thinking, he stopped laughing, though the spark in his eyes didn’t fade in the least.
“Thank you, Rachel. You have made my night.” He turned away and twisted the doorknob, his foot crunching on the recently broken crystal.
“Don’t you dare walk from this room until we are finished!”
“Unless you plan to follow through on your offer of going to bed with me, I’m leaving now. What will it be, Rachel? Do we finally make love again, or do I walk through this door?”
“It’s not making love when you hate the person!” she snapped, stooping down and grabbing her blouse and flinging it around her shoulders. She suddenly felt far too exposed.
“Ah, baby, something that feels as good as it does when we come together is always making love.” His eyes scanned her torso before she snapped the edges of the shirt together, covering that part of her body from his view. “Pity. You should always just…stay naked,” he added.
“You really are a pig, Adriane.”
“I haven’t claimed to be anything else.”
With that he opened the door.
“The wedding won’t happen,” she shouted before he could shut the door.
“It will. One way or the other, you will be standing at the altar with me.”
And with that, he turned away and walked out, closing the door behind him, leaving her standing there trembling.
From rage.
From lust.
From so many emotions, she couldn’t name them all.
She was leaving. That was the last straw.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Adriane threw off his tie, unbuttoned his shirt and paced. More pacing. He was always pacing nowadays. What was wrong with the woman? She wanted him, it was obvious, but she continued to fight herself.
Yes, she’d done her little striptease, but he wasn’t a fool. Had he taken what she was deceptively offering, she would indeed have hated him forever. Walking away had been one of the hardest decisions he’d ever had to make — literally and figuratively, he thought as his erection pulsed.
He felt only a tiny bit better with the knowledge that he’d left her aching almost as much as he was. He hoped he had, at least. The signs of her aroused body had been staring him in the face, making it even harder to leave her room.
She infuriated him! If that were all she made him feel, he would be able to move on, focus on other tasks at hand. But, no, that wasn’t the only emotion she unleashed inside of him. He also felt passion, joy and other feelings he couldn’t even begin to name.
She was quickly turning into the most important person in his life.
How had that happened?
When had it occurred?
The more pressing question was, what was he willing to do to capture her?
He’d tried kidnapping, cajoling, seducing. What else could he do?
How about being honest?
The thought stopped him in his tracks, right in front of the wide windows of his sitting room. Staring down at the stormy day, the water churning, waves splashing against the shore, Adriane was at a loss.
This was all new territory for him, but the one thing he did know was that he didn’t want her to walk away. He could hold her captive for only so long. His threats were all empty and they both knew it.
Maybe it hadn’t been his best idea to tell her she was going to marry him whether she liked it or not. It might be time to try a bit more cajoling. Why couldn’t this be less complicated? Why did messy emotions have to get involved? They were good together. They’d proved that in Florida.
If she’d just get past this little squabble, they could be in bed together right this very minute, and be on their way to a wedding. All their problems would be solved in a trice. Why couldn’t a woman be more like a man? Couldn’t she learn to use her head?
Adriane was quite proud of himself for being so logical.
Now, he just had to convince her that he was in the right.
That shouldn’t be too hard a task, he thought smugly.
With a new resolve, he stepped into the shower and found himself whistling one of his favorite show tunes. Yes, he still had an aching arousal, but he was sure that after he spoke rationally to her, that problem would be solved and all parties would be happy.
Yes, his mother had told him to try being more romantic, but hadn’t he been? He’d taken her on romantic dates, showed her they were compatible. He’d done what had been asked of him. Yes, he gave her romance. But love? That was going a bit too far. Love didn’t have to be a factor in their relationship. Logic was the only way to make a lasting union. He was sure he could get her to see this. She was a smart woman, after all.
Adriane’s confidence faltered briefly the next day. Where was she? Had he pushed her too far and caused her to run away?
But she hadn’t gone. He happened to find her sitting in one of the garden gazebos. He was about to saunter up to her with a winning smile, but he was stopped by the gloomy expression on her face as she gazed off into the distance. It tore him apart knowing he’d been the one to make her feel that way.
He would make this better.
He approached her cautiously. “Can we talk?”
He watched her struggle to mask the wounded look in her eyes, and he vowed to quit hurting her, vowed to consider her feelings more.
“I’m not sure you know how to talk — you just yell and snap orders,” she said, turning away from him and looking once more into the horizon.
Ouch.
“What if I work on that, and you accompany me on a walk?” he said in his best diplomatic voice.
Her eyes narrowed at his tone, but she wasn’t refusing him. That was a start, at least. Without actually accepting his invitation, she stood and then they were strolling through the gardens. It just felt natural when his hand brushed against hers, and her fingers were suddenly entwined with his.
The feel of her skin sent a thrill of passion through him, as always, but also a feeling of warmth, of rightness. This was the way they were supposed to be — hand in hand.
As the storm clouds brewed overhead, they walked in silence, the invigorating smell of the gardens drifting around them, the sea air warm as the breeze stirred her hair.
Adriane had always considered Rachel stunning, but he saw her now in a new way, a way he hadn’t taken the time to notice before. There was a vulnerability about her, but a deep strength, as well, and the combination made her compelling to behold. She had the presence and the character to make an outstanding queen. She just needed to realize it.
“What can I do to make this better for us?” he asked, his tone gentle, as they paused by the beach and looked out at the threatening skies.
“I don’t know. I want to know you, but we keep hitting walls.”
“I will do whatever you want,” he replied.
“Then quit insisting we marry. That would be a good start.”
“But there’s no other option; you carry my heirs,” he argued. His frustration was mounting again, though he desperately wanted to bury the emotion and keep their conversation on an even keel.
“To me, love is paramount when choosing a mate. It will stand the test of time when the winds blow and the tempest of the outside world tries to tear the marriage apart like the shifting of the waves of an ocean crashing to shore. Love has to be the driving force or the marriage will not last in today’s world. I’ve vowed to
