The Royal Affair (The Palmera Royals) (5 page)

Embarrassed, she clamped her mouth closed.
Damn it.

She would love to see the stables and horses, but that meant they would be together—alone—and Marina wasn’t sure that was a good idea. “I don’t know…”

He was trying, but damn it, being the perfect gentleman was killing him. What he wanted was to kiss Marina. He’d promised not to. Actually he’d promised himself not to come within a hair’s breadth of her, because if he did, he wasn’t sure he could resist. Big problem. He couldn’t resist before, and look what the hell had happened then. He’d let down the most precious person in his life.

Nope, lust wasn’t allowed in his vocabulary anymore. If their relationship grew tumultuous again, Marina would leave, and Suzie needed her. He couldn’t risk that.

“Suit yourself. I’ve got paperwork to do.” Yeah, right. He’d tried that last night and the bloody stuff still sat unattended on his desk. Sleep had been impossible, as memories of dark hair trailing across his body shot his body into overdrive. Then he’d remembered the sound of his daughter’s small voice as she struggled to speak for the first time in years. That moment had resurrected hope and compelled him to track down Marina. Hell, he would have gotten down on bended knee and begged if he had to, anything to get her to come back to Totara Park for a few days to give Suzie more time.

Now reality set in. He’d promised the moon to Marina while his body had other ideas.

“Jonas.” The way she said his name drew him from his inner battle. “I’d like to take you up on that tour.”

Bloody hell, he was a goner.

“But what about Suzie?” she asked.

“Give me a few minutes. It’s time for her bed anyway. I’ll read her a story and take the monitor with us when you and I go out.”

It would only take him twenty minutes to show Marina around. Not much could happen in twenty minutes, could it?

Tonight was the fastest read ever. With the monitor gripped in one hand, he headed outside, only to come to a grinding halt as all the oxygen evaporated from his lungs. She didn’t know he watched her. In his mind, he was stripping her naked. His arousal instant, he drank in everything about her. Lush hair the color of midnight lay draped across her shoulders in an undulating wave of silk. He remembered her long limbs wrapped around him, holding him. She leaned against the fence post, one foot scuffing back and forth across the scented grass.

A soft snore fluttered around him, echoing from the handheld monitor gripped in his fist. Suzie! How could he have forgotten so easily? Again. Pissed at himself, he gripped it even tighter, using the feel of the hard-edged plastic digging into his flesh as a judicious reminder of his responsibility.

Just as a hawk cawed overhead, Marina turned. Jonas could have sworn he witnessed a wash of sadness in her expression. Then it was gone, and he really wasn’t sure what, if anything, he’d seen.

He growled low. Jeez, his thoughts sounded like some sort of romantic dribble. Clutching the monitor, he descended the steps and strode over to her. He tried to keep his brain on target and ignore the major discomfort down south. A tour of the grounds. That was all. Nothing more. He could do this. “Ready.”

She tilted her chin that little bit higher. “Lead the way.”

He launched into his tourist monologue, and Marina dropped in beside him as they walked toward the first of his three sets of stables. He edged away from her. Better that than reach out for her hand. “Totara Park is a working stud and stables. I buy yearlings and breed and train them for racehorse owners worldwide. People like you.”

“How did you get into it?”

“Brought up on a farm. I love horses, love talking to them.”

“A regular horse whisperer.”

“Nah, I don’t train the wild ones, but I must admit there’s nothing better than watching the Kaimanawa horses race across the ranges.”

“The Kai…what?

“Kaimanawa. It’s an area about one-and-a-half hour’s chopper flight from here. The land is rugged, partly inaccessible, and the wild horses roam free. They’re descended from domestic horses released in the late eighteen hundreds and are a tough breed. They’re protected today because of some sort of special genetic derivation that links them to thoroughbreds.”

“They sound wonderful.”

“They’re a real sight to see.”

Marina’s wistful voice shattered his determination, and he glanced down at her. “Yeah, they are.” He drew the barn door open. The comforting aroma of horses and hay greeted them, and a few horses snorted and whinnied. “Grab a few carrots from the bin over there.” He pointed toward the forty-gallon wooden barrel in the corner. “We always keep a few to give them a treat now and again.”

The moment they entered the stables, a palpable excitement radiated from Marina. She hadn’t spoken but carried a few carrots as she walked down the aisle, patting one horse, then another, whispering words to each.

Laughter bubbled from deep inside him. “And you called me a horse whisperer.”

“I’m just introducing myself.” She shot him a relaxed smile, and Jonas’s gut lurched all over again. Dang, this was way too hard.

She reached forward and kissed a horse’s jawline. “They’re so beautiful.”

“I don’t get emotionally attached. It’s business.”

Marina’s hand fell away from Wild Boy, the horse she was caressing. She wrapped her arms across her middle and stepped away from the thoroughbred colt. “That seems to be your modus operandi.” She walked farther along the aisle, stopping at each horse. He didn’t follow her. How could he say he was sorry, when he knew truthfully he would do exactly the same again? His daughter came first. Full stop.

Exhaling pent-up frustration, he caught up to Marina at another stall where a black colt reached out for a carrot. “That horse is a winner. Mother was Desiree and his father was Sultan. Both were international cup winners, so I think this little baby is going to be a sure thing.”

“Sure things don’t always work out.” Marina stilled him, resting the palm of her hand flat against his chest. His lungs stopped working, and all he could feel were her fingertips testing his bloody control beyond endurance.

He gritted his teeth and gripped the stable door beside him. “You doubting my ability to spot a good horse?”

“So modest,” she teased.

Suddenly, he found himself smiling right back at her. “Come on, I’ve got a treat to show you.” Grabbing her hand, he drew her toward a large set of double doors at the end of the barn. After he slid one open, they entered a wide enclosure circled by white-painted fencing. Dancing dust flies basked in the dim luminosity.

Marina leaned into the fence and clutched at the top railing. “This entire place is special. The horses are lovely. You’re right; you do have a knack for spotting a prodigy. But mostly I think it’s the setting, and, of course, Suzie. She’s very special.”

“She’s worth everything.” Even being lonely. Even denying himself a second chance at love.

Just then, the gentle thud of hooves on the soft sand reached them from across the enclosure. Jonas whistled, receiving a whinny in reply as the yearling walked up. “Princess Marina, may I introduce you to Bright Star.”

Marina’s eyes glistened with excitement. “Oh, Jonas. She’s…exquisite.” She reached out to the horse, grazing her tapered fingers across its forelock. Bright Star nuzzled into her, and Marina held out the last of her carrots to the horse. The yearling snatched them from her hold, and Marina’s laughter rang around them. “Oh, you greedy little thing. But you are beautiful.”

Jonas’s gaze rested on Marina. He couldn’t drag it away, and
instinctively, he stepped closer, her body heat an aphrodisiac that drew him in. He stood right behind her, and as nonchalantly as his surging body allowed, he tucked the monitor into his pocket and rested his hands on her shoulders.

Beneath his fingertips, he felt her shiver, but he didn’t move away, nor did he take action. He just stayed like that, reveling in the moment of touch, his thumbs sliding ever so slightly back and forth along her nape.

“Bright Star is my newest baby. She’s about to be rehoused in the second stable.” Jonas couldn’t get over how normal he sounded, while inside his body raged to inferno proportions, his fingers desperate to slip beneath her hair and tangle in its lustrous strands. He wanted to kiss her. A whole lot.

She shifted so she partially faced him, arching her head back. Her glossy hair fell across his hands.
Oh, have mercy.

“Jonas.”

That was all he needed. That one word. His name on her lips. He bent forward, his lips so close to hers. He couldn’t resist. Their lips met.

Home. You’re home.

His heart hammered a joyful tattoo, and his arousal throbbed his need for her. For kisses. For everything.

She didn’t pull away.

Stop!
What was he doing? Thinking? Thinking wasn’t allowed.
Her hands slipped around his neck, fingers threading through his hair.

He pulled away. “I’m sorry.” He sure as hell was. “I promised to be a gentleman.”

“Daddy. Daddy?”

Suzie! Oh shit! Jonas stepped back, ice in his veins. “Bloody hell!” Suzie raced through the open barn doors, dragging her blankie with her. Wide, tear-glistened eyes stared up at him with unconditional love.

Oh jeez. He’d been in such a damned hurry to get outside with Marina. He crouched down and opened his arms to his daughter as she ran into his embrace, snuggling instantly into him. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I thought you were asleep.”

“You didn’t fi…sh the story, Daddy.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Again he’d let her down! Again his desire for this woman got in the way. “Let’s go and finish it now.”

Hopeful eyes smiled up at him, only to shift toward a silent Marina. “You come, Pr…cess.” Suzie held out a chubby hand to Marina.

Jonas glanced up at her over Suzie’s head. Obviously aware of his inspection, she wrapped her arms around her middle and distanced herself by taking a step back, shaking her head. She brushed a loose strand from her face. Jonas remembered weaving his fingers through it, and swallowed back the curse on the tip of his tongue.
Definitely a dumb-ass move, Wilder.

“I’ll be up soon, Suzie. I’m just going to say good night to Bright Star.” Resisting the urge to ask Marina to come—hell, he’d probably even plead—he lifted Suzie into his arms.

Time to get out of there.

Pathetic, buster. So dumb
.
You failed at being a daddy again!

Marina wanted to be relieved Suzie had interrupted them, but the truth was she wished the little girl was still tucked up in bed.

Alone
in the barn, she lifted her fingertips to her lips and traced their outline. She had wanted him to kiss her. Wanted to kiss him.

Eventually, she had no choice but to head back inside. The house was quiet, and she went straight for her bedroom, passing Suzie’s partially open door on the way. Catching sight of Jonas sitting on Suzie’s bedside and tucking her in, Marina hesitated. “Time for sleep, miss.”

“Aw, Daddy?” Suzie spied Marina standing at the doorway, and, tossing back her duvet, she scampered up the bed. “Princess, Princess. I’m a princess too.”

Jonas glanced over his shoulder at her, and Marina’s heart skipped several beats. His gaze caught hers and then traveled so very slowly down to her lips. Every inch of her heated. “So can she be a princess?” Jonas asked as Suzie settled back down under the duvet.

Marina stepped into the room and stopped at the end of Suzie’s bed. Pushing up from the bed, Jonas came to stand beside her. He was so close she could feel his heat radiating off him, smell the tantalizing notes of his aftershave. Stiffening her spine, she steadied her nerves. Giving in to temptation—again—wasn’t allowed and would be tantamount to emotional suicide. She reached over and caressed Suzie’s golden curls. “I think, Miss Suzie, that you are already Daddy’s little princess.”

“Yip…ee. I’m a pr…cess.”

Jonas dipped his head and whispered, “Right answer.” He stooped and popped a kiss on Suzie’s forehead, then, straightening, leaned even closer to Marina. “We need to talk.”

No way. Talking meant being close to him. “Can it wait until tomorrow, Jonas? It’s time for bed.”

“Scared?”

Her lips pursed. Bad move. Doing that made her remember the addictive taste of him. It also made him look at her mouth. “Sensible,” she countered.

“Could have fooled me.”

“I won’t be caught twice.” Even as the words escaped, she wasn’t as certain as she hoped she sounded. “You promised to be a gentleman.” She rolled her eyes. “Can’t we just be friends?”

“We used to be…more,” he whispered, clearly aware of little ears listening in. “I’m not sure being just friends is possible.”

“I won’t be picked up and put down at whim.”

“No. You’re right. But I can’t offer what you want.”

“I deserve better than a man who walks out and doesn’t return my calls. I deserve a man who wholly loves me.”

For a moment, he said nothing, and she waited, wondered what he would say.

“You do. Good night, Princess.” Turning away from her, he exited the room.

She followed and stood outside her bedroom door to find him waiting for her in the hallway. “I agreed I would help with Suzie for a few days. A week, that’s all. Nothing more.” But even as she uttered the words, the thought of
only
a few days filled her with sadness.

“And then it’s back to royal duties?”

“Yes, and Palmera Stables. I need to get to the meets and ensure all the paperwork is ready for shipping the horses.”

“Don’t you have staff for that?”

“I do, but I’m a small stable and hands-on.”

“And very successful.”

She couldn’t stem her smile. “Nice you finally agree.”

“A quick search of the Internet sorted that out. There’s lots of articles about you and your operation.”

“Have you been checking up on me?”

“The world knows all about you. Where you travel, what you wear, who you sleep with.”

A gasp snagged in her throat. “That is all gossip.”

“Is it?” He gave a shrug as if it didn’t matter, or that he didn’t believe her. “Since you’re so busy working,
I’m grateful you could grant me a few days of your schedule.”