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Unable to tear his eyes away, he watched as she snatched open her buttons and pulled her blouse free of her jeans. Next, she yanked down the zipper of her pants and eased them over her slender hips. An impatient kick sent them into a haphazard pile with her blouse to the shore below.
Clad in only a pair of lacy wisps that left little to the imagination, she stood and surveyed the way the setting sun shimmered like gold coins bobbing on the surface of the gently lapping waves.
Sebastian’s breathing grew shallow. Who was this woman? She was no stable hand, this he knew, as females were never hired in such a capacity in this particular kingdom.
Her body was long and lithesome, yet curvy in all the right spots. Her thighs and calves were shapely, well muscled obviously from years spent riding, and her shoulder-length hair was wild, glowing gold with the slanting light of the setting sun.
Sebastian’s mouth went dry. He knew he probably had no business standing there, staring at her this way, when she thought she was by herself, but on the other hand, she had no business being out here alone. It wasn’t safe. Anything could happen to a young woman out swimming after dark.
Deciding to stay put, just in case she needed him for whatever reason, he watched as she moved to the edge of the outcropping of rock and surveyed the black water below. As if in slow motion, she balanced on her toes, crouched low, and then using the rock as a springboard, arched out over the water and executed a perfect, nearly splashless, dive.
Sebastian felt as if he’d swallowed a golf ball whole as he watched her disappear from view. When the water’s ripples had calmed, his guts began to churn. Where the devil was she? She should have been up already.
He stood in his stirrups and craned in her direction, mentally preparing to go in after her. He waited another three or four seconds.
That did it.
She was in trouble. Likely hit a rock, or maybe she was caught by the hair on some branch beneath the surface of the water.
Throwing a leg over his saddle, he dismounted and hit the ground running in one fluid move. Just as he reached the edge of the pond, she burst forth from the water’s surface, like a phoenix rising, her giddy laughter ringing out as she whipped her bra and panties in a circle over her head and flung them onto the beach.
Sebastian could only stand there and stare. His heart was beating ninety miles an hour and the battle he waged was whether to paddle this brat for scaring him so, or to kiss her because she was alive.
And beautiful.
In his life, the plastic, well-bred beauties that vied for his attention had jaded Sebastian. Aristocratic women could be so dull. Vain. In search of a trophy to call husband.
But this woman was different, he could tell. Her complete lack of affectation captivated him, and he found himself wanting to know more. Was she a commoner? If so, who was her father? What did he do?
Then reality struck.
Could she be taken? She certainly did not act the staid, married matron. Her body and her carefree personality betrayed her youth and he judged her to be no more than twenty. Twenty-two at the most.
A perfect complement to his twenty-seven.
Watching her, he felt his world-weary cares begin to seep away. There was something mysterious about this mermaid. She inspired ridiculous thoughts. Flights of fancy he’d given up entertaining long ago. Thoughts of the magic of finding one’s true love.
His heart began to pound and his blood rushed powerfully through his body. He flexed his hands, and watched her move to stand waist-deep at the opposite shore, her back toward him, wet hair tickling her shoulder blades. Hands cupped, she used them as a scoop to douse stray tendrils away from her face.
Then, as if she suddenly sensed that she wasn’t alone, the woman slowly turned to face him, her arms snaking across her bare breasts just before she sank to her shoulders in the water.
“Who is there?” she demanded.
Sebastian stepped forward and their eyes locked for an infinite, supercharged moment before he spoke.
“Perhaps I should be asking you the same question, woman. This is the private property of His Royal Highness, King Philippe. You are breaking the law by stealing one of his horses and swimming in his pond after dark.”
The woman did not seem daunted, and instead smiled. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Then perhaps you’d consider being afraid of me.”
“And who, pray tell, are you?”
“I am Sebastian LeMarc, a friend of the royal family and, when I have to be, the nude-beach police. Who are you?”
She tossed back her head and sent throaty laughter into the twilight. “You know, Sebastian LeMarc, you should probably join me. To cool that hot head of yours.”
Sebastian stared at this cheeky sprite. Who the devil did she think she was? “If I have to, I’ll come in there after you.”
“Suit yourself. Or not. This is a suit-optional pool.” She giggled, tickled with herself, and Sebastian couldn’t help but smile as she dove beneath the water’s surface, sending a spray of drops into the air.
What was he going to do with this woman? Dragging a slippery porpoise, one that had no intention of being caught no less, out of the water would be a challenge indeed.
She surfaced, this time nearer the waterfall and beckoned to him. “Come on in. The water’s fine.”
“Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to play naked with strangers?”
She laughed. “Yes. But you are not a stranger.”
“You know my name only.”
“I know that my father trusts you.”
“And who would your father be?”
“You really don’t know?”
“If I did, would I have to ask?”
“I am the third daughter of Philippe de Bergeron, King of St. Michel, and owner of this pond.”
Sebastian stared, mouth agape. That was impossible. Marie-Claire de Bergeron was a child! He wracked his brain, attempting to recall her age, but she was certainly no more than twelve or thirteen. He’d never given the king’s young daughters a second thought, as over the years they seemed more occupied with the affairs of dolls and roller skates than with affairs of state. On the odd social occasion that he’d come in contact with the king’s children, he’d been preoccupied. Concerned with the well-being of his date du jour, or the hour’s political topic.
Languidly, she swam toward the beach where he stood and finding purchase on a submerged rock with her toes, allowed her shoulders to protrude from the water.
His eyes dipped to the cleavage she cradled in her arms. Seems he’d lost track of her birthdays. Suddenly guilty at the lascivious direction his thoughts had taken, he took a giant step back.
“Does your father know you are here?”
“Papa is too busy to keep track of me.”
“Every father wants to know that his children are safe. Especially after dark.”
“I am no longer a child,” she argued hotly. “As of yesterday, I am sixteen years old. A royal debutante, of an age to begin dating.”
Sebastian snorted, even as a keen disappointment settled in his gut. Sixteen? She was a child. “You are a royal pain, of an age to be spanked and I’m tempted to be the one to do it. Get out of the water now.”
“Make me.”
Sebastian arched a brow. “You are a brat.”
“And you are a killjoy.”
She aroused myriad emotions within him, and his jaw flexed as he pondered his next move. It was rare that anyone, let alone a teenaged girl, challenged his authority. And strangely, it exhilarated him.
For the longest moment, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were those of the rushing waterfall and the soulful cadence of the cricket’s song. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. The sun disappeared altogether, leaving the storm clouds on the horizon, silver-plated. The steady plipplop of raindrops turned into an all-out shower, but still neither of them moved. Nor spoke.
At least, not with words.
Even so, they knew that what was passing between them was life-changing, for them both. He waged a battle in his mind, but was far too ethical to take advantage of her foolishness.
You’re too young.
But I won’t always be.
I’ll wait.
Do.
With a nod, Sebastian turned and easily mounted his horse and set off through the trees.
“Get dressed,” he ordered over his shoulder. “I’ll wait for you at the edge of the woods and escort you safely home.”
This time, she did not argue.
Chapter Two
She’d turned twenty-one just yesterday. This Sebastian knew, as he’d etched the date on his brain five long years ago. And now, as the beautiful Marie-Claire de Bergeron descended the stair alone, all eyes in the steadily growing crowd turned to greet this vision with approval and, he noted with a swift glance about, some lechery.
A fierce wave of protectiveness washed over him and he excused himself from a conversation he was having with Lise’s new husband, Wilhelm Rodin, and moved to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
As it had so often in the past, his gaze drew hers and they were locked in a world of their own making. Only now, they both knew she was a full-fledged adult, legal in every way and responsible for her own decisions in this life.
Seeming to sense the moment was perfect, the royal orchestra struck up a rousing waltz and Sebastian held his hand out to Marie-Claire.
“Dance?”
“Oui.”
Bashfully, she extended her hand and he suppressed the grin he felt surging up from his belly. She was such a conundrum. One minute, she was wildly cheering him to victory on the golf course and the next, a blushing innocent, struggling to exude sophistication. Though soft and small, her hand was strong, and she clung to him as he led her through the throng to the dance floor.
When they arrived, a number of couples were already sweeping about the gleaming marble. King Philippe danced with his wife, Queen Celeste; Philippe’s mother, the Dowager Queen Simone danced with the prime minister, Rene Davoine; and a number of court consorts, celebrities and political acquaintances from different countries also whirled across the Russian imported flooring.
Sebastian drew Marie-Claire’s lithe body against his own and it was like a homecoming. He breathed in the scent of her perfumed hair and rested his hand at the small dip in her lower back. Holding her this way was far more exhilarating than any dream he’d ever had. As he’d known they would, they fitted as if they were born to be together.
Shyly, she glanced up at him, and it was the first time ever he’d seen her at such close range. Her skin was the flawless stuff of youth, peachy smooth and the color of cream with a hint of cinnamon. Tonight, her sun-streaked hair was upswept, revealing the graceful length of her neck, and her almond-shaped eyes reflected the emerald sheen of the satin confection she wore. Shadowed by the ghost of a smile, her lips were slightly parted and Sebastian longed to press his mouth to them, to see if their kiss would be as explosive as he’d imagined over the years.
However, this was not the time or place for such a first. He wanted it to be perfect. And he wanted them to be alone. For now, he would settle for the joy of simply holding her in his arms. That, and the knowledge that he was the luckiest man in the room.
“Your twenty-first birthday was yesterday, no?”
Marie-Claire’s gaze shot to his. “How did you know?”
“Math.”
“Math?” Her smile was quizzical.
“On this day, five years ago, you had been sixteen for a whole day.”
A charming flush crawled up her slender neck and settled in her cheeks. “You remember that day?”
“Vaguely.” Someday, when they’d been long married, he’d confess how the memory had plagued him, ruining subsequent relationships and making sport of his sleep. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“What did you do to celebrate this time?”
“For one thing, I stayed out of the pond.”
“Too bad.”
Again, the endearing blush. “Papa took me to Paris for the day. I went shopping for this gown.”
“Excellent choice.”
“You think so?”
“Mmm. I think you are easily the most beautiful cheerleader in the room.”
Marie-Claire heaved a heavy sigh and stared down at the floor. “So you heard that?”
Unable to restrain the grin that tugged at his lips, Sebastian ducked his head so that he could peer into her face. “Marie-Claire, thanks to the wonders of cable television, the entire world heard that.”
“How singularly mortifying.”
“I thought it was charming. Cute.”
“Cute?” She made a face. “Now everyone thinks I have a schoolgirl crush on you.”
He tipped her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. “And do you?”
Suddenly seeming to forget her mission to prove herself the sedate lady, her candid laughter had his pulse surging.
“Well, since the entire world knows, I suppose there is no point in lying to you. I guess you could say I have an…infatuation, where you’re concerned. But…” she held up a finger, smiled brightly and blathered on, “I’m struggling to overcome that. I’m thinking of joining a twelve-step program. Not that I’m a stalker or anything—”
“Don’t do that on my account.”
“What?”
