But Alec only leans across the table at me, a glint sparkling in his tired eyes. “Do you really think, my lady Jessica, that at the end of this you will be only my girlfriend?”
A furious blush rushes to my cheeks. “We really don’t have to talk about it now,” I say hurriedly.
The quiver in my voice makes him smile. “I’ll tell you what I think. I think you’ll be much, much more than my girlfriend when all is said and done.”
A laugh bubbles up in my chest at his innuendo-laced tone. “Alec, there are people around,” I whisper.
He waves a hand. “There are always people around. I can send them all away right now if you want to spend some time alone reminding each other why we’re in this for the long haul.” He plants a kiss on the top of my head.
“No,” I giggle, feeling giddy and foolish. “There’s a lot to do today, isn’t there?”
“Oh, yes,” he says. “You have a full schedule, and so do I. It seems we both have a lot to get caught up on. But that could wait twenty minutes.” He pulls me into a tight embrace and kisses my hair again.
The half grin on his face is the first real smile I’ve seen from him since he got the news about his brother.
“Twenty minutes,” I say sternly, although we both know that if he wants three hours, three days, or six months, I’ll give in without a second thought.
The team is out the door inside of ten seconds.
The sex is hard, rough and fast, both of us unrestrained in our show of passion for one another, leaving marks from our lips and fingers.. When we’re spent, lying back on my bed in the Northern Crown, I trace the line of his jaw with my fingertip.
It’s the last time for several days—perhaps even weeks—that I see him so relaxed.
By noon, I’ve been set up in the queen’s rooms in Sainthall Palace, by 12:30 I’m eating my first lunch prepared by the palace staff, and by 1:00 I’m sitting through my first briefing meeting.
There is a lot I don’t know about being with the crown prince, but I’m about to learn it all at breakneck speed.
The moment the first staff member starts speaking, I have to fight the urge to leave. I honestly thought it would be similar to spending time with Christian’s crowd back home, but the first five minutes of this presentation—a lesson on the myriad etiquette rules I’ll need to follow—seem like it’s a graduate level course in an unknown foreign language.
I straighten my back in my chair and take in a deep breath in an effort to push my apprehension away.
I can do this.
I will do this.
There will be no regrets.
Chapter 30
Alec
The twenty minutes of lovemaking I insisted on having with Jessica is the last ones we spend without clothes on for a solid week.
It’s the busiest week of my life. It’s so busy that I can’t even catch my fucking breath, much less grieve for my brother. There is simply no unscheduled time. Even my father swallows down his sadness so that he can go about the business of running the kingdom.
On the first day, I learn there is more to being crown prince than I ever suspected. Marcus never once let on just how much…at least not out loud. Now I see why he was wound up tighter than tinsel on a tree. Now I see why the smallest things set him off into a tangent.
Before the first morning is over, I catch myself promising never to let things get that far with me, only to realize, with shame, that I did allow situations to escalate far beyond a reasonable point…and I didn’t even have anything close to a legitimate excuse like Marcus and my father did.
It won’t do me any good to set the bar higher than I can possibly fucking manage, so instead I remind myself to try—try—to remain reasonable, even in the face of this incredible stress.
The one bright spot is Jessica. Thinking of her face somehow excites me and calms me at the same time. As far as I knew, Marcus didn’t have that type of relationship with anyone. He was too busy making strategic “partnerships” for the sake of Saintland.
That’s one mistake I swear I will not repeat.
Jessica is the one woman for me.
It’s just that my days are so consumed with meeting after endless meeting that I can hardly break away.
On the first morning, Phillip tells me my first meeting is scheduled for 7:30, at least an hour earlier than I generally check in with my father.
“That early? What’s the meeting about?”
Phillip pulls out a tablet and swipes through what appears to be a very long list. I have to hand it to Phillip—he’s making the transition with more goddamn grace than I am. It’s also impossible to discount the network of people he must have working behind the scenes. There are strict rules about information-sharing between the household staff and assistants, but there’s no person alive who thinks they don’t help one another out in times of upheaval.
Like right now.
“It’s a weekly security briefing.”