Buch lesen: «Christmas with the Prince»
Christmas with the Prince
by
Michelle Celmer
Reserved for the Tycoon
by
Charlene Sands
MILLS & BOON
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Christmas with the Prince
by
Michelle Celmer
“Liv,” he called softly, but she didn’t budge.
Apparently she was more tired than she’d realized. He found a spare blanket in the closet, and walked back to the bed to cover her. For reasons he couldn’t begin to understand, he felt compelled to just look at her.
She’s not your type, he reminded himself.
If he was going to be honest with himself, his “type” had plenty to offer physically, but intellectually, he was usually left feeling bored and unfulfilled. Maybe it was time for a change of pace.
Seducing a woman like Liv might be just what he needed to spice things up.
About the Author
Bestselling author MICHELLE CELMER lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband, their three children, two dogs and two cats. When she’s not writing or busy being a mom, you can find her in the garden or curled up with a romance novel. And if you twist her arm real hard you can usually persuade her into a day of power shopping. Michelle loves to hear from readers. Visit her website at www.michellecelmer.com, or write her at PO Box 300, Clawson, MI 48017, USA.
To my mom, Who has been not only my teacher, my confidante, and my most dedicated fan, but one of my best friends. Love you!
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the next installment of my ROYAL SEDUCTIONS series. I can hardly believe we’re already on book six, the story of Prince Aaron Felix Gastel Alexander and genetic botanist Olivia Montgomery. A royal heir and an orphan abandoned at the age of three.
Can you say, opposites attract?
These two were definitely a handful! How do you take two independent, headstrong people and make them bend to your creative will? The truth is, you don’t. As a writer, all you can really do is sit back and let them lead you on their journey. And with Aaron and Liv, there was never a dull moment. Especially when these two very different people suddenly realized maybe they weren’t so different after all. And when all is said and done, family isn’t about bloodlines and pedigrees and fitting in, but instead the people you hold most dear in your heart.
Don’t forget to look for the next book in the ROYAL SEDUCTIONS series, the story of Princess Louisa and millionaire mogul Garrett Sutherland.
Best,
Michelle
Chapter One
Olivia Montgomery was attractive for a scientist.
Attractive in a brainy, geeky sort of way. From a distance, at least. And not at all what Prince Aaron had expected.
He watched her gaze up at the castle from his office window, a look of awe on her heart-shaped face, her bow mouth formed into a perfect O beneath eyes as large as dinner plates.
He supposed it wasn’t every day that a woman was asked to uproot her entire life, stay at a royal castle for an indeterminable period and use her vast knowledge to save an entire country from potential absolute financial devastation.
Of course, from what he’d read of their new guest, her life to date had been anything but typical. Most kids didn’t graduate from high school at fifteen, receive their Ph.D. at twenty-two and earn a reputation as a pioneer in the field of botanical genetics at twenty-four. He would swear she didn’t look a day over eighteen, due in part to the long, blondish-brown hair she wore pulled back in a ponytail and the backpack she carried slung over one shoulder.
He watched as Derek, his personal assistant, led her into the castle, then he took a seat at his desk to wait for them, feeling uncharacteristically anxious. He had been assured that in the field of genetic botany, she was the best. Meaning she could very well be their last hope.
Specialist after specialist had been unable to diagnose or effectively treat the blight plaguing their crops. A disease that had begun in the east fields, and spread to affect not only a good portion of the royal family’s land, but had recently been reported in surrounding farms, as well. Unchecked, the effects could be financially devastating to their agriculturally based economy.
His family—hell, the entire country—was counting on him to find a way to fix it.
Talk about pressure. He used to believe that his older brother, Christian, the crown prince, had it rough, carrying the burden of one day taking over as ruler, and the responsibility of marrying and producing a royal heir. But to Aaron’s surprise, after a slightly rocky start, Chris seemed to be embracing his new title as husband.
For Aaron, the thought of tying himself down to one woman for the rest of his life gave him cold chills. Not that he didn’t love women. He just loved lots of different women. And when the novelty of one wore thin, he liked having the option of moving on to something new. Although, now that Chris was blissfully married off, their mother, the queen, had taken an active and unsettling interest in Aaron’s love life. He never knew there were so many eligible young women with royal blood, and his mother seemed hell-bent on setting him up with every single one of them.
She would figure out eventually that all the meddling in the world wouldn’t bring him any closer to the altar. At least, he hoped she would. She could instead focus on marrying off his twin sisters, Anne and Louisa.
Several minutes passed before there was a rap at Aaron’s office door. Undoubtedly Derek had been explaining policy for meeting members of the royal family to their guest. What she should and shouldn’t do or say. It could be a bit overwhelming. Especially for someone who had never been in the presence of royalty before.
“Come in,” he called.
The door opened and Derek appeared, followed closely by Miss Montgomery. Aaron rose from his chair to greet her, noticing right away her height. He was just over six feet tall, and in flat-heeled, conservative loafers she stood nearly eye level. It was difficult to see her figure under the loose khaki pants and baggy, cable-knit sweater, although she gave the impression of being quite slim. Too slim, even. All sharp and angular.
Missing was the lab coat, pocket protector and cola-bottle glasses one might expect from a scientist. She wore no makeup or jewelry, and was for all accounts quite plain, yet she was undeniably female. Attractive in a simple way. Cute and girlish. Although at twenty-five, she was definitely a woman.
“Your Highness,” Derek said, “May I introduce Miss Olivia Montgomery, of the United States.” He turned to Miss Montgomery. “Miss Montgomery, may I present Prince Aaron Felix Gastel Alexander of Thomas Isle.”
Miss Montgomery stuck her hand out to shake his, then, realizing her error, snatched it back and dipped into an awkward, slightly wobbly curtsy instead, her cheeks coloring an enchanting shade of pink. “It’s an honor to be here, sir—I mean, Your Highness.”
Her voice was softer than he’d expected. Low and breathy, and dare he say a little sexy. He’d always found an American accent undeniably appealing.
“The honor is mine,” he said, reaching out for a shake. She hesitated a second, then accepted his hand. Her hands were slender and fine-boned, with long fingers that wrapped around his with a surprisingly firm grip. Her skin was warm and soft, her nails short but neatly filed.
She gazed at him with eyes an intriguing shade—not quite brown, and not quite green—and so large and inquisitive they seemed to take up half her face. Everything about her was a little overexaggerated and…unexpected.
But she couldn’t be any less his type. He preferred his women small and soft in all the right places, and the more beautiful the better. Not particularly smart, either, because frankly, he wasn’t in it for the conversation. The fewer brains, the less likely he was to become attached. As long as she could navigate a golf course or squash court, or rock a pair of crosscountry skis. Sailing experience was a plus, as well, and if she could climb a rock wall, he would be in sheer heaven.
Somehow he didn’t see Miss Montgomery as the athletic type.
“I’ll be in my office if you need me, sir,” Derek told him, then slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. As it snapped shut, he could swear he saw Miss Montgomery flinch.
He gestured to the chair opposite his desk. “Miss Montgomery, make yourself comfortable.”
She set her backpack on the floor beside her and sat awkwardly on the very edge of the cushion. She folded her hands in her lap, then unfolded them. Then she tucked them around the sides of her thighs and under her legs. She looked very uncomfortable.
“I apologize for being so late,” she said.
He perched on the corner of his desk. “I hear you hit some bad weather on the way over.”
She nodded. “It was a bumpy flight. And I’m not real crazy about flying to begin with. In fact, I might look into taking a ship home.”
“Can I offer you a drink, Miss Montgomery?”
“No, thank you. And please, call me Liv. Everyone does.”
“All right, Liv. And because we’ll be spending quite some time together, you should call me Aaron.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Is that…allowed?”
He grinned. “I assure you, it’s perfectly acceptable.”
She nodded, her head a little wobbly on the end of a very long and slender neck. She had the kind of throat made for stroking and nibbling. But somehow he didn’t see her as the nibbling type. She had shy and repressed written all over her. No doubt, he could teach her a thing or two. Not that he intended to. Or even possessed the desire.
Well, maybe just a little, but purely out of curiosity.
“My family apologizes that they couldn’t be here to greet you,” he told her. “They’re in England to see my father’s cardiologist. They’ll be back Friday.”
“I look forward to meeting them,” she said, although she sounded more wary than enthusiastic. She had no reason to be apprehensive. In the history of his father’s reign as king, her visit might very well be the most anticipated and appreciated. Not that she was offering her services for free. They had agreed to make a handsome donation to fund her research. Personally she hadn’t asked for anything more than room and board. No special amenities, or even a personal maid to tend to her care.
“I’m told that you looked at the disease samples we sent you,” he said.
She nodded, not so wobbly this time. “I did. As well as the data from the other specialists.”
“And what conclusion have you drawn?”
“You have yourself a very unusual, very resistant strain of disease that I’ve never seen before. And trust me when I say I’ve pretty much seen them all.”
“Your references are quite impressive. I’ve been assured that if anyone can diagnose the problem, it’s you.”
“There is no if.” She looked him directly in the eye and said firmly, “It’s simply a matter of when.”
Her confidence, and the forceful tone with which she spoke, nearly knocked him backward.
Well, he hadn’t seen that coming. It was almost as though someone flipped a switch inside of her and a completely different woman emerged. She sat a little straighter and her voice sounded stronger. Just like that, he gained an entirely new level of respect for her.
“Have you thought about my suggestion to stop all agricultural exports?” she asked.
That was all he’d been thinking about. “Even the unaffected crops?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“For all we know, it could be lying dormant in the soil of areas that appear unaffected. And until we know what this thing is, we don’t want it to get off the island.”
He knew she was right, but the financial repercussions would sting. “That means we have only until the next season, less than five months, to identify the disease and find an environmentally friendly cure.”
Environmentally friendly so that they could maintain their reputation as a totally organic, green island. Millions had been spent to radically alter the way every farmer grew his crops. It was what set them apart from other distributors and made them a valuable commodity.
“Can it be done in that time frame?” he asked.
“The truth is, I don’t know. These things can take time.”
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he appreciated her honesty. He’d wanted her to fly in, have the problem solved in a week or two, then be on her way, making him look like a hero in not only his family, but also his country’s eyes.
So much for that delusion of grandeur.
“Once I get set up in the lab and have a few days to study the rest of the data, I may be able to give you some sort of time frame,” she said.
“We have a student from the university on standby, should you need an assistant.”
“I’ll need someone to take samples, but in the lab I prefer to work alone. You have all the equipment I need?”
“Everything on your list.” He rose to his feet. “I can show you to your room and give you time to settle in.”
She stood, as well, smoothing the front of her slacks with her palms. He couldn’t help wondering what she was hiding behind that bulky sweater. Were those breasts he saw? And hips? Maybe she wasn’t as sharp and angular as he’d first thought.
“If you don’t mind,” she said, “I’d rather get right to work.”
He gestured to the door. “Of course. I’ll take you right to the lab.”
She certainly didn’t waste any time, did she? And he was relieved to know that she seemed determined to help.
The sooner they cured this blight, the sooner they could all breathe easy again.
Chapter Two
Liv followed her host through the castle, heart thumping like mad, praying she didn’t do something stupid like trip over her own feet and fall flat on her face.
Prince Aaron was, by far, the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on. His hair so dark and soft-looking, his eyes a striking, mesmerizing shade of green, his full lips always turned up in a sexy smile.
He had the deep and smoky voice of a radio DJ and a body to die for. A muscular backside under dark tailored slacks. Wide shoulders and bulging pecs encased in midnight-blue cashmere. As she followed him through the castle she felt hypnotized by the fluid grace with which he moved.
He was…perfect. An eleven on a scale of one to ten. And the antithesis of the scientists and geeks she was used to keeping company with. Like William, her fiancé—or at least he would be her fiancé if she decided to accept the proposal of marriage he had stunned her with just last night in the lab.
Fifteen years her senior and her mentor since college, Will wasn’t especially handsome, and he was more studious than sexy, but he was kind and sweet and generous. The truth was, his proposal had come so far out of left field that it had nearly given her whiplash. They had never so much as kissed, other than a friendly peck on the cheek on holidays or special occasions. But she respected him immensely and loved him as a friend. So she had promised to give his proposal serious thought while she was away. Even though, when he’d kissed her goodbye at the airport—a real kiss with lips and tongue—she hadn’t exactly seen fireworks. But sexual attraction was overrated and fleeting at best. They had respect and a deep sense of friendship.
Although she couldn’t help wondering if she would be settling.
Yeah, right. Like she had a mob of other men pounding down her door. She couldn’t even recall the last time she’d been on a date. And sex, well, it had been so long she wasn’t sure she even remembered how. Not that it had been smoking hot anyhow. The one man she’d slept with in college had been a budding nuclear physicist, and more concerned with mathematical equations than figuring out sexual complexities. She bet Prince Aaron knew his way around a woman’s body.
Right, Liv, and I suppose the prince is going to show you.
The thought was so ridiculous she nearly laughed out loud. What would a gorgeous, sexy prince see in a nerdy, totally unsexy woman like her?
“So, what do you think of our island?” Aaron asked as they descended the stairs together.
“What I’ve seen of it is beautiful. And the castle isn’t at all what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“Honestly, I thought it would be kind of dark and dank.” In reality, it was light and airy and beautifully decorated. And so enormous! A person could get hopelessly lost wandering the long, carpeted halls. She could hardly believe she would be spending weeks, maybe even months, there. “I expected stone walls and suits of armor in the halls.”
The prince chuckled, a deep, throaty sound. “We’re a bit more modern than that. You’ll find the guest rooms have all the amenities and distinction you would expect from a five-star hotel.”
Not that she would know the difference, seeing as how she’d never been in anything more luxurious than a Days Inn.
“Although…” He paused and looked over at her. “The only feasible place for the lab, short of building a new facility on the grounds, was the basement.”
She shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d worked in a basement lab. “That’s fine with me.”
“It used to be a dungeon.”
Her interest piqued. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Very dark and dank at one time, complete with chains on the wall and torture devices.”
She gazed at him skeptically. “You’re joking, right?”
“Completely serious. It’s been updated since then of course. We use it for food and dry storage, and the wine cellar. The laundry facilities are down there, as well. I think you’ll be impressed with the lab. Not dark or dank at all.”
Because the majority of her time would be spent staring in a microscope or at a computer screen, what the lab looked like didn’t matter all that much to her. As long as it was functional.
He led her through an enormous kitchen bustling with activity and rich with the scents of fresh baked bread and scintillating spices. Her stomach rumbled and she tried to recall the last time she’d eaten. She’d been way too nervous to eat the meal offered on the plane.
There would be time for food later.
Aaron stopped in front of a large wood door that she assumed led to the basement. “There’s a separate employee entrance that the laundry staff use. It leads outside, to the back of the castle. But as a guest, you’ll use the family entrance.”
“Okay.”
He reached for the handle but didn’t open the door. “There is one thing I should probably warn you about.”
Warn her? That didn’t sound good. “Yes?”
“As I said, the basement has been updated.”
“But…?”
“It did used to be a dungeon.”
She wasn’t getting his point. “Okay.”
“A lot of people died down there.”
Was she going to trip over bodies on her way to the lab or something? “Recently?”
He laughed. “No, of course not.”
Then she wasn’t seeing the problem. “So…?”
“That bothers some people. And the staff is convinced it’s haunted.”
Liv looked at him as though he’d gone completely off his rocker.
“I take it you don’t believe in ghosts,” Aaron said.
“The existence of spirits, or an afterlife, have never been proven scientifically.”
He should have expected as much from a scientist. “Well, then, I guess you have nothing to fear.”
“Do you?” she asked.
“Believe in ghosts?” Truthfully, he’d never felt so much as a cold draft down there, but people had sworn to hearing disembodied voices and seeing ghostly emanations. There were some members of the staff who refused to even set foot on the stairs. Also there was an unusually high turnover rate among the laundry workers. But he was convinced that it was more likely overactive imaginations than anything otherworldly. “I guess you could say I try to keep an open mind.”
He opened the door and gestured her down. The stairwell was narrow and steep, the wood steps creaky under their feet as they descended.
“It is a little spooky,” she admitted.
At the bottom was a series of passageways that led to several different wings. The walls down here were still fashioned out of stone and mortar, although well lit, ventilated and clean.
“Storage and the wine cellar are that way,” he said, pointing to the passages on the left. “Laundry is straight ahead down the center passage, and the lab is this way.”
He led her to the right, around a corner to a shiny metal door with a thick glass window that to him looked completely out of place with its surroundings. He punched in his security code to unlock it, pulled it open and hit the light switch. The instant the lights flickered on he heard a soft gasp behind him, and turned to see Liv looking in wide-eyed awe at all the equipment they’d gotten on loan from various facilities on the island and mainland. The way one might view priceless art. Or a natural disaster.
She brushed past him into the room. “This is perfect,” she said in that soft, breathy voice, running her hands along pieces of equipment whose purpose he couldn’t begin to imagine. Slow and tender, as if she were stroking a lover’s flesh.
Damn. He could get turned on watching her do that, imagining those hands roaming over him.
If she were his type at all, which she wasn’t. Besides, he wasn’t lacking for female companionship.
“It’s small,” he said.
“No, it’s perfect.” She turned to him and smiled, a dreamy look on her face. “I wish my lab back home were this complete.”
He was surprised that it wasn’t. “I was under the impression that you were doing some groundbreaking research.”
“Yes, but funding is an issue no matter what kind of work you’re doing. Especially when you’re an independent, like me.”
“There must be someone willing to fund your research.”
“Many, but there’s way too much bureaucracy in the private sector. I prefer to do things my way.”
“Then our donation should go far.”
She nodded eagerly. “The truth is, a few more weeks and I might have been homeless. You called in the nick of time.”
She crossed the room to the metal shipping containers that had preceded her arrival by several days. “I see my things made it safely.”
“Do you need help unpacking?”
She vigorously shook her head. “There are sensitive materials and equipment in here. I’d rather do it myself.”
That seemed like an awful lot of work for one person. “The offer for the assistant is still good. I can have someone here Friday morning.”
She looked at her watch, her face scrunching with confusion. “And what’s today? The time change from the U.S. has me totally screwed up.”
“It’s Tuesday. Five o’clock.”
“P.M.?”
“Yes. In fact, dinner is at seven.”
She nodded, but still looked slightly confused.
“Out of curiosity, when was the last time you slept?”
She scrunched her face again, studied her watch for a second, then shrugged and said, “I’m not sure. Twenty hours at least. Probably more.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“I’m used to it. I keep long hours in the lab.”
Twenty hours was an awfully long time, even for a workaholic, and he’d traveled often enough to know what jet lag could do to a person. Especially someone unaccustomed to long plane trips. “Maybe before you tackle unpacking the lab you should at least take a nap.”
“I’m fine, really. Although, I guess I wouldn’t mind a quick change of clothes.”
“Why don’t I show you to your room.”
She looked longingly at all of the shiny new equipment, then nodded and said, “All right.”
He switched off the lights and shut the door, hearing it lock automatically behind him.
“Will I get my own code?” she asked.
“Of course. You’ll have full access to whatever and wherever you need.”
He led Liv back through the kitchen and up the stairs to the third floor, to the guest rooms. She looked a bit lost when they finally reached her door.
“The castle is so big and confusing,” she said.
“It’s not so bad once you learn your way around.”
“I don’t exactly have a great sense of direction. Don’t be surprised if you find me aimlessly wandering the halls.”
“I’ll have Derek print you up a map.” He opened her door and gestured her in.
“It’s beautiful,” she said in that soft, breathy voice. “So pretty.”
Far too feminine and fluffy for his taste, with its flowered walls and frilly drapes, but their female guests seemed to appreciate it. Although he never would have pegged Liv as the girly-girl type. She was just too…analytical. Too practical. On the surface anyhow.
“The bathroom and closet are that way,” he said, gesturing to the door across the room. But Liv’s attention was on the bed.
“It looks so comfortable.” She crossed the room to it and ran one hand over the flowered duvet. “So soft.”
She was a tactile sort of woman. Always stroking and touching things. And he couldn’t help but wonder how those hands would feel touching him.
“Why don’t you take it for a spin,” he said. “The lab can wait.”
“Oh, I shouldn’t,” she protested, but she was already kicking off her shoes and crawling on top of the covers. She settled back against the pillows and sighed blissfully. Her eyes slipped closed. “Oh, this is heavenly.”
He hadn’t actually meant right that second. The average guest would have waited until he’d left the room, not flop down into bed right in front of him. But he could see that there was nothing average about Olivia Montgomery.
At least she hadn’t undressed first. Not that he wasn’t curious to see what she was hiding under those clothes. He was beginning to think there was much more to Liv than she let show.
“You’ll find your bags in the closet. Are you sure you wouldn’t like a maid to unpack for you?”
“I can do it,” she said, her voice soft and sleepy.
“If you change your mind, let me know. Other than that, you should have everything you need. There are fresh towels and linens in the bathroom. As well as toiletries. If you need anything else, day or night, just pick up the phone. The kitchen is always open. You’re also welcome to use the exercise room or game room, day or night. We want you to feel completely comfortable here.”
He walked to the window and pushed the curtain aside, letting in a shaft of late-afternoon sunshine. “You have quite a lovely view of the ocean and the gardens from here. Although there isn’t much to see in the gardens this time of year. We could take a walk out there tomorrow.”
Or not, he thought, when she didn’t answer him. Then he heard a soft rumbling sound from the vicinity of the bed.
She had turned on her side and lay all curled up in a ball, hugging the pillow. He walked over to the bed and realized that she was sound asleep.
“Liv,” he called softly, but she didn’t budge. Apparently she was more tired than she’d realized.
He found a spare blanket in the closet, noticing her luggage while he was in there, and the conspicuously small amount of it. Just two average-size bags that had seen better days. The typical female guest, especially one there for an extended stay, brought a whole slew of bags.
He reminded himself once again that Liv was not the typical royal guest. And, he was a little surprised to realize, he liked that about her. It might very well be a refreshing change.
He walked back to the bed and covered her with the blanket, then, for reasons he couldn’t begin to understand, felt compelled to just look at her for a moment. The angles of her face softened when she slept, making her appear young and vulnerable.
She’s not your type, he reminded himself.
If he was going to be honest with himself, his “type” had plenty to offer physically, but intellectually, he was usually left feeling bored and unfulfilled. Maybe it was time for a change of pace.
Seducing a woman like Liv might be just what he needed to spice things up.
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