Kitabı oxu: «Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation / The Secret Child & The Cowboy CEO: Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation»
Virgin Princess,
Tycoon’s
Temptation
Michelle Celmer
The Secret Child
& The Cowboy CEO
Janice Maynard
Virgin Princess,
Tycoon’s
Temptation
Michelle Celmer
“It would be okay if you kissed me now.”
Louisa gazed up at him, a dreamy look on her face.
Oh, Garrett wanted to. So much that it surprised him a little. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked.
“Just because my family treats me like a child doesn’t mean I am one.”
There was nothing childish about her, which she proved by not even waiting for him to make the first move. Instead, she reached up, slid her hands behind his neck, pulled him down to her level and kissed him. Her lips were soft but insistent and she smelled fantastic—delicate and feminine.
Louisa expelled a shudder of breath and rested her head against his chest. “Now, that was a kiss.”
He couldn’t exactly argue.
“It probably isn’t proper to say this,” Louisa said. “But I can’t wait to see you naked.”
About the Author
Bestselling author MICHELLE CELMER lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband, their three children, two dogs and two cats. When she’s not writing or busy being a mom, you can find her in the garden or curled up with a romance novel. And if you twist her arm really hard you can usually persuade her into a day of power shopping.
Michelle loves to hear from readers. Visit her website, www.michellecelmer.com, or write to her at PO Box 300, Clawson, MI 48017, USA.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to my ROYAL SEDUCTIONS series, the story of Princess Louisa Josephine Elisabeth Alexander and real-estate king Garrett Sutherland.
As an author, I love all the books I write and the characters I create, but every so often one comes along that I hold a special fondness for. This is one of those books, and Princess Louisa is definitely one of those characters. It is her innocence, and her unshakable faith in the people around her, that makes her so likable. And frankly so much fun to mess with. It was quite a challenge for me, tearing her down and stripping away her illusions. But, hey, it had to be done. And I’ll tell you, she was a tough nut to crack.
The same could be said for Garrett, whose single-minded determination made him as appealing as he was obtuse. What can you do to a guy who thinks he has all the answers? (Insert evil laughter here.) That’s right—tear him down, too.
Are you getting the feeling I really enjoy this?
Usually I have a pretty good idea going into a story how it will end, but I have to say, these two kept me guessing right up until the very last page. They genuinely surprised me, and I think they’ll surprise you, too.
Enjoy!
Michelle
To my grandson, Cameron James Ronald
One
A genuine believer in fate and fairy tale romances, Princess Louisa Josephine Elisabeth Alexander knew that if she was patient, the man of her dreams would eventually come along. And as their eyes met across the crowded ballroom, beneath a canopy of red and white twinkling lights, shimmering silver tulle and pink, white and red heart-shaped balloons, she could swear she felt the earth move.
She just knew he was the one.
Her family would probably remind her that she’d felt that way about men before. Aaron would tease her and call her a hopeless romantic. Chris, the oldest, would just sigh and shake his head, as if to say, “Here we go again.” Her twin sister Anne would probably sneer and call her naive. But this time it was different. Louisa was sure of it. She could feel it, like a cosmic tug at her soul.
He was the most intriguing, handsome and tallest man—by several inches—at the charity event, which was what drew her attention to him in the first place. With raven hair, a warm olive complexion and striking features, he was impossible to miss.
Was he an Italian businessman, or a Mediterranean prince? Whoever he was, he was rich and powerful. She could tell by the quality of his clothing and the way he carried himself. Most people knew better than to openly stare at a member of the royal family, but this man gazed intently at her with dark, deep-set eyes, as though they already knew one another. Which she was sure they didn’t. She definitely would have remembered him. Maybe he didn’t realize she was royalty, although she would imagine the diamond encrusted tiara tucked within her upswept hair would be a dead giveaway.
Another woman might have waited for him to make the first move, or manufactured a scenario in which their paths accidentally crossed, but Louisa didn’t believe in playing games. Much to the chagrin of her overly protective siblings. The youngest member of the royal family by a mere five minutes, and labeled as too trusting, Louisa was treated like a child. But contrary to what her family believed, not everyone was interested in her money and title, and those who were, were fairly easy to recognize.
She set her empty champagne glass on a passing server’s tray and headed in his direction, the full skirt of her gown—in her customary shade of pink—swishing soundlessly as she crossed the floor. Never once did his eyes leave hers. As she approached, he finally lowered his gaze and bowed his head, saying in a voice as deep as it was smooth, “Her Highness is enchanting tonight.”
Not a half-bad opening line, and he spoke with a dialect not unlike her own. Almost definitely from Thomas Isle, so why didn’t she recognize him? “You seem to have me at a disadvantage,” she said. “You obviously know me, but I don’t recall ever meeting you.”
Most people, especially a stranger, would have at least offered an apology for staring, but this man didn’t look like the type who apologized for anything. “That’s because we’ve never met,” he answered.
“I suppose that would explain it,” she said with a smile.
Face-to-face, he was a little older than she’d guessed. Mid-thirties maybe—ten years or so her senior—but she preferred men who were older and more experienced. He was also much larger than she thought. The top of her head barely reached his chin. It wasn’t just his height that was so imposing, either. He was big all over, and she would bet that not an ounce of it was fat. Even through his attire, he seemed to have the chiseled physique of a gladiator. She couldn’t help noticing that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
This was, without a doubt, fate.
She offered a hand to shake. “Princess Louisa Josephine Elisabeth Alexander.”
“That’s quite a mouthful,” he said, but she could see by the playful grin that he was teasing her.
He took her hand, cradled it within his ridiculously large palm, lifted it to his mouth and brushed a very gentle kiss across her skin. Did the ground beneath her feet just give a vigorous jolt, or was that her heart?
“And you are …?” she asked.
“Honored to meet you, Your Highness.”
Either he had no grasp of etiquette, or he was being deliberately obtuse. “You have a name?”
His wry smile said he was teasing her again and she felt her heart flutter. “Garrett Sutherland,” he said.
Sutherland? Why did that sound so familiar? Then it hit her. She had heard her brother speak of him from time to time, a landowner with holdings so vast they nearly matched those of the royal family. Mr. Sutherland was not only one of the richest men in the country, but also the most mysterious and elusive. He never attended social gatherings, and other than an occasional business meeting, kept largely to himself.
Definitely not the kind of man who would need her money.
“Mr. Sutherland,” she said. “Your reputation precedes you. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness. As you probably know, I don’t normally attend events such as these, but when I heard the proceeds would benefit cardiac research, for your father’s sake at the very least, I knew I had to make an appearance.”
A testament to what a kind and caring man he must be, she thought. Someone she would very much like to get to know better.
His gaze left hers briefly to search the room. “I haven’t seen the King tonight. Is he well?”
“Very well, under the circumstances. He wanted to make an appearance but he has strict orders from his doctor not to appear in public.”
Louisa’s father, the King of Thomas Isle, suffered from heart disease and had spent the past nine months on a portable bypass machine designed to give his heart an opportunity to heal and eventually work on its own again. Louisa took pride in the fact that it had been her idea to hold a charity ball in his honor. Usually her family wrote off her ideas as silly and idealistic, but for the first time in her life, they seemed to take her seriously. Although, when she had asked to be given the responsibility of planning the affair, they had hired a team of professionals instead. Baby steps, she figured. One of these days they would see that she wasn’t the frail flower they made her out to be.
Across the ballroom the orchestra began playing her favorite waltz. “Would you care to dance, Mr. Sutherland?”
He arched one dark brow curiously. Most women would wait for the man to make the first move, but she wasn’t most women. Besides, this was destiny. What could be the harm in moving things along a bit?
“I would be honored, Your Highness.”
He held out his arm, and she slipped hers through it. As he led her through clusters of guests toward the dance floor, she half expected one of her overprotective siblings to cut them off at the pass, but Chris and his wife Melissa, enormously pregnant with triplets, were acting as host and hostess in their parents’ absence. Aaron was glued to the side of his new wife, Olivia, a scientist who, when she wasn’t in her lab buried in research, felt like a fish out of water.
Louisa searched out her sister Anne, surprised to find her talking to the Prime Minister’s son, Samuel Baldwin, who Louisa knew for a fact was not on Anne’s list of favorite people.
Not a single member of her family was paying attention to her. Louisa could hardly fathom that she was about to dance with a man without someone grilling him beforehand. He took her in his arms and twirled her across the floor, and they were blissfully alone—save for the hundred or so other couples dancing. But as he drew her close and gazed into her eyes, there was no one but them.
He held her scandalously close for a first dance—by royal standards anyhow—but it was like magic, the way their bodies fit and how they moved in perfect sync. The way he never stopped gazing into her eyes, as though they were a window into her soul. His were black and bottomless and as mysterious as the man. He smelled delicious, too. Spicy and clean. His hair looked so soft she wanted to run her fingers through it and she was dying to know how his lips would taste, even though she felt instinctively they would be as delicious as the rest of him.
When the song ended and a slower number began, he pulled her closer, until she was tucked firmly against the warmth of his body. Two songs turned to three, then four.
Neither spoke. Words seemed unnecessary. His eyes and the curve of his smile told her exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Only when the orchestra stopped to take a break did he reluctantly let go. He led her from the dance floor, and she was only vaguely aware that people were staring at her. At them. They probably wondered who this dark mysterious man was dancing with the Princess. Were they an item? She would bet that people could tell just by looking at them that they were destined to be together.
“Would you care to take a stroll on the patio?” she asked.
He gestured to the French doors leading out into the garden. “After you, Your Highness.”
The air had chilled with the setting sun and a cool, salty ocean breeze blew in from the bluff. With the exception of the guards positioned at either side of the garden entrance, they were alone.
“Beautiful night,” Garrett said, gazing up at the star-filled sky.
“It is,” she agreed. June had always been her favorite month, when the world was alive with color and new life. What better time to meet the man of her dreams? Her soul mate.
“Tell me about yourself, Mr. Sutherland.”
He turned to her and smiled. “What would you like to know?”
Anything. Everything. “You live on Thomas Isle?”
“Since the day I was born. I was raised just outside the village of Varie on the other side of the island.”
The village to which he referred could only be described as quaint. Definitely not where you would expect to find a family of excessive means. Not that it mattered to her where he came from. Only that he was here now, with her. “What do your parents do?”
“My father was a farmer, my mother a seamstress. They’re both retired now and living in England with my brother and his family.”
It was difficult to fathom that such a wealthy and shrewd businessman was raised with such modest means. He had obviously done quite well for himself.
“How many siblings do you have?” she asked.
“Three brothers.”
“Younger? Older?”
“I’m the eldest.”
She wished, if only for a day or two, she could know what that felt like. To not be coddled and treated like a child. To be the person everyone turned to for guidance and advice.
A chilly breeze blew in from the bluff and Louisa shivered, rubbing warmth into her bare arms. They should go back inside before she caught a cold—with her father’s condition it was important that everyone in the family stay healthy—but she relished this time alone with him.
“You’re cold,” he said.
“A little,” she admitted, sure that he would suggest they head back in, but instead he removed his tux jacket and draped it over her shoulders, surrounding her in the toasty warmth of his body and the spicy sent of his cologne. What she really wanted, what she longed for, was for him to pull her into his arms and kiss her. She already knew that his lips would be firm but gentle, his mouth delicious. Heaven knows she had played the scene over in her mind a million times since adolescence, what the perfect kiss would be like, yet no man had ever measured up to the fantasy. Garrett would, she was sure of it. Even if she had to make the first move.
She was contemplating doing just that when a figure appeared in the open doorway. She turned to find that, watching them, with a stern look on his face, was her oldest brother, Chris.
“Mr. Sutherland,” he said. “I’m so pleased to see that you’ve finally accepted an invitation to celebrate with us.”
Garrett bowed his head and said, “Your Highness.”
Chris stepped forward and shook his hand, but there was an undertone of tension in his voice, in his stance. Did he dislike Garrett? Mistrust him? Or maybe he was just being his usual protective self.
“I see you’ve met the Princess,” he said.
“She’s a lovely woman,” Garrett replied. “Although I fear I may have monopolized her time.”
Chris shot her a sharp look. “She does have duties.”
As princess it was her responsibility to socialize with all the guests, especially in her parents’ absence, and duty was duty.
Another time and place. Definitely.
“Give me a minute, please,” she asked her brother.
He grudgingly nodded and told Mr. Sutherland, “Enjoy your evening.” Then he walked away.
Louisa smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry if he seemed rude. He’s a little protective of me. My entire family is.”
His smile was understanding. “If I had a sister so lovely, I would be, too.”
“I suppose I should go back inside and mingle with the other guests.”
His look said he shared her disappointment. “I understand, Your Highness.”
She took off his jacket and handed it back to him. “I was wondering if you might like to be my guest for dinner at the castle.”
A smile spread across his beautiful mouth. “I would like that very much.”
“Are you free this coming Friday?”
“If not, I’ll clear my schedule.”
“We dine at seven sharp, but you can come a little early. Say, six-thirty?”
“I’ll be there.” He reached for her hand, brushing another gentle kiss across her bare skin. “Good night, Your Highness.”
He flashed her one last sizzling grin, then turned and walked back inside. She watched him go until he was swallowed up by the crowd, knowing that the next six days, until she saw him again, when she could gaze into the dark and hypnotizing depths of his eyes, would be the longest in her life.
Two
Garrett sipped champagne and strolled the perimeter of the ballroom, eyes on the object of his latest fascination. Everything was going exactly as planned.
“That was quite a performance,” someone said from behind him, and he turned to see Weston Banes, his best friend and business manager, smiling wryly.
He pasted on an innocent look. “Who said it was a performance?”
Wes shot him a knowing look. He had worked with Garrett since he bought his first parcel of land ten years ago. He knew better than anyone that Garrett would have never attended the ball without some ulterior motive.
“I’ve hit a brick wall,” Garrett told him.
Wes frowned. “I don’t follow you.”
“I now own every available parcel of commercial land that doesn’t belong to the royal family, so there’s only one thing left for me to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Take control of the royal family’s land, as well.”
A slow smile spread across Wes’s face. “And the only way to do that is to marry into the family.”
“Exactly.” He had two choices, Princess Anne, who he’d commonly heard referred to as The Shrew, or Princess Louisa, the sweet, innocent and gullible twin. It was pretty much a no-brainer. Although, considering the way she’d looked at him, as responsive as she was to his touch, he wondered if she wasn’t as sweet and innocent as her reputation claimed.
Wes shook his head. “This is ruthless, even for you. Anything to pad the portfolio, I guess.”
This wasn’t about money. He already had more than he could ever spend. This was about power and control. To marry the Princess, the monarchy would first have to assign him a title—most likely Duke—then he would be considered royalty. The son of a farmer and a seamstress becoming one of the most powerful men in the country. Who would have imagined? If he played his cards right, which he always did, someday he would control the entire island.
“We can discuss the details later,” Garrett told him. “I wouldn’t mind your input, seeing how this involves you, as well.”
“This is really something coming from the man who swore he would never get married or have children,” Wes said.
Garrett shrugged. “Sometimes a man has to make sacrifices.”
“So, how did it go?”
“Quite well.”
“If that’s true, then why are you here, and she’s way over there?”
His smile was a smug one. “Because I already got what I came for.”
“I’m afraid to ask what that was.”
Garrett chuckled. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about an invitation to dinner at the castle.”
His brows rose. “Seriously?”
“This Friday at six-thirty.”
“Damn.” He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re good.”
He shrugged. “It’s a gift. Women can’t resist my charm. Just ask your wife.”
Wes turned to see Tia, his wife of five years, standing with a throng of society women near the bar. “I should probably intervene before she drinks her weight in champagne and I have to carry her out of here.”
“You need to let her out more,” Garrett joked.
“I wish,” Wes said. Despite considerable means, Tia was the kind of nervous new mother who believed no one could care for their child as well as she and Wes, but he worked ridiculous hours and because of that she didn’t get out very often. In fact, this was the first public function they had attended since Will’s birth three months ago.
“Join us?” Wes asked, gesturing in his spouse’s direction.
Garrett gave one last glance to the Princess, who was deep in conversation with a group of heads of state, then nodded and followed Wes to the bar. He already had a game plan in place. What he would say to her and what he wouldn’t, when they would share their first kiss. The trick with a woman like her was to take it very slow.
He had little doubt that in no time, probably next Friday, he would have her eating out of the palm of his hand.
Louisa had been right.
It had been a murderously long week waiting for Friday to arrive, and when it finally did, the day seemed to stretch on for weeks. Finally, when she thought she couldn’t stand another second of waiting, at six-thirty on the dot, a shiny black convertible sports car pulled up in front of the castle and Garrett unfolded himself from inside.
She watched from the library, surprised that someone of his means didn’t have a driver, and wondering how such a big man fit into such a tiny vehicle. Maybe someday he would take her for a drive in it. With her bodyguards following close behind of course, because no member of the royal family was allowed to leave the castle unescorted. Especially not since the threats began late last summer.
Louisa peeked out from behind the curtain, watching as Garrett walked to the door. He looked so handsome and distinguished in a dark gray, pinstripe suit. And tall. She’d almost forgotten just how big he was.
Her brother Chris hadn’t been happy about the short notice when she’d informed him this morning that she had invited Garrett for dinner. She knew though that if she’d told him sooner, the family would have teased and harassed her mercilessly all week.
As it was, everyone had managed to get their digs in this afternoon. Chris of course questioned Garrett’s motives, as though no man would appreciate her for anything but her money and connections. Aaron voiced concern about the age difference—which, as Louisa had guessed, was just over ten years. Anne, who had been particularly cranky since the ball, warned her that a man like Garrett Sutherland was way out of her league and only interested in one thing. Louisa would love to know how Anne knew that when she didn’t even know Garrett. Even her parents, who had been relying on Chris’s judgment lately, were reserving their opinion. She wished, just this once, that everyone would mind their own business.
When Chris married an illegitimate princess, everyone just had to smile and go along with it for the good of the country, and when Aaron announced that he was going to marry an American scientist, an orphan who had not even a trace of royal blood, barely anyone voiced an objection. So what was the big deal about Louisa dating a rich and successful businessman?
She had checked up on him this week, purely out of curiosity of course, and though she hadn’t been able to find too much information, none of it had been negative.
She was sure, though, that since her announcement this morning, Chris had ordered Randall Jenkins, their head of security, to dig up all the information he could find on Garrett. Louisa wasn’t worried. She knew instinctively that he was a good person because she was an excellent judge of character.
The bell rang and she scurried over to the sofa to wait while Geoffrey, their butler, let Garrett in. She sat on the edge of the cushion and smoothed the wrinkles from the skirt of her pale pink sleeveless sundress, her heart pounding so hard it felt as though it might beat right through her chest.
Under normal circumstances she would have worn something a bit more conservative, like a business suit, for a dinner guest, but this was a first date and she wanted to look her best. Make a good first impression.
It seemed to take a millennium before the library door opened and Garrett strolled into the room. She rose to her feet to greet him.
Garrett wore his confidence like a badge of honor. So different from the cocky young royals she’d been introduced to in the past, who reeked of wealth and entitlement, as though their name alone afforded them everything their greedy and spoiled hearts desired.
Louisa and her siblings had been raised with wealth and privilege, but taught not to take anything for granted. Life, they had learned, especially since their father’s illness, was fragile, and family was what mattered above all else.
Maybe it was wishful thinking, but she had the distinct feeling Garrett shared those values.
When he saw her standing there, a gorgeous smile curled his lips. He bowed his head and said, “Your Highness, a pleasure to see you again.”
“I’m so glad you could make it,” she replied, even though she’d never had a single doubt that he would show. What had happened between them on the dance floor had been magical and she was certain that they were destined to be together. Besides, his assistant had phoned hers this morning to confirm.
“Would you care for a drink, sir?” Geoffrey offered.
“Scotch, please,” Garrett said, and his manners made Louisa smile. There was nothing she despised more than a man who treated the hired help with disrespect. Especially Geoffrey, who had been with them since before Louisa was born and almost single-handedly kept the household running like clockwork.
“White wine, Your Highness?” Geoffrey asked her.
She nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
She gestured to the sofa and told Garrett, “Please, make yourself comfortable.”
He settled onto the cushion, looking remarkably relaxed, as though he dined with royalty on a daily basis, when she knew for a fact that the charity ball had been the first time he had visited the castle under social circumstances. She sat at the opposite end, all but crawling out of her skin with excitement. When their drinks were poured, Geoffrey excused himself and they were finally alone. No family breathing down her neck, no bodyguards watching their every move.
“I was looking forward to my parents meeting you, but unfortunately they won’t be joining us this evening.”
“Your father isn’t well?” he asked, looking concerned.
“He’s going in for a procedure soon and has to stay in tip-top shape. The fewer people he’s exposed to, the less likely he is to contract illnesses. His immune system is already compromised by the heart pump.”
“Another time,” he said. Was that his way of suggesting that he wanted to see her again? Not that she ever doubted he would. This was destiny.
It was still nice to hear the words out loud, to know what he was thinking.
“I’ll warn you that tonight might feel more like the Spanish Inquisition than a dinner,” she told him.
Garrett smiled. “I expected as much. I have nothing to hide.”
“I Googled you,” she admitted.
Her honesty seemed to surprise him. “Did you?”
“Earlier this week, although I didn’t find much.”
“There isn’t much to find. I am a simple man, Your Highness. What some may even consider … boring.”
She seriously doubted that. Everything about him intrigued her. He was so dark and serious, yet his smile was warm and inviting. She liked the way his eyes crinkled slightly in the corners when he smiled, and the hint of a dimple that dented his left cheek.
She opened her mouth to tell him that she would never consider a man like him boring, but before she could get the words out, her family appeared in the doorway. The entire lot of them.
Fantastic bloody timing. God forbid they let her have a little time alone with the man she planned to marry.
As everyone piled into the room, Garrett rose and Louisa stood to make the introductions.
“Garrett, I believe you already know my brothers, Prince Christian and Prince Aaron.”
“A pleasure to see you again.” Garrett bowed his head, then accepted a firm and brusque shake from each of them. Very businesslike, but with an undertone of possessiveness, a silent notification that he was being carefully assessed.
“This is my sister-in-law, Princess Melissa,” Louisa said.
“Just Melissa,” she added in the southern drawl she had adopted while living in the States. She shook his hand firmly and with purpose. For a southern belle, she didn’t have a delicate or demure bone in her body. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Sutherland. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Please call me Garrett,” he said. “I understand you’re expecting. Congratulations.”
“Kind of tough to miss at this point,” she joked, laying a hand on her very swollen middle.
“I understand it will be soon.”
“They prefer I make it to thirty-six weeks, so the babies’ lungs have enough time to mature. Preterm labor is a possibility with multiples, but I can hardly imagine another month of this. I feel like an elephant.”
“I’ve always believed there’s nothing more beautiful than an expectant mother,” Garrett said with genuine sincerity.
Melissa grinned widely and Louisa knew that he’d instantly won her over.
Aaron stepped forward and said, “This is my wife, Princess Olivia.”
Liv smiled shyly, still unaccustomed to her role as a royal. A botanical geneticist, she was reserved and studious and would much rather be in her basement lab studying plant DNA than interacting with people. But she shook Garrett’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you.”
Anne, not waiting to be introduced, stepped forward and announced, “I’m Anne.” She stuck out her hand, shaking Garrett’s so firmly that Louisa worried she might challenge him to an arm wrestle.
What was her problem?
If Anne had been expecting a negative reaction from her confrontational introduction, she got the opposite.
“A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Garrett said with a smile, the picture of grace and etiquette, and Louisa all but beamed with pride. The situation couldn’t be more tense or uncomfortable, yet he’d handled it with ease.
