by Ally Summers
He pulled me into a hug. “It makes sense now.”
“What’s that?” I looked in his eyes.
“Your sobriety. It’s for her. Your daughter.”
I lowered my head. “They say there is always the moment when a man realizes it’s time to take a stand. The morning I woke up drunk with this letter next to the bed was my moment. I had to do better for her. I knew I could.”
He slapped me on the back. “And you have. I can’t wait to meet my niece.”
I grinned. “I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.” I mocked a bow and skirted onto the elevator.
My brother laughed. “Bastard.”
“You know you love my curtsy.”
The doors closed and I had the king’s blessing. Now I could finally claim my mate.
22
Elena
I wrung my hands one way and then the other. It felt as if Cor had been gone for hours. I looked at the clock. It had been exactly one. One hour of my life. I walked to the balcony and looked at the ocean.
Maybe if I was the kind of girl who spent time on the beach I wouldn’t be so stressed all the time. Somewhere down at the shore there were tourists enjoying the beautiful day. Taking pictures of the water and the white sand.
My life would be much simpler if I could be one of those people now.
I spun around as soon as the door opened.
I raced to Cor.
“What happened? What did he say?” I spoke too quickly.
Cor’s hands clasped my shoulders. “We have the king’s blessing.”
My mouth opened, but I couldn’t speak. It was going to be harder than this, I just knew it. We were going to have to fight and argue our way into the king’s favor. He never gave in so easily.
“Just like that?”
He smiled. “Just like that.”
“But why? What conditions did he have?”
Cor laughed. “There are no conditions. He supports us. And he wants me to bring my daughter home.”
I blinked. I didn’t believe what I was hearing. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you trust that I’m going to take care of you and protect you, Elena. I always will.”
My shoulders relaxed. “I do. Even more than you know.”
“If we’re going to fly out in the morning, there is a lot of planning we need to do. I still have to meet with Johannes this afternoon and I have to speak to Wallace.”
“I should do that,” I volunteered. “He is my supervisor. He signed my oath to the crown. He should hear it from me.”
Cor locked his hands around my waist. “You’re still fulfilling that oath to the crown. Just in a different way.”
I nodded. “I know. But he won’t see it that way. It’s going to be a betrayal. A slap in the face. He’s never going to forgive my indiscretion.”
“And which indiscretion will he be upset about the most? The time I tasted your sweet little pussy in my closet? When I fucked you in front of the mirror? Or maybe when you sucked my cock this morning?”
My mouth dropped. “Cor!”
He laughed. “Face it. You are the dirtiest rule follower I’ve ever met.” He tugged at the pin holding my hair in a bun. I had gone back to my formal staff look for the morning. He ran his fingers through my hair. “You should always wear your hair down.”
“I’m not dirty,” I whispered, appalled he would say anything when we weren’t rolling in our lust.
He nodded, rounding his hands to my ass. He whispered in my ear. “Tell me right now you aren’t dying for me to deflower your sweet rosebud.”
My knees quivered and I almost lost my balance.
He laughed. “That’s what I thought. Dirty. Just the way I like it.”
I pinched my lips together. “Fine.” I tried to wiggle free. “You know what I like now.”
“And you know what I want.” He tilted my chin. “It’s a turn on, Elena. You are a turn on.”
He brought me to his body and I felt his hardness through my skirt. “Ohh.”
“Yeah. Ohh. I have to make it through the rest of the day with a cock like solid rock because of you and your beautiful dirty mouth.”
He swept a kiss over my lips. I moaned, wanting more.
But we had a full day of events, meetings, and an international trip to plan. We couldn’t do this again. Not yet.
“I need to get this over with,” I announced.
He grasped my hand. “I’m not letting you walk into Wallace’s office alone.”
I was surprised. “Really? You’re going with me?”
He nodded. “We’re doing all of this together. And maybe if we can check everything off our lists, I can bring you back to my bed before the sun goes down.”
“Yes, please.” I smiled.
“Then let’s get started. We’ve already pissed off an ambassador. Let’s see if we can burn the place down.”
I laughed nervously, knowing there was some truth in his joke. Wallace was going to have our heads for this.
23
Corbin
I’d had my ass handed to me many times as a boy. I’d always been the unruly prince. There was the dinner my parents had with Lord and Lady Cavanaugh when I let two lizards I found in the garden loose under their chairs. The lizards were both green and it wasn’t until they captured one that they realized it had a twin that was still hiding under the center pedestal.
Then there was the time Juliette’s friends were swimming at pool on summer break and I stole all their clothes and threw them over the racquet court fence. The nets were littered with cotton pink and white bras.
Not to mention, I had scared off every private tutor assigned to me. I put them through the wringer.
Wallace had witnessed all my pranks. And many times, he had stepped in, instead of my parents. I’d heard the lectures. The speeches about what it meant to conduct myself as the true prince of Galona.
But now, I didn’t care about his bullshit. I hadn’t for a long time. He was the last person who was going to stand in the way of what Elena and I had. And there was no way in hell I was going to let him shame her for going after what she loved.
She clutched my hand. “This is so strange.”
“What?” I asked.
“I’m not used to summoning Wallace. I always have to go to him. It’s protocol.”
I laughed. “Get used to it. This is the day the tables have officially turned.”
“He’s not going to like any of this. You realize the world is changing around him faster than he can adjust.” She sighed. “He has the family’s best interests at heart, despite what a grump he is. I don’t think he’s appreciated enough. And he’s fighting to keep the old ways in place.”
I huffed. “He’s not appreciated? What are you talking about? He has the run of this palace. He’s the only one Alaric retained from my father’s reign.”
Elena had always been direct with me. She was an honest and straightforward manager, but now that we had come clean with our feelings, she had let down another set of barriers. She spoke to me unfiltered.
“I realize you don’t have time to worry about the things Wallace does. That’s not how the crown works. The royal family can’t function if they have to deal with the everyday minutia. But what he takes on would crush most people. And he does it day in and day out with the most honorable intentions. Yes, he’s stuck in the old ways. And yes, he’s abrasive and stuffy, but he rarely hears a thank you.”
I stared at her. “And here I thought he just needed to get laid, when really the old man wants gratitude.”
She swatted my chest. “Cor, I’m serious. He sees his culture dying out. He doesn’t like it.”
“Who would?” I shrugged.
She sighed, exasperated I wasn’t budging.
“Maybe I should speak to him myself,” she offered.
The protectiveness curled around my ribs. I wasn’t about to let her be in his line of fire, even if she thought Wallace was a misunderstood old goat.
“No.” I pressed my lips together. “I will handle the news.”
“Fine.” She threw her hands in the air.
We didn’t have more time to argue. My butler announced Wallace’s arrival. I looked up. He tugged on the lapel of his burgundy suit. It signified he held the highest rank of anyone in the royal family’s employ.
After Elena’s speech, I recognized the jacket might have more meaning than I had ever considered. There was a new aura of pride I hadn’t picked up on before.
“Thank you for joining us, Wallace.” I invited him into the sitting room.
“Your Majesty.” He bowed slightly. His eyes immediately darted to Elena. “Miss DuBois, you are out of uniform in front of his majesty,” he rebuked.
She pulled her shoulders back. “I am.”
“Royal managers should never—”
I held a hand in the air. “Before you launch into a tirade about protocol, you should know Miss DuBois has handed in her resignation this morning.” I gave him the letter. “The king has read it and accepts her resignation.”
His cheeks reddened. “But why?”
I clasped Elena’s hand in mine, threading my fingers through hers. “Because we’re a team. But not the way we used to be.”
His eyes bulged. “You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious, old man.”
Elena broke from my hold. “What Prince Corbin is trying to say.” Her eyes cut to mine. “Is that after careful consideration it would be best for the crown if I resigned so that I didn’t bring shame to the royal managers’ program.”
“You made a commitment.” He clenched his teeth. “You took a vow, Miss DuBois, swearing to serve the crown.”
“And she did serve the crown with grace and dignity. But I can’t ask the woman I love to serve me as an employee. Surely, you wouldn’t want me to pay her to be in my bed, Wallace?”
His eyes narrowed. “I can’t accept that you would do something like this. Such dishonor. Such blatant disrespect for the boundaries you swore to observe.”
“It wasn’t intentional. I never set out to embarrass you or our position.”
“No one is embarrassed,” I interrupted. “I need a list of replacements before the end of the day,” I reported. “Elena will hire her replacement. Everything goes through her until I have a new royal manager.” I rubbed my jaw. “And while you’re at it, she is going to need her own manager. Send candidates in pairs.”
I had finally said something that made the old man speechless.
Elena spun in my direction. “We haven’t discussed anything like that.”
I shrugged. “The queen had a manager before she was queen. Cosette serves her well. I don’t see why you shouldn’t have the same treatment. Wallace, make sure Elena has everything Her Majesty does.”
He bowed stiffly and backed out of the room. His face had grown redder, enough to come close to the hue of his jacket.
“You completely insulted him just now.”
“I did not. I asked him to do his job.”
“He’s not used to the queen and you just told him to double the awkwardness. He’s never going to see me as fitting of a title, and especially not worthy of my own manager.”
“That’s his problem. Not ours.”
Elena pressed, “You’re going to lose him, Cor.”
“We leave for the States tomorrow. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but I’ll patch things up.”
Then we both realized what part of the conversation we had left out.
Elena looked at me. “We didn’t tell him about the baby.”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t need to know.”
“It’s going to send him over the edge,” she pleaded. “Think about it.”
I slipped a hand around her waist. “We have bigger things to worry about than Wallace’s delicate feelings.”
“Then you should let me get started.” She tried to wiggle free, but I held her close.
“Something you should probably know about me, baby.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t know everything?” She pressed against my chest with her palms.
I leaned, brushing a kiss over her pouty lips. “Where you are concerned, I’m not going to repeat the mistakes of my past. I’m not going to let this thing with Wallace turn into an argument between us. I have enough to battle without allowing a disagreement push you away from me.”
Her gaze softened. “It’s not. I’m not going anywhere, Cor.”
“I think the sooner you start to realize what side of the crown you sit on now, the sooner you’ll understand my perspective. It’s going to take time. For me too.” My hands snaked over her body, cupping her ass. “But you and I are unstoppable, Elena DuBois. Nothing can get in our way. Not anyone. Not a single law. Or decree. Together we’re going to be ok.”
She nodded slowly. “Together.”
I kissed her, drinking in the warmth of her lips. It was as if she had dipped them in honey. I couldn’t get enough of her. I didn’t think I ever would.
I groaned at the growing length of my dick. “Shit.” I gritted my teeth. “I need to go. I have meetings all day.”
“I have a million arrangements to make,” she whispered, unzipping my zipper and sliding her hand to my cock. “So much to do.” She wrapped her palm against my shaft.
I looked over my shoulder. The apartments were open for royal business. Staff could come and go at any time they needed. There was mail drop off. The plants had to be watered. Maid service and the royal laundress usually came by in the morning.
“But my dirty princess wants to play?” I almost chocked on the words when she tugged lightly on my balls. What had gotten into her?
She nodded.
Well, fuck. How could I say no to that?
24
Elena
My spontaneous lust for Cor had cost us a valuable thirty minutes of planning, but I felt satisfied and closer to him. When he left for his next meeting I couldn’t help but feel we were leaving permanent marks on each other. Every time we were together, we dove deeper, scratching the surface of our souls.
If he thought we could pull off a trip to America without a royal manager, he had no idea why my job entailed. I was going to have to detail everything and make it happen. I didn’t have time to interview candidates for my replacement. I’d do that when we returned.
In the meantime, I had to coordinate an international travel schedule for the prince.
I had turned in my resignation letter, but I hadn’t turned in my tablet. I pulled up the schedule used to sync the family’s movements.
I tapped my pen on the table, reading through the engagements Cor was supposed to attend over the next two weeks.
All those venues needed to be notified before word got out he was headed overseas. I typed out an official memo with the Marquis family crest at the top. I would make sure each one was hand delivered before we made the announcement about the trip.
I walked to the dining room and poured another cup of coffee. I was on my way back to the sitting room when I heard footsteps in the foyer.
“Oh, Your Majesty.” I immediately bowed when I saw the queen.
“Oh my God. Don’t do that.” She smiled. “I heard you’re no longer a royal manager.”
I swallowed. “No. I’m not.”
“Alaric told me about it and I wanted to visit you myself. I thought you might need an ally.”
“Can you I get something to drink? Coffee?” I stopped. “Or tea?” That was a better offer for a pregnant woman, but I didn’t know anything about pregnancy.
“You can sit while I pour a small cup.” She laughed.
We strolled to an open sun room next to the balcony. The room was washed in light. I didn’t want to take her into my war zone. I had lists and stacks all over the coffee table.
“You know, I’ve never been in Corbin’s apartments.” Her head pivoted back and forth. “I had a small suite for a few weeks.”
�
��Yes. I remember.” I nodded. Alya had told me she never slept in them. The queen-to-be at the time had used them to work on her dissertation.
“Right. I guess everyone knows everything under this roof.” She stretched her legs forward on an ottoman. “It’s so nice in here. I would curl up in this chair every day and take a nap.”
I laughed. “I don’t know if Cor even uses it.”
“That’s cute. You call him Cor.”
I blushed. It had seemed so natural when I said it. “I never did before.”
“I know you have a lot to do. I heard about the trip too. I don’t want to take up all your time. I just wanted you to know that if you need anything…I’m here.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t know how to respond to the queen coming to me as an equal. I couldn’t shift modes so quickly. Cor wanted me to, but it wasn’t that simple.
I was always on the outside looking in. I had watched Eden Jacobs stumble more than once since she married the king. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me how cavalier she was about it all.
There was meaning and merit in the traditions of the crown. Was I abandoning my life’s beliefs now? Was I becoming as careless as her? Was one night with Cor all it took to undo everything that I valued?
“Maybe we can do something together when you get back,” she suggested. “Nothing official, of course. I like to keep it as unroyal as possible.” She smiled, uncurling herself from the chaise. She yawned, rising to her feet.
“I’d like that.” I walked her to the foyer. “Thank you for the visit.”
She paused at the door. “Elena, I know you and Cosette can run circles around me. And she has more than once, but maybe you and I could help each other. I’m never going to be like Juliette. I’m ok with that. But I’d like to be more like you. I’d like to have your knowledge. Your background is incredible. And this transition isn’t going to be easy. People who were once your co-workers are now going to be serving you. I’ve stumbled through a rough transition, maybe I could help you too.”
