‘And I have no doubt at all that we will,’ he drawled, making Alyssa wonder what he thought of as work. ‘That’s why I’m going to study your methods as closely as I can. The job of Regent of Rosara couldn’t be more different from the life I’ve lived until now. With Ra’id years away from becoming King, and despite my brother’s best attempts at marrying me off, I’m still his only living relative. That means our country’s succession is in a precarious state. I have to make sure nothing happens to Ra’id, while running Rosara at the same time, and I intend to succeed at both jobs.’
Alyssa saw he was deadly serious, and knew she had underestimated him. ‘That’s a real challenge.’
‘I know, but I specialise in those.’
She had been thinking so hard about how a playboy was going to juggle two jobs like that, she didn’t realise he had been leaning steadily closer and closer to her. When he laid a hand on her arm, she jumped.
‘That’s why I need your help, Alyssa.’
She pulled her arm away smartly. ‘If there’s anything I can do to help Ra’id, I will. But that’s all, Lysander.’
‘Of course. You’ve made your point, so I’ll make mine. I prefer partnerships of pleasure.’ Despite her obvious anger, he didn’t sound at all apologetic.
‘I suppose by that you mean little and often,’ Alyssa snapped.
The smile returned to his beautiful mouth. ‘I’ve never had any complaints.’
‘Until you met me, and I’m out of bounds,’ she told him meaningfully. ‘As long as you remember that, Lysander, you can keep your record with women—which I’m sure must be one hundred per cent perfect.’
‘Oh, don’t worry. One little setback in a lifetime wouldn’t bother me. A single rejection among thousands of triumphs would only amount to a fraction of a percentage point,’ he said with a careless smile.
‘Ah, but if you don’t try, you’ll make sure you never fail—’
Alyssa had never known a man with such easy, natural charm. Those flashing eyes and that devilish smile made him almost impossible to resist, but then she remembered something. His one and only weakness would always be her greatest strength.
‘And if you ever force me to give you a black eye, Lysander, it would make other girls think twice about tangling with you, until your bruises have faded.’
He stopped smiling. His eyes narrowed. He pursed his lips, thinking.
‘I’m a fast healer, but … point taken.’
Alyssa wasn’t going to take any chances. ‘I’m serious, Lysander.’
He took another long, slow sip of coffee but his eyes didn’t once leave her face. ‘I’m sure you are.’
‘I’m here to work, so I don’t have time for distractions. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do my very best for your little prince. I once let a child down …’ She paused, not wanting to complete the story. ‘From that moment on, my job became the most important thing in my life. Do you understand?’
Lysander leaned back, resting one arm along the back of the couch. His eyes were dark and inscrutable. ‘Ah … yes, I remember somebody bringing that to my attention when they were checking your references. It was truly a tragedy that that little boy died because nobody took any notice when you told them how sick he was. That was unforgivable.’
Alyssa’s heart began to beat very quickly, and not only because of the way he was studying her. Talking to Jerry about the tragedy of little Georgie had been hard enough. Discussing it with a stranger would be impossible.
‘Yes, it was. Which is why I’d rather you changed the subject,’ she said abruptly, her breathing shallow.
Lysander’s expression altered. The intensity of his gaze made her blush.
I was never this forceful until—she thought, and felt the sharp pain of sadness in her throat. Oh, no. Why must that come back to haunt me, right now? The events of a few months ago had snowballed until they threatened to suck all the life out of her. This job was her chance of a fresh start. She couldn’t afford to weaken.
Lysander was so self-confident. Alyssa wished she had his sort of nerve, but she was at least determined not to let him see her eyes fill with tears. She looked away quickly, but for the first time since she had lost Georgie she found that her tears were easily blinked away. Painfully, she wondered if this was the start of her recovery.
‘Of course. It’s no wonder you mistrust people after that.’ Lysander’s voice was as slow and calculated as his smile. ‘Is there anything I can do to persuade you we aren’t all bad?’
He had picked up on her suspicions about him, so there was no point in denying them. It wasn’t good for her new employer to feel he was under surveillance, but that wasn’t Alyssa’s only worry. If a gorgeous man like this could see how troubled she was, her life really had gone too far in the wrong direction. She had to do something, fast, but what? Maybe she could do with talking about what had happened rather than bottling everything up … but this handsome, piratical prince looked more trouble than he was worth. Wanting to talk was one thing. Trusting him was something else. Finishing her coffee, she put her cup and saucer back on the tray and stood up.
‘Well, thank you for the drink, but unless you have some aspect of Ra’id’s care you’d like to discuss I think you’d better go, Lysander. I’ve got a lot to do.’ She took a last look around the sitting room, then started off towards the door she assumed must lead to her own suite. ‘The chap who parked my car earlier said he’d bring my luggage up but I got so involved with Ra’id, I haven’t even had a chance to find where I’m sleeping.’
‘The nanny’s rooms are through there.’ He pointed to the door. ‘But that way is kept locked all the time, to stop Ra’id disturbing her during the night. You’ll have to go out into the corridor and use the main door, at the top of the stairs.’
Alyssa flashed a dangerous look at him. ‘And how would you know that, if you’ve never had anything to do with Ra’id before?’
Lysander smiled at her knowingly. ‘Let’s call it a lucky guess, shall we?’
‘Well, the minute I find the key I’m going to unlock that door, and leave it open. That’s how it’s going to stay. I can assure you I’ll never have any reason to stop Ra’id coming into my rooms to see me.’
‘Really?’ He gave her a mocking look of disbelief.
‘Really.’
Her reply led him to give a casual shrug. ‘Then it must be time for me to take you to your lonely suite.’
Alyssa raised her eyebrows.
‘To the door and no further,’ he assured her, offering his arm.
She hesitated. All day she had fought against falling under his spell. She had managed it so far. Surely she could reward herself with this one, brief point of contact? The fear that Lysander would misunderstand and assume it was the start of something warred with the excitement of being escorted by such a gorgeous, polite man. She already knew he was too much temptation, but had to find out if he was enough of a gentleman.
‘Thanks, but I want you to know I’m giving you the benefit of some very big doubts, Lysander,’ she told him, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm.
It was just as well she answered before the sensation of his warm, vital body rose through the thin fabric of his jacket. The feel of it shook Alyssa to the core. She wanted to go on standing there in the middle of the room, enjoying the casual intimacy with this dark stranger. Lysander had other ideas. At the very moment