This morning she’d awakened to some discomfort in her lower abdomen and wasn’t feeling on top of her game, but wasn’t about to cancel on the queen.
Drawing a fortifying breath, she entered the private dining room that only the immediate royal family used. Pale blue had been chosen for the chairs as well as the curtains framing the large windows. It was the only splash of color in a room otherwise dominated by white walls and lavish plasterwork painted gold. More intimate than many of the other rooms on the first floor, it nevertheless didn’t allow her to forget that this was a palace.
“You look lovely,” the queen said as she breezed into the room. She wore a classic suit of dusty lavender and a stunning choker of pale round Tahitian pearls. Noticing Olivia’s interest, she touched the necklace. “An anniversary gift from the king,” the queen explained, her smile both fond and sensual.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Matteo has exceptionally good taste.”
The queen gestured toward the dining table, capable of seating twelve, but set for two. As the two women sat down, a maid set a glass of soda on the table before the queen.
“Diet cola,” she, sipping the fizzy drink with pleasure. “I got a taste for it when we visited the States two decades ago. It’s my indulgence.”
Olivia nodded in understanding. She wasn’t much of a soda drinker herself, but she understood how someone could come to crave a particular item. Like a tall, bronze-eyed prince for example.
The servers placed plates of salad in front of the two women and the queen launched a barrage of questions to determine what Olivia knew about Sherdana’s current political climate and their economic issues. Although Olivia had been expecting to discuss the wedding preparations, she was just as happy to share what she knew about the country she would soon call her own.
“Does my son know how bright you are?” the queen asked, her expression thoughtful as the maids cleared the main course and served dessert. She frowned at the plate in front of her and sighed. “Oh, dear. The chef is experimenting again.”
Olivia stared at the oddest fruit she’d ever seen. About the size of her fist with a leathery hot-pink skin, it had been sliced in half to reveal white flesh dotted with tiny black seeds. A hollow had been carved out of the center and filled with yogurt and sliced strawberries.
“Dragon fruit,” the queen explained. “And from what I understand quite delicious.”
Olivia took her first bite and was surprised at the wonderfully sweet flavor. It had a texture like a kiwi with the seeds adding a little crunch to each bite.
“You look pale.” The queen pointed at Olivia with her spoon. “I expect you’ll get more rest with my son away.”
Olivia’s entire body flushed hot. The queen had just insinuated that she knew where Gabriel had been spending his nights.
“Oh, don’t look so mortified,” the queen continued. “You are to be married and my son was determined to have a short engagement. Besides, there are no secrets in the palace.”
“No, I suppose there are not.” Olivia knew better than to think her nights with Gabriel were something between just the two of them. She’d grown up surrounded by servants who knew most everything about her daily habits.
“How are the twins’ dresses coming for the wedding?” The queen had taken a few days to approve the idea of Bethany and Karina being a part of the ceremony, but Gabriel had at last persuaded her.
“They should be finished later this week. The lace Noelle has chosen is beautiful. I think you’ll be pleased.”
“Noelle is very talented. You will all look beautiful.” The queen nodded in satisfaction. “I must say, you’ve accepted this situation with Gabriel’s children much better than most women would in your position.”
“It’s hard to imagine anyone not adoring those precious two,” Olivia admitted, but she understood what the queen was getting at. “I love children. Helping to make their lives better is the foundation for all my charity work. I would be a wretched person and a hypocrite if I turned my back on Bethany and Karina because of who their mother was.” And what Marissa had meant to Gabriel.
“They certainly have taken to you,” the queen said. “And you seem to have everything it takes to be an excellent mother.”
“Thank you.”
The queen’s praise should have allowed Olivia to relax, but the tick of her biological clock sounded loud in her ears.
Eight
“How was the trip?” Christian asked as he and Gabriel crossed the tarmac toward the waiting limo. “I hope you brought me a present.”
“Naturally.” Gabriel hoisted his briefcase and deposited it in his brother’s hands. “It’s filled with all sort of things I’m sure you’ll find vastly interesting.”
“Unlike you?”
“Technology is more your and Nic’s thing.” Gabriel was aware that the trip had been less productive than he’d hoped. Mostly because he’d had a hard time concentrating. Thoughts of Olivia had intruded with a frequency he’d found troubling. “You probably should have gone instead of me, but it was something I needed to do. I want to encourage more technology firms to move to Sherdana. The best way for me to do that is to speak to companies that might be looking at expansion.”
“I’ll bet you hated it.”
Gabriel shot Christian a quelling look. “I can’t expect to enjoy every aspect of my position. Some things must be done no matter how painful. This was one of them.”
“Is your future wife another?”
This time Christian laughed out loud at his brother’s sharp look.
“How I feel about my future bride is none of your business.”
“Come on, you’ve got to be a lot happier about having to get married these days. From what I hear, you two have been acting like a couple kids in love.”
Gabriel growled in displeasure, but couldn’t ignore the electric charge that surged through him at the mere thought of seeing Olivia again and feeling her soft lips yield beneath his. Each of the past four nights he’d gone to bed alone and found himself unable to sleep. Plagued by memories of Olivia’s smiles and her sassy sensuality, he’d lain with his hands behind his head, staring up at the blank ceiling and doing his best to ignore his erection.
Cold showers had become his 2:00 a.m. ritual. How had she bewitched him in such a short time?
“Neither one of us is in love,” Gabriel muttered. “But I won’t deny we’re compatible.” He leveled a hard gaze at his brother, warning him to drop the matter.
“Not in love?” Christian cocked his head. “Maybe you’re not. But are you sure about her?”
Christian’s question roused a memory of the last evening before his trip. He’d almost succumbed to Olivia’s plea to spend the night. She’d seemed so vulnerable, her characteristic confidence lacking. But that didn’t mean she was in love with him.
“Ridiculous,” he said. “We’ve only spent a couple weeks in each other’s company.”
“You don’t believe in love at first sight?”
Gabriel regarded his brother’s serious expression with curiosity. “Do you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Is that why you do your best to chase every woman away who gets too close?” Gabriel wondered if his brother was taunting him or if he was offering Gabriel a rare glimpse into his psyche. “Have none of them made you feel as if you were clobbered by something beyond your understanding or control?”
Something flared in Christian’s gaze but was quickly gone. His mocking smile returned. “Who wants to settle down with one woman when there’s a banquet of lovelies to sample?”
“One of these days someone will appeal to your palate and you’ll find that you can’t get enough of that particular delicacy.”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“I’m getting married because I have to.” Gabriel was well aware that he’d dodged the question and not with any finesse.
Christian’s eyes narrowed. “And if you didn’t have to?”
“Since that’s never been an option, I’ve never really thought about it.”
And he didn’t want to think about it now because it opened old wounds. Would he have stayed with Marissa if marriage to her had been possible? Had he loved her or had he inflated his feelings for her because circumstances made it impossible for them to have a future?
“Well, I certainly stirred you up,” Christian taunted.
“Wasn’t that your intention?” Gabriel countered, staring past the hedge that bordered the driveway to the palace. For a moment he glimpsed a pair of ponies and the two little girls riding them. Despite his tumultuous thoughts, he couldn’t help but feel joy at the appearance of his daughters and feel sorry for Christian. His cynical attitude would undoubtedly prevent him from experiencing the wonder of holding his own children in his arms and feeling their enthusiastic kisses all over his cheek.