Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)(64)

“No. I want the hot body below the crown.”

“It’s going to be pretty obvious if we just walk in there now.”

“Do you really care?”

“Not if you don’t.”

“I so don’t.”

He grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. I smirk at the amused looks on my friends’ faces as we walk to the bedroom. “At least someone’s getting some,” Matt says, and I freeze, pulling Brayden to a stop in front of me.

“You must never want to get any,” Reina replies.

“Oh, were you going to let me back into your bed, Princess?”

“It was a distinct possibility, but you can just keep using your hand.”

“What if I’m tired of using my f*cking hand, huh? Maybe there’s a real princess who’d like some of what I’ve got.”

My head whips to Reina as I hear at least one of my friends gasp. He wouldn’t. “Almost everyone on this plane heard you vow to be faithful to me. I guess now we all know how little your word means.” She’s shaking, and I hate it. She’s so fierce with everything and everyone else, but Matt has the ability to cut her down. Every damn time.

“Fuck, Rei. You should’ve understood why my family had to come first, and I should’ve found a way to support you, even if I had to stand with my Gram. You have to know I wouldn’t ever cheat on you, though. I couldn’t.”

“Can you please just try to not have cheating on me be your go to threat? It’s getting a little hard to take since you use it every time we fight.”

He looks stunned for a moment, and then ashamed. “Yeah. You’re right. Shit. I don’t even realize it half the time. I just don’t know what else I have that you could possibly want.”

“You, Matt. For over ten years, all I’ve wanted is you.”

He stands up and goes to her, pulling her into his arms. “You’ve got me, Rei. I’m yours, and only yours.”

Whew. Crisis averted—for now. I’m still not sure he’ll stay with her; although, I know with all my heart that he’ll never leave her for another woman. She’s it for him. If he could only let himself truly have her.

“Is the mood broken, Cat?”

“Is the mood ever broken with us, Crown?”

“Just checking.”

I follow him into the bedroom, but we don’t make it to the bed right away. He pins me to the door as he kisses and sucks at my neck. I told him my dress for the ball has a high neck, so he’s free to mark me. He’s taking full advantage of that privilege. I pull on his hair to let him know I need that mouth of his back, and he happily complies.

In between kisses, we lose our clothes, and then I’m wrapping my legs around him as he enters me. It’s fast, rough, and dirty against the wall. And then it’s sweet and slow on the bed. We drift off after round two, our bodies entwined with each other.

I wake up to knocking on the door. I know it’s Stella. “Hold on a sec.”

“Hurry up. I let you sleep a little longer than I probably should have.”

I wake Brayden and make him put his clothes back on before I let Stella in. Everyone else can get ready at the castle, but Bray and I are re-creating my walk to the palace for his coronation. We have to be dressed and ready when we land, so we can meet his people and let them lead us to the party.

My dress is covered in dark blue flowers on top. They cascade around my neck and onto the bodice of my dress. The bottom is basically a satin bodysuit covered by sheer material in the same blue, with flowers scattered over it. There are also a few slits. It’s definitely a “me” dress and not a “palace” one. Brayden said I should be me, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Like before, as soon as we’re off the plane, the children come to me first with their flowers. They’re not shy with Brayden at all, even though he’s still the king. He told me how they grilled him about me, and I have to smile at all of these little darlings ganging up on him. We both grab little hands, and then we’re off. This time the palace gates open for us immediately. Being with the king definitely has perks, but I can’t wait to just have my prince back.

“I have one more surprise for you before the ball,” he tells me.

“Please tell me it doesn’t involve fire or sharp objects.”

“It’s a good thing I love your sass,” he says, smacking my ass.

He leads me inside the castle, and I soon realize exactly where we’re headed. “Um Brayden, are you seriously taking a reformed cat burglar into your family’s vault?”

“Yes. I’m taking the woman I love inside so you can pick out the stones for your engagement ring.”

Oh my God. Oh my God. I saw the loose jewels all those years ago. There’s every type of gem, in every shape and size imaginable. “Really? I get to pick. I mean, I thought I was just getting the other ring back.”

“Nope. It’s tradition for all the women who marry into our family to take a trip to the vault. You’ll choose what you want, and then they’ll be taken to Paris where you can pick the setting.”

“Oh wow. I always thought I hated your country’s traditions, but I’m totally behind this one.”

“I had a feeling you would be,” he says as the guards open the door for us.