by Vivian Wood
I smirk. “I have better things to focus on.” I nod to the ballroom, where Margot and Annika are making their way over to us. “I have a feeling you do too.”
Stellan stretches, putting his arms over his head. “Yeah. I guess I do.”
He smiles as Annika comes over, hugging me as she looks at him shyly. I slide my arm around her waist and pull her close.
“Congrats, little sister.”
She beams at him. “Thanks, Stellan.”
Margot grabs his hand and looks at Nika and me. “We have a plane to catch. But let me just tell you one more time: I couldn’t be happier for the both of you.”
I look down at Nika, my grip tightening on her waist. “Thanks.”
Leaning down, I kiss her lips and smile. Stellan rolls his eyes. “Okay. We’re late. But… when we get back, we should all celebrate privately.”
I give Annika a squeeze. She smiles at her brother. “That sounds lovely.”
Margot and Stellan say their goodbyes. And I can breathe a little easier, knowing that my biological father might be in the wind, but my adopted family still stands strong.
38
Annika
“Ugh,” I sigh, dropping the final box I’ve packed on top of a stack of boxes. Stretching out my back, I look around the living room area of the room I called my own.
Erik comes in, a little sweaty from moving boxes around in my former bedroom. I bite my lip and eye him. He smiles at me, sipping water from a bottle.
“Can you believe we’re leaving the palace?” he asks.
I shake my head. "No. I really can't. But at the same time, I'm very excited to go. Now that the seasons are changing, I have a wild hair to go up to a little chalet somewhere. It’ll be all cold and snowy. And we can hang out by the fire, just the two of us…"
He arches a brow at me. "Naked, I assume. Because that is how I plan to see you the first four months of us living together."
I bite my lip, smiling. He sets his water down and comes over to give me a hug and pat my butt. I lean my head back and look up at him, offering my mouth up for a kiss.
He brushes his lips over my own but then he pulls back with a sigh. "You are a temptation, that's for sure. But if we don't get on the road soon, we won't make it up to the beach house by dark."
I scrunch up my face. "You need to start calling it our house. We own it. And no one else does. It's just a big, beautiful house that happens to be by the beach."
He makes a fake sound of aggravation, a little grrr. Then he kisses me on the lips again and starts to head out to the car, picking up a box of my necessities as he goes. He calls over his shoulder. "I'll be right back. When I come back with help, that should speed things along."
I cock my head to the side and watch him walk away, admiring his ass as he goes. Damn. I am still over the moon that I get to see him naked for the rest of my life… What a lucky girl I am.
Sitting down on the pair of couches, I pull out my phone and scroll through my private Instagram. It's mostly pictures of cute animals and feeds from close friends. This way I can still use social media and yet not get overwhelmed by the public.
I see an email from Dr. Baker, my new psychologist. She asks if Tuesday afternoon works for my schedule and I happily reply that I have nothing planned.
That's a weird feeling. Not having to run every single thing by the royal press office is exhilarating.
A knock at the doorway draws my attention up. I look to find Momse standing outside the door, her steel gray skirt suit perfectly complementing her silver updo. When I take too long to invite her in, she narrows her gaze and clears her throat.
"Come in, come in," I say, standing up awkwardly. I probably look like a mess. I've been moving all day and I feel like I look a little squirrely.
Momse walks in, her sharp blue eyes absorbing every detail of the room and my outfit, which is just a pair of black leggings and an old white T-shirt.
"Hello, Annika. I see you have indeed gone through with your little move." One corner of her mouth turns down. "Where is Erik?"
I sweep my hand over the couch, gesturing for her to sit. She perches on it, looking unhappy. Though now that I think about it, when has Momse ever looked happy?
"He's here. He's done almost everything, actually. I've just been directing, mostly."
She crosses her ankles and smooths out her skirts. "Well, that's as it should be. Not only are you the woman of the two of you, you are a princess and he is a commoner. I know you are moving away but there's no cause to forget that."
I repress a sigh. "Are you here to tell me something in particular, Momse? Because I really have a lot left to do today."
That's not true exactly, but it's a coping strategy that Dr. Baker and I came up with.
She tilts her head, looking at me. "Well. Since you are moving out and you will not be under my watch any longer, I thought I would just take a moment to…" She pauses.
My breath catches. For second, as sure that she's about to say something terrible to me. I brace myself for it, blinking my eyes carefully.
But she surprises me.
"I want to say that I was the youngest child in my family. I had seven older brothers and two older sisters. I felt like I spent most of my life being passed over and not made a priority. When I got the chance to marry your grandfather, the king… I jumped at it."
My eyes widen. I lean back, clearing my throat. "Whoa. I didn't know that you came from such a large family."
She gives me a cold little smile. "Yes, well. Family planning wasn't practiced with any regularity back then. Anyway, I wanted to say… I know that being the youngest child can have its disadvantages. And believe it or not, I struggled with being in the public eye when I first married the king."
My brows rise. "Wait, you did? You seem so… poised."
She gives me a smile. "Yes, it would seem that way now. But back in the beginning, my family name was often questioned. It was a lot of strangers, picking over whether my name was good enough for the new king. It was a load of bullshit, if I am perfectly honest about it."
"I had no idea," I tell Momse.
Momse leans closer to me, smiling that cool smile again. "I'm just saying that I have been where you are. Sure, the details are a little different. But I wanted you to know that I do care about you. Things just coincided oddly. Stellan ended up needing so much of my time…" She looks away out the window, frowning. "I suppose I thought that you would be all right here by yourself."
I bite my lip, shifting in my seat uncomfortably. When Momse looks up again, her gaze spears me.
"I'm afraid that I haven't done a very good job with you. Honestly, I don’t have the relationship that I would like to have with any of you aside from Stellan. It's… regrettable, to say the least."
If I wasn't working to actively keep my expression straight, my jaw would probably drop. Is this a Momse's way of telling me that she is sorry?
"I… I mean, everything turned out fine." I mumble. "Thanks for coming to me and telling me how you feel, though."
Momse smiles tightly, inhaling deeply. Then she uncrosses her legs and stands up. I hurry to stand up to.
She extends her hand, and I step forward, thinking that we are going to exchange some kind of awkward handshake or something.
Momse surprises me again by pulling me close for a quick, tight hug. Then she steps back, tears in the corners of her eyes. She looks at me.
"Be well, Annika. Please come back to visit regularly."
I open my mouth to answer. She turns, quickly walking out of the room. I stare after her, unsure of what just happened.
Just as Momse leaves, Erik comes through the door. He does a double take, frowning at Momse as she hustles out.
"What was that all about?"
I squint after her. "I think she came in here to apologize. I'm not entirely sure though." I laugh a little, confused.
Erik walks up to me, pulling me down onto the couch again. He seems tired but also, h
e sounds pretty content. "That's good, I think. We can use all of the royals on our side that we can get."
Burying myself against the wall of his chest, I find comfort in his arms. He kisses the crown of my head absently.
I relax into his hold, feeling like I finally found the person that can make me feel at home.
He picks up my left hand, admiring the engagement ring that sparkles there. "I love you. You know that, right?"
I look up at him, a slow grin spreading across my face. "I do know that. Thanks. And I love you too, if that weren't painfully obvious by now."
He toys with my ring, unable to stop himself from smiling. "It is painfully obvious. But it goes both ways."
I hug him tightly, feeling my heart swell three sizes. I'm not sure what the future holds for either of us, but I know we will face it together.
And with Erik by my side, I could not feel better about the future.
39
Pippa
I’m standing in my little apartment in Copenhagen, staring blankly at the peeling bright yellow paint on the kitchen wall. I reach out and trace my fingertips along a seam above the stove, a silent sigh on my lips.
It was a long day at Politiken, the newspaper where I work. I feel like I’ve been wrung out and all my mental energy has been drained away. Now I’m just waiting for my little microwave burrito to be heated through so I can eat and pass out.
My phone chimes, stirring me. I look at it. Lars’s photo pops up, a dark haired devil with a cocksure grin. Lars is the king of Denmark’s younger brother, one of family of five. He’s actual living, breathing royalty and I…
I am a fool for even thinking about what spending a night in his bed would be like. Being underneath his big body as he growls commands and pulls moans from my lips…
It’s forbidden. And yet still, my heart squeezes at the very mention of his name.
I know he’s my best friend.
I know I should cherish what we already have.
I know I shouldn’t long for him to touch me.
And yet, even getting a text from him excites me beyond reason.
I shiver as I check the text.
I’m coming upstairs.
Goosebumps break out over my skin. I close my eyes and hold my cellphone close to my now rapidly-beating heart.
A few second later, I hear the slide of a key being turned in the lock on the front door. I’m much too tired for any visitors tonight. But Lars has always done exactly what he wanted, exactly when he wants.
This is no exception.
Screwing up my face, I press the pause button on the microwave. Lars walks into my shoddy little apartment, ducking his dark head slightly as he enters. He’s so tall that my building’s prewar design is really at odds with his height. When he straightens up, he looks at me with his trademark devastating smirk.
I cast a look over his tuxedo, which makes him look ridiculously fetching.
“Hello, Pippa,” he purrs.
I swallow, my eyes widening. “Lars.” Pushing back several strands of my long, fiery copper hair, I watch as he closes the door behind himself. I spread my hands down the skirt of my gray silk dress, drawing a breath. “It’s awfully late. Shouldn’t you be on a date with some unnamed mystery blonde?”
His smirk deepens, his aquamarine eyes sparkling. “I was in the middle of a date when I was summoned unceremoniously to the palace.”
I fidget. “Why are you here, Lars?”
He wanders toward the living room of my cramped flat, leaving me to follow. He looks around the tiny couch and the ancient television that is stacked atop several light blue milk crates.
Every surface is covered with reading material, books and magazines and newspaper clippings. Piles spill into piles; the television screen is actually blocked by a towering stack of literature. I admit that I’m a bit of a mess and I’m ashamed to say that there is nowhere to sit.
Wrinkling my nose, I automatically start to clear off the sofa, my cheeks burning. I gather an armful of books, but I’m not sure where to put them.
“Let me just find a place for these…” I murmur, casting my gaze around the small space. I find a spot on the very top of another pile of books, biting my lower lip hard as I turn around.
“Pippa, I don’t need to sit down,” he says, grabbing my hand. His touch is electric. When I glance up at him, his blue gaze sears me through.
I raise an eyebrow. “What do you need?”
He smirks a bit, pulling me a little closer, making me look up into his face. From this distance, a hair’s breadth away from our bodies touching, I feel adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“I need a favor.”
My forehead creases. My mouth turns down just a bit at the corners. This is what he does, what he has always done. He uses his charm, knowing quite well how smoothly hypnotic his presence can be. I’ve seen him do it to hundreds of women in the years that I’ve known him.
Usually he doesn’t use it on me, though.
I pull out of his grasp, moving back a half step. “What is it?”
His expression grows intense. “I need you to pretend that I have asked you to marry me and you have said yes.”
I swear, I don’t mean to laugh. But it bubbles up from deep within my chest and bursts out of my lips, a snort of disbelief and a surprised chuckle all at once.
“What?” I ask, the word coming out strangled.
He squints at me. “I slept with the wrong diplomat’s daughter.”
I fold my arms across my chest, trying to slow my racing heart. “Again? How many times do you have to get caught before someone banishes you from the whole country of Denmark?”
His gaze tightens on my face. “It’s really not funny. And now unless I have a really good excuse, I’m going to have to join the navy. Obviously, I don’t want that. I mean, have you seen the inside of a submarine? That would seriously cramp my style.”
A low throb starts at my temple. I rub it with one hand, staring at Lars. “And this has what to do with me, exactly?”
He steps closer, snagging my free hand and bringing it to rest against the hard wall of his chest. “I need a fake fiancée. Momse told me today that unless I settle down and get married, I’m going to have to join the military.”
I push my cheek out with my tongue. “What is stopping you from finding the right girl?”
Someone royal. Or at least someone without the… let’s call them complications that my history presents. I know very well the list of reasons why I can’t be tied to someone like me.
I’m a fraud.
I’m a fake and a liar.
I’m not who I say I am.
And that’s only the beginning of my troubles if anyone finds out.
He gives me a wicked little grin. “You’re saying I should sign my death warrant, then? Because that is what being told that I have to get married feels like. I don’t want to be tied down. I don’t want to be smothered. I just want to keep living like I do now.”
I shake my head. “Lars, really—”
He slides his hands down my back and pulls my hips against his. My breath catches in my chest as I gaze up into those pretty blue eyes of his.
I’m this close to pushing up on my tiptoes and pressing my lips against his.
Arching a brow, he utters the magic word. “I really need this. Please, Pips? Do it for me?”
And just like that, all my defenses melt away.
Of course I will do it for him.
How can I not?
Lars sees the expression of my face change and knows my answer before I even say it.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He’s already folding his strong arms around me, pulling me into the shelter of his body. “Ahh, thanks, Pips. I knew you would come through.”
I sink into the bear hug, my eyes fluttering closed. He’s sinfully warm. His smell, pure and clean and masculine, is driving me wild right now.
I inhale of lungful of his scent, feeling like a
fool. “That’s me. Reliable old Pippa saves the day again.”
Lars pulls back. I look up at him with a dreamy-eyed expression and he grins. “Should we wake the jewelers at Tiffany’s up right now? Shit, I should’ve stopped on the way here and gotten you a ring—”
I push him away, eyeing him firmly. “There will have to be rules. A firm time limit, for instance. And… no physical contact.”
He gives me a funny look. “It’s going to take a little hugging and kissing to convince my family, don’t you think?”
I squint at him. “I mean when we are alone.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, sure. I will behave like a proper gentleman, if that’s what you want.”
I shake my head, crossing my arms. “No one has ever thought to call you a proper gentleman, I’m fairly certain.”
Lars grins at me, his eyes glittering. “If that’s what it takes, I’m willing to try.”
I shoot him a look. “I’m regretting this already.”
He tilts his head, considering me. “Should we go for a drink to celebrate?”
Stepping closer to him, I turn him around and begin marching him toward the door. “We can figure it all out tomorrow. For now, I want to eat something before I pass out.”
He chuckles, opening the front door. He catches my hand and gives me a squeeze. “You really are the best, Pippa. You know that, right?”
The corners of my mouth tighten. “Do me a favor. Don’t sleep with anyone, okay? If this little deception is going to work, you’ll have to play along and not be your usual man-whore self for a while.”
Lars smirks at me. “You got it, love of my life.”
For a second, I can’t even wrap my head around that. My heartbeat speeds up. If he had any idea of how long I’ve waited to hear those words…
But then he turns, showing me his black-clad back as he disappears down the hall.
“Goodnight, Pippa…” he calls over his shoulder.
I watch him disappear, slumping against the doorframe when I hear the downstairs front door open and close.
I am in so much trouble.