She was lost. Totally lost.
Juliana opened her mouth to his and drank greedily, aware that if there had been a bed here in the middle of their private glade, she’d have been on her back, opening herself to this man, giving herself to someone she’d known less than an hour. The knowledge had her shuddering in a combination of disbelief and desire.
His hands drifted from her hair to her shoulders before skating down the naked length of her spine. He cupped her hips, tugging her against him until she was locked tight against his pelvis. She struggled to think, to speak, to plead. But even that was beyond her. All she could do was moan her encouragement. His hands were large and hard and she wanted them on her, wanted them to touch her in the most intimate ways possible, just as she wanted to touch him.
Impatient, she snagged his bow tie and ripped it from its mooring. The pearl studs holding his shirt closed scattered beneath her urgent fingers. And then finally, finally, she hit hot, masculine flesh. She ran her hands across his chest and downward over hard, rippled abs.
He returned the favor, finding the crystal button at the nape of her neck and slipping it through its hole. The cap sleeves of her gown slid down her arms and he eased back, tracing the swell of her breasts above the corsetted bodice. Gently he slid the silk downward, baring her. They both stood motionless for a long moment. The only sound was the desperate harshness of their breathing. Moonlight silvered them, giving ripe flesh an unearthly glow. The scent of roses mingled with that of desire.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.
“I want you. As crazy as that sounds, I do.” She laughed unevenly. “Maybe it’s something in the air.”
“Or maybe we were meant to be here, like this.”
“Fate?”
He shrugged. “It’s as good a reason as any.”
As though unable to resist, he reached for her, tracing his fingertip down the swell of her breast to her nipple. His face remained taut and hungry, filled with a determination she found impossible to resist.
It took two attempts before she could speak. “I don’t even know your name.” That simple fact both bewildered and excited.
“We know this.” His hand cupped her breast and he leaned down to feather a kiss across the tip, eliciting another helpless moan. “This is all that matters.”
She hovered between common sense and lust. She craved this man, craved his touch, his kisses, his body. It didn’t matter that she’d only met him a scant hour ago. It had only taken one look, one single touch, for her to be willing to compromise the values and mores she held most dear.
She’d never done anything like this before nor wanted a man quite so desperately. Even with Stewart, with the man who’d ultimately betrayed her, she’d never come close to experiencing such a total rending of control. If she’d learned nothing else from her past, it had been to live with the utmost caution. To keep rampant emotions in tight check. As a result, she’d turned logic and rationale into her own personal religion. And yet, here she stood, ready to dive headfirst into a fast-moving river leading straight over a waterfall. Not that she cared. This one man, along with this one moment in time, governed every thought and deed.
“We can’t do anything here,” she felt compelled to protest. “Someone might find us.”
“In that case we have two options. We can stop. Or we can take this somewhere else.” He made the suggestion without inflection. And though he continued to hold her, he didn’t use those clever hands to try and influence her decision. “It’s up to you.”
He was offering her a clear-cut choice, an opportunity to back out while there was still time. But she’d already made that choice. There was only one option available to her. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. Finding his mouth with hers, she sank into the kiss, offering herself without saying a word. It was glorious. Delicious. A fantasy beyond compare. If this were a dream, she hoped never to awake. His arms offered a world she’d never known, but one that she wanted more than anything. A world of passion and seduction, and oddly enough, protection. If she were very lucky, this night would never end.
She snatched a final kiss before pulling back. “I’d like to go somewhere else,” she said answering his question. The ease and simplicity of her response amazed her. How right it felt and how deliriously free she felt saying it. “I’d like to go with you very much.”
With an exclamation of triumph, he swept her into his arms. She grinned up at him about to demand that he carry her off to his fairy-tale castle and have his wicked way with her, when the sound of someone clearing his throat came from the edge of the copse. Instantly her “prince” spun them around into shadow, putting his back to whomever had joined them. He lowered her to the ground, refastening her gown to conceal her nudity.
“Bad timing, Lander?” a laughing voice asked.
“Damn it, Joc. Two minutes more and we’d have been gone.”
Juliana stiffened. No. Oh, please no. It couldn’t be. A single, swift glance confirmed her worst fears. She gave herself a few precious seconds to catch her breath while mustering what little poise she still retained. Circling the man Joc had referred to as Lander—and why did that name send a warning bell screaming though her fogged brain?—she stepped into a patch of moonlight.
“Hello, Joc,” she greeted her brother.
“Juliana?” He uttered her name in sharp disbelief.
Lander’s gaze switched from one to the other, his eyes narrowing. “You two know each other?”
“I work for Arnaud’s Angels,” she responded calmly, shooting her brother a look, warning that she didn’t want him to reveal their relationship. To her relief, he gave a subtle nod of understanding. “I didn’t realize Mr. Arnaud would be here tonight.”
“No,” Joc murmured dryly. “Obviously, you didn’t.”
“If you’ll excuse me…Lander, is it?” She knew that name. How did she know that name? If only she could think straight. “I’ll leave you two gentlemen to your business.”
Joc lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t be rude, my dear. As a representative of Arnaud’s Angels you owe His Highness more respect than that. After all, he is your host.”
Lander started to speak, but after making a sound of disgust, fell silent.
Juliana stilled. “What are you talking about?” But deep down, she knew. His name had sounded familiar, and perhaps if she hadn’t been so drunk on kisses she’d have recognized it sooner.
Joc released a bark of disbelieving laughter. “Didn’t you realize? The man you’ve been kissing is Prince Lander. Or to be more precise, Prince Lander Montgomery, Duke of Verdon. The Lion of Mt. Roche.”
Oh, no. It couldn’t be. What wicked-humored fate had put her in the path of the one man she wanted most to avoid? And why hadn’t she figured it out sooner? How was it possible that the very first time she’d chosen to cut loose, she’d selected to do it with him? When it came to ignorant fools, she took top prize in both categories. Lifting her chin, she faced Prince Lander with what little remained of her tattered dignity.
“How very amusing,” she said, her tone making it clear she was anything but amused. She swept him a deep, formal curtsey. “I’m delighted I could provide Your Highness with tonight’s entertainment.”
“It wasn’t like that and you damn well know it.”
She could hear the frustration underscoring his words, but didn’t care. He’d kept his identity from her for reasons of his own, even after she’d made it clear that she had no interest in meeting Prince Lander. Maybe he’d remained silent because she’d warned him that she’d run if she came across anyone of consequence. Otherwise, he’d have revealed his name if only in the hope that it would have her tumbling into his bed all that more quickly.
More quickly? She almost groaned aloud. How much faster could she have tumbled? It had only taken him a brief hour to sweep her off her feet, and that was without pulling rank, as it were. Murmuring an excuse, she skirted her brother and returned to the palace. She hesitated in the shadows just beyond the spill of lights from the ballroom, struggling to regain her self-control.
How could she have been so idiotic? How could she have let a man—even a prince—rob her of every ounce of intelligent thought? But from the moment she’d first seen him, she’d been utterly lost, willing to go anywhere he demanded, give anything he requested, do whatever he required. The knowledge ate at her. With one painful exception, she’d never allowed a man so much control over her. And yet in the space of a single hour, Prince Lander had not only demanded that control, but had been given it without a single word of protest. Had she learned nothing from her past? Clearly not.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the light and headed across the ballroom, walking casually, if determinedly, toward the nearest exit. Before she’d taken more than a half-dozen steps, a hand landed on her shoulder, spinning her around.
“I’m sure you don’t intend to leave without dancing with me,” Joc stated. Not giving her a chance to protest, he swung her onto the dance floor. “So, tell me…What’s a nice girl like you doing in a palace like this?”
“Oh, ha-ha. The more interesting question is, what are you doing here?” Juliana retorted in a furious undertone.
“Visiting you, of course.”
Blithe and casual. Typical of him. But she wasn’t buying it for a minute. She knew that beneath that good-ol’-boy routine hid the soul of a brilliant, hard-as-nails businessman. Whatever reason Joc had for being here, it was neither blithe nor casual. “You came all the way to Verdonia just to visit me? Try again, big brother.”
“Maybe I should ask what you’re doing with Prince Lander.”
As usual, he’d turned the tables on her with annoying ease. She focused on the dance for a full minute before replying. “I didn’t know he was a prince.”
“Or you’d never have been with him?”
She hated the gentle concern in Joc’s voice almost as much as she hated the question. “Not a chance.”
His breath escaped in a sigh. “Just as well. I wouldn’t want any sister of mine mixed up with a Montgomery.”
Her head jerked up at that. “Why not?”
“We have a…history.”
“What sort of history?” she pressed.
“That’s not important.”
Impatience lined Joc’s face, warning her to drop the subject. It was a striking face, lean and golden, with the blood of their Comanche ancestors contributing to the impressive bone structure. Black eyes, black hair and what some would call a black heart completed the package, though she knew better. Joc was the kindest, most generous man alive. Unless crossed.
“Explain something to me, Ana—”
“Juliana,” she corrected. “I don’t use my nickname, anymore.”
“And why is that?” he demanded. “Why don’t you want him to know who you are? What does it matter if I tell him you’re Juliana Rose Arnaud, my sister, rather than Juliana Rose, charity worker? You won’t be seeing him again.” He waited a beat before pushing. “Will you?”
“No.” But how she wanted to.
Deep grooves formed on either side of his mouth. “It’s because you’re my sister, isn’t it? That’s why you only use your first and middle names these days. Because you’re afraid of the attention you’ll receive if anyone finds out you’re Ana Arnaud, sister to the infamous Joc Arnaud.”
Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back before lifting her gaze to his, praying that he wouldn’t be able to tell how close to the edge he’d pushed her. She lifted a hand to his cheek. “It’s not that. You know I love you. I’m proud to be your sister.”
“Then what stopped you from telling Montgomery the truth?”
She shivered at the coldness of the question…and the underlying hurt. “I haven’t told anyone. I want the focus to be on the charity, not on me. Now that I know Lander is a prince, it’s even more imperative that I remain silent. He’s in the public eye. If the media gets a whiff of our involvement, they’ll be all over us. I can’t handle that. Not again.” Not ever again. “Don’t you see? It’s not just what will happen to me. It’s not fair to throw Prince Lander to the wolves without any warning.”
“Is that the only reason? Because if it is, I can take care of the media.”
The hard look in Joc’s eyes worried her. There was another reason she couldn’t be with Prince Lander, but she didn’t dare mention it. It would only anger her brother. “I came to Verdonia to escape scandal, not stir up more. Besides, it isn’t like I’m seriously interested in Prince Lander.”
“Liar.” He hesitated, no doubt torn between whatever history stood between the two men and his love for her. “I may not care much for your choice, but if you’re serious about him, I can fix things,” he offered grudgingly. “Though to be honest, I’d rather you kept your distance. I don’t trust the man. Not with you.”
“What you saw in the garden, it was just a bit of harmless fun. Nothing consequential. And it’s not like I’ll be in Verdonia for very much longer. A few more weeks at most.” Could Joc hear the desperation in her voice? Probably. Her brother was as skilled at reading people as he was at making money. In fact, she doubted he’d have amassed his current fortune if he hadn’t possessed both abilities. “Tomorrow I’ll be back at work and tonight will have been nothing more than a sweet dream. Just a meaningless interlude.”
“And Montgomery?”
She took a deep breath. “Since you don’t want me to see him again, I won’t be seeing him.” For some reason the realization caused a stab of pain.
“Montgomery’s a powerful man. If he wants you, he’ll find you.”
She shook her head. “He won’t waste time trying. After all, it was only one dance.”
“And one kiss,” Joc added. “No big deal.”
She flinched. “Exactly.” She deliberately changed the subject. “I guess I have you to thank for the ticket to the ball, as well as the dress.”
“Considering how hard you’ve been working, you deserve it,” he answered, accepting the new topic with good grace. “It only seemed appropriate to send a suitable dress and shoes. I’m willing to bet you didn’t bring anything with you.”
“Good guess. Maybe that’s because I’m here to work, not play.”
“Speaking of which, the reports I’ve received have been glowing.”
“Thank you.” His acknowledgment of her accomplishments delighted her. Although Joc wasn’t stingy with his praise, he also didn’t offer it gratuitously. “And thank you for tonight. It’s been—” Amazing. Incredible. A dream come true. “Very nice.”
He leaned forward and kissed her brow. “You’re welcome. I don’t suppose you’re ready to come home now?”
“Home?” It took her a minute to catch his drift. “Oh, you mean to the States?”
“Of course I mean to the States.” Amusement competed with impatience. “Honey, as wonderful a job as you’re doing here, I need you back in Dallas. You’re my best executive accountant.”
“Was,” she stressed. “I was your best executive accountant. Now I head up your European branch of Arnaud’s Angels.”
He waved that aside. “A total waste of your talent.”
Her mouth tightened. “I don’t happen to agree. The children need me.”
“You mean…you need the children.”
Sometimes it didn’t pay to be subtle with her brother. “I’m not returning to Dallas.”
“It doesn’t have to be Dallas, if you’d rather not.” His instant willingness to compromise warned of his seriousness. “You can work out of whichever city suits you.”
“What suits me is the job I’m currently doing. Considering how much work there is for me in Europe, I may never return home.” Her hand tightened on his shoulder. “I need you to back off, Joc, and let me live my life my way. Either I continue with Angels or I offer my services to some other charitable organization. I guarantee they’ll snatch me up in a heartbeat.”
To her surprise, he let it go. “Fine, fine. If that’s what you want, stay in Verdonia. Hell, stay wherever in Europe you want.” A frown touched his brow. “So long as it’s away from Montgomery, I can live with it.”
Lander stood on the sidelines, watching Joc and Juliana dance with an ease that spoke of long intimacy. Damn it all! It might have been a replay of their years at Harvard. For some reason, they’d constantly found themselves in competition. On the playing field. In the classroom. And in their most contentious battles, over women. After the first few years where they’d taken loutish delight in poaching, their attitudes had changed. Lander hadn’t wanted any of the women Arnaud had been with, anymore than Joc had wanted Lander’s.
But that changed the moment Lander had met Juliana. Now only one question remained…was Juliana fair game? And what did he do if she wasn’t?
The dance ended. But Joc didn’t release his hold on his partner. Rather, they spoke quietly for a moment before he bent forward and gave her a second kiss, this one on the cheek. It took every ounce of self-control for Lander to keep his shoulder glued to the wall instead of striding across the room and planting his fist in Arnaud’s nose. If that kiss had landed any closer to Juliana’s mouth he might have, regardless of the consequences.
The couple reluctantly parted—at least, it appeared reluctant to Lander—and the crowd chose that inopportune moment to surge forward, blocking his view. When next he could see, only Joc remained, who offered a nod of acknowledgment and headed toward Lander, joining him on the sidelines.
“I think it’s time we spoke, don’t you?” Joc asked.
Screw that. “Where is she?”
“Gone.”
“Is she yours?” Lander demanded with single-minded intensity.
Anger flared in Joc’s gaze. “That’s a hell of a thing to ask. Juliana doesn’t belong to any man. Not me. And for damn sure not you. Not now. Not ever.”
Not ever? He’d see about that. “If she’s not yours, I want to know where I can reach her.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“I heard. Are you telling me she’s off-limits?”
A silent battle of wills ensued with Joc blinking first. “Is she that important to you?”
“Yes.”
Joc shrugged his concession, but Lander could see the wheels turning. Ever the businessman, he was no doubt trying to figure out how to turn the situation to his financial advantage. “Fine. But don’t you have more important issues to deal with than some woman you only met tonight? Isn’t that why you called me?”
It shouldn’t have taken Lander a full minute to switch his focus from Juliana to affairs of state. But it did. Aw, hell. He scrubbed a hand across his face. He had it bad. Without another word, Lander led the way to his private office. It was a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered an unparalleled view of each day’s sunrise. The room also overlooked the front of the palace, and Lander made a point of crossing to the window just in time to see a distinctive flash of silver silk disappear into the back of a cab.
Deliberately forcing himself to redirect his focus to the current problems plaguing his country, he turned to face Joc Arnaud. His nemesis stood in front of a map of Verdonia, his hands clasped behind his back.
“So when will you be crowned king?”
“Either in two months—” Lander shrugged “—or never.”
“Never?” Joc swiveled, his brows climbing. “I don’t understand. Wasn’t your father king? I assumed when he died that the crown would fall to you. Isn’t that how those things work?”
Lander inclined his head. “In a true monarchy that would be correct. But in Verdonia it’s a little different. We have a popular vote among the eligible royals.”
Joc frowned. “You and your brother have to compete for the throne?”
“As a second son Merrick’s not in the running. No, the eldest royals from each principality are the only ones eligible.”
“Well, hell. Who are you up against?” Joc leaned in and tapped the southernmost principality. “I gather you represent Verdon.”
Lander joined Arnaud in front of the map and indicated the principality farthest north. “Prince Brandt von Folke is the eligible royal from Avernos.”
Joc traced the principality snuggled between north and south. “And this one in the middle? Celestia, is it?”
“There aren’t any eligible royals. You have to be twenty-five to rule Verdonia and Princess Alyssa won’t turn twenty-five until after the election. She’s my brother, Merrick’s, wife. They married just a few days ago.”
“A political affair?”
Lander nodded. “It started out that way. She was going to marry Brandt until Merrick intervened.”
“Why would Merrick inter—” Joc broke off, his brow furrowed. “Oh, I get it. If Alyssa and this Brandt fellow had married, it would have united the royal families of Avernos and Celestia. Wouldn’t that have ensured Prince Brandt the popular vote?”
“Astute as always,” Lander commented. Joc’s talent at grasping the salient points and analyzing how they affected the big picture had always—reluctantly—impressed the hell out of him. “Yes, Brandt would have won the election if Merrick hadn’t interfered. He abducted Alyssa and married her himself.”
Joc barked out an incredulous laugh. “Gutsy.”
“Would have been if he hadn’t fallen in love with her.”
“I don’t know.” Joc’s expression turned dubious. “You certain he wasn’t ensuring you the win by uniting the Montgomerys with her people? Sounds damn convenient if you ask me.”
Lander fought back a stab of anger. “I think he’d have claimed it was quite inconvenient. But if you saw them together—” he shrugged “—they appear disgustingly happy.”
Joc glanced across the room and brightened. Crossing to Lander’s desk, he helped himself to a Havana Corona from the humidor. “Okay, so now that you’ve caught me up on the political situation, why don’t you explain what I’m doing here.” Making himself at home, he clipped the cigar and passed it to Lander before repeating the process for himself. “I gather there’s a serious reason or you wouldn’t have imposed on our…friendship.”
Lander didn’t bother couching his words. “I need your help.” He took his time lighting his cigar, before lifting his gaze to stare at Arnaud through the haze of pungent smoke. “Verdonia’s in trouble.”
“I assume you mean financial difficulties. I suppose you expect me to bail you out just because I owe you over a half-forgotten college debt?”
“If it were half-forgotten, you wouldn’t be here.” He allowed his comment to hang, before adding, “And I’ll only accept your help if you can do it aboveboard.”
Joc bit down on his cigar, fury burning in his gaze. “You have a hell of a nerve.” A hint of rawness ripped through his voice. “My father may have walked the wrong side of the line. At least, that’s what the feds claimed. And he may have fathered a pair of bastard children on my mother and then refused to give them his name. But I’m not, and never have been, my father. I only deal aboveboard and if you’ve had me investigated, as I’m sure you have, you damn well know that.”
Lander inclined his head. “That’s the only reason we’re talking. Tell me something, Arnaud. How many failing businesses have you turned around?”
“Too many to count.”
“Right now Verdonia is a failing business. I need your skill—and maybe a few Arnaud business interests relocating here—to get my country turned around.”
Joc worked on his cigar before slowly nodding. “If there’s money to be made helping, I’ll help. But I’ll want an airtight contract before I let go of one thin dime.”
“Perfect. First we’ll talk money.” Lander opened a decanter and splashed a couple fingers of single malt into a crystal tumbler. He held it out. “And then we’ll talk women.”