Page 57

“You’re an ass,” I groused.
He grinned. “That is not new information, my darling.”
Heat rushed into my face, so overwhelming I felt dizzy.
Darling. His darling.
His.
The moment between us sobered. He seemed to understand the impact of what he’d said, and I braced myself for him to take it away. But he didn’t. He reached for me and used both arms to pull me back to my knees.
“I like you this way.”
“I can tell.” Pressing my palms to his thighs, I rubbed them up—up, up until they reached that spot on his ribs that made him moan softly. “I like me this way too. But only for you.”
“Yeah?” His question was vulnerable, and so was his tone. “Swear it.”
Oh. That was not a question or a request.
Bowing my head, I took his hands and kissed both sets of knuckles the way I’d seen people do in movies when they knelt before a king. “Only for you, Your Majesty.”
“Highness,” he corrected.
I looked up. “Is there a difference?”
“Yes. Majesty is a title I do not want.”
“Belongs to your brother, then?”
“Eventually.” He took one of his hands back and traced a touch over the shell of my ear, making me shiver. His mouthdropped into a tiny, self-satisfied grin. “My parents for now. My brother’s eldest after him.”
“Were you ever?—”
“No,” he said, interrupting my thought.
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
His grin widened. “Yes, I do. It’s what everyone asks. Did I ever want it? Was I ever jealous? The answer is always no. Not before the accident and definitely not now. I was not born to be king, and I’m grateful the universe saw and understood that.”
Letting out a slow breath, I pushed up, backed him against the cushions, then kissed him. So far, he’d been the one to be so forward—to initiate, to demand, to control. But in that moment, I needed it. I needed to know he’d take it from me like this.
And he did, without hesitation. He wrapped both arms around my waist and tugged until I was up and straddling his legs. They began to spasm so hard he grunted against my lips.
“Should I move off?”
“Don’t you dare.” He held me tighter. “If it bothers you?—”
“No. It doesn’t.” That was the absolute truth. I kissed him again as the spasms began to slow. “But I do think I should go get your chair.”
He pulled back and looked at me. “I don’t mind being up here without it if I’m with you.”
His trust in me was touching. It was something precious, to be guarded. I had no idea what our future could look like, but I hoped that was something I could keep. “Yes, but I’d hate for one of the kids to think it was a toy. Plus, it has all my candy.”
He huffed and waved me off. “Fine. Go.”
I kissed him once more for good measure, then hopped off and jogged for the front door. I didn’t want to leave him for more than a few minutes. I was afraid if he had time to think, he’d have time to change his mind about being here with me.
It wasn’t logical. We’d spent plenty of time apart, and his want for me hadn’t cooled, but I was waiting for that moment—the moment that happened with everyone—where they realized I wasn’t worth the effort.