A Marriage of Convenience (Married to a Prince) (6 page)

Yousef chuckled.
“I would agree if there weren’t three women’s opinions involved. But my mother and my sister are not going to be content with the quiet, little affair that Honor will hope for.”

* * * *

Honor peeked around
an arched doorway into another empty room. Empty of people, anyway. The furnishings in rich, vibrant jewel tones filled the space with exquisite elegance. Apparently she ended up in a part of the palace not used often. She was hopelessly lost in a life-size maze. Her search for the kitchen for bottled water had turned into an adventure. She pushed Joey’s stroller further along the marble corridor.

T
wo hours of choosing food she’d never eaten, music she’d never heard, and people she didn’t know for a wedding she didn’t want, left her exhausted. Considering she and Yousef already had a child together, Honor thought a very small wedding or better, an elopement, made more sense. His mother thought different. How could she argue with the queen? Not that she would. Both the Amira and her daughter, Mona were sweet, down to earth women who welcomed Honor and Joey unquestioningly.

H
onor suppressed a yawn. She needed sleep. She needed to find her room. Jet lag had thrown both hers and Joey’s systems off. He should already be asleep and she didn’t last much more than an hour after her son.

The hallway ended at a large room that seemed to be the center of the palace.
Six ornate arches opened up to long passageways. The windows just below the dome ceiling afforded a magnificent view of the starry night sky. Lavish planters adorned with rich mosaic tiles that held a lush assortment of greenery. She took another step into the room. Persian carpets and brightly colored floor pillows covered the highly polished floors. Black lacquered tables gave the room a checkerboard effect.

Honor decided to plop herself down right there until someone found her rather than wandering the deserted halls aimlessly.
Joey was getting antsy so she removed him from his stroller and sat him in the middle of a vivid blue pillow.

He gurgled his appreciation.

“Nice, huh? I think so, too.” She pressed a noisy kiss against his stomach and he squealed with delight.

“What are you doing here?”
Yousef’s hard-edged voice gave her a start. She turned to see him towering above her. The sight of him in a long, white silk
thobe
caused her heart to skip a beat. She had never seen him dressed in the typical Nadiarian garb before. The effect was imposing and a bit intimidating.

She gather
ed up Joey in her arms and came to her feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this room was off limits.”

“It’s not.”

She noted his tight expression “Then why are you mad at me?”

He exhaled slowly.
“I’m not mad.”

“Sounded like it to me.”

“I was... concerned. I’ve been waiting for you back at the suite.”

She shook her head, unsure if she should laugh or yell at him.
Given the fact that
she
didn’t have a clue as to her whereabouts, his
concern
seemed minor. “Had I only known, I would have stopped for directions sooner.”

His eyebrow lifted in a confused arch.
“Excuse me?”

“I’m lost.”

“What do you mean, lost?”

“Lost, as in, I don’t know where the suite is from here?
You should post little maps on the wall that say,
you are here
, like they do at the mall.”

His expression softened to one of relief. “Didn’t someone show you to your suite?”

“Yes. But then I needed some bottled water, so I was looking for the kitchen.”

“Did you find the kitchen?”

“No.”

He grinned.
“Well, I’m not surprised since it is not on this floor. Let’s go.”

Did he have to be so darned amused?
She hated being dependent on him. Bad enough she would have to struggle with language and customs in the beginning, but needing help to even find her way around the palace?

“Okay. I need to talk to you anyway,” she said.

“If this is about our marriage, I’d rather wait until tomorrow. We can go out for a while so no one will hear us.”

“If there was anyone around here I wouldn’t be lost.”

“The staff is trained to be invisible around the guests. However, they do talk among themselves about what they see and hear.”

Honor wasn’t sure she would like living in a fish bowl.
An exquisite fishbowl, but still, she had to be careful about everything she said and did. She reminded herself that it would only be for a year, but that made her feel worse.

* * * *

Once they returned to the suite, Yousef sat on the bed with the baby and watched Honor mix a concoction of powders and water with the precision of a chemist. A mutual silence had settled between them. Not uncomfortable, but almost sad for two people who once had so much to say to each other. He didn’t know her anymore.

She was stronger and more mature than last year.
Joey was most likely responsible for that change. But she was also introverted and much less trusting than she used to be. He thought, with a stab of guilt, that he was responsible for this change.

“
Here” She twisted a top on the glass bottle and handed it towards him. “You wanted to feed him?”

“I thought you breast fed him.”

“Mostly, I do. But he’s growing and lately he’s finding the lone food selection meager and boring. So at night, he gets a mixture of formula and cereal, or I get another night like last night.” When he didn’t take the bottle, she arched one delicate eyebrow. “You don’t want to feed him?”

He took the prepared formula from her hand. “You don’t think I can, do you?”

She shook her head. “If I thought that, I wouldn’t have offered. I’m tired and I have a lot of things to take care of tomorrow. Joey will probably fall asleep before he’s done, so if you could just put him to bed...”

She didn’t finish her sentence or wait for an answer.
Instead, she grabbed some clothes from a dresser drawer and disappeared into the bathroom.

He settled Joey in his arms and tilted the bottle nipple towards his already open mouth. Yousef grinned. What a difference a day made.
Twenty-four hours ago, he didn’t have a clue as to how much his life would change. Sean’s heart attack was something Yousef never would have wished for, but the act of fate brought his son to him. Honor might never have told him otherwise.

As his anger flared again, the baby began to squirm in his arms.
He took in a calming breath and relaxed the tension in his limbs. For Joey’s sake, Yousef would have to let go of the resentment, forget the past and start from now.

Honor returned from the bathroom wearing plaid boxer shorts and a Boston University tee-shirt.
Damn! He couldn’t believe she still owned that outfit. Despite a wardrobe of lingerie he had bought her, she always returned to that highly unfeminine get-up. Only tonight it didn’t look quite so... unfeminine.

The tee-shirt fit snugly across her now fuller breasts. And he didn’t remember the shorts being quite that... short.
A different and more uncomfortable tension settled over his body. If she wore the clothes to annoy or discourage him, her plan backfired. His gaze remained riveted to the sexy sway of her hips and the purposeful stride of her long legs as she crossed the floor to hang her dress in the walk in-closet.

On her return, she met his heated stare.
For a moment she seemed confused, and then she shrugged. “I forgot. You hate this outfit.”

“Hate is a strong word.”
Especially when she looked so damned appealing. He had obviously been celibate for too long.

“What would you call it?
You bought me more negligees than I could wear in a month so I wouldn’t wear this.”

“I bought them because you always seemed to like when I took them off you.”

Her jaw fell open and her cheeks took on a rosy glow. She folded her arms across her chest. At least she didn’t deny the one part of their relationship that had always been good. It just hadn’t been enough.

She rearranged the pillows on the far side of the bed and pulled back the quilted cover.
“I’m really tired.”

“Will it bother you if I finish feeding him here?”

“Would you go in the other room if I said yes?” she challenged.

“No.”

With a slight bow of her head, she crawled between the covers. “Then there wasn’t much point in asking.”

He had expected an argument, but he wasn’t sure why.
Thinking back, Honor had never argued with him. She’d always agreed to what he suggested, and had seemed happy to comply. They ate where he wanted, saw the concerts he chose, watched the films he picked. Maybe that was why he had been so shocked when she wouldn’t get married on the day he decided they should.

Within minutes, she was asleep.
He wasn’t sure if he was relieved that she could relax in his presence or insulted that she was so unaffected by him. He needed to get his feelings for her sorted out, and quickly. He wanted her. That much was clear. And in a matter of days she would be his wife.

A temporary wife... in a marriage of convenience... for the sake of his child.
He had no illusions. She was marrying him under duress.

What did he hope to gain?

If he had asked himself that question yesterday at the airport, his answer would have been revenge. He glanced down at his son, sleeping soundly, accepting Yousef with unreserved trust.
Hurt the mother and you hurt the child.
Sean’s warning echoed through his mind. His gaze returned to Honor, curled up in the plush bedcover, with her silky hair spilling over the pillow. The sight of her sleeping next to him brought a host of warm memories to the surface.

So, what did he hope to gain now?

He wanted to make her feel the same consuming love she had felt for him last year. But he wanted to do it with the minimal amount of risk to his own heart.

Chapter Five

Honor awoke surprisingly refreshed.
Breakfast delivered to her room on a silver platter, no less, made her feel like royalty. In a way, she was, since her son was a prince. A shudder ran along her spine. Would she ever get used to that?

Before trying out the pool sized tub in the bathroom, she slipped through the connecting door to check on Joey.
She caught sight of Yousef in the room and let out a soft gasp. His night could not have been as comfortable as her since he apparently spent it sleeping in the glider chair next to the crib. She found it more and more difficult to retain her wariness and anger when he did things like this. His sharp features softened in sleep, like they used to after a night of love-making. A ribbon of heat fluttered through her.

Stop it, or you will make it really easy for him to hurt you the way he’s convinced you hurt him.

Unable to resist, she brushed an errant strand of hair off his forehead. She wanted more than a fleeting touch. She wanted to recapture the past; a dangerous and impossible dream. If she allowed herself to fall in love with him all over again the results would be disastrous. Would she be able to stop herself? Mustering her failing will-power, she backed out of the room. She had to keep the future in mind.

When all was said and done, they would go their separate ways.
While Yousef’s attitude might have changed since she agreed to marry him, she doubted his mind set had changed regarding her. He wanted his son and she came along with the package, like one of those annoying free samples of bean dip that came attached to her favorite potato chips.

Honor started to laugh.
It was either that or she would cry.

* * * *

Yousef paused outside the connecting door while Honor finished with her phone calls.
He felt a small twinge of remorse that she had to give notice for the job she never started. His offer... he groaned. His
demands
had completely disrupted her life and he hadn’t given her so much as an apology or a thank you. He still couldn’t believe she had agreed.

Why had she agreed?
He wanted to believe that she realized she couldn’t live without him, but she was a stronger, more independent woman now than last year. She didn’t
need
him.

Honor let out a deep sigh. “I know you warned me. But
he is Joey’s father. He has rights too.” Surprisingly she had actually defended Yousef rather than blame him.

“Oh, no.
I forgot about Charlie. What kind of awful person am I?” Honor said.

The sadness in her voice caused a painful clenching in his gut.
Who the hell was Charlie? It never occurred to him to ask if she was involved with someone.