I grin at her, eager to begin our next round of pleasure. “I didn’t expect you to keep me waiting so long.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, glancing back at the window. “I was just…distracted.”

I frown. I thought I’d allayed most of her fears about the media.

“Elle,” I say gently, walking toward her. “We’re safe in here. We just have to wait for them to get bored out there.” I give her my most reassuring smile, but inside, I’m not sure that even I believe my own words. Sure, I have strategies for dealing with the press—but normally, I only have myself to consider. The world already knows who I am, and aside from that night in Prague with Andrew, they already know most of my secrets.

And while my family’s wealth and influence can occasionally be used to persuade the American news media, I doubt that is a viable option on this particular occasion—not without the support of my father and older brother. In truth, I am as worried about the reporters as she seems to be, but I was hoping my cheery reassurance would put her at ease.

That’s why you’re here, remember. To support her. To be here by her side when—if—any news about her breaks.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her.

“Leo…”

I can tell by the slightly exasperated look she gives me that she still doesn’t fully believe me.

“I’ll be here by your side through everything.” I’m standing in front of her now, and I reach out and hook a finger beneath her chin, tilting her face up. I don’t know how many times I have to say it before she’ll let herself believe me.

Her eyes are guarded. “Leo…I get it. You don’t want me to deal with them alone. And I’m even willing to admit that you and I might find some enjoyable ways to entertain ourselves while they’re out there. But don’t keep lying to me by pretending that you’re not going to leave me after all this is all over.”

I frown. “I’ve already said—”

“You’ve also already dumped me—or have you forgotten that part?

I sigh. “I’ve already explained why I left, Elle. And why I returned.”

“And if those reporters weren’t out there, you’d still be gone. That’s exactly my point.” She shakes her head. “I’m not trying to start another argument. I just want you to stop lying to me.” She reaches forward, and her fingers brush against my cock, sending a fresh jolt of desire through me. “And now, I just want to forget all of this and get back to other things.”

I want so much to do just that, but I force myself to step back, away from her touch.

“Why do you find it so difficult to believe that someone might have more than a passing interest in you, Elle?” I ask her. “Because of that bastard of a professor? Or that vile boss of yours?” Just thinking about what she told me those men did to her makes my blood burn hot. “Elle, you cannot let the abhorrent actions of those men keep you from being happy. You deserve more than that.”

“This isn’t about them. This is about me. I have to protect myself.”

“This doesn’t end when the paparazzi go away,” I tell her. “For good or for ill, our stories are connected now. And not just because of the press. Even if they go digging into your past—”

“This isn’t about my past. This is about right now. About not letting this get too far.”

It’s too late for that. Far, far too late.

“I know who you are, Leo,” she says before I can speak. “The whole world knows. You love women. Lots and lots of women. And maybe you’ve convinced yourself that it’s different this time, that you won’t get bored with me, but you will. You always do.” She goes back to the little window next to the door. She peeks outside before turning back toward me. “We’ve had some fun. Maybe we’ll have a little more fun before you go. But you will go.”

I’m next to her in three strides. “I’m not leaving, Elle.”

“Yes, you are.” Her face softens slightly. “I know you think you’re doing the right thing by staying here with me, and I appreciate the thought, but I always knew we’d have to go back to our normal lives. You don’t have to keep putting on this whole show. Trust me—I’m not worth it.”

Not…worth it?

I grab her face in my hands, my eyes desperately searching hers.

“How in God’s name could you possibly believe such a thing?” I demand. “How could you possibly think you aren’t worth any of this? Elle, you are beautiful, passionate, courageous. You aren’t afraid to fight fiercely for the things you care for, and at the same time, you can be so gentle, so compassionate, that it takes my breath away. You are a woman of value, Elle. Is it really so much of a surprise that I might want you? That I might even care for you?”

“You’ve been with a lot of women,” she says, lifting her eyes back to mine.

“Why does that matter?”

“I’m not the sort of woman you usually date. I’m not some perfect little actress or supermodel.”

I press closer to her, my mouth curling up slightly. “Exactly.” I’ve had enough of starlets and supermodels.

But she shakes her head. “This is just a joke to you, isn’t it?”

After everything, how can she not understand? How can she not feel it in every bone in her body?

“I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Elle, but no woman has ever affected me like this before. I don’t even understand what I’m doing anymore.” I move my face down closer to hers. “You’ve turned me into a madman, Elle. I’ve lost all sense of reason. Every time I think I have control over myself again I find myself drawn back in. Pulled under your spell once more.”

Her eyes fall closed, but otherwise, she doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak.

“I suspect you feel it, too, or we wouldn’t be in this situation,” I continue. “We both know it would be far simpler to stay apart. But there’s no denying what is happening between us, Elle, no matter what you tell yourself about whether or not you deserve it. You can’t deny this sort of truth.” My fingers dig into her back. “It doesn’t matter that this entire affair is ill-advised or complicated. It doesn’t matter that we’ve only known each other a short time. There is something here I’ve never experienced before, and I’m beginning to understand that I have no choice in the matter. It’s deep in my blood now. You are deep in my blood.”

Her eyes open and her hand comes up to rest against my chest. Her fingers burn against my bare skin, and I’m once again acutely aware that I’m still completely naked.

“There are things you still don’t know about me,” she says. “Things I’m not ready to tell you.”

“That’s fair, as there are things I’m not yet ready to tell you, either.” I loosen my grip on her slightly and let the fingers of one hand begin to slide slowly up her back. “But don’t use that as an excuse to deny what is happening between us right here. Right now.”

But she shakes her head again. “I still don’t understand why. Why do you care?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” My head dips even lower. “We are both the sort of people who are inclined to run from an emotional connection, are we not? And yet here we are again. There is no why, Elle. I didn’t choose to feel this way. I simply do.”

There’s a question in her eyes—perhaps multiple questions—as she brings her other hand up to my chest. I let my fingers move further up her back, stroking her gently. “What happens when they leave?” she asks.

The departure of the reporters might signify many things—perhaps it will mean they’ve found a bigger story, or perhaps it will be only the beginning of our struggles—but that’s not what she’s asking. She wants to know what happens to us.

“That depends,” I say carefully.

“On what?” She shifts her gaze down to the fingers she has pressed against my chest. “Leo, I need to know if you’re just going to walk away again the moment they leave. You can go on all you want about how none of this is a choice, but you made it a choice this morning when you decided to end things. I don’t care how noble your reasons were.”

“Things have changed,” I tell her.

“And what happens when they change again? When the reporters aren’t an immediate concern?”

I don’t think she comprehends how long they will be a concern, that the media isn’t something that can be switched on and off like a faucet.

“You’re here because you feel responsible,” she continues. “But you’re a prince, Leo. We live in completely different worlds.”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

“But it matters to me. I love my job, Leo. I have things I want to do in this world. I can’t sacrifice my career for something that can only ever be a temporary distraction.”

“I’ve already told you this isn’t a temporary distraction for me,” I say, growing frustrated.

“It can’t be anything else. Leo, you live on a different continent. And even if you have the money to visit me whenever you like, you’ll still have responsibilities. I’ll still have responsibilities, assuming I manage to find a job after this is over.” Her fingers curl slightly against my chest, and she finally looks up at me again. There’s no anger in her eyes—only a sadness, a tenderness that I feel deep in my bones. “This was never, ever going to last, Leo. And I can’t let myself fall in any deeper.”

I’m already in too deep. There’s no stopping it now, no halting the course of things. I haven’t let myself think about the future—I never do. Why should I? The world changes around us constantly. This morning, I thought I could leave Elle. Now, I have no intention of doing anything but staying with her for as long as circumstances allow.

Soon, I will have to think about how I will handle Andrew—and my father. But there is no reason for us to concern ourselves with potential future responsibilities that don’t even exist yet. We don’t know what will happen in the coming days. I only know that nothing she can say will make me leave her now.

“Leo,” she says softly, and her head falls forward, her forehead coming to rest against my chest. “Leo, I’m not sure I can put myself through that.”

Her breath is warm against my chest, and gooseflesh ripples across my skin. My body has started to come alive again, aroused by her nearness.

I let my hand slide into her hair. “I won’t leave you.”

“You have to.”

“No, I don’t. And I won’t. I refuse to make any decisions based on your unfounded fears about the future.”

She lifts her head. “They’re not unfounded. How exactly do you suggest we make this work?”

“There will be time to address any issues as they arise,” I tell her. “There’s no point in speculating about challenges we have yet to understand.”

She presses her lips together. She must be running out of excuses, and her eyes glisten slightly as she pulls back. She doesn’t cry, though, and her hands remain on my chest.

“Part of me wants to believe you,” she says. “But I’ve made too many errors of judgment around you already. I’m not one of those silly, naive girls who believes that I’m different. That I’m the one magical woman who can change you and cure you of your womanizing ways. That’s not how this world works. And it’s definitely not how my world works.”

“Elle, you are different,” I insist.

I can see in her eyes that she still doesn’t believe me. That she’s still determined to drive a wedge between us, to push me away before we’re drawn deeper into this madness. I thought I made it clear that it’s too late for me, that I’m beyond hope. But perhaps I need to make some grand gesture before she’ll accept the truth. I want to be with her, and I want the whole world to know it.

I don’t think. Right now, there’s no thought for potential consequences. No concern for how my father or my older brother or the rest of the world might react. I care about one thing and one thing only—showing Elle that I will most definitely not be going anywhere.

I yank her the rest of the way toward me, capturing her mouth in a kiss before she even has the chance to make a sound of surprise. She stiffens for the briefest of moments, then melts against me, kissing me with a passion that matches my own. Her response only encourages me. She may try to drive me away with her words, but it’s clear from the reaction of her body that her need goes just as deep as mine.

Perhaps this is enough. Perhaps joining in passion again will make her see that this thing between us cannot be denied. But I suspect I need to do something more.

Without breaking the kiss, I twist her slightly. One of my hands presses deeper into her back, while the other slips away and finds the handle to the door. I give it a quick twist, then kick out with my leg and send the door flying open.

Exposing us completely to the paparazzi outside.

* * *