A Prince For Sophie (6 page)

“I shall be the soul of discretion,” Stephan promised.

“Speaking of beautiful women,” his father said. Stephan smiled as Sophie joined them.

She took his father’s hands and kissed both his cheeks.

“Your Majesty,” she greeted.

“None of that. It’s Uncle
Eduard
, child. Let me look at you. Ah, Sophie, what a beauty you are! Is she not beautiful, Stephan?”

“She is indeed, father.”

He nearly laughed aloud because Sophie was blushing, even as pleasure sparkled in her eyes.

“You are the very image of your mother, my dear. Liana was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Next to my own Margaret, of course.”

If he hadn’t been looking at her so intently, he would have missed it. The change in her eyes was subtle. The warmth and joy spilled away, leaving unhappiness in its wake. It was starkly obvious, to him at least, that the comparison to her mother wasn’t one that Princess Sophie enjoyed. Pondering this, he took a sip of his warming drink and resolved to find out why.

“Thank you, Uncle
Eduard
. To be compared to my mother, who was a truly beautiful woman, is always a great honor.”

Before she could bolt, which he saw she wanted to do, Stephan turned his attention to his host.

“Uncle Alex, I was wondering if you could spare Sophie for a couple of hours? I would so enjoy a visit to your farm to see your horses.”

“You’re most welcome, Stephan, to visit the farm. Sophie’s time is her own, however.”

This was exactly what he’d thought Alex would say. Since all three of them were looking at her with, he was certain, various degrees of expectation in their eyes, Sophie’s training as a consummate hostess surged to the fore. He’d counted on just that.

“I would, of course, be delighted to accompany you.”

“As long as you are both back for dinner. I’d like everyone, family and dear friends, there tonight.”

“Of course, Uncle Alex. Perhaps we should leave now, Sophie? Michael was kind enough to lend me one of his cars, and it’s right out front.”

She mumbled her good-byes to his father and her own, and he gave her absolutely no time whatsoever to reconsider the matter, or change her mind.

“Is there a reason you have your hand on my arm?”

“Because I am a gentleman and am escorting you?”

“
Roué
and railroading is more like it.”

Stephan roared with laughter. The butler opening the door smiled as they passed. Despite her comment, she wasn’t pulling away, and Stephan took that as a good sign.

Another servant opened the passenger door of the car for Sophie. Stephan hurried around the vehicle, got in, and turned the key.

“Seatbelt,” he said as he put his foot to the gas. The gates swung open just in time.

“You’ll have to tell me where to go.”

“That is what I have been thinking.”

Stephan laughed again, then said, “I meant, give me directions to the farm.”

When they had left the city behind, he slowed the car, opened his window, and turned to her.

“I’m curious. You could have excused yourself from coming with me. Why didn’t you?”

“Because I think we need to talk. And I didn’t want to do that where so many people could overhear or interfere.”

Stephan had it in mind that they were going to do a hell of a lot more than talk. But he shot her a grin and said, “I propose we engage in a nice vigorous ride first. Then we can talk.”

The look she shot him was priceless, shock and affront and arousal all rolled into one. Likely, poor Sophie had never been so confused in all her life.

“I meant on horseback.”

“I’m sure you did.”

He almost had the feeling that she not only understood him well, but that she agreed with him all the way.

Aside from her home, there were two places Sophie felt most at ease. The first was among children, especially the children who were in her charge at the orphanage.

The second place was on horseback.

Why did she not make more time for this
? Riding had been the first thing she’d loved of which her mother had approved. Since Nanny Celeste had never ridden, when she’d been brought here for her lessons, she’d felt free. Then later, as a teen, whenever she had needed to get away from the stifling atmosphere of the palace, she would come here to ride. Here she had always been able to relax and breathe.

When Stephan stopped the car near the base of the stairs that led to the house, she opened the door and inhaled deeply. This is exactly where she needed to be, and she didn’t know what to think about the fact that it had been this man, largely a stranger to her, who had suggested it.

“The stables are down that path, not far. I wouldn’t be surprised if Andre, our stable master, already has a couple of horses saddled for us.”

“That would be a bonus, then. We don’t have a lot of time before I have to return you to the bosom of your family.”

Sophie looked at him and burst out laughing. “Despite the fact that I still live in my father’s house, I really do lead an independent life.”

“Did I say anything different?”

“You implied it.”

“See? You were thinking as we drove here that you didn’t know me very well. And you’ve just proved yourself wrong.”

Sophie thought it would be wise if she said nothing in response to that preposterous claim. Instead, she led the way to the stables. As she neared the structure, a soft whinny greeted her.

“There’s my beautiful girl.”

Her horse, a pretty chestnut mare, bobbed her head as if agreeing with her mistress’ assessment.

“I pictured you as owning a midnight black Arabian named Diablo, a bewitched stallion whose duty, all these years, has been to protect you from the ravishment of mere mortal men.”

“You have quite the whimsical streak, Your Highness. There are several Arabians in my father’s stable, some of them black, but I prefer this lovely quarter horse whose name is
Chocolat
. She was born in the United States on a farm in Virginia. So she is quite the well bread southern lady.”

At just that moment, Andre led another horse out of the building. This one was Arabian, and pure black. She saw Stephan’s eyes light with pleasure. “Sorry to disappoint you. His name is Splendor, and although he was quite frisky once, I’m afraid he’ll never fall in love again.”

Stephan’s laughter was a wonderful gift. She felt as if she had managed to do something quite extraordinary to spark it so many times in such a short period of time.

It took little time for them to mount up and head off along one of the many trails that wound through the large estate. Sophie deliberately dismissed from her mind the thought that Stephan was the first man she’d ever gone riding with. The scoundrel was raking up a rather large number of firsts where she was concerned. She didn’t want to think about that either, or about the affect he had on her. She didn’t want to think about anything at all. She wanted to ride, to feel the wind in her hair and pretend, if only for a little while, that she was as free and unfettered as a creature of the woods.

* * * *

Stephan was astonished when Sophie reached up and pulled the clip from her hair. Letting it drop to the ground behind her, she let go of the reins just long enough to comb her fingers through the long tresses.

With her hair up and neatly styled, she’d been the epitome of the elegant and aloof ice princess. With it loosed and hanging down her back, she resembled a woodland sprite, happy and free. Then the trail they were on opened up and a vast meadow spread before them.

“Race you!”

The challenge caught him off guard. She’d managed to sprint her mare several lengths ahead of him before he kicked his heels lightly, sending his mount into a full gallop.

The sound of her laughter came to him on the wind, and he understood in that moment that for her everything had disappeared but the animal under her and the wind streaming through her long hair.

Seating himself deep into the saddle, he leaned forward, urging the animal beneath him to overtake her. He let the beast have its head. If the meadow had been just a few meters longer, he believed they would have caught her.

She was flushed and breathless when he pulled his horse up beside hers. He could no sooner stop himself from reaching for her than he could stop breathing. Vaulting from the back of his horse, he scooped her off hers and held her close.

“What are you doing to me, Sophie de la Croix? Why can’t I keep my hands off you?”

He gave her no time to answer. His mouth descended on hers, hot and hard. Did she taste the anger in his kiss? He knew there was a trace of it there. He felt out of control when he was near her, and he didn’t like the sensation one bit.

She clung to him, her tongue tracing every corner of his mouth. When his hands began to stroke her back, when one swooped down to cover her bottom, pulling her against his erection, she broke free.

“You touch me and I can’t think. I can’t reason. If anyone is doing anything it’s you. You are a…a rake. A roué. If the tabloids are even a tiny bit accurate, you do this sort of thing all the time. But
I
do not. I won’t be another notch on your bedpost.”

Her confusion and anger settled his own. Oh, there was nothing of the ice princess in her now. “You should not believe everything you read, little one. Neither should you sell yourself so short. It is not my nature to try and seduce innocent little virgins. You appeal to me in ways I didn’t anticipate.” He could see by the look in her eyes she didn’t believe him.

Just as well
. Perhaps, despite the hunger that was burning in him for her, he would be better off leaving her alone. It went against everything he’d ever believed in to press his advantage if a woman was truly opposed to him. No meant no, always.

“You are trying to tell me that I alone have inspired this passion in you? Please, you do not have to be kind to me.”

Kind to her?
What a strange thing to say
. He was reminded then of her comment after he’d pleasured her. And there, once more, was the same look in her eyes that had come over her when his father had complimented—no, Stephan realized, when his father had
compared
her to her mother. He didn’t understand where her thoughts had taken her, but he couldn’t let it be. Couldn’t, he realized, allow her to think so little of herself.

“Why would you think I am being kind? That would imply that I’m not being honest with you, and I am. You’re not only a beautiful and desirable woman, Sophie. You’re a very passionate one as well.”

“Beautiful? Yes, thank you, though I can take no credit for an accident of birth.” She did not take a step back, but her hands had fallen to her sides and she held herself in a manner he could only call remote. “I have heard all my life how I am beautiful, the mirror image of my mother. And I am. I know that I am. I have many of her mannerisms, also. I am uncomfortable when faced with strangers, and in crowds. You think I do not know that I am called the ice princess? I’ve known about that name for years. It’s because I’m truly like my mother, you see. Cold and unfeeling. There is nothing I can do to change my nature. Genetics, in the end, will always tell. ”

The utter devastation in her eyes simply undid him. Reaching out, he clamped his hands on her arms, drawing her close.

“Cold? Unfeeling? This from the woman who had an orgasm in the cloakroom from so simple a touch? No, Sophie. You are many things, but not cold. Not unfeeling. Let me prove it to you.”

As he drew her closer, it occurred to him that perhaps he’d planned to take her here all along. In the next breath, he knew that wasn’t quite the truth. When her passion had drenched his fingers earlier that afternoon, he’d known he had to have her. Sophie didn’t have a clue just how she affected him. At this moment he couldn’t recall another woman who had gotten under his skin quite so quickly, or so thoroughly. He’d like to think it was her passionate response, not an emotional need that compelled him now. But he had the feeling he was about to take an irrevocable step.

“Stephan?”

Ah yes, she could sense the change in him. No longer teasing, no longer simply flirting, he meant to have her. The deeply primitive, female part of her must have scented his intentions. He’d always believed himself to be a man of culture, of civilization.

Something in Sophie stripped those two facades away from him.

He answered by kissing her, using his lips and tongue to gently woo, to sweetly soften. She moved into his arms, seduced, he knew, by the emotions coming to life within her. Her taste was addictive, and he wondered, fleetingly, if he would ever get enough of her. When her arms wrapped around him, he nuzzled her neck. He felt the melting in her. Sweeping her up, he lowered her to the soft green grass in the shade of the large maple tree. But no matter how much he wanted to take her, to claim her, he needed to know that she wanted him just as much.

“Will you let me have you?”

* * * *

Sophie never thought to hear such a question. No man had ever been this close to her, no man had ever indicated that he could want her. Until now. She’d resigned herself to living the single life, a life without a husband or children. That hadn’t changed. The unusual chemistry between the two of them was potent, and sexual, but it couldn’t change her basic nature, and she could see no reason to alter the plan she’d made for her life. Stephan wouldn’t be looking for anything more than what they could have here, on this lazy summer afternoon under the shade of this tree. Here was a chance to taste what she thought she’d never even get to sample.

“I liked how you made me feel earlier. I want to feel that way again.”

Something in his grin, so slow and sexy, made her belly quiver. He was laying on the grass half beside and half over her. He lowered his head, and her eyes drifted closed. His mouth on hers was gentle, as if tasting her in tiny increments. Her lips widened in a smile and when she felt his tongue licking her, she opened to him.