She was as beautiful to him now as she had been before, but he noted a subtle change, as well. The light had gone out in her. Where before she’d been vibrant and joyous, she now appeared older…sadder. Regret perhaps? Guilt? Or had life been unkind to Sara Presley?
He’d thought the terrors of war and near death added to the years of loathing had hardened him enough to face her. But he knew without a doubt he could not let her touch him. At least not now while his insides canted toward her like a seasick sailor.
“Welcome to Castle-by-the-Sea,” he said. “I trust your accommodations are satisfactory.”
Sara’s look of bewilderment was exactly what he’d hoped. He’d caught her completely off guard.
“You’re a prince?”
He inclined his head. “Ruler of Carvainia.”
It was imperative she understand his power and place and forget about the lovesick youth he’d once been. He must be in control, and now that he’d seen her again, this was going to be more difficult than he’d thought.
“You never told me,” she said. One hand went to her forehead and then fell to her side. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Considering her cruel abandonment, he was glad he hadn’t. “Would it have made any difference?”
“No, of course not, but—”
He didn’t believe her. “My country has enemies. To protect my friends and myself, I chose to attend college without fanfare, though I always had bodyguards at hand.”
“You did?”
She seemed genuinely stunned by his royalty. Would she have been less treacherous, less likely to abandon him and his son if she had known the truth? Or would she have used the information to her advantage? “Remember Carlo and Stephan?”
“I thought they were students like you. Friends from your country.”
“They were both.” The knot in his stomach twisted. Though the difference in stations had separated them to some degree, he and his bodyguards were friends, as well. And Carlo had paid the ultimate price for his loyalty.
Sara Presley, the woman who held Nico’s life in her unsuspecting hands, shook her head. Hair the color of cinnamon rustled against the shoulders of a simple yellow sundress—a dress that rose and fell with the rapid in and out of her anxious breathing.
“I don’t understand.” The tip of her tongue flicked out to moisten peach-colored lips. Aleks averted his gaze. No doubt her mouth had gone as dry as his, though for far different reasons. “What is this all about, Aleks? Why am I here?”
Though he felt no humor whatsoever, he offered an amused tilt of his head. “You are our grand prize winner. Remember?”
She scoffed. “Don’t give me that. Something else is going on here.”
He was not quite ready to reveal everything. “Sit down please. You seem…disturbed.”
“Disturbed? I’ve never been so confused in my life. You disappeared five years ago and now suddenly I’m whisked out of my bookstore and into a castle. Your castle. And I didn’t even know you had a castle. After all this time, I never expected to see you again.”
He could believe that. If not for Nico, she wouldn’t have. He almost said as much but knew he must be careful. His son’s future rested with this woman. He must proceed with great caution. The battle plan was working well so far. He must not become reckless like a new recruit and ruin everything.
Sara moved to the chair he indicated, and he noticed the slightest tremor in the hands she placed on the armrests. He turned his attention to her face. Even there he saw again the vulnerability. She was nervous and uncertain…and perhaps a bit scared. She was angry, too, though she had no right to be, all things considered.
She reached for her earring—a long chain of silver—and her fingers trembled. They were cold, too, he was certain, for he remembered the subtle nuances of her emotions. He didn’t need to touch her to know she was anxious, maybe even afraid. Memories of her had tortured him enough.
He hardened his heart. Any weakness she displayed would be used to his advantage.
“If you think I’ve brought you here because I couldn’t bear to be without you any longer, think again.”
A deep rose color flushed her pale skin. “After what you did, that much is a mercy.”
After what he’d done? “I don’t equate a white lie about my royalty with outright betrayal, particularly when that white lie was intended to protect all concerned.”
Eyelashes as lush as sable blinked at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He quelled the memory of his lips against those eyelids and the feel of her lashes tickling his skin. “Oh, I think you do.”
Her chin hitched up. “No, I don’t. All I know was that your father fell ill and you had to return home. You promised to be in touch, but I never heard from you again.”
Had he not known the lengths to which his mother had gone to contact this woman, he would have believed her lies.
“Nor did I hear from you.”
You didn’t even bother to contact me about the child you were carrying. My child. But he left those last words unspoken. He would let her lies continue while she backed herself into a corner. Then, when she met Nico, she would be forced to admit her transgression and agree to his demands.
“How could I contact you? You weren’t even honest enough to tell me who you were or where you lived. I thought you lived in Italy. I thought your name was Aleks Gabriel.”
He stepped down from the raised dais where his desk was situated. “Enough!”
“Don’t ‘enough’ me, Mr. Prince. I’m not one of your subjects. I demand to know what’s going on. Why the outlandish ruse to get me here?”
“Ruse?”
“Don’t play dumb. I didn’t win any all-expense-paid vacation to a health spa.”
“Are you certain of that? Have you not been treated well by my staff? Did the masseuse and hairdresser not visit your rooms? Do you not have a personal attendant at your beck and call?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“And this treatment shall continue for the duration of your stay. Whatever you need is at your disposal.”
She blinked again, confusion warring with the need to assert herself. Aleks felt victory at hand. A confused enemy was easy to defeat.
Feeling in total control now, his emotions ruthlessly in check, he moved to her side and reached for her hand. The skin was incredibly soft and silken and every bit as cold as he’d known it would be. As cold as her soul.
Sara snatched her hand away and glared at him.
Teeth tight, he took her elbow and forced her to stand.
“Come. I want you to meet someone.”
“Who?” She tried to pull away again but Aleks held tight to her arm, propelling her to the door.
“I think,” he said through gritted teeth, “you will be greatly surprised.”
Sara’s knees trembled as Aleks’s strong fingers dug into her skin. She recalled all the times he’d placed his hand exactly there, guiding her with such courtesy and grace across campus, into a movie or a restaurant, into a car. But today, his hold was impersonal, even cruel.
Her head spun with the impact of the last few minutes. She could hardly take everything in. For a brief moment, she had entertained the hope that Aleks had brought her here to set the past straight. As furious as she was that he would contact her now when it was too late,