Except Alex had asked him to come, and he hadn’t wanted to disappoint her. If he was going to be honest with himself, he would also admit he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. She wasn’t going to be in his life forever, and when she was gone he would miss her. So rather than waste time, he would put up with the formalities and the State Department and even the press.
They entered the ballroom. There was an instant hush, followed by a burst of conversation. Mitch kept a few steps back as Alex was introduced to the waiting dignitaries. He saw the men watching her and the women talking about her, and he knew it wasn’t all because she was royal. Some of it was because of how she looked.
They’d spent the past three days in bed, discovering each other. Although he knew every inch of her body and could reduce her to damp, quivering passion in about thirty seconds, he hadn’t known she was a princess. Not really down-to-his-bones known, the way he had when she’d come out of their bathroom in their suite. In a matter of less than an hour, with some cosmetics, hot curlers and whatever magic it seemed women knew from birth, she’d transformed herself. He’d always thought she was hot and sexy, but she’d turned into stunning and regal, as well.
She wore a long, silk, strapless gown in deep red. The soft fabric clung to her curves, outlining the perfect shape of her body. The same fabric draped across her midsection and fell to the floor forming a kind of train. A diamond and ruby necklace with matching, dangling earrings caught the red of the dress and sparkled in the light. He figured there was enough carat weight around her neck alone to finance about ten thousand head of cattle. Her long, auburn hair had been piled high on her head in a riot of curls anchored in place with an honest-to-God tiara. The kind he’d only ever seen in pictures. She’d told him it was nearly four hundred years old and insured for six million dollars. Sixmillionfor headgear. Who would have thought? She wore long, red gloves and an antique-looking bracelet around her left wrist. He hadn’t dared to ask the value of that bauble.
As the crowd pressed around them, Mitch found himself pushed farther away from Alex. In three-inch heels, she towered over many of the people around her, so it wasn’t hard to keep her in view.
This would be, he realized, her husband’s lot in life. Once, she’d talked about the special characteristics necessary for a man to function as partner to a princess. The situation would be worse if Alex became queen of her country. Mitch stepped back and walked over to the bar, ordered himself a drink, then leaned against one of the room’s pillars.
Dozens of tables had been set up for an elaborate dinner. There was a huge dance floor, a full orchestra and a podium. Mitch had already listened to Alex practice her speech that afternoon. They’d edited it a couple of times, then gone over it until she was comfortable with the material. She was a natural at public speaking. His gaze settled on her deft handling of the mass of people around her. She was good at a lot of things.
He was going to have a hell of a time letting her go, he thought grimly. She’d become the best part of his world. His feelings had gone way beyond liking, but he wasn’t going to waste any time exploring what else they might be. He knew his place, and it was in Arizona, not Wynborough. Not that she was making him any offers.
But he found he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her face as she spoke with the various people being introduced to her. Nor could he help smiling and winking when she glanced up, searched the room, then visibly relaxed when her gaze met his. She gave a tiny shrug as if to say this couldn’t be helped. He nodded in return. He knew she had to do her thing, and when she was finished, he would go to her. After all, she’d promised him the first dance.
* * *
‘‘You’re kidding,’’ he said two hours later as the orchestra started playing.
Alex shook her head. ‘‘I’m sorry, Mitch. I thought you understood.’’
He glanced around at the several hundred people in the huge ballroom. When he’d jokingly asked her for the first dance, he hadn’t realized that as the guest of honor, she and her escort would be dancing together… alone…on display.
‘‘Guess I should have paid more attention at those dance lessons,’’ he said.
She brightened. ‘‘You took lessons?’’
‘‘No. That was a joke. But I’ll muddle through.’’
Just like he’d muddled through the rest of the evening. After about thirty minutes of mingling, one of the State Department folks had led him to Alex’s side where he’d had the privilege of escorting her to dinner. There, he’d made polite conversation with a senator and his wife, and the lieutenant governor of California. Not bad for a rancher and former rodeo rider.
‘‘You’re hating this,’’ Alex murmured as he pulled back her chair, then led her onto the dance floor.
‘‘Not at all.’’
She sighed, then stepped into his arms. ‘‘You are. I can tell. You have this scrunchy expression around your eyes.’’
Mitch laughed. ‘‘Scrunchy? Is that a royal word?’’
‘‘No, but I understand these things can be a royal pain. You’ve been very understanding, and I appreciate that. I’m sorry we were separated earlier, but that happens. I have so many people I have to talk with.’’
‘‘I understand,’’ he told her. ‘‘You ran me through the drill before we got here, so there weren’t any surprises. I’m not mad. Quit worrying.’’
She was standing so close that it was easy to move with her. The music had a steady beat, and after a couple of circles around the dance floor, other couples joined them.
Her gaze was steady. ‘‘I really appreciate you doing this for me.’’
‘‘I know. It’s fine.’’
‘‘I mean it.’’
‘‘Alex.’’ He growled her name. ‘‘Let it go. I want to be here, because I want to be with you.’’
She leaned close and pressed her mouth to his ear. ‘‘I want to be with you, too, but I think it would cause something of a scandal if we did it right here on the dance floor. So let’s wait until we get back to the room.’’
Her words aroused him. He tried to think neutral thoughts so that his body wouldn’t respond in an obvious and predictable manner. The last thing he needed was to get a lecture from Miles on the impropriety of getting a hard-on while dancing with a foreign dignitary.
