His Royal Prize (5 page)

There were catcalls and whistles. Finally he came back to himself, remembering where they were. But he didn’t give a damn about any of that. He wanted to be alone with Amelia so he could keep exploring her.

He lifted his head and looked down into her wide, dazed eyes. Her lips were shiny and swollen from his kisses. For a brief moment, he thought he had her, that he’d finally figured out how to master her. But she turned her head to the photographers and blew them a kiss before getting into the car. She was amazing, completely unpredictable. Dangerous.

He walked around the front of his car and seated himself, pulling away from the photographers calmly, though his gut instinct was to put the pedal to the floor.

Amelia made him forget the rules he always lived by, made him forget that he’d always tried to escape scandal
by living above reproach. For once in his life, he didn’t give a damn about that.

“You are a dangerous man, Geoff Devonshire,” she said.

He spared a glance for her as he downshifted and saw that she held her fingers to her lips. She was staring pensively out the windshield and he wondered if she was playing a game that was getting out of control.

“If you play me like that again, you will regret it.”

“I already do,” she said. “You make it too easy to forget my own rules.”

He almost laughed, and refrained from commenting on how similar they were.

“I’m surprised you’d admit that.”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s the truth. I don’t think we should see each other again,” she said.

“Like hell we shouldn’t,” he replied. “I’m not letting you go yet.”

“I think I have some say in the matter,” she said dryly.

He put his hand on her arm, feeling the shiver that went through her body.

“You are no more ready to walk away from me than I am from you. We have unfinished business,” he said. “And if you want to lie and pretend that we don’t, you are welcome to try, but your body is telling me a different story.”

She reached over to his thigh and ran her fingers up the inside of his leg. He felt the lightest touch of her fingers against his erection and shuddered. He wanted her hands on his naked flesh. He wanted his mouth all over her naked body.

“You’re right,” she said in a low husky voice that made him even harder.

“Then we’re agreed.”

“Agreed?”

“That this isn’t going to end until I’m buried hilt-deep in your sexy little body.”

“Geoff, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

He pulled off the road, onto the lay-by, stopped the car and leaned across the gearshift. He took what he needed and gave what she wanted, kissing her until he felt as if he were going to explode if he couldn’t explore more than her mouth.

When he lifted his head, she was breathing heavily and her hands were on his shoulders, trying to draw him back to her. She stared up at him with lust in her eyes and just a hint of panic that made him wonder if this was a mistake.

But it was too late now—there was no turning back. Amelia Munroe was going to be his and they both knew it.

T
he kiss was beyond anything that Amelia had expected. Her body responded with ferocity and she had no say in the matter. Mr. Darcy had nothing on Geoff Devonshire when it came to sex appeal. He pulled the car back onto the highway and she realized she had no idea where they were going.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked. “I didn’t even realize we’d left London proper.”

“I’m taking an easier route. I was planning to take you home, unless you had something else in mind. I’d love to take you flying.”

“Not tonight,” she said. “What did you think I’d have in mind? I don’t have an exotic love nest in the country, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Which wouldn’t exactly be exotic,” he said.

“I think I’ve just proved my point.”

“Which is what, precisely?” he asked with a smile.

She shrugged. “I guess that I’m not what you might think.”

“Love, I discovered that last night,” he said. There was a kind and gentle note to his words that warmed her.

“Last night I thought you were a bit of a…”

“Prick?”

She laughed. Dammit, life would be a lot easier if Geoff were a jerk. “Maybe, but you did redeem yourself tonight.”

“Did I?” he asked. “How? By kissing you?”

She didn’t say anything for a few minutes. When she didn’t like the way a conversation was going, she simply stopped it. It was avoidance, pure and simple, but she found that it was her only option. Her defenses disappeared around this man and it made her feel lost.

“Tell me.”

“You’re very bossy. I suspect it’s because you’re an older brother.”

“Perhaps. But rumor has it I was bossy even before the girls came along.”

“Truly? How interesting.”

“Is your brother bossy?” he asked. He took the exit that led to her Hyde Park apartment.

“Auggie? No, he’s demanding but that’s not the same as bossy.”

“No, it isn’t. I have been called demanding as well,” he said.

She could see that. Geoff was refined and very polite, but there was that underlying will in him that said he liked to have things his way. Like the way he’d kissed
her. He had taken no prisoners and left her a mass of aching need. She wasn’t used to that in the least, but she didn’t mind it—in fact, his aggressive nature was becoming quite a turn-on. He wasn’t the kind of man she could run circles around, like most of the others. Geoff would always want to be in charge and for once in her life, she was ready to loosen the reins a little.

“I’m a bit bossy at times myself,” she confessed.

“More than a bit. The last meeting we had at your foundation, I heard you barking orders like the CEO of a major corporation.”

“So if I tell you to drop and give me twenty…?”

“I’ll drop and give you twenty of whatever you want, Amelia.”

She felt her face flush and the ache in her body intensified. She couldn’t think about anything but getting his lips on her again as they approached the high-rise apartment building she lived in.

“Want to come up?”

“I’d love to,” he said.

“You can leave your car in the garage,” she said.

He parked in one of the spots reserved for guests and then came around to open her door. When he reached down to offer her his hand, she had butterflies in her stomach. Geoff was different—something about him practically made her feel like a nervous schoolgirl. Granted, she wasn’t used to such gentlemanly behavior. She knew she wasn’t going to have to worry about him wanting her to do something kinky so he could brag about it to his friends. Guys like that she could handle because she knew exactly what to expect from them—they were a dime a dozen. But not Geoff.

Her imagination began to run away with her. She was hoping that in the morning he’d still be in her bed. And they’d wake up together and have breakfast.

No,
she thought.
I’d better get a hold of myself before this gets way out of hand and I show him too much.

She used her key card to activate the elevator in the main building. Geoff kept his hand on the small of her back as they waited. His fingers were fanned out and he made a small circle with his index finger that made her entire lower body start to pulse.

“You didn’t have to invite me up,” he said.

“I know.”

A few years ago, after the video turned up on YouTube and she’d been hounded by men who assumed she was kinky, she’d established a new rule for herself—no sex on the first date. But she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to stick to that rule tonight.

A part of her believed that if she didn’t do it now, she might never be brave enough to let him this close again. She knew tomorrow she’d have regrets that stemmed from letting him see too much of the woman she was.

She’d have to find a way to put distance between them again, to convince him that she was just an heiress who liked a lot of attention. And the only way to do that was to take what she wanted tonight and walk away tomorrow.

But that was tomorrow. Tonight he was hers and she vowed to enjoy every second.

Amelia’s penthouse was an eclectic mix of classical and modern styles. She had sleek Japanese tables and plush Italian leather sofas in her living area. The floor-
to-ceiling wall of glass that overlooked London allowed the viewer to see all the way to Buckingham Palace.

On the wall was a large Monet from the artist’s time in Argenteuil. On another wall was a painting of Amelia done in the Andy Warhol “Marilyn Monroe” style, with four of the same images in different colors.

Her small dog bounded out of the bedroom as soon as she’d walked in the door.

“How’s my Lady Godiva?” Amelia asked, bend ing over to pet her dog.

The miniature Dachshund stood on her back legs with her tail wagging. Amelia scooped the little dog up and brought her over toward him.

“This is Lady Godiva. Godiva, this is Geoff,” Amelia said.

He scratched the dog under her chin. Amelia set the dog down. “Go to bed,” she commanded.

The little dog trotted off to a large pillow in the corner and circled around several times before lying down.

“Impressive,” Geoff said.

Amelia smiled. “Would you like a drink?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said.

She went to a wet bar in the corner and reached under the counter. “Cognac?”

“I’d enjoy one.”

She gestured toward the sofa. “You can have a seat over there, or if you’d like, the stairs in the corner lead to my rooftop garden.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he said.

She took out two large snifters and warmed them in her hands before pouring in a generous portion of the
dark-colored liquor. She carried the drinks over to where he waited. He was watching her closely and she felt the butterflies fluttering again.

She handed him a drink and they toasted.

“To this evening.”

“To us,” she said. “I think the garden will be nice tonight, since it’s not raining and not too cloudy. Want to give it a try?”

“I’d love to.”

She led the way to her sanctuary, knowing full well that it was only a matter of time before her need would get the better of her.

He followed her up the wrought-iron staircase that was in the corner of the living room. She climbed up steadily in her high heels. He tried to do the gentlemanly thing and not stare up her skirt as she climbed but it was hard to resist looking. After all, he’d been thinking about what was under her skirt all night.

The cognac was good but it didn’t taste as addictive as her mouth. He wanted to taste her again. But since they’d entered her apartment she’d been keeping her distance, and he was going to let her have all the space she needed. It was enough that he was here with her.

She opened the door to the rooftop garden and stepped out into the night. He followed her, breathing in the heavy air. It was crisp and cool, and smelled like spring. There was a hint of rain but also the scent of blooming flowers.

She hit a button on the wall and small lights lit up the area. A fountain started filling the night with the gentle sound of flowing water. He looked around the garden
oasis that he was standing in—from here it was hard to tell he was in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.

“I like this.”

“I’m glad. I needed a place to escape to when I couldn’t get away so I created this area.”

“You created it?”

“I did all the work except the heavy lifting. I figured if it was going to be my retreat I didn’t want anyone else up here. If I had workers helping, they’d sell the story to some paper and then I wouldn’t have any peace.”

He stepped closer to her and rubbed the back of her neck. Her life did take a toll on her, clearly. And he didn’t want to add to the stress.

“I’m honored that you are sharing it with me.”

“Count yourself lucky. I don’t let just anyone up here.”

“Why me?”

“You’re different,” she said, closing her eyes for a moment as his fingers stroked her neck and shoulders. Then she pulled away and walked toward the bench nestled in the trees near the fountain.

He followed her slowly. Amelia was different here in her garden. She wouldn’t look directly at him, and it struck him that she was vulnerable.

She’d invited him to the place where she let down her guard and he wondered if she had second thoughts now.

“This is the second secret you’ve shown me tonight.”

“What was the first?” she asked, looking at him carefully.

“That you are more than the shallow socialite. This is the real Amelia Munroe, and I feel very privileged that you brought me here.”

“Come sit with me.”

“Are you sure?” She nodded.

He did as she asked. The bench was a solid wrought-iron frame with a thick padded cushion. He sipped his cognac and wrapped an arm around her.

“Do you wish you hadn’t invited me up here?”

She shook her head and the silky strands of her thick hair brushed against his neck as she turned her face toward him.

“I’m not sure what to do now. With anyone else I’d be a little drunk and I wouldn’t be thinking so much.”

He wondered how often she drank simply to endure her life or merely because it was expected of her. He suddenly felt the need to protect her, shield her from what the world expected her to be.

“Really?”

She shrugged. “In the old days. I haven’t brought a guy home in a long time.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “You’ve been seen with men lately.”

“You and I both know that being
seen
with someone has nothing to do with actually
being
with someone.”

He took their glasses and put them on the ground by their feet. Then he took her beautiful face in his hands, rubbing his thumb over the blade of her cheek and down to the full curve of her bottom lip.

“That’s very true,” he said, leaning in for the kiss that he felt like he’d waited ages to claim.

It wasn’t the dramatic, lust-filled kiss he’d given her in front of the restaurant. It was deep and steady, and made promises that he wasn’t ready to vocalize but that he couldn’t help making with his lips. This woman was special and he wanted her in his arms for a very long time.

Amelia knew that inviting Geoff to her place wasn’t the wisest decision she had ever made, but she didn’t regret it. She’d had learned fairly early on that if she was going to be able to live in her own skin she couldn’t regret anything. She’d have to just learn from it and move on.

Being in Geoff’s arms felt too good for her to think about regrets. His hands skimmed up and down her back and she shivered with awareness as his mouth moved over hers.

He was touching her with such skill and tenderness that her head was spinning. He was passionate. And commanding. Everything that he was in business she realized he was in life.

She’d made a mistake in judging him. The way he’d probably made a mistake in judging her.

What if he expected something exotic from her? Thanks to the media’s interpretation of the video that ended up on YouTube, past lovers had expected some strange things from her.

She pulled back. “Did you see that video?”

He stared down at her, his brooding eyes unreadable, and she wondered if this would be the moment that he left. Was this going to be the one thing that would make him think poorly of her?

Why had she brought it up?

“I haven’t. I’m not the kind of man who bothers with things like that.”

“Oh, well, it was a long time ago. I mean I know that everyone thinks it just happened yesterday but I was a lot younger.”

She was babbling. She couldn’t help it. Every part of her was outraged that the video had been shared the way it had. She hated that everyone thought they knew intimate details about her because of one mistake.

“Amelia, love, you don’t have to explain anything. I’ve done things in my past that I wouldn’t want the world to watch online. What you and I share together has nothing to do with a video.”

He kissed her so softly and tenderly then that she almost wept. She felt like he was truly kissing her, Amelia, not some idea or expectation of her.

He was healing a part of her she hadn’t realized needed to be healed. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tunneled her fingers into the thick hair at the nape of his neck. She held him to her, realizing in that moment that she didn’t want him to let her go.

She needed this more than she’d expected. When his mouth moved over hers and his hands explored her body she didn’t care about the what-ifs—she didn’t want to think about tomorrow or about consequences. She just wanted to feel.

She touched the buttons at the top of his shirt and undid them while he caressed her from shoulder blade to breast and back again. He found the zipper in the side of her dress and drew it down slowly. Every caress seemed to last longer than the first. And the feel of his hands on
her body was an exquisite torture that she couldn’t get enough of.

She reached for the neckline of her dress, wanting the fabric out of the way so that she could feel his hands on her flesh, but he stopped her.

“Not so fast. I wish to savor you.”