His heart is beating a steady rhythm beneath my palm. His voice is rough with emotion when he says, “Thank you.”
I lift my head to look into his eyes. They are full of unshed tears. “For what?”
“For sacrificing the ability to go back to your home, so my father can go in search of my mother. I know what you’re giving up for us.”
I gently caress the rough stubble on his cheek. “If he can find her and bring her back, my sacrifice will be worth it. Really, I don’t have anything to go back to.”
He cocks his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
I shrug one shoulder. “My mom was the only family I had there, and once she passed away I was alone. I had no real friends. I was living each day with no excitement, no real purpose other than fulfilling her wishes. At least here I have a father, albeit one that I don’t know, nor am I sure if I want to. But if I’m here, then the opportunity is there for me to seek him out.”
He brushes a stray piece of hair away from my face. “And here I thought that maybe you were staying here for me.”
“You may have been a factor.”
“May?”
I roll eyes. “Okay, so you were a factor.”
“I knew it,” he gloats.
“No one likes a bragger.”
He laughs, takes my face in his hands, and lifts his lips to mine. It’s not the heated kiss of this morning. This one is more languid. Our tongues meet and sweep over one another. It’s sweet.
I pull away before it can become more. “So,” I say with my face tucked back into his neck, while my finger makes small circles on his chest. “Is there an unoccupied home nearby that I can move into? Seems I’m currently without one.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, not at all. I need somewhere to live.”
“You honestly believe that I’m going to let you sleep somewhere other than in my arms, after I’ve spent the night with you and know what pure bliss it is? That was the best sleep I’ve had in years. No, my princess, you’ll be staying with me.”
“Luke, we can’t live together. That’s really rushing it.”
“Are we going to discuss this again?”
“Apparently so. I don’t know what it’s like here, but where I’m from you don’t move in with someone after only knowing them a day. Okay, maybe a few people do, but it took me a year before I moved in with my ex-husband.”
He sits up quickly, taking me with him. “You’re married?”
I look at him and straddle his hips to get comfortable on his lap. “No, I’m not married. I said ex-husband. Emphasis on the ex part.”
“Did he die?”
“No, but I could have killed him for cheating on me.”
“What?” he barks. “How could he have done that? How could anyone do that to you?”
“I asked myself that very question when I caught him in bed with another woman, but in the end it was for the best.”
“We don’t part once we’re married here. When we say our vows, it’s for life,” he states firmly.
“We do, too, but sometimes it doesn’t work out as planned.”
His hands grip my hips and he pulls me flush against him. “Our worlds are different, but it matters not. I have you here with me. I’m never letting go. You can argue about how quick it is, and fight me along the way, but in the end I’ll have you to myself. I always get what I want. Now, is there anything else I should know about you, Princess Pine?”
“You call me that again and I’ll remove a very sensitive part of your body. That I can guarantee you.”
He chuckles as he kisses along my neck. My head tips to the side on instinct to grant him better access. The soft groan he makes causes a shiver to rush through me. His hands skim over my back, then to my sides, and up to the bottom of my breasts, where his thumbs gently caress the underside. I arch my back and start to grind against him. I can feel him harden beneath me. I’m not usually so brazen. There’s something about him. I let go of everything and simply enjoy this time. He nips along my shoulder, but eventually shifts back.
“Why did you stop?” I ask breathily.
“Because when I take you, and I will take you, it will be in my bed with no rush. I’ll take my time discovering every curve of your body. I’ll find out how you taste everywhere. I’ll make you scream my name in pleasure, and then you’ll be mine. You’ll confess you have feelings for me, eventually.”
I bite my lower lip and look away from him. Truth be told, I do feel something for him. Something so deep it scares me. It’s not normal to feel so much, so fast. I know this, but I can’t deny the way my body reacts to his nearness, or how being in his arms seems right. I’ve never felt anything close to this with my ex and that’s not lost on me.
We spend the rest of the day inside Luke’s home. He doesn’t want to go outside until his brothers and sister get the chance to meet me and find out everything from his father. Even though there are people in the kingdom who’ve seen me, and us hold hands, he said he’d rather not add fuel to gossip that’s already spreading.
A guard comes to Luke’s home to collect us for dinner. This time I know I don’t need to bring my backpack with me. I won’t be leaving. Not by force and not to go back home. I’m torn about how I feel, but know I made the right decision. I grab the instructions I’ve written, and hand-in-hand, Luke and I walk to see the king. There are a few prying eyes who look at us speculatively, but no one says anything to us.
When we enter the dining room, there’s a feast spread out before us. My eyes dance over all of the delicious looking food, while my stomach rumbles in anticipation. The king is standing in the corner with two men and a woman in front of him. When he takes notice of our entrance, the other three heads swivel in our direction.
My eyes are first drawn to a man who is the same height as the king, and only a few inches taller than Luke. That’s where the differences end between the three of them. This man has dark blond hair and a clean shaven face. His facial structure isn’t as angular as Luke’s. He takes after Rya. I can see it clear as day, down to his hazel eyes.
We approach them; all of their eyes are drawn to our joined hands.
“It must be true then, brother,” the blond man states.
“What are you speaking of, Ry?” Luke replies.
“You’ve finally found a woman.”
His lips quirk up. “It would appear so.”
King Azure interjects, “This is Princess Alison Pine.” I hear sharp intakes of breath. “Alison, I would like you to meet my other children, Ryland, Elliott, and Addison.” He gestures to each person as he speaks their name. The blond is Ryland. I remember that he’ll be the one who will take over the throne.
“Pine?” Ryland asks shocked.