He grinned. “I do trust Genevieve. I wouldn’t have brought you here otherwise. But if you think this is part of my usual seduction routine, you’d be wrong. Because the truth is, I haven’t dated enough since the accident to even have a routine.”
“And before?” she queried.
“As both of my brothers can attest, there has never been a shortage of women eager to be seen on the arm of a prince. So yes, I dated, and probably more than my fair share. But finding a woman willing to stand by a man who was at sea more than on land was difficult. I can’t even remember how many relationships sank when I shipped out, but it was enough that I gave up even trying to make anything work beyond the period of my leave.
“And after I resigned my commission, I didn’t meet anyone who made me even think beyond the short-term. Until you.”
“We didn’t even have short-term,” she reminded him. “We had one night.”
“We could have more.”
Molly shook her head, with sincere regret. “But I appreciate the tour,” she said.
She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he let the matter drop, as he seemed to do, because he only said, “Then you’re pleased with what you’ve seen of the country so far?”
“I think it would be more appropriate to say I’m both amazed and dazzled.”
He smiled. “As I said before, you are welcome to stay on after the wedding to enjoy a real vacation.”
She shook her head regretfully. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid nothing here seems real. It’s like a postcard-perfect world and a zillion miles away from the realities of my life.”
“Has your absence from the restaurant been a problem?” he asked.
“Not at all.”
“And it annoys you, at least a little, that all the gears are continuing to turn with the most important cog removed from the machine.”
She laughed at his analogy—and because it was true. “It’s silly, I know, but you’re right.”
“It’s not silly at all,” he denied. “We all like to feel as if we have a purpose in life, a reason for being, and it can be difficult to accept that we aren’t as essential as we believed.”
She knew he was referring to his own life now, to the career that had abruptly been ended by his injury.
“Do you ever accept it?” she asked, aware that she was prying but unable to stop herself. “Can you ever find another purpose?”
There was more than a touch of wryness in his smile this time. “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”
They continued to talk while they ate. The meal began with some kind of chilled soup that was a little bit spicy, followed by a main course of grilled sea bass—apparently one of Genevieve’s personal specialties—served with garlic lemon green beans and wild rice, and finished with an assortment of pastries, including slices of a baklava unlike anything Molly had ever tasted.
Through it all, Eric made her feel so comfortable and at ease that when he asked if she wanted to take a walk on the beach after dinner, she didn’t even consider refusing.
He left a pile of bills on the table that she guessed more than paid for the meal they’d shared. Then, after a quick stop in the kitchen to thank Genevieve for the incredible meal, they walked toward the water. The sun was only starting to set and the sky was a riot of glorious color. Eric took her hand to help her down the narrow steps that were a public access to the beach, and he didn’t let go when they reached the bottom. She didn’t protest or tug her hand away. It seemed silly to even consider doing so when they’d shared much deeper intimacies.
They hadn’t gone far, however, before she realized that Fiona’s sandals weren’t very practical on sand, so Molly kicked them off and was pleased when Eric discarded his shoes and socks to walk barefoot with her. They strolled along the water’s edge, sometimes talking, sometimes not, but he never let go of her hand.
They were almost back at the stairs when he stopped abruptly.
“Look,” he whispered close to her ear.
And her breath caught as she watched the sun complete its descent beyond the horizon.
“I have never seen a sunset like that,” she breathed the words quietly, almost reverently.
“And I have never seen anything like you framed by the sunset,” he said.
Then his mouth covered hers.
Just like the first time he’d kissed her, his lips were warm and firm, confident in their mastery. There was no tentativeness, no hesitant searching for the right angle, no questioning of her response.
And like the first time, there was no hesitation in her response.
It had been weeks—and yet, it somehow felt as if it was only yesterday. The warm strength of his arms around her wasn’t just familiar, it was right. And the explosion of sensations made her mind spin, her heart pound and her body yearn.
He found the pins that held her French twist in place and slipped them free so that her hair spilled into his hands. His fingers sifted through the tresses, caught the ends to tip her head back, changing the angle and deepening the kiss.
She sighed; he groaned.
She wanted him—there was no denying that fact. But she couldn’t let herself get caught up in the moment, the romance, the fantasy. There was too much at stake now.
Her system jangled with unacknowledged wants, unsatisfied desires, but she forced herself to take a step back.
“I want to go back to the palace now,” she said, though she knew the words were a lie.
What she really wanted was for him to kiss her again, until reality faded away and there was nothing but the two of them. She wanted to make love with him again, to experience the fulfillment she’d only ever known in his arms. But she knew that couldn’t happen, not while there was such a huge—and growing—secret between them.
Eric clenched his hands into fists to resist the urge to grab hold of Molly and shake some sense into her. What was it about this woman that she was so determined to deny what was between them?
“Don’t you think we should talk about this?”
“It was just a kiss, Eric. I hardly think we need to dissect and analyze every insignificant little detail of it.”
His nails dug into his palms. “Maybe it’s not necessary,” he allowed, somehow managing to match her casual tone despite the fury in his blood, “but I’m curious as to which part you think is most insignificant—your tongue in my mouth, your breasts plastered against my chest or your hips rocking against mine.”
Her eyes narrowed even as her cheeks flushed with color. “So I responded
