She breathed again and her sigh was a little less shaky. “I’m sorry. I can’t remember the last time I cried this much.”
“Then I guess you’ve been holding it in. If you’re okay, I’ll get you some water,” he said.
She nodded and rubbed at her wet cheeks. “Just embarrassed.”
“Don’t be,” he said and got up to get her a glass of water. “You’re in one hell of a strange situation.”
Returning, he held the glass to her lips and noticed how plump and pink her mouth was. She sipped the water then took the glass with her own hands. “Thanks.” She took another sip and another deep breath and shook her head. “I just feel so stupid.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I kept telling myself and you that they wouldn’t have any interest in me, but some stupid part of me must have hoped they would.” She closed her eyes. “It’s not that I really believed there was any chance for a real sister-sister or sister-brother kind of relationship. I just hoped it would be a little more friendly.”
“What did they do?”
“Nothing terrible,” she said. “They were just horribly polite. The prince came into the room where we were having tea and I spilled my tea all over this beautiful tablecloth. I wondered if that was why they acted so cold after he arrived. He was only there for about a half minute.” She shook her head in confusion. “Before that, Bridget and Phillipa were almost nice. They even smiled a couple times and laughed.”
Benjamin frowned. Why would the royal chicks turn suddenly mean? “Did Prince Stuffy say anything to his sisters when he was there?”
“Stefan,” Coco corrected, but laughed. “Never thought of that about his name, but—”
“Did he say anything to his sisters?” he repeated.
She shook her head. “No. He kinda glared at them, but he didn’t say anything.”
“Hmm,” Benjamin said, wondering if the way the royals had behaved toward Coco was all part of a plan.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Just thinking,” he said.
“Well, I don’t have to think about this situation one more minute,” she said. “I’m ready to leave now.”
Emma let out a cry from the room where she was sleeping. “Oh,” Coco said. “I should get her. I hope I didn’t wake her.”
“Probably not. She’s been asleep for a while,” he said and thought about Coco’s situation with the Devereaux. He hadn’t expected them to fall all over themselves welcoming her, but something about it didn’t smell right to Benjamin.
An hour later, after Coco gave Emma a bottle and her dinner, she put the baby on a big blanket on the floor of the den. Benjamin noticed Coco pacing restlessly. She was still upset about the Devereaux. He’d come up with a plan of his own, but he didn’t want to tell her about it quite yet.
“It’s still light out. You want to take her for a little stroll?” he asked.
Coco nodded, her face easing with relief. “Great idea. Do you want to go?”
“I think I’ll stay inside. I need to go over some updates from the foreman,” he said.
“Okay,” she said and put a light jacket and a little hat on Emma. “We won’t be gone long,” she said and stopped suddenly. “Thank you for putting up with me this afternoon.”
The expression in her blue eyes made his chest knot. “It wasn’t anything. I just want you to feel better,” he said and squeezed her shoulder.
She rose on tiptoe and surprised the heck out of him when she brushed her soft lips across his jaw. “It was a big something to me,” she countered, then fastened the baby in the stroller and left.
Benjamin rubbed his jaw at the strange sensation where she’d kissed him. He wondered if the rest of her was as soft as her lips. He wondered what her lips would feel like on his body. He wondered what kind of sounds she would make if he kissed her and touched her all over.
His body heated and he shook his head at himself. Crazy, he told himself. He had more important things to think about than the fact that he hadn’t been with a woman in too long. If there was one woman he shouldn’t even be thinking about taking to his bed, it was Coco. She was too important to him because of Emma. Coco was off-limits and he was damn determined to make sure he didn’t forget that.
Benjamin walked toward the telephone in the villa and picked it up. He dialed the number for Mr. Bernard, who picked up after the first ring.
“Bernard. May I help you?”
“Yes, you may. I need to speak with Stefan Devereau.”
Silence followed. “Pardon,” Bernard said. “To whom am I speaking?”
“This is Benjamin Garner, Miss Coco Jordan’s fiancé.”
Bernard cleared his throat. “Mr. Garner, I’m afraid it will be impossible to arrange an audience with the prince. His schedule is arranged months in advance.”
“I don’t want an audience. I want a man-to-man chat,” he said. “You can tell Stefan that the Devereaux family will be facing a public relations nightmare if he can’t find time to talk with me. Understand?”
Bernard cleared his throat. “I will relay your message, Mr. Garner.”
“You do that,” Benjamin said and hung up the phone.
The phone in the villa rang two hours later. Benjamin picked up quickly since Coco had fallen asleep on the sofa.
“Benjamin Garner,” he said in a low voice.
“Mr. Garner, this is Prince Stefan’s assistant. He will see you for fifteen minutes this evening. Mr. Bernard will pick you up within five minutes.”
Benjamin didn’t like dancing to someone else’s tune, but this wasn’t about him. He was taking care of Coco. Even the phone hadn’t awakened her. “I can do that,” he said and hung up the phone.
He glanced in the den and saw that Coco was still asleep. Poor thing was completely tuckered out. He grabbed the baby monitor, put it next to her on the end table, scrawled a note about taking a walk, and went out the front door. Seconds later, the car slowed to a stop and Bernard popped out.
“Mr. Garner,” he said and opened the door. “I’ll brief you on proper etiquette with the Prince.”
“No need,” Benjamin said and got in the car. “He’s not my prince.”
“But, sir,” Mr. Bernard sputtered. “I have instructions. I must brief you.”
“Do what you have to do, but I won’t be listening. I’ve got more important things to think about,” Benjamin said. “I’ll take responsibility for my own actions. I always have.”
Mr. Bernard hesitated a half beat. “Very well, sir. The first rule is that you never turn your back on a royal and...”
Benjamin clicked Mr. Bernard’s voice to the off position and planned his strategy with Stefan. Just a few moments later, he was led through a side door and upstairs to the second floor. He passed a plainclothes security man and was stopped outside a door by another security man.
“Monsieur, I will now inspect you before your meeting with His Highness,” the man said.
Benjamin lifted his hands. He didn’t need a gun in this situation. He knew his biggest weapon was tarnishing the precious image of the Devereaux. Seconds later,