Her Secret Page 3

  “I’m not afraid of you,” she told him, grinning up at him.

  He pulled her closer, looking down into her laughing eyes. “Good. I don’t want you afraid of me.”

  She stopped, feeling the heat of his body more than the sunshine overhead. “I am nervous though. Are we…?”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Yes. We are.”

  Kate blinked, trying to keep up. “When?”

  He watched her carefully. “Is that the nervousness talking now? Or eagerness?”

  She thought about it for a moment. “A bit of both, I think.”

  He nodded. “I appreciate your honesty.”

  That caused her to think of something. “Speaking of blunt talk, I don’t…” her cheeks turned pink as she tried to figure out the words. “I’m not on…” she bit her lip, took a deep breath, and tried again. “I’m not on any kind of birth control. I came here to Altair to relax and avoid crowds and…” she shook her head and looked down at their intertwined fingers. “It never occurred to me to bring along any kind of birth control.”

  Talal realized how difficult it was for her to tell him that. And how much he liked that about her. The honesty was just an innate part of her. It was a rare commodity in his world.

  “I’ll take care of everything, Kate,” he reassured her. “Just relax and let’s enjoy the day, okay?”

  Kate’s bright smile transfixed him. He stood there for a long moment, just drinking it in.

  “Sounds like a good plan,” she replied, moving even closer to him.

  He wanted to pull her into his arms and press every inch of her against his body. But he couldn’t do that. Not here. Not with an audience. As ruler of Altair, he knew that every person on this island was watching him, trying to see what would happen between himself and this lovely American woman. He didn’t know if they approved or not, but suspected many of them were cheering for him. Not for a long-term relationship. No, he’d have to marry a woman from Altair for his wife, but he knew that they wouldn’t mind if he had a nice romance with the foreigner.

  He might not see anyone watching him blatantly. At this particular moment, they all looked very industrious as they bustled about the tiny village. But he knew, from both experience and a sort of sixth sense, that his people were watching him. Waiting. Wanting to know what might happen with the beautiful American.

  He also knew that everyone was waiting, mostly impatiently, for him to marry. Unfortunately for them, Talal wasn’t ready to choose a wife yet. His gaze moved to the woman by his side, admiring the way the sunshine glinted off her dark hair, the soft sprinkle of freckles over the bridge of her nose that he hadn’t noticed yesterday. Or perhaps her sunglasses today were hiding her eyes, allowing him to see more of her than those captivating eyes.

  He was surprised to notice freckles. She’d looked so serenely perfect yesterday but the freckles…they made her more human, more touchable. He didn’t need any more reasons to touch her. Already, he was struggling to keep to his plan, to really get to know this woman.

  He took her hand and led her down to the end of the pier where one of his servants was waiting with a speedboat to take them out to his ship. He shouldn’t be distracted, he shouldn’t need to know about this woman to enjoy her in his bed. He should simply take her to bed and enjoy her company, as he normally did.

  A part of his mind interrupted his mental argument to point out that he was thoroughly enjoying just being with Kate. He enjoyed her smiles, her laughter…hell, he felt good talking with her and relaxing.

  When was the last time he’d relaxed? Hell, he couldn’t remember! His life wasn’t about relaxing! His life was about responsibility, about ensuring that the people of Altair were protected, both financially and militarily. That was his job. His course in life had been dictated by his birth and he’d never questioned it.

  “Are you okay?” she asked

  Talal turned to look at her, wanting to pull those sunglasses off her face so that he could fall into their blue depths as he’d done yesterday evening.

  “I’m fine,” he replied as evenly as he could, fighting back the need to kiss her. To make love to her. Hell, just to hold her.

  Privacy, he reminded himself. He needed privacy and it wasn’t something he was normally afforded.

  She lifted a hand to his cheek and he knew that he should pull her hand away. The public touching violated all of the rules he’d grown up with. Not to mention, he didn’t want the press to see a woman touching him. No need for that kind of a picture to be on the front page of every newspaper in the country.

  Which is why he took her wrist and gently pulled her hand away from his cheek, even though he wanted to do the reverse, to press her soft fingers against his skin, to show her other places she could touch him.

  He suspected that he’d hurt her feelings, but because of those damn sunglasses, he couldn’t see her eyes. Talal noticed her lips pressing together though.

  “Not here,” he murmured softly.

  When they reached the boat, the servant standing by reached up to help Kate down but Talal snapped an order to him and he pulled back. Stepping into the rocking boat, Talal turned and lifted his hands to Kate. She hesitated for a long moment, obviously not sure what to do after his rejection a moment ago before.

  “Come here, Kate,” he commanded, frustration leaking into his tone.

  Once again, she hesitated, even glancing back towards the shoreline. He knew the exact moment she was about to tell him that maybe this wasn’t a good idea and wanted to blast every newspaper that had ever invaded his privacy.

  “Kate.” He sighed her name, grabbed her round the waist, plucking her off the pier and setting her in the boat. “Sit,” he commanded, then turned to the servant who jumped onto the pier so that Talal could take the controls.

  Kate fumed, wanting to jump back onto the pier as well. But the man on the pier efficiently untied the ropes and pushed the boat away as Talal gunned the boat and off they went. She slipped into one of the soft chairs and glared up at him. She’d wait until the engine was off before she demanded that he return her to the pier. No way was she spending the day with a man who didn’t want her to touch him and then treated her so rudely! No way!

  She held on tightly as Talal expertly spun the boat around, coming in against the landing dock of the huge ship. As soon as the engine cut off and he tossed the ropes to another waiting servant, he turned to evaluate her expression. “Not yet. Almost.” He lifted her up onto the landing dock. A moment later, he was beside her and, before she could even open her mouth, he was pulling her through the door built into the side of the ship.

  Up a long set of stairs, down a hallway, then another set of stairs and another hallway. Kate kept trying to speak up, to demand that he take her back to the island, but every time she opened her mouth, another servant was standing there, bowing to the man! Bowing!

  Good grief, she thought with exasperation.

  When he pulled her into a lovely room that had soft, comfy looking sofas and a long bar, he closed the door and…pulled her into his arms. His mouth covered whatever protests she was trying to utter, silencing her in the most effective way possible.

  She fought her reaction for…oh, maybe a half of a second before her body took over and she melted into his arms, gripping his arms as he bent her backwards slightly, deepening the kiss.

  When he’d pulled her hand away from his cheek, effectively rejecting her touch and her concern, then the arrogant way he’d handled her on the pier, she’d been hurt. Why would he have acted as he had at breakfast if he didn’t want her?

  As soon as he lifted his head, she wanted him to do it all over again. She could feel the evidence of his arousal against her stomach and pressed herself more completely against him, needing more. Needing to…she wanted to make love to him.

  That thought choked her. Moments ago, she was hurt by his callous treatment. Now she wanted to beg him to take her to a room with a big bed so that she could finally find
out what it was like to be held in his arms.

  “No touching in public,” he explained, his voice rough from need.

  “Why?” she asked softly, staring up at him. Where had her sunglasses gone? And her hat? Hadn’t she been wearing a hat?

  His hand slid up her back. Underneath her shirt! Oh my, his hand felt good. Hot, rough, and perfect against her skin. She leaned into his hand, wanting more.

  “Because I don’t want to find our picture in the newspapers.”

  She blinked, not sure why he would be worried about that. “Talal, are you really that wealthy?”

  His startled expression told her everything, and nothing at all.

  “Kate, you don’t know who I am, do you?” he asked, astonished.

  She ran a hand over his hard chest, reveling in the muscles under her fingertips. “I know you’re wealthy or you wouldn’t be able to afford a ship like this. I know that you’re important and the people on this island adore you. They just about mopped the stone floor for you yesterday when you walked into the restaurant.”

  Kate noticed that his lips pressed slightly when she mentioned that, but she didn’t understand why the island people’s adoration would bother him.

  “You could say that I work for the government of Altair.” He said carefully, waiting for her understanding. He saw confusion, then understanding, then horror as she turned to look out the windows towards the island that was quickly disappearing from view.

  “You’re sort of a consultant?” she asked in a whisper. “For the government?”

  “Yes. I’m a very public figure. So, now you understand why I can’t allow myself to enjoy your touch when we are in public. I prefer that my private relationships remain private.”

  Kate nodded her head, completely understanding. Any time she went out on the town with another man, she was incredibly careful about any possible body language that might be captured by a photographer. She’d pulled back many times when a man had touched her too sweetly, not wanting her name connected with yet another leading actor or director. It became tedious. Too many times, her name had been bandied about by the media and the rumors would fly all over about how she was romantically involved with one man or another, sometimes several men over the same weekend. It was horrible.

  Bowing her head, she nodded. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I should have been more circumspect. I just…” she shrugged and lifted her eyes to his. “I wasn’t careful and I should have been.”

  He saw the tears and could tell that she was genuinely sorry. “It isn’t your fault, Kate, you didn’t know. It is my life. I can’t have the rumors, right or wrong.”

  She smiled tremulously. “Well, actually, I know exactly what you’re going through.”

  He took her hand and pulled her over towards one of the sofas, pulling her gently down next to her. “How can you know?”

  She laughed. “Well, I live a similar life, although, I doubt the consequences are the same.”

  “Tell me,” he demanded and she laughed at his arrogance.

  “Now that I know that you’re a public figure,” she teased, “I understand how you came to have that tone of voice.”

  “What tone?” he asked, a dark eyebrow lifting with her words.

  “That commanding, ‘no excuses’ tone that orders me to obey,” she replied, lowering her voice to tease him by trying to mimic his hard, unrelenting tone. “You’re used to people jumping at your call, catering to you.”

  Talal couldn’t deny it, one broad shoulder coming up as if to dismiss some of her words, while still accepting the truth of what she was saying. “I have a great deal of responsibility. Even romantic relationships might have an impact on Altair’s economy.”

  Now that she understood, her heart felt much better, less bruised. “Is that a big problem for you? Your actions having an impact on your job and how people in the government might perceive you or your actions?”

  “Yes. But I’ve learned to use the press and their invasion of my privacy to my advantage at times.”

  She knew exactly what he meant. “I’m an actress. So, I’ve done similar things, but probably not to the same effect.” She smiled up into his dark eyes, teasing him. “When my manager arranges a date to one of the social events or awards ceremonies, I use the guy as a way to keep myself from tripping over my heels and embarrassing myself. How do you use the media to your advantage?”

  He had to suppress a spark of jealousy when he thought of her on the arm of someone else. But he realized how ridiculous jealousy was, primarily because he had no right to be jealous, since this could only be a brief affair without any emotional commitment involved. But also…and he was surprised to find that this was the reason he clung to instead of the first one…by her own admission, her body had never known a man. His muscles relaxed with that realization and he smiled slightly.

  “I might have a meeting with someone, allow the press small photo opportunities that look like the media won a secret, so that the rest of the world will think negotiations are heading in one direction, when I need to distract everyone from where I really want a negotiation to go.”

  She laughed, thinking he was brilliant. “Do other government consultants do that?”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure they do.”

  “Do you think the media know that they are being manipulated?” she asked. Then laughed. “I doubt they really care, as long as they have a story to publish. I don’t think they care when it comes to my machinations. They just want the sensationalized story.” Her smile widened as she went on, “I’m guessing that the paparazzi are wondering which rehab center I’ve checked into since I’ve been gone so long.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “Yes, I suppose that could be a problem for you. How long have you been gone?” he asked.

  “Only a week,” she admitted.

  “And how long are you allowed to be gone?”

  Kate shrugged, feeling her heart pick up its pace at his question. “I finished my last project two months ago, along with all of the pre-release interviews and the crazy schedule.”

  His finger wove into her hair and Kate felt his touch all the way down to her toes. “Is that why you are on vacation? Because you are in between projects?”

  “Yes. And to recover. We were working twenty hour days towards the end of that release. It was a huge success, but I won’t go through that kind of schedule again. It was too much.”

  “Are your projects normally on such a tough schedule?”

  She shook her head. “No. This one was rushed. The director actually wanted to take a bit more time with it, but the studio decided that it needed to be released at a certain time period, they had a window and….” she shrugged as if that explained the rest.

  “Why did they want it released at a specific time?”

  She laughed. “Believe it or not, there’s a season for movie releases. Every type of movie has a season.”

  He was intrigued, as much by her animated features as by the movie industry process. “Why?”

  “The action movies need to hit the theatres either at the beginning of the summer, when all of the kids are just getting out of school and are excited by their freedom, or right before Christmas. Christmas day is actually a great day to release a movie.”

  “Aren’t most people at home with their families?”

  She shrugged. “Apparently, people get tired of being around family by the end of the day and want to go see a movie.” She didn’t know anything about that, since she’d lived with her uncle growing up. As a college professor, he spent most of his time researching one thing or another. He’d always have a gift for her on Christmas morning, but the gift was a surprise even to him since his teaching assistants would be assigned the task of purchasing it. She kept that information to herself, not wanting this fascinatingly powerful man to know about her lonely childhood. But that loneliness was what had pushed her into acting. She’d wanted friends and the high school theatre department was the bigg
est. It was also really nice to be noticed. Having grown up in a giant house where her uncle didn’t generally notice if she was alive or dead, being on stage, having people notice her existence, had been a thrill. It still was, although she missed her privacy as well.

  “It makes sense to capitalize on the public’s attention span,” he commented.

  He was toying with a lock of her hair and his gaze roamed over her features. She cleared her throat. “Yes. Well…um…the more dramatic movies are released in the fall.”

  “Why in the fall?” he asked softly.

  Kate stared up at him. Was he closer now? She didn’t think he’d moved, but he seemed to be looming over her. Not that she minded. She wanted him to make love to her. Had wanted it last night, all night, and every moment of the morning. Was it finally going to happen?

  “Why a fall release?” he prompted.

  Kate wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Oh! Movies! Right. “Um…” her eyes dropped to his mouth. Was he going to kiss her? “Dramas come out in the fall.”

  “So you said. Why in the fall?”

  Please! She really wanted him to kiss her! “Because the dramas are the movies that are nominated for the Oscars. The Academy Awards.”

  “And that’s important?”

  She looked up, so surprised by his question that she forgot about wanting him to kiss her.

  “Yes. They could make or break a movie or actor. Just being nominated for an award could launch an actor’s career or generate enough buzz about a movie to bring it back to profitability.”

  “And you’ve won an Oscar, haven’t you?” he asked gently, his thumb sliding over her lower lip.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Two, actually.” Her eyes returned to his lips, she needed his kiss like she needed to breathe. The eager tingling in her lips was almost painful.

  “That’s impressive,” he whispered.

  Kate was finished waiting. The question burst from her before she could second-guess herself. “Are you ever going to kiss me?”

  He laughed softly. “Do you want me to kiss you, Kate?”

  She rolled her eyes and pushed away from him, standing up. “Not anymore,” she told him and took a step away. She made it one step before he pulled her back to the sofa and right onto his lap. She tumbled awkwardly into his arms, but he caught her and held her against him, leaning her so that her back was now on the cushions of the sofa and he was once again looming over her.