Leopold: Part Four (10 page)

“Thank you, Matthias.” There’s something almost panicked in Leo’s voice. “I don’t believe I asked you for that information, however—”

“Ah, perhaps I imagined it.” Matthias’s gaze is fixed on me. “But perhaps Doctor Parker would also like to be advised of the news.”

“Thank you, Matthias.” I smile, nodding at the man.

He nods again, almost giving me a bow as he walks back to the front of the plane.

It takes a few seconds for what he’s said to sink into my consciousness.

International. Waters
.

I stand up, throwing Leo’s hands away from me. “What did he mean by
international waters
, Leo? There are no international waters between New York and Arizona.” My heart is racing and I look around the cabin in a panic.

Leo stands up next to me. “Elle—”

“Where are we? Where are you taking me?” My heart is thrashing so hard I’m almost dizzy. “You…you kidnapped me?”

“We are going to my home. To Montovia. And I would hardly call it
kidnapping
, Elle. I merely—”

“You told me we were going back to Arizona. You said—”

“No.” He takes a hesitant step toward me. “No, I never said that.”

“You…you
kidnapped me
. Leo—my God. You
kidnapped
me.” My voice is cracking and tears well in my eyes.

I should have known this was too good to be true. And now I’m trapped over God-knows-where, being taken against my will—

“Elle, I knew you wouldn’t agree to come with me. I…I knew you would say you didn’t deserve it. I wanted you to know how worthy you are of this…of everything I have. It’s as I told you before—”

Something about what he’s saying makes the terror subside a bit. But only a bit. “I’m… I…” My voice is still sputtering, and I can’t seem to find my breath.

He touches the top of my arm. “Elle. I promise you I meant nothing criminal in my actions. I merely wanted to
show
you and I thought it would be better if I surprised you. I knew you would argue, try to change my mind.”

“Refused. I would have
refused
.”

He nods, his eyes mirroring the panic I’m feeling. “I know. And that is why I thought it best to…surprise you with this trip. I swear it was only because I didn’t believe you would agree—”

“Because I
wouldn’t have
.” My breaths are coming a little easier now and the panic is starting to subside. “But I’m out of the country without a passport. And whether you believe it or not, that
is
a crime. And I’m not about to go to jail for you, even though we’d probably be locked in a cell next to each other after you’re arrested for kidnapping me.” I lift a brow, suddenly seeing some of the humor in the situation. “And believe me, if I’m going to jail, you are going to
suffer
—”

He grins, patting his pocket before he pulls a passport out and hands it to me. “Unfortunately, your plan is unlikely to work as I have diplomatic immunity in matters such as these.” A small smile comes to his lips. “I do hope you’ll forgive me, though…” His face flushes red. “I found this while you were in the washroom—before we left your delightful abode in Arizona.”

My jaw tightens. “You went through my underwear drawer? Leo, I swear to God—”

“And lovely underwear they are, I might add. If I
do
come to visit you while you are in jail, perhaps you could wear them on one of our conjugal visits.”

I grab the small blue document from him and clutch it to my chest. “Oh, there are going to be
no
conjugal visits, Your Highness. Not for a
very
long time.”

I try to hide the smile I can feel forming on my lips. I should be pissed at him. I should be angry enough to force him to turn the plane around, but somehow I’m not. There’s something almost romantic about what he’s done, because he’s right. I would have refused to go with him to Montovia.

But he wants me to come home with him. He wants to take me
home
. To meet his family. To see where he lives. Because…

Because he loves me.

It’s still all a little much to believe.

No man has ever wanted to take me home to meet his family before. Never.

I’m not sure what it is, but something inside me melts at the realization. He’s never done this for another woman and no man has ever done anything like this for me. He really
does
feel something for me.

He really does love me.

I stare at him for a minute, trying to decide if this is really the right thing to do. He might have kidnapped me, but I can definitely understand why he might have felt it was the only way I would have gone with him. Because it was.

I let out a long breath after another few moments. “Okay, Leo. Here’s the deal. I’ll go to Montovia with you. On two conditions.”

He lets out a sigh that sounds an awful lot like relief. “Name them. I’ll do anything for you, Elle. I’ve already told you I’ll give you the world, and I mean it. Name your terms.”

I playfully narrow my gaze. “First and foremost, you
will
get me to Oklahoma by Tuesday morning for my interview. I’m not willing to negotiate
at all
on that point.”

His smile falls, but he nods. “I’ll have you there on time on Tuesday and I’ll have your things retrieved from Arizona in the meantime.” He stares at me for another second. “What is the other condition?”

I smile. “You’re not touching me until we get to Montovia. And I’m not kidding. Don’t even think about it. I don’t want you ever pulling something like this on me again. Either you’re upfront and honest with me, or we can end this now.”

His smile falls away completely and he nods. “I’m sorry, Elle. And you’re right—I should have been honest with you. But in my defense—”

“I know your defense. And you aren’t wrong. But I need you to respect me enough to tell me the truth. Always.”

“I will. I promise.” A small smile comes to his lips. “If I’m to be honest, though, I need to tell you one more thing.”

My heart speeds in my chest again—what more could he have to tell me? Knowing he’s kidnapped me and is taking me to Montovia is already a bit too much.

His smile turns to a grin. “I love you.”

I shake my head as I walk over to the bed, motioning for him to lie next to me, and a mirror of his smile comes to my lips. I should hate him for this. I’m angry, but not in a way I can really name. And I think it might be because I believe him. I believe he might mean the words he’s saying. I think he might really love me.

And I think I might really love him, too.

I
’ve always slept well
on planes. Something about the gentle vibrations always lulls me quickly to sleep. But my entire body is rigid with restraint now.
That alcohol was a bad idea. Agreeing to sleep in the bed with her was a bad idea.

I hear her shift beside me, trying to get comfortable. This bed isn’t quite the size of a standard double, so we aren’t very far from one another. And knowing Elle, she’ll probably drift even closer to me in her sleep.

Perhaps I should sleep on top of the sheets. Yes—that would make things easier.
Not to mention the fact that I’m suddenly feeling unbearably warm.

But no matter what I tell myself, I can’t seem to move. Instead, all my senses are focused on the form of Elle beside me—I can still smell the soapy freshness of her skin, hear every movement she makes beside me, even feel the heat of her. I’m half hard already, and I dare not move a muscle for fear I’ll lose all control over my body.

Think about non-sexual things. Think about Matthias. Think about your father and brother. Think about the great big mess you’re creating for yourself back home…

“Leo?” Elle’s voice floats softly out of the darkness.

I stiffen. “Yes?”

“You were shaking your leg. It was making the whole bed shake.”

Was I? Oh, God.

“My apologies,” I say. “I was just trying to get comfortable.” I roll from my back over to my side, facing away from her.
I should get up. Go to one of the chairs. Even sleeping on the floor would be better than this. Or, better yet—I should go take a nice, long, ice-cold shower. That would cool me down, and by the time I got back, Elle would be fast asleep.

But again, I can’t seem to bring myself to move.

I squeeze my eyes shut and wait. After a moment, Elle stops wiggling around. A moment later, her breathing slows and grows steadier. Soon, it’s clear she’s fast asleep.

And I don’t move. I’m wide awake, my body tense and poised to strike—and all this without her even having to touch me. Our encounter after dinner wasn’t nearly enough. I spent three months without her, and my entire body aches for that experience again…and again and again. I want to bury myself so deep in her that she can’t imagine herself with any other man ever again.

But I can’t touch her.
Someone, please just shoot me now.

I try to refocus my thoughts. To think about how I’m going to manage things tomorrow. There
will
be things to manage, that much is clear. For all my reassurances to Elle that my family will behave, that they’ll treat her with the proper respect, I still have my reservations. I want them to meet her—
need
them to meet her—but I doubt the introductions will be entirely smooth. I need a plan. I need…

Her. I need her.
My cock is throbbing now, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Though, wait—perhaps that isn’t quite true. I can get up and go relieve
these tensions in the washroom. Ease the needs of my body just enough to let me fall asleep.

This time, I somehow find the ability to move my legs. I’m in the process of kicking the bedclothes aside when I feel a light touch against my back.

I immediately go rigid.

Elle murmurs something in her sleep, and her fingers press against my back. I can’t move. Can’t breathe. I need to get out of this bed before I do something I regret, but my entire being is fixated on her.

She murmurs again, and this time she actually rolls toward me. Her entire body presses against mine, and I can feel the heat of her breath through the thin material of my shirt.

And then I lose all control.

I roll over, grabbing her in my arms and yanking her hard against my chest. I bury my face in her hair, breathing deeply as I wrap myself around her.

I don’t mean to wake her, honestly I don’t. I only want to be as close to her as possible, entwined with her completely. But I feel her stir in my arms, waking little by little. I can’t bear to let her go.

It takes her a moment to realize where she is.

“Leo?” she says sleepily.

My face is still in her hair. “I shouldn’t have gotten into this bed with you.”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry, Elle,” I say, pulling my face back slightly. “I’m not strong enough.”

And before she can say another word, I kiss her.

I
’m having
the most fantastic dream—I’m lying in Prince Leo’s arms when he pulls my body tightly to his, kissing me. His tongue slides against mine almost in time with the way his hands are moving over my body. He draws his fingers down my spine until one hand finds the back of my thigh, pulling my leg up to wrap around his waist so he can fully meld himself to me.

I smile to myself for a moment. I don’t normally have dreams like this—I suppose the combination of Leo’s surprise appearance with what he said to me tonight—and the exhaustion of travel and perhaps the wine at dinner—are giving me a
very
sweet dream.

It’s only a second before I realize this is no dream.

I’m holding my breath—almost praying I’m imagining this. That Leo is
not
doing what I think he’s doing. Not kissing me. Not
touching
me. That maybe I really am asleep and having a blissful dream where Leo is kissing me. Or that I hallucinated this entire night.

My eyes open as he slides his hand down to my still—thankfully—covered ass.

His other hand is fisted in my hair, and his mouth presses against mine. He barely lifts his head away from me so he can speak, and he’s still so close to me I can feel his lips move as the words fall from his mouth. “Please, Elle, let me show you again how much I love you.”

I gasp. “Leo…no.” Catching his hand by the wrist, I shove it away. I push against him, forcing myself back, trying to increase the distance between us until I tumble off the edge of the bed. Pain sears through my back as I land in the dark on something with a sharp edge.

I fumble around, unable to see anything, and I instinctively try to find something to use as a weapon. I finally find something—a book, I think—and I pick it up, ready to strike him if he tries to touch me again.

There isn’t even a moment for me to think before the lights come on and I see Matthias standing in front of me, his eyes wide and his mouth open in horror.

I drop the book I’m holding to straighten myself—my pajama shirt is pushed up a little too far—and I’m acutely aware that Matthias is getting an eyeful of my stomach, if not a little more.

Matthias averts his gaze, turning away from me slightly to afford me some semblance of privacy as I try to straighten my clothing.

I can hear Leo’s ragged breathing from the bed, but he says nothing.

I scramble to my feet, smoothing down the pajamas over my body. I’m still a little out of breath. I was clear with him about my expectations before we went to bed—I know I was. He agreed nothing would happen tonight. And I know he’s capable, even if it was going to be painful for him—for both of us—to be apart. But I had to prove my point to him. I
had
to.

Didn’t I?

There’s a table next to me—that must be what I hit on my fall out of bed. I glance between the two men—neither of them is making eye contact with me or with the other. Leo is sitting up now, staring down at the sheets where I had been lying only a moment earlier.

Matthias finally breaks the silence but doesn’t lift his gaze from the wall where he’s been staring since he turned away from me a moment ago. “May I offer any assistance to either of you?”

“Yes—”

I barely get the word from my lips before Leo interrupts. “No.”

Matthias glances over at me but doesn’t meet my gaze. “Doctor?”

“The nearest airport. You need to tell the pilot to find the nearest one.” My voice is cracking, barely above a whisper.

“Very well, Doctor. Though, we are midway over the Atlantic at the moment. It may be a few more hours before we can land. I will check with the pilot immediately, however, and inform you of the nearest location where we might land. And if you would prefer, you are welcome to utilize my quarters for the duration of the flight.”

My head bobs in agreement as tears fill my eyes. My voice is still broken, and I can barely manage a whisper. “I think that’s a really good idea. I just need to change back into my own clothes.”

He forces a smile, but still won’t make eye contract. “Of course, Doctor Parker.” He gives me another sidelong glance before he begins to walk back to the front of the plane. “The doors up front will be open should you need anything further in the meantime.”

I nod again and watch him disappear into the front of the plane.

Leo drops his head into his hands and stares at the spot on the bed where I had been lying next to him.

I silently walk to the closet and open the door, pulling out the bag that holds the clothes I was wearing when I got on the plane in Arizona. Before I decided to play dress-up. Before I stepped into what I
knew
was going to be a giant quagmire.

I don’t say a word—I grab the bag and walk to the bathroom, taking off the stupid silk pajamas and putting on my slacks and blouse, even though they’re wrinkled now after being crumpled into the bag.

I wait in the bathroom for several minutes—I’m not even sure for what, other than to let my heart rate slow a bit. I’m still completely disoriented—I have no idea what time it is or how this even happened. If maybe I had sent Leo some signal or if I had done something in my sleep to encourage him.

It’s possible
…

Tears fill my eyes again when I think about how I’m blaming myself. I turn on the sink to splash cold water on my face.
That
is the old Elle talking.
That
is the Elle who let men walk all over her—who took the blame for every wrong that was ever done to her.
This
Elle is not doing that.
This
Elle is not going to make some excuse for Leo’s behavior. Because even if I had given Leo some sort of signal that I’d wanted him to kiss me, or touch me, or do anything else—
I was asleep
. He could have at least let me wake up before he tried anything—at least given me the chance to refuse.

You wouldn’t have refused, though
…

No
. New Elle is not going to give Leo the benefit of the doubt on this one. New Elle isn’t going to let a man tell me that he loves me so he can get in my pants—and in my head. And damn it,
I knew that was what he was doing all along
. That is what men do to me. That is the
only
time I’ve ever heard those words.

I splash some more water on my face, trying to hide the puffiness I can already see forming around my eyes before I walk back into the main part of the jet.

Leo hasn’t moved. His head is still in his hands. And his expression—he looks like he just watched someone die.

I turn away from him without a word, going back to the closet to throw in the pajamas I was wearing and I pull out my shoes, slipping them onto my feet. I grab my purse, too, before I sit down at the desk, waiting for Matthias to come back to tell me how much longer I’m going to be stuck on this plane with Leo.

We sit in silence for several minutes. I’m not even sure if he’s alive—I can’t hear his breathing anymore and he hasn’t made any attempt to even say a word.

And when he finally speaks, I swear it almost sounds like
he’s
crying. “Elle…”

I don’t turn around to face him. I don’t think I can look at him, even if I want to. “There’s nothing to say, Leo.”

“Oh, but there is. My behavior was…inexcusable.”

I don’t respond. Hopefully, he understands my silence is my agreement with his statement.

I stare at him for a moment. “You didn’t have to do
any
of this, you know. You didn’t have to make such a big production out of everything. We could have spent the day in Arizona and you never would have had to tell me you loved me. I would have let you fuck me all weekend without any of this idiotic show.”

He flinches like I’ve slapped him and I swear I see tears in his eyes.

But I can’t stop myself now. My body is burning with humiliation again—I feel almost as exposed as I did the day he left me naked on my bed.

I motion to the closet. “If this is only about sex, what the hell was with all the bullshit gowns? Is that some stupid fantasy of yours? You play fairy godmother and you get to fuck your little pumpkin again at midnight?”

He shakes his head slowly and his eyes are definitely glistening.

I ignore the knot I feel in my belly, seeing how my words are digging into him like knives. Hot tears well in my own eyes again. “You didn’t have to say you loved me. That was over the top, even for you, Your Highness. But I suppose then I wouldn’t have been quite as humiliated when you left me this time. Or when you did whatever you were planning to do to me in front of your family.”
If that was even going to happen…

He presses his lips together, his head still turning slowly from side to side, almost like he can’t believe any of this is happening himself.

Part of me hates that I’m hurting him, but he’s shattered me. Again. Broken every little piece I’ve managed to glue back together in the past three months. A tear streaks down my cheek.

Matthias comes in during the ensuing silence, his gaze still turned to the floor. “The pilot informs me that Lisbon will be our best choice for landing—that it is closer than turning back for New York City—if you find that acceptable, Doctor.”

I swipe at the tears on my face with the back of my hands “Fine.” I barely glance at him.

“If you…” Matthias clears his throat. “If you would prefer to utilize my quarters, I’m sure His Highness would not mind.”

“I would very much mind.” Leo finally speaks again and his voice is a low growl. “The doctor and I are discussing the terms of her departure. You are welcome to leave the door open to your quarters, Matthias, should you feel the need to monitor the situation.”

The man bows slightly, nodding. “As you wish, Your Highness.” He backs out of the room, still bent over in deference to Leo.

The room goes silent again for several minutes. I try to regain control of my emotions—to blink back the tears and try to remember the things I’ve been working on in therapy for the past three months. Though at the moment, I can’t even remember the name of my therapist, let alone any of the things we’ve talked about during our twice-weekly calls.

Leo’s voice is low and his words are slow and careful when he finally speaks to me again. “You touched me in your sleep, Elle. You…you touched me. I thought you were awake. I know it’s no excuse, and I understand if you really do want to get off the plane in Lisbon. But I honestly thought you had awakened—that you were kissing me back. That you were a willing participant…” His voice trails off and he drops his head again, his hand clapping against his forehead. “I’m so sorry, Elle. You need to understand that I would
never
…”

He closes his eyes, not finishing his sentence. He just sits there, bent over with his hand resting on his forehead.

I watch him for a few minutes, but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t offer anything else.

My stomach twists with guilt again, seeing him like this. Maybe I overreacted. Maybe I made too much of this, though I really don’t think so, especially considering my past experiences.

I draw in a deep breath. Maybe it’s time to tell him—maybe it will help him at least see where I’m coming from. And it might be nice to have someone who knows the truth—someone besides Owen, anyway.

“Leo…” My voice cracks and my heart begins racing in my chest again. “I’m sorry—”

He sits up straight, shaking his head. “You have
nothing
to apologize for, Elle. I refuse to accept any apology. This is completely my doing and I’ll not have you taking any blame whatsoever—”

I hold up my hand to stop him. “Let me finish. Please. You need to understand.” My eyes dart around the room and I’m trying to think of a way to say what needs saying without it coming out the way I’m almost sure it will.

My gaze meets his again and he holds me in it for another moment. “Leo, I think I may have mentioned my last relationship—”

He nods, interrupting. “Elle, you don’t need to tell me the details. Between what you’ve already said and what my investigators uncovered—”

“Yes—I’m sure you already know the gory details of everything, Leo. But you need to let me finish.”

He holds up his hands, nodding. “I’m sorry. Please—say whatever you need to say, Elle. I can take it. Whatever insults you need to throw at me—I deserve those and more.”

I shake my head. “I’m not going to insult you. Not right now.” I have to draw in another breath. “It was a messy breakup. There was a wife I didn’t know about and a big scene—”

“Elle…” He tilts his head and gives me the smallest of smiles. “I already know this. It makes no difference to me.”

“I got fired from my job because of it, Leo. I know you already know that—I’m trying to tell you what happened
after
that. Why I went to Rio de Campo—”

“Because you couldn’t obtain a job after the incident that happened. It’s perfectly understandable, Elle. In fact, I could share a few stories with you about scenes with my own former lovers. There was one night when I was in a club in Milan—”

“Leo!” I let out a short breath in exasperation. “Let me
finish
.”

He snaps his mouth closed and looks over at me with a frown. “I apologize. Please continue.”

“Thank you.” My brow furrows and I have to draw in another long breath. I’m not sure I can tell this story after all—it isn’t mine to tell. Not exactly. But I’ve held it in long enough—and for all I know, I really am jumping him unknowingly in my sleep and I don’t want to wake up ever again thinking that he’s violating me somehow—especially if I really am the one to blame. If he knows my history, maybe he’ll understand. Maybe he’ll back off a little, at least for now.

“This is hard, Leo.” I frown again.

“Take all the time you need.”

I nod, pausing for another long moment. “Owen thought I would feel better if he fixed me up with someone. I mean, I don’t know what I was thinking, agreeing to that. I dated one of his buddies for a few weeks when I was in medical school. And Owen’s friends…”

He nods. “I know. I’ve seen.”

“Yeah.” I nod, too. “But he thought if I had a little fun—if I went out to dinner with someone. Took a surfing lesson or something… I don’t know. It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. He was a guy Owen had been hanging around with for a few months. I hadn’t even met him before. It was just supposed to be a surfing lesson and dinner. Just fun…” My voice hitches in my throat a little.