The Royal House of Niroli: Secret Heirs: Bride by Royal Appointment / A Royal Bride at the Sheikh's Command

She had to admit that gave her new insight into this man’s character. If he was the sort of father who stepped up and took responsibility for a child whose mother had abandoned him, despite the fact that he obviously wasn’t particularly good with children, maybe he wasn’t as bad as she’d taken him for at first. Many men would have thrown up their hands and decided the child was surely someone else’s problem.

Still, she couldn’t let him know she was prepared to give him any credit. He was definitely a “give the man an inch, he’ll take a mile” type, and she wasn’t handing out inches right now.

“In other words, you picked the wrong woman to have a serious relationship with,” she noted, purposely playing devil’s advocate instead of a sympathizer.

He hesitated and took a sip of cool liquid before he answered. “I guess you could pin that on me. But I haven’t seen a lot of evidence that there are many women out there you can depend on. Every woman in my life has walked out in one way or another.”

Elena stiffened as though his words attacked her as well as the women he was referring to. “That’s a bit harsh. Are you trying to tell me you don’t know any decent women at all?”

His cynicism was raw and candid. “Let’s put it this way. We’re all human. We all have selfish motives. It just seems to me that women don’t admit it up front. They pretend to have higher ideals and then go right ahead and cheat. You can’t count on them.”

She threw up a hand. “You’ve been burned and you’ll never trust again. Yes, I’ve heard it before.”

“And you’ll hear it again. It’s based on truth.” He frowned and decided turnabout was fair play. “How about you?”

“Me?” She looked surprised at the question.

“Yes, you. You may be proudly blind, but I’m sure you have a love life, too.”

“A love life.” She laughed out loud at the term. “Sorry to disappoint you. I avoid heartbreak right up front. I don’t fall in love. Never have, never will. That makes me almost bulletproof.”

“What about your friend, the one who draws nudes?”

“Gino? He doesn’t date women.”

“Yes, you implied that before.”

“You see?” she said again with an impudent smile. “Bulletproof.”

She turned and walked off and he watched her go. He didn’t believe a word she’d said. She was at least in her mid-twenties and no woman that attractive could have avoided male attention that long.

Did that mean she was just like all the others—making up truth as she went along? He winced. And suddenly he realized he was fighting that concept. He didn’t want to think she was like that. In fact, he needed her to be better than that. So what kind of fool was he, anyway?

Draining his glass, he put it down on the counter and followed her back into the living room. She was at the piano lightly playing a soft tune, but she made room for him on the piano bench.

“I took a look at your backyard,” he told her. “It’s very nice.”

She nodded, smiling. “I like to work in the garden, but, of course, I do have some logistical problems. I have a friend who’s a landscaper. He comes by and does basic maintenance for me every now and then.”

He frowned. Another “he” friend, huh? And she claimed there was no love in her life. But that was really none of his business, was it?

“I noticed a little house out back. Who stays there?”

“Oh, that’s the guest house.” She lifted her fingers from the keys as she thought about it. “My grandmother had it fixed up for friends who came to stay. When you live in a place like Niroli, you get a lot of visitors.”

“So it’s ready to go.”

“Ready to go?” She looked wary. “What do you mean?”

“I mean it’s move-in ready. And I’d like to move in.”

“What?” The shock of that concept flashed through her. She could hardly think she’d heard him right.

“Jeremy and I need a place to stay. Your little guest house would be perfect.”

“No.” She was shaking her head vehemently. With every ounce of emotional strength, she felt herself rejecting the idea. “Oh, no. No, that won’t work.”

“Sure it will.”

Her heart was beating very fast. Her adrenaline was even flowing. Every part of her knew this was not an option. She could not have Adam Ryder living here with her for the duration. It just couldn’t be. She rose from the piano bench and backed away from where he still sat. Her hand went to her throat and flattened protectively.

“No,” she said with pure passion. “Don’t you see? That is absolutely impossible.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“IT CAN’T happen,” Elena insisted. “You don’t belong here. It’s impossible.”

Adam sat where he was on the piano bench and stared at her. He loved the way her entire body seemed to be consumed with whatever emotion she was feeling. It was almost as though the communications that might have been made by her eyes were instead made by every cell in her body. She was a symphony of the heart, a ballet of the soul. He felt as though he could watch her for ever.

Or at least until things got a little too intense. Watching her body language stirred some body response of his own. Physical communication. He’d never been more ready to try it—at least in theory. Because he knew very well that wasn’t going to happen. She was untouchable.

He wasn’t usually so attuned to the subtleties of life, especially where women were concerned. He worked in an industry that was rife with beautiful females, and many of them were readily available to an attractive man in his position. There was a temptation in that environment to use women like disposable toys. He’d been guilty of it a time or two himself.

But he’d known right away that Elena could never be a part of something so banal. And it wasn’t just because she was blind. There was more, an innocence to her, a purity of spirit that he knew he didn’t have the right to sully. She was sacrosanct. And for once in his life, he was going to honor that. Too bad he couldn’t think of any straightforward way to let her know that she didn’t have anything to worry about on that score.

“You’re not giving my idea a fair chance,” he told her. “We can make it work.” He shrugged, knowing he wasn’t being very persuasive but not sure how he could do better. “Think it over for awhile. Go over all the ramifications. Don’t let your first impulse rule your head. Take some time and—”

“I don’t need time to know that having you here just won’t work,” she said firmly. “You … you …”

When she couldn’t come up with the words, he tried to help. “I what? Bother you in some way?”

Her cheeks reddened so quickly, it was obvious she’d already been thinking along those lines.

“Okay, I promise to try hard not to bother you. In any way. We’ll be out there in the little house, quiet as mice. You’ll hardly know we’re there.”

He knew he was blowing smoke and so did she. She didn’t even bother arguing his points, turning on him with a new tact instead.

“Are you doing this just because you think the hotel is angry with you over the wedding-cake incident? I’m sure the money you gave them has gone a long way toward clearing that up. If you just go back and—”

“It’s not really that,” he told her earnestly. “That’s only part of it. There’s a lot more.” He hesitated. It was probably time to come clean. Maybe past time. “I … well, I really haven’t told you everything …”

“About how you’re supposed to be interviewing to become the next King of Niroli?” she interjected quickly, thinking he would never get to the crux of the matter if she waited for his halting explanation. And she needed this cleared up right away. He couldn’t stay here!

“So what? If you don’t like the hotel, why don’t you just go stay at the palace? I would have thought that would be where you would want to be anyway.”

“Not hardly,” he said, studying her with surprise. How had she figured out that he was in line for the crown? The news must be more widely known than he’d realized. And that was not good. It only emphasized how important it was for him to hide out someplace like this.

“How did you know?” he asked her curiously.

“Gino told me.”

“Ah, the ubiquitous Gino.” He was rapidly developing a firm dislike for the man. “He gets around a lot, doesn’t he?”

“Gino is one of my best friends,” she insisted sharply. “He knows more about what’s going on around town than most people do.”

“Good for him,” he replied dryly. “Then I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pass this on to him, but, as far as the palace goes, I’m in the bargaining phase right now. I don’t want to stay there because I need distance and a way to make them wonder if I’m really interested. You understand negotiation, don’t you?”

“You mean manipulation, don’t you?” she shot back, beginning to pace on the Persian carpet.

He grinned. “Okay. I’ll accept that word. But you can see why I don’t want to stay where the palace bureaucrats can keep tabs on me twenty-four hours a day.”

“Then try another hotel.”

“I don’t want a hotel. The press has already been nosing around. All I need is for the local paparazzi to start peeking in my window. I have to stay someplace where nobody knows my name.”

She stopped before him, almost pleading. “Adam, it’s a small island. You can’t hide here like you can in a big city.”

“I can lay low for a little while. Put off the inevitable. I’ll pay you well for the place.”

“Oh!” She went back to pacing. She didn’t want him here. She couldn’t have him here. She’d never wanted him in her house in the first place. And now he wanted to stay!

No. It was impossible. He was too big, too loud, too overwhelming. It had been bad enough having him hanging around all afternoon. She’d been on edge, unable to really relax. She couldn’t be like that for days at a time. This was her space. She didn’t want him in it.

The front door banged and Adam spun in surprise. A tall man with a hard, wiry build was coming into the house. Handsome in a self-conscious way, he looked tough and a bit petulant.

“Hello,” he said to Elena. “I just dropped by to let you know Devon and Martha can come tonight after all.”

“Oh, good,” she said distractedly, then waved a hand in Adam’s general direction. “Gino, meet Adam Ryder.”

Adam rose from the piano bench, ready to shake hands, but Elena’s friend didn’t seem to be in a handshaking mood.

“Oh.” Gino looked at Adam but he didn’t look pleased. “What’s he doing here?”

Elena threw up her hands. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”

Adam had no problem providing an answer. “Right now I’m trying to get Elena to rent out her little guest house to me.”

Gino’s brows drew together menacingly. “Well, she’s not going to do that.”

Adam raised an eyebrow as a counter-measure. “Isn’t she?” he said quietly.

“No. Of course not. She can’t have you here.”

Elena turned, listening intently, her lips pressed tightly together.

“She won’t do it,” Gino went on confidently. “She doesn’t need you. Look, we know who you are.”

“Do you?”

“You’re Adam Ryder. You’ve got ties to the royal family.”

“You got me there. Not that it’s anything to brag about.”

“What? Our royal family isn’t good enough for you?”

The man was obviously ready to take anything he said as an affront. Adam smiled. “It’s a complicated situation,” he said calmly.

“Well, Elena doesn’t need that sort of complication in her life.”

Gino was glaring in a way that said he was used to being able to intimidate, but Adam held his gaze with a cool response in his own.

“I have no intention of complicating Elena’s life.”

“But you didn’t tell her who you were right away, did you? You were trying to keep it a secret. You’re not an honest man.”

Elena’s head rose at that and she stepped between them. “Gino, that’s enough. This is my decision, not yours.”

Gino’s anger made him reckless. “Elena, sometimes you just have to admit you could use some help.”

“Gino!”

He grabbed her hands and gazed down at her earnestly. “Look, I know you just lost half your income and you’re frantic to figure out how to replace it. Especially as you are trying to find a way to pay for attending that music program in New York.”

“That’s right,” she said tartly. “So you should understand.”

“But, darling, this is not the way to do it,” he said, pleading with her and at the same time making it clear that he expected her to do exactly what he suggested. “We’ll find a better way. I’ll sell a painting. Just give it some time.”

Adam waited quietly through this exchange. He’d seen her face while Gino was spouting off orders and he allowed himself a small smile. She didn’t like being told what to do, and she really didn’t like being told she needed someone to take care of her. There was still a chance here. All he had to do was wait Gino out and then play his cards right. He was a negotiation pro from way back. He knew how to do this.

“Elena, listen to reason. You can’t do it.” Gino looked as though he were about to stamp his foot.

But Elena was having none of it. She held her chin high and looked rebellious. “I’ll make that decision on my own.”

Gino gave an exasperated sigh and turned toward the door. “I’ve got no more time for chit-chat,” he said, sounding more than annoyed. “I’m due at the spa. I promised Natalia I’d give her some help decorating. She’s completely redoing some of the exercise rooms.” He glared back at Adam, his look purposefully ominous. “I’ll have to deal with all this later, including you,” he said in menacing tones.

And he was out the door.

Adam turned to grin at Elena. He knew she couldn’t see it, but she would surely hear it in his voice.

“When he says “deal with all this later”, what exactly is he talking about?” he asked her, tongue in cheek.

“Oh, pay him no mind,” she said in exasperation. “Gino has a flair for the dramatic. He’s mostly talk.”

“‘Mostly’, huh? It’s that little margin of doubt that tends to give one pause. The unknown factor is always the deadly one. So, just the same, I guess I’ll keep my guard up.”

He wasn’t really rattled by Gino’s implied threat. He’d faced down bigger men than Elena’s friend. Still, it didn’t hurt to add a little fuel to her resentment for being treated like someone who needed managing.

And he’d certainly taken in all that talk about how desperately she needed funds right now. He knew the feeling—though his financial needs were in a different league. Still, he had plenty of spare cash for the small needs of life.

It was on the tip of his tongue to promise her all the things he could do for her as King, but he stopped himself just in time. He had to be smart about this. The more he analyzed things, the more he realized she would hate something like that. He might as well just lay low. If he played his cards right, she would succumb in the end.

“How much?”

She stopped her pacing and inclined her head, looking like a swan considering possibilities. “How much what?”

“How much do you want to rent the room out? Here’s what I was thinking.” He named a price that made her gasp. “That’s twice what I’m paying at the Ritz.”

“For my crummy little room?” she cried.

He shrugged. “Well, you’ll also have to let me have the run of your house. After all, there’s no bathroom out there. And most of all …” he managed to add a note of tragic regret “.most of all, no kitchen.”

She shook her head and threw out her hands. A half-smile was playing at the corners of her mouth. “You long for a kitchen of your own, do you?” she murmured.

He smiled and nodded. “It’s handy for late night snacks.”

She repeated the sum in her head in wonder. Why, if he stayed long enough, she could pay her airfare to New York. Her shoulders sagged and a deep sigh went through her body. There had been a time when she’d considered herself a hard-headed realist. Now she was becoming a greedy little dreamer instead. Was she going to hate herself in the morning?

“You’re just like the serpent in the garden, aren’t you?”

His head went back. He wasn’t sure he liked her choice of analogy. “What are you talking about?”

“Temptation. You’re holding out a big fat juicy red apple my way.”

He supposed she was right. Still, it seemed an odd way of putting it … for her. “What do you care what color it is?” he asked softly.

“Oh, there’s a difference. Believe me. I can feel it.” She nodded. “It’s big and it’s red and it’s delicious. Will I break down and take a bite? That’s the question.”

There was something so sexy about the way she said that. He was glad—and not for the first time—that she couldn’t see what the images she conjured up did to him.

“Of course, the money is tempting.”

He shrugged. “Sure. Money makes the world go round.”

That put her back up quickly enough. “Well, money doesn’t make me go round. At least not usually.”

“Different motivations for different people. What about compassion? How about friendship?”

She gave him a scathing look. “You’re not my friend. I barely know you.”

“To know me is to love me, so don’t worry about that.”

She frowned and he regretted his flip attitude. She deserved better.

“You make the rules, Elena,” he said quickly. “Whatever you say goes. I promise you that.”

She nodded slowly. “I’m considering it,” she admitted. “But I do have one condition,” she added.

He stood poised, waiting. “What’s that?”

She took a deep breath, then said in a calm, steady voice, “I have to see you first.”

He went very still. Something was prickling the hairs on the back of his neck. “What are you talking about?”

“I have to ‘see’ you. Until I really see you, I won’t know you well enough to know if I can let you stay here or not.” Coming toward him, she pointed toward where a straight-backed chair stood. “Sit down.”

“What for?” He resisted, strangely apprehensive.

“Sit down and I’ll show you.”

He really didn’t want to do this. “Are you going to do that touching my face thing? Because I don’t really think that’s going to tell you anything. I mean—”

“Sit down.”

He glanced at his watch, then looked over at the couch where his son was sleeping soundly. “Listen, I’ve got to be at the palace in a little over an hour for a meeting and—”

“This won’t take long. Sit down.”

He hesitated, looking at her. She meant it. He wasn’t going to talk his way out of this. He sat down.

She came toward him with a purposeful air and suddenly his mouth went very dry. He hadn’t been this scared since … since the night Melissa went into labor with Jeremy. But he didn’t want to think about that.

He stared straight ahead and she stood next to him for a moment. He had the impression she was taking in the sense of him, and maybe his smell, but that was just a feeling. He couldn’t pin it down to any solid clues. And he felt like a fool with his heart beating a mile a minute. At this rate he was going to start to sweat and then he would really feel oafish when she touched him.

She was going to touch him. He was sure of that. And the wait was beginning to drive him over the edge. Come on, he wanted to yell. Touch me! Get it over with. She was standing so still …

And then her fingers were lightly touching his hair, just barely tracing the outline of his head, so softly it could have been butterfly wings. It was as though she were probing his aura rather than needing a solid tactile experience. He closed his eyes and his pulse slowed. This wasn’t so bad. He could stand this. In fact, it felt pretty good. Even when her fingers stiffened and began to rake back into the thickness of his hair, it wasn’t so bad. He’d had massages that had felt a lot like this. So far, so good.

And then she shifted her position, as though she wanted to get a better angle on her approach to him. He felt her move and he opened his eyes to find her sliding in between his knees and reaching out with both hands to take hold of his head.

And suddenly he was drowning in sensation. Her hands were moving lightly over his face, touching his eyebrows, running along the ridges of his eye sockets, flattening across the planes of his cheeks. And at the same time her full, peaked breasts, barely covered by low-cut, gauzy cloth, were inches from his face and the outer muscles of her legs were pressing against the incredibly sensitive flesh of his inner thighs. Desire shot through him like a lightning bolt and he was hard as a rock in seconds—and terrified that she would feel it.

He hadn’t felt so out of control since he was a teenager and he couldn’t let her know. He tried holding his breath, thinking about nursery rhymes, singing old songs in his head. Nothing worked. He was afraid she would notice and be disgusted with him. He didn’t want her to think he was all untamed male aggression. She was so clean and genuine. She deserved to be treated with respect.

“I’m almost done,” she whispered to him. “Just a moment more.”

Her small hands curled around his ears, then slid down to cup his jaw bone. He made a strangled sound, but she didn’t seem to notice. She leaned closer in order to touch the back of his head. One tiny move and he could have taken her right nipple into his mouth. The cloth that barely covered her seemed like gossamer now, cobwebs, almost invisible. He could see the nipple, see it tighten. All he had to do was reach out with his tongue …

Oh, God! He was about to explode. He was so hard, he was in pain and it took all his strength not to writhe with it.

Her finger touched his lips, tracing them softly, and he thought, Just let me die now. And then it was over.

“There,” she said, drawing back in a matter-of-fact way. “All done. Now was that so bad?”

He cleared his throat to cover the fact that he couldn’t speak just yet. “Uh … no, not at all,” he managed to croak out at last. Looking at her, he shook his head. How could one slender blind woman pack such a wallop? He didn’t think he would ever be the same again.

She dropped down to sit on the piano bench, facing where he still sat. He didn’t move. He didn’t dare to.

“You’re a very handsome man, aren’t you?” she said calmly.

He swallowed hard and tried to focus. “What makes you say that?”

“The evenness of your features.” She smiled. “And your cocky attitude. But that doesn’t matter, because I can’t see you the way other people do. What does matter is how beautiful your character is. Tell me about that, Adam. What kind of shape is your character in? What kind of a person are you?”

Her words might have been just the cold shower he needed. Talk about turning a pleasure into something painful. Contemplating his character was not something he did very often. Probably because he wasn’t sure he was going to like what he found there.

“My character has its ups and downs,” he said evasively. “But I can promise you this. I won’t do anything to hurt you while I’m here. I swear it.”

She sat quietly, mulling that over. She knew which way she was leaning but she forced herself to slow down and think it through. This man was planning to become King. That put him way out of her circle. He was one of the most cynical men she’d ever known. That should have put him even further out of her range. And finally, she found herself dangerously drawn to him—an attraction that had no future. All the elements for disaster were there. So that meant she was going to turn him down, didn’t it? Make him leave—never see him again. Save herself and her “bulletproof” love life. It was only logical.

But this was the new Elena she was dealing with, the woman who’d awakened from her sleepwalk and wanted to engage with the world. He needed a place to stay. She could certainly use the money. It was only logical.

He finally confronted her with the question of the hour.

“Well? Do I pass muster? Are you going to rent me a room?”