him off guard. Thankfully she was able to get to her feet before he could prevent it, but in her weakened state she almost fell over.
“Dottie?” he called her name in longing, but she didn’t dare stay in here and be seduced by the spell he’d cast over her. On the way out of the cabin she grabbed her purse and hurried down the corridor to the stairs.
At the top of the gangway the deck steward smiled at her. “Mrs. Richards? We’ve docked on Hellenica. You’re welcome to go ashore whenever you please.”
Could he tell she’d been kissed breathless by the prince? The sun she’d picked up couldn’t account for mussed hair and swollen lips, too.
The queen didn’t deserve to hear this bit of gossip on top of Prince Stasio’s shocking news. Every second Dottie stayed on board, she was contributing to more court intrigue. She couldn’t bear it. In fact she couldn’t believe they were back at the main island already. She’d been in such a completely different world with Alex, she’d lost track of everything including her wits.
“Th-thank you,” her voice faltered. Without hesitation, she left the yacht and got in the waiting limousine. While she was still alone, she brushed her hair and applied some lipstick, trying to make herself presentable.
A few minutes later Alex approached the car with Zoe. “Dot!” she cried and climbed in next to her.
“Did you just wake up?” Dottie concentrated on Zoe, studiously avoiding his eyes. “You were a sleepyhead.”
Zoe thought that was funny. She chatted happily with her daddy until they reached the palace where Hector stood outside the entry.
“Welcome back, Your Highness. The queen is waiting for you and the princess to join her and Prince Stasio in her suite.”
A royal summons. It didn’t surprise Dottie. She’d had visions of the queen herself waiting for them as they drove up to the entrance. For an instant she caught Alex’s enigmatic glance before he alighted from the car. All their lives he and Stasio had been forced to obey that summons. A lesser person would have broken long before now.
She might be an outsider, yet she couldn’t help but want to rebel against this antiquated system she’d only read about in history books. Unbelievable that it was still going on in the twenty-first century!
Alex helped them out of the backseat. “Come on, Dot.” Zoe’s hand had slipped into hers. She had to harden herself against Zoe’s plea. The child’s emotional hold on her was growing stronger with every passing day.
“I’m sorry. The queen has asked for you and your daddy to come, and I have to speak to my director in New York.” Aware Alex’s eyes were on her she said, “You have to go with him. I’ll see you tomorrow when we leave for your preschool.”
Gripping the bag tighter, Dottie hurried inside the palace doors and raced up the stairs. She fled to her suite pursued by demons she’d been fighting from the beginning. Since this afternoon when she’d fallen into Alex’s arms like a ripe plum, those demons had gained a foothold, making her situation precarious.
Her instincts told her to pack her bags and fly back to New York tonight. But if she were to just up and leave Hellenica, it would only exacerbate an already volatile situation with Zoe, who’d poured her heart out to her earlier.
Without hesitation she marched over to the bed and reached for the house phone. “This is Mrs. Richards. Could you bring a car around for me? I’m going into the city.” She’d eat dinner somewhere and do some more sightseeing. After the nap she’d had, it might take hours before she was ready for bed again.
Alex waited for Hector to alert him on the phone. When the call came, he learned Dottie had just returned to the palace. He checked his watch. Ten to ten.
He left Zoe’s bedroom and waited for Dottie at the top of the stairs leading to her suite. This time he didn’t step out of the shadows. He stood there in full view. Halfway up she caught sight of him and slowed her steps. Alarm was written all over her beautiful face. She’d picked up some sun earlier in the day, adding appealing color.
“Alex? What’s wrong?”
Anyone watching them would never know what had gone on between them on the yacht. He’d nearly made love to her and her passion had equalled his. Her breathtaking response had changed his life today.
“Let’s just say there’s a lot wrong around here. Since your arrival in Hellenica, you’ve got me skulking in every conceivable place in order to find time alone with you. At this point you’d have reason to think I’m your personal phantom of the opera.” He drew in a harsh breath. “We have to talk, but not here.” When he saw her stiffen he said, “I know you can’t be commanded, but I’m asking you to come with me as a personal favor.” He’d constructed his words carefully.
Tension sizzled between them as he started down the stairs toward her. To his relief she didn’t fight him. Slowly she followed him to the main floor. They went down the hallway and out a side door where he’d asked that his sports car be brought around.
Alex saw the question in her eyes. “I bought this ten years ago. It’s my getaway car when I need to be alone to think.” He intentionally let her get in by herself because he didn’t trust himself not to touch her. After leaving the grounds, he headed for the road leading to an isolated portion of the coast with rocky terrain.
“But you’re not alone,” she said in a haunted whisper.
“If you mean the bodyguards, you’re right.” He felt her nervousness. “Relax. If I had seduction in mind, we wouldn’t be in this. I purposely chose it in order to keep my hands off you tonight.”
“Alex—”
“Let me finish,” he interrupted. “Whatever you may think about me, I’m not in the habit of luring available women to my bed when the mood strikes me. You came to Hellenica at my request in order to test Zoe. Neither of us could have predicted what would happen after you arrived.
“I can’t speak for you, but I know for a fact that even if your husband’s memory will always be in your heart, the chemistry between us is more powerful than anything I’ve ever felt in my life. We both know it’s not going to go away.”
She lowered her head.
“One night with you could never be enough for me.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I know you would never consent to be my mistress, and I would never ask you. But until the coronation is over, I’m requesting your help with Zoe.”
She shifted in the seat. “In what way?”
“Stasio and my daughter both need me desperately, but I can’t be in two places at the same time and still manage the daily affairs of the crown. My brother is going through the blackest period of his life. He’s clinging to me and shutting out our grandmother. She’s beside herself.”
“I can only imagine.”
“I’m worried about both of them and asked the doctor to come. He’s with them now, seeing what can be done to get them through this nightmare. He says I need to be there for Stasio 24/7. I’ve asked our cousin Philippe to fly here and stay for a few days so my brother has someone to talk to he trusts.”
“I’m so sorry, Alex.”
“So am I,” he muttered morosely. “This situation is something that’s been coming on for years. Unfortunately it’s had a negative impact on Zoe. When we got back to the palace today, it took me an hour to settle her down. She wanted to go to your room with you. Tonight she begged me to let you become her official nanny.”
Alex heard a half-smothered moan come out of Dottie. The sound tore him up because any kind of connection to keep her with him was fading fast. “It wouldn’t work.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he bit out. “But as a temporary solution, would you be willing to stay at the palace on Aurum with her until the coronation? She loves