Behind Palace Doors(5)

After the briefest of hesitations, she exploded in his arms, kissing  him back with a passion he hadn't expected, but he would definitely  embrace. For years he'd wondered, dreamed, and here she was kissing him  as if she thought of him as a man and not just a friend. Obviously he  wasn't the only one who'd imagined this moment.

And that aroused him even more and left him with the knowledge this was  something that would have to be discussed sooner rather than later.

Needing more and taking it, he parted her lips with his tongue. Her  fingers gripped his biceps as she leaned against him a bit more. And  just like he'd imagined for years, she fit against him perfectly.

But before he could take more and allow his hands to roam freely over  that killer body, Victoria stepped back, her hand immediately going to  cover her lips.

"We can't...that was..."

Stefan closed the gap she'd just created, but not to pick up where she  broke off. He intended to reassure her that what just happened was not a  mistake. Hell no, it wasn't. An epiphany, yes, but no mistake.

"Interesting how flustered you are after one kiss," he told her with a  smile, still tasting her on his lips. "We've kissed before, Tori."

With fingertips still on her lips, Victoria placed her other hand on his chest. "Our kisses were never anything like that."

Because he was a gentleman, at least where the ladies were concerned,  he didn't mention the groaning she'd done when his lips had touched  hers.

He wanted her to think about what happened... God knows he'd never  forget. Her taste and the feel of her body were all burned into his  long-term memory. But he needed to move slowly and stay on track.

"My top chef has prepared moussaka for us." He ushered her toward a  chair and assisted her into it. "I remember how much you enjoyed Greek  cuisine the last time you visited."

Victoria didn't even look at the meal; she merely gazed at him from  across the intimate table complete with a small exotic bouquet of  flowers and two tall white tapered candles.

"Are you going to pretend that kiss didn't make an impression on you?" she asked, arching a perfectly shaped brow.                       
       
           



       

Her bold statement had him smiling. Why lie? She knew him too well.

"I wasn't unaffected, Victoria." He held her gaze, needing her to see  how serious he was. "Any man would be a fool not to be physically  attracted to you. And I'd be a liar to say I hadn't thought of kissing  you before."

"I'm not quite sure how to respond to that." She glanced down, then  cleared her throat and met his gaze again. "I have to say, it's no  wonder you have the reputation you do when you kiss like that. If you  pull that stunt in public, the media will never think to question the  engagement."

"They'll see nothing but eros when they look at us."

"What does that mean?" She laughed. "You always show off by throwing out Greek terms I don't know."

"Passionate, erotic love." Yet again, he held her gaze. "Cameras don't  lie, and I know that's what they'll see. I will have no problem making  the relationship look real."

Victoria shook her head. "I'm afraid your cockiness and ego may  overshadow me in any picture, but I've found that ego charming over the  years-must be from growing up with a very alpha brother. Your pride  stems from confidence, which is always a redeeming quality in a man. But  I know there's a soft side beneath that tough-guy persona. Besides,  I've been around onlookers and cameras since I was born, so I actually  don't notice them much anymore."

But they notice you.

"I'm glad to hear the media doesn't bother you because we'll have to  pose for several formal pictures once we're married," he told her,  taking the silver dome lids off the dishes. "Though something you may  not be as used to is servants. As queen, you'll have your own assistants  who will do anything and everything-from dressing you, to preparing  your meals and escorting you anywhere you need to go."

Victoria's perfectly manicured hand stilled on her wineglass. "I don't  need someone to dress me-that's literally my job. And an escort? Is that  really necessary? I can't stay here after the marriage until the title  is official, Stefan. I have a life, a job to get to. If we need to put  up a united front, you'll just have to come to the States and be with me  there."

"For how long?" he asked. "With no one reigning as king, I am technically the...stand-in, if you will."

Victoria jerked in surprise. "You're acting as king now? I didn't know this."

He nodded. "Nothing is official until the coronation, but it's law that  when the king dies, the oldest son will step in immediately. If  something were to happen to me or if I did not marry, the country would  go back to Greece. So this is all temporary until I fulfill my duties."

"So do you have to stay here the entire time?" she asked. "Are we going to spend our marriage apart?"

Stefan laughed. "Not at all. We will actually need to make several  appearances together both here and in L.A. once we're married to ensure  the public believes this is the real deal. What's your schedule like? We  will come up with something."

His cell rang, interrupting their conversation. He pulled it from his  pocket, glanced at the screen and hit ignore before sliding it back in  his pocket...but not before Victoria saw the name of the caller. Hannah.

"Am I going to have to compete for your attention from your harem?" she  asked with a laugh, even though inside she was dead serious.

"You will never have to compete for my attention, Tori." His eyes  locked on to hers. "You're the only woman in my life right now. Let's  get back to your schedule."

She wanted to believe him, so she did. He'd never lied to her before,  and she knew if Stefan told her not to worry, then she shouldn't. But no  matter what his actions were, he couldn't force the other women to stop  calling him. Surely once they were married the calls would stop. She  hoped.

God, she was so skeptical. Damn Alex for making her that way. To doubt  Stefan and his loyalty was laughable. He was going to great lengths to  keep his country in his family. That act itself spoke volumes of what  the word loyalty meant. So, no, she didn't think Stefan would do  anything to betray her trust. He was the polar opposite of Alex.

"My workload is crazy." She ran her upcoming schedule through her head.  "I'm swamped, but to be fair I'd say we should at least split the time  between my home and yours."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I love your family and I love L.A." He  moved around the table, unrolled her napkin and placed it in her lap,  waiting until her eyes sought his. "But the first two weeks of our  marriage, we are to remain in the palace. It's a tradition since the  first king of Galini Isle. The country refers to it as the honeymoon  phase."                       
       
           



       

Those expressive blue eyes widened. "I thought a honeymoon was when the  couple went off to some undisclosed location to have privacy."

He tried to block the image of having her all to himself for two weeks.  The instant erotic thoughts had him shifting back to his seat before he  did something really embarrassing.

"This country prides itself on rituals. The ethos, or practice, is not to be dismissed."

Victoria stared at him from across the table. He could tell she was  getting nervous, so he wanted to take her mind off what was to come.

"Tell me about what you're working on now, other than your own wedding  dress," he added with a smile he knew would put her at ease.

In an instant her face softened, the corners of her mouth tilted up  into a genuine smile and, yeah, he felt that straight to the gut. How  would she look smiling up at him, hair spread across his pillow as he  slid into her?

Damn. Now more than ever, he wanted her in his bed.

But he wouldn't pressure her. He'd wait until she was ready to come to  him. And he had a feeling from that scorching kiss she'd be more than  willing sooner rather than later.

Victoria was different than most women he dated, bedded. She was  genuine. Rare in this world to find a woman this sexy and beautiful who  didn't flaunt her body or use it to work her way through her goals. He'd  always admired how she created a name for herself without riding on the  coattails of her iconic family name.

"My brothers are working together on a film depicting our mother's life  through the years. And I have to say they've gotten along so well since  they put their differences aside and focused on our mother and this  movie." She laughed, tossing her golden hair over one shoulder. "They're  getting along so well, they even spend off hours together with their  families. The kids at least provide a buffer and something else they  have in common."