Royally Not Ready(53)

“Is it working?” I smile at him.

“You know damn well it is.”

Ooo, I did not expect him to be so honest about it.

Nor did I expect him to be so angry, but in a hot way, like he’s about to devour me kind of way.

And as he closes the space between us, his strides eating up the distance, I realize that maybe I’ve provoked him a little too much.

I think we can all safely agree that my plan to get him to think about something other than his dream has worked, but it also might have backfired, from the looks of it.

When he reaches me, his hands fall to my hips as he holds me tight. His large body shadows me, enveloping me in his strength.

“That display back there was pathetic,” he says.

Pathetic? Here I thought he was just about to ravish me, not insult me.

“Excuse me? I think I did a pretty good job.”

“Not for the right reason. You were behaving because you were trying to get under my skin. You weren’t trying because you want to do this for the country. And now, with this shirt?” His hands travel up my ribcage, and the feel of his large palms against my skin squeezes all the air out of my lungs. “You don’t care about this country, this role, you just care about falling into my bed.”

My eyes narrow. “That’s not true. I care—”

His hands slide up even higher, his thumbs just below my breasts now.

“All you want is to get under my skin.” He lowers his head so his lips are at my ear, as his thumbs stroke the underside of my breasts, causing me to nearly melt in his grasp. “Guess what, Lilly. You’ve been under my goddamn skin since the moment you showed up at the Moxy in that dress. You don’t have to keep trying, you’re there. You’re buried in my goddamn veins, pumping my blood, causing me to go fucking crazy in my head because I’ve never wanted to fuck a woman as much as I want to fuck you.”

His nose caresses my cheek as I attempt to not faint from his confession. Well, this has taken a delicious turn.

What I wouldn’t give to be fucked by him—controlled by him. Possessed. Just like the way he’s holding me now. I want more of it, I want him to tell me how he wants me, what he wants me to do, where he wants me.

I want to feel his lips on my body, his scruff on my skin, his hands feeling up my small breasts.

“Then fuck me,” I say.

“That’s exactly what I’m not going to do,” he says, dropping his hands from my ribs. “Because you aren’t here to be fucked by me, Lilly. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I spent the amount of time I want to spend, spreading your legs and burying my cock inside your sweet pussy. And my job, to prepare you for a possible future role here, is paramount. I refuse to be sidetracked or seen as a joke.”

He pushes me away as a gasp falls past my lips, a stark chill running up my spine. A joke? Sidetracked?

Turned on, irritated, and ready to maul the man, I ask, “Why can’t it be both ways? Why can’t we do both? We clearly want each other. Why are you denying it?”

“Because once you’re in my bed, I won’t be able to let you out. Because I have less than two fucking months to get you ready to be a queen. Because when it comes down to it, there’s royalty in your blood, not in mine.”

“Who cares about that?”

“Everyone,” he shouts, holding his arms out. “You don’t get it. You grew up in America, it’s different there. There’s an expectation of royalty here, and when it comes down to it, there’s a definitive class difference between you and me. So, I’m not going to go there with you, Lilly. I’m not going to torture myself with a taste of you, knowing it’ll go nowhere.”

I fold my arms over my chest and look away. The wind picks up around us, rustling the tall grass. “So, what you’re telling me is this. If I accept the line of succession, I won’t be able to choose who I want to be with?”

He grips his hair. “You can, you always have a choice, but choosing someone like me is not a choice you should be making.”

Fire fumes through me as I step up to him. “Why don’t you let me worry about what choice I should and should not be making?” And then I turn on my heel and start walking away from the castle once again.

Insufferable man.





Chapter Twelve





KELLER





My phone buzzes next to me on the nightstand, stirring me awake. When I see the palace number on my screen, I quickly answer it despite the early morning hour and the lack of sleep from the night before.

“Hello?” I say into the phone, thankful the curtains of my bedroom have blocked the light from the sun.

“Keller,” Theo says. “My boy, how are you?”

“Good,” I say, whispering and getting out of bed. I throw on a pair of shorts and sneak out of my room and down the stairs. Not wanting to wake anyone up, I exit the front door and shut it behind me. “It’s early for you.”

“Yes, it is, but I didn’t get much sleep last night. There’s been another leak.”

“What?” I hiss into the phone. “What was it?”

“They dropped her name. Lilly Campbell.”

“Fuck,” I mutter as I press my fingers to my forehead. “How did you find out?”