by Ames, Ilsa
He asked me all the things he should have asked me so long ago. I’d been on the verge of asking him to leave when he said he loved me. That had stopped me cold. There might be hope for a future, if he loved me. There were still no promises about weddings or things like that, but he kept up a steady stream of things he wanted to know about me, and what I’d like to do in the future. One of those things he asked me was where I’d like to visit in America the most.
“I’ve always wanted to go to California. To Los Angeles or San Francisco, they have always been these foreign worlds to me. I know they’re a part of my country, but I’d never thought I would actually go see them.”
He smiled and told me about the times he’d spent in California, and how he agreed, I needed to see it too. “I even want Livia to go there when she’s old enough. It was such a great experience to see so much diversity in one single place.”
I smiled and wondered if he’d want the same for his other child. I hadn’t told him yet, but I planned to. When the time was right. The nausea wasn’t as bad, and only came at night now. He’d gone outside to use his phone, then came back in. He couldn’t get reception in the house for some reason, probably the brick or something, I thought as I made us some lunch.
He came back in and wrapped his arms around me. “I want you to pack a bag, Cara, just a small one, and come with me.”
I’d looked up at him, already suspecting what he’d planned, but still full of curiosity. “Where are we going?”
“To another world, my dear. Go on, hurry up. I’ll eat my sandwich while you do it.” His bags were mostly packed still, so he grabbed them and went out to the car I’d rented. He drove us to a private airstrip and then we boarded a small private jet.
I ate my sandwich on the way, but I barely tasted it. I was too excited.
I was even more surprised to find out that not only was Andrej a licensed pilot, the jet we were about to take off in was his. We stopped once to refuel but for the most part the trip was uneventful and we made it San Francisco with plenty of daylight to spare. Of course, the time difference helped with that. A car took us to a hotel I would never be able to afford on my own, even if I used my savings, and then we were high in a room with a view unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Andrej closed the door and walked over to me with a confident smile. I looked back at the skyline for a minute more, before I turned back to him. “It’s gorgeous, Andrej. I can’t…thank you.”
He made a dismissive noise, but his eyes said he was happy I loved his gift so much. I doubted he’d ever done something so selfless before. Sure, he was only able to do it because he had money coming out of his ears, but still. He’d decided to do this for me, and he’d done it well.
“You deserve to have your dreams come true, Cara,” he said, and took my right hand in his. A thrill went through me as his skin came into contact with mine.
“I never thought it would happen. I almost believed it wasn’t real.” I breathed the words as I turned back to the wall of glass that made up this side of the room. All I could see was the bridge and the bay.
“Just wait until the morning, when the fog comes rolling in. It’s breathtaking.” He paused as he pressed himself into me and inhaled the scent of my hair. “Did you feel the same way about Ikrosovnia?”
“Kind of, but not as much. I had no idea what it looked like, really. I’d seen pictures online, and short videos, but it’s not like growing up seeing a place that could be fictional and the media is just playing once massive joke on you.”
“A little too conspiracy theorist, but a fun one at least.” His fingers came up to my shoulders to smooth down my sides. He turned me into his arms and I opened my mouth, ready for his kiss.
“Hello there, beautiful. I’ll be your tour guide.” Andrej grinned at me with that look in his eyes. The one that said he adored me. That he loved me.
“I’d like you to be more than that,” I answered with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
“I think that can be arranged, my dear. All in good time.” His words made my heart skip a beat and I stared at him far more intently.
Something about the way he said it told me there was a promise in his words, and I wanted him to say it out loud.
“You get more beautiful every single day, do you know that?” he whispered and pulled me closer, a low purr vibrated from him while I wrapped my arms around his neck. My breasts pushed into his chest, the constant ache in them turned to pleasure as I did so.
“You think so?” I asked, my head cocked to the right.
“I wouldn’t say it otherwise, Cara,” he whispered just before his lips brushed against mine, a move that asked for permission.
I pushed myself up into the kiss, his uncertainty stirring me into action. I didn’t plan to spend our first evening in San Francisco in bed, but my need for Andrej grew stronger with each day, it didn’t dim at all. Maybe it would in the future, after the baby came and we spent more time with diapers than each other, but for now, my desire did not wane a bit.
I couldn’t stop myself when I touched him; I needed to feel this man’s skin against mine, even if it was only my fingertips against his cheek. His touch was so very familiar, and it drove me to seek out more.
I pulled him over to the biggest bed I’ve ever seen in my life, and he sat down on the edge to pull me down to kneel over him.
Andrej gently pulled my face to his, not to kiss me, but to look into my eyes.
“You have beautiful eyes, Cara. I never knew how beautiful they were until they weren’t there anymore,” he said as he ground up into me, impossibly hard already. “I can’t get enough of watching your eyes as I fill you. If only my clothes would disappear so we didn’t have to move.”
Those few words of his were enough to make me ready to give him whatever he wanted from me.
I sat and watched him as he undressed. I tore my own away, and didn’t care where they landed, I only had eyes for him. I watched him expose his gorgeous body slowly before he came back to the bed and I straddled him once more.
His hands gripped my upper arms, in part to control me, but mostly because he wanted to touch me. Otherwise, he’d have gripped my arms much tighter. I lost my self-control as I sank down onto the man of my dreams. His cock was as familiar to me as my own hand by now, but it still gave me a thrill to fill him inside of me. I leaned forward until my head fit into the side of his neck, my eyes closed in pure bliss. I knew what was in store for me, and I took this quiet moment to just enjoy being a part of him.
“Andrej. My love,” I whispered as he stroked a hand down my back. He wasn’t in a rush either now.
“Yes, I am. Now please, let me see those eyes of yours again, Cara,” he asked softly.
I opened my eyes and pushed myself up. As he looked into my eyes I started to move on him, my hands braced against his thighs.
He held my hips, thrust up into me with gentle ease. He fucked me right back with a groan of surrender. We moved in time together, our limbs entangled. Sweat made our bodies slick and we both forgot the world outside existed. He listened to me, waited for hints that I needed more, and took each opportunity to help me climb that little bit higher. I stared into his eyes, watched the color change from a light green to a darker emerald color. His expression grew tense but fascinated as we moved in time together.
We moved like that for what felt like hours, and may have been. Together, our gazes locked, we drove each other higher, until the world exploded and Andrej followed along right behind me. Perfectly in tune with each other, we came together. His strangled gasp mixed with mine as we watched each other. Normally, I closed my eyes and gave in to every moment of it, but this time I wanted to watch Andrej. My eyes widened as I watched him, and then I came so hard at how he looked that I had to close my eyes as I shuddered in his arms. I immediately forced my eyes right back open, and watched until we both stopped.
Somehow, we both managed to keep our eyes open and we came down slowly, our gazes
still locked.
“I love you, Cara,” he said with a relaxed smile that curled my toes it was so sexy.
“I love you, Andrej.” It was the first time I’d said it outright to him. The man had followed me around the world, and then taken me a little bit further to prove to me he cared. The least I could do was admit the truth to him.
He smiled a broad smile and then pulled me into the bathroom for a nice long shower. He washed my hair gently, which was heaven, then he scrubbed my body down, and did a quick job of his own before he pulled me free of the walk-in shower. He wrapped a towel around me to dry me off but stopped after he dried the lower half of me. I’d had my eyes closed while he did it, but opened them when he stopped and spoke.
“Uh, Cara?” His eyes were on the white towel in his hands and I looked down. I felt my blood freeze. There was red all over the towel.
My knees went weak and I looked into his eyes helplessly as pain cramped in my stomach suddenly. “Andrej...”
I lost all sensation in my legs but he grabbed me. “What’s wrong? It’s not your period?”
“No. I have to go to the hospital. Now.” I ran into the bedroom and threw on some clothes while he called out behind me.
“Do you need an ambulance?” He came in to find me crumpled on the floor.
I woke up when the paramedics came into the room. Andrej had managed to put a loose dress on me, but I didn’t care about that, all I cared about was my baby.
“Ma’am, can you tell us what’s wrong?” The man asked as he loaded me onto a gurney then pulled me outside.
“She’s bleeding. From…there.” I looked behind me to see Andrej had followed us. I hadn’t even told him about the baby yet.
“Ma’am, have you injured yourself somehow?” The paramedic ignored all of the people in the hallway. They’d all come out when they figured out there was a commotion going on.
“I’d rather wait, please. Just get me out of here, thank you.” The paramedic had that look on his face that people get when something finally dawns on them.
“Sir, she’s awake now, we’ll take it from here.”
“But can’t I go with her?” Andrej called out and I looked at the paramedic panicked. The man was my hero when he turned around and told Andrej no.
“If you have a car, I suggest you bring that, sir. You’ll need a way to get back when she’s released,” he shouted back as they wheeled me out and into an ambulance.
“Thank you, I- he- he just doesn’t know yet…” I mumbled deliriously. “I mean I was going to…I’m going to tell him, I just…”
“Just relax, ma’am,” the paramedic said slowly. “Can you explain to me what’s wrong?” The other paramedic shut the door and climbed into the ambulance. A knock came at the back and Andrej came into view. I heard him ask the other paramedic for directions, and then he was gone again, his face full of anxiety.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered. “I’ve only just arrived back in the states so I don’t have any kind of paperwork, but I’m pregnant. I’m bleeding from down there somewhere. It’s coming out, but I don’t know what’s wrong exactly. I’m also in pain.”
“And you fainted. Alright. Let’s get you to the hospital, my dear. Can you answer a few questions, please?” He hit the roof the van and the driver took off while the other paramedic fitted an IV then radioed the hospital with my info.
They asked when my last period was, I told them I didn’t know. I had no idea how pregnant I was, but it could be two months or three. I just didn’t know. I only knew I wanted them to save my baby. Tears filled my eyes as another pain cramped me into a ball. “Please, just make it stop.”
“We’ll do our best, ma’am,” the paramedic said, kindly, and patted my hand. “Just breathe for now, alright?”
I was rushed into a room and a doctor came straight away to examine me. He asked me a lot of questions, an ultrasound machine was rolled in, and blood was drawn. There was a lot of tense moments where I just wanted somebody to hold my hand, but soon enough the doctor came back in.
“It seems all of your traveling is the culprit, Ms. Anderson. You need some medicine to stop the cramps and a week of bedrest, at least. Which means no traveling. At all. You’ll be here for a while.”
“My baby is alright?” I rushed to ask, and he smiled.
“Right now, the little tyke is just fine.”
His words brought a choking cry of relief to my lips, my tears of pure happiness streaming down my cheeks.
“Your placenta has separated just a tiny bit, and that’s causing the bleeding and cramping. With some rest and the medicine, it should get better and your baby will be absolutely fine.”
“Baby?”
My eyes darted from the doctor’s to the doorway. And standing there, his eyes wide as saucers and his hand gripped tightly to the doorframe, was Andrej.
And his eyes were locked right on me as the word left his lips.
“Yes, sir. Ms. Anderson will soon be a mother.” The doctor smiled broadly, and I knew he’d just given me some of the best news of my life but damn did I want to smack the man. What about doctor-patient confidentiality there, buddy?
“A baby?” Andrej breathed and came at me with a huge grin.
“Yes, Andrej,” I said quietly, my tongue darting out to wet my lips. This was it. This was the moment I’d never known how to have.
“Our baby.”
The doctor suddenly seemed to get it, and with a quick apology, he awkwardly stepped from the room. Andrej’s eyes locked on mine as he moved towards me, his face stunned but deliriously happy.
“Is that why you’ve been so ill? And left?”
“Pretty much, yes. I was afraid to tell you.”
“God, I’m so stupid, of course you were pregnant! How could I be so blind?” He crawled into the bed with me to kiss the tears away from my face and for the first time, I really knew we would be just fine.
“Excuse me, sir!” The doctor poked his head back into the room, frowning at us. “Ms. Anderson needs to rest. Don’t excite her too much.”
“I won’t,” Andrej promised, but that gleam in his eyes promised the opposite. “For now, anyway. The rest of your life is going to be so exciting, though, Ms. Anderson. Just you wait and see.”
He kissed me and then he just held me. I was exhausted from the scare, but I’d found comfort in the world at last. With Andrej.
Chapter 20
Andrej
“Shh, it’s alright, little Michael. Your mommy will be back soon enough.” I rocked my son in his cradle, a cradle that had been in my family for over three centuries. Now, it held the latest child of my line. At three months old, he was a pure delight, except for when he wanted his momma. “She’s busy putting on a very heavy dress, dear son, so that she can marry Daddy.”
“I’ll take him, Papa!” Livia came into the room I waited in at the palace chapel. She was a little taller, but it was her smile that was the true difference. She had a new stepmom and was the world’s proudest big sister to have ever lived. She might be small, but she held that baby like she’d never let him go.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” I kissed her head as she took the baby, popped a bottle in his mouth expertly, and carried on with her routine like it was nothing. She loved her baby brother. He really was her world and she didn’t care who knew it.
“It’s time, Your Highness.” Viktor came in and told me with a grin. His attitude was much improved since we came home. I’d waited for three weeks before Cara was able to leave the hospital. After that, she wasn’t allowed to travel at all, and so our son had been born in California. I’d ended up buying a condo in San Francisco for Cara. My duties as prince had me constantly going back and forth between her and Ikrosovnia, but I didn’t care at all about the travel. I welcomed it – I welcomed ever single flight that brought me back to her.
Livia had come over with me a few times, and she’d loved it. I knew she’d be there as soon as she could travel on her own, without a backwa
rd glance. Except for Michael, maybe. Poor child, she would have to follow my same path if she wanted to take the crown when it was her turn. I wouldn’t force her into any role, but if she wanted to be queen after me, her life was going to be a lot more complicated than Michael’s would be.
I gulped as I watched my children leave the room and head out into the chapel. It was decorated with greenery and orange blossoms – a scent Cara had picked up on in California and couldn’t let go of. She’d asked me to fill the small chapel area with the flowers and I’d fulfilled that wish. As one of the biggest state affairs in years, the entire country, and a lot of Europe, had turned out to witness this marriage of mine. I didn’t care about any of those people, just the two little ones in the front pew and the one who would soon walk down that aisle.
The song she’d chosen began to play and the room rustled into a hushed quiet. There, forty feet away, was my bride. Her dress was pure white, embroidered with the orange blossoms she loved so much around the hem, with a long veil to act as her train. The dress was gorgeous and fit a true royal. Done in silk by one of the top designers of our country, it looked almost too simple until she came close. Then you saw the complexity of the rounded neckline that stretched out over her shoulders, the myriad of darts at the waist to cinch the dress before it flared down over her hips. It cascaded into a ruffle at the bottom that should look silly, but on her, the whole thing made her look like a true queen any man would be proud to marry.
I lifted her veil as she came close to me and bent down to kiss her cheek. I repeated the words when I was supposed to, I followed the directions of the clergyman, and knelt when I was supposed to, but I only had eyes for Cara. She was gorgeous, as I knew she would be, but she’d stunned me too.
