Behind Palace Doors(22)

"No." Victoria wiped her damp cheeks and sat up straighter. "I'm fine. Sorry for the tears. I was caught off guard."

Stefan stared down at Victoria, surprised that he was jealous over the  ex, who was obviously out of her life for good, she was shedding tears  over.

"I'm sorry it upset you to see him," he told her, easing down on the  edge of the chaise beside her hip. "I'll advise my staff to keep him  away if he returns."

Victoria smiled. "I appreciate that, but I doubt he'll come back. He  hates having his pride hurt, and my refusal to accept his lame apology  and rush back into his arms really damaged his ego."

Her silky, golden blond hair lay over one shoulder, and his fingers  itched to mess it up, to see it fanned out on her white, satin sheets as  he made love to her again. She was always a stunning woman, but since  they'd become intimate, her beauty had taken on a whole new level of  sensuality.

But he couldn't pick up where they'd left off in the car, not when she  was so upset and certainly not with the revelation he'd just heard.

"I wish you wouldn't cry," he told her, trying not to think about what he'd overheard. "That's one thing I cannot stand."

"My emotions are harder to hide than yours," she explained. "I can't  just close them off, Stefan. I have feelings and sometimes they come out  when I don't want them to."

He rubbed his hands over his thighs in an attempt to keep from reaching  out to her. Treading lightly during these next few minutes was a must.

"I'm okay," she assured him, wiping her cheeks and pasting on a smile. "Really. Don't let Alex ruin our day."

Alex hadn't ruined the day, but her verbal epiphany had sure as hell  put an unexpected spin on where they stood with this marriage-and its  open ending once the six months were over.

He hated to bring up what was such a humiliating time in her life, but  since Alex showed up, that had to be playing through her mind. What type  of bastard would purposely have pictures taken with his new girlfriend,  a pregnant one at that, while still engaged to another woman?                       
       
           



       

He was quite convinced Victoria's ex wasn't a man, but the lowest form  of life for treating her the way he had. Stefan felt he deserved a shiny  gold medal to add to the collection on his royal coat because he hadn't  busted the guy in the face.

She turned her head, looking out the double glass doors that led to her  balcony. As he watched her profile, he saw her eyes fill up again.

Well, hell. Now what had happened? This was precisely why he never got  too involved with women. He just plain didn't understand the emotional  roller coasters they seemed to always be on.

"I just had a bit of an epiphany, and it hit me harder than I expected."

A tight band formed around his chest and squeezed. Did that mean she  truly felt what she'd told Alex about their marriage? Was she going to  discuss it now? He sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up. Yeah, he  was being a coward, but there was a first time for everything.

"Since you're so quiet, I'm assuming the mood is gone."

He nodded and sighed. No way could they become intimate right now, not with her emotions so high.

"I think we need to take a breather for today."

Hurt flashed in her eyes before her defiant chin lifted. "You've never been known for running away."

"I'm not running." He was sprinting. "You need some time to think."  Some time to come to grips with her emotions that scared the living hell  out of him.

Before she could guilt him more with her expressive blue eyes, he came  to his feet, walked out into the hall, closed the door and leaned back  against it. His chest ached, like someone was squeezing the breath from  his lungs.

They'd only been married over a month. How in the world would they make  it to the six-month mark with their feelings so at odds? Something  about seeing her ex made Victoria realize her emotions were deeper than  he'd thought. He only hoped she was just shocked by seeing Alex and once  she truly thought about what she'd said, how she was feeling and where  they needed to go from here, she'd see that maybe what she thought was  romantic love was just a deeper level of friendship.

He rested his head against the solid wood door and closed his eyes.  Sleeping together had changed things, but he'd had no idea Victoria  would fall for him.

Stefan didn't have a clue about how to proceed from here, but he did  know that if Victoria cared for him the way she thought she did, he was  going to have one hell of a problem on his hands. And it had nothing to  do with the crown or the documentary.

Love wasn't something he had ever experienced outside his family or his  country. He certainly wouldn't try it out on the one person who meant  the most to him. He couldn't risk losing Victoria's friendship by  mucking it up with an emotion so questionable.

Love had no room in this marriage.

* * *

"So based on the information you sent us, we completely agree that this story shouldn't be kept silent."

Relief speared through Stefan at Bronson's statement. He'd called  Victoria's brothers to see if they had time to meet last minute, but  Bronson was the only one available. Anthony had to stay home with the  kids because the baby was napping and Charlotte was out.

He'd had to leave the house. He couldn't face Victoria right now, not  with her emotions so raw, so...gut wrenching. They needed a break and he  needed to focus because sex and tears could cloud his vision.

He'd cut off his arm before he intentionally hurt her, but if she had  feelings that deep for him, he wasn't sure how he could avoid damaging  her already battered heart.

"Stefan?"

He focused back on Bronson, who had switched television shows for his  sweet little girl, Bella. She was now enthralled in another program with  crazy characters singing and dancing across the screen, making silly  faces to get the toddler audience to laugh.

"Sorry," Stefan said. "Does Anthony feel the same way?"

"Absolutely." Bronson sat down on the leather sofa and stretched an arm  across the back of the cushions. "We both believe that this story, if  told the right way, would have the impact you want to make. Your father  was simply the victim of bad timing, from the affair, to the public  argument, to the death of your mother."

"So you'll take on this project?" Stefan asked, hopeful.

"If you trust Anthony and me to do the documentary justice, we'd be  happy to. But, keep in mind we've never done this type of film before."

Stefan knew the two perfectionists wouldn't let him, or his country,  down. Stefan wanted his people to see his family in the way he did, to  see that his father was not a murderer, but a man who was grieving, a  man who'd lost his wife after such a public scandal and had instantly  gotten a less-than-stellar reputation.                       
       
           



       

With the beginning of his reign, Stefan wanted to wipe the slate clean and remove the dark stain from his family's name.

"You have no idea what this means to me," Stefan said. "I owe you."

Bronson eased forward in his seat across from Stefan and nodded. "You  can pay me back by telling me why my sister called here in tears and my  wife is currently on the phone with her."

Na pari i eychi. He should've known that this meeting wouldn't be simple.

"Victoria had a very emotional day." And wasn't that a vast  understatement. "Whatever she wants to share with Mia, or you, is up to  her."

Bronson sighed. "I probably don't need to tell you that Victoria is in this marriage deeper than you think."

Stefan swallowed the lump of guilt and fear that crept up. "No."

"And I'm the last person to give advice on how to go about keeping a woman happy, but try not to hurt her."

Could be too late for that.

"Can you at least tell me what happened today that got her upset?"

"Alex came by."

Which wasn't a lie, but it was a combination of Alex's appearance and  her revelation that had her so distressed. Was she upset because she  didn't want to love him? Or was she upset because she knew in her heart  that he couldn't love her that way in return?

"What the hell did that bastard want?" Bronson all but roared.

Stefan shook his head. "I let Victoria talk to him alone, but she  claimed he wanted to apologize. He didn't believe our marriage was real  and thought she would take him back. I didn't hear what all was said,  but I did see her give him an impressive slap."

Bronson chuckled. "She's only been that angry twice: once when we were  kids and I tried to put her Barbie dolls' heads in the garbage disposal  and once when I was being an ass to Mia. Victoria loves with her whole  heart, and once it gets bruised, she's like a bear. You don't want to  cross her."