His Royal Pleasure by Leanne Banks

Author:Leanne Banks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1993-11-23T16:00:00+00:00

The next morning Alex rose before Katherine and Chad. He felt like a new man, young and free. The crunchy horrible coffee he made couldn’t even dim his grin.

He tossed it out and traded it for a glass of orange juice, then strolled onto the front porch. The sun was just rising. He breathed in the salty morning air.

He caught sight of a paper bag on the bottom step. He picked it up and opened it. The silky triangle of Katherine’s panties was the only item it held.

His stomach turned at the realization of what it meant.

Someone had watched them. Someone had watched what should have been private. Someone had watched her nearly naked and needy beneath him.

Fury shot through him, nearly blinding him with the force of it. He crumpled the bag and cursed, scanning the wooded area, suddenly knowing he wasn’t alone. “Show yourself,” he called in a rigid, quiet voice.

A man immediately stepped forward. Dressed like the other campers, he wore jeans and a T-shirt, but Alex stiffened. He knew him. “Who sent you?”

“Isabella.”

He would tear out her hair when he saw her. “How many others?”

“One. He sleeps.”

Alex’s jaw clenched. “You will speak of this to no one.”

“Of course.”

The man was sworn to protect and defend Alex at all costs. He was also sworn to secrecy. “Jean-Luc, in two weeks I return to Moreno. Until then, keep your distance.”

Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Al Sanders,” Alex corrected. “No one must know.”

Jean-Luc looked uncomfortable. With great reluctance, he nodded again. “Yes—” He hesitated. “Al.” Then he disappeared into the woods.

Alex rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He probably shouldn’t have been so hard on the man. Jean-Luc was only trying to do his job, and the bag was a pointed reminder of the penalties of being indiscreet. Princes didn’t make love with women on public beaches. Anyone could have been watching.

A reporter would have a field day with this kind of story, Alex thought. Where had his mind been, to put Katherine and himself in such a compromising situation?

He heard the squeak of the screen door and quickly turned. Fresh from a shower, Katherine stood there with a soft smile on her face. “Good morning.”

Torn by self-condemnation and the effect her morning-husky voice had on his system, he nodded stiffly. “How are you?”

Katherine’s smile wavered at his cool tone. “I, uh, I’m a little tired.”

“Yes. I regret I kept you out so late.”

“Regret?” The word deflated her. She looked at him carefully, noting the rigid set of his jaw, the stoic expression on his face and the unhappiness in his eyes. She couldn’t help but recall other morning-afters when she’d hoped for warmth and love and gotten neither. Her heart sank. Perhaps, she thought with a bitter taste in her mouth, she’d misread his feelings.

Regret. What a horrible word to use to describe such a beautiful evening. He couldn’t have meant it. She took a deep breath. “You regret last night.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said quickly in a harsh voice.

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