by C. J. Miller
“Doing nothing? Like ignoring it?”
“You’d buy time.” Time he would use to topple King Warrington. Though Serena would be angry that he had hidden his identity, she may be pleased to have control of her country without threats of war. She would rule Acacia without a marriage or interference from Warrington or DeSante and she would forgive him. Eventually.
“If I do nothing, Rizari and Icarus may make a play to take over Acacia. We’ll be in the middle of a war. There will be casualties. I couldn’t live with myself.”
“You think the king of Rizari would attack Acacia unprovoked?” He hadn’t considered that a possibility. Should he?
She ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know what to think.”
Casimir sat on the edge of the bed. “I think you should tell the president and the king you need time. You’re still grieving for your father and your sister. I think that’s enough of a reason.”
“My uncle thinks postponing anything will show me and, by extension, Acacia as weak. Besides, I’ve spoken to King Warrington. After the picture went public I had no choice. He is coming for dinner tonight so we might discuss the matter privately and in detail.”
No! Time alone with King Warrington was the last thing Casimir wanted for Serena. “Will he show up?” Perhaps if he reminded her of his past behavior he could keep them apart. Though he would have time before the actual marriage, he couldn’t tolerate the idea of Serena promised to another man or in another man’s arms. Especially a monster like Warrington.
“I don’t know.”
She moved toward him and he pulled her into his arms where she belonged. She laid her head against his chest. “You’ll be okay. It will work out.”
“I have to accept my duty.” She looked up at him. “But I’m not married yet. I’m not engaged. For a few more days, I’ll be a single woman.”
She shifted, looped her hands around his neck and drew him down to her mouth. She pressed her lips to his and moaned. He was well aware of what she wanted.
DeSante wanted him to consider every angle before making a move that could be a game changer, but he couldn’t do that with Serena now. Sleeping with her would have nothing to do with the plan and everything to do with desire and lust.
“The bed is right behind you,” she said.
White candles in glass surrounded the space, helping to set the seductive mood. He hadn’t planned for this to happen and while sometimes being caught in the moment could be great, she was worthy of so much, more than he could give her. “Let me light the candles.” A small gesture.
She nodded and handed him a lighter from a drawer in the bedside table. She deserved romance and affection. When the last candle was burning, he laid the lighter on her dresser.
He looked at her in the dresser mirror, kneeling on the bed, watching him. He turned and they collided. In a frantic grabbing of clothes and unfastening of buttons, they tumbled onto the mattress.
“Do you need anything?” he asked. The desire to make this moment perfect and right for her was preeminent in his mind.
“Everything I need is here in this bed.”
Casimir produced a condom from his wallet and slid it on. He kissed her, claiming her lips how he would claim her body.
“Why can’t I have this? You and me, in this house. No crown, no title, no responsibilities?”
Because they both had crowns, titles and responsibilities. His were unclaimed. Could he confess to her his true identity? She was trusting him enough to sleep with him in her beach house. The impact wasn’t lost on him. “Because that is not our fate.”
She kissed him. “Then we’ll pretend for now that we can have this together.”
He bought into the idea because he knew that his confession would ruin her. Though it had not started this way, he had come to care for her. Deeply. He wanted her to be his. Some distant thought made him wonder if making love with her would prevent her from agreeing to marry Warrington. “Open your legs for me.”
She slid her knees apart and he positioned his body over hers. His tip nudged at her entrance and he let out a low moan. “You’re so wet,” he said.
“I’ve wanted you for so long.”
As he came into her, she spread her thighs wider. Her body beneath his was delicious and lithe. As he moved, it seemed to be in time with the waves as they lapped against the beach.
He rocked slowly and he loved the sensations of filling her. Their eyes met in an intensely intimate moment.
She lifted her hips, encouraging him to move faster. He responded to her silent plea, delving deep. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders and she closed her eyes, crying out her release.
Casimir groaned and finished moments later.
He collapsed on top of her and kissed her neck and collarbone. When he rolled away, he excused himself to dispose of the condom. When he returned, she was sitting on the bed, looking out her window at the water.
He came behind her and gathered her close, letting her settle against his naked body.
“I have to meet with Warrington in an hour.”
He didn’t want her to go. He didn’t want this night to end. “Call and tell him you can’t make it,” Casimir said, hating the idea of Serena meeting Warrington tonight. He wanted this night to belong to them.
Serena groaned. “Don’t tempt me. You know I can’t. It would raise too many questions. I’ve been given enough passes.”
He didn’t think she’d been given anything. She had been expected to behave like a veteran leader of her country when she’d had less than a month in the position. She’d had to bury her emotions with her father and sister, and ignore the fear that multiple attempts had been made on her life and the fact that she was about to marry a stranger.
The marriage proposal had been delivered. It was up to her to sign and seal it.
Casimir hadn’t intended to use sex to stop her. No room for regrets or second thoughts or the residual guilt he felt over his initial interest in her and his plans to use her. He had genuine feelings for her now and sleeping with her had been a natural progression of their relationship.
“I could stay here forever, but I have to return to the castle. I need to change before my dinner with King Warrington.”
“Wear clothes you have here,” he said.
“Like shorts and a tank top? I think that would be inappropriate.”
“I think you should let him see the real you.”
Serena pushed her hair away from her face and looked at him, bewildered. “You believe that.”
He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t. “Yes.”
“Even though it would turn him off even more?”
“Even if that were true.” If King Warrington shut Serena out of his life, then Casimir couldn’t use her to gather more information about the king. The idea upset him less than the thought of losing her to Warrington.
Serena deserved a chance at real happiness with a man who could love and care about her.
Like him.
He threw the brakes on his thoughts. Like him? He didn’t want to marry Serena. That hadn’t been part of the plan. He cared about her, but he didn’t see how he could have avoided that. She was so shockingly authentic and kind, he’d liked her immediately.
But he wouldn’t fall for her. He didn’t want a complicated love match. Love sharpened emotions like jealousy, anger and resentment.
Serena climbed out of bed and started dressing. He watched her with lazy fascination.
She circled the bed and kissed him. “You can stay as long as you’d like.”
But not forever. Their romance was ending and he needed to turn his full attention to his revenge.
* * *
Serena smelled Casimir on her skin. Could King Warrington? She’d had enough time to change her clothes, but not to shower. King Warrington was waiting for her in the dining room and she needed to be prepared to discuss matters of grave importance: their marriage, their future, and the photo of her and Ca
simir.
Serena entered the dining room. A tense energy charged the air. She and Warrington’s rocky relationship was about to be dragged through a storm.
Serena sat across from him. She had arranged for dinner to be served, but she guessed that neither of them had much of an appetite. “I assume you saw the picture in the media.”
King Warrington’s face was drawn into a hard line. “I saw it.”
“He is a friend.”
“Tell me his name.”
Serena hedged. “I want to respect his privacy.”
King Warrington seemed indifferent, as if he hadn’t expected an answer to his question. “Maybe this isn’t an ideal situation, but perhaps we understand each other better than I thought.”
Serena didn’t catch his meaning. “I don’t follow.”
“If you want to date other men, I don’t have a problem with that.”
Her heart sank. He wanted to use her indiscretion to justify his own philandering. “Even after we’re married?” she confirmed.
“Right. I would ask that you be more discreet. I don’t want my wife’s picture splashed all over the media. It makes me look foolish. But carry on your affairs in private and I will turn a blind eye to them.”
“You will expect that I turn a blind eye to your affairs as well?”
“Naturally.”
Serena felt sick. She had slept with Casimir and while she knew that was out of line, she had drawn a distinction between her relationship with Casimir and her arrangement with King Warrington. After she and Warrington were engaged, she would end her affair with Casimir. “Then you and I won’t have a relationship?” Just a marriage on paper?
“We can play that however you wish. I will need an heir, of course, so perhaps you’d have to tolerate me for a few nights.” He sounded repulsed by the idea.
Serena shook her head, trying to dash away her confusion. She had not expected this conversation. “I had a strange visit from President DeSante after my coronation.”
“He did not attend the coronation in person.”
“He sent a representative. But he was interested in speaking with me about our...merger.” She wouldn’t call it a marriage. Not after Warrington’s declaration that they would openly cheat on each other.
“What did you tell him?”
“That we were working on it.”
“Then he knows that if he wants to strike, it should be soon.”
“If he were to strike before our merger, would you not protect Acacia? You have much to lose if Icarus occupies my country.”
“You have more to lose,” King Warrington said.
Then Samuel wouldn’t help her country without the bonds of an official union. That didn’t sit right with her. Wouldn’t a man of honor protect Acacia no matter what, given what he stood to gain? “Demetrius DeSante seemed to believe that you would initiate a war against him once our countries were allied.”
Warrington was quiet. Serena watched his mouth, his eyes and his posture for any signs of truth to the statement. Several moments passed and Serena didn’t fill them with idle prattle. She stared at Warrington, waiting for him to speak.
“It’s a different world once we are merged.”
Not answering the question. He was withholding something. “You believe Icarus will be a threat once we are united?” Serena asked.
“Don’t you believe him to be a threat now?” Warrington asked.
Serena tilted her head. “He wants an alliance with us badly enough to make threats, but I don’t think he would let those threats escalate into war. He has to know if he starts a war, neighbors will take sides and since he’s made enemies with his hardline tactics, many will side with us. Perhaps not by sending troops or aid, but they may cut ties with Icarus completely, leaving them isolated.”
“That’s quite an analysis from someone new to the political arena.”
Why did everything from his mouth sound like an insult? Warrington had an agenda and though Serena didn’t know what it was, she was sure that whatever Warrington had planned, his needs would come first.
The king plowed his hands through his hair. “This is not how I envisioned our first date alone. I was hoping we could talk about more pleasant things. I suppose with you, that’s impossible.”
Serena wanted to throttle Warrington. It wasn’t a good omen for their arrangement. Every time they were together, their relationship grew a little more hostile. She didn’t know how to respond to Samuel’s comment.
She stood. Listening to his insults was a waste of time. “I suppose that gives you more time to spend with your girlfriends.” Serena fled the room, regretting leaving Casimir at the beach house and regretting meeting with Warrington at all.
* * *
“A peace summit?” Serena asked.
Iliana set a leather folio in front of her. “The proposal arrived today. The summit is being organized by, get this, Demetrius DeSante.” Iliana’s excitement gave away how much she liked the president of Icarus.
His offer to marry Iliana replayed through her mind, but Serena wasn’t sure what to think of it. Until she understood DeSante’s angle, his actions were subject to suspicion.
“He sent this to you directly?” Serena asked.
Iliana nodded. “He’s invited you and King Warrington to meet with him in Langun at a friend’s ski resort.”
Serena didn’t understand DeSante’s latest ploy. “Does DeSante want you on the premises as well?”
Iliana’s eyes were bright. “Yes.”
“I don’t have a problem with you and DeSante seeing each other. My problem is that I won’t go to this meeting in Langun and be blindsided. What does DeSante have planned? Has he said anything to you?”
“He seems like he genuinely wants to meet with you and King Warrington on neutral ground and no country is more neutral than Langun.”
“Can you see what else you can find out?”
“Absolutely. Give me a list of questions and I’ll call him.”
Serena didn’t like forcing Iliana to be the intermediary, but Iliana and DeSante had a good rapport and Serena would take advantage of it. That was as far as she would allow herself to request anything of Iliana in regard to DeSante.
After a busy day, Casimir met Serena in her beach house. Wrapped in Casimir’s arms, Serena told him about the summit meeting in Langun.
“I hope you’ll go,” he said.
Serena groaned. “You sound like Iliana.”
“It’s a good opportunity. The three of you can speak on neutral ground.”
“Warrington hasn’t agreed to attend.”
“If he finds out that you and DeSante are meeting, he won’t miss it.”
That was true. The three of them were circling each other, looking for allies and bonds. “I suppose it can’t hurt. If DeSante tries to strong-arm me, I’ll leave.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Casimir said, kissing the top of her head.
“Here’s the follow-up question. Will you go with me?”
Casimir shifted her so he could look at her. “Of course. I’d love to.”
Serena wished she had the same relaxed response to the summit that Iliana and Casimir seemed to. She couldn’t shake the feeling that DeSante or Warrington would drop bombs on her.
“Are political and work conversations over for the day?” Casimir asked, shifting on top of her.
She slipped her hand around the back of his neck. “Conversations over. Time for some relaxation.”
As their lips met, Serena turned her worries off and turned her body over to Casimir.
* * *
As Casimir had predicted, King Warrington had been quick to agree to the summit once Serena had informed him she was attending. Serena and the king’s relationship remained tense.
Given the conversations and negotiations over the next twenty-four hours, she expected tense to shift into troubled.
Iliana was staying in the resort’s main hotel and Serena was booked in a private
château. Casimir had made his own travel arrangements, flying into Langun. He had texted Serena when his plane had landed. He was driving directly to the château. It was risky inviting him along and they would keep his presence a secret, but Serena needed his strength and his support. She needed him with her.
Her bedroom in the château overlooked the mountains. While the view wasn’t as comforting as the sea, Langun was a beautiful country. DeSante had picked a calm, relaxing place for them to speak. Smart man. Then again, she had never questioned DeSante’s intelligence. Only his morality.
Serena turned from the window and jolted when she came face-to-face with Casimir. She hadn’t heard him come in or come up the stairs. He pressed a hand over her mouth to keep her from making a sound that would alert her guards.
“How did you get in here?” she asked.
“I used the front door.” He was already pulling at her scarf and vest, tossing them to the floor.
“Did anyone see you?”
Casimir shook his head. “Did he try anything?” he asked, looking her over as if the evidence would be written on her clothes.
“I assume you mean Warrington, but no, I haven’t seen him since I arrived.”
She enjoyed the streak of possessiveness that whipped across Casimir’s face. She removed her sweater and let it drop to the floor.
“Let’s turn on the fire. I’m cold.” The gas fireplace, located on the other end of the room, was operated by a remote.
“I’ll keep you warm.”
He folded her into his arms and she inhaled the scent of him. They stumbled to the bed, a tangle of arms and legs and kisses.
“I want you, Serena. I...”
She unfastened the buttons on his shirt. “You what?”
He stilled her hands, taking them in his. “I’m falling for you.”
His words sucked the air from her lungs. She felt the same for him, but she didn’t feel capable of returning the words. Too much was at risk. She couldn’t back up the words with a commitment and it felt wrong to say them.
“I think of you when I wake up. I think of you when I’m sleeping alone. I miss you when we’re not together.”
The words sang to her, a bittersweet melody. She had found someone she trusted and cared for, who made her happy, and they couldn’t be together.
