Behind Palace Doors(12)

"I think this marriage is going to be one of the wisest decisions we ever made," she told him.

As the movie started on the screen, Stefan held on to her hand,  occasionally stroking his thumb across her skin. The man had a tender  side, and he wasn't afraid to express himself. They'd held hands before,  but holding them after being so intimate took on a whole new meaning.

If the next six months of their marriage were anything like tonight,  she'd certainly think twice about walking away. She may just be queen of  Galini Isle forever.

"You picked my favorite movie," she told him as the title popped up on  the screen. "You had this whole night planned, didn't you?"

He shrugged and grinned. "I actually had the movie planned because I  thought you'd want to get back some sense of normalcy after the circus  today. The sex was just a major added bonus."

"Oh, you have such pretty words," she mocked with a heavy sigh. "Watch  it, Stefan, I may not find it in my heart to leave you after six  months."

And while she was joking on the outside, inside her heart she feared  she may have gotten in deeper than even she thought she would go.





     Five

Victoria stood over the mahogany desk and sighed as she stared down at  the scattered dress designs and random doodles. She'd started fresh  sketches the day after her wedding and now, over a week later, she still  wasn't happy with the results.

Nothing compared to her own lavish gown...of which many replicas were  already being made by designers who only wished they would have had the  initial idea.

And while that dress was her absolute favorite, Victoria didn't want to  re-create it for resale. That unique design was hers, whether the  marriage was real or not. She wanted to keep the gown special, but she  would do others that were similar for future clients. And she knew she  couldn't stop other designers from trying to mimic her gown, but they  still wouldn't be the same. Hers was literally one of a kind.                       
       
           



       

Her thoughts circled back around to the "real" marriage. She didn't  know why she always put quotations around the word in her head. Her  marriage to Stefan was as real as anyone else's marriage. In fact, she'd  bet her entire year's salary that theirs was better than the majority  of those living in Hollywood because she sincerely loved Stefan and  would do anything for him...obviously a point she'd proven.

Not only did they share that bond and connection of their friendship,  but the sexual chemistry was beyond amazing. Didn't married couples  complain that after they said "I do" the light burned out on the  passion? Yeah, there was no dimming the desire in the bedroom here.

After their initial lovemaking in the theater-and their movie  night-Stefan had brought her into his master suite where they'd  playfully undressed each other once again and enjoyed the benefits of  the sunken garden tub in his master bath.

If this was how the whole friends-with-benefits thing worked, no wonder  so many people jumped on board. Six months of Stefan attending to her  intimate needs hadn't been part of the initial bargain, but it had  become a surprising extra.

Unfortunately, her emotions were a jumbled mess. She had been stunned  at what an attentive, passionate lover Stefan was, but when she started  really thinking about their intimacy, she couldn't help but feel they'd  passed the point of no return. After this six months, if she chose to  leave, could they actually go back to just being friends?

Victoria turned her focus back to the pencil sketches staring up at  her. Before her wedding she would've loved these designs, but now that  she was technically a princess-still an odd term to grasp when referring  to herself-she wished for all of her future brides to feel the same on  their special day.

She wanted to launch her Fairy-tale Collection with magnificent gowns  that women would love just as much as the one she wore, and if she was  going to start this, she needed to stop coming up with garbage.

Raking her hands through her hair, she groaned.

"Bad time?"

She spun in the direction of the door to find Stefan entering their  bedroom. In the past she'd always appreciated his fine build, but now  that she'd seen, tasted and touched every delicious inch, she had a  whole new admiration for her sexy husband...a weird sensation to  associate with Stefan, but surprisingly a very welcome one.

Would it be too taboo for the prince to walk around naked? A shame, really, to cover such a magnificent creature.

If one didn't know he was a prince, they'd never guess from his attire.  Though he did look mighty fine in his black T-shirt stretched over his  broad shoulders and faded, designer jeans, it was the baseball cap  pulled low to shield his face that captured her attention. Not often had  she seen him in a hat, but he wore it well. And while he may look very  American with his ensemble, he was every bit the Greek god she knew him  to be.

"Perfect timing, actually." She turned away from her ghastly drawings and leaned back on the desk. "What's up?"

Those long legs ate up the space between them, and he rested a hip  beside hers on the desk. "Well, I'm in the honeymoon phase and my wife  is working. The tradition in my country is that these two weeks are for  the husband and wife to get to know each other."

Wife. She didn't know if she'd ever get used to that term coming from Stefan's lips...especially when referring to her.

Victoria laughed. "I'm pretty sure we know each other quite well."

He reached around, fingering through her designs. "Still drawing random sketches?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's always easier to concentrate when I'm doodling and just let my mind relax."

He lifted a torn piece of scratch paper. "This looks like my family crest, but...are those initials?"

Victoria nodded. "I intertwined our initials together. Silly, isn't it?"

"Amazing how you're so extremely talented and still hard on yourself."

He took her hands in his and flashed a wicked smile. "Let's get out of  here. Go down to the beach or have a picnic. Want to go for a ride on my  new bike?"

"Is that a double entendre?" she asked, smiling. "How about we take a ride on the bike to the beach for a picnic?"

"And you'll lay off work the rest of the day?" he asked.

She watched him, those taut muscles beneath his shirt, the way the hat  shielded those cobalt-colored eyes. As his best friend she hadn't been  able to deny him anything, so as his wife and lover she definitely  couldn't say no.

"Just today," she promised. "I really do need to get this line started, and these designs are crap right now."                       
       
           



       

Stefan pulled her up as he stood. "All the more reason you need a  break. I know how you get when you're frustrated. Nothing will make you  happy until you take a breather, refocus and come back to it. Besides,  you're not sleeping well and I know it's because of work."

She jerked back. "How do you know I'm not sleeping well?"

"Because you normally snore like a train," he laughed. "All you've been doing lately is tossing and turning."

"I do not snore," she told him with a tilt of her chin. "You're lying."

He hugged her closer and nuzzled her neck. "Maybe I'm not wearing you out enough before bed."

The familiar masculine aroma that she always associated with him  enveloped her. Amazing how their time apart didn't hinder his knowledge  of how she worked. They may not see each other in person as often as she  would've liked, but he still knew every layer to her. Even more so now  since they'd slept together.

"If you want to ride my bike, in any form of the term, let me offer myself to your services."

Victoria laughed, smacking his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're willing to sacrifice yourself for my work."

With a loud smack, he kissed her on the lips. "Anything for my new bride."

"Let me change and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

His hand snaked up her shirt, his thumb skimming the edge of her lacy bra. "Do you need help changing?"

His touch affected her in ways she'd never known before, and she had to  assume the chills and instant erotic pleasure that came from his  fingertips stemmed from their playful, yet intense lovemaking.

"What I need is for you to get that picnic lunch prepared so we can  go," she told him, swatting his hand away and taking a step back.

He shoved his hands in his jean pockets and smiled... Oh, the things  that smile did to her insides, touching places she had thought dead  since her exploited and humiliating breakup months ago.

She had known Stefan would be there to help her through the tough time,  she just never imagined it would be with their clothes off.