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“But you have to agree to the terms, okay?”

I just stare, my coffee clutched in my hands.

He frowns at me. “Nadia?”

I jump a little, blinking fast. “Um, yeah. Okay. I mean, what are they?”

Cole smirks. “To begin, you are anobserverin these meetings. You don’t get to speak unless someone asks you something. You don’t get a vote or a say. Any interjections – however passionate – will result in you getting tossed out. Unceremoniously, if necessary. All right?”

“An observer,” I murmur, considering it.

“No negotiation,” Cole says. “This is about you and me having the same information. Nothing else – at least, not until you get the knowledge and the status that would earn you that kind ofinput. I’m not trying to be cruel, Nadia, but you don’t have the military knowledge or experience, and your education –“

“Is incomplete,” I murmur, nodding, getting it. I turn inward for a minute, considering all this, wondering…what the hell happened.

Cole sits quietly, watching me, letting me process.

I refocus my gaze on his face. “Why?”

He looks at me steadily. “Because I want us to be on the same page.”

I narrow my eyes. “So, this is not because I’m a good nurse. Or a passionate civil rights advocate.”

“No.”

I turn my head slightly. “It’s because you think I’m your…”

I swallow hard.

He waits.

“…mate.” The word is just a whisper.

He nods. “Yes.”

My stomach curls with anxiety. But I breathe through it, pleased that he…finally fucking admitted it. “Are things still on my terms?”

He smirks a little. “Yes. Obviously.”

My anxiety disappears at the first sign of a saucy attitude in the Prince.

“And you’ll answer all my questions?”

“Yes.”

“All of them? About anything? Not just the operation stuff – anything I want?”

His smirk deepens. “Yes.”

“Truthfully?”

Cole laughs now and lifts a hand, tucking a loose strand of my hair back behind my ear. “Yes, Nadia,” he murmurs, his voice so deep I can practically feel it thrumming through me. A shiver runs down my neck and spine. “I’ll tell you the truth aboutanything you want. No more secrets, unless it’s some kind of military secret, and then I’ll tell you why you can’t know.”

I grit my teeth against the quickening pulse of my heart, raising my chin. “How long did you date Rose?”

“Five years.”

I flinch a little at the suddenness of his reply. And also…wow. Then it was more serious than I thought.