The Royal House of Niroli Collection. Кейт Хьюит
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am I, Amelia.’ He reached for the towel once more. ‘Now what did you come all this way to tell me?’
Amelia stared at his right arm as he lifted it to his face to wipe the moisture from his brow, her breath coming to a stumbling halt in her chest.
There was absolutely no sign of a birthmark.
CHAPTER NINE
ALEX put the towel back down and caught her staring at him. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘No…no, nothing.’ Amelia lowered her gaze and focussed on the table separating them. She’d checked his left arm while he’d changed hands to dry off, but it too was clear of any distinctive birthmarks.
‘What did you come here to tell me?’ he asked into the suddenly crackling silence.
‘It was nothing important.’ She got to her feet and pushed in the chair. ‘I should get going. The last bus leaves at six-thirty.’
‘Wait.’ He came around to her side and stalled her with a hand on her arm. ‘Listen, I know this is going to sound really dumb, but would you consider doing me a favour tonight?’
Amelia met his dark gaze, her heart and stomach still both feeling as if they had just performed a complicated gymnastics routine. ‘W-what is it?’
His hand fell away from her arm, his expression turning awkward again. ‘To tell you the truth I’m a bit nervous about going to the palace tonight. I know it’s a lot to ask, but, since you go there all the time, would you consider coming with me tonight sort of as moral support?’
She stared at him for a beat or two, wondering if he was genuine or whether this was another ploy to get her to go out with him. ‘I don’t go there all the time,’ she corrected him.
‘But at least you’ve met the king and the staff and are more or less familiar with the layout of the place.’
‘If you think I believe for even one second that you are intimidated in any way by royalty, you must think me even more gullible than I thought,’ she said. ‘Besides, the royal aides will escort you in and escort you out. Don’t worry—you won’t get lost and end up in a dungeon with chains around your ankles.’
‘What if I strike up a deal with you?’ he said with a little glint in his eyes. ‘If you come with me to the palace I will give you a ride home and visit your father, free of charge. Will he be home tonight?’
Five minutes ago Amelia would not have bought in to his offer, but now, with his arm showing no sign of the birthmark that would have sent her father to prison, she knew she would have to accept. Without that sign there was nothing to connect her father to the disappearance of the prince all those years ago. She wanted her father to see it for himself, to put his fears to rest. Besides, her last glance at her watch had told her the bus would have long gone. A taxi fare was out of the question even if she could convince a driver to take his car up the somewhat perilous section of road.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘It’s a deal. But I will have to stay in the background. I’m still wearing my uniform.’
‘That’s OK.’ He smiled a victor’s smile. ‘I’m only going to be there for ten minutes or so according to the invitation I received. I’ll just grab a quick shower. Make yourself at home.’
Amelia let out her breath once he had gone to the bathroom and wondered if she should still warn him of the suspicions or leave it for him to deal with if and when they were raised during his visit. No doubt the king would be looking closely for the mark that would establish his lost grandson’s identity. How he would do so she couldn’t even hazard a guess. But she reasoned that if, like her, the king saw the clear skin on Alex Hunter’s arm he might not even raise the topic at all, simply treating the visit as the royal summons as which it was originally portrayed. The rumours would hopefully die down and she would then be able to nurse her father to his final rest without the threat of exposure.
Alex came out a few minutes later looking refreshed and smelling of his aftershave, a heady combination of lemons and spice that reminded Amelia of the sun-drenched citrus orchards on the island.
She felt grubby and uncomfortable in her uniform, especially now he was dressed in a dark suit and tie, the crisp whiteness of his shirt highlighting the healthy colour of his skin and the darkness of his eyes. He had shaved, which she assumed he would have to do twice a day to keep that chiselled jaw smooth. Her skin gave a little all-over shiver as she thought about how his mouth had felt on hers, and the gentle but imminently sexy abrasion of his skin as it had moved over the creamy softness of her face.
She watched as he straightened his tie, the movement of his neck indicating it probably wasn’t his preferred choice of dress.
‘Is my tie tucked in at the back?’ he asked, turning around for her to inspect it.
She had to stand on tiptoe to tuck a thin strip of his tie under the collar, her fingers skating over his skin as if they had a mind of their own. ‘There…that’s it,’ she said a little breathlessly.
He turned back around before she could step away, his eyes locking with hers. Amelia felt the air between them begin to tighten as if an invisible force were drawing her inexorably closer to him. She could even feel the sway of her body towards him, her chest brushing against his as his hands came out to hold her steady.
His eyes grew darker as his head came closer, the warmth of his mint-flavoured breath caressing her up-tilted face. She felt her eyelids dropping as his mouth came down, the first brush of his lips on hers setting her alight like a match to a meticulously laid fire. The combustion was instantaneous and enthralling; there was nothing she could do to hold back her response. It consumed her totally, the sensations rushing through her like a hot river of flame.
His tongue came searching for hers, drawing it into an intimate tangle of slow but drugging dance-like movements, each intimate thrust mimicking the pulse of his lower body where it was pressed so close to hers. She could feel the imprint of his maleness, the hard evidence of how his body responded to hers. It excited her to think he was still attracted to her, even though she had done her best to spurn him. It showed he wasn’t going to go down without a fight, that he would throw everything he could at their developing relationship no matter what the cost.
But any cost would be hers, she hastily reminded herself. As thrilling at this sizzling attraction was, it wasn’t going to last beyond a month, not unless he was prepared to take her with him, which seemed an impossible dream. He had a life in Australia, a busy career, a loving family and a chance to change the world with this pioneering breakthrough in cardiac surgery.
What place could she have in such a life? She had been reared in poverty and shame, her life so far spent in the service of others.
And yet what made this attraction all the more irresistible was she was no longer a young naïve girl hardly out of her teens. She was a fully grown woman now, with needs and desires that could no longer be ignored. She had thrown herself into hard work to distract herself from the emptiness of her existence, but now it seemed as if that lonely existence was crying out for more. She wanted to feel like an attractive woman again. She wanted to be swept up in the magic of emotion and desire.
She wanted Alex Hunter even if she could only have him temporarily…
Alex pulled back reluctantly, his breathing still choppy. ‘Whoa there, princess,’ he said. ‘I’m drifting out of my depth here.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Hey,’ he said, cupping her face so she couldn’t escape his gaze. ‘Don’t be embarrassed. It’s a good thing. In fact it’s a rare thing. I don’t usually lose my head in these types of situations.’
‘I’m sure you’re just saying that.’
‘I wish I was, truly.’ His expression was surprisingly sincere.
‘I don’t know what to say…’ She lowered her gaze,