Page 15 of Twelve Nights In The Prince's Bed

‘That’s not true. They’re a part of my personal life. Eleanor is mybest friend.Sleeping with you was...’ But she couldn’t say it was a mistake. She couldn’t say she regretted it. ‘I wish no one had found out, but they did, and the only thing we can do to fix this is pretend it wasn’t just a meaningless one-night stand,’ she mumbled. ‘A one-night standisdisrespectful. But a secret relationship?’

‘I do not get involved in relationships. My parents know this better than anyone.’

‘This isn’t a real relationship,’ she pointed out caustically, rubbing her fingertips to her temple, pushing aside the question she had.Why didn’t he get involved in relationships?‘We’ll pretend we’re dating, that we like each other, but that we’re taking it slowly because of the family situation. Can’t you see that it makes everything better? Jeopardising my relationship with your family for a one-night stand is stupid and unthinking, but for a relationship...’

‘Why did you do it, then?’ he pushed. ‘You knew all this last night,’ he pointed out.

‘I also told you expressly that no one could find out.’

He rocked back on his heels a little. ‘That’s hard to control, when you choose to sleep with someone like me.’

‘I see that now.’

He sighed heavily. ‘I’m sorry, Poppy, but I have no interest in pretending to date you.’

Her stomach dropped to her toes. ‘Well, then, you’ll have to call your mother and tell her the truth,’ Poppy said with a lift of her shoulders. ‘Tell her your oversized libido couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take my virginity,’ she added with an extra shrug.

He glared at her. ‘You are well aware I had no knowledge of that.’

‘It doesn’t change anything.’

He opened his mouth then closed it, rubbed a hand across his jaw. ‘Have you thought about the timing of this? It’s Christmas. We’re about to spend almost two weeks at the palace, as we do every year.’

‘I’ve thought of nothing else.’ She groaned. ‘But can’t you see how much less awkward this will be, for everyone?’

His eyes were mocking. ‘Really? You don’t think there is an inherent awkwardness to us carrying on a faux relationship under my parents’ watchful gaze? As for my sister, she will want all the details. Are you really prepared to lie to them?’

She shook her head and, to her chagrin, tears moistened her eyes. ‘No. Yes. I hate the idea, of course. I hate it. But my back was against a wall,’ she said honestly, before remembering the truth of that sentence, the way he had held her with her back against the wall, grinding his arousal into her.

But they both pictured that moment, she knew it. The air between them seemed to spark.

‘Your mother was so...disappointed. I had to tell her something.’

‘And what next, Poppy? Do we get fake engaged? Fake married?’

‘No,’ she almost shouted. ‘God, no. We’ll break up.’ Poppy drew a deep breath. ‘I’ve accepted a promotion, Adrastos, at The Hague. It’s a huge opportunity for me. I leave early January.’

She waited for him to respond, but all he did was narrow his gaze slightly. Poppy swallowed. ‘When the dust has settled on all this, we’ll explain that I’m leaving, and given the geographical difficulties of a long distance relationship, we’ve decided we’re better as...friends.’ She faltered, because she hadn’t thought of him as a friend for a very long time, probably not ever. ‘They’ll be a little disappointed, but not compared to how they’d feel if you immediately go back to sleeping with anything with a pulse.’

‘You’ve really thought it all out, haven’t you?’

‘Not really,’ she said with a humourless laugh. ‘I acted without thinking it through at all, but I believe my instincts are right. This is the only way to save them from embarrassment, to avoid a ridiculous amount of scandal, and to save face in front of them. Don’t you agree?’

He stared at her for a long time, and Poppy found it impossible to know what he was thinking. But finally, he took two steps towards her, hands on hips, eyes now challenging rather than mocking.

‘You are asking me to do this, for you,’ he said quietly.

‘For your parents—’

He shook his head. ‘I am used to what my parents think of me. I would not be doing this to change that. But I understand whyyouneed us to do this.’

She bit down on her lip, hating that a single tear fell from her eyes, hating that he saw her vulnerabilities as clearly as if they were writ across her breasts.

‘So you agree?’

‘Perhaps.’

A feeling like hope fluttered in her chest, but there was something else, too. A rush of adrenalin. A charge of fear. ‘Perhaps?’

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