cheeks. She dropped the towel back on the counter and made a quick escape.
In the bedroom, she tugged a new shirt and pants from the wardrobe and dressed the irate child.
“Unca Julie stupid.” Sammy announced.
“Uncle Julian was helping you.” She corrected the boy. Her hands shook with relief at seeing him alert and talking. “You were asleep and would not wake up. Uncle Julian took you into the shower so the water would revive you.”
He considered that while she put his right shoe on. “What revive mean?”
“It means wake up.” A deep voice answered from the bathroom door. Julian stood there attired in a towel tucked low on his hips. “How you doing, lad?”
Sammy eyed his uncle. “You waked me up in the shower.”
“Yes.”
“Why was I sleeping a lot?”
“The doctor gave you some medicine,” Katrina explained when Julian seemed at a loss for an answer. “But Uncle Julian is not going to let him give you the medicine anymore.”
“It was bad medicine?”
“No, but medicine is different for everyone because everyone is different. You are little and Uncle Julian and I are bigger, so we can take something that may not work as well for you.”
“Cause I little?”
“Yes.” Good enough for the child’s explanation anyway.
“Is that my present from GiGi?” He scrambled to his knees on the bed and pointed. A large gift bag with a smiling puppy on the front sat on a table inside the door to the sitting room.
“Yes,” Julian confirmed. “You can open it if you like.”
The boy was across the room in a shot, pulling a good-sized dump truck from a cloud of tissue. “A tuck!” He dropped to the floor and began to play.
Tears stung the back of her eyes. Distracted by the rude awakening in the shower and now the gift from his great-grandmother he was happily occupied, but he’d soon remember the loss of his parents.
And she would be there for him, she vowed silently. As heart-wrenching as his pain was to witness, she preferred it to the unresponsiveness of overmedication.
“Hey.” Warm fingers wrapped around her hand. “He’s okay.”
“Yes.” Rather than gape at Julian’s naked chest, she looked down to where his large hand engulfed her smaller one. She’d missed his touch. The heat coming off him warmed her, and she felt the shaking ease. “I am sorry for the things I said, but seeing him so listless scared me.”
“You were right to call me.” He dropped her hand to run his fingers through his damp hair. “I should never have let it get to this point.”
“You cannot be everywhere doing everything.” She remembered his secretary’s muttered comment about everything being of the utmost importance. Obviously there was a high demand for his time. “I know you are busy.” She dared a glance through her lashes. “Every time I see you, I am apologizing for something new.”
He lifted her chin on a finger until he looked into her eyes. Lowering his head, he kissed her softly, sipping at her lips until she longed to throw her arms around his neck and demand more. Instead he lifted his head and ran a finger along her cheek.
“And I always seem to be kissing you. We should both refrain from these activities.” His gaze rested on Sammy. “No apology is necessary. I thank you for calling my attention to his condition. It is telling that he hadn’t opened his gift yet.”
A knock sounded and the door from the hall opened admitting Neil and a heavyset, older gentleman with an arrogant expression.
She started at the men’s entrance and stepped back, creating a discreet distance between her and the Prince. Hopefully they would not consider it a guilty motion.
As he had earlier, the doctor gave Katrina a dismissive glance. “My Lord, how may I be of service? Ja . I see the child is awake. You wish me to give him another dose to make him sleep.” He tapped the old-fashioned black leather bag he carried.
“No,” Julian bit out. “I want you to pack your things. You
In the bedroom, she tugged a new shirt and pants from the wardrobe and dressed the irate child.
“Unca Julie stupid.” Sammy announced.
“Uncle Julian was helping you.” She corrected the boy. Her hands shook with relief at seeing him alert and talking. “You were asleep and would not wake up. Uncle Julian took you into the shower so the water would revive you.”
He considered that while she put his right shoe on. “What revive mean?”
“It means wake up.” A deep voice answered from the bathroom door. Julian stood there attired in a towel tucked low on his hips. “How you doing, lad?”
Sammy eyed his uncle. “You waked me up in the shower.”
“Yes.”
“Why was I sleeping a lot?”
“The doctor gave you some medicine,” Katrina explained when Julian seemed at a loss for an answer. “But Uncle Julian is not going to let him give you the medicine anymore.”
“It was bad medicine?”
“No, but medicine is different for everyone because everyone is different. You are little and Uncle Julian and I are bigger, so we can take something that may not work as well for you.”
“Cause I little?”
“Yes.” Good enough for the child’s explanation anyway.
“Is that my present from GiGi?” He scrambled to his knees on the bed and pointed. A large gift bag with a smiling puppy on the front sat on a table inside the door to the sitting room.
“Yes,” Julian confirmed. “You can open it if you like.”
The boy was across the room in a shot, pulling a good-sized dump truck from a cloud of tissue. “A tuck!” He dropped to the floor and began to play.
Tears stung the back of her eyes. Distracted by the rude awakening in the shower and now the gift from his great-grandmother he was happily occupied, but he’d soon remember the loss of his parents.
And she would be there for him, she vowed silently. As heart-wrenching as his pain was to witness, she preferred it to the unresponsiveness of overmedication.
“Hey.” Warm fingers wrapped around her hand. “He’s okay.”
“Yes.” Rather than gape at Julian’s naked chest, she looked down to where his large hand engulfed her smaller one. She’d missed his touch. The heat coming off him warmed her, and she felt the shaking ease. “I am sorry for the things I said, but seeing him so listless scared me.”
“You were right to call me.” He dropped her hand to run his fingers through his damp hair. “I should never have let it get to this point.”
“You cannot be everywhere doing everything.” She remembered his secretary’s muttered comment about everything being of the utmost importance. Obviously there was a high demand for his time. “I know you are busy.” She dared a glance through her lashes. “Every time I see you, I am apologizing for something new.”
He lifted her chin on a finger until he looked into her eyes. Lowering his head, he kissed her softly, sipping at her lips until she longed to throw her arms around his neck and demand more. Instead he lifted his head and ran a finger along her cheek.
“And I always seem to be kissing you. We should both refrain from these activities.” His gaze rested on Sammy. “No apology is necessary. I thank you for calling my attention to his condition. It is telling that he hadn’t opened his gift yet.”
A knock sounded and the door from the hall opened admitting Neil and a heavyset, older gentleman with an arrogant expression.
She started at the men’s entrance and stepped back, creating a discreet distance between her and the Prince. Hopefully they would not consider it a guilty motion.
As he had earlier, the doctor gave Katrina a dismissive glance. “My Lord, how may I be of service? Ja . I see the child is awake. You wish me to give him another dose to make him sleep.” He tapped the old-fashioned black leather bag he carried.
“No,” Julian bit out. “I want you to pack your things. You
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