The Billionaire Prince’s Surprise Son by Leslie North

10

Nic smiled as Summer wiped her mouth and put her fork down. “That was amazing,” she said with a happy sigh, leaning back in the dining room chair.

“Well, I’m just glad I didn’t mess it up,” he admitted. The chef had left roasted duck breast with caramelized pears to reheat, and a simple endive salad with some kind of dressing that tasted heavenly. All of it paired beautifully with a bottle of pinot noir that had been left in a wide, flat-bottomed decanter to breathe prior to their return. After finishing with a delicious flourless chocolate torte with a fresh raspberry sauce, they lingered over their glasses, enveloped in a warm, tipsy, gourmet haze.

“That may be the best meal I’ve ever had in my life,” she said, with a languorous smile. “Although all the meals I’ve eaten here in Mynia have been amazing.”

“They have plenty of stellar restaurants in California,” he pointed out.

“Fine dining wasn’t really high on my list of priorities when I lived there,” she said gently, and he immediately felt like an idiot. She wasn’t resentful or bitter, though, just realistic. She smiled. “Harry’s idea of a great meal is mac and cheese, which I can appreciate. And before him, it was the high-octane schedule of a resident and a med student.”

“What about when you were pre-med?” he asked, toying with the rim of his crystal wineglass. He wanted to know everything about her, and he realized they hadn’t had the time or space to discuss her background before. “Where did you go to college?”

“I went to UCLA. I grew up in Torrence, but I knew that I wanted to be a Bruin,” she said, then grinned. “I’d visited the campus once in high school, and just fell in love. And I was a partial-scholarship student, so I wasn’t really eating at gourmet restaurants then, either. Ramen, and lots of it… that was more my speed.”

He was starting to get the picture she was painting: that she’d been under financial hardship, that she’d been alone. She’d mentioned being a foster child to the kid at the garden party, but she was careful not to bring it up here.

With the warmth of the wine in his veins, he sighed. “I was a Thai takeaway sort, myself,” he said. “With the occasional fish and chips.”

“Fish and chips?” She chuckled, and his smile broadened. “Where did you go to college?”

“I studied at Oxford,” he said. “Did medical studies at Harvard, then went to California for my residency—well, part of it, as you know. Finished that here, closer to Mynia.”

“When you left,” she said simply, and he stopped short.

They both took another long sip of wine. He wondered if now was the time to explain: His parents had started the process of overhauling the country’s health system, and he’d wanted in on the policies from the ground floor. It was too hard from that distance, so he’d rushed back. When they first became involved, he didn’t want Summer to know he was a prince. He didn’t want her to treat him differently—or worse, want him only for his wealth and royalty. Then, after getting closer to her, he’d justified that a clean break was best for both of them, rather than trying to wrestle with a long-distance relationship, their careers, his complicated history and future. Even now, he wasn’t sure how to tell her how much she’d meant to him at that time.

How much she still meant to him.

To his surprise, she let the issue slide, saying instead, “That’s a lot of time abroad. It must’ve been hard for you to leave Mynia. From what I’ve seen, it’s beautiful. And your family is great. You must have missed them terribly.”

Her voice was full of such naked longing, such sorrow, that it was like a slash across his heart.

“I… my brother, Tom,” he said, slowly, as if bracing himself. “He was younger than me. He died when I was in college. I think… I think I stayed away because it hurt too much to be here, for a while.”

Her hazel eyes widened as she took in this new information. It occurred to him that he’d almost never talked about Tom to anyone outside the family, except Erik and Ben.

He got to his feet, feeling a little unsteady. “That wine’s going to my head,” he said, as a cover for the emotions that were more responsible for his instability. “Want to go for a walk? The sun’s setting.”

She nodded, taking the hand he offered her, and they strode out the back porch, onto the white sand. The waves lapped the private beach gently, and there was a light breeze.

“You have the most stunning sunsets here,” she said.

He took her hand. “I ordered them special, just for you,” he joked with a wink.

“Laundry, chocolate cake, sunsets… you do know how to impress a girl.” She flirted back, looking at him through full, lowered lashes. She looked him over, from head to toe, and he felt his body tighten with sheer sensual awareness. “What else do you have to offer, I wonder?”

He turned to her, stopping them on the water’s edge. In the setting sun, her eyes looked ablaze, her blonde hair glowing burnished gold, her cheeks pink, lips still tinged red from the wine. He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers, tasting her as he licked along the seam of her mouth. She gasped softly as his tongue danced along hers, and the feel of her went to his head, more intoxicating than the wine, more luxurious than the meal, more glorious than the sunset.

He wanted her, all of her, all at once.

If she’ll let me.

She wove her fingers through his hair, tugging him closer to her, and he devoured her. His hands roamed her back, then pulled her tight and flush against his hardening body.

His attraction to her had only grown over time. They had been a powder keg, back in California, one that he’d thought he could ignore. Once he’d seen her at the royal hospital, it had all come roaring back. He’d tried keeping his distance, leaving the decision up to her, giving her all the space she needed. But their passionate kiss in the broom closet by his office had been a turning point. Now, he was more than aware of the empty house behind them, and an entire night, just waiting for them to fill it.

Without warning, a wave crashed against their legs, startling them. They broke apart, breathless. Summer started laughing, and he joined in.

“I can’t believe I ever forgot how good we were together,” Nic half-whispered.

Summer looped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. “I never forgot,” she said against his mouth, then pressed her forehead against his.

It occurred to him then that he’d never forgotten—not really. He’d tried. And failed.

He wasn’t going to try anymore.

He kissed her passionately as the sun set behind them, then shocked her by sweeping her up into his arms.

“Come back to the house,” he said, his voice ragged. “Let me make love to you.”

She sighed, then nodded, burying her face in the curve of his neck.

He hurried them back, putting her on her feet only so they could race up the stairs to his bedroom. They peeled off clothes, and he reveled in the feel of soft skin beneath his fingertips, the rough silk of her hair brushing against him. He covered her body in kisses until she gasped and writhed beneath him.

“Nic, please,” she begged, reaching for him.

It was all the invitation he needed. Gently, lovingly, he entered her, feeling his heart race and his skin go hot and flushed. She was panting softly, her legs wrapped around him, short nails scoring at his back. He kissed the column of her neck as he rocked into her, and she met every thrust with a rough sigh and a thrust of her own.

Soon, almost too soon, they were moving in a frenzy, passion bolting through them like lightning. Her voice rippled out in climax, and he followed after her in a white-hot tumble that left him nearly blind.

“Summer,” he breathed, and collapsed at her side, holding her tight, as if he couldn’t ever bear to let her go.

* * *

As their skin cooled and the night’s temperature dropped, Summer snuggled in a bit closer to Nic, luxuriating in the feel of his sheets and his bed, and the sheer heat and protective comfort of being with Nic again in this way. They’d taken it slow, relatively speaking, but she didn’t regret it. If she was going to stay past the fellowship—if she was going to make a home in Mynia with Nic, and be a couple that parented Harry together—then this was a big step towards making it happen. Right now, it felt right.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he murmured against her temple, as he brushed a stray wavy lock out of her face. He kissed her softly.

She could get used to this.

“I was just thinking how this was what I always wanted,” she replied slowly. “I mean, when I was a little girl, it was my dream.”

“To be a princess?”

“No.” She propped herself up on one elbow so she could get a better look at him. It was criminal, how handsome this man was. His blue-eyed gaze studied her intently. “My parents were so madly in love, it was obvious. And they loved me, too, with all their hearts. I knew I wanted to be like them.”

“Like them, how?”

“I wanted to have a family. I wanted to be in a marriage like that,” she said. “I wanted to be a doctor, like they were.”

His eyes widened slightly, the fringe of black eyelashes like a fan. “I didn’t know your parents were doctors.”

“They had a small practice in the suburb where we lived. They didn’t want high-powered careers that took up too much time from family, even though it meant they made less money.” It hurt, remembering, but it was a good ache, she realized. She hadn’t really talked about it to anyone since Rachel, and even then, that had been years ago. “They were out one night, date night, seeing a movie… they loved me, but they always made time for each other. A drunk driver jumped the median and hit them head on.”

The lump in her throat made her voice rough. It took her a second of blinking to finish the sentence.

“They went quickly, at least. Or so the policeman told me.”

Nic stroked her shoulder in comfort.

“My grandparents on both sides were dead, and my parents were only children. I didn’t have any family to go to,” she continued. It was like floodgates had opened, and she couldn’t stop… she had to share what she wanted, and why she wanted it. “So I went into the foster system.”

“That must have been frightening,” Nic said sympathetically.

She shrugged. “At first,” she admitted. “It was difficult. I’d been used to being part of a family, one that loved me and cared for me. I went to a group home, and I bounced around to a few foster homes, but I aged out from a group home. Nobody wanted to adopt a teenager, especially one that was sad all the time.”

She had to look away from Nic’s expression, hating to see any pity there.

“I managed,” she said. “And it got better when I went to college. But I knew that it was what I wanted. Being a doctor, and having a loving family.”

There was a pause.

“They sounded wonderful,” Nic said.

She smiled, tears stinging her eyes.

“They were,” she replied. “They really, really were.”

Another pause. She waited, expectantly, feeling raw. They’d been physically intimate. Now, she’d opened herself up emotionally… and the opportunity was right there, for him to do the same. It was obvious that his brother had a profound effect on Nic’s family, and it explained his passion for children’s health. Would he finally feel safe enough to share more with her?

He leaned up—then turned her and tucked the blankets around her, before kissing her shoulder.

“Good night, Summer,” he said, spooning against her. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She lay there in shock as his breathing turned even and low.

Apparently, that was as open as he was getting, she thought, even as she tried to let herself enjoy the sensation of being surrounded by him. It might take him more time to open up. She had a few months, she reassured herself. They had time for him to get more comfortable.

Be careful, a little voice warned her. He had left her high and dry before.

She couldn’t afford to fall a second time.