stepped closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on the soft skin at the side of his neck.
‘Are you ready for this, Alex? Are you ready for us?’
* * *
Every knot inside him was beginning to unravel. He’d held himself in check all night. From the first second he’d seen Ruby in her red dress he’d wanted to have her in this position. She was everything to him. And now he was finally free to say it—finally free to let the world know.
The arrival of Sophia’s parents had been more than unexpected. They were always invited to formal occasions at the palace. But since Sophia’s death they’d never attended.
They saw Annabelle on regular occasions, but they were always private times.
He’d been horrified when they’d arrived—horrified that their first view of Ruby was in his arms with his mouth on hers.
With a few hours’ hindsight he realised that Queen Isabelle must have heard through the grapevine about Ruby. They’d attended with the sole reason of meeting the woman who might replace their daughter in his affections.
Isabelle had always known the truth of their relationship and their marriage. But she’d supported them both every step of the way. She’d once told Alex that there were lots of forms of love. Some with fireworks, some with steady steps, and some with bonds of loyalty that would forsake all others.
The King had mentioned nothing of Ruby at all. He’d spoken to Alex at length about business worries and difficult negotiations.
When Alex had watched Ruby and Queen Isabelle leave the room together he’d felt sick. Should he intervene? But he’d been almost sure that Ruby wouldn’t want that.
And when they’d returned some time later Queen Isabelle had been serenely graceful, as always, when she’d told Alex that Ruby seemed like ‘a nice girl’.
His sense of relief had been enormous.
And now here they were. In the one place he’d wanted to bring her all night.
‘I’ve been ready for ten years, Ruby,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘I’ve waited a long time for this.’
‘Me too.’
Her brown eyes were fixed on his. Just like that night in Paris. The only thing missing was the reflection of the fireworks.
Ruby... Every bit as beautiful as she’d been ten years ago. Those brown eyes seemed to pull him right in, touching his heart and his soul. For the first time in ten years he was free to love exactly who he wanted to love. He had the strength and the power of his convictions and he knew what was right for him and what was right for his child. Who was right for him and who was right for Annabelle.
Ruby might not be Annabelle’s mother, but her patience and affection for his little girl was clear. Their relationship had changed exponentially. Ruby spent hours playing with her, not just assessing the little girl. Trust had built between them. When Annabelle smiled at Ruby and looked at her in that way she had, it made his heart melt.
His little girl was every bit as much in love with Ruby as he was.
He ran his fingers along her velvet skin, from her fingertips to her shoulders. She gave a little shudder of pleasure as she smiled at him. When his fingers reached her shoulders he swept one hand along the back of her neck and traced the other gently across her décolletage. His fingers stopped mid-point as she closed her eyes and swayed a little. The curve of her breasts was highlighted in the figure-hugging dress. If Ruby knew who’d actually designed it for her, and how much it had cost, she would probably be horrified.
His hands joined at the back of the dress, where he caught the zipper in his fingers and started to release it slowly. She was holding her breath as he inched it lower. The shimmering red fabric slid from her frame and puddled on the floor at her feet as he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her against him.
Kissing Ruby before had been tantalising. Magical. Full of expectations and promise.
Kissing Ruby in his room as he shucked off his jacket and trousers was more than he could ever have imagined. He walked backwards, pulling her with him as they sank down on to the white bed.
The eiderdown enveloped them both. He’d dreamed about this for the last ten years. But the reality was far more incredible than his imagination could ever have envisaged. And he could envisage quite a bit.
He pulled his lips back for a second as his fingers brushed against her underwear. ‘Are you sure about this, Ruby? Because there’s no going back. This has to be right for both of us.’
She was holding her breath again, fixing him with her chocolate eyes. His fingers danced along her silky-smooth skin.
Her perfect red lips broke into a smile as she pressed against him. ‘This is right, Alex. This has always been right.’
And then she kissed him again and he forgot about everything else.
PEOPLE WERE LOOKING at her. People were fixing their eyes on her and muttering under their breath. She’d been in the shops in the city centre on lots of occasions recently but she’d never noticed this.
Even Pierre in the baker’s shop wasn’t his usual friendly self. He hardly even made eye contact before he handed her a brown paper bag of baked goods and waved his hand at her attempt at payment.
It made her feel uneasy. She might not speak fluent French, but she’d always muddled through and felt welcome in Euronia before.
This morning had been so strange.
The thing that she’d secretly dreamed about for such a long time had finally come true. Waking up in Alex’s arms had been fantastic.
Stealing along the corridor with her dress clutched around her hadn’t been quite so fantastic. But she hadn’t been sure if any of the staff—in particular Rufus—might routinely go into Alex’s room to wake him.
There was still so much about the palace protocols she had to learn. And last night she hadn’t thought to ask Alex about any of these things—there had been far too many other sensations occupying her mind.
It had seemed so much easier to duck out and get back to her room to shower and dress. But once she’d got ready her stomach had begun churning again.
On one hand she’d wanted to go back to Alex’s room. On the other she’d wanted to give him a little space. And yet they had to talk about what would happen next. About Annabelle. About Sophia’s parents. All the things they hadn’t really focused on last night when they’d been in each other’s arms.
She loved him. She was sure of it. She just hadn’t told him yet.
Maybe tonight they would be able to re-enact the whole thing. Maybe she could tell him then. But the truth was as soon as Alex had started kissing her everything else had gone out of the window except the feel of his body pressed against hers. The touch of his fingers on her skin. The sensation of his lips on her neck...
The newspapers outside
