At His Majesty's Convenience / Her Little Secret, His Hidden Heir: At His Majesty's Convenience. Jennifer Lewis

cool. “I had no idea you were involved with your assistant.”

      “You know how these things are. It seemed … unprofessional, but you can’t halt the course of true love.” He’d already explained the same to three other would-be queens, so it rolled naturally off his tongue.

      “Indeed.” She cleared her throat. “Daddy accuses you of toying with my affections, but I assured him that I’m a big girl and that he should still fund the new industrial development.”

      These veiled threats were becoming familiar, too.

      “I do hope he will. We look forward to entertaining you both at the palace again soon.” He was smiling when he hung up the phone. Right now everything was going as smoothly as could be expected. He was now officially off the hook for choosing the next queen of Ruthenia. No one had actually pulled support from any key projects or threatened to fund a revolution. It was probably a plus that he hadn’t offended one Ruthenian big shot by choosing the daughter of another. Selecting his American assistant as his bride had left all the local families equally offended—or mollified. And so far things were working out nicely.

      He couldn’t understand why he’d never plotted this tidy solution together with Andi, before she lost her memory. Choosing his wife now seemed like an agenda item he’d neatly checked off.

      “Why don’t you join me on the sofa?” Her come-hither stare and soft tones beckoned to him.

      Blood rushed to his nether regions and he stiffened. Of course there were some aspects of their engagement that should remain off-limits until Andi’s memory came back. It was one thing to pretend to love your assistant, it was quite another thing to actually make love to her.

      “That dinner was delicious, but I find I’m still hungry.” Andi’s blue eyes sparkled. She curled her legs under her and stretched one arm sensually along the top of sofa.

      Her voice called to a part of him that wasn’t at all practical. Jake was struck by a cruel vision of the black lacy underwear beneath her jeans and T-shirt. She’ll be angry if you sleep with her under false pretenses.

      But were they really false? He did intend to marry her.

      Which was funny, as he’d never planned to marry anyone. His parents’ long and arduous union—all duty and no joy—had put him off the whole institution from an early age. They’d married because they were a “suitable” match, his father the son of the exiled monarch and his mother the daughter of a prominent noble, also in exile. They’d soon discovered they had nothing in common but blue Ruthenian blood, yet they’d held up the charade for five decades in the hope they’d one day inhabit this palace and put the Ruthenian crest on their stationery again.

      They were both gone by the time the “new regime” crumbled and Ruthenia decided it wanted its monarchy back. Jake had assumed the mantle of political duty, but it didn’t seem fair or reasonable to expect him to take it into his bedroom, as well.

      He’d much rather take Andi into his bedroom. Her lips looked so inviting in that sensual half smile. And he could just imagine how those long legs would feel wrapped around his waist….

      But that was a really bad idea. When she got her memory back she’d likely be pretty steamed about the whole scenario he’d cooked up. She’d be downright furious if he took advantage of her affections, as well. Much better if they kept their hands to themselves until they could talk things over sensibly.

      “Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” His voice sounded tight.

      “Why? I’m not going to sleep there, am I?” She raised a brow. She seemed far more relaxed, bolder, than he’d seen her so far. She was obviously feeling comfortable, even if her memory still showed no signs of returning.

      “I think you should. It’s a question of propriety.”

      She giggled. “You are joking.”

      “No.” He felt a bit offended. “It’s a royal thing.”

      “So, we’ve never …?” She rose from the sofa in an athletic leap and strode across the room. “I don’t remember the details about my own life, but I remember general stuff and I’m pretty sure that it’s totally normal for dating couples to … sleep together. So I don’t believe that we’ve been dating for years and never done more than kiss.”

      Jake shrugged. She had a point. If only she knew he was trying to protect her. “Okay, I admit we may have been … intimate. But now that we’re engaged and it’s all official and formal, I think we should play by the rules.”

      “Whose rules?” She raised her hand and stroked his cheek with her fingers.

      His groin tightened and he cleared his throat. “Those official, hundreds-of-years-old rules that the king should keep his hands off his future bride until after the wedding.”

      Her mouth lifted into a wicked smile. “These hands?” She picked up his hands and placed them squarely on her hips. Heat rose in his blood as he took in the curves beneath his palms. She wriggled her hips slightly, sending shock waves of desire pulsing through him.

      I’m in full control of my hands and my mind. The thought did nothing to reassure him, especially when one of his hands started to wander toward her backside. Andi pressed her lips to his and her familiar scent filled his senses. Next thing he knew his hands were straying up and down her back, enjoying the soft curves under his palms.

      His pants grew tight as Andi pressed her chest against his. He could just imagine what those deliciously firm breasts must look like in her lacy bra. If he coaxed her out of her T-shirt—which would not be difficult—he could find out right away.

      But that might lead to other things.

      In fact, he was one hundred percent sure that it would.

      He pulled back from the kiss with considerable effort. “Don’t you have some … embroidery to do or something?”

      “Embroidery?” Laughter sparkled in her clear blue eyes. “Do I really embroider stuff?”

      He chuckled. “Not that I know of, but does a man really know what his fiancée gets up to in the privacy of her room?”

      “I guess that depends how much time he spends there.” She raised a brow. “Maybe we should go to my room?”

      Jake froze. That seemed like a really bad idea. Which underlined what a bad idea all this kissing and cuddling was. Much better to keep things professional, with just enough hint of romance to keep the people around them convinced. At least until Andi came back to her senses.

      He flinched as Andi’s fingers crept beneath the waistband of his pants. He’d grown rock hard and the thought of pushing her away was downright painful. Her soft cheek nuzzled against his and his fingers wandered into her hair. She looked so different with her hair loose, much less formal and more inviting.

      Her cool fingers slid under his shirt and skated up his spine. Jake arched into the sensation, pulling her tighter into his embrace. Her breathing was faster and her pink lips flushed and parted. He couldn’t resist sticking his tongue into her mouth and she responded in kind, until they were kissing hard and fast again.

      “Still think I should go to my room?” She rasped the question when they came up for air.

      “Definitely not.” He had to take this woman to bed, whether it was a good idea or not.

      He reached under her T-shirt and cupped her breast, enjoying the sensation of skin and scratchy lace under his fingers. He could feel her heartbeat pounding, like his own, as anticipation built toward boiling point.

      “Let’s go into the bedroom.” He disentangled himself from her with some effort and led her into the other room. The plain white bedcovers looked like an enticing playground and he couldn’t wait to spread her out on them and uncover her step by step.

      He swept her off her feet—eliciting a shriek of delight—and laid