TALL, DARK & ROYAL Page 5

  "Were you always so determined to be perfect?" he asked.

  The darkness made it easier to talk. "I tried, but of course, I never was. I always thought that if I were perfect then someone would—" Her throat swelled shut around the words.

  "Someone would what?" he prompted.

  "Someone would want me with them all the time, and I wouldn't have to be alone," she said, and felt a tear burn a trail down her cheek. Shocked at the display of emotion, she blinked and thanked her lucky stars that Daniel couldn't see her. She tried to step back, but he tightened his hold on her.

  He lifted his hand to her hair again, and she held her breath, terrified he would find her damp cheek. She was fully dressed, but she had never felt more naked. His hand grazed her cheek and abruptly stopped.

  She heard and felt his sharp intake of breath. He lowered his fingers to her lips and chin and his mouth touched hers. It was a tender caress, reassuring and searching. She felt him wind his fingers through the back of her hair, tilting her mouth for better access. Everything about the way he kissed her told her she needn't be lonely. At least at this very moment, it was okay not to be perfect.

  He brushed his lips back and forth against hers, and the very air in the closet seemed to change. His tongue swept over hers, making her heart jump. He made a low sound of approval and shifted slightly, urging her into the cradle of his hard thighs. His tongue dallied seductively with hers, making her warm.

  She instinctively lifted her arms around his neck and the position brought her breasts against his hard chest. He slid his hands just beneath her sweater. She felt the warmth of his fingers on the skin above her jeans and her breath hitched in her throat.

  "What fool ever told you that you weren't perfect?" he muttered against her lips. He took her mouth with an edgy hunger that was echoed in the sensual thrust of his lower body against hers.

  Light-headed, she drew back and gasped for air. She took several breaths before oxygen hit her brain and she realized she was kissing His Majesty. Panic rushed through her, and she felt the awful urge to hiccup. Erin covered her face and took a deep breath. "Oh, Lord, what am I doing?" she whispered to herself.

  "Whatever it is, you're doing it damn well," he said.

  Taking another breath, Erin bit her lip and thanked heaven for the darkness because she was certain she was a neon shade of red from head to toe. She cleared her throat and stepped backward, as much as she could in the tight closet, immediately struggling with a sense of loss. "Um, do you think we could maybe forget what we just did?"

  Silence followed.

  "No," Daniel finally said, and the single syllable oozed sexual suggestion.

  Erin swallowed a groan. "Do you think we could pretend to forget?"

  He leaned closer and she felt his fingers whisk through her hair like a ghost's touch. "No."

  An anxious knot formed in her chest. "Then what are we going to do? I just kissed the incoming King of Altaria," she said, unable to keep her dismay from her voice.

  "That's one way of looking at it," he said in a voice that managed to be both calm and sexy.

  "And what's another way?" she asked.

  "You kissed me—Daniel. And I kissed you," he said. "Next time it won't be in the dark."

  * * *

  After he and Erin successfully escaped the notice of the local TV news team and returned to his condo, Daniel dutifully held up his end of the bargain and endured his protocol lesson.

  It was tough because he was distracted as hell by her mouth. Every time she spoke, he thought about how she had tasted and felt. Every time she moved her mouth, he thought about all the things he wanted to do to her.

  He met her eyes and found her staring at him impatiently. "Do I need to repeat myself, sir?"

  God forbid, Daniel thought and shook his head. "You said that I'm supposed to allow others to formally announce me before I approach people. In general, Altarian citizens will bow or curtsey, address me first as Your Majesty, then use sir. My question is, how much of a snit am I supposed to get into if someone forgets to bow?"

  Erin blinked. "That's entirely your prerogative, sir, but if you'd like to use King Thomas as an example, he simply ignored those who didn't show him proper courtesy or respect."

  "So I'm not expected to put them on the rack or throw them off the island if they don't curtsey correctly," he said.

  Her lips twitched at his exaggeration. "That would be correct, sir."

  "I suppose I could require any curtsey transgressors to give Jordan here a bath," Daniel said, nodding toward the dog snoring in front of the fire.

  She looked at him in disbelief. "You're planning to bring your dog to the palace with you, sir?"

  "Sure am," he said. "I can't bring my family and I have this funny premonition that I'm not going to have a lot of friends when I first arrive." He paused, watching her facial expressions shift. "From your surprise, I'll guess that King Thomas didn't have a dog."

  "Correct, sir," she said, casting a doubtful glance at the dog.

  "You look as though you're trying to figure out how to teach Jordan royal protocol," he said, and walked closer to her. "Don't underestimate him. He might be easier to train than me."

  She pressed her lips together as if she didn't dare say what she was thinking.

  "Say it aloud," he said.

  "I suspect Jordan might very well be easier to train as long as I kept an ample supply of pizza available, sir."

  "I need more than pizza," Daniel said, wondering how she would look naked on his bed.

  Erin looked away. "I'm sure you do, sir."

  Daniel stifled a sigh at her 'sir'. "I bet you're more of a cat person," he said.

  "I actually always wanted a dog, sir, but the boarding schools didn't allow pets other than goldfish, and my father was too busy to care for a pet."

  "Let me guess," Daniel said, teasing her out of her oh-so-proper mode. "A poodle."

  She lifted her chin. "They are very intelligent, sir."

  Daniel grinned. "And prissy."

  "They don't shed or slobber," she returned and quickly added, "sir."

  Daniel couldn't forget how her body had felt in his arms. "If you weren't so young, I'd kiss you again," he told her.

  "I'm not too young," she retorted, then chagrin crossed her face. "But your instincts are entirely correct that kissing me would be inappropriate, sir."

  "Why?"

  "Because I am in your service, sir," she said.

  "What if I fired you?"

  Her eyes rounded. "You can't! You must not, sir. I mean—" She broke off as if she couldn't find the words.

  Daniel dipped his head to catch her eyes. "Are you not attracted to me?"

  She glanced at him, then away. "I didn't say that, sir."

  "Then you are attracted to me."

  She bit her lip. "I didn't say that either, but—"

  "Then which is it?"

  Erin gave a heavy sigh. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you're very attractive, sir."

  That wasn't enough for Daniel. "But how do I affect you?"

  Erin frowned at him. "It's not appropriate for you to affect me."

  "The same way it wasn't appropriate for you to want a poodle? It didn't change the fact that you wanted one, did it?"

  Her eyes were dark and full of forbidden secrets. "There is a very big difference between a poodle and you," she said.

  He lifted a strand of her hair. "I can't disagree," he said and tugged her closer. He lowered his mouth a breath from hers. "I won't order you to kiss me. I won't use my position that way," he said.

  Erin closed her eyes, lost in a swirl of contradicting emotions. "I shouldn't kiss you," she said desperately. "It's not right." Not right for many reasons, she thought, feeling as if she were twisting in the wind. She was supposed to have a professional relationship with Daniel. Plus there was the matter of her father. Kissing Daniel, even liking him, made her feel disloyal.

  But her father didn't know him, she ar
gued with herself. If her father knew Daniel, he would… Her stomach tightened with dread. If her father knew Daniel, he still wouldn't like him. Her father wanted a king who wouldn't upset the apple cart. Her father wanted a king he could keep under his thumb, and His Majesty or not, Daniel would never be kept under any man's thumb.

  Frustration crowded her chest. She wondered if she could learn the same lesson of independence. She slowly opened her eyes and stared into his. So strong, so bold. He made her question everything that had come before him. He made her want to be as strong as he was. How in the world could she refuse him?

  How could she not?

  "It's time for me to go, sir," she finally managed, feeling his eyes burn through her.

  * * *

  Erin returned to her too-quiet hotel room and decided to go to bed early. Steeped in questions about her father, Daniel and herself, she pulled the covers over her head. The phone startled her. She glanced at the clock and knew it was her father calling. He would ask how she was progressing. He would ask if she had discouraged Daniel or reined him in. Not bloody likely.

  The phone continued to ring, and she held her breath. How could she help her father to see that Daniel was a man of honor and that he would genuinely care for the people of Altaria? How could she convince him that Daniel could bring a new combination of strength and compassion to the throne?

  The phone stopped ringing, and Erin covered her face. She was bloody well in a pit of trouble. Convincing her father would be difficult enough. How could she convince Daniel that they shouldn't get involved when she was having trouble convincing herself?

  * * *

  Daniel insisted that Erin join him on Monday so she could gain a picture of the work environment he would be leaving. Erin took a cab to the Connelly corporate offices. She stared up at the modern glass-and-steel structure, reminded again of the Connelly family's wealth and success. Entering the mahogany-paneled reception area, she lingered over the pictures of the various Connelly family members who had created and built the company over the years. The more time she spent with Daniel, the more curious she grew about his father's side of his family.

  Security allowed her to pass and she took the elevator to the floor that housed Daniel's office. Behind the receptionist's desk, she saw a beautiful watercolor of one of Altaria's beaches. Giving her name to the receptionist, she stared at the painting and tried to imagine Daniel in the setting. It wasn't difficult imagining him on the beach. In the palace, though, was a different matter.

  Daniel rounded the corner wearing a dark wool suit that emphasized his broad shoulders and height. He waved her toward him. "Come on back. I'll show you my office, then I'm making an announcement."

  She was amazed at how easily he shifted from casual sportsman to sophisticated businessman. Perhaps that was why he wasn't overly concerned about sliding into his new role as ruler. As she passed through a hall of offices and cubicles, she suspected he'd sharpened his leadership skills at Connelly Corporation.

  "Is this entire floor devoted to marketing?"

  "Actually two floors, and this is just corporate headquarters," he said. "We have marketing offices all over the world." He guided her past a young woman with honey-colored hair and blue-green eyes. "Erin Lawrence, this is Kimberly Lindgren, my assistant. Smart as a whip and quick."

  Kimberly shot Daniel a fond, but skeptical glance. "Such flattery. Are you softening the blow that I'll have to work overtime tonight?"

  Daniel chuckled. "Not this time."

  "It's a pleasure to meet you," Erin said, admiring the woman's confidence and ease with Daniel.

  "The pleasure's mine. Lovely accent," Kimberly said.

  "Thank you," Erin said and followed Daniel into his large, lush corner office. The view from his full-length glass windows took her breath. "It's beautiful," she said. "What a pleasure to work in these surroundings every day."

  He came to the window just behind her. "Lake Michigan," he said. "I've always been partial to a great view." Glancing down at her, he stroked his finger under her chin and met her eyes. "Here's another great view," he murmured, clearly meaning her.

  Erin's stomach dipped. She shouldn't care if he found her attractive, she told herself. But she did. Confused by her conflicting emotions, she laced her fingers together and looked out the window again. "It must be terribly difficult for you to give all of this up for Altaria, even to be king. Your family, your country and all of this," she said, waving her hand.

  "Well, the Connellys might have a large slice of the pie, but we don't own all of Lake Michigan," he said lightly.

  "Still, I wonder how you can give up all that is familiar to you for Altaria. Here, you're surrounded by supportive family, employees and friends. It will be very different in Altaria," she said, her father's hostility weighing heavy on her mind.

  "I know I'm not entering a friendly situation. It won't be the first time I've had to win over the opposition. But I can make a difference in Altaria," he said with quiet but rock-solid confidence.

  Something in his voice made her believe him.

  "The end of my Connelly Corporation days is right around the corner," he said and glanced toward his doorway. "Which is why I'm taking Kimberly into my confidence today."

  "Are you sure that's wise? I thought you didn't want to make an announcement yet," Erin said.

  "I'm not making an announcement, but it's fair to let my closest employee know my plans. She won't have to keep the secret long." He punched the intercom button on his phone. "Kimberly, could you come into my office for a minute please?"

  "Yes, Daniel," the woman said.

  Erin bit her lip at the woman's familiarity. "Are all Americans as casual with their bosses?"

  "I prefer it," Daniel said, then did a double take. "Are you jealous?" he asked in a low voice.

  Erin felt her temperature climb ten degrees. "Absolutely not. I'm simply unaccustomed to the casual way employees address their superiors here."

  "Kimberly's very attractive and intelligent, but I don't make a habit of getting romantically involved with my assistants," Daniel said as if Erin hadn't denied his accusation.

  "The same way you've avoided romantic involvement with me," she said. Immediately appalled at her lack of propriety, she blurted, "Oh, my God, I can't believe I said that."

  Daniel shot her a dangerous grin and moved toward her. "The thing you need to understand, Erin, is that you're different."

  How? she wanted to ask, but managed to keep her mouth shut.

  Daniel continued, "And we're not nearly as involved as I'd like to be."

  Erin gulped at the way he made her knees dip.

  "Daniel?" Kimberly said from the doorway. She glanced curiously from her boss to Erin.

  Erin locked her knees and resisted the urge to fan her cheeks.

  "Please close the door behind you," he said and leaned against his desk. "Have a seat."

  Kimberly sat down and waited.

  "This is strictly confidential, but I wanted you to know because there will be a period of transition during which you must limit your vacation days. I'm leaving Connelly Corporation in a couple of weeks," he said.

  Kimberly's eyes widened. "Leaving? But you are a Connelly. What will you do?" she asked, shaking her head. "And I can't imagine who can replace you."

  "My brother Justin," Daniel said.

  Kimberly lowered her head. "Justin," she echoed. "He's so…" She appeared to search for the right words. "So … serious," she finally said.

  "Exactly," Daniel agreed. "He'll work himself into an early grave if left to his own devices. I'd like you to make sure he chills out every now and then."

  Kimberly blinked. "How?"

  "I don't know. It'll take some creativity," he muttered.

  Kimberly looked totally confused. "I don't know what to say. You've been a terrific boss. I've learned so much from you. May I ask why you're leaving?"

  "I'm moving to Altaria," he said. "With the death of my grandfather and uncle,
the throne goes to the eldest Altarian male."

  It took a moment for his news to digest. She stood and lifted her hand to her open mouth. "Oh my goodness, you're going to be king!" She shook her head again. "King of Altaria. It's a small island, isn't it? Well, I suppose it's not that different than being a head honcho at Connelly Corporation. I don't know what to say." She looked at Erin. "You must be involved in some way," she said to Erin and walked toward her. "Will you be his new assistant?"

  "Not in the same way," Erin began, mystified by the woman's reaction.

  "But in some way," Kimberly said fervently. "You must know that Daniel is a terrific boss. I'm sure he'll be a wonderful king."

  The woman's sincere admiration touched a chord inside Erin at the same time as it unsettled her. "Yes, of course, he—"

  Kimberly turned to Daniel. "This is amazing. Congratulations. A king. I know a king. We are all going to miss you terribly," she said, her voice trembling.

  Daniel closed his hands warmly around Kimberly's. "Thank you, but you must keep this confidential," he reminded her.

  "I will," she promised solemnly.

  "Don't forget to watch out for Justin," Daniel said.

  Kimberly paused. "That's going to take some thought," she murmured and turned toward the door. "A king," she whispered. "And Justin…"

  Erin watched the astonished woman leave and met Daniel's gaze. She could tell what was coming before he opened his mouth and spoke.

  "Say it aloud," he said.

  "Must I?"

  He nodded.

  Erin sighed. "You inspire great loyalty among your employees and family. How do you plan to operate when the political scheme is so different?"

  "You mean because I have no one with the same loyalty to me right now in Altaria?"

  She slowly nodded.

  "Every once in a while you meet a person you know you can trust for life. By the time I get to Altaria, I plan to have at least one person that I can trust," he said and brushed his finger under her chin.

  "One person who is on my side."

  He meant her. Erin's heart contracted. He wanted her trust and loyalty. He had no idea what he was asking.