Royally His: A Royal Romance

by Thorne, Gigi

  It all just went by so quickly, and I never got a shot to repair what I broke. I didn’t want to lose her. Didn’t want to say goodbye.

  But by the time I managed to escape my father’s anger, she was long gone. Even the workshop was left as it was. It was like she was never even here to begin with.

  And it pisses me off to no end. My father’s so hell-bent on making me into what he thinks is the perfect son that he’s losing me in the process. I don’t care about being a prince. I don’t care about this palace or all the riches.

  All I want is her, and now she’s gone. Disappeared. Forever, maybe.

  And it’s all because of him.

  I’m left with a hole in my heart and a wish to scream my lungs out. So I do. Without regret, without any doubt, I release my rage on my father the moment he appears in my room again.

  “This is your fucking fault!” I yell, pointing at him as he steps inside without knocking.

  “How dare you raise your voice—”

  “No, how dare you ruin this for me? Maya was the one girl I wanted to keep.”

  “Oh, please, she’s just a foreigner who was here for work. That’s it,” he says, waving it away as though it’s no big deal. But it is to me. It’s time he finally understood. “When are you going to get over it? It’s time you got back to business.”

  “You don’t get it.” I tap him on the chest. “You want me to become a prince. Someone people can admire. Someone fit for the throne. Yet you don’t even let me make my own decisions. You think you need to control me, but you’re pushing me further and further away.”

  “A prince should care more about his country than himself,” he says.

  “Maybe I don’t wanna be a prince,” I say, pacing around the room. “Ever think about that?”

  “You don’t have a choice,” he says.

  “Except I do. I could walk out of here tomorrow and never come back.”

  His face turns dark, like thunder and lightning. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” I say, clenching my fist. “Because I really am thinking about it.”

  “Why?” he asks, approaching me, but I look away. “Over some girl? You’ve lost your mind.”

  “No …” I grasp the clothes she made and hold on to them, smelling them, knowing they were in her hands. They still carry her scent. I wish I could smell it one more time.

  “I’ve lost my heart.”

  The gravity of it all sinks in like a stone, and I feel like I can barely breathe when I look at the mess that’s left.

  “You’ve fallen in love?” he asks. “With a commoner? That’s not possible, you’re—”

  “A prince. I know.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then I don’t want to be a prince,” I say, gazing at him over my shoulder.

  “What did you say?” He frowns.

  “You heard me,” I say, standing my ground. “If I can’t have her, it’s not worth it.”

  “Nonsense. There are plenty of other actual royal girls available.”

  “I don’t want them. I want her. End of story.”

  “And what if I don’t agree?” He places his hands against his side.

  “Then I’ll quit.”

  “Quit what?” He scoffs. “Being a prince?”

  I nod. “I don’t care.”

  “You’ll lose your right to the throne,” he says. “The palace. The money. Everything.”

  I shrug. “It means nothing if I can’t choose who to love.”

  His lips part, but there’s no response. I know he can see the look on my face. I mean it for real this time. No joke. This is it.

  “You’re willing to risk everything for that girl?” he asks.

  I nod. “I told you, she’s not just any girl. At least … not to me.” I sigh. “I want her. Only her.”

  “So you’re dismissing all the potential royal ladies waiting for you to make a choice?” he asks.

  “They only want me so they can be queen.” I scoff.

  He frowns. “You don’t know that.”

  “The ones you’ve made me date so far have. And that girl, Maya … she doesn’t want me because I’m a prince. She just likes me for who I am.” I approach my dad. “And having her in my life was the best thing that’s happened to me in years.”

  Father sighs out loud, visibly disappointed. And I get it. His son isn’t who he thought he’d be. Maybe it’s only right that I give everything up. I haven’t exactly proven myself to be a great future king.

  So I turn around and march for the door.

  “Where are you going, Amir?” he asks.

  I’m tired of letting him decide for me. This time, I’m making my own decision. “To find her.”

  “And do what exactly?”

  “Win her back.” I’m determined. I won’t let him persuade me to stay or ignore my feelings for her. It’s too late for that. It’s time I made the right choice.

  “She’s probably already gone,” he says.

  “I don’t care. I’ll chase her if I have to.”

  “Out of the country?” My father gasps.

  I shrug as I open the door. “So be it. One way or another, I’m gonna get her back.”

  Knowing her, she’ll have already packed her bags, gone back to her hotel, and booked her flight home. Maybe I’m too late, but that won’t stop me from flying after her.

  Nothing will stop me from being near her.

  Nothing.

  17

  Maya

  As I’m waiting for the plane to take off, the crew are bustling back and forth between the seats, trying to get everyone’s luggage in place. However, a particular disturbance at the front makes me grow leery. I peek over the seats in front of me, trying to catch a whiff of what’s going on. People are holding up the line as they’re getting on, most of them talking amongst each other and smiling.

  I wonder what’s going on.

  The commotion keeps the crew busy as they try to delegate the passengers and tell everyone to remain seated. I peer through the windows to try to catch a glimpse, only to find even the people in the terminal are completely taken by what’s going on.

  That’s when I spot it. The small cart skirting through the terminal, sirens on, with lots of people on board. They’re headed straight for the gate, but people around them are taking pictures of the spectacle. Only when the cart disappears do I realize that it was my gate they were headed straight through.

  And someone just called out my name.

  “Is there a person named Maya on board?” one of the crew members from the front calls out.

  I get up and wave awkwardly. “That’s me.”

  “Can you come to the front of the plane, please?”

  Everyone’s looking at me now, and I feel embarrassed by the sheer volume of eyes pinned at my back. But I persist as I head to the front, clutching my bags, wondering what the hell is going on.

  I don’t have to wait long to find out.

  At the entrance to the plane, Amir is waiting with a giant bouquet in his hand and a smile on his face that could make any girl melt into a puddle.

  My bags instantly drop from my hands.

  “Amir?” I mutter.

  He grins. “In the flesh.”

  I’m completely dumbstruck. “How?”

  “I got Mrs. Adallah to talk. Pulled some strings at the airport and security. There’s not a lot people won’t do for the prince,” he says with a smug smile.

  My jaw is still practically on the floor. “But why?”

  He comes toward me and stops right in front of me. “Because I want you,” he says.

  “But I … I …” I don’t even know what to say. The fact that he came all the way here just to beg me to stay has me completely baffled.

  “I don’t care what I have to do. If you want me to go on that plane with you, I’ll do it. I’ll give up the right to ever become king.”

  The people around us cover their mouths in shock.

  “Am
ir, no, don’t say that. This is important for you,” I say.

  “Not as important as this,” he says, grabbing my hand. “I’ve finally found what I really need. What I want. And I don’t wanna lose that.”

  “But we’ve only known each other for a few days …”

  “All the more reason to give this a chance,” he says. “I’ve known it since I first met you; there is something special between us that I can’t just ignore. I need to know what it is. I need you with me.”

  “But—”

  “Say you’ll stay, please.” His voice makes me question everything I thought I was doing. I thought I was making the right decision by getting on this plane and never coming back here, but now that I’ve looked him in the eyes, it’s so hard. Nothing has ever been this hard.

  “If not, let me come with you,” he says, smiling as he glances over his shoulder at a bunch of suitcases stacked up. “I brought some things, just in case.”

  I laugh. “I’m amazed. Is there anything you didn’t already think of?”

  “Well …” he says, licking his lips as he hands the bouquet to an assistant to hold while he talks to me. “The one thing I forgot was to stand up to my father. He hurt you, and I’m sorry that happened. Please forgive me.”

  I rub my lips together, fighting the tears as he goes on his knees right in front of me.

  “Amir, get up,” I hiss between my teeth as everyone around us starts gossiping out loud. “We’re making a scene.”

  His dreamy eyes are locked on mine. “I don’t care. Let them talk.”

  “But what about your father?” I ask.

  “I told him the same thing. I don’t care about being part of a royal family if I can’t have what makes me happy, and right now, that’s you.”

  “But you’ll throw away your right to the throne,” I respond, worried he might actually do that. I’m just … me. I’m not worth giving up his entire future for. Especially as a prince.

  “I’d rather do that than throw away my only shot at a happy life with you.”

  The beaming smile on his face makes the tears roll down my cheeks. I can’t fight them anymore. I don’t even want to. No one has ever done anything like this for me before. It’s like a fairy-tale dream come true.

  “And you think your father would accept that?” I ask. “Would he accept me?”

  “Once he realizes this is the only way, and that I won’t let him decide for me, I’m sure he will. He was never mad at you; he was mad at me for choosing differently. But I know he’ll come to his senses. Just as I did when I saw you run. I knew then that I never want to see you leave that way ever again.”

  I frown, still worried about all the things that could happen if I stay. What about my life back home? My family and friends? My job?

  I gaze over my shoulder at the plane and everything I’d be leaving behind if I said yes.

  “If you’re worried about your home, I can bring your family here too. Anyone you want for as long as you need.”

  “You’d do that for me?” I ask, wiping the tears away. It’s as though he can read my mind.

  “Yes, because I love you.”

  My eyes widen, and my heart skips a beat.

  Love. Did he actually just say that?

  “What?” I mutter.

  The smile on his face almost seems permanent. He’s unafraid to admit his feelings for me and wants the world to know. “You heard me. I know what I want, and what I want is you. I’m not going to deny what I feel in my heart. Even if it’s quick. Even if it’s outrageous and pisses everyone around me off, including you.”

  I laugh at his comment because it’s true, but it makes him adorable too.

  “I don’t care what it takes; I wanna make you happy,” he says, and I can tell from his voice he means every word.

  Still, the voices in the back of my head can’t seem to shut up. “But what about my work, and—”

  “There are plenty of customers waiting in line. I’ve looked at your popularity, and it’s not just people in America who want your clothes. You’re famous, Maya. And don’t try to hide it from me.”

  I snort, shaking my head, but his compliments make it hard for me to reply without my face turning into a strawberry.

  “I’ll have the workshop upgraded, and any materials you need will be provided. We’ll ship them from abroad if we have to, and anything else to make your business flourish.”

  “But you’re a prince, and I’m—”

  “Perfect for me. In every way,” he interrupts, grabbing both my hands now. “Say you’ll stay. For now. As long as you want.”

  I raise a brow. “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

  “Damn right, I have.” The smug look on his face makes my heart do a little spin even though the people around us all seem shocked he’d go through all this trouble just for me.

  But that’s just it … to him, I’m more than just that girl from America. I’m more than just his designer. We had more than just fun. There’s a connection between us, something powerful I can’t explain, but it draws me toward him just as much as he’s clinging onto me.

  As I spent all this time at the airport, I was hoping, praying he’d come to get me.

  And here he is to fight for me. How can I not say yes?

  So I do. “Yes,” I say. “I’ll stay.”

  I’m deciding here and now I’m going to give it a shot. I owe it to my heart to stop waiting around for the right guy. This guy … he’s the one I want right now, and I don’t give a damn if that means giving up my life back home because life’s all about risks and taking chances. And I choose this path because it isn’t a coincidence that we met. We aren’t a coincidence.

  So I don’t stop nodding until it finally sinks in. He gets up from the floor and wraps me in his arms, twirling me around as he hugs me tight. The people around us erupt into cheers.

  And for a minute, I even forget all the stares surrounding us as Amir plants his lips on mine and seals the deal.

  Epilogue

  Maya

  Within a few weeks, I’ve already been relocated into the palace. I fought tooth and nail to have my own place to live, but his father actually wouldn’t have it. Even though he was quite wary of me at first, he seems to have grown fond of me over the weeks. Apparently, I have a calming effect on his son, which has turned him from a playboy into a sophisticated prince. The clothing probably helped that image along too, though I’m not gonna take all the credit. Amir has been such a gentleman that it’s amazing. Not just to me, but to the staff and the people in the country too. He continues to attend charity events, helping as much as he can and giving the people as much as he can give.

  His father wasn’t happy with it at first, but when he saw the effect it had on his people, he’s been participating too, which surprised me quite a bit. The man has made a U-turn in terms of engagement with both his subjects and me. And I couldn’t be happier because it’s made the transition to living in Dakai much easier for me when I can actually get along with my potential father-in-law.

  Just thinking about it still makes my heart race. As if I could actually become Amir’s wife one day. An actual princess. But I have to rein in those thoughts. I don’t wanna go too fast. I wanna take things slowly and see where they go. My business and getting to really know Amir come first right now.

  That, and my family, who are coming over next weekend to see me, along with a couple of my friends. They were very supportive of me when I told them I was staying here to pursue my dreams, and I even told them about Amir and how he’s a prince. They were shocked, at first, just as I was, but after talking to them on the phone a few times, they seem to have accepted the idea of me being with him. I mean, he’s still just a man, like anyone else … only royalty.

  Still, I’m so excited for them to come over, and it feels like my smile is permanently plastered to my face while I’m sewing together a dress I made that I’ll wear while they’re here.

  “What a
re you grinning at?” Amir asks as he peeks over my shoulder.

  “Oh, I’m just excited about my parents visiting,” I answer, and I hold up the dress. “What do you think? Good?”

  He smiles broadly. “Beautiful. Just like you.” He places a soft, delicate kiss on the back of my neck, and whispers, “I can’t wait to see you wear it.”

  I don’t know why, but everything he says sounds so erotically charged. Or maybe that’s just the sparks flying between us whenever we’re close.

  Because I have to admit, I’m having a hard time staying away from the palace or even his room. I can’t help but gravitate toward him constantly. My body and heart have already decided they want to be close to him, and my mind is still trying to adjust.

  “Hmm …” Amir groans in my ear as he places another seductive kiss just below. “You smell so good.”

  “New perfume,” I say, giggling when he places another kiss and adds a lick too. “What are you doing?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” he muses, still kissing my neck, making goose bumps scatter on my skin. “I always wanna do dirty things to you, Maya.”

  “What? You’re thinking about that right now?” I ask, placing down the dress.

  “Yes, right now,” he says, sucking on my earlobe. “And pretty much every other minute of the day.”

  I’m having a hard time concentrating. “But we have a lot of work to do. Preparations to make.”

  “It can wait … I can’t.”

  Amir’s hands are on my breasts now, fondling them and pinching my nipples until I let out a slight squeal. “Tell me you don’t like it.”

  “Just because I do, doesn’t mean we should—”

  He grins against my skin. “When has that ever stopped us? Last I checked, that’s exactly how we found each other.”

  “How we got into this mess, you mean?” I say jokingly.

  “And how we’re gonna make an even dirtier mess,” he whispers, pulling me up from my seat. “C’mon.”

  He tags me along back into the room that has the big tub all while keeping his mouth on mine. I only get a couple of seconds to breathe while his scorching mouth is everywhere. On my neck, my cheeks, and even my collarbones.