‘Manuel and Luis?’
‘Our Hun protectors. They think I’m taunting them if I use their real names, but surely a muffin couldn’t be seen as a taunt.’ His eyes were not leaving hers. He wanted her. He ached for her. His eyes said it all, but he was keeping himself rigidly under control.
‘You think we might find the ingredients?’ he asked, but she was already opening the panty door, doing a visual sweep of the shelves, then checking out the first of three massive refrigerators. As anxious as he to find some way of keeping the sizzle between them under control, and to keep the tension on his face at bay.
‘There’s more ingredients than you can shake a stick at.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Lots of ingredients,’ she said in satisfaction. ‘It seems a shame to abandon bacon entirely. You want bacon and cheese muffins, or double chocolate chip?’
‘Both,’ he said promptly. ‘Especially if I get to lick the chocolate chip bowl.’
‘Done,’ she said and smiled at him and his smile met hers and she thought, whoa I am in such trouble. And then she thought, whatever Sofia said, or Perpetua said, no matter how impossible this is, I’m so deeply in love, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to climb out.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THEY made muffins. Not just half a dozen muffins because: ‘If I’m helping, it’s not such a huge ask to make heaps,’ Ramon declared. ‘We can put them on for breakfast and show the world what my Gianetta can do.’
‘You’ll upset the chefs,’ Jenny warned.
‘If there’s a turf war, you win hands down.’
‘A turf war…’ She was pouring choc chips into her mixture but she hesitated at that. ‘I’m not interested in any turf war. Frankly, this set-up leaves me terrified.’
‘It leaves me terrified.’
‘Yes, but…’
‘But I have no choice,’ he said flatly, finishing the sentence for her. ‘I know that. In the good old days, as Crown Prince I could have simply had my soldiers go out with clubs and drag you to my lair.’
‘And now you give me choices,’ she retorted, trying desperately to keep things light, whisking her muffin mix more briskly than she needed. ‘Just as well. I believe clubbing might create an International Incident.’
‘I miss the good old days,’ he said morosely. He was sitting on the edge of the table, swinging his gorgeous boots, taking taste tests of her mixture. So sexy the kitchen seemed to sizzle. ‘What use is being a prince if I can’t get my woman?’
My woman. She was dreaming, Jenny thought dreamily. She was cooking muffins for her prince.
She started spooning her mixture into the pans and Ramon reached over and took the trays and the bowl from her. ‘I can do this,’ he said. ‘If you do something for me.’
‘What?’
‘Pull my boots off. I asked you ages ago.’
‘I thought you were kidding.’
‘They’re killing me,’ he confessed. ‘I’ve spent my life in either boat shoes, bare feet or steel-toed construction boots. These make me feel like my feet are in corsets and I can’t get them off. Please, dear, kind Jenny, will you pull my boots off?’
He was sitting on the table. He was spooning muffin mixture into pans. He was holding his boots out for her to pull.
This was so ridiculous she couldn’t help giggling.
She wiped her hands-it’d be a pity to get chocolate on leather like this-took position, took a boot in both hands-and pulled.
The boot didn’t budge. It was like a second skin.
‘See what I mean,’ Ramon said morosely. ‘And I really don’t want to wake a valet. You think I should cut them off?’
‘You can’t cut them,’ Jenny said, shocked, and tried again. The boot budged, just a little.
‘Hey,’ Ramon said, continuing to spoon. ‘It’s coming.’
‘I’ll pull you off the table if I tug any harder,’ Jenny warned.
‘I’m strong,’ he said, too smugly, keeping on spooning. ‘My balance is assured.’
‘Right,’ she said and glowered, reacting to his smugness. She wiped both her hands on her dressing gown, took the boot in both hands, took a deep breath-and pulled like she’d never pulled.
The boot held, gripped for a nano-second and then gave. Jenny lurched backward, boot in hand, lost her balance and fell backwards.
Ramon slid off the table, staggered-and ended up on the floor.
The half-full bowl slid off after him, tipped sideways and mixture oozed out over the floor.
Jenny stared across at him in shock. Ramon stared back at her-her lovely prince, half bootless, sprawled on the floor, surrounded by choc chip muffin mixture.
Her Ramon.
She couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud, and it was a magical release of tension, a declaration of love and happiness if ever there was one, and she couldn’t help what happened next either. It was as if restraint had been thrown to the wind and she could do what she liked-and there was no doubting what she’d like. She slid over the floor, she took Ramon’s face in both her hands-and she kissed him.
And Ramon kissed her back-a thoroughly befuddled, laughing, wonderful kiss. He tasted of choc chip muffin. He tasted of love.
He tugged her close, hauling her backward with him so she was in his arms, and they were so close she thought she must…they must…
And then the door burst open and Sofia was standing in the doorway staring at them both as if they’d lost their minds.
Maybe they had.
The little cat was delicately licking muffin mixture from the floor. Sofia darted across and retrieved the cat as if she were saving her from poison.
‘Hi, Sofia,’ Ramon said innocently from somewhere underneath his woman. Jenny would have pulled away but he was having none of it. He tugged her close and held, so they were lying on the floor like two children caught out in mischief. Or more.
Sofia stared down at them as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she hissed.
‘Making muffins, Ramon said, and he would have pulled Jenny closer but the mixture of confusion and distress on Sofia’s face was enough to have her pulling away. The timer was buzzing. Somehow she struggled to her feet. She opened the oven and retrieved her now cooked bacon muffins. Then she thought what the heck, she might as well finish what she’d started, so she put the almost full tray of choc chip muffins in to replace them.
‘Gianetta’s a professional,’ Ramon said proudly to his aunt, struggling up as well. ‘I told you she was fabulous.’
‘Are you out of your minds?’
‘No, I…’
‘You’re just like the rest,’ she hissed at him. ‘They’re all womanisers, all the men who’ve ever held power here. You have her trapped. Ramon, what on earth is it that you’re planning?’
‘I’m not planning anything.’
‘If it’s marriage… You can’t. I know Philippe needs a mother but this is…’
‘It’s nothing to do with Philippe,’ Ramon snapped. ‘Why are you here?’
‘Why do you think?’ Sofia’s anger was becoming almost apoplectic. ‘Did you think the two of you were invisible?
