“Come with me, Charlotte,” he whispered. “Let me feel you.”
It hit me suddenly. Violently. Like no sensation before or what I could imagine could come after. The world halted as my body seized around his, bolts of pleasure surging through me with the kind of intensity that could leave a person in pieces. Edward’s mouth covered mine before he thrust inside me once more, holding himself there as his body went rigid.
“Take me,” he husked against my lips, rutting against me as he spent himself inside my body.
He was still kissing me minutes later, his arms holding me as though they would never tire.
“Thank you,” he said, his lips moving to my neck.
“You’re welcome.” I was beaming at the ceiling, feeling both energized and exhausted from what we’d done. My fingers combed through his hair as his mouth worked along my neck. “So now that you’ve experienced it all, start to finish, and you’re not in a sex-crazed state of mind, would you still be willing to exchange eternity in hell for thirty seconds of what we just did?”
“No.” His head shook against mine. “I’d settle for ten seconds.”
My laugh filled the small cabin while I basked in this moment of seeming perfection. I knew it couldn’t last. I even accepted that there was no such thing as perfect. But that didn’t change the fact that there was nowhere else I wanted to be and no one I wanted to be with more.
“I know I shouldn’t, and I know it’s selfish”—Edward’s head lifted above mine, my reflection shining in his eyes—“but I love you.”
Chapter 16
Waking up the next morning, I held my eyes closed for an extra minute to take in the feel of the fire on my bare skin, the scent of coffee coming from the kitchen, the ache between my legs where Edward had been. Everything felt so much clearer this morning, my mind seeming to have worked through the mountain of question marks while I slept.
“Edward?” I opened my eyes and sat up.
He was no longer tucked beside me in the blankets, arms draped around me, as I remembered falling asleep. In the half second of silence, I had this sense of dread that he’d gone. Left. Again. This time remaining out of my reach forever.
My fear was silenced when he appeared from the kitchen. “I will never get tired of hearing my name coming from your mouth.”
I couldn’t stop my smile or the quickening in my stomach when I saw him. He’d slid back into his pants, though the rest of him remained quite unhindered by clothing. After last night, knowing how his body felt against mine, knowing what it was capable of drawing from me . . . how was I supposed to get anything done if it didn’t include getting beneath Edward?
My fingers knotted into the blanket. “What time is it?”
“Just after six.”
“What are you doing up so early? We didn’t fall asleep until after two.”
He motioned into the kitchen, tearing his eyes from me. “Making you breakfast.”
“Breakfast?”
He appeared amused by my temporary ignorance of the concept. “I figured after last night’s physical endeavors, you’d wake up hungry.”
My eyebrow lifted. “You’re right.” Letting the blanket fall to the floor, I crooked my finger at him.
His hands balled as he forced himself to step back. “I need to feed you.”
“You need to . . . do something.”
His chest moved with a grunt. “Breakfast can wait?” He pointed into the kitchen, already stalking toward me.
“Breakfast can wait,” I replied, laughing when he threw himself down on me.
His arms twisted behind me, cradling me to him, his lips touching mine. “Aren’t you sore?”
“Yes.” I nodded as I pulled at his zipper, in too big of a hurry to remove his pants entirely. “But I’m sure you can find some way to distract me from it.”
“You have no idea how many ways I have in mind. Which I have every intention of trying.”
I jolted against him when his fingers skimmed down my side. “Let’s not forget I did approach you asking for your assistance with all things of a sex-related nature.”
His smile formed against my cheek as he kissed it. “Let me continue your education then.”
The door behind us banged open, a rush of cold air pouring into the cabin. Both Edward’s and my head tipped to see who was there.
I never expected to see him hovering in the doorway.
Clearing his throat, King Henry turned his back to us, giving Edward a chance to pull a blanket over me. The momentary panic of covering myself up passed, giving way to fresh panic that the King of Norland had walked in on me with his son.
I kind of wanted to throw the blanket over my head too.
“What are you doing here?” Edward rose to his feet, putting himself in front of me.
“I think it’s safe to say I made the right choice by asking your mother to wait in the car.” King Henry sighed, not sounding particularly angry, just . . . tired.
“Mother’s here too?” Edward’s head turned toward the window, where a dark limousine was waiting outside. “You promised to give me some time and space to reach my decision.”
“That was the plan, until I was wakened at three this morning to the image of my son ‘cavorting’ with some mystery woman, which has spread across every online news platform in the civilized world.” The king handed Edward his phone, whatever image of us likely pulled up on it. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll have a print version to add to the Prince Edward collection within a couple of hours.”
Despite the fact a world ruler was standing nearby, curiosity got the better of me. Tucking the blanket around all of me save for my face, I stood and padded toward Edward.
Edward’s posture went rigid, but he didn’t try to hide the image from me.
My eyes widened. “That was last night.”
Edward didn’t say anything.
“That means someone must have seen us . . . taken a picture . . . watched . . .” My throat burned as I struggled to process the implications tied to the image of us. “Who would have done that?”
Edward remained quiet, his eyes narrowed at the window the person must have been looking through when they’d taken the picture.
“That question could be more easily answered by asking who couldn’t have taken the picture.” The king stepped inside, kicking the snow from his boots. “That list would be far smaller.”
I gripped Edward’s arm, at a loss. Thankfully, the photo wasn’t too revealing, though it gave no question as to what we’d been doing.
“This would be a good time to make introductions, son. Before your mother’s patience wears off and she bursts in here and starts running crisis management.” The king took his phone from Edward and settled it deep in the pocket of his long wool coat.
Edward rolled his head, cracking his neck as he did so. “Father, this is Charlotte Everly. Charlotte, this is my father, King Henry Royston.”
When the king extended his hand, I dropped mine from Edward’s arm to shake it. I’d seen foreign dignitaries, dressed in their most formal attire, given the honor of the king’s handshake, and here I was, draped in an old blanket, standing barefoot and smelling of his son.
Not one of my finer moments.
“And I need to ask, who is Charlotte to you?” The king let go of my hand, his attention going back to his son.
Edward shifted. “What does it matter?”
A slight figure flashed through the door, the queen lowering her hood. “Don’t say anything else. For all we know, someone could have a microphone in here, listening to every word you say.” Queen Helen’s eyes, similar in color to her son’s, scanned the cabin. She hardly seemed to realize I was standing beside her son, bundled in a blanket.
“There isn’t a microphone,” Edward said.
“No? And I bet last night you would have sworn there wasn’t a camera snapping photos outside your window either. Yet here we are, scrambling to figure out what light to shed upon the matter.” T
he queen folded her hands in front of her, casting a sideways look in my direction.
“We could always go with the truth—”
Queen Helen cut off Edward. “If there’s anything you want to pack, get it now. We’re leaving immediately.” This time, her eyes lingered when they settled on me. “All of us.”
Edward didn’t move. “Charlotte’s job is at the manor. She can’t just leave.”
“I am very aware of Ms. Everly’s employment with the Royston Corporation.” The queen exchanged a look with her husband. “But she cannot stay here, not now. The media will be crawling outside these gates come afternoon.”
I was watching Edward, so I didn’t miss the shadow that settled over his face. “Her things—”
“Are being packed up as we speak. Mrs. Hutchinson will take care of finding a replacement to see out the rest of the winter season. And ensure your three friends don’t burn too many cigar holes into the carpet.” Queen Helen joined her husband at the door. “Now get dressed. And may I suggest you start by lifting your zipper.” She cleared her throat, turning her head as Edward fixed his zipper.
While he stood there, contemplation lines creasing his forehead, I took inventory of the situation.
The parents of the boy I liked had basically walked in on us about to have sex. Said parents were the sovereign rulers of the country I lived in. I’d met said sovereign rulers while wearing a blanket and sporting a severe case of bedhead. Oh, and not to be forgotten, some asshole had taken a picture of the prince and me in a most private moment and sold it to the media. The same media whose thirst for blood where the royal family was concerned never ceased.
Edward took me to the side, lowering his face in front of mine. “Are you okay with this? They’re springing this on us, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to leave simply because it’s the queen suggesting it.”
My teeth sank into my lip. “It seems like the best plan at the moment. She’s right about the press descending on this place. I took the job for the privacy it offered, not to have to dodge windows and stayed locked inside.”
His hand cupped my face. “Okay, get dressed and we’ll get out of here.”
Collecting the pile of clothes littered on the floor, he set mine in the bathroom for me, then he headed into my old bedroom to change. I picked the “nicest” combination of my warm layers from last night, going with the jeans and wool sweater, then splashed some water on my face, swished some around in my mouth, and combed my fingers through my hair. Presentable? Not quite. But at least I wasn’t bundled up in a floral comforter anymore.
Edward was waiting outside the door when I opened it, his shirt tucked in, shoes tied, hair tidy, the definition of presentable.
“How did you get ready so quickly?” I whispered when he handed me my socks and boots.
“Years of experience.”
“Have a lot of practice outrunning the media?” I jested, clomping into my boots.
“A little,” he muttered, grabbing our jackets as we headed toward the front door.
The king must have been back in the car, but Queen Helen hadn’t moved from her post at the front door. Nor had the guys with dark suits and giant hands stationed outside.
“The fire’s still going in the fireplace.” I pulled against Edward’s hand as he guided me out the door.
“Someone will take care of it,” the queen answered. “Someone always does, isn’t that right, Edward?”
Edward paused outside the door, waiting for his mother. He closed the door behind her, then we followed her to the car. “I’ve never asked you to intervene or take care of any of my so-called problems.”
“Which is not something to brag about.” She waved her light leather gloves over his shoulder at him before sliding them on.
When we were halfway to the car, another guy in a dark suit hopped out of the front seat of the limo. He swung the door open when the queen was a few feet away.
“What are you thinking?” Edward asked me quietly.
My eyes went from the cabin to the limo, considering that. “I think I’m still trying to catch up to what’s happening.”
He nodded. “This is exactly why I was so hesitant to let you into my life. Why it was so important we kept this a secret.”
I had follow-up questions to what he’d said, but I wasn’t going to ask them in the presence of his parents. Edward followed me inside the limo, sliding into the seat beside me. The king and queen sat across from us, both of them with expressions that suggested they were waiting for one of us to say something.
“Now that we don’t have to worry about the unlikely presence of a microphone”—Edward reclaimed my hand after we were buckled in—“can I ask what the plan is?”
“For now, we’re heading back to the castle.” King Henry reached for the book tucked beside him on the seat. From what I could tell, it looked to be some kind of history title. Like father, like son.
“And what about Charlotte? She has family in the country outside of Lubrock.”
The queen shifted, holding the most perfect posture I’d ever seen, her ankles crossed and hands folded, despite there being no one besides the three of us around to observe her. I couldn’t imagine the level of discipline it took to behave as if the world was watching you every moment of every day.
“The media will show up there once they figure out who she is, and it won’t take them long,” Queen Helen said as the car went into motion. “She must maintain a low profile until this blows over. Unless she doesn’t mind exposing her loved ones to public scrutiny.”
“Well, if she can’t stay here and she can’t go home, where will she go?” Even as he asked the question, it looked as if he knew the answer. The shadow from earlier crept into his eyes.
“She’ll come to the capital with us.” The queen gave the faintest of sighs, as though she were as pleased with this arrangement as Edward was. “She’ll stay protected and relatively concealed within the palace grounds.”
“Wait. So we’re going to the castle right now?” I inserted myself into the conversation, leaning forward in my seat.
“We are.” The queen appeared to have a difficult time addressing me directly.
“And how long will I have to stay there?” I glanced at Edward to see if I could get a read as to how he felt about the situation, but his expression was vacant.
“That will depend on the damage control we’re able to manage these first few days of the news breaking. The last time Edward was caught holding a young woman’s hand in public four years ago, the press didn’t die down for weeks, making speculations as to the nature of their relationship and forecasting future wedding plans.” The queen’s hands readjusted in her lap. “But a scandal of this magnitude hasn’t affected the royal family in three generations, when the former King Willem’s brother was caught in bed with another man a week after his honeymoon.”
“This is not a scandal.” Edward’s attention moved outside the window.
“Then tell me what it is? Because what is this country to think when a picture comes to light of their future king in a compromising position with a young woman who works for him? Especially with the coronation approaching, a wedding to soon follow so as to produce an heir.”
Again, I had so many questions, but I knew better than to ask them now. Especially with the trouble we were in. I’d always know who Edward was, but the past twenty minutes had been a wake-up call as to everything that came with dating a future king.
“Charlotte doesn’t work for me,” Edward said.
The corners of the queen’s mouth turned down. “To the public, she does. She is an employee of the Royston Corporation, and you were found in bed with her. How does that look? How is that going to look one day to your future wife and children?”
King Henry interjected before Edward could, setting aside his book once more. “We made Edward a promise to not press him on matters of the future, my dear, and we should honor that promise. We came here because it was necessary, gi
ven the circumstances, and to keep everyone involved safe, but let’s deal with the present and leave the future alone for a while.”
From the slant of Edward’s brows, he clearly hadn’t been expecting his father’s defense.
The queen relaxed a little when King Henry gave her a gentle nudge. “Fair enough. I promise not to mention the coronation again until Edward is ready to discuss it.”
The king nudged her again. “And why don’t we leave the whole wife and children topic off the docket until then as well?”
Her shoulders moved as though she were heaving an internal sigh. “Very well. Back to your question, Miss Everly. I anticipate you’ll need to stay at the castle for weeks, if not months. It, of course, depends on your tolerance for handling the media, but I wouldn’t advise you going home until your name isn’t splashed across the front page of a daily national newspaper. Which might take some time.”
“Months?” My throat felt dry. I imagined life at the castle would be vastly different from that at Valmont in the winter. My old college dorm would probably seem like a peaceful retreat compared to the everyday happenings of the capital. “And I can’t go out in public during that time?”
The queen spoke to Edward as she answered my question. “You are not a prisoner, so you are free to do whatever you please, but I would strongly advise against it.”
I shifted in my seat. “What am I supposed to do while I’m there all of that time?”
“Whatever you like. There’s plenty to entertain a person at Stratford.”
Edward leaned forward. “She’s not going to be content to play piano or discuss the latest gossip over tea, Mother.”
“Then what would you propose?” The queen tipped her head at her son, looking annoyed and amused by him at the same time. “If it isn’t conversation, music, or whatever else you assume I waste my days doing that would appeal to Miss Everly, what would?”
Instead of answering, Edward turned to me.
I crossed my ankles like the queen, but it felt wrong, not to mention how wrong it looked with my snow boots on. I uncrossed them.
Glass Castle Prince Page 18
