Claiming His Royal Heir Read online

  “Is the palace always this quiet? I mean, do you not have to entertain foreign dignitaries and that kind of thing?”

  Vasco slowed. “I didn’t want to scare you off by thrusting you into the middle of a social whirl, so I told my events planner to keep things light while you settled in. Are you ready for some more excitement?”

  “Um, I don’t know.” She wasn’t wild about the prospect of being surrounded by medal-laden dignitaries or glossy-haired princesses. What would they think of a simple girl from suburban L.A.?

  She straightened her back. She didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about. She was educated and intelligent and could hold a conversation. As an American, she wasn’t intimidated by blue blood or piles of wealth. It would be interesting to meet different people. “Sure, why not?”

  At a social event he’d have to introduce her as something. Then maybe she’d know where she stood. My fiancée, perhaps?

  “Then we’ll send out some invitations.” Vasco raised a brow. “Though I admit I’d rather keep you all to myself.”

  He pulled her gently along with him as they climbed another small slope, then they paused at the top. The view was incredible. Hills and mountains all around, including the castle-topped one behind them. There was no sign of civilization.

  Stella stared around them. Not even a distant plane in the sky. “I feel like we’re all alone in the world.” The sun glazed peaks and valleys with pale gold light.

  “We are, for now.” Vasco’s strong features glowed in the warm light.

  For now. Those words rang a little ominous in her ears. She’d asked her question about her status and received an answer. She was his girlfriend as well as the mother of his child.

  That would just have to do. For now.

  She’d been here barely a week, so who was she to start making demands and asking pointed questions when she didn’t even know what she wanted. She might tire of Vasco and Montmajor and decide to head home, so it didn’t make sense to demand a commitment from him when she wasn’t ready to offer one herself.

  Why was it so hard to be patient and let events evolve naturally? They’d just started dating. Okay, so it was a little more intense than usual since they lived under the same roof—and had a son—but any relationship was a delicate thing that could suffocate and die under too much pressure. She needed to relax and go with the flow a bit, enjoy the moment, live in the present and let their relationship grow in its own way.

  Eight

  Nicky was safely tucked up in bed when the first guests arrived. Stella had spent hours getting ready, or at least it seemed like hours. She’d bought a new dress and shoes in the town, with a credit card Vasco gave her and told her to “enjoy.” She felt appallingly self-conscious flicking through racks of dresses at the local boutique under the watchful eye of the proprietor, who must know exactly what she was doing with Vasco every night.

  She’d said “No, thank you,” to the more flirty dresses with low-cut cleavage and plunging backs, and picked a rather demure ice-blue satin dress that fell to her ankles. It draped flatteringly over her curves but didn’t reveal too much. Why give them more to gossip about?

  “You look beautiful.” Vasco’s warm breath on her neck made her jump. She stood at the top of the stairs looking down into the foyer, as a well-dressed crowd of visitors trickled in, removing velvet capes and even furs despite the warm fall temperatures. All of the women were stunning, including the older ones, and dressed with the elaborate elegance of people who took seeing and being seen seriously.

  “I’m a little nervous.” Her palms were sweating and she didn’t dare wipe them on her delicate dress.

  “Don’t be. Everyone’s thrilled to meet you.”

  “Do they know, about Nicky and you and…”

  “Only that you’re my guest of honor.” He kissed her hand, which made the tiny hairs on her skin stand on end. If only this were all over and she could lie in his arms in “their” bed.

  She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that the guests didn’t know the truth or worried that this meant they could therefore guess and speculate in all directions.

  Vasco slid his arm into hers and guided her down the stairs. His proprietary touch silently introduced her as his girlfriend. The bright, winning stares of richly dressed females raked her skin like sharp nails and their tinkling laughter hurt her ears. Still she made her best effort at conversation—people spoke in English most of the time, presumably for her benefit—and managed to keep a smile plastered on her face.

  Vasco looked devastatingly handsome in black tie. Somehow he made even the formal dinner jacket look rakish and daring. He touched her whenever they were near, just a brush of his knuckles along her hip, or a dusting of fingers over her wrist. Each time it made her heart leap into her mouth and her skin tingle with awareness.

  Hushed voices, especially in Spanish or Catalan, made Stella’s face heat. She knew they were wondering and whispering. Did they think her too plain and ordinary for Vasco? Did they suspect a “compelling reason” of some sort to explain his interest in her?

  “What brings you to Montmajor?” asked a woman about her age, with short dark hair swept into a glossy updo and a curious expression on her carefully made-up face.

  “The library.” Stella smiled as sweetly as possible. “I’m a book restorer and the chance to work with these ancient volumes is a dream come true.” Ha. Didn’t even have to fib.

  The woman smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out of her black lace dress. “Are you enjoying our local hotel?”

  Stella swallowed. “Actually it’s easier for me to stay here at the palace. Closer to the library.” She cleared her throat.

  “Of course it is.” A slim eyebrow arched upward. “Such a lovely building. With so many bedrooms.” Her voice dropped slightly for the last phrase. “I’ve seen some of them myself.” Her dark eyes sparkled a challenge.

  “Really?” Stella tried to sound amused. “Are you one of Vasco’s old girlfriends?”

  A crease appeared between the carefully plucked eyebrows. “Vasco and I are very old friends, but he could never claim I was simply his girlfriend.” She said the word as if it tasted nasty.

  Stella felt herself shrink a couple of inches. She’d been so pleased and proud to have Vasco call her his girlfriend. “Oh, you were just lovers, then?” She couldn’t believe how bold she was being.

  And it backfired again.

  “Yes.” The woman glanced across the room, and her eyes darkened. Stella ventured a guess that she was looking right at Vasco. “Lovers.” A lascivious grin crept across her reddened lips. “That’s exactly what we are.”

  The use of the present tense dried Stella’s response on her tongue. She took a hasty swig of champagne.

  “Have I embarrassed you?” The velvety voice seemed to mock her. “I am accused of being blunt sometimes. But nothing embarrasses Vasco, I assure you.”

  She turned and walked away, leaving Stella staring, openmouthed. This woman obviously considered herself to be Vasco’s current lover. Or one of them, at least. Maybe she was housed in some other well-appointed room at the palace. A square turret, perhaps, or an octagon.

  She glanced around, looking for Vasco, and spotted him laughing with a bubbly redhead, whose pale breasts practically poured out of her red bustier. Now, that was what a royal mistress should look like.

  Stella glanced down at her frosty-colored ensemble. Maybe she would have been better off with more va-va-voom so these women might see her as competition. She hated the pointy little spears of jealousy that pricked her as he took the woman’s hand and kissed it, just as he’d done with hers earlier that evening.

  Vasco was a charmer. A ladies’ man. He couldn’t help flirting and teasing and seducing women. Which made him utterly unsuited to any kind of lasting relationship.

  A rather chinless young man asked her to dance and she accepted, glad of the opportunity to keep busy. They chatted about books and the local language and culture
in his halting English while he whirled her around the floor to a brisk waltz. Stella inadvertently looked at Vasco a couple of times, but was never gratified by him staring jealously back. He seemed to be enjoying himself and had probably forgotten she was there.

  After midnight and the end of a multicourse buffet dinner she was tempted to sneak upstairs on the pretext of checking on Nicky and not come back. As she slipped out a side door of the ballroom into a quiet corridor, a hand on her arm made her jump.

  “I’ve missed you tonight.” Vasco’s eyes glittered. “I prefer being alone with you.”

  “Me, too,” she said honestly.

  “Let’s go to our room.”

  Her whole body said yes. In the privacy of the round chamber, Vasco peeled off her dress and devoured her with a ravenous gaze that made her feel like the most gorgeous woman on earth. He feasted on her with his tongue and she enjoyed caressing and tasting his whole body. A banquet much more tempting and satisfying than the one downstairs.

  By the time they finally made love she was so aroused she thought she’d climax immediately, but Vasco made a meal of delaying and slowing his movements, taking her right to the brink, then pulling back, until she was almost hysterical with passion. They climaxed together then lay breathless and happy in each other’s arms.

  No one else mattered. How could they? When she was alone with Vasco everything was perfect.

  But when she woke up later in the night he’d gone. Did he go back to join the party? Possibly even to share his advanced lovemaking skills with another woman? She’d left her son in the care of a sitter night after night for a man who claimed they were a family but offered no permanent commitment.

  Sooner or later riding this emotional roller coaster was going to catch up with her.

  Vasco returned to the party feeling a buzz that didn’t come from the vintage Montmajor wines they enjoyed. Time with Stella always left him feeling refreshed and glowing with good cheer.

  “Hey, Vasco.” His old friend Tomy called to him from near the bar. “I thought we’d lost you for a while there.”

  “I had some urgent business.” He took a glass of champagne from a waiter.

  “I noticed. The American girl seems to have quite a hold on you.” Tomy raised a blond brow.

  “She does indeed.” He sipped the bubbly liquid, which only echoed the fizzing of arousal that still pumped through his system. “She’s the mother of my son.”

  Tomy’s eyes widened. “So the rumors are true.”

  “Every word of them. Little Nicky has brought life to the palace and so much joy to all of us.”

  “Why didn’t any of us know about him?”

  “It’s complicated. I didn’t know about the boy until recently. I’m having to move carefully and take my time.”

  “You will marry her, won’t you?” Tomy looked skeptical even as he asked the question.

  Vasco’s muscles tightened. “You know the Montoya men aren’t cut out for marriage.”

  “That’s never stopped them before. You know the people of Montmajor will expect it of you.”

  “I’ve spent my life defying expectations and I don’t plan to stop now. I have no wish to marry anyone.”

  “What does the girl think about this?”

  Vasco frowned. “We haven’t discussed it. Like I said, it’s early days, and she’s a freethinking American who values her independence. She’s not looking for a man to marry.”

  They hadn’t discussed it, mostly because despite the intimate tie of Nicky, they were just getting to know each other. How many people started discussing marriage after a month? Usually people dated for years before committing these days. She probably didn’t know what she wanted yet any better than he did.

  Tomy’s lips curved into a smile. “So you intend to keep her here as some kind of concubine?”

  “No!” He took a swig of his champagne. “Of course not.”

  “A lover, then.”

  Vasco took in his friend’s amused expression. “Yes, a lover. Why not?”

  “Because women are never satisfied with simply being a lover. Maybe it won’t happen this week, or this month, or even this year, but sooner or later she’ll want some kind of commitment from you, in the form of a ring. Especially since there’s a child involved.”

  “I’ll keep her happy.” He’d found that a kiss soon dissolved any tension or confusion that arose between him and Stella.

  Tomy gave him a wry smile. “For a while you will, then she’ll want to marry you.”

  “A fate to be avoided at all costs.” Vasco glanced around at the crowded room. At five in the morning the party was still going strong. “Marriage ruins all good relationships. How many of the married couples in this room don’t despise each other? They all go out to parties so they can dance and flirt with other people. The wedding day is when a relationship starts a perilous downhill journey to hatred and resentment.”

  “Your parents were married for more than forty years.”

  “And despised each other for every second of it. They only married because my dad was forced into it when she became pregnant with my brother. They may have even loved each other once but there was no evidence of that during my childhood.”

  “Your father did like to share his affections.”

  Vasco snorted. “With every woman in Montmajor. My mother only put up with it because she hated scandal and drama.”

  Tomy shrugged. “That’s how it goes. You marry the pretty mother, then continue to enjoy extracurricular activities. No need for the fun to end because you find a queen. Have your cake and eat it too, as the Americans say.”

  Vasco shuddered. “No, thanks. Too much cake will rot your teeth and clog your arteries. There are some Montoya traditions I mean to break with.”

  “We noticed when we saw your proclamation making relations legal between unmarried couples.” Tomy grinned. “Very romantic.”

  “There’s no reason to make the mother of my child a criminal.”

  “You’re such a sweet guy.” Tomy shoved him playfully. “No wonder every woman in Western Europe has the hots for you. You do know all the other girls will take your unmarried status to be an open invitation.”

  “If I got married they’d just see it as an intriguing challenge.” Vasco raised a brow. “I think I’m safer single.”

  Tomy shook his head. “If only I was you.”

  The ball, with its large and gossipy guest list, set rumors buzzing round Europe. Stella found herself drawn to the websites of paparazzi rags which linked her name with Vasco’s and speculated openly about Nicky.

  It was humiliating to know that people all over the world could ooh and ahh and guess over their romance—and she didn’t know any more about where it was headed than they did.

  “You’re taking it too seriously,” protested Karen, when she phoned her late one night. She knew Vasco would be waiting for her in “their room” and she hated herself for being so eager to head there. “Let loose and enjoy yourself.”

  “Trust me, I have been. That’s half the problem. If I had any discipline I’d confront him and ask him where this is going.”

  “Why don’t you just let things take their own course?”

  “I’m trying.” She sighed. “But I have a feeling we’ll carry on like this forever.”

  Karen laughed. “What’s wrong with that? It sounds like you’re having a fabulous time.”

  “I came here to Montmajor so Vasco could get to know his son. I’ve done everything his way and I’ve even discovered that I love it here. But I can’t stay here, sleeping with him every night, as some kind of live-in girlfriend.”

  “Why not? Sounds perfect to me.”

  Stella stretched herself out on the bed in her own room. “I guess I’m not cut out for prolonged dating. I must be old-fashioned. Remember how I was always trying to get Trevor to go one step further?”

  “That’s because you wanted kids.”

  “Yes, but I also wanted to get engag
ed, and married. Does that make me strange?”

  “No, it makes you boringly normal. Don’t be boringly normal. Seize life by the horns and Vasco by the…well, whichever bit sticks out most.”

  “You’re horrible. I don’t know why I even called you.” She couldn’t help smiling as she let her head rest on the pillows. “And of course that’s exactly what I’ll go do the moment I hang up this phone.”

  “Thank goodness. I’d hate to think of him going to waste. I saw the pics of you on the Hello website and he’s seriously droolworthy.”

  “You’re looking at those websites, too?”

  “Human interest. Those of us who don’t have a life of our own live vicariously through the exploits of lucky ladies like you.”

  “All I wanted was to quietly raise my son and restore books.”

  “Now you’re doing both of those and sleeping with the hottest guy in Europe. Oh, and he’s a king. I’m crying into my coffee for you.”

  “Be serious. I have to decide whether to stay here with Nicky, or bring him back to the States. Vasco wants me to stay, but I’ve already decided that I can’t live here as his lover indefinitely. It’s not fair to me or to Nicky. We’ve been here a month and I’m sure it’s starting to feel like home to Nicky. I need to know whether it will be our permanent home, or if I’m just another in a long line of girlfriends.”

  “A month isn’t a very long time.”

  “It’s been long enough for me…” To fall in love. She didn’t want to say it out loud. Right now it was just her secret.

  A month might not be much in a conventional relation ship where you meet the person for a date once or twice a week, but they were living together and saw each other all day long, not to mention all night long. Well, except those lonely early mornings. It was a fast-forward kind of relationship, and in the public eye, too. If total strangers wondered and gossiped about where they were headed, she’d be foolish not to want some concrete answers, too.

  “What, you’re bored with him as a boy toy already?”

  “I wish.”

  “Uh-oh. I think I get it now. You’re getting in deeper than you imagined and you want to know whether to go all the way or pull back while you can still save yourself.”