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Andi tugged her gaze away and busied herself with picking up a dropped napkin. She would not miss seeing him draped over other women one bit. He joked that he was just trying to butter up their powerful parents and get them to invest in the country, but right now that seemed like one more example of how people were pawns to him rather than living beings with feelings.
He’d marry one of them just because it was part of his job. And she couldn’t bear to see that.
She needed to leave tonight, before he could use his well-practiced tongue to … Thoughts of his tongue sent an involuntary shiver through her.
Which was exactly why she needed to get out of here. And she wasn’t going to give him a chance to talk her out of it.
Jake pushed his dessert plate forward. He’d had all the sticky sweetness he could stand for one night. With Maxi on one side and Alia on the other, each vying to tug his attention from the other, he felt exhausted. Andi knew he liked to have at least one decent conversationalist seated next to him, yet she’d followed through on her threat to stick him between two of the most troublesome vixens in Ruthenia.
Speaking of which, where was Andi?
He glanced around the dining room. The flickering light from the candles along the table and walls created deep shadows, but he didn’t see her. Usually she hovered close by in case he needed something.
He summoned one of the servers. “Ulrike, have you seen Andi?”
The quiet girl shook her head. “Would you like me to find her, sir?”
“No, thanks, I’ll find her myself.” At least he would as soon as he could extricate himself from yet another eight-course meal. He couldn’t risk offending either of his bejeweled dinner companions with an early departure since their darling daddies were the richest and most powerful men in the region. Once things were settled, he wouldn’t have to worry so much about currying their favor, but while the economy was growing and changing and finding its feet in the world, he needed their flowing capital to oil its wheels.
He could see how men in former eras had found it practical to marry more than one woman. They were both pretty—Maxi a sultry brunette with impressive cleavage and Alia a graceful blonde with a velvet voice—but to be completely honest he didn’t want to marry either of them.
Carina Teitelhaus shot him a loaded glance from across the table. Her father owned a large factory complex with a lot of potential for expansion. And she didn’t hesitate to remind him of that.
Ruthenia’s noblewomen were becoming increasingly aggressive in pursuing the role of queen. Lately he felt as if he were juggling a bevy of flaming torches and the work of keeping them all in the air was wearing on his nerves. He’d committed to choosing a bride before Independence Day next week. At the time he’d made that statement the deadline had seemed impossibly far off and none of them were sure Ruthenia itself would even still be in existence.
Now it was right upon them, along with the necessity of choosing his wife or breaking his promise. Everyone in the room was painfully aware of each glance, every smile or laugh he dispensed in any direction. The dining table was a battlefield, with salvos firing over the silver.
Usually he could count on Andi to soothe any ruffled feathers with careful seating placements and subtly coordinated private trysts. Tonight, though, contrary to her promise, she’d left him in the lurch.
“Do excuse me, ladies.” He rose to his feet, avoiding all mascara-laden glances, and strode for the door.
Andi’s absence worried him. What if she really did leave? She was the anchor that kept the palace floating peacefully in the choppy seas of a changing Ruthenia. He could give her any task and just assume it was done, without a word of prompting. Her tact and thoughtfulness were exemplary, and her organizational skills were unmatched. He couldn’t imagine life without her.
After a short walk over the recently installed plum-colored carpets of the west hallway, he glanced into her ever-tidy office—and found it dark and empty. He frowned. She was often there in the evenings, which coincided with business hours in the U.S. and could be a busy time.
Her laptop was on the desk, as usual. That was a good sign.
Jake headed up the west staircase to the second floor, where most of the bedrooms were located. Andi had a large “family” bedroom rather than one of the pokey servants’ quarters on the third floor. She was family, dammit. And that meant she couldn’t pick up and leave whenever she felt like it.
A nasty feeling gripped his gut as he approached her closed door. He knocked on the polished wood and listened for movement on the other side.
Nothing.
He tried the handle and to his surprise the door swung open. Curiosity tickling his nerves, he stepped inside and switched on the light. Andi’s large room was neat and free of clutter—much like her desk. It looked like a hotel room, with no personal touches added to the rather extravagant palace décor. The sight of two black suitcases—open and packed—stopped him in his tracks.
She really was leaving.
Adrenaline surged through him. At least she hadn’t gone yet, or the bags would be gone, too. The room smelled faintly of that subtle scent she sometimes wore, almost as if she was in the room with him.
He glanced around. Could she be hiding from him?
He strode across the room and tugged open the doors of the massive armoire. His breath stopped for a second and he half expected to see her crouched inside.
Which of course she wasn’t. Her clothes were gone, though, leaving only empty hangers on the rod.
Anger warred with deep disappointment that she intended to abandon him like this. Did their six years together mean nothing to her?
She couldn’t leave without her suitcases. Perhaps he should take them somewhere she couldn’t find them. His room, for example.
Unfamiliar guilt pricked him. He didn’t even like the idea of her knowing he’d entered her room uninvited, let alone taken her possessions hostage. Andi was a stickler for honesty and had kept him aboveboard more times than he cared to remember. Taking her bags just felt wrong.
She’d said she’d leave as soon as the party was over. A woman of her word, she’d be sure to wait until the last guest was gone. As long as he found her before then, everything would be fine. He switched off the light and left the room as he’d found it.
He scanned the east hall as he headed for the stairs, a sense of foreboding growing inside him. The packed bags were an ominous sign, but he couldn’t really believe she’d abandon Ruthenia—and him.
“Jake, darling, we were wondering what happened to you,” Maxi called to him from the bottom of the stairs. “Colonel Von Deiter has volunteered to play piano while we dance.” She stretched out her long arm, as if inviting him to share the first dance with her.
Since coming to Ruthenia he sometimes felt he’d stepped into a schnitzel-flavored Jane Austen story, where people waltzed around ballrooms and gossiped behind fans. He was happier in a business meeting than on a dance floor, and right now he’d much rather be dictating a letter to Andi than twirling Maxi over the parquet.
“Have you seen Andi, my assistant?”
“The little girl who wears her hair in a bun?”
Jake frowned. He wasn’t sure exactly how old Andi was—mid-twenties, maybe?—but it seemed a bit rude for someone of twenty-two to call her a little girl. “She’s about five foot seven,” he said, with an arched brow. “And yes, she always wears her hair in a bun.”
Come to think of it, he’d literally never seen her hair down, which was pretty odd after six years. A sudden violent urge to see Andi with her hair unleashed swept through him. “I’ve looked all over the palace for her, but she’s vanished into thin air.”
Maxi shrugged. “Do come dance, darling.”
His friend Fritz appeared behind her. “Come on, Jake. Can’t let the ladies down. Just a twirl or two. I’m sure Andi has better things to do than wait on you hand and foot.”
“She doesn’t wait on me hand and foot. She’s a valued executive.”
Fritz laughed. “Is that why she’s always hovering around taking care of your every need?”
Jake stiffened. He never took Andi for granted. He knew just how dependent on her he was. Did she feel that he didn’t care?
Frowning, he descended the stairs and took Maxi’s offered hand. He was the host, after all. Two waltzes and a polka later he managed to slip out into the hallway.
“Any idea where Andi is?” he asked the first person he saw, who happened to be the night butler.
He shrugged in typical Ruthenian style. “Haven’t seen her in hours. Maybe she went to bed?”
Unlikely. Andi never left a party until the last guest had rolled down the drive. But then she’d never quit before, either. He was halfway up the stairs before he realized he was heading for her bedroom again.
Jake stared at her closed door. Was she in there? And if not, were her bags still there?
He knocked, but heard no movement from inside. After checking that the corridor was deserted, he knelt and peered through the keyhole. It was empty—no key on the inside—which suggested she was out. On the other hand, the pitch darkness on the other side meant he couldn’t see a thing.
He slipped in—didn’t she know better than to leave her door unlocked?—and switched on the light. The suitcases were still there. Closer inspection revealed that one of them had been partially unpacked, as if an item was removed. Still, there were no clues as to Andi’s whereabouts.
Frustration pricked his muscles. How could she just disappear like this?
At the foot of the stairs, Fritz accosted him, martini in hand. “When are you going to choose your bride, Jake? We’re all getting impatient.”
Jake growled. “Why is everyone so mad for me to get married?”
“Because there are precious few kings left in the world and you’re up for grabs. The rest of us are waiting to see who’s left. None of the girls dare even kiss us anymore, let alone do anything more rakish, in case they’re making themselves ineligible for a coronet. They’re all fighting for the chance to be called Your Majesty.”
“Then they’re all nuts. If anyone calls me ‘Your Majesty,’ I’ll fire ‘em.”
Fritz shoved him. “All bluster. And don’t deny you have some of the loveliest women in the world to choose from.”
“I wish the loveliest women in the world would take off for the night. I’m ready to turn in.” Or rather, ready to find and corner Andi.
Fritz cocked his head. “Party pooper. All right. I’ll round up the troops and march ‘em out for you.”
“You’re a pal.”
Jake watched the last chauffeured Mercedes disappear down the long driveway from the east patio. He needed some air to clear his head before tackling Andi—and watching from here ensured that she couldn’t leave without him seeing her.
Could he really stand to marry Maxi or Alia or any of these empty-headed, too-rich, spoiled brats? He’d been surrounded by their kind of women all his life, even in New York. Just the circle he’d been born into. You’d think a king would have more choices than the average Joe, but that was apparently not the case.
Something moving in the darkness caught his eye. He squinted, trying to make out what was crossing the lawn. An animal? Ruthenia had quite large deer that he was supposed to enjoy hunting.
But this creature was lighter, more upright, and moved with a kind of mystical grace. He stepped forward, peering into the gloom of a typical moonlit but cloudy night. The figure whirled and twirled on the lawn, pale fabric flowing around it.
A ghost? His back stiffened. The palace was nearly three hundred years old and built over a far more ancient structure. Tales of sieges and beheadings and people imprisoned in the dungeons rattled around the old stone walls.
Long, pale arms extended sideways as the figure twirled again. A female ghost.
Curiosity goaded him across the patio and down the stone stairs onto the lawn. He walked silently across the damp grass, eyes fixed on the strange apparition. As he drew closer he heard singing—soft and sweet—almost lost in the low breeze and the rustling of the trees.
Entranced, he moved nearer, enjoying the figure’s graceful movements and the silver magic of her voice.
He stopped dead when he realized she was singing in English.
“Andi?”
Despite the hair streaming over her shoulders and the long, diaphanous dress, he recognized his assistant of six years, arms raised to the moon, swaying and singing in the night.
He strode forward faster. “Are you okay?”
She stopped and stared at him and the singing ceased. Her eyes shone bright in the darkness.
“What are you doing out here?” He walked right up to her, partly to prove to himself that she was real and not a figment of his imagination. His chest swelled with relief. At least now he’d found her and they could have that talk he’d been rehearsing in his head all night.
“Why don’t we go inside?” He reached out for her hand, almost expecting his own to pass through it. She still looked so spectral, smiling in the cloud-veiled moonlight.
But the hand that seized his felt warm. Awareness snapped through him as her fingers closed around his. Her hair was longer than he’d imagined. Almost to the peaks of her nipples, which jutted out from the soft dress. He swallowed. He’d never noticed what … luxurious breasts Andi had. They were usually hidden under tailored suits and crisp blouses.
He struggled to get back on task. “We need to talk.”
Andi’s grip tightened on his, but she didn’t move. Her face looked different. Transfixed, somehow. Her eyes sparkling and her lips glossy and parted. Was she drunk?
“You must be cold.” On instinct he reached out to touch her upper arm, which was bare in the floaty evening gown she wore. As he drew closer, her free arm suddenly wrapped around his waist with force.
Jake stilled as she lifted her face to his. She smelled of that same soft scent she always wore, not a trace of alcohol, just flowers and sweetness. He groped for words, but failed to find any as her lips rose toward his.
Next thing he knew he was kissing her full—and hard—on the mouth.
Two
Jake let his arms wind around her waist. The movement was as instinctive as breathing. Their mouths melted together and her soft body pressed against his. Desire flared inside him, hot and unexpected, as the kiss deepened. His fingers ached to explore the lush curves she’d kept hidden for so long.
But this was Andi—his faithful and long-suffering assistant, not some bejeweled floozy who just wanted to lock lips with a monarch.
He pulled back from the kiss with great difficulty, unwinding himself from the surprisingly powerful grip of her slim arms. A momentary frown flashed across her lovely face—why had he never noticed she was so pretty?—then vanished again as a smile filled her soft eyes and broadened her mouth.
She lifted a hand and stroked his cheek. “You’re beautiful.”
Shocked, Jake struggled for a response. “You’re beautiful. I’m handsome.” He lifted a brow, as if to assure himself they were both kidding.
She giggled—in a most un-Andi-like way—and tossed her head, which sent her hair tumbling over her shoulders in a shimmering cascade. She twirled again, and the soft dress draped her form, allowing him a tantalizing view of her figure. He’d certainly never seen her in this dress before. Floor-length and daringly see-through, it was far dressier and more festive than her usual attire.
“Happiness is glorious joy,” she sang, as she turned to face him again.
“Huh?” Jake frowned.
“Mysterious moonlight and wonderful wishes.” Another silver peal of laughter left her lips—which looked quite different than he remembered, bare of their usual apricot lipstick and kissed to ruby fullness.
Unless she’d suddenly turned to poetry—very bad poetry at that—she must be intoxicated. He didn’t smell anything on her breath, though. And didn’t she always insist she was allergic to alcohol? He couldn’t remember ever seeing her with a real drink.
Drugs?
He peered at her eyes. Yes, her pupils were dilated. Still, Andi experimenting with illegal substances? It seemed impossible.
“Did you take something?”
“Steal? I’d never steal from you. You’re my true love.” She gazed at him as she spoke the words, eyes clear and blue as a summer sky.
Jake groped for words. “I meant, did you take any pills?”
You’re my true love? She was obviously tripping on something. He’d better get her inside before she tried to fly from the parapets or walk on the water in the moat. “Let’s go inside.”
He wrapped his arm around her, and she squeezed against him and giggled again. This was not the Andi he knew. Perhaps the stress of threatening to leave had encouraged her to take some kind of tranquilizer. He had no idea how those things worked, but couldn’t come up with any other explanation for her odd behavior.
“You smell good.” She pressed her face against him, almost tripping him.
