Lessons in Seduction (5 page)

“You do it deliberately to make me feel guilty. So that I'll do what you want.”

“How on earth does my touching my nose make you feel guilty?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because every time you touch that little bump, I remember how you got it in the first place.”

“Really? And it makes you feel guilty? But it was an accident. As much my fault as yours.” He'd been sixteen and she'd only been eleven. But she'd had a hell of a swing with the baseball bat. And he'd been distracted. He'd been arguing with Rafe instead of paying attention to a game he hadn't even really wanted to be a part of. The ball had come out of nowhere. That was the only time he'd ever seen Danni cry. Not because she'd been hurt but because she'd hurt him. And then she got mad at him for making her cry.

“I know that. But I still feel guilty about it.”

“So, if I do this—” he touched the bump “—and
ask nicely, will you drive for me this weekend? Please, Danni.”

“Don't. That's not fair.”

He touched the bump again. “It's actually hardly noticeable. I don't see it when I look in the mirror, I can scarcely feel it.”

“Adam. You're playing dirty.”

“No, seriously. Touch it. It's nothing. I think you're imagining it.” He reached for her, circling his fingers around her wrist—she had such delicate wrists, like the rest of her—and he lifted her hand.

Curiosity lit her eyes and she bit her bottom lip as she ever-so-tentatively touched the bridge of his nose. Her fingers were so close that he couldn't focus on them but he could see her eyes, could see a certain longing in them. Her lips were softly parted and she smelled as sweet as the promise of spring.

And, damn, there was that urge again. The one that would have him pull her into his arms. He shifted his grip from her wrist and grasped her hand instead and pressed a kiss to the back of it. That was as much as he could allow himself.

And apparently more than she wanted. She pulled her hand free. Hid it behind her back. A fierce blush heated her cheeks.

“You know, maybe it is a little sore still, you could kiss it and make it better.” Where had the words come from, the teasing?

“Don't play games with me, Adam.” Sudden anger tinged her voice, taking him aback. “I know I'm not sophisticated. But you know it, too. So do not make fun of me. You're better than that.”

“Make fun of you? Danni, I'd never. The one time I
tried it, when you were about seven, you kicked me in the shins.”

“You just did,” she said. The anger had gone, only to be replaced by suspicion.

Usually he communicated well, allowing for no misunderstanding. He'd soothed ruffled diplomatic feathers on many occasions. How was he making such a mess of this when it should be so simple? “No.” Making fun of her had been the very last thing on his mind. He'd wanted to kiss her and had settled, at great cost, for her hand instead. Because kissing her, when she was effectively a member of his staff, when he was on the lookout for a wife, and when she was…Danni, would be all kinds of wrong. But he could still feel the cool imprint of her skin on his lips. And that chaste, courtly gesture had stirred far more than the kiss he'd shared with Anna earlier this evening.

“I've offended you and I'm sorry.” He needed time to make it better. To get their relationship back to where it ought to be, amiable and respectful.

“You haven't offended me. I'm not that soft.”

He liked her indignation, the stubborn tilt to her chin.

“I have offended you, I can see it.”

“You haven't. Believe me.”

“Prove it. Drive for me next weekend.”

She gave a little gasp and her eyes narrowed. “You've done it again, haven't you? You've manipulated me halfway to saying yes and I'm not even sure how you did it.”

“I wouldn't try to manipulate you.”

“I know. You do it without trying.”

Had he? He hadn't meant to. “You're free to drive
for me or not. But I'd really like it if you would.” She'd been right about Clara, she'd been right about the tie.

She opened her mouth.

“It'll be the last time, I promise,” he said before she could deny him, because suddenly this seemed important. “You see things differently from me. In a good way. So, I'm taking your advice seriously. I'm going to go skiing and I'm going to have fun.”

“Whether you like it or not?”

“Exactly.” He tried to keep a straight face.

She laughed, breaking the tension he'd caused when he'd kissed her hand. The familiar sparkle returned to her eyes. “This will definitely be the last time. After that, you're on your own and you can take your fun as seriously as you like.”

“You'll be able to pick me up next Friday at two?” He had to get her final commitment while he could.

“Okay.”

A frown pleated her brow and she imbued that small word with a world of reluctance, but she'd agreed. That was all that mattered.

“Who are you taking?”

“I haven't decided yet. There are a number of prospective candidates.”

“Hmmph. Who meet all your criteria?”

“Yes.”

“Are their names in a list?”

He said nothing.

“Can I see it?”

He folded his arms.

“Why not leave earlier than two? Let the fun start sooner?”

“I have meetings in the morning.”

She didn't roll her eyes, but he thought it might have taken effort on her part not to. She headed for the table and picked up her cap and gloves.

“And don't worry about the uniform. This is definitely outside of regular palace business. We'll be friends.”

“That's what worries me. It feels like the ground is shifting and I don't know where I stand.”

He held the door for her. “Since when did you ever
not
like a challenge?”

“Since you started using them to work against me.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the tie he'd forgotten about. He reached for it, and for a second they were connected by that strip of silk. The fabric had been subtly warmed by her body. Her gaze flicked to his and then quickly away as she released the tie. “See you Friday.”

“Thank you, Danni. You won't regret it.”

She shook her head. “I already do.”

“T
here's a café up ahead.” Adam's voice broke through Danni's concentration, snapping her awareness to him.

“Yes,” she said warily. They'd been on the road for a little more than an hour and those were almost the first words he had spoken to her since informing her that they'd meet his date there later this evening. And the statement gave her an ominous sinking feeling sapping the pleasure she'd found in the drive. So far, he'd used the time sitting in the back making and taking calls and working on his laptop. It was an arrangement that suited her just fine and she'd hoped he was setting the tone for the whole weekend.

“Let's stop.”

A glance in the mirror showed her that his laptop was now shut. Working, he was remote and safe. It was
when he leaned back in his seat and focused his attention on her that things, in her head at least, became decidedly unsafe.

“Let's not stop.” If she was here as more of a friend than a driver she was allowed to voice an opinion. “It's not planned. I haven't called ahead.”

“They'll cope, I'm sure. I don't know what you're going to have but I only wanted a coffee. And maybe a muffin.”

“I meant for security. Which you knew. They like to know in advance where we intend stopping.” Now, he'd decided to tease? She didn't think much of his timing but the glint in his eyes and the lift to his lips made her stomach give a funny little lurch.

“It'll be okay,” he said. “If we didn't know we were stopping, no one else could have. This whole weekend is going to be as low-key and as off-the-radar as possible.”

“In that case, we shouldn't stop where people will see you and recognize you.” The café loomed ahead. One more minute and they'd pass it.

“Stop the car, Danni.”

Repressing a sigh, she pulled off the road and into the parking lot. There was only so far she could push the friend-versus-driver split.

“You wanted me to be more spontaneous.”

So now this was her fault? “I don't think I said that, Your Highness.” She used the “Your Highness” deliberately. She was desperate to get the formality back into their relationship because something fundamental had shifted that night in the library with him. When he'd kissed her hand, the press of his lips igniting a low forbidden heat. Actually, it had shifted in the seconds
before when she'd touched his nose, when her eyes had met his as she did so. She'd been slammed by a desperate desire to kiss him. Properly. To slide into his arms, press herself against him and kiss the bejeebers out of him. Really, she'd been no better than Anna and hadn't even had the excuse of alcohol. If that was spontaneity, it was a bad, bad thing. “Call me
Your Highness
again and I'll sack you on the spot.”

He was joking. About the sacking part anyway. She was sure of it. Just not the “Your Highness” part. He hated that from her. “Fine. I didn't say I wanted you to be more spontaneous. Adam.”

The twitch of his lips stretched into a smile. She hadn't realized it before but that smile of his could be irritating, especially when the smugness of someone who'd gotten his way—again—gleamed in his eyes. Even so it made her own lips curve in response.

“No. But you implied it,” he said. “So I'm going to be spontaneous. And we're going to stop for unplanned coffee.”

“Paul won't like it.” Paul was the head of palace security. They'd had a half-hour meeting together before she'd picked up Adam this morning.

Everything was shifting. Even the fact that he'd insisted she not wear her uniform disturbed her. She wasn't used to driving Adam wearing jeans and a sweater. It felt…disconcerting, like she didn't quite know who she was or what role she filled. It blurred the boundaries in her mind. It allowed her to think of Adam and kissing in the same thought. Perhaps she should have packed the uniform just to be safe.

“Paul will cope. Now, are you going to come in with me, or are you going to sit out here in the car and sulk?”

“I don't sulk.”

“Good. Let's go get coffee.”

Danni got out and muttered a “yes, Your Highness” under her breath. By the time she'd got round to Adam's side of the car he was already standing, breathing deeply of the crisp air. “One day…” she said.

He waited for her to continue, a smile still tilting his lips.

“Yes?”

“One day I'm going to outmaneuver you.”

The smile widened and stole her breath. “And on that day Satan will swap his pitchfork for a snow shovel.”

She shook her head and turned away, breaking the direct line of fire of that smile. She'd forgotten, or maybe never realized because she'd known him forever, how attractive he really was. Especially when he smiled. But now wasn't when she wanted to be noticing things like that. Now, when she already felt the ground slipping and tilting beneath her. Irritation was the emotion she should be after. Irritation that he thought he could so easily best her. Irritation that it was so often true.

Inside the café they ordered drinks and chocolate muffins and sat at a booth with a view over the pine-forested hillside and up to the snow-covered mountains.

“You can see these mountains from my office in the palace,” he said, leaning back in his seat after his first sip of coffee. “Every time I see them I remind myself that I ought to come up here. Rafe and Lexie have been up to the Marconi chalet several times and even Re
becca and Logan have visited. But it's been years since I made the time. So, thank you.”

Danni shrugged. “Pleased to be of assistance.” More pleased than she could let him know. Already he looked different, a little less strained. This could be her service to the country. Though right now she didn't care about the country, just about him and that this would be good for him. He looked relaxed and open. “So, who's the date?” She needed to remind herself what was really going on here because she was in imminent danger of forgetting. He hadn't told her anything. Just that whoever she was would already be up at the chalet.

“Claudia Ingermason.”

“The figure skater?” The Claudia Ingermason Danni was thinking about had won a medal for San Philippe two winter Olympics ago and had since launched her own brand of top-of-the-line winter and ski gear. She was also stunningly beautiful with the looks of a Swedish supermodel.

He nodded. “Rebecca set it up. Claudia's an old school friend of hers. You said to try dating someone I could have fun with. We both enjoy skiing. So it should be…fun.”

“You've met her before though?”

“Not exactly.”

“So, this is a blind date?”

“No. I know who she is.”

“Did you bully Rebecca into setting you up with someone?”

“I resent the implication that I bully people. And even if I tried, Rebecca would be the last person to stand for it. I asked her if she could think of anyone and she came up with Claudia.”

“Sounds perfect.” Danni set down her coffee. “So why don't we get going? The sooner I get you up there, the sooner you and Claudia can start having fun.”

“There's no rush. She's tied up in a photo shoot for her next season's line. It's running behind schedule. She'll be an hour behind us at least.” Adam's hands were wrapped around his mug and he didn't appear in any hurry to go. “There's just one thing I don't understand.”

“What?”

“Why this still feels like work?”

“Because you're making it work. You're trying to force it.”

“I'm just trying to speed things up.”

She shook her head. “Relax. If you remember how. If it's meant to be with Claudia, it'll work out. And if it's not, at least you still got to go skiing. But either way I think we should get going because I don't like the look of the weather.” The distant clouds seemed to have grown darker in the time they'd been sitting here.

Adam frowned. “You've had a weather update?”

“It's not supposed to snow till much later this evening or possibly tomorrow.”

“That's what I thought.” He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. His eyes drifted closed in a long slow blink. And given that this was the most relaxed she'd seen him in years, Danni wasn't going to hurry him along. He'd been out till the early hours of the morning at a state function and from a comment he'd made earlier, it sounded as though he'd scarcely gone to bed because of calls to the other side of the world he'd had to take.

 

“What are you doing?” Danni asked, horrified, fifteen minutes later as Adam got into the front seat beside her. She'd been looking forward to the subtle reprieve from his company. Company she could like too much. Now he was beside her instead of in the back, preventing her from putting things into their proper perspective. Me driver, you passenger. Me commoner, you royalty.

Now, as he sat beside her, she had bad thoughts like me woman, you man instead.

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like you've forgotten where you're supposed to sit.”

“Where I'm
supposed
to sit? It's
my
car. I can sit anywhere I want.”

Definitely man, and one who thought he could do whatever he wanted. Probably because he usually could. Time for diplomacy.

“And a very nice car it is, too. But I'm your driver. And the point of having a driver is so that you can sit in the back and work. Use your time efficiently. Not have to worry about conversation.” Like he had done for the first hour of their trip when he was completely oblivious to her. They had each had their space.

“We agreed that this wasn't a normal driving role. You're also here as a friend and adviser. Besides, I've finished what I need to do for the time being. Now, I thought I'd sit up here. The view's better.” He looked at her as he spoke so she kept her gaze where it ought to be, trained on the road as it wound up into the mountains. Though if she was able to look at him, she might be better able to gauge what he was playing at. Or not.
She never knew with Adam. By all accounts no one did. She'd often heard his brother and sister, and even once his father—from whom he'd inherited the trait—complain of that very same thing.

He opened the glove compartment.

“What are you doing?”

“I like seeing what you keep in here.”

“Nothing.”

He pulled out the thriller she was reading, turned it over. “Doesn't look like nothing.”

“Nothing you'd be interested in. Adam?”

“Yes?”

“You're sure you haven't got work you should be doing?”

With a smile he closed the glove compartment. “I'm sure. The truth is I'm having second thoughts about this date. Not the skiing part, but the having to get to know another woman.”

“It's because you're still looking at this as work.”

“It's partly that but worse than that, I've realized that if the chemistry's not right, it's just going to be a waste of my time, like getting stuck in an unproductive meeting.”

“Nothing like anticipating success.”

“What if it's blatantly obvious there's going to be nothing between us? I should have stuck to dinner. There's an easy escape. So, just so you know—” he folded his arms across his chest “—I'm blaming you if this goes badly.”

“If that makes you feel better.”

“You know I wouldn't blame you,” he said a few moments later.

“I'm not so sure of it. But I can live with it.”

She loved the little smile that played at his lips.

They lapsed into silence, and finally Adam seemed content to sit and absorb the beauty and serenity of their surroundings. Snow blanketed the ground and weighed on the branches of the fir trees that stretched back from the road. He spoke only once, to point out the tracks of a deer disappearing into the forest. She could almost feel the tension leeching from him.

His phone rang. The call was brief. He gave assurances to whoever was on the other end of the call that everything was fine and that there was no need to apologize. When the call ended he tipped his head back in the seat. “That solves that. Turn the car around.”

Danni flicked a glance at him.

“We're going back.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Claudia can't make it. The art director walked out and the photo shoot's in chaos. If she's not going to be there, then there's no point in me going. Besides now I can attend tomorrow's meeting of the Prince's Trust.”

“I thought you were pleased to have a good reason not to attend.”

“I was, but I don't have that reason anymore.”

“But the skiing?”

“The mountain's not going anywhere. I'll come up some other time.”

“You haven't in how many years?”

“I will.” He wouldn't, and her heart sank on his behalf. Partly because Claudia wasn't going to be there but mainly because he'd miss out on the first day he'd taken off in nearly a year. The lines of tension and weariness showed around his eyes. “You've got competent people at the meeting for you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why not stick to your half of the plan and enjoy the skiing? If you take care of your own needs, you're a better leader because of it.”

“There are more important things I should be doing.”

“But—”

“What?”

“Nothing.” It wasn't her place to comment on his private life. He'd ignore her anyway.

“No. What were you going to say?”

“Just that I can't turn around here. There are too many blind corners. There's a place up ahead just a few minutes.”

“Good.” He tilted back his seat and closed his eyes. Within minutes his face softened and his breathing slowed and deepened, and now, finally asleep, he looked almost to be smiling.

 

It was an hour later before he opened his eyes again. And for the last half hour Danni's regret over her decision had been growing. Especially the last ten minutes during which snow had begun to fall. Earlier and more heavily than forecasted.