Noelle disconnected the call feeling marginally less anxious. Pretending to be engaged to Geoff was a ridiculous ploy, but hopefully one that would buy her enough space to get her emotions back under control. Christian had been on the offensive since Brooke and Nic’s wedding. Every step he’d taken had backed Noelle into a corner. It was time she came out swinging.
* * *
Christian sat at his favorite table in Seillan’s, one of Carone’s finest restaurants featuring French cuisine. It was owned by a long-time friend of his, world-renowned chef Michel Seillan.
“Hello, P.C. Are you dining alone?” Michel gripped Christian’s shoulder in an affectionate vise. The two men had gone to school together since they were seven years old and had spent a great deal of time tearing up the clubs of London and Paris in their early twenties. The nickname P.C. had evolved when Michel had complained that addressing Christian as Prince Christian took too long.
“No, I’m expecting a couple of friends.”
“Female? And are you needing some help to entertain them?”
“Only one is a woman, and when have I ever needed help keeping women entertained?”
“Years ago, I might have agreed with you, but lately you’ve slowed down.” Michel smirked.
“These days I’m more interested in quality than quantity.”
With a laugh and another thump on Christian’s shoulder, Michel departed. Minutes later a waiter appeared with a dry vodka martini. Christian resisted the urge to down the drink. For some reason, he wasn’t feeling calm as the top of the hour approached.
Noelle might not be in love with the British barrister she was bringing to dinner, but that didn’t mean the reverse was true. During the years when Christian and Noelle had been together, he’d never worried that another man might steal her away. She’d been devoted to him first as a friend and then as a lover. But that was before he’d sent her away. Before she’d had to raise their child on her own for four years.
Christian had never been one for settling down. No doubt Noelle continued to view him that way. The fact that he had to marry in order to produce an heir for the kingdom didn’t exactly recommend his willingness or ability to be a good husband.
What if Noelle was ready to build a life with someone steady? To have more children? She’d want a man with a constant heart who’d devote unwavering attention to her needs.
The sip of the martini he’d taken stuck in Christian’s suddenly tight throat. He coughed and coughed again as the liquor burned. Through watering eyes, he spotted Noelle entering the restaurant.
She was eye-catching in a fifties-inspired black dress with a bodice embroidered in gold flowers that hugged her torso and bared her arms. A wide band of black fabric made her waist look incredibly tiny, and the full skirt skimmed her knees. She wove between the tables with effortless grace, and Christian’s heart twisted. The lively smile curving her full red lips was for the man who trailed after her. She’d always been pretty, but confidence and happiness had transformed her into a vivacious beauty. Desire stirred in Christian. But it wasn’t his hormones that came to life. He wanted her, not just as a sexual partner, but as a supportive companion who lightened his bad moods and made his troubles fade away.
He’d forgotten how easily she aroused his emotions. How she made him ache for her laughter and long for the soothing caress of her fingers through his hair.
Christian stood as Noelle and her escort approached the table. The man was considerably older than Christian expected. Tall and lean, with blond hair and laugh lines around his gray eyes, he had close to two decades on Noelle. Seeing the level of fondness in her eyes, Christian was prepared to dislike the man intensely.
“Good evening, Noelle,” Christian said, keeping his roiling emotions out of his tone.
“Good evening, Your Royal Highness. I would like to introduce you to Geoff Coomb. Geoff, this is Prince Christian Alessandro.”
Noelle’s companion had a firm handshake and returned Christian’s assessing gaze with confidence that made Christian despise him even more. “It was kind of you to join us for dinner.”
“Not at all.”
Us.
The word on the man’s lips bothered Christian more than he liked. It spoke of a familiarity that he no longer enjoyed with Noelle. He’d underestimated the threat her relationship with Coomb represented. While Christian had fully intended to convince Noelle to marry him through whatever means necessary, he’d presumed his methods would involve seduction and winning his son’s love. He hadn’t considered she might be perfectly happy with the affection and emotional support she received from Coomb.
Resisting the desire to scowl at the lawyer, Christian fixed a pleasant expression on his face and stepped forward to hold Noelle’s chair out for her. To his annoyance, Geoff was there a beat faster, and she flashed him another of her enchanting smiles as she sat. Christian waited until Coomb settled and then fell into the role of perfect host, all the while digging into the history between the two so he could figure out the best way to win Noelle back.
“Noelle told me you two met years ago in Paris.”
“At a party,” Geoff said, regarding Noelle with an intimate smile. “She was the most beautiful woman in the room.”
Christian had little doubt of that. “And you’ve been together all these years?”
“We were friends awhile before we began to date,” Noelle said, favoring Coomb with another of her glowing smiles. “Neither one of us was ready to jump into anything right away.”
“I’d lost my wife a few months earlier to cancer.” Geoff covered Noelle’s right hand with his. “Noelle was a good friend to me. We grew very close.”
Close was what Noelle and Christian had been until he’d ruined everything.
“Geoff kept me from quitting during that first year in Paris. Without his encouragement I would have run home at least once a week.”
Despite the jealousy raging through him, Christian was glad Noelle had had someone to support her when he couldn’t. He’d been too self-absorbed to appreciate what he had until it was too late. And then too stubborn to reach out and fix what he’d broken. After the accident, he’d reasoned Noelle had been better off without him. And he’d been right. She’d sacrificed too much to be with him.
But that was then. The noble part of him that had let her go five years earlier was no longer in charge of his actions. He was older and wiser these days. They had a son. She and Marc belonged with him.
The waiter brought Noelle a glass of red wine and a scotch for Coomb. As Noelle lifted her left hand to pick up her drink, the light from the chandelier overhead caught in the enormous diamond adorning her ring finger. Noelle noticed Christian’s riveted attention, and her expression grew positively radiant.
“We’re engaged.”
“That’s rather sudden.” And convenient. The engagement had moved her beyond his grasp. Suspicious, Christian eyed the older man, hoping for some sign of subterfuge, but saw only fondness as the lawyer gazed at Noelle.
“Not sudden at all,” Coomb replied. “We’ve been heading this way for years.”
“You seemed content with the relationship as it was,” Christian pointed out to Noelle. Had she been surprised by this turn of events, or was she guilty of deliberately misleading him? The Noelle he’d known had been free of guile. He didn’t like to think she’d changed so much.
“I am content with our relationship in all its forms.” Noelle gave Coomb a sweet smile. “I feel so very lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life.”
Christian’s gut ached as if he’d been kicked. Something ugly and dark formed inside him as he watched Noelle bask in Coomb’s affection. Curses reverberated in Christian’s thoughts. Being the uncomfortable third wheel wasn’t how he’d expected the evening to go.
