Книга - The Duchess and Her Bodyguard

The Duchess and Her Bodyguard
Mollie Molay


By Royal RequestCharged with the safety of the Dowager Duchess of Lorrania, Commander Wade Stevens pledged on the honor of his country to keep her safe. The beautiful Duchess May was in greater peril than she knew. And it was Wade's solemn duty to keep the unpredictable royal out of trouble.But the fun-loving May wouldn't let him stay solemn. And when an assassin threatened May's life, it wasn't duty that drove Wade to sweep her from danger into his arms. Forbidden attraction soon blazed from spark to flame. And although their different birthrights made love impossible, Wade had overcome the impossible before….









She wanted him as a woman wants a man


Commander Stevens stood more than six feet tall, with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that changed with his thoughts. In his pristine white uniform, he stirred emotions in her that no other man had managed to stir.

May had promised herself she would never let a man control her again. Certainly not a person from another country. She’d spent her life as a member of the Baronovian royal family, with a position to be upheld. Upholding that position often kept her from going where her heart and her interests led her.

Now, to her surprise, her heart had led her straight to a man she could never make her own.


Dear Reader,

Welcome to Harlequin American Romance, where you’re guaranteed heartwarming, emotional and deeply romantic stories set in the backyards, big cities and wide-open spaces of America. Kick starting the month is Cathy Gillen Thacker’s Her Bachelor Challenge, which launches her brand-new family-connected miniseries THE DEVERAUX LEGACY. In this wonderful story, a night of passion between old acquaintances has a sought-after playboy businessman questioning his bachelor status.

Next, Mollie Molay premieres her new GROOMS IN UNIFORM miniseries. In The Duchess & Her Bodyguard, protecting a royal beauty was easy for a by-the-book bodyguard, but falling in love wasn’t part of the plan! Don’t miss Husbands, Husbands…Everywhere! by Sharon Swan, in which a lovely B & B owner’s ex-husband shows up on her doorstep with amnesia, giving her the chance to rediscover the man he’d once been. This poignant reunion romance story is the latest installment in the WELCOME TO HARMONY miniseries. Laura Marie Altom makes her Harlequin American Romance debut with Blind Luck Bride, which pairs a jilted groom with a pregnant heroine in a marriage meant to satisfy the terms of a bet.

Best,

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin American Romance


The Duchess & Her Bodyguard

Mollie Molay






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


For Hudson Thomas Fox.

Welcome to the world.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR


After working for a number of years as a logistics contract administrator in the aircraft industry, Mollie Molay turned to a career she found far more satisfying—writing romance novels. Mollie lives in Northridge, CA, surrounded by her two daughters and eight grandchildren, many of whom find their way into her books. She enjoys hearing from her readers and welcomes comments. You can write to her at Harlequin Books, 300 East 42nd St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017.




Books by Mollie Molay


HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

560—FROM DRIFTER TO DADDY

597—HER TWO HUSBANDS

616—MARRIAGE BY MISTAKE

638—LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

682—NANNY & THE BODYGUARD

703—OVERNIGHT WIFE

729—WANTED: DADDY

776—FATHER IN TRAINING

799—DADDY BY CHRISTMAS

815—MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT

839—THE GROOM CAME C.O.D.

879—BACHELOR-AUCTION BRIDEGROOM

897—THE BABY IN THE BACK SEAT

938—THE DUCHESS & HER BODYGUARD* (#litres_trial_promo)










Contents


Prologue (#u739338b1-5fec-5971-b8f3-f8b3e08b29c9)

Chapter One (#uf92a19f7-8c70-5acb-9924-9e68a7c92d47)

Chapter Two (#u01736b23-bb49-553e-9d3f-2bf775d11b58)

Chapter Three (#u36474a83-b349-5e38-bb1f-739ae763bd60)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)




Prologue


Wade Stevens felt someone’s intent gaze boring into the back of his head. A practicing lawyer, he was used to being the focus of attention, but tonight felt different. Tonight, the vibrations reaching him were making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

After all, he wasn’t in court, he told himself as he glanced around him for the offender. He was attending a diplomatic cocktail party as the representative of the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps, more commonly known as JAG. In his white dress uniform, surely he was no different from the variety of uniformed men in attendance.

Casually, he rubbed the back of his neck. And, just as casually, slowly turned to survey the activity going on around him.

The parlor of Blair House across the street from the White House and currently the temporary residence of Prince Alexis of Baronovia, and his daughter, the duchess Mary Louise, was ablaze with lights. The buzz of conversation almost drowned out the soft music played by a quintet of uniformed U.S. Marine musicians. The air was filled with the appetizing scent of hors d’oeuvres being offered by white-gloved waiters. Foreign notables from countries around Europe were easily identified by the multitude of colorful ribbons and medals on their chests. United States diplomats were equally distinguishable by their conservative tuxedoes. Wade’s experienced gaze didn’t miss the men in suits, CIA and FBI operatives, who attempted to fade into the woodwork.

The women guests in attendance outshone each other in obligatory little black cocktail dresses or in the currently popular red version. More than one woman wore strands of colorful jewels at her neck, wrists and in her hair.

With the exception of one exquisite woman.

A woman who drew Wade’s gaze as surely as slivers of steel are drawn to a magnet.

She wore a flowing white chiffon dress, which, although gracefully draped over her breasts, managed to reveal more of her shapely figure than it concealed. When his gaze threatened to linger there, he caught himself and moved on to the rest of her. Her short skirt ended in a swirl of sheer material just above her knees. Long and slender legs were covered in shimmering silk hose and she wore white satin sandals with four-inch heels.

Without a doubt, Wade mused, the lady in white was the most attractive woman he’d seen in too long a time.

Fascinated, he gazed at rich chestnut-brown hair drawn back from her forehead into a chignon that rested on the nape of her neck. Soft tendrils had escaped their bounds to hang temptingly over her forehead. An emerald necklace that matched her eyes circled a slender neck his fingers instinctively ached to caress. If only, he told himself, he could find out for himself if her skin was as silky as it appeared to be.

Their eyes met. A warmth covered him when she gazed back at him over the rim of the flute of champagne she held to her lips. To his chagrin, she smiled, and her exotic eyes sparkled with subtle understanding at his obvious interest. With a slight smile and a nod, she saluted him with the flute of champagne.

When he noted a mutual interest reflected in those emerald-green eyes, Wade ran his finger under his suddenly tight uniform collar. He was debating joining her and introducing himself when she turned away to speak to a dignitary who appeared at her side.

Wade gave a resigned shrug. As beautiful as she was, a woman like her was bound to be taken. Too bad. Still, there was no mistaking the gleam of interest he’d seen in her eyes.

An hour later, when he was engaged in a sedate waltz with the wife of the undersecretary of the navy, he saw the woman in white glance at him from across the room. Again he noticed those green eyes and that impossible smile that kicked his heart into high gear. Then she was gone.

A small voice whispering inside his head told him it was going to be a memorable night.




Chapter One


“You’ve got to be kidding!” Wade said.

He stared at the man who, moments before, had tapped him on his shoulder and invited him into the quiet, well-stocked library of the Blair House. As he was an avid lover of books, a setting like this normally would have attracted his interest. Not tonight.

At the frown that came over the undersecretary of the navy’s forehead, Wade straightened and crisply added, “Sir.”

Undersecretary Peter Logan acknowledged the formal address with a curt nod. “No, Commander. I assure you I’m not kidding. In fact, I’ve never been more serious. I’ve just asked you to escort Duchess Mary Louise of Baronovia for the remainder of her visit here in Washington.”

“Why me?” Wade ventured. He’d gone through the academy, basic training and graduate school to become a lawyer. Acting as an escort in performance of his duties wasn’t his idea of serving his country.

“With due respect, sir, I’m a lawyer,” he said cautiously. “You of all people should know our reputation. How interesting would I be as an escort?”

“That depends on you,” Logan said with a fleeting smile. “I seem to recall you had some bodyguard training and that you’ve been assigned to escort duty before this. In fact, the way I understood it, Commander, you were more than an escort. You were actually a bodyguard.”

Wade cleared his throat at the reminder. His brief stint as a bodyguard had almost taken ten years off his life, and he wasn’t anxious to duplicate the drill. “That was to protect a witness in a court case, sir. And if you remember,” he added with a wry smile, “I almost lost the poor woman in the process.”

“I remember.” Logan’s lips curved in a calculating way that made Wade’s mental antennae rise like a rocket and his spirits sink just as fast. “However, Commander,” Logan went on, “I’m sure the experience has made you aware of the importance of never taking your eyes off your charge. Am I correct?”

Wade nodded reluctantly and, from the look on Logan’s face, had a feeling somehow he was in for a surprise. This request that he act as an escort to the duchess wasn’t the whole story. He took a deep breath. “Why don’t you tell me something about the lady?”

Logan smiled, and a twinkle came into his eyes. “The duchess is Prince Alexis’s young daughter.”

Wade blinked. Raised with three younger brothers, he knew zip about little girls, and even less on how to entertain them. Outside of the well-known Children’s Museum, the National Zoo and the Doll House and Toy Museum in D.C., he would be hard put to come up with places to take her. The prospect of escorting and entertaining the little duchess around D.C. blew his mind. He’d be the laughingstock of the JAG Corps.

“His young daughter? I’m afraid you’ve picked the wrong person for the job, sir. Sounds to me you need a nursemaid or a nanny…”

Logan guffawed until tears came into his eyes. When he was finally able to control himself, he gasped. “Maybe I should brief you a little before I introduce you to the duchess.” He gestured to a large wine-colored leather chair. “Have a seat.”

Resigned to the inevitable, Wade sank into the chair. At the same time he wished he’d thought to pick up another flute of champagne to see him through the briefing.

Logan sank into a seat and leaned forward. “To be brief and to the point,” he began, “the Prince of Baronovia is here at the request of the State Department. To the public, the reason the prince, his daughter and his entourage are housed in the Blair House is that Baronovia is too small a country to have its own embassy here in Washington. The actual reason they are staying in the Blair House is somewhat more delicate and confidential.”

Wade shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He was beginning to sense there was more to the scenario than Logan was willing to admit. Especially when Logan had already mentioned “bodyguard” in the same breath as “escort.”

“And?”

“For now, that’s all I can tell you,” Logan went on. “Suffice it to say the department is very interested in keeping the prince and the duchess happy and safe during their stay. When the duchess specifically requested you to escort her while her father attends to affairs of state, we all agreed you were the perfect solution to keeping her happy.”

“Why me? I don’t even know her.”

“Because we also know she’ll be safe with you.”

Safe? Wade straightened up and turned all of his attention on Logan. If he was expected to participate in what sounded like more than just simple affairs of state, he intended to learn more of the facts. “If Baronovia is such a small country, why would the State Department be so interested in it? Let alone worried about the safety of its ruler?”

Logan glanced around the room as if to make sure they were alone, then lowered his voice. “Until now we’ve only had a trade mission in Baronovia. With all the unrest in the area, we decided it was time to upgrade the mission to an embassy with U.S. Marines to guard it. The State Department is hoping to persuade the prince to sign a treaty agreement that will allow us to do so.”

Wade frowned as the facts began to sink in. This wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill assignment, not if there were significant political overtones. There had to be more to the story than the secretary was admitting. It was time to find out. “Go on.”

Logan paced the library, paused to consider Wade and finally appeared to make up his mind. “Just between you and me, Commander, the personnel we intend to station in Baronovia will also act as the eyes and ears of our State Department—an arrangement a few of the smaller countries surrounding Baronovia strongly oppose. Our presence in the area isn’t very popular at the present time. Unfriendly elements in the region might seek to discourage our plans by attempting to disrupt the prince’s visit. Of course,” he added in a confidential voice, “I don’t expect you to share this information with anyone.”

Wade sank back into the leather chair. The last thing he needed at this stage of his life was a kid who might be in trouble. Or a country that could be incinerated at any given moment. “Just what are my chances of keeping the duchess out of trouble?”

“That’s up to you, Commander. Of course, you’ll have the backup of the Secret Service, but up-front you’ll be her escort. We want to keep the duchess happy. Now don’t get me wrong,” Logan went on, “the responsibility for the duchess’s safety and happiness is largely going to be up to you. Under the circumstances, I expect you to give yourself fully over to this assignment. This time,” he cautioned dryly as he rose to his feet, “you will not, I repeat, will not lose your charge. Understood?”

The briefing obviously over, Wade rose to his feet. He wasn’t too clear as to why a JAG lawyer was needed as an escort/bodyguard, but if the undersecretary of the navy was giving him orders he must have had the judge advocate general’s concurrence. “Understood, sir.”

Logan relaxed and shot him a conspiratorial smile that left Wade bewildered. “Then come with me. I’ll introduce you to your charge.”

When the grandfather clock in the corner struck eleven, Wade glanced at his watch. “Kind of past her bedtime, isn’t it?”

Logan choked back a laugh. “Commander,” he said jovially, “brace yourself. I think you’re in for a surprise.”

With Logan’s laugh ringing in his ears, Wade reluctantly gave up the possibility that, given enough time, he might have connected with the lady in white sometime during the party.

Logan led him back to the party and, to Wade’s bewilderment, straight to the side of the lady in white. At that point, the surprise Logan had promised him became the understatement of the year. Instead of acting as the escort of an innocent young girl as he’d been led to believe, his charge was the lady with the invitation in her exotic green eyes.

He took a deep breath and promised himself Undersecretary Logan hadn’t heard the last of this. A joke was a joke, but this was too much. And he wasn’t laughing.

Logan ignored Wade’s pointed look. “Your Grace, I’d like to introduce you to Commander Wade Stevens. As you requested, the commander will be your escort for the duration of your stay here in Washington. Commander, may I present Duchess Mary Louise of Baronovia.”

As requested?

Wade’s head swam as he acknowledged the introduction. Requested by whom? The lady in white herself?

He hadn’t set eyes on the duchess before tonight. And, outside of smiling at him over the rim of her flute of champagne, she hadn’t paid any real attention to him. There had to be a mistake, and one he would remedy the first chance he got.

“Delighted to meet you, Commander Stevens,” the duchess replied with a mischievous smile. She held out her hand. “I am looking forward to having you as my escort during my stay in your beautiful city.”

Wade glanced at the two Secret Service men hovering behind the duchess and eyeing him as if he were a suspect. Like it or not, he had to keep his questions for a later time when he and the duchess had more privacy. “Looks as if we’re going to be quite a cozy group,” he commented dryly.

After a glance over her shoulder, the duchess frowned. “As long as I have you as my escort, Commander, I’m sure I will not be needing anyone else.” She waved her hand in dismissal at the Secret Service men.

To give the men credit, they glanced at Wade and remained where they were.

Wade froze at her gesture. The sensuous duchess might have caught his attention, but her imperious royal manner was rapidly turning him off. It was time to make one thing clear: if he was going to be her escort, he intended to be in charge.

He gazed at her silently. Considering her age and her appearance, the Children’s Zoo was out. And along with it any other diversions intended for children.

“You won’t be needing the Secret Service?” he asked softly. When she shook her head, he turned to Undersecretary Logan. “This isn’t going to work, sir. Secret Service assistance is part of the package or the deal is off.”

Logan cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Your Grace, I’d like to have a moment with Commander Stevens.” At her cool nod, he drew Wade aside. “We have no choice in the matter, Commander. The request for your services came through Prince Alexis himself and has been sanctioned by everyone, with the possible exception of the president. I’ll see what I can do about making the Secret Service less conspicuous and more acceptable to the duchess, but I agree with you. They must remain.”

Logan turned back to the duchess and said apologetically, “The commander is right, Your Grace. There’s too much at stake here for you to go around D.C. without adequate protection. But I promise we will try to keep them in the background.”

The duchess handed her empty champagne flute to a passing waiter with an expression that confirmed Wade’s opinion of the lady. She was every bit as willful as she was beautiful.

“I want to see your beautiful city as an ordinary tourist,” she said with a smile clearly intended to charm the socks off of Logan, but wasn’t doing much for him. “I can hardly do it with an entourage. I’m sure the commander’s presence will be sufficient to protect me.” She patted Wade on his arm. “Right, Commander?”

Wade smothered a groan. It was bad enough that the duchess wasn’t the young girl he’d been led to believe. Children could be put in their place, but this was no child. The very adult duchess was a spoiled woman whose tempting lips and flashing eyes were set on charming him into going along with whatever she wanted.

Fortunately, he was experienced enough as a man and as a lawyer to know that when a woman uses her charms to get her way there’s bound to be trouble ahead. The trick was to stay one step ahead of the lady before she caused an international incident.

Bottom line, he sensed as he gazed down at her, was that her care and protection, with or without the Secret Service to back him up, promised to be a handful.

He glanced at the sculptured feminine hand that now clung to his arm. All his instincts to take advantage of the closeness she seemed to offer stirred, then died a quick death. He wasn’t a lawyer for nothing. Her smile was an act.

In his ten years with the Judge Advocate General Corps, he’d persuaded many a jury to see his side of a case before the court. This case was no different. Sooner or later he and the duchess were going to have to come to an agreement about the Secret Service, or his name wasn’t Wade Stevens. But not here in front of roomful of people. There was no point in creating a public spectacle of himself.

“Perhaps the duchess and I ought to have this discussion in private. Come to some sort of mutual understanding,” he quietly said to Logan. When Logan nodded, Wade motioned to the Secret Service men to hold off while he straightened out his charge. “Your Grace, please come with me.”

He offered his arm to the duchess and walked her to the library door. Before she could speak, he had led her into the library he’d left just moments before.

“Now see here, Your Grace,” he began as soon as the door closed behind him. “I don’t want to appear arbitrary, but there are some rules attached to the game we seem to be playing. Whether you like it or not.”

“Game?” The duchess wandered over to a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, drew out a leather-bound book and casually turned the pages. “I do not know what you’re talking about.”

“With due respect, Your Grace, I think you do,” Wade answered. “For starters, if you don’t mind the plain language, you’re going to have to knock off the royal act and come down off your high horse. If you’re serious about seeing D.C. as a tourist, fine. But you’re going to have to play strictly by the rules. My rules. The first of which is cooperating with the Secret Service. And,” he added grimly, “you might as well cut out the siren act to get your way. It isn’t going to work on me.”

The duchess thrust the book back on the shelf and turned to face Wade. Gold sparks of anger shot through her eyes. “Anything else, Commander?”

“Yes,” he said. “You’re going to have to stop acting like a duchess and more like a tourist from New Jersey.”

“But I am a duchess!”

“Maybe so, but with your regal bearing and custom-made clothing, no way in heaven are you going to pass for a typical tourist.” Nor like an ordinary woman, he added silently. Not with those green eyes and chestnut hair and a body sure to draw second glances.

He expected the duchess to protest. To use her royal status as an excuse to overrule this bodyguard-as-an-escort business. To his surprise she stared at him for a few moments before she bit her lip and spoke up.

“And how do you propose to change me into a typical tourist, Commander?”

He was a dead man.

Contrary to his hopeful expectations, instead of firing him, Duchess Mary Louise of Baronovia was actually going to go along with him! Grudgingly he had to give her credit. She’d not only gotten him for a bodyguard, she was smart. Smart enough to know when to fold.

All the more reason he had to be on his guard.

“First, Your Grace,” he said eyeing her cocktail dress frankly, “we’re going to go to Wal-Mart in the morning and outfit you in ordinary clothing.”

Ordinary clothing to turn her into an ordinary woman? he asked himself as he continued to lay down the rules. No way! Clearly he was out of his mind for even thinking so. No matter what she wore or how she looked, the duchess Mary Louise could never be ordinary. Still, if it was the only way he could get her attention it was worth a try.

After a moment’s pause, she shrugged. “You may be right. If you think clothing will make a difference, I’m willing. What else?”

“The Secret Service stays, both of them.”

A blush rose over her face, and for a moment she almost looked human. “They are two old married men with old-fashioned minds. Everything I told them I wanted to see was off-limits.”

Wade’s sixth sense sounded warning signals. As in any big city, there were enough off-limit places in D.C. to blow any bodyguard-cum-escort’s mind, and he was no different. Still, with him keeping an extra watchful eye on her and the two Secret Service men as backup, how much trouble could she get into?

“What exactly do you have in mind to see?”

“I’ll let you know in the morning,” she said airily and started to turn away.

“I don’t play games, Your Grace, and neither should you.” Wade said quietly. “To begin with, why don’t you make a list of the places you’d like to visit. I’ll look them over and let you know which ones I think are okay.”

She stopped in her tracks, and her eyes narrowed. Without saying a word, Wade knew that under that cool facade she was angry…and that he didn’t care. He was going to do his duty as he saw it, even if she didn’t like it. Furthermore, he sensed she hadn’t chosen him for an escort merely because he was younger than the Secret Service men assigned her. Age had nothing to do with it; she had to have another motive.

He raised his eyebrows and swallowed a begrudging smile. The angrier the duchess became, the more enchanting she looked, more the pity. For all her attraction, she could have come from another planet and was just as unreachable.

She didn’t fool him, either. She may have agreed to dressing down, but strong-minded women like her never gave up, any more than a leopard could change its spots. It would only be a matter of time before the lady was back trying to use her wiles to persuade him to see things her way.

Thank God he was going to be hers only for a few days.

“If you don’t mind my saying so, it sounds to me as if you’ve already tried your wiles on the Secret Service men and couldn’t get away with it,” he said dryly. “You can forget trying anything on me.”

“Now see here, Commander,” she retorted, all traces of the wistful and sexy woman gone in the blink of an eyelid. The imperious duchess was back. “In spite of what you think about me, I am not a spoiled child. Nor am I a fool. I am not looking for trouble, either. I merely wish to see your country’s capital and I wish to see it my way.”

“I don’t have a problem with that as long as the Secret Service tags along,” he agreed. And then he asked the question that continued to bother him. “Of all the men you could have asked for as an escort, why me?”

She looked at him cooly. “Simply put, Commander, I chose you for an escort because you looked to have an open mind and apparently knew how to enjoy yourself. So, if you think my dressing up or dressing down will make me inconspicuous, I will allow it.”

Wade reluctantly nodded his agreement. In his book the lady could never be inconspicuous. He might take her shopping for nondescript clothing, but as for her fading into the tourist landscape, he wasn’t going to bank on it. Any more than he could bank on her complete cooperation.

To make matters worse, there seemed to be no way out of the escort duty.

Escorting the duchess around Washington might actually turn out to be interesting, he mused as he eyed the folds of sheer material designed to hide her pert breasts. Instead, they only managed to heighten his interest. He’d always felt that when a woman left some hint of modesty in her clothing, it did more for him than a blatant invitation.

Whoever had designed the duchess’s cocktail dress had known exactly what he or she was doing. And, from his own reaction to the way she looked, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the lady knew it, too. To muddy the waters, he was sure, from the parting look she gave him she hadn’t given up on persuading him to see things her way.

He followed her back to the party with a sinking feeling in his middle. He was going to have to protect the lady for a few days. But who was going to protect him from her?




Chapter Two


She hadn’t told him the whole truth.

May, as the family called her, hastily adjusted the neckline of the white evening dress that had drawn Wade Stevens’s frankly interested gaze. The whole truth, a truth she wasn’t about to share with him, was that she’d requested him as her escort because she’d been as attracted to him as he seemed to have been drawn to her.

His age, his personality and the probability he was more likely to understand her than the two older Secret Service men hovering over her, had been a factor in his favor. But the truth was that it had been his virile appearance in his immaculate white dress uniform that had first captivated her and then held her attention.

She’d kept her eyes on him while he’d worked his way through the room, occasionally stopping to chat with someone he knew. It had been his easy smile, the way the corner of his eyes crinkled as he laughed that had finally convinced her.

She’d sensed then he was a man who had a sense of humor and knew how to enjoy life. A man who would know how to make her laugh.

She hadn’t known much laughter during her arranged marriage. Married at nineteen to a titled cousin, chosen for her by her father, she had tried to be the proper wife her late, older husband had expected. He had suddenly fallen dead at her feet of a heart attack a year ago.

Her period of mourning over, she had taken her father up on his invitation to travel with him on this short trip to the United States. She was desperate to enjoy her stay. Now was her chance to enjoy her youth and taste the freedom that had evaded her as a member of the royal family of Baronovia, and, until the recent birth of her half brother, its heir apparent.

The sight-seeing agenda laid out for her by the U.S. State Department had left her cold. The rules laid down by her Secret Service escorts had left her even colder. As for the commander, he may have been right about her wanting to see a side of Washington that was more than its stone monuments, but she didn’t care. She was more determined than ever to visit the places she’d longed to see.

If it meant using her royal status to charm or intimidate him into seeing things her way, so be it.

It was too bad she had to play a game with him, she thought regretfully as he held the door open for her. He appeared to be a genuinely decent man. Just as she knew herself to be a flesh-and-blood human woman under the role of imperious royalty she was playing. In different circumstances she might have enjoyed meeting him.

“EVERYTHING SETTLED?” Undersecretary of the navy Logan materialized at Wade’s elbow.

“You might say so, sir,” Wade agreed cautiously with a glance at the duchess.

“Good.” As Logan shook Wade’s hand, his relief was evident. “What’s on your sight-seeing agenda for tomorrow?”

“Sorry, sir,” Wade replied. “I’ve found it best never reveal my plans ahead of time.”

Logan started to speak, then appeared to change his mind. “Of course, Commander. You’re in charge.” He smiled at the duchess. “With your permission, Your Grace, I’ll leave you in the commander’s capable hands. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” He bowed and hurried away.

Wade had been tempted to laugh when Logan acted if a diplomatic crisis had been averted. A stickler for propriety and rules, if Logan had known of Wade’s plans, he would have nixed the idea of shopping for appropriate clothing in Wal-Mart.

Somehow the idea didn’t sound amusing anymore.

Wade gazed down at the duchess. She’d tried to use her charm on him to get her way, but it wasn’t going to work. He’d actually expected her to tell Logan she’d changed her mind about wanting him for an escort. Instead, she’d slipped her hand through his arm, smiled and gazed up at Wade as if she was a star-struck fan of his.

Wade knew better. The wily duchess had an agenda. Although she seemed to have given in to his conditions for their outings, her teasing smile was a dead giveaway. Instinct told him the dimples that danced across her cheeks hid the truth.

He gazed down at her manicured hand. Another gesture that gave her away. He knew that royalty didn’t normally touch strangers. The duchess was acting, trying to use charm to get her way. Only time and his watchful eyes would tell what was behind that smile of hers.

He didn’t trust her as far as the front door to the Blair House.

“You are going to at least consult with me on our agenda, are you not?” the duchess said in a silky voice that dripped with honey.

He wasn’t buying.

Wade hesitated long enough to see her squirm, a question in her eyes. Good. He intended to keep her on edge while he laid down the rules. “That depends on what you have in mind.”

She took her hand away. “To begin with, I saw all of your national monuments that I care to see on our way in from the airport. Now I want to see the other side of the city.”

“Hold it right there,” Wade ordered before the last words were out of her mouth. “I don’t know what you mean by the other side of the city, but I have a strong suspicion it’s the wrong side.”

“Perhaps,” she added with a frown. “At least, the Secret Service agents seemed to think so. Nevertheless I have my mind made up. I will see no more monuments.”

“Really.” Wade’s eyebrows rose and came together. “Just what did you have in mind?”

“I shall give you a list tomorrow, after you call off the Secret Service. Right now I would like to speak to my father.” She started to move away.

“As a matter of fact, so would I.” Before she could take a second step, Wade touched her elbow and urged her to a corner of the room. “First let’s get something straight, Your Grace. You tell me what you’d like to see, then I’ll tell you if I agree. And as for the Secret Service men, forget calling them off. Like I said, they’re in.”

Her face paled and her eyes turned as cold as the glittering emeralds around her neck. “I think you’re forgetting who I am and who you are, Commander.”

Wade felt as if he’d been slapped in the face.

“Not at all, Your Grace,” he said with as much restraint as he could muster. “I’m Commander Wade Stevens, of the United States Navy. A lawyer attached to the Judge Advocate General Corps. While I’m not normally in the escort business, I am also the man you apparently asked for as an escort. And as your chosen escort I get to make the rules. You might say,” he added dryly, “you’re in my hands for the duration of your stay.”

At the annoyed expression that came across her face, Wade began to wonder if the duchess actually knew the reason his government was interested in protecting her. Or if she realized that if she hadn’t been in some kind of danger, the Secret Service and his own services would never have been called into play. Just how urgent remained to be seen.

He settled for the middle ground. “Where I come from, Your Grace, anything worth doing is worth doing well. Especially after an order from my superiors. So, how about starting over? As long as we appear to be stuck with each other for the next few days, how about a truce?”

He knew, even as he asked the question, that any truce the lady might agree to wasn’t going to be worth the powder to blow it to hell.

MAY GAZED in stony silence at the man who was turning out to be her bodyguard as well as her escort. Instead of being intimidated by her royal status, he appeared not to be impressed. Part of her was annoyed, even angry at his take-charge attitude. Another part, the sensible part of her, admired his courage. If there ever was a man she wanted as an escort around Washington, D.C., it was this Wade Stevens. From the moment she’d watched him make his way across the room in his eye-catching uniform, she’d sensed that a woman could be a woman and enjoy herself with him. Now, if she could only make him see things her way.

He stood more than six foot tall, with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that changed with his thoughts. In his pristine white uniform, his athletic figure stirred emotions in her no other man before him had managed to do. Certainly not her late husband.

When their gazes locked, she realized that she wanted more than Wade Stevens’s company. She wanted him as a woman wants a man, and, heaven forgive her, in ways she was almost embarrassed to contemplate.

On the other hand, attracted to him or not, she had promised herself she would never let a man control her again the way her late husband had been wont to do. And certainly not a person from another country. Asking her to cooperate with him was one thing. Ordering her to do it was another.

She’d spent her life as a member of the Baronovian royal family, with a position to be upheld. Unfortunately, upholding that position had too often kept her from going where her heart and her interests had led her.

And now, to her surprise, her heart had led her straight to a man she could never make her own.

She had hoped things would be different in the United States, a country where her tutors had told her everyone had been created equal and everyone was free. Somewhere she could be herself—May Baron—instead of the Dowager Duchess Mary Louise.

If only she could tell him she wasn’t the woman she appeared to be.

She pulled her thoughts together, told herself to ignore Wade, to ignore her attraction to him. She wanted to see how ordinary people lived in the United States, a country that had intrigued her for years. No way was she going home without seeing the city she’d read about in a magazine during her flight here.

Even though she came only to his chin, she drew herself up to her full height. Instead of being May, the woman she actually yearned to be, she assumed the persona of Dowager Duchess Mary Louise of Lorrania, widow of the late duke of Lorrania. “I am going to speak to my father,” she repeated. “And, since I am surely safe here, you may consider yourself at liberty to leave. I will see you at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”

Wade stared at her for tense moment before he shook his head and kept a studied smile on his face for the benefit of possible watchers. She’d agreed to go along with him a moment ago. What had changed her mind?

“Take it easy, Your Grace,” he said. “We’ll visit your father together. Then, I’ll leave.”

Prince Alexis paused in conversation with a foreign diplomat and greeted his daughter with a broad smile. “Ah, my dear, I was beginning to wonder where you were.” He glanced at Wade as if he didn’t know who he was. “Why don’t you introduce your escort, my dear?”

Wade bit back a comment. According to Logan, the prince had been consulted about his daughter’s choice of escort. Now, the prince was pretending not to know him. And not to know the duty included being his daughter’s bodyguard as well as her escort. If the assignment was a secret, there had to be more here than met the eye. Hopefully, he thought with crossed fingers, an escort was all he would be called upon to be.

“Commander Wade Stevens of the United States Navy,” Mary Louise replied distantly. “My father, Prince Alexis.”

Wade shook the prince’s hand. After seeing the fond gaze the man sent his daughter, Wade didn’t have the heart to suggest his daughter needed to be told to listen to reason. Or to even suggest it was time to tell her all the reasons for their visit and any danger that might be attached to it.

“I just wanted to say good-night, Your Highness,” Wade said after noting the wary look in the duchess’s eyes. He knew, without her saying so, she wasn’t anxious for her father to hear about her behavior. “With your permission, sir, I expect to pick up Her Grace tomorrow morning at nine.”

“Of course, Commander. I’m sure my daughter will be very grateful to get away from boring affairs of state. Where are your plans for sight-seeing?”

Wade sensed the duchess tense beside him and couldn’t bring himself betray her. Somehow, somewhere, under that royal facade had to be the woman in white with the sensuous smile he’d been attracted to. A real woman he could reason with. It was up to him to find that woman without making a public deal of it. “Her Grace and I are going to make our plans in the morning.”

He heard her sigh of relief. Behind that cool royal exterior and imperious manner there beat the heart of a young woman. A woman who valued her father’s approval, even if she didn’t value his.

Wade turned to the duchess. “I’ll be here to pick you up at nine, Your Grace. But I would appreciate your walking me to the door. With your permission, sir?”

“Of course,” the prince remarked. “Go ahead, my dear. I’ll be here waiting to say good-night when you return.”

May took the arm Wade held out to her as they threaded their way through the thinning crowd. “Thank you for not telling my father we are not in agreement,” she said in an undertone. “I am sure I will have a wonderful time in your city. And by the way, you may call me May when we are out in public. It’s the name my family calls me. That way no one will know who I really am.”

Wade took his cap from an attendant. It was becoming difficult to keep up with the lady’s many mood changes, but duty was duty. After a quick glance at the door, he led her back to a quiet corner. “I have two things to say to you before I leave, May.” He waited until he had her undivided attention.

“One—never, ever stand by a door or a window while you’re here in Washington. And maybe not even when you go home. You make too good a target.”

Uneasy at the warning, May glanced around the crowded room. The marine band continued to play, flutes of champagne were still being passed around, and the remaining guests appeared in no hurry to leave. If there were danger here, there was no evidence of it that she could see. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating, Commander. And the second?”

“I’ll look over your list, but I have no intention of changing my mind about being the one to decide where we go tomorrow.” Wade’s gaze locked with hers. “And remember, the Secret Service stays. In the meantime,” he added softly, “why don’t you put yourself in my hands, Your Grace? I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.”

She stared at him, and for a moment her expression softened. For a moment he thought she was going to agree with him. Instead she caught her breath, turned on her heel and headed back to the ballroom.

After being invited to call her May, he could have sworn his charge was about to turn into a human being instead of an imperious royal. Maybe it was just as well she’d walked away when she had. If she hadn’t, he would have been tempted to forget the lady had a motive of her own. Or to forget how much he’d been attracted to her.

Futile dreams, he told himself with a sigh of regret as he left for his apartment. He and the duchess were two strangers passing in the night. She’d been born to the cushioned life of a member of a royal family where her every wish was a command. He was a former All-America basketball hero turned lawyer who’d worked for everything he had. By her standards that couldn’t be much.

He’d have to play out the next few days carefully. He had to stop thinking about his never-to-be-realized attraction to the beautiful and sensuous lady in white and the invitation in her eyes.

He had to concentrate on not only protecting the duchess from herself; he had to protect her from him.

TO EASE WADE’S WORRY about security, his access to the Blair House the next morning was screened by the same two Secret Service men he’d noticed the evening before.

“No uniform today, Commander?” The older of the two identified himself as Samuel Hoskins and his partner as Mike Wheeler.

“No,” Wade replied with a tight smile, replacing his identification in the inside pocket of his loose-fitting jacket. “I was hoping to fade into the landscape.”

“With a charge like the duchess, good luck,” Hoskins murmured as he eyed the gun and holster Wade wore under his jacket. “I see you’re prepared.”

“Yeah,” Wade answered as he shifted shoulders unaccustomed to the weight of the gun and holster. “Is the duchess up and ready?”

“She’s finishing breakfast. Said to tell you she’d overslept but would be out in a minute.”

Wade nodded. He hadn’t slept much last night. Instead he’d spent the hours lying awake thinking about the intriguing duchess and the amusing way she’d tried to assert her independence. In some ways, in her imperious way of speaking and in her assertive manner, she was an echo of the past. But the chances she was late because she’d lain awake thinking of him was wishful thinking. Royalty and the common man were like oil and water—they didn’t mix. And neither did he and the duchess.

As for the Secret Service, the duchess had been right. In their navy-blue suits, white shirts and black ties, they were a little on the conservative side; however, they did fade into the landscape. Only the small official button in their coat lapels gave them away.

The duchess didn’t know it yet, but at thirty-six, he was just as conservative as they were. At least when he was on duty. It wasn’t only the duchess’s life that could be at stake. It was his future, too. And, like everything he took on, he intended to take this tour of duty seriously.

He eyed his two navy-clad partners. “How about you guys? Ready to roll?”

“We’ll be right on your tail,” Agent Wheeler assured him. “But it would help to know where you’re going.”

Wade shrugged his shoulders. “First stop is Wal-Mart. After that, who knows? You’ll have to wait until I get a chance to talk to the duchess.”

Their eyes swung to the lady in question when she finally sailed into the room. To Wade’s dismay, she was dressed in her version of dressing down—white linen slacks and matching fitted jacket and a green silk shirt that almost matched the color of her eyes. Green pumps were on her feet and a large straw bag hung from one shoulder. He was relieved to see she wasn’t wearing any valuable jewelry he had to worry about.

“No uniform today?” She looked disappointed.

“Not today,” he replied. If she’d asked for him as an escort solely because of his uniform, she was out of luck. “Today we’re going to play at being ordinary folk.”

Ordinary folk. Wade smothered a remark when she raised her eyebrows. No way was the lady going to be able to play at being ordinary. Not when she looked as if she’d just stepped off the cover of Elle magazine.

“Wal-Mart, here we come,” he muttered under his breath. “Is there someplace private where we can talk before we leave?”

She handed him a slip of paper. “If this is what you wish to talk about, I’ve already made a list of the places I want to see.”

Wade glanced at the list. Planet Hollywood. Hard Rock Café. The antique shops at the Capitol Hill District. The infamous grunge Morgan-Hill shopping area. The list went on and included places Wade knew from experience were definitely not for royal visitors. Especially one who could be the target of troublemakers.

The only item on the list he felt comfortable with was the National Portrait Gallery. He sighed and pocketed the slip of paper.

“We can decide later,” he said with a sidelong glance at the fashionable royal outfit. “First, we have to buy you some less obtrusive clothing.”

Over the duchess’s protests, he stopped to tell the Secret Service men to follow him before he hailed a cab. No way was he going to travel around D.C. in a black unmarked car that broadcast Secret Service presence.

“No car?” Her eyebrows rose suspiciously.

“Not today. It’s in for repairs.” He handed her into the cab and directed the driver to Wal-Mart. The duchess looked annoyed when she walked in the door, but thank goodness she kept her thoughts to herself. If she didn’t know what Wal-Mart was, she was in for a surprise. “Anyway, Your Grace, after we get through shopping, we’ll probably get by more easily by taking the tourmobile around the mall.”

“Tourmobile? Mall?” The Duchess frowned. “They are not on my list.”

“Maybe not,” Wade replied. “But they are on mine.”

He had to give the duchess credit when she bit her bottom lip and silently browsed her way through racks of inexpensive brightly colored summer clothing.

May refused to let her temper show. She’d agreed to dress down but she wasn’t thrilled about the variety of choices. Designer clothing was more what she was accustomed to wearing. Still, an agreement was an agreement if it would get her to where she wanted to go.

She had put the National Portrait Gallery and a few well-known museums on her list to throw her escort off the track. The Capitol Hill District and its antique shops were surely someplace where she was sure she could lose herself, or maybe even the Morgan-Hill grunge shops. No matter how her escort might protest, she told herself, she intended to draw the line at stone monuments.

She had had it with men controlling her life. If the commander persisted in trying to control her, she would make his job very difficult. For these few days at least, it would be just a matter of time before she would be on her own and have a chance to be true to herself.

She hid her satisfaction as she browsed through the hanging racks. One by one she handed Wade a pair of size-six blue-denim slacks and an oversize sweatshirt with a U.S. flag and Washington, D.C., written across the front in large red, white and blue letters. When he silently pointed to her shoes, she bit her lower lip and headed for the shoe department to try on a pair of sturdy white athletic shoes.

“Anything else?”

Wade bit back a comment and motioned for her to wait while he checked out the dressing room. When he indicated the coast was clear, she sniffed and headed inside to change. But not before she threw him a look that conveyed her opinion of him. It wasn’t good.

With the duchess safely behind a closed door, Wade checked to make sure the Secret Service men were still in the vicinity. When he finally located the two in the sports department, he snorted his disgust. It was beginning to look as if the care and feeding of the duchess was largely going to be up to him.

Twenty minutes later the duchess finally emerged from the dressing room in her new clothing. To his relief, she wasn’t the duchess Mary Louise any longer. She was the woman he’d asked her to be. And a damn cute one at that.

“Is this dressed down enough for you?”

Lost in admiration, Wade silently nodded. With her chestnut hair curling loosely around her shoulders, she looked like a typical tourist, courtesy Wal-Mart. He knew, as sure as he knew his own name, as he checked her over, that even as May she would never be able to fade into the landscape.

Gowned in white chiffon or dressed in jeans and a garish sweatshirt no duchess would willingly wear, she was the most beautiful and desirable woman he’d ever met. For a moment he was taken aback. Then he reminded himself he was here as the duchess’s temporary escort and that his reactions were out of order.

He shrugged and, for a brief few moments, felt guilty. He watched her looking into a full-length mirror. Most women would have chewed him out by now for being so controlling. To add to his misgivings, behind the jeans and colorful sweatshirt there was something about the look in her eyes that told him she wasn’t as docile as she appeared to be. She would bear watching.

The Secret Service agents, back from checking out fishing rods, silently looked at each other.

Wade put the clothing the duchess had worn into the store into a shopping cart and headed for the checkout counters. The duchess, with the Secret Service trailing behind her, followed.

He might have been a success in creating the all-American girl next door, Wade thought in despair. But, heaven help him, the lady looked just as royal and just as unattainable as she’d been before.




Chapter Three


“This is the mall?” May clutched the only item from her original clothing choice Wade had allowed her to keep, her large straw bag. The rest of her possessions were locked in the trunk of the unmarked black sedan driven by the Secret Service and, to her disgust, was safely out of her reach. “I thought you meant a shopping mall!”

As if she’d said something amusing, Wade burst out laughing. “No, Your Grace, what you see is a lot more than that.” He motioned to the series of buildings in front of them. “Those are only a few of the Smithsonian museums. There are nine of them.”

“Museums,” May echoed faintly. She was tempted to tell him she’d visited dozens of museums and churches as part of her duties back home and wasn’t looking forward to spending time seeing any more. She shuddered. “You can’t possibly mean we’re going to visit all nine, do you?”

“No,” he looked at his watch. “We don’t have time. But maybe tomorrow. Today you can take your pick of the National Museum of American History, the Museum of Natural History, the National Gallery of Art or the Arts and Industry Museum—”

“Stop right there,” she commanded, peering at her escort. “You are joking, are you not?”

“Not at all,” he replied cheerfully, amused at her quaint manner of speech. “If these don’t appeal to you, there are a few more museums farther on that might interest you.”

“No, thank you.” May had to fight the urge to lose herself in the passing stream of tourists. If only she hadn’t outsmarted herself by wearing a garish sweatshirt bound to stand out in any crowd. “What else is on your list?”

Wade made a show of consulting a slip of paper he’d taken out of his jacket pocket. “We can take the trolley to the other end of the Mall and check out the Capitol Building, if you’re interested. Or grab a cab and visit the Jefferson Memorial. It’s beautiful, especially at dusk. I’m sure you’ll like it. In fact, the memorial is my personal favorite.”

“Maybe so,” May answered, her mind busy trying to find a way to lose her escort. “But dusk is a long way off. On second thought,” she added, “how about the National Portrait Gallery? It is somewhere around here, is it not?” With an excuse to use the ladies’ room she was sure she would be able to rid herself of the garish sweatshirt that marked her. Once out of her escort’s sight, and dressed like the average tourist, surely it would be easy to get lost in a crowd when he wasn’t looking.

He looked surprised. “You really want to visit the National Portrait Gallery?”

“Sure,” she said, pretending innocence. “It was on my list, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was,” Wade agreed, but he didn’t look convinced. “Frankly, I thought you only put it on the list to throw me off.”

“You don’t trust me?” She widened her eyes and tried to look innocent.

“Ask me no questions…” His voice trailed off.

May winced as she remembered the universally well-known finish of the saying:…and I’ll tell you no lies.

She managed to look wounded, her mind made up. What had put Wade on to her, anyway? She had told the truth. Even if there was an ulterior motive behind it.

“Let us go,” she said with a tight smile. “According to you, my life could be in danger, so do not forget to call me May in public.”

Wade smothered a reply. Her facetious response told him she wasn’t aware of any possible danger to her or she wouldn’t be taking things so casually. How could he protect her when she didn’t think she needed to be protected? And especially when she was obviously bent on having her way, one way or another?

He silently cursed the undersecretary of the navy for involving him in the current scenario. And with a secret that should never have been kept from the person at risk. Without her cooperation, his assignment was much riskier.

All the more reason to protect the lady from herself.

“Let’s go.” He took her arm but not before glancing behind him for the two Secret Service agents who should have been there but were not.

It looked as if, for now at least, he and the duchess were on their own.

He picked up a couple of brochures on the way into the gallery and handed one to the duchess. “Everything around you is a portrait or possession of an American who contributed in some way to our country.” He pointed out well-known portraits and memorabilia in glass cases that dated back to the eighteenth century. “Take your pick.”

She studied the brochure he handed her and moved down the room. He had to give her credit for being a good sport, but after about forty portraits he noticed her attention was flagging. “Want a break?” he asked sympathetically.

“I could use a chance to freshen up,” she said as they passed the door to a ladies’ room. Before he could reply, she disappeared behind the mahogany door.

After making sure there was only one way in and out of the rest room, Wade lounged alongside the door. While something told him she had something up her sleeve, surely a stop at the ladies’ room was no big deal.

But what was a big deal was that he had an uneasy feeling they’d been followed. He gazed at his surroundings. Crowds of people, families with children and, from the sound of conversation, a number of foreign visitors. So far, so good.

He finally spotted the two Secret Service agents covertly studying a burly, dark-haired man down the hall. Maybe it was the sight of the man that made the hackles rise on the back of his neck, but there was something definitely going on. He was debating moving away from the rest room door to confront the man when he disappeared. The Secret Service agents with him.

Uneasy, Wade vowed to be extra watchful from here on out. And not to let the intriguing and conniving duchess, or anyone else, distract him from his duty to protect her.

Heaven help him if he lost a charge for the second time.

After a few minutes he checked his watch. Not even a duchess needed more than twenty minutes to freshen up, he told himself. He’d been right from the moment he’d heard about the escort duty, he thought sourly. What the lady needed was a nursemaid or a nanny. A woman who could charge through that closed door and haul her out of there, willing or not.

A woman with two little girls about to enter the ladies’ room paused to glance suspiciously at him. He straightened up and sighed. Much more of this and he would be arrested for loitering outside a women’s rest room.

“Pardon me, ma’am,” he said hurriedly. “I wonder if you could do me a favor. My girlfriend’s inside. She’s been in there so long I’m beginning to worry about her. Do you mind asking if there’s a May inside? And reminding her, her boyfriend is out here waiting for her?”

The woman’s frown disappeared and was replaced by a sympathetic smile. “Not at all, young man. I’ll send her right out.”

A moment later Wade saw May sneak out and turn left—the wrong direction for the exit.

Eyes popping, Wade almost didn’t recognize her. She wore a too-tight T-shirt she must have hidden under the large Wal-Mart sweatshirt. He edged after her, keeping a hulking father of five between the two of them.

He was surprised to see her pause. Her profile, her downturned mouth caught his attention. What could she have been looking at? He edged closer and peered over a tourist’s shoulder. To his surprise, she was looking at a family portrait that included two children, one of them a baby.

Before he could speak up, the duchess turned around and made for the exit.

His fears realized, Wade gritted his teeth. Whatever the duchess thought she was doing, she was no match for him. In three quick strides he caught her by her arm. “You’re not going to get rid of me that easily, Your Grace, or should I say May?”

She glanced at his hand. She looked surprised but, thank God, didn’t lose her cool. He smothered a sigh of relief and took his hand away. Maybe he ought to remember whom he was dealing with. A duchess was a duchess, after all.

“May,” she said. Her voice soft, the look in her eyes inviting. But he knew the truth. She was putting on an act.

She might have invited him to call her by her nickname, but from her first reaction to his holding her arm, Wade doubted anyone of the lady’s acquaintance, outside of her immediate family, had ever been so familiar with her. So why was she allowing him to touch her?

“May it is,” he agreed, “but don’t bother to tempt me.” He eyed her formfitting T-shirt, her lush lips and intriguing eyes. To his disgust his body stirred. No matter how she was dressed, the lady was trouble in the form of an inviting bundle of femininity. If he knew what was good for him, he’d keep his testosterone under control and remember he was just her bodyguard.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the helpful woman and her two little girls coming out of the ladies’ room and heading toward them. He put his arms around the duchess and mentally prayed she was smart enough to go along with him.

“Pardon me, ma’am,” he said. “My girlfriend forgot her sweatshirt back inside there. It’s the one with Washington, D.C., written across the front in large red, white and blue letters. You can’t miss it. Do you mind bringing it out for her? I’m afraid she’s cold without it.”

The woman was frankly curious and eyed May. “Why can’t she go inside and get it for herself?”

He gripped the duchess even tighter and felt her strain against him. “I’m afraid she’ll get lost inside there again. We have an important appointment to keep.”

The woman nodded reluctantly, went back inside the rest room and came out with the sweatshirt. With a reproving glance at the duchess, she led the children away.

“A leash,” Wade echoed softly, glancing down at the woman he held in his arms. “Not a bad idea, considering. Now, stay still for a moment.” He turned the duchess around to face him. “Are you going to come quietly or…” He slipped the bulky sweatshirt over her head while he spoke. Big mistake. He’d not only seen the duchess’s very feminine curves under the T-shirt, his hands were sliding over her warm torso. Just how much was a red-blooded man expected to take, he asked himself as he pulled the sweatshirt into place and stepped back. “Now you look like a real tourist again.”

She glanced down at the shirt and shrugged. “If you say so. Now what, Commander?”

“We could we go back to the galleries, or maybe you’re ready for something else?”

“Lunch would be nice,” she answered with a startled look. “Unless you intend to starve me into submission.”

“Not at all,” he said as he sensed she had been just as affected by his hands sliding over her as he had been. And that she had to be aware of his body’s involuntary response at the contact. Not that he could have helped responding to her warm skin, lush curves and silky smile. He would have had to be carved out of marble not to react. “I’m a twenty-first-century man. Torture isn’t my style. Where would you like to eat?”

“I’m a stranger here, remember?” She gazed around the gallery. “This visit has been very educational, but I’d like to go someplace where there’s the sound of human voices, perhaps some music. I don’t mean to offend you, Commander,” she added as if in apology, “but I’d like to go somewhere more exciting.”

“Call me Wade,” he said, glancing at the portraits of men and women who made him proud to serve his country. She was right. Maybe, to a casual foreign observer, the gallery wasn’t as exciting as it was to him.

Still, the feeling they were being watched was exciting enough for him. Maybe it was better to move on. “Let’s go. I know just the place.”

Outside, the elusive Secret Service men were nowhere to be seen. Wade hailed a cab and opened the door for his companion. Thank goodness, she was back to smiling. And this time, he sensed the smile was genuine. “The Old Post Office Pavilion, driver.”

“Oh, no,” May said unhappily as she scooted across the seat to make room for him. “Not a post office!”

“Take my word for it, May,” he said with a warning glance at the cab driver, “this isn’t like any post office you’ve ever seen. You’re going to like this one.”

She did. Fascinated by the renovated nineteenth-century Romanesque building, May gazed happily around her at the laughing crowds milling around. And at the double level of shops selling food and items from around the world. She had told the truth, she was starving.

To her delight a band was playing at one end of the first floor. A female singer was belting out “Hit or Miss,” a song she vaguely recognized was a popular American love song. And, as a result of the beautiful melody, reacted even more strongly than ever to her male escort’s presence at her side.

She silently chided herself for her futile attraction to Wade Stevens. An attraction she had felt when she had first noticed him. An attraction that would linger long after she was back home.

She returned her attention to her surroundings with an effort. Her escort had delivered, just as he’d promised. The old post office was a taste of the excitement and a part of the city she’d been hoping to experience.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Something typically American,” she answered. “My father brought his chef with him, and the food is the same as we have back home.”

“You’ll find American food here,” he told her as he pointed to the food stalls. “What will it be, May? Name it and I’m sure it’s probably available.”

“Mexican,” she answered happily, eyeing a neon sign. “It looks and smells inviting. But are you sure it’s typically American?”

“It is now,” Wade said as he spied a table being vacated in front of the fast-food stall. “You grab a table and I’ll get the food.” The temptation to find a vacant table momentarily threatened to overwhelm his common sense.

“Oh, no,” she said, pulling back. “I want to look at everything. And order a little of everything that looks good. You take the table. I’ll be right back.”

Wade caught her arm. After her extended stay in the ladies’ room, he wasn’t about to let her go off on her own. Not while he still had his marbles. He intended to spend the rest of the day joined at the hip to the duchess. “The answer is no. We’ll go together,” he said firmly, and took her arm. “Lead on.”

May dug in her heels. “You still do not trust me, do you? Where do you think I would go?”

“No farther than I can throw a stick,” he said frankly. “The rules are that you’re not going anywhere without me. But don’t let that spoil your appetite.” He led her to the Happy Burrito food stall.

To his amusement May was as good as her word. She was either actually starving or she was putting on a good show. She finally headed for a vacant table carrying a tray laden with a variety of Mexican foods. He passed up his turn to order and strode after her. Whatever she’d chosen would have to be enough for two.

Maybe he had been wrong about her, Wade thought as he followed her swaying hips to a newly vacant table. After an amused glance at her full tray, he’d known he wouldn’t have to worry about her pulling a disappearing act, at least for a while. She’d be too busy eating.

He sat back and surveyed the territory. They were surrounded by enough people to make up a small army. Foreign visitors mingled with American tourists. Maybe even some visitors from countries surrounding Baronovia, he thought unhappily as he checked out the area. Maybe even some from countries that were apparently determined to block a United States presence there.

He remained troubled as the duchess ate her way through her lunch. She glanced up as she dug a corn chip into small plastic dish of hot salsa and held it up to his lips. “Would you like to share?”

Mesmerized by the way she licked a bit of salsa from her lips, Wade opened his mouth for the spicy tidbit. When her fingers grazed his lips, his heart skipped a beat or two. As long as this was a game, he was a willing participant. But that was as far as he intended to go. “Kind of spicy, isn’t it?”

She dipped another corn chip into salsa and chewed happily. Another bit of salsa clung to the corner of her lips. Instinctively he leaned forward and wiped it away with a gentle fingertip. Their eyes met. Hers were wide with a question.

He didn’t know what she was thinking, but he realized his gesture had been more intimate than it should have been. Damn! Much more of this and he’d be putty in her hands. “Just trying to be helpful,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said with a winsome smile. “I find I like Mexican food. I shall have to find a way to bring it to Baronovia.”

Wade thought rapidly. No matter if she’d invited him to call her May while in public, even in private, touching her was not appropriate behavior for an escort. Why had the duchess welcomed his intimate touch? Was it an act?

Or, more to the point, was she now the real May and no longer the devious duchess Mary Louise?

As if to remind him he was her bodyguard as well as her escort, the holster and his Beretta dug into the side of his chest. At the reminder, he tensed and casually glanced around to make sure no one was paying undue attention to them. He would have felt a lot better about being so exposed to danger if he could be certain the Secret Service had caught up with them.

Her appetite momentarily satisfied, May gazed happily around her. The Old Post Office and the air of excitement generated by the hundreds of tourists were just what she wanted to experience. Stone tributes honoring the American heroes she’d known from studying history books were not.

She understood her escort’s appreciation of the places she had said she wanted to visit. The commander was, in or out of the uniform that had attracted her, in the service of his country.

She would have been pleased if he’d worn his uniform now.

She shouldn’t complain, she thought as she gazed at Wade Stevens. Dressed in beige slacks, loose matching jacket and a white shirt open to his throat, he looked like an ordinary tourist. What he couldn’t hide was that he was a military man. At least, not to her. She’d reviewed enough military parades in the company of her father to recognize the proud demeanor and the assurance of a military man.

She yearned to be plain May Baron. To have a man like Wade for her own. To have the child she hadn’t been able to conceive when she was married. Foolish dreams, she told herself and lowered her eyes. She was a dowager duchess with a future royal role yet to be played.





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