of skin like silk and hair like fire,” he murmured.
She stiffened, determined not to let him get to her. “Maybe you were dreaming.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, Alex.” His fingers touched her small, shell-like ear, then curled softly around it. “I remember how you taste. I remember you slipping into my bed, soft and willing and…”
“No!” She tried to pull away, but his hand held hers like a vise.
“You tasted like fine wine.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. That’s crazy. Women all taste alike.”
His smile was slight but deadly. She shivered, wishing she had the strength to look away.
“No, they don’t,” he said. “No one else tastes like you do.”
Her heart was thudding in her throat, beating so hard she could hardly breathe. “How would you know that? It’s…it’s been years, and then you were wounded and…”
He captured her chin in his hand, tilting her face to receive him. “I’ll show you,” he said softly, then lowered his lips to hers.
She tried to gather the wherewithal to resist, but it was no use. His mouth felt so warm, so good, and she opened to his kiss as though she’d been starving for him.
But it only lasted for a moment. He drew back and looked at her, shaking his head. “Alex,” he began.
But she never heard what he was about to say. Her attention was caught by something behind him on the other side of the room. Henri was there, his long, thin body bent over, a tranquilizer gun raised and trained on his target. He was going to shoot a dart into Dane.
Of course. It was the only way they could possibly get out of here without Dane and his security people following them. Good for Henri. Quick thinking. It made sense. And yet the feelings that filled her were overwhelming. She couldn’t do this. She had so much hidden affection for this man, despite everything. She couldn’t let him be hurt in any way.
“No!” she cried out to Henri. “Wait!”
Dane looked at her, startled, and by the time he realized there was someone else in the room, it was too late. The dart had been shot from the tranquilizer gun. He looked at her in disbelief, reached back to try to pull out the dart, swore and crumpled to the floor.
“Did you hurt him?” she cried, though she knew the question was moot. Dropping to the floor, she swept his hair back off his forehead and searched his unconscious face for signs. “Didn’t you hear me say to wait?”
Henri shrugged. Leaning down, he pulled out the dart and noted it was empty. The fluid would do its work.
“I couldn’t risk it. He had to be rendered harmless.” He reached for her hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“No.” She rose, looking down at the prince. Emotion choked her throat. “We can’t leave him like this.”
Henri looked at her, incredulous. “What are you talking about? We have to go. He might have others outside. And in any case, your brothers will be here soon. You don’t want to have to talk to them about this, do you?”
“No.” She put a hand to her head, trying to sort things out. “We must go. But…”
“Come along, then. Grace is already in the car with the baby. I’ll tell the manager to hold our bags and things in storage until we send for them.”
She nodded, still looking down at where Dane lay like a wounded stag.
“We have to take him with us,” she said softly, a feeling of wonderment growing inside her. How could she even think of such a thing? And yet, there wasn’t any choice.
“If we leave him here…” A few horrendous consequences flashed through her mind. She looked up at Henri. “Don’t you see?”
He looked pained, his thin face haggard. “Your brothers…”
“Yes.” She threw a hand out, half in a sense of command, half beseeching him to understand. “Who knows what they would do to him?”
“But, miss, we can’t,” he said, his usually stoic expression twisted into a special sort of agony. “What are we going to do with him? What will he do when he comes to? Don’t you see how dangerous that would be?”
She stared into his worried eyes. “But don’t you see how impossible it is to leave him?” she said simply.
He stared back and what he saw in her eyes seemed to explain it all to him. Slowly he nodded, and a look of resignation began to relax his face.
“All right, then,” he said, resolved and back to being the normal unflappable paragon of efficiency. “I’ll take care of it. You go.”
“No.” She shook her head, tears trembling in her eyes. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. It was just that she couldn’t bear to risk anything happening to Dane. She had to be involved. All the way.
“No, I’ll help carry him. I’d rather.”
He nodded curtly. “Let’s do it, then.”
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