“Whoa,” Benjamin said. “She looks like she’ll be gone for the night in just a few minutes. Flat-screen is available as soon as she’s asleep.”
“I need to protect myself,” Coco said.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I mean that you are dangerous at night. I need to avoid you then,” she said and turned away.
Benjamin held his daughter as he watched Coco walk away, and he suddenly felt alone. Regret filled him, tightening his chest and spreading outward.
“Hey,” he said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She glanced over her shoulder, but didn’t meet his eyes. “I’m great. Let me know if you need help with Emma.”
“I will,” he said, feeling alone. Very alone. He knew he had made a mistake kissing Coco and undressing her as he had. On the other hand, he hadn’t slept last night, either, and he’d thought about her all day.
Maybe another night would cure him, he hoped. If not, another day would do it. He swore under his breath. If twenty-four hours didn’t do it, then he would need help.
* * *
A couple hours later, Benjamin went to bed. It took a while for him to fall asleep. A vision swam before him. Coco appeared and lowered her mouth to his. Time passed in a millisecond and she was naked against him. He realized that he was also naked and her breasts felt delicious against his bare chest. Her nipples were taut and sensitive as he touched them.
Her moan made him unbearably aroused. I want you, he said.
I want you, she echoed.
Seconds later, he slid his hand between them to the top of her thighs where she was moist and swollen. He stroked her as he kissed her.
“You feel so good,” he said, sinking into her kiss and the intimate sensation of being so close to her. His breath hitched in his throat and he stretched toward her, wanting to be inside her.
Finally, he thrust inside, where she was wet and warm. He pumped, feeling the sweat bead on his forehead. His heart hammered against his chest. He was so aroused he could explode.
Coco stretched her legs around him and held him close. “I love you,” she whispered.
Her words stopped his heart. “Don’t love me,” he said. “I’m not the right man for you. Not right now.”
“I love you anyway,” she said.
He felt himself rise again inside her. Swearing, he couldn’t hold himself back. Even though she’d told him she’d loved him. Even though she shouldn’t love him, and he shouldn’t let her.
But he couldn’t control the way she made love to him with her body, and he couldn’t stop the way he made love to her with his body, either. He began again the rhythm of sinking himself inside her. He felt himself grow closer and closer to release. He was almost there....
He woke up, sweating, his pulse racing, and he was as hard as a brick. It took him a few seconds to separate the dream from reality. Coco was not in his bed whispering alarming words in his ear while they made love to each other.
“Thank God,” he muttered as he sat up, though his body was in complete disagreement. His body clamored for satisfaction, and his heart— His heart wasn’t involved, he told himself. His heart had no room for the woman who was the nanny to his daughter and who had just learned she was part royal.
* * *
The next morning, Coco tried to avoid Benjamin, which was difficult because the villa wasn’t that large. So she took Emma for walks in the stroller. Three of them. She was just about to leave for a walk on her own when Bridget called.
“Time for shopping,” Bridget said. “Now don’t turn me down. I know you’re not doing anything. Mr. Bernard reports that you’ve taken Emma on multiple walks.”
“I don’t know, Bridget,” she said and decided to be honest. “These boutiques may be a bit out of my price range.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Eve wants to give this to you as a gift,” Bridget said.
“Oh, no. I couldn’t,” she said, horrified at the prospect.
“She’ll be terribly offended if you don’t accept. Eve is so kind and wonderful. You wouldn’t want to offend her, would you?” Bridget asked, and Coco couldn’t help thinking she was being played.
“I’m sure she would get over it,” Coco drawled.
“Oh, stop being so difficult. Even if you don’t find anything you like, it will get you off the palace grounds, and you shouldn’t miss Chantaine’s downtown area. Some find it quite quaint.”
Coco couldn’t disagree with the idea of escaping Benjamin for a while. “All right,” she said. “You’re very kind to invite me, but don’t count on coming back with anything for me.”
Soon enough, Coco learned that Bridget was one pushy princess. “Oh, please,” Bridget said after they’d cruised through the second boutique. “You’re making this miserable. There’s got to be something you like. There are so many dresses that would look wonderful on you.”
Coco shrugged. All the prices had been out of her range so far. “You know how it is when you can’t find exactly the right dress,” Coco said as she sifted through a rack of dresses. She wandered toward a sale rack in the back of the store.
“Trust me, there’s nothing there,” Bridget said. “Come back up front.”
Coco continued to flip through the rack and found a simple sapphire-blue full-length dress. The price was still a little high, but...
Bridget came to her side. “Lovely color. A little plain, but with a little jewelry, it would do.” She glanced at Coco and smiled. “You have Devereaux eyes, only a little sweeter.”
“You’re the sweet one,” Coco said. “Putting up with me to do all this shopping.”
“Oh, trust me,” Bridget said. “This is a pleasure after playing ranch frau this morning. Now try on your plain dress. I’m ready to disapprove and we’ll move on to the next shop.”
Coco tried on the dress and loved it. She loved that the color was vibrant and the design simple, a V-neck with an A-line that flattered her slim frame.
Bridget crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “I want to veto it, but something about it is perfect. We can do something with your hair, give you some jewelry, the right shoes.”
“Shoes?” Coco echoed. “I have black heels.”
“We can do better than that,” Bridget said.
Coco felt a sinking sensation. “Better than black heels?”
“Of course we can,” Bridget said.
Coco wrestled with Bridget to pay the bill. For a moment there, it could have gotten bloody, but Coco pulled out the guilt screws. “This is embarrassing me,” Coco said.
Bridget immediately backed off. For a full moment. “Fine,” she said. “But I’m still getting your shoes.”
Two nights later, Benjamin paced the front room, dressed in his suit, tugging at his shirt collar. What had possessed him to agree to go to this gala? He could have said no-how, no-way, but he’d thought his absence might look odd since he and Coco were supposed to be engaged.
Now he was stuck with what would likely be the most uncomfortable evening of his life. He took another gulp of water and paced the front room again.
Out