The Princess's Christmas Baby Page 11

  ‘You did.’

  ‘It was very definitely a group effort.’ He seemed so relaxed and freed up now. It had been a genius idea to bring him here, to this familiar environment.

  They made their way to the front desk and out into the glare of the early afternoon sun. He stopped and turned to her. ‘You once said to me it feels good to do good, and you’re right.’

  ‘I said that?’ She laughed, putting her hand to her heart. ‘I am so profound.’

  ‘Sometimes you really are surprising, Gigi.’ He smiled then and she loved the way his face relaxed, his whole body leaning into her.

  She couldn’t help but lean into him, too. Just the simple act of his hand on her arm strengthened the connection. But she ached for more. For him to touch her face, to run her hair though his fingers, to slide his mouth over hers.

  But he wasn’t going to, not here anyway.

  And Gigi. It came naturally to him now. Such a small step, but he wasn’t putting up that barrier quite as high as he had been. When he laughed, when he was relaxed, when he looked at her with glittering eyes her whole body leaned towards him, wanting more, wanting him. ‘You had everyone doing what you told them to do.’

  He shrugged again. ‘I hope I didn’t step on anyone’s toes.’

  ‘Not at all. I explained who you are and told them to let you do your stuff.’

  ‘Even so, I wouldn’t like someone coming into my department and telling me what to do.’

  They reached their car, which was idling in the visitors’ car park out front. She paused and wondered how he was going to take her next comment. ‘They were grateful. In fact, they asked if you could stay on for a few hours.’

  He turned to look back at the hospital, eyes wistful. ‘To work? Here? Now?’

  ‘They’re short-staffed and, yes, I know they are in Seattle too. But you’re here and it would do more good. And you’d get to feel even better.’ She bit her lip. ‘I said yes.’

  ‘Without discussing it with me?’ But he didn’t look angry, he looked energised. ‘Without paperwork? I’m not registered to work in this country.’

  ‘I have fast-tracked the paperwork with the hospital administrator. The last few days have been boring and frustrating for you, I know. I can’t entertain you all the time. I’m needed at the palace for briefings and meetings.’

  ‘I don’t need to be entertained, Giada.’ His eyebrows rose in mock offence but he didn’t say it was the most stupid idea she’d ever had.

  ‘Seeing as you won’t engage in the kind of entertaining that will soothe both mind and body, you might as well get out from under my feet.’

  Luckily, he understood what she was trying to say. ‘Wait.’ He glanced around, checking to see if anyone was listening. ‘You’re telling me to go to work so we don’t...’

  ‘Get carried away,’ she whispered, doing air quotes over her words. ‘Like at the lake. Like in August. It’s a good plan, sì? When we’re together we either argue or can’t keep our hands off each other. There’s no middle ground. And I can’t spend all day, every day with you either arguing or dying of sexual frustration. Personally, I think you’re grumpy because you don’t have enough sex.’ She held up her hand at his attempts to stop her speaking. ‘Your mind is too active and your body is too pent up with excess energy, or too much buzz from saving all those lives. Sex would relieve all of that and make you feel even better. Imagine that. Remember how good it felt?’

  A corner of his mouth twitched and the glittering in his eyes intensified. Oh, yes, he remembered. But he shook his head. ‘I never read about that remedy in any science journal. Who’s the doctor here?’

  ‘I know, I know. But I’m right? Sì? And, seeing as you don’t think sex with me is a good idea, we need to have another plan.’

  ‘Gigi...’ He looked as if he would either devour her right now or explode with frustration.

  ‘Unless you do think sex with me is a good idea?’

  He couldn’t lie. His eyes told her that he thought sex would be a very good idea. But he growled, ‘This isn’t helping. I’m trying to do the right thing.’

  ‘Avoiding the subject won’t make it go away, so maybe we should face it head on. For the record, I think sex with you would be fantastic. I’m just not sure about what happens after that.’

  He frowned. ‘That’s exactly the problem.’

  ‘It’s not a problem.’ She leaned closer, close enough for her to breathe in his freshly showered scent, close enough to look deep into his eyes, but not so close as to arouse suspicions from any onlookers. ‘A conundrum, maybe. A puzzle.’ She put her hand on his chest and gave a very gentle push. ‘Now...go back to work.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Just one glance at his eyes told her she had him. He was interested and he wasn’t hiding it. ‘You don’t need me?’

  ‘No. Go do your thing. I don’t need you this afternoon.’

  Funny thing was, she almost did, as much as she’d needed anyone. She liked his logical thinking. He listened to her and that was something new in her life when it came to the people close to her. Usually, she was told she was too young, too inexperienced or just a distraction. Or someone who could be used as a stepping stone to the monarchy’s inner circle and influencers. Someone to trample all over her. But Lucas was different; he didn’t want to use her. ‘The minute you saw that kid your whole demeanour changed. You were born to be a doctor, Lucas, anyone could see that. I could never get in the way of you doing what you’re called to do. Just...’

  ‘Just what?’

  ‘I’d like to see you after work and hear all about it.’ She waved her hand to dismiss him, as if she didn’t need him or want him, when every cell in her body strained for him. She took the paper bag from his hand. ‘Now, get back to work. I’ll get your clothes laundered and bring some fresh ones. I’m going to make a reservation for dinner. I’ll be here at six o’clock.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  HE WAS LATE, of course, as doctors generally were, and she clearly wasn’t used to being kept waiting. ‘What happened to six o’clock, Lucas?’ she half joked, when he arrived breathless from running the length of the ER corridor. But he could see she was irritated.

  He looked at his watch and grimaced. Never a good look to keep a woman waiting, particularly not a princess. ‘Twenty-three minutes late. I am so sorry. But I just couldn’t leave halfway through stabilising an airway for a four-year-old girl.’

  She looked horrified. ‘Oh! No, of course not. What happened to her?’

  ‘Fell off her pony. Neck injury. Too traumatised to keep still for a scan so we had to sedate her.’

  ‘And...?’

  ‘She’s going to be sore for a few weeks, but no broken bones and no long-term damage.’

  Gigi brightened, fist pumping her slingless left hand. In fact, when he looked, both wrists were sling-free and all she had on now was a bandage on her damaged arm. ‘Thank goodness. So you had the parkour incident, a pony incident, what else did you do?’

  He wasn’t used to going over his day with anyone and he had to admit it was kind of cool to be able to debrief with someone who was actually interested. He climbed into the car and sat next to her in the back, also unused to being chauffeured. But at least here they could talk. ‘One difficult shoulder dislocation. Two acute cardiac arrests. A couple of twisted ankles—’

  ‘And a partridge in a pear tree?’ She laughed, looking almost as energised as he felt by his work. ‘Sounds busy. And the staff were nice to you?’

  ‘Of course. The language is a problem, although most of the staff seem to speak some English, the patients too. At first we did a lot of gesturing and speaking very slowly, and then I found an app that translates from English into Isola Verdian, which made things a lot easier.’ He brandished his phone and showed her the app. ‘I speak and it translates. Clever. So we managed. We didn’t have the
chance not to, to be honest. There’s never a quiet day in ER, but that’s why I love it.’

  ‘I can see that.’

  ‘We did have one sad case...an elderly lady with dementia. The daughter found her on the floor at home. It’s clear she needs to be in care, but she’s resisting. The daughter feels guilty about not being able to cope and is angry at her brother for not helping enough, even though they’re meant to split the care equally. The son wishes it would all disappear so he can get on with his life. Neither of them agreed on anything.’

  Their bickering had made him realise how easy it could be to slide into selfishness and not put the most important person as a priority. As he’d watched, he’d decided he’d prioritise his baby and would work on compromising with Giada, however difficult that would be.

  She rolled her pretty eyes. ‘Families, eh?’

  He shrugged. ‘Why is it always families that make your heart hurt?’

  She looked at him then for a second, two. ‘I don’t know, Lucas.’

  Damn. He’d obviously reminded her of her own family troubles and he regretted mentioning anything, especially as they were finally getting along. For a few moments she’d been the woman from August and now he’d brought her very definitely back to being the haunted November Giada. ‘How was your day?’

  She sighed. ‘I’m trying to get up to speed with the succession plan, just in case...well, you know, just in case Domenico becomes King soon. There are protocols we need to put in place the minute any announcement is made.’

  ‘It may not get to that for a very long time.’ Lucas smiled, trying to be positive.

  But she shook her head, as sadness filled her eyes. ‘Dom says he spends all his spare time at Papa’s side, pretending to be a concerned friend rather than his son, just so no gossip gets out. There’s no change. Dom talks to him, even though he’s in a coma. Apparently, there’s research that says the patient can hear even if they can’t respond. At least, they are comforted by a familiar voice. I thought I might send some voice messages to the hospital for him. What do you think?’

  ‘Great idea. Anything to help.’

  ‘If you think it will? I’ll do some when I get home.’ Her stomach growled. ‘Okay, I need food now. This baby is hungry and isn’t wanting to wait.’

  ‘What do you need? Pizza? Pasta? Indian?’ He realised his whole body smiled in response to her nourishing his child. He was getting used to the thought of being a father, his heart making space for a daughter or a son.

  Or both?

  The idea of a growing family shook him. He didn’t do families. And yet...

  ‘I have the perfect place in mind.’ Gigi opened the sliding hatch in the grille between the front and back seats and spoke to Maria. ‘Angelo’s, please.’

  They drove for a few minutes through the back streets then wound down a secluded cobbled road that became narrower and narrower until they reached a small sandy cove. The only building there was a small seafront restaurant that looked more like someone’s home. It had a white-painted stone facade with table and chairs outside, glorious cooking smells tinging the air, and a flat roof festooned with red flowers.

  The owner greeted them as if they were long lost friends, and when Giada introduced them Lucas understood why. ‘Angelo is the father of one of my closest school friends.’

  There was no formal bow, just a bear hug from the chef, and it was easy to see that Angelo had a lot of affection for Gigi. The feeling was clearly mutual. ‘He also makes the best risotto in the country.’

  Lucas nipped into the restroom to change out of the scrubs and into the clothes she’d brought him—a collared shirt, jacket and chinos, then he was led upstairs to a roof garden that looked out to the Mediterranean. Lucas was surprised to see no other diners, no set tables apart from theirs. But Giada wasn’t sitting, she was leaning against a railing and looking at the water, taking greedy deep breaths, her shoulders instantly relaxing.

  He took a moment to just look at her in profile. Her lush dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and he ached to thrust his hands into those curls and run them through the soft silkiness. From this position he could see the tiny swell of her belly and he wanted to press his hands there too, to feel the outlines of her growing body. She was stunning.

  If only...

  If only what? If only she wasn’t a princess destined to be constrained by duty? If only there weren’t so many complications?

  As if she felt him looking she turned and smiled. ‘There you are. More comfortable?’

  He tried to find his voice but he was blown away by the sight of her silhouetted by the setting sun, and all his words were gone. So he just walked to her and settled against the railing, keeping his distance. Wishing he didn’t have to.

  She turned to him. ‘We have the place to ourselves.’

  ‘When you said you’d book, I didn’t think you meant the whole restaurant.’

  She nodded. ‘All taken care of. Including the bill.’

  Well, damn, she certainly wouldn’t be depending on him for financial assistance for their baby—although he’d make sure she got it.

  He looked out to the orange-red horizon, across syrupy blue water dotted with the occasional yacht or fishing boat. ‘The view is amazing.’

  ‘You can see the palace from almost everywhere on the island, apart from here. Here, I forget who I am supposed to be and get to be just Gigi.’ Inhaling deeply, she pointed out to the right, towards a little wooded area accessed by a rickety metal gate that he could just about pick out in the dusk. ‘Just beyond that gate is Angelo’s private beach. When I was younger I used to sneak out to meet my friends there, until I got caught by one of the security team as I was racing through the palace gardens with a bottle of wine I’d stolen from the palace cellars. I got my marching orders from Papa and was grounded for a month. Being grounded as a princess means guards at your door...trust me, it’s not fun.’

  He smiled at the thought. ‘I hope our baby is less trouble than you or I’m going to go prematurely grey.’

  ‘Oops. Too late.’ She reached out to the little silver strands at the side of his head and gave a little shrug, mock pity on her face.

  He touched her hand, cupping her fingers in his. ‘Hey! I’ve only had these greys for four days.’

  ‘You’re saying I’ve turned you into a silver fox in just four days?’ She laughed. ‘I don’t believe you.’

  ‘Okay, maybe they appeared a few months ago. Since... August?’ The idea she’d turned his hair silver was ridiculous and yet...he had felt tangled up since August. But he laughed and it felt freeing, as if something inside him was unravelling.

  ‘Really? These are all my fault?’ She shook her head but kept looking at him with a curious expression. ‘You look so good when you smile, Lucas. Even better when you laugh. You seem different tonight.’

  ‘Today was a good day. I was useful, I saved some lives, made some friends.’ He leaned back against the railing, simply because the view of her was far better than anything nature had created.

  Her hand slid down his chest, taking his with it, and he thought about letting go but she held it tightly and he wondered if she needed to be held or comforted and he wasn’t going to deny her that. She’d pushed him today and encouraged him to do the one thing that made him who he was: work. She’d recognised he’d needed that and he recognised she needed something too. He just wasn’t sure he could give her it.

  So they stood there, holding hands, chatting as if this were the most natural thing in the world. And his chest felt as if a golden light had sparked to life there. Truth was, she brought out a better side of him. Although she also brought out an extraordinary sexual need in him too.

  ‘So, I have decided to try to lighten up a little and make the most of being in Isola Verde,’ he confessed. ‘You’re right... I am grumpy. I was thrown by our news. Thrown by bein
g here and I retreated into myself.’

  ‘Ah.’ Her eyebrows rose. ‘You don’t like change much?’

  ‘I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t suppose I do, not in my private life at least. I guess that means I’ve grown insular.’ He shook his head. ‘And it seems that the more time I spend with you, the more I learn about myself.’

  ‘Well, I am profound, after all.’ She winked at him, teasing, finally slipping her hand out of his. ‘You know what? I like it that we talk about important things, even if we do get a little heated.’

  By heated she definitely didn’t mean angry. Her eyes met his and lingered, simmering with something that reached into his gut and tugged. She bit her bottom lip and all his resolve to be friendly and open came crashing down around him. There were ramifications to them being less guarded. The most important one was letting flirting slip in, and who knew where that would lead?

  But no matter how much he tried to hold his emotional barriers in place, they crumbled when she was around and he found himself wanting to relax and not fight any more. He wasn’t used to sharing his thoughts and his feelings but it looked like he was going to have to try. ‘I’m always telling my patients how important communication is and yet I need to work on it too. Clearly.’

  ‘We all do. Including me...’ Gigi paused while Angelo brought them antipasti. ‘He doesn’t have a menu, just cooks whatever’s in season. It is always delicious.’

  And, my God, it was. A selection of locally made cheeses and salami. Bread that was crisp and warm from the oven. Olives grown and cured less than a hundred yards away. Wine from the vineyard down the road. Then melt-in-the-mouth risotto. Lucas had two helpings and so did Gigi. It was good to see her feeding her body with the best that nature could provide. Good to see her laugh at the lighter moments of his tales of the ER and be interested in the drama of his day.

  After dinner she took him down to the water’s edge and they walked along the beach, which was lit by the silvery moon and huge flaming torches Alberto had driven into the sand. Lucas lingered behind her for a moment and watched as she navigated the sand in her wedges, and, much as it pained him to do so because her legs looked stunning in them, he called to her, ‘Take them off.’