The Royal Collection. Rebecca Winters

afraid everything will change. Elena told me your father’s daily schedule is horrendous, so I consider this time precious to have you all to myself. Tomorrow we’ll reach our destination, so I’m taking advantage of the time to talk to you.”

      “You’ve always been so easy to be with, Christina. You still are.” More than ever... He clicked the remote and flipped slowly through the titles so she could have time to choose.

      “Stop!” she cried out. “The African Queen in Italian? Half of that film was filmed in the Congo!”

      Antonio grinned. “I never saw it.”

      “I bet we have Elena to thank for this one.” She smiled. “Trust her to find me a film I’d enjoy. Do you mind if we watch it?”

      “Not at all. It will give me a feel for where you’ve lived and worked all these years.”

      “I never worked in the Congo. The Kikuyu tribe lives on the central highlands, but it doesn’t matter. The part in the Congo is authentic. Just don’t forget it’s an old, old movie, Antonio.”

      He flashed her a smile that turned her heart over. “I like old if it’s good.”

      “This is good. I promise.”

      Christina settled back to watch the film while she finished her sandwich. She could tell Antonio liked it. He kept asking questions as if he was truly interested. Maybe he was. But if she continued to wonder when his reactions were natural or made up to please her every time he spoke, their marriage didn’t have a hope of succeeding.

      “The actress is a redhead like you.”

      “The poor thing. She probably suffered a lot as a child.”

      “She became a movie star, Christina. It obviously didn’t hurt her.”

      He lay back on the bed and slid his hand into her hair splayed on the pillow. He lifted some strands in his fingers. “I love your hair. It gleams like red gold and smells like citrus.”

      “My shampoo is called Lemon Orange Peel. When I’m in Africa I have to use a shampoo with no scent so the tsetse flies and mosquitoes won’t zero in on me.”

      “You’d be a target all right. Do you love it there so much?”

      “Yes.”

      “You’re wonderful, you know that?”

      Her eyes filled with telltale moisture.

      His hand moved to her face. He traced the outline of her jaw with his fingers. “You have flawless skin and a mouth I need to kiss again.” Without asking her permission his lips brushed hers over and over until he coaxed them apart and began drinking deeply.

      A moan escaped her throat as she felt herself falling under his spell. He rolled her into his rock-hard body. A myriad of sensations attacked her as she felt him rub her back, urging her closer. With every stroke, her body continued to melt as the heat started building inside her, making her feverish. Antonio was taking her to a place she’d never been before.

      She wasn’t cognizant of the fasten-seat-belt sign flashing until the captain’s voice came over the intercom. “We’ve started to experience turbulence. For your safety, you need to come forward and sit until we get through this.”

      On a groan Antonio released her, much more in control than she was. “Come on. Let’s go.” He got off the bed and helped her to her feet.

      She couldn’t believe how bumpy it had become and clung to him while they made their way out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the couches. Christina had so much trouble fastening her seat belt that Antonio did it for her and then fastened his own.

      “It’s going to be all right.” He reached for her hand.

      The incident didn’t last long. When the sign went off, she undid her seat belt and got up before Antonio did. “It’s late. If you don’t mind, I’m going to get ready for bed. Last night I hardly slept and now I’m exhausted.”

      After he undid his seat belt, he stood up. “You go ahead. I’m going to have a chat with the captain and will see you in the morning.” He put a hand behind her head and pressed a firm kiss to her mouth before releasing her. “Get a good sleep.”

      “You too,” she whispered before walking back to the bedroom she’d just left. Her legs felt like mush, but this had nothing to do with the bumpy flight. The kiss he’d just given her was able to reduce her to a trembling bride. A little while ago she’d experienced the kind of passion that would have rendered her witless and breathless given another minute in his arms.

      Frightened because she’d almost lost control, she showered and got ready for bed. Once under the covers she had a talk with herself. It was too soon in their marriage for the physical side to take over. She didn’t doubt Antonio’s intentions. He was doing his best to be a considerate husband. There was nothing wrong with that, not at all. But she wanted to know his possession and realized this was what she got for entering into a marriage of convenience.

      I don’t want to be his convenient bride.

      Christina wanted him to make love to her because he was in love with her and couldn’t live without her. She wanted Antonio in every way a woman wanted her husband. From the age of fifteen she’d been attracted to him. All it had taken was that kiss at the altar to turn her inside out.

      What have you done to me, Antonio?

      She closed her eyes, reeling from that torturous question until she fell into oblivion. The next time she was aware of her surroundings, her watch indicated she’d slept ten hours. All in all, they’d been flying twenty hours with refueling stops she hadn’t been aware of. That meant they were close to their unknown destination.

      If Antonio had come to her in the night, she didn’t know about it. Chances were he’d been exhausted too and needed sleep as much as she did. She threw off the covers and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and arrange her hair back in a French twist.

      The more she thought about it, the more she believed they were flying to a beach vacation. After some deliberation, she chose to put on a pair of white pants and toned it with a filmy white top of aqua swirls that looked like sea spray. The short sleeves and round neck made it summery. Once she’d put on lipstick, she packed her bag so it would be ready to carry off the jet.

      Antonio must have had the same thoughts, because when she walked through the plane to the dining area, she discovered him dressed in white pants and a white crew-neck shirt with navy blue trim. His virility took her breath.

      As she approached, he broke off talking to the steward. “I was just about to come and wake you for breakfast. We’ll be landing pretty soon. I’ve been told we don’t want to miss the view before we touch down.”

      “That sounds exciting. How did you sleep?” She sat down at one of the tables.

      He took his place opposite her. “I don’t think as well as you.”

      “I’m sorry.”

      “Don’t be. I’m a restless sleeper when I travel. When we touched down to refuel, I got out of the jet to stretch my legs. I peeked in on you to see if you wanted some exercise too, but you were out like a light.”

      She felt Antonio’s admiring gaze before the steward served them another delicious meal that started off with several types of chilled melon balls in a mint juice. “Mmm. This is awesome.”

      “I agree,” he said, still eyeing her face and hair over his cup of cappuccino until she felt a fluttery sensation in her chest.

      They ate healthy servings of eggs, bread and jam. If she ate like this for every meal, she’d quickly put on the weight she’d slowly lost over the past year.

      The steward came to their table. “The pilot will be addressing you in a minute. When you’re through eating, please take your seats in the front section. He’ll start the descent, allowing you a bird’s-eye