Kissing her cheek, I pulled out of her, which she met with a disappointed whine. Just for good measure, I gave her ass a slap before grabbing the sheet and going to answer the door.
“What was that for?” she asked, rolling around happily to face me.
“To keep you in line, Princess,” I said, and then opened the door.
In came a line of three servants carrying coffee, tea, fruits, eggs, bacon. The fucking works. Valeria met every unveiled plate and tray with excited oohs and ahhs.
She slipped on a silk robe, fastening the tie into a bow, and picked up a freshly baked chocolate croissant. I watched her sink her teeth into it, totally unconcerned by the mess it was making all over her, and instead moaning into the fresh pastry and melted chocolate.
That’s my girl.
Once breakfast was served, my valet appeared with the carved wooden box I’d been waiting for. I took it from him with a conspiratorial wink, and he returned the gesture with a polite nod and a hint of a smile. Locking the door behind him, I turned to her and carried the box over.
“What’s that?” she asked with her mouth half-full, covering her lips with her hand. The stack of rings I’d given her for her wedding glinted in the morning light—my mom’s diamond engagement ring, my aunt’s rubies, my great-grandmother’s pearls, and finally a big whopping infinity band of ice-blue sapphires that I’d had made as her wedding ring. It was a hell of a lot of jewels for one finger, but not even close to all she deserved.
Holding the box in both hands, I offered it to her.
She blinked with excited surprise and did her best to dust off her croissant crumbs.
“Should I open it?”
Her naivete and innocence still fucking killed me. So goddamned cute it made my heart hurt.
“That’s the idea. But let me ask you first. Your family, your royal family, did any of them wear a crown?”
She shook her head, looking exasperated.
“I do remember one. In paintings only because I never met any of my father’s family.” She glanced off to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked back in her memories. “It was my grandmother’s. Platinum with rose gold filigree. And diamonds, all these millions of tiny round diamonds. You’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
Fuck yes, I had. There was no jewel on the planet that could compete with her beauty, but now wasn’t the time to fight about that. “What happened to it?”
“Surprise, surprise. My great grandfather lost it in a damned poker game,” she said sadly. “From what my father told me, it was lost forever.”
Jackpot. Those few words confirmed what I’d long suspected. Without another word, I flipped open the box. Inside sat that very same platinum gold crown with rose gold details, encrusted in thousands of pinhead-sized diamonds.
Her expression was absolute, utter surprise. “Vasile, how did you….”
Placing the box on the bed, I lifted the crown out of it.
“Turns out your father’s family and mine have been playing poker for a long time. Your grandfather lost it to my great uncle in a poker game. My mother told me about it on the eve of our wedding. A gift. Sealing our families together. For good this time. Since the minute I met you, I knew this was destined to be yours. I’m just fucking grateful to be the one that gets to return it to you.”
Valeria stood before me, misty-eyed, blinking back tears as she smiled up at me. Carefully, tenderly, I placed the crown on her head and then knelt at her feet.
I took her hand in mine and kissed it.
“You might be a princess, but you are my Queen. I promise to spend my life honoring you and protecting you. And loving you. Forever.”
Valeria let out an embarrassed, tearful gasp, and gripped my arms to pull me up to standing. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, with her tears between our lips. And my tears, too.
Chapter 28 - Epilogue
Valeria
18 Months Later
Vasile lay in bed naked beside me, resting his ear to my round belly, listening to the baby. I gently ran my fingers through his hair, noticing for the first time a few silver hairs in his sideburns.
I wasn’t sure how it was possible, but every single day he seemed to be even sexier than the last. And every single day I grew to love him more than I ever thought possible.
The baby kicked. I watched Vasile’s face light up and he whispered, “Holy shit. He’s strong,” glancing at me with the most contented, delighted twinkle in his eye.
I nodded at him, biting my tongue, waiting for the little one to do it again. The baby knew when Vasile was nearby, I was sure of it, and I could almost imagine chubby baby thighs kicking with joy when she felt him listening for her.
“You know it’ll be a girl, don’t you?” I whispered.
He narrowed his eyes, pretending to be all stern and angry. “It’ll be a boy. I keep telling you. The first one will be a boy.”
I shook my head, snuggling into the pillows that surrounded me and propped me up.
“Nope. Girl. I can see her in my dreams already.”
Vasile wasn’t buying it. He replied with a scowl, a flutter of his jaw muscles, and a low, growly, “Wanna bet?”
“Don’t you dare,” I said, teasing him, pretending to be angry and disapproving.
All that was just for show. I knew he wouldn’t, never again. He’d given me his word and had stood by it. Just as he had stood by me and always would.
Vasile laughed a little and calmed me down with a wink. He placed his big hands on either side of my belly, gently stroking my skin, looking as blissful as I had ever seen him.
I let my mind drift, wondering—for the thousandth time—if anybody deserved to be as I was. I was so happy and Vasile and I were so happy together that at times, I almost felt guilty. And it still seemed surreal, impossible to me, that everything had turned out all right. But it had.
Natasha was doing better than ever. Her eyes were bright, she was strong and healthy, and she was devoted to Daniel. Away from Petre’s influence, the Greengallows and Daniel had helped her get past the drug addiction he’d forced on her.
As for Petre himself, he was no more of a threat to me now than an injured polar bear a thousand miles away. He would be serving his sentence for a very long time, and once it was over Vasile had promised to put him charge of overseeing shipping up north, a job so cold, desolate and thankless that I even felt a little bit bad for him. But only a little.
We lay together in the very bed where he’d first claimed me as his, in that strange and wonderful old manor house with its orangery and swimming pool and beautiful gas lights. And the running water, my God, the running water, still the most delightful miracle to me every single day.
Only now, that wonderful old place truly belonged to us, not just in name. We’d claimed it as ours and were putting our own stamp on it. Slowly we were having it fixed up as we wanted it to be.
Replanting the gardens, repainting the rooms, filling each space with the things we loved. It felt like home already. We’d even had one wing of the house redone for my parents, who’d moved in with us last month. My father still gambled, but over bridge games with my mother and Vasile’s parents, and then only for pennies. Literally pennies. I made sure of it before every game.
As well, Vasile had a secret building built near the back of the property on the highest point. On my birthday, he’d taken me on Vela at midnight for a ride. It was cold and clear and after winding through a new trail in the woods, up ahead I saw lamplights gleaming through windows in an odd structure.
There was a small cottage of sorts, yet on one side a portion of the structure was tall, like a large cylinder. Once inside, I was met with a room filled with every book and map of the skies and stars I could ever want. Telescopes of every size and shape stood in the open space of the room.
Then, the best, Vasile took me into the tall tower, up a wooden flight of stairs and there at the top, on a platform was a telescope bigger
than I’d ever seen. Since then, I’d spend more time than I should mapping the stars and dreaming about what could be happening on faraway planets.
He’s so good to me, I know I am the most spoiled sort of princess brat in the land.
On the tray beside us in bed were all my favorite things to eat at the moment—chocolates and caramels, candied ginger and blackberry pastilles.
Whether it was a girl or boy, the baby certainly liked things sweet. I was more than happy to oblige. I took a chocolate-dipped gooseberry from a small silver tray, letting my eyes flutter shut as I savored it.
As I did, I must have moaned in that particular way that drove Vasile wild, because in return he growled at me, shifted his head away from my belly, and straddled me, firmly pumping that beautiful, rock-solid cock.
Reaching past my belly, I took it in my hand. My clit responded instantly and a trickle of wetness slicked my thighs. I whetted the tip of Vasile’s cock with my own juices, and then gently rubbed circles around the tip, feeling the veins and tissue grow even more in my hand.
He took his cock from me, rubbing the shaft against my clit, not looking up to meet my gaze but instead intently watching himself part my folds. I felt him tease my opening, then adjust his position in order to begin penetrating me.
As he did, he reached forward and grasped my left breast in his massive hand, leaning down over me as he did.
“Fuck, I cannot wait for you to make milk for me,” he said, sucking greedily on my nipple before biting it, hard enough to make me hiss as my eyes rolled back in my head.
He let my nipple go with a sucking pop and slid his hand behind my ass, plunging deep into my pussy. The baby kicked like crazy as he entered me fully, and Vasile smiled down at me as he pressed his hand against my stomach once more. “This, right here, is fucking heaven,” he said, driving into me deep and slow.
Arching my head back, I melted into the softness of the bed and the pillows, opening my body and soul to him completely, letting myself be swept up by the pleasure and pain that only he knew how to give. Him, the center of my world, the love of my life, the father of my children. My husband. My ruler.
My prince.
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STOLEN PRINCESS
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MASKED PRINCE
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ROYAL OBSESSION
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Other Titles By Dani Wyatt
Standalones
Wrangler
Reigning Her In
Sweet Ride
Forging Forever
Just Until Morning
Saddled
Perfect
His to Break
Rough Neck
Parting Glass
What If
The One
Preacher’s Daughter
Hold On
Meet. F*ck. Done. – CAN’T WAIT
Keeping Her Close
Back to Her
Let Go
Our Turn – Can’t Wait Bundle
Our Turn Standalone
Heartlands
Chain
Wrath
Love, Daddy
Mastering Her Heart
HIS Rules
Goodgirls Say Please
Kiss Me Goodnight
Yes, Daddy
Men of the Woods
Hard Cut
Deep Cut
Rough Cut
Straight Cut
Paranormal
Vamp
Holidays
Night Before
Valentine's Rose
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Her First Noel
His Resolution
Sweet Tarte
The Forever Collection
Where She Belongs
When She’s Mine
Promise Duet
Promise
Cherish
Southside MMA Series
Force
Push
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About Dani
Dani Wyatt used to feel bad about having such dirty thoughts. Luckily, one day, she decided to start writing them down. Her ultra-obsessed, alpha heroes have a wicked possessive streak and an insatiable libido. Her heroines are intelligent, quirky, and worry about having too much muffin top. So, if you like your insta-love over the top, super-hot, with a little more plot and always a happily ever after, you’re in the right place.
She’s fighting middle age like a warrior and lives an average life battling gravity. When she's not writing, she is probably laughing about some irony (like the fact that A-1 Steak Sauce is vegan), reading, riding her horse, or looking cross-eyed at some piece of technology sent to ruin her day.
About Nikolai
Nikolai Andrew has been writing stories as far back as he can remember. His elementary school teachers used to have him stay after class to try to explain some of his more creative work but with a to-die-for smile and wisdom beyond his years, he always managed to charm his way out of trouble. Not much has changed, except he’s now found an outlet for his stories where he can show off a bit of his darkness, a dash of dominance and a sprig of hopeless romantic topped with a whole helping of hot.
When he’s not writing, he’s playing with his many aquariums, searching for rocks, enjoying cheap vodka and making waitresses blush. He’s got a penchant for vintage Playboy’s and Vargas girls and a weakness for giving out spankings and cookies. Drop him a line anytime. He loves to hear from readers. Especially their own ideas on what he should write next.
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Wild Heir (Fated Royals Book 4) Page 20