Heidi Betts – At His Majesty's Convenience / Her Little Secret, His Hidden Heir: At His Majesty's Convenience (страница 8)

She shrugged. Something about the ensemble felt funny. Too casual, maybe. It didn’t seem right to wear jeans in a royal palace.

“You didn’t bring any shoes.” She pointed to her bare feet.

“Maybe I wanted to admire your pretty toes.”

Heat flared inside her as his gaze slid down her legs to the toes in question. She giggled, feeling suddenly lighthearted. “My toes would still like to find some shoes to hide in. Why wasn’t I wearing any last night? I looked in the bedroom and the dressing room, but I didn’t see any.”

“I don’t know.” Jake’s expression turned more serious. “You were twirling barefoot on the lawn when I found you.”

Andi’s skin prickled with unease again. “So we decided to get engaged, and then I lost my memory?”

Jake nodded. His guarded expression didn’t offer much reassurance.

He took a step toward her. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this together.” He slid his arms around her waist. Heat rippled in her belly. His scent stirred emotions and sensations and she softened into his embrace. She wondered if he was going to say he loved her, but he simply kissed her softly on the mouth.

Pleasure crept over her. “I guess I’m lucky it happened right here, and that I’m not wandering around some strange place with no idea who I am like those stories you see on the news.”

“It is fortunate, isn’t it?” He kissed her again. This time both their eyes slid closed and the kiss deepened. Colors swirled and sparkled behind Andi’s eyelids and sensation crashed through her, quickening her pulse and making her breath come in unsteady gasps. Her fingers itched to touch the skin under his starched shirt.

She stepped back, blinking, once they managed to pull apart. Were their kisses always this intense?

Jake smiled, relaxed and calm. Apparently this was all par for the course. Andi patted her hair, wishing she could feel half as composed as he looked. Terror snapped through her at the prospect of facing strangers and trying to pretend everything was normal. “Can we keep our engagement a secret for now?”

Jake’s eyes widened for a second. “Why?”

“Just so I don’t have to answer a lot of questions when I don’t even know who I am.”

He frowned. “I’m afraid it’s too late. I told someone on the phone last night.”

“Who?” Not that she’d even know the name.

“Maxi Rivenshnell. She’s a … friend of the family.”

Andi paused. The name had a nasty ring to it. Maybe it was the way he pronounced it, like something that tasted bad. “Maybe she won’t tell anyone.”

“I suspect she’ll tell everyone.” He turned and strode across the room. Shoved a hand through his dark hair. Then he turned and approached her. “But nothing’s going to stop me buying you a ring today, and you’re going to choose it. First, let me summon your shoes.”

Jake parked his Mercedes in his usual reserved spot in the town’s main square. No need for chauffeurs and armed escorts in tiny Ruthenia. He rushed around the car to help Andi out, but she was already on her feet and closing the door by the time he got there.

She’d devoured her breakfast of fruit and pastries in the privacy of his suite. At least he knew what she liked to eat. Despite obvious confusion over little things like how to find her way around, she seemed healthy and relatively calm, which was a huge relief.

Of course her reluctance to announce their engagement was a slight hitch in his plans to unload his unwanted admirers, but word would get out soon enough. Ruthenia had more than its share of gossiping busybodies, and for once they’d be working in his favor.

He took her arm and guided her across the main square. Morning sunlight illuminated the old stone facades of the shops and glinted off the slate tiles of the church steeple. Pigeons gathered near the fountain, where a little girl tossed bread crumbs at them and two dogs barked a happy greeting as their owners stopped for a chat.

“The local town,” murmured Andi.

“Does it look familiar?”

“A little. Like I’ve seen it in a dream rather than in real life. It’s so pretty.”

“It is lovely. You and I saw it together for the first time three years ago.”

She paused. “You didn’t grow up here?”

“No, I grew up in the States, like you. I didn’t come here until the socialist government collapsed in a heap of corruption scandals and people started agitating for the return of the royal family. At first I thought they were nuts, then I realized I could probably help put the country back on its feet.” He looked at her, her clear blue eyes wide, soaking in everything he said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

His chest tightened as he spoke the words. All true. Andi’s quiet confidence and brisk efficiency made almost anything possible. The prospect of carrying on without her by his side was unthinkable.

“Was I good at being your assistant?” Her serious gaze touched him. “I don’t remember anything about my job.”

“Exemplary. You’ve been far more than my assistant. My right-hand woman is a better description.”

She looked pleased. “I guess that’s a good thing, since we’re getting married.”

“Absolutely.” Jake swallowed. How would she react when her memory returned and she realized they were never romantically involved? He drew in a breath. She wasn’t in love with him. Still, she was sensible enough to see that marriage between them would be in the best interests of Ruthenia.

And that kiss had been surprisingly spicy. In fact, he couldn’t remember experiencing anything like it in his fairly substantial kissing experience.

Maybe it was the element of the forbidden. He’d never considered kissing his assistant and it still felt … wrong. Probably because it was wrong of him to let her think they’d been a couple. But once a ring was on her finger, they really would be engaged and everything would be on the up and up.

At least until her memory came back.

“The jeweler is down this street.” He led her along a narrow cobbled alley barely wide enough for a cart. The kind of street he’d have to fold in his wing mirrors to drive down without scraping the ancient walls on either side. Thick handblown glass squares glazed the bowed window of the shop, giving a distorted view of the luxurious trinkets inside.

Despite its old-world ambience—or maybe because of it—this jeweler was one of the finest in Europe and had recently regained its international reputation as part of Jake’s Rediscover Ruthenia campaign. He’d bought quite a few pieces here—gifts for foreign diplomats and wealthy Ruthenian acquaintances. Why had it never occurred to him to buy something lovely for Andi?

He opened the heavy wood door and ushered her in, unable to resist brushing her waist with his fingers as he coaxed her through. The formally attired proprietor rushed forward to greet them. “Welcome, sir.” Jake was grateful the man remembered his aversion to pompous titles. “How can we assist you today? A custom commission, perhaps?”

Jake hesitated. Andi might well like a ring designed to her exact specifications—but he needed a ring on her finger right now to make an honest man of him. He certainly didn’t want her memory coming back before the setting was tooled. “I suspect you have something lovely in the shop already.”

He took Andi’s hand in his. It was warm, and he squeezed it to calm her nerves. “We’re looking for an engagement ring.”

The elderly jeweler’s eyes opened wide. His gaze slid to Andi, then back again. He seemed unsure what to make of the situation. Perhaps he’d been following the local gossip columns and was already designing one with Maxi or Alia in mind. “Should I be offering you my congratulations?”

“Most certainly.” Jake slid his arm around Andi.

“Wonderful.” The jeweler bowed his head slightly in Andi’s direction. “My best wishes for you both. And in time for Independence Day, too.” A smile creased his wrinkled face. “The whole nation will be overjoyed. I do think a custom creation would be most appropriate. Perhaps with the family crest?”

“Why don’t we take a look at what you have in stock?” He tightened his arm around Andi’s waist, then loosened it, suddenly aware of how intent he was to hold on to her. Not that she was resisting. She leaned into him, perhaps seeking reassurance he was happy to provide.

A large tray of sparkling rings appeared from a deep wooden cabinet. Jake glanced at Andi and saw her eyes widen.

“See if anything appeals to you.” He spoke softly, suddenly feeling the intimacy of the moment. The first step in their journey through life as a married couple. The rings were nearly all diamonds, some single and some triple, with a large stone flanked by two smaller stones. A few more had clusters of diamonds and there was a large sapphire and a square cut ruby.

Andi drew in a long breath, then reached for a small single diamond in a carved platinum band. She held it for a moment, then extended her fingers to try it on. “Wow, this feels weird. Like you should be doing it, or something.” She glanced shyly at him.

Jake swallowed. He took the ring from her—the diamond was too small, anyway—and gingerly slid it onto her slender finger. His skin tingled as he touched hers and a flutter of something stirred in his chest. The ring fit well and looked pretty on her hand.