Page 7

CHAPTER 6

TRISTAN

The next morning, I awake with her in my arms. Sometime through the night, even though we started out on separate sides of the bigger-than-king-size bed in the suite, we came together in the middle. She’s snuggled up with her back to my front, and I have my arm wrapped around her, my legs tangled in hers. It feels good, waking up with someone there. Hardly any of my other conquests would spend the night with me.

It was mostly my doing, but they didn’t push. If they had, I’d probably have pushed back and never spoken to them again, but it strikes me as a learning experience. None of them wanted to push. They really didn’t want the life, they wanted the status for the one night.

This woman? She seems to want the life. At least I hope she wants the life.

As I’m trying to awaken against the last pull of sleep, Amelia situates herself more fully against me, and I take note of where my arm actually is. Wrapped around her chest, her unbound breast resting in the palm of my hand. She snuggles back against me, her softness rubbing against the part of me that’s hard.

This is hell, I decide pretty quickly, but at the same time, I can’t seem to stop myself. Dropping my lips to her neck, I smear them against the exposed skin, kissing softly in the sleepy grogginess of the early morning.

“Tristan?” Her whisper is a question in the silence of the room.

“Right here, Lia,” I answer, pressing my palm against the firm peak of her nipple. “I won’t go too far.”

She whines as she extends her neck farther, allowing me room to move against her soft skin. Nipping slightly, I allow the few days growth of beard to abrade her flesh.

“Mmmm, don’t stop, Tristan.” She reaches behind her, grasping my neck with her fingers, pressing her ass against my dick.

With my free hand, I hold her hips still as I grind into her from behind, the clothing providing a layer of modesty that I wish wasn’t there right now. With a growl, I twist her around so that she’s lying on her back, me halfway covering her body. Her arms go around my neck, pulling me down to her. Our mouths open, tongues duel, and hands fight with one another as I reach down to lift her shirt up over her stomach.

Just as my fingers feel the soft heat of her skin, my phone rings loudly. It’s the phone number that comes directly from the palace.

“Fuck,” I groan as I let my head drop against the pillow. “I have to get that. ”

She moans loudly, her fingers gripping the waistband of my pajama pants. “Really bad timing,” she groans as she rolls away from me.

Flat on my back now, I scrub my hands over my face, bring my palm down to adjust my hard-on to a more tolerable level. The phone is still ringing. “Yeah,” I answer, not worried about custom, or politeness. The raging erection in my pants has made me lose all my humor.

“Tristan.” I hear my father’s voice on the other end of the line. “That’s not how you answer the phone.”

“Sorry, I was asleep. Is there something I can help you with?”

“I was just calling to see if you’d seen the news this morning, but since you just woke up, I’m assuming you haven’t. You and Amelia are the talk of the worldwide tabloids. You’ve put Haldonia back on the map, people are already planning to come here for the wedding. Be sure the two of you are able to put on a good show.”

Immediately my mood is soured. I’m feeling a friendship with her, I never expected to feel. He’s making it into almost a business transaction and it doesn’t sit well with me, but I have to realize to him that’s what this is. Six months I have to determine what this is—six months to make sure we’re compatible, six months to fall in love, six months to become the ruler I want to be.

“Thanks for the heads up, Dad.” I clear my throat. “But right now, I have work to do, I’ll be in touch.”

Talking to him always puts me in a weird head space. I don’t even realize he’s hung up on me until I hear the beeping of the dial tone.

Throwing the phone down, I growl, noticing for the first time Amelia’s gone .

“Are you okay?” Amelia asks as she makes her way back into the bedroom, her hair wet, wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt. She’s just as beautiful in a pair of jeans as she is in an evening gown.

“Other than having the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had in my life, I’m good.” I push myself off of the bed, swinging my legs over. “My father called to let me know that we’ve made the worldwide tabloids. Many people are already planning to make their way to Haldonia for the wedding. He says we better put on a good show when the time comes.”

She wrinkles her nose up in disgust. “That’s a vulgar way of putting it.”

“He doesn’t believe in a happily ever after anymore, doesn’t think that love can conquer all. He’s lonely, and the loneliness has made him a cynical bastard.”

“And you do?” she asks, curling up next to the fire, tucking her legs under her on the couch.

“I saw the way my mother looked at him when she was alive. I saw the way they laughed and talked together, the little things they did for each other. Love is alive and well, but it has to be nurtured, it has to grow.” A part of me feels stupid telling her these things, but if we’re to have a relationship of any kind, I can’t be scared to be honest.

“Then I look forward to finding out what love means with you, Tristan of Haldonia.”

I give her a smile as I go into the bathroom and take my turn.

“If we walk over that hill, there’s a place we can sit,” I tell her, my breath puffing out in white blasts of air.

It’s snowing today at the beach, angry waves are crashing into the shore and the wind is bitter as it whips around us, but neither one of us has complained about the fresh air.

“Okay.” She nods, grabbing hold of my hand tightly as we navigate the beach.

Once we get over the hill, there’s a small sheltered picnic area. Looking behind me, I see Parker following not far behind, and I know that no matter what, we’re safe.

“We should be able to sit here and talk for a little while without freezing to death.” I give her my hand to help her sit.

“What is it you want to talk about?” she asks, hooking her arm in mine, snuggling in close.

“Have you seen the pictures from yesterday?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I haven’t had a chance to look.”

I put my arm around her, situating my phone so we can both see. “Then let’s look together.

“We honestly look like a newly engaged couple, with stars in our eyes.” She reaches out to touch the picture.

“We do, but we don’t know the basics about one another,” I remind her.

“Like favorite color?” she supplies.

“Favorite foods,” I add.

“First kiss.” She raises her eyebrows at me.

“Favorite sexual position,” I tease as I lean in, capturing her lips with mine.

“That’s why we’re here.” She pushes her hair behind her ears. “To become comfortable with one another, to learn all the things about each other that we don’t already know. ”

“Which is everything,” I remind her.

“No, that’s not exactly right. We know that we have chemistry, we know that we like to kiss, and we know that during the night, we’re drawn to one another.”

I clear my throat as I think about how good she’d felt pressed up against me, how responsive she had been to me. “That’s more than many people ever have, much less what I imagined we would have when I was told about you.”

“I’m looking forward to building it with you.” Amelia grasps the edges of my jacket, pulling me to her. Her lips press against mine in a kiss I’m unprepared for.

The same heat we felt this morning is there, and before it gets too far out of hand, I put a stop to it. “We always have to be aware there may be cameras watching,” I caution her. “And we should be getting out of here, the temperature seems to be falling.” I can see my breath, even in the shelter we’re in.

She shivers. “Then maybe we should go back to the house?”

“We’ll have some lunch and learn about those food preferences.” I pinch the inside of her thigh slightly, causing her to giggle.

“Are you ticklish there?”

I do it again and the throaty laugh washes all over my body. She tries to keep her response in check, but as I do it one more time, she laughs so hard she cries. Before she gets up, backing away from me.

“Stop!” She giggles. “You’re going to wish you had once I throw up on you from laughing too hard.”

“Where else are you ticklish?” I question as I get up and start to advance on her.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Tristan? ”

She gives me a look that says she’s daring me, as she takes off at a run back to the house.

“I would, Lia. I definitely would.”

Finding out the things about her that only lovers know will for sure be one of my new favorite pastimes.