That’s more like it.’

His eyes got darker as Leila self-consciously took off her shirt and trousers, very aware of their chain-store dullness.

When she was in her bra and pants she hesitated, and Alix growled softly, ‘Keep going.’

Leila fought back the memory of that other woman and reached behind her to undo her bra, letting it fall forward and off. The bare skin of her breasts prickled and her nipples tightened. Avoiding Alix’s gaze now, she pulled down her pants with an economic movement, stepping out of them and laying them neatly on her pile of clothes.