Later that night Xander lay on his back with Reanna still asleep in his arms. He tried but failed to keep his mind from racing so he could join her in what looked like a peaceful slumber. Despite his desire to stay with her in the United States and put off the inevitable, he knew Simon was right. In the age of cell phones and the Internet, they would be better off heading back to his country soon.
But how? Reanna was a gentle soul. She didn’t deserve to be rushed or scared. The extent to which her life would change because of him was immeasurable and unavoidable. Once she stepped foot on Rubare Collina soil, her life and her future would be his responsibility. He didn’t want her to regret entrusting it to him.
He cursed himself for procrastinating. He should have started his search earlier, found her sooner. What little thought he’d put into this obligation had revolved around the annoyance of putting aside his work projects, not the possible feelings of the woman he would choose.
That had changed the moment he’d looked into Reanna’s eyes. Yesterday he’d made the mistake of returning to the packet Simon had compiled on Reanna and reading through pages of documents and summaries. Her life had not been an easy one. There were notes from social workers as far back as the age of seven. No information was beyond Simon’s reach. Confidentiality, like many other laws, dissolved for those with influence and money. He half-wished he hadn’t read the report of how her parents had died while on academic sabbatical in Egypt. Or how, lacking other family, she’d been placed in foster care.
He’d been infuriated by the report stating that at the age of eight she’d accused a fellow foster child of inappropriately touching her. With no evidence, and considering the likeable personality of the other child, Reanna had been the one removed from the home.
He wanted to go back in time and throttle every single person who had doubted her story. Evidence of what that experience had done to her was reported by her next social worker, who had written that Reanna had become withdrawn and exhibited an inability to trust the adults around her. The file also said she stated she was terrified of doing anything that would have her removed from her next placement.
She was moved four more times after that entry. The first time the family had a baby of their own. The next two families described her as withdrawn and unwilling to interact with other household members. The final family stated she was constantly having trouble at school, and they couldn’t handle the disruption to their work schedules.
Her report cards had provided evidence to support his suspicions. She’d excelled in every subject until she’d been promoted several years ahead in an attempt to challenge her advanced intellect. Her paperwork described her as a loner with only one documented friend whose visits resulted in temporary improved behavior from her: Kendra Little.
Reanna had attended college while she was still young enough to be in high school. She aged out of social services, and Simon’s file became anecdotal. There were clippings from online papers each time she won an academic award.
If his sources were correct, and he had every faith they were, her friend Kendra had found Reanna a job at Biostern after Reanna graduated with her PhD. Simon had noted Reanna had no family, no strong ties to work, and a small social network. But he hadn’t considered the length of time Reanna had been a friend with this other woman. Kendra might be trouble.
Which was another reason Xander had to move fast. He couldn’t give Reanna time to tell her friend about him. That was partly the reason he’d refused to leave Reanna the night before. His presence alone would inhibit her ability to reach out to her friend.
With Reanna’s project finished, her disappearance could be explained with very little effort. He would send in a resignation letter along with her files. The letter would say she was going on vacation. Her home and all of her bills would be dealt with. Tomorrow he’d offer to take her somewhere, convince her to get on his plane, and that would be the end of it. Then all he had to do was get her to say she loved him.
How hard could that be?
Once she settled in she would love his country. He kissed her forehead in response to a warm feeling that spread through him as he imagined her there. She was a woman who as a child had desperately wanted a place to belong. If he was right, she still craved such a place. With him, Reanna would have that. She would have a family and a place to call her own. He wished he could explain all that to her. It would make what he had to do less traumatic for her.
He didn’t like deception, but in this case, it was necessary. If she was scared of him, she would have difficulty giving her heart to him. He looked down at her face, seeing both the woman she was and the terrified child she had been. He couldn’t bring more pain to a woman like Reanna.
But he also couldn’t let her go.
He touched her cheek softly. Things are about to change, Reanna Fielding, but I promise I will make your life better than it has been. You’re mine now.
In the early hours of the morning, Xander fell asleep, still cradling Reanna safely in his arms.
Chapter Five
Reanna woke with a start at the sound of her phone ringing downstairs. She recognized Kendra’s ringtone and sprang out of bed.
Crap! I forgot Kendra is coming here this morning. Shit. Shit. Shit. I have to get down there before she lets herself in.
Reanna threw on jeans and a T-shirt and sprinted down the stairs to intercept her friend. She reached the living room just as Kendra was closing the door behind her.
“Did you forget we were meeting for breakfast?” Kendra laughed and referenced Reanna’s hair.
Reanna glanced at herself in the mirror beside the door and cursed. She smoothed her wayward locks the best she could with her hands. “I did. I’m so sorry, Kendra. Can we do it tomorrow? Or next week?” Reanna looked over her shoulder at the stairs leading up to her bedroom and pleaded, “And can you lower your voice?”
“Why? Do you have someone here?” Kendra joked in a stage whisper. When Reanna didn’t immediately deny it, Kendra said in a rush, “Seriously, is someone here?”
Reanna nodded and pointed toward the ceiling.
“A man? You have a man here?”
Reanna grabbed Kendra’s arm and shushed her. “Don’t make a big deal over this. I’ll tell you all about it later.” She tried to drag Kendra back toward the door. “But you have to go.”
Kendra turned and took both of Reanna’s hands in hers. “Who is it? Is it the man you met the other day? Tell me you didn’t sleep with that guy down the street who leaves those creepy notes on your car.”
Reanna looked over her shoulder at the stairs that led to her bedroom and turned back to Kendra urgently. “Remember I told you I met someone at the bookstore? I will tell you everything if you go now before you wake him up.”
Kendra whipped out her phone and showed Reanna a picture. “Is this who you have upstairs?”
Reanna’s eyes widened with surprise. “I think so. You’re moving your phone around too much.”
Kendra held the phone in front of Reanna again. “Take a close look. Is that him?”
Reanna grabbed the phone and studied the photo. Xander was standing beside two other men who looked like they might be his brothers. “Yes, that’s him. How did you get a picture of Xander?”
“Prince Alexander Edward Charles Demande? Crown Prince of Rubare Collina? I knew his name sounded familiar. He’s from an island country off the coast of Europe. It’s like Monaco. They still have royalty. Only he and his brothers also run Dyholm, the company that supplies little chips to cell phone companies. They’re insanely rich. How did you meet him again?”
Reanna sank down onto the arm of the couch, staring at the photo of Xander. She scrolled up and down to read the accompanying story. He and his brothers had gone to England to attend a royal wedding, and had been photographed outside the church. It was just as Kendra said, Xander . . . Alexander . . . was royalty. “I might throw up. Or pass out. Or throw up and then pass out.”
Kendra rushed over and shook Reanna. “Oh,
no you’re not! Not until you tell me everything. How did you meet a prince at a bookstore? I’m so jealous. I want to hear everything.” Kendra stopped and a huge smile spread across her face. “I can’t believe your first time was with a fucking prince. I’m still trying to forget how bad the sex was with that wrestler in high school. Remember the one who asked me to score him on a scale from one to ten because he was trying to improve his technique? I’m sure he’s still trying. He was awful.”
Reanna handed the phone back to her friend. “Kendra. Focus. This is not good. I can’t date a prince. Look at me. I don’t even date normal people.”
Kendra frowned. “Hey, stop talking like that. That man upstairs, regardless of who he is, was damn lucky to sleep with you. How was it? What’s it like to sleep with a prince? Is it better than regular sex?”
“I don’t have anything to compare it to, remember?” Reanna said with a shrug, then she smiled. “It was amazing. Is it always amazing? I mean, you sleep with a lot of guys. How common are three orgasms?”
Kendra raised a hand in protest. “Hey, first of all, I don’t sleep with that many men. But if I did, great sex is not something to walk away from. Trust me. And if you can find it with a man who looks like that and comes with a title and gives you three orgasms. You just hit the jackpot.”
Reanna lowered her voice and gave in to the temptation of sharing a bit of how amazing the night before had been with her friend. “You mean like this guy could be the one?”
Kendra suddenly looked concerned. “Easy, Reanna, you just met him. Don’t get too excited. Sometimes when you sleep with someone right away you don’t see him again after that. I don’t want you to build this into something it’s not. This might end up being a great story we talk about the next time we have too many drinks together. The chance of it leading to anything serious is slim to un-fucking-likely.”
Reanna stood up. “You don’t think a prince could fall for me?”
