Expecting the Prince's Baby (Harlequin Romance\Princes of Europe) (11 page)

“If you recall, Michelina was the one who wanted me to live at the palace, but without her there, it will be better if I move back home with Dad until I have the baby.” It was true she and Vincenzo felt too comfortable together. To her chagrin she knew his visits and plans involving her were a distraction that kept him from doing some of his normal functions. All of it needed to stop. A change of residence was the key.

His next comment surprised her. “I was going to suggest it after we got back from our cruise.”

“I’m glad we’re in agreement about that. I’ll still be living on the grounds and can get room service whenever I want. Living with my father will put the kind of distance needed to ease the king’s mind.” To ease her own mind.

Abby had been thinking of the baby as
their
baby. When he’d kissed her after the sonogram, it had felt so right. She couldn’t delude herself any longer. Abby was painfully in love with Vincenzo and felt as if his baby was her baby, too.

“In that case I’ll ask some of my security people to move your things back this evening.”

“I don’t have anything except my clothes, really.”

They’d reached the law firm. Vincenzo opened the door for her. She stepped outside, aware that the good news from the ultrasound had been swallowed up in the tension that had plagued them since Michelina’s death.

“I’ll see you this evening, Abby. Take care.”

* * *

After putting in a full day’s work, Vincenzo grabbed his phone and left for a run in the palace gym to work off his nervous energy. After a heavy workout, he returned to his suite to shower and shave. His phone rang while he was putting on a polo shirt over cargo pants. He’d asked the sentry guard to alert him when Abby got home from work.

Moving fast, he reached the door to her suite before she did. He wanted to catch her off guard. The second she came around the corner and saw him she stopped, causing the fetching green dress to wrap around her long legs for a moment.

“H-How long have you been waiting here?” Her voice faltered.

“Not more than a minute. I’ll help you get packed and we’ll have a last dinner here on your terrace. In a little while some of the security men will be here to take your things over.”

“No, Vincenzo. I—”

“No?”

She looked conflicted. “What I meant to say is that I’m virtually halfway through this pregnancy and everything has gone fine so far. You don’t need to wait on me hand and foot anymore!”

“I
want
to. There
is
a difference, you know. Since you’re the only person on this planet who’s going to make my dreams come true, would you deny me the privilege of showing my gratitude?”

“But you do it constantly.”

He sucked in his breath. “Three-quarters of the time I’ve been out of the country or occupied with business, so that argument won’t wash. All you have to do is tell me that you don’t want my company and I’ll stay away.”

Her eyes flashed purple sparks. “I’ve always enjoyed your company, but—”

“But what?” he demanded.

“We talked about it in the limo. For the time being, it’s best if you and I stay away from each other.”

“Best for you, or for me?”

“Best for everyone! From the beginning we knew there’d be gossip. With Michelina’s death everything has changed and I’m sure the king is wary of it. You have to know that, Vincenzo.” Damn if she wasn’t speaking truth. “My going back to live with Father will quiet a situation that’s building, but you shouldn’t be here helping.”

“We’ve already covered that ground.”

“And we’ll keep covering it for as long as I’m underfoot here or on the royal yacht!” she cried.

“You
do
have a temper.” He smiled. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

Her face filled with color. “I...didn’t mean to snap at you.”

He gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. “Instead of us standing around arguing, why don’t you open the door and we’ll get started on moving you—baggage and all—out of sight.”

She drew closer to him. “Be reasonable.”

“I’m offering my services to help. What’s more reasonable than that?”

“Because it’s not your job!”

The only person who’d ever dared talk to him like this was his father. Abby was even more alluring when she showed this side of her. “What do you think my job is? To sit on my golden throne all day long and order my subjects to fetch and carry for me?”

“Yes!”

But the minute she said it, he could tell she was embarrassed and he burst into laughter that filled the hallway. In another second she started laughing with him. “You’re outrageous, Vincenzo.”

“My mother used to tell me the same thing. Come on and let me in. After a workout in my golden gym, I’m dying for a cold lemonade.”

“The door’s open,” she said in a quiet voice. “I only lock it at night, but there’s really no need to do it, because you’ve assigned bodyguards who are as far away as my shadow.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

V
INCENZO
OPENED
THE
door and waited for Abby to pass before he entered. But when he saw the sway of her hips, he had to fight the urge to wrap her in his arms and pull her body into him.

Never in his marriage with Michelina, let alone with the other women in his earlier years, had he known such an intense attack of desire, and without the slightest hint of provocation on Abby’s part. She’d done nothing to bring out this response in him.

Somewhere along the way his feelings for her as a friend had turned into something entirely different. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she was leaving the palace tonight that had unleashed the carnal side of his nature. Maybe it was the reality of the baby now that he had the pictures in his possession, knowing it lived inside her body.

Her father was a red-blooded man who’d probably warned her ages ago not to go out on the yacht with him. Vincenzo’s own father, a man with several quiet affairs in his background, had no doubt made it easy for Abby’s father to leave his service to be certain no misstep was taken.

Vincenzo got it. He got it in spades. But the ache and longing for her had grown so acute, it actually frightened him.

While she was in her bedroom, he phoned the kitchen to have some sandwiches and salad brought up to the room. “This is Signorina Loretto’s last evening in the palace. Tonight she’s moving back to Signor Loretto’s apartment on the grounds. You’ll be delivering her meals there from now on when she requests them.”

“Very good, Your Highness.”

Having quieted that source of gossip for the moment, Vincenzo hung up and went looking for Abby. “I ordered some sandwiches to be brought. While we’re waiting, what can I do to help?”

She had several suitcases on the bed and had already emptied her dresser drawers. “Well...there’s not much to take. I left most of my things at Dad’s. Maybe if you would empty my CDs and DVDs from the entertainment center. I’ll clean out the things in the den myself. The men will have to bring some boxes to pack all my books and Michelina’s paintings.” She handed him an empty shoulder bag.

She had an impressive collection of operas, from
Madame Butterfly
to
Tosca.
Her choice of movies was as varied as the different traits of her personality. He packed all but one of them and went back to the bedroom. “You enjoyed this?”

Abby glanced at the cover. “
24?
I absolutely love that series. Have you seen it?”

“Yes, and I found it riveting from beginning to end.”

Her eyes exploded with light. “Me, too! Did you see the series about the signing of the peace accord?” He nodded. “That was my favorite. Even my father thought it was good, and that’s saying a lot considering the kind of work he’s in. He only picked apart half of the things in it that bothered him.”

A chuckle escaped Vincenzo’s lips. “Shall we watch a few episodes of it tonight while we eat and direct traffic?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Bene.”

“Oh—someone’s knocking.”

“I’ll get it.”

He opened the door and set the dinner tray on the coffee table.

After she’d emptied the bathroom of her cosmetics, she started on the den. Abby worked fast and it didn’t take long. “There!” She came back in the living room. “It’s done. Now all your poor slaves can move everything to Dad’s.”

With a smile he told her to sit in the chair and put her feet up on the ottoman. It pleased him that he got no argument out of her. With a flick of the switch, he sat back on the couch and they began watching
24.

Again it gratified him that she was hungry and ate her sandwich with more relish than usual. He’d been afraid their little scuffle in the hall had put her off her food, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

The thought came into his head that she was probably excited to live with her father again and enjoy his company. Which left Vincenzo nowhere.

He craved Abby’s company. During his trip to France she was all he ever thought about. To his surprise, it wasn’t because of the baby. Perhaps in the beginning the two had seemed inseparable, but no longer.

Abby was her own entity. Lovely, desirable. Her companionship brought him nothing but pleasure.

“Don’t you think the queen is fantastic in this series? She was the perfect person to be cast in that part. How could the king want that other woman when he had a wife like her?” Abby was glued to the set. Vincenzo didn’t think her remark was prompted by any other thought than the story itself, but it pressed his guilt button.

In his own way he’d been faithful to Michelina, but it hadn’t been passionate love. This need for Abby had only come full force recently. His amorous feelings for her had crept up on him without his being aware.

“She’s very beautiful in an exotic way,” Vincenzo agreed, but his mind was elsewhere.

“How would it be to have been born that exotically beautiful? I can’t even imagine it.”

He slanted her a glance. “You have your own attributes. There’s only one Abby Loretto.”

“What a gentleman you are, Vincenzo. No wonder your subjects adore you.”

“Abby—”

“No, no.” She sat up straight. “Let me finish. All you have to do is look through that scrapbook again to see it.”

A burst of anger flared inside him for his impossible situation.

“If you’re trying to convince me to continue playing the role I was born to in life, it’s not working. I’m no longer a baby who happened to be the child of a king. I’ve grown into a man with a man’s needs. If I’ve shocked you once again, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not a fool,” she said quietly. “I can understand why you balk at the idea of marrying someone you don’t love, even if it is your royal duty. After your experience with Michelina, it makes more sense than ever. But I can’t believe that someday a woman with a royal background won’t come along who sweeps you off your feet so you can take over for your father.”

The program had ended. Abby got up from the chair to take the disk out of the machine and put it in the shoulder bag with the others.

He eyed her moodily. “Perhaps that miracle will occur. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. At this point, the birth of our child is the only event of importance in my life. It’s all I can think about.”

“That event isn’t far off now.”

No... He had less than six months before she left for the States. Getting to his feet he said, “The men should be here shortly. Come with me. If you’re up to a walk, I’ll escort you back to your old stomping grounds.”

A happy laugh, like one from childhood, came out of her. “That sounds like a plan. I ate an extra sandwich half. The doctor would say that’s a no-no. Otherwise at my next appointment I’ll weigh in like—”

“Don’t say it,” he warned her. “I prefer my own vision of you.”

She was turned away from him so he couldn’t see her reaction. “I’ll leave a note to tell them everything is here in the living room ready to go.”

Vincenzo waited, then led her down another hall outside her apartment that came out at the side of the palace. They passed various staff as they walked down the steps and out the doors into an early evening.

July could be hot, but the breeze off the Mediterranean kept them cool enough to be comfortable. He’d crossed these grounds hundreds of times before, and many of those times with Abby. But this was different.

If he wasn’t fearful of giving her a minor heart attack, he’d reach for her hand and hold it tight while they strolled through the gardens. Her father’s apartment was in one of the outbuildings erected in the same style and structure as the palace. At one time it had housed certain members of the staff, but that was a century ago and it had since been renovated.

On impulse he stopped by a bed of hydrangea shrubs in full bloom to pick some flowers. “These are for you.” He put them in her arms. “The petals are the color of your eyes. Not blue, not lavender, just somewhere in between.”

“Their scent is heavenly.” She buried her face in them, then lifted her head. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You have no idea how many times over the years I’ve longed to pick these. Mother called them mop heads. These were her favorite flower and color.”

“Maybe it’s because she was reminded of them every time she looked into her only baby’s eyes.” Abby now averted them. “Abby, was there a reason your parents didn’t have more children?”

She nodded. “Mom and Dad had me five years after they were married, because he’d been in the military. Two years later they decided to get pregnant again, but by that time Dad had been shot while on duty and it turned out he’d been rendered sterile. They weren’t keen on adopting right away. I think it’s one of the reasons they decided to move to Arancia, where they could make new memories.”

Vincenzo was aghast. “I didn’t know. Your father was so devastated when he lost her. I’ll never forget.”

“No. They were very much in love, but they had a great life all the same.”

“And they had you.” He was beginning to understand why she and her father were so close.

“Their inability to increase the family size was probably another motivating reason for my wanting to be a surrogate for you and Michelina. It’s crazy, isn’t it? So many women and men, whether in wedlock or not, seem to have little difficulty producing offspring while others...” Abby didn’t finish the rest. She didn’t have to.

They continued walking until they reached the apartment where she would live until the baby came. She left him long enough to put the flowers in water and bring the vase into the living room. He watched her look around after she’d set it on the coffee table.

This was the first time Vincenzo had been inside Carlo’s suite. Family pictures were spread everywhere. He saw books and magazines her father must have read.

“Is it good to be home, Abby?”

She turned to him. “Yes and no. The apartment at the palace has been like home to me for quite a while. Both Dad and I can be semireclusive without meaning to be. We’re both insatiable readers and like our privacy on occasion. He’s going to have to put up with me invading his space again.”

“Oh, I think he can handle it.” Vincenzo happened to know her father had been on a countdown to get Abby out of the country from the time Michelina had died. “I’ll stay until the men arrive with your things.”

Abby sat down on one of the love seats, eyeing him with some anxiety. “I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble to get the yacht ready.”

“My father pays the captain a good salary to make certain it’s able to sail at any time.”

She shook her head. “I don’t mean the money.”

He let out a sigh. “I know you didn’t. Frankly, the only person put out is yours truly, because I had my heart set on taking you to Barcaggio, on the northern tip of Corsica.”

“I’ve never been there. You think I’m not disappointed, too?”

Abby sounded as though she meant it. Her response went a long way toward calming the savage beast within him.

“With your love of history, you’d find it fascinating. They had a unique warning system, with sixty guard towers dating from the fifteenth century, to keep the island safe. At least three towers in sight of each other would light fires to give a warning signal of pirates approaching. The Tower of Barcaggio is one of the best conserved and the water around it is clear like the tropics.”

“Don’t tell me anything more or I’ll go into a deep depression.”

A rap on the door prevented him from responding. He was glad the men had come. The sooner they left, the sooner he could be alone with her for a while longer. “I’ll answer it.”

For the next few minutes, a line of security people walked in with bags and boxes. Vincenzo helped to carry some of her law books into the library. What he saw on the desk gave him an idea. After he’d thanked them and they’d left, he called to Abby.

“Is there something wrong?” She hurried in, sounding a little out of breath.

“I think I’ve found a way we can be together for meals without leaving our suites.”

She looked at him with those fabulous eyes. “How?”

“We’ll coordinate our meals for the same time every evening and talk on Skype while we eat. That way I can check on you and know if you’re lying when you tell me you’re feeling fine.”

Her lips twitched. “That works both ways. I’ll know if you’re in a mood.”

“Exactly. Is it a deal?”

“Be serious, Vincenzo.”

His heart beat skidded off the charts. “When I get back to my apartment, I’ll Skype you to make sure everything’s working properly.”

“You don’t mean every night?”

“Why not? Whether I’m away on business, out of the country or in the palace, we both have to stop for food, and we’re usually alone. At the end of a hectic day, I’d rather unwind with you than anyone else. It’ll save me having to go through Angelina to find out your condition for the day. Shall we say seven?”

“That’ll last about two minutes before you’re called away to something you can’t get out of.”

He decided he’d better leave before her father showed up. Together they walked to the entrance of the apartment. “Shall we find out? How about we give this a thirty-day trial? That should keep the gossips quiet. Whoever misses will have to face the consequences.”

Amusement lit up her eyes. “You’re on, but a prince has so many commitments, methinks
you’ll
be the one who will wish you hadn’t started this.”

Vincenzo opened the door. “Don’t count on it. I’ll be seeing you as soon as I get back to my apartment.” He glanced at his watch. “Say, twenty minutes?”

“I won’t believe it till I see you.”

With that challenge, he left at a run for the quick trip back to his suite. There was more than one way to storm the citadel for the rest of her pregnancy without physically touching her. He didn’t dare touch her.

It disturbed him that though he’d been in a loveless marriage, he could fall for another woman this fast. He was actually shocked by the strength of his feelings. To get into a relationship was one thing, but for Abby to be the woman, Vincenzo needed to slow down so he wouldn’t alarm her. He knew she was attracted to him. It wasn’t something she could hide, but she never let herself go.