Page 47 of Some Like It Scandalous
Controlling the urge to scream, she looked up to find him standing in front of her, wineglass in hand. She took it and sniffed once. “I wish you wouldn’t apologize for it. I thought…”What had I thought? That we’d have sex and it would all be better?
“Yes, I know.” He sat next to her, close enough to feel, but not quite touching. “And that is why I’m apologizing…”
God, no, you will not talk to me in that…that…prince voice. Not again.She surged to her feet, ignoring the wine she sloshed, and strode toward the door.
“So much for not running. We have hours left on your deal.” His voice, razor sharp, cut her stumbling steps to a halt. “Isn’t that what you said? All will be forgiven—no matter what we say or how angry we become?”
Pivoting slowly, she looked back. He stood at the edge of the bed, his hands in his pockets, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed. He walked toward her, slowly, almost stalking.
“That is what you said? We’ll rip the Band-Aid off?” His voice was lazy silk and steel twined together. It stroked her and cut herin the same breath. “We won’t dance around our mistakes—ask any question, get any answer…”
She backed into the door. He didn’t slow until he stood right in front of her. “You keep running, Anna.”
“I know.” She winced, and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn’t. He seemed to draw all the light in the room—it shone against his black hair and rippled over the gleam of sweat on his skin.
“Do you? I buried my father and I needed you. You were there one moment and gone the next.” His nostrils flared. She thought she’d known what angry was like, but he was furious. With her or with himself—she wasn’t sure.
“I was stupid, Charlie. I was…foolish and naïve and a whole lot of other words. I can’t apologize enough for the choice. It cost me—it cost you.”
“It costus.” He took a step back. “I blamed myself for it. I took issue with keeping the truth from you. You left—because you found out the truth, not because of the lie.” He stretched his hands out. “And this is the truth. In this room, I am Charlie. I am free of the encumbrances of my title. I can be me. Out there? I am the Prince Armand, Grand Duke Andraste—and five thousand employees, servants, staff and family depend on me to keep my head. To see to their welfare. I don’t have a country. I have a company. I have a family. This is my life, Anna. The bald truth of it.”
He stalked away to stand before the windows. The sunset in the distance and the illumination of it seemed surreal. They hadn’t been in that room long enough for the day to even end and yet?—
It seemed centuries.
Heart thundering in her ears, she wavered on the precipice. As melodramatic as it seemed, she knew their future waited on her decision.
“I’m only sorry we made love because I cannot offer you anything more now than I could then. I am a prince without a nation, a grand duke with responsibilities, and they will not go away with our reunion. I will never be that boy in college who shared an apartment and made do with a hodgepodge of furniture and a miniscule budget—enjoying water instead of wine because it was cheaper. I’m still the man you left before.”
Beneath the churning surface of his fury and ice echoed a sad wistfulness. Setting her wineglass on the coffee table, she walked over, wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned her head against his back. His skin seemed hot and cold. His rigid muscles loosened the longer she stood there, just holding him. He finally settled a hand atop hers on his belly.
“I’m not sorry,” she murmured against his back. “I’m not sorry we made love—I can’t be. It was like being where I belonged and I won’t regret it—even if you decide I’m not worth the trouble.”
He sighed. “You wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t demanded you come see me.”
“I’m here because I want to be here.”Doesn’t he love me just the least little bit?
“Anna—”
“No. You don’t have to say anything or mean anything or even promise anything.” She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth, but she meant them. She loved him enough for both right now—if it took her the rest of her life to earn his forgiveness, well, then that was what she would do. “I’m here. You’re here. We can talk—we can make love—we can play video games.”
The lightness in the last fell flat, but he turned in her arms and wrapped her in his embrace. He tucked his chin against her head and she hid there, the illusion of safety better than any rejection. “It’s not fair to you…” he began.
“I don’t care. I just told you I’m not leaving.”Not again.
He sighed and kissed her forehead. “Then let me at least send for supper.” He pulled free of her arms and walked over to the phone. This—a good portion of this—was her fault.
She wouldn’t let the prince push her away—not when she’d run from Charlie because of the prince before. They could fix this. She didn’t know how, but they had to be able to fix it. They’d just found each other again.
Chapter 14
Armand
He flipped through the newspaper, barely reading any of the words. Waking with Anna in his arms was the sweetest ache he’d ever experienced. Slipping out of the bed while she still slept, he’d showered, dressed and settled himself in the dining room. They’d talked for hours, not that he recalled much of the conversation after setting her on the bed and?—
He cut off the line of thought.
His body hummed to awareness, seemingly experiencing no conflict between physical desire and the right thing to do.
