by C. J. Miller
When she was alone in her room, feeling audacious, Serena sent a message to Warrington, asking when she could see him. She waited a full five minutes. No reply.
She sent a message to Casimir. He responded in less than five seconds with a phone call.
“Is your stay everything you hoped it would be?” Casimir asked.
Since she’d had low expectations, she supposed it was. “I haven’t seen King Warrington. His butler mentioned he may join me for dinner.”
“That’s kind of him,” he said dryly.
She snorted inelegantly. “Instead of waiting around for him, can you meet me here?”
“In the palace?”
“If you suggest somewhere else, I’d be happy to meet you. But that will mean my guards will have to join us.” She wanted to be alone with Casimir so they could talk. Though her guards had sworn their allegiance to her, she was still unsure if they could keep secrets.
“I’ll meet you in the king’s library,” Casimir said.
Serena agreed. It took her a few tries to find the library. It was on the main floor in the east wing. The mahogany double doors leading into the room were beautifully carved into an ornate design. She entered. Casimir was waiting.
How he managed to arrive before her, she didn’t question. He was making her feel what she needed in that moment: wanted and worth his time.
They walked down the aisles of books and turned out of view of anyone who might enter the library.
“Does it shock you that the king could have been meeting with his mistress the night of the dinner party?” It hurt her more than she would ever admit.
“You can’t ask me to speak ill of him here. That’s treason.”
She rolled her eyes. “The king’s bedroom proclivities are hardly a matter for the court system.”
“You may be surprised what’s prohibited in Rizari,” Casimir said.
Casimir socialized with King Warrington. Did he know more? “Tell me what you’ve heard about the king and his affairs.”
“It’s a story for another day.”
“Then tell me what’s the story for today,” Serena said.
Casimir stopped so abruptly and spun, trapping her between his arms against one of the tall stacks of books. “I think the story for today is that the princess of Acacia is acting more like a royal and playing a dangerous game.” His tone was downright flirtatious.
“I don’t play games.”
“Asking me to meet you here? If I weren’t more trusting of you, I would think this was a trap.”
“How could this possibly be a trap?”
“I think you know how the king and his mother would respond to finding us alone in the palace. It would call your pending engagement into question.”
“We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Katarina seems to believe my very presence is wrong,” Casimir said.
“She knows her son and I don’t have a relationship. Any male is a threat to the little that we do have.”
Casimir’s eyes traced from her eyes to her lips. “Do you want to make me a real threat to him?”
His meaning was clear. Did she have the courage to nod her head or say the word yes? She wanted him to kiss her. Desperately. Everything that had happened lately had been emotionally brutal and physically draining. Was it wrong to want something purely for herself even if it was for a brief period of time? Just to feel good for a few seconds?
She lifted her mouth. “Casimir.”
His name communicated what she wanted. He reached for her, aligning their bodies, and his mouth came down on hers in a gentle kiss. She parted her lips and nipped at his, and a growl sounded in his throat. He deepened the kiss and she returned it with shameless abandon.
Putting her hand around the back of his neck to anchor herself, she gave herself over to him. His tongue left a tantalizing imprint and she felt simultaneously restless and excited. She lifted her leg and ran her foot over the back of his calf.
She knocked into books on the shelves, sending them to the floor in loud thumps. She would clean up the mess later.
The sound of an opening door had them both going still.
She moved her arm and another book landed with the others on the hardwood floor.
“Is someone here?”
Serena’s eyes went wide. It was Warrington’s butler. She gestured to Casimir to move deeper into the stacks. She snatched a book off the shelves and held it up as she exited the row of books. “Just me. Looking for a book.”
Warrington’s butler frowned. “You are certainly welcome to borrow any book you’d like. I didn’t realize you were interested in weapons of the fifteen hundreds.”
Serena glanced at the book in her hand. She wasn’t interested in weapons of any time period, but she smiled. “I enjoy reading about history when I have the time.”
“Very well.” The butler bowed to her. “Unless you need anything, I am here to retrieve a book as well.”
Serena hoped that Casimir was finding his way out of the library. “I’ll be returning to my room to read and work.”
As she hurried out, relief tore over her. To invite Casimir into the king’s library and then kiss him was dangerous. If anyone had seen them, the repercussions would be disastrous.
In her room, Serena checked her phone messages and, having none from Warrington, she attacked her email queue. The task was boring and her thoughts wandered. She steered them away from her father and sister and they landed in a curious place, or rather, on a curious person.
Curiosity got the better of her and Serena typed Casimir’s name into an internet search engine.
His name popped up in connection with a financial-services firm, as he had told her. She found no social media accounts or personal websites. Was he an intensely private person? She didn’t post information about herself online either. The media took care of that for her.
Though it was a mistake, she typed her name into an internet search. The first results were about her father’s death and her sister’s funeral. The further she scrolled, the more upset she became. Though she didn’t click through to the articles, the headings were disparaging enough.
Speculation about her screw-up during her speech, stating she could have a drug problem or that she was not mentally fit to handle the position, were the most popular posts. The accusations incensed her. She did not have a drug problem. She hadn’t taken an illicit drug in her life. She was barely even a social drinker.
The drug accusations were blatant lies and easier to dismiss as ludicrous, but attacks on her character cut to the core. Was she strong enough to lead a country? She wasn’t certain. Her sister had been fierce and brave. Her father had been driven and focused. But Serena wasn’t bent on wielding power. She didn’t have a strong vision for the country. She didn’t have items on her political agenda. She wasn’t even sure she had a personal agenda that she planned to use her position to achieve.
Should she address the media about the incident? She had thought it would blow over, but it seemed that hope was naive.
She typed a response, all the things she wished she could say, and saved it to her drafts. She would not send it. She wouldn’t even know where to send it. But the more she stewed on it, the angrier she became. Her birthright was to be queen of Acacia and she would prove she could handle the task. After rereading her response several more times, she grabbed her phone and sent a message to Casimir. She could trust him. He wouldn’t go to the press about anything they discussed.
What was it about Casimir that made him easy to talk to? He was a strange combination of genteel and strong, like a wealthy heir who had been raised to street fight.
A light tap on the door. Serena expected Warrington’s butler. It was Casimir.
“You got here fast,” she said.
“I never left. I ran into a few friends in the garden and I was chatting with them when I received your message.”
She nodded toward her guards standing post on either side of t
he door. “Could we talk privately?” She stepped back and allowed him inside the room.
Casimir’s hair was askew, poking up on one side, but he was otherwise perfect. Handsome and charming. Why couldn’t she feel this way about King Warrington? Because the king was no Casimir. When she thought of Casimir, lust and desire radiated through her.
Was he flexing his muscles or was she turned on and looking for ways to satisfy her lust? Just like that, her worries about the media’s vicious speculation about her took a backseat to her far more powerful feelings for Casimir.
“I’ve never been allowed to have a relationship that I’ve chosen,” Serena said.
“That can’t be true.”
“It’s very true. The only boyfriend I’ve ever had was paid off by my father to stay away from me.”
Casimir winced. “That’s pretty rough. What made your father hate him so much?”
“My father didn’t hate him. He just wasn’t the right man, at least, in my father’s eyes. He wasn’t rich and he didn’t bring anything to the table that our family needed. No political connections, no military experience and no favorable trade arrangements. After it was over, I didn’t have an interest in getting close to another man because I figured it wasn’t worth it. I planned to wait for my father to pick someone and then I would marry that person.”
“Then marrying King Warrington is exactly what you expected.”
Not precisely. She found it hard to imagine her father forcing a relationship that was obviously a poor match. “I don’t want to spend my life being unhappy.” Marrying King Warrington would make it difficult to find happiness. He may allow her some freedom, like returning to her beach house and spending her life painting. But she would be alone, without a real partner in the truest sense of the word.
Casimir circled her room, looking at the artwork on the walls. “You have another option.”
She inclined her head. “What option?”
“You could marry the president of Icarus.”
The dictator? She laughed. “Demetrius DeSante is a tyrant and he would ruin our country. He stole power from the last ruler of Icarus and forced changes on his people. Besides that, he explicitly stated that he wanted Acacia, but without the marriage. He would take over and shut me out. I’d have no recourse to protect my people.” In short, Demetrius DeSante was not to be trusted. Acacia was a monarchy, but they had the Assembly, a legislative group that was representative of the people and their wishes. The president of Icarus didn’t believe in representation by the people or input from the public. He ran his country on his terms. He made unilateral decisions and showed no mercy.
“His coup was backed by a number of constituents and many in the country are faring better since he has been in power,” Casimir said.
Sounded like political spin. “It’s a firm no. I want happiness, remember? Not another relationship wreck.”
“Then you are left with one remaining option. Stand alone and make it work. Your father did. You can, too.”
She blinked at him. Her father had known keeping the peace was a tenuous balance. Icarus and Rizari were old enemies with a bitter past and a long list of reasons to attack each other. If they went to war, Acacia would be torn apart in the crossfire. “My father knew the time for peace was ending. He wanted my sister to marry the king of Rizari.” And now tensions were escalating beyond the point of discussion.
“You have choices, Serena.”
Did she? Why did everything feel decided for her? Every choice put her in a scenario where she was unhappy. “It doesn’t seem that way.”
“Then you don’t see what I do. I’ve seen you be quiet and passive, but I’ve also seen you be bold. Tell me what’s brought out the passive side of you. Tell me why you doubt your abilities.”
“The media is questioning me as a leader.” Questioning her in the same way she questioned herself at the darkest times.
He looked at her computer screen. “Do not read that gossip. Don’t put any stock in a story in a tabloid. You will lose your mind. One minute, they will call you weak and useless, and the next, a power-hungry despot.” He closed her laptop. “Forget about this trash. What do you want, Serena? Go after that.”
She hadn’t realized that she’d been walking toward him until the scent of him hit her and she extended her hand to touch him. He smelled great. The heat of his body beckoned and the power of the moment wasn’t lost on her. He didn’t move and she wasn’t sure what to do next.
There were rules about what was and was not proper and what had happened in the library was decidedly not appropriate. That didn’t stop her from wanting more or wanting him.
“I know what I want,” she said.
“Then take it,” he said.
Touching him was living a fantasy. His maleness was almost overpowering. His eyes were bright, greenish in some light, and other times, more brown. His hair was dark with flecks of copper. She wasn’t usually a fan of facial hair, but his goatee was neat and well kept, framing his mouth.
She touched his chin and he remained still, but concern appeared in the corners of his eyes.
She drew away. “Is this too much?”
He laughed. An outright bark of laughter. “With you, it is never enough. I want this to happen. I’m letting you show me what you want. I know what’s at stake. I will let you decide how this plays out.”
Serena pushed on his shoulders to get him into her desk chair. The bed was far too...intimate. She wasn’t ready to go there with him.
His eyes blazed with sex. She climbed into his lap, facing him, letting her legs dangle over the sides of the chair. What they were doing took on epic possibilities. Serena kissed him, soft, gentle and slow. She wanted him to take control. If she kissed him long enough, he would take over. It was in his nature.
She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, relishing the feeling of his muscled arms. His goatee tickled her face and she smiled when he deepened the kiss.
In one smooth motion, he stood and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He hit the light switch on the wall, plunging the room into darkness. Was he taking her to the bed? She made the decision in that moment to let this happen, to experience real passion and heat with a man who desired her.
Casimir carried her to the balcony, holding her with one arm and opening the door with his free hand. Outside, he laid her on the lounge chair and lay on his side next to her. It was almost completely dark, the last of the pink and purple of the sky disappearing into the deep blue of night.
“Why outside?” she asked. Not what she had expected and not what her hormones wanted.
“If you are quiet, you may hear the sea.”
He had remembered that the water was a source of joy for her.
He half covered her body with his and returned to kissing her. He moved his mouth from her lips to her cheek and she angled her head to give him access to the spot on her neck where she loved to be kissed.
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out the features of his handsome face.
The man was masterful with his mouth. The right pressure and speed and she was melting in his hands. He moved his body down hers, stopping at her clavicle. “Tell me when to stop.”
The words no and stop were light-years from her brain. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” she said.
His eyes danced with merriment. “I never do.”
He didn’t continue down her body, a disappointment to her aching breasts and trembling thighs. Instead, he gathered her against him, shifting her to be close and held her in the nook of his arms. “Tell me why you’re worried about what the mudslingers are writing about you.”
Her stomach knotted. “It’s not easy to read criticism, but it reminds me of my dad’s disapproval. He didn’t think I was smart enough or quick enough.”
“Why’s that?”
She’d given her father plenty of reasons to be disappointed. She wasn’t an athlete or an academic. She didn’t
have many friends or a suitable boyfriend. People didn’t like her. Her social awkwardness made them uncomfortable. “I am more introverted than my sister. After my mother died and my sister was of age, she took over as hostess for events. It was seamless for her to slip into the tasks that my mother used to handle.” Their father had relied on Danae to deal with parties and the staff and the thousand other details that were involved in running and maintaining the castle.
“Your sister was organized and good at planning events. You have your own strengths.”
Their father hadn’t seen it that way and after Serena had moved to the beach house, she’d stopped caring. The tranquility of her home had provided more contentment than attempting to win her father’s approval ever would. “I prefer the company of my art to people and I would rather have an intimate sit-down dinner than throw a splashy party.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“Everything is wrong with that when you’re royalty and you need to cater to a country of people who want to see you and talk to you.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “You’ll come into your own. You’ll let people see your strengths and they’ll love you for it.”
“A public figure who hates being in public?” It was a disaster.
“You don’t need to be a political monster with a big mouth to get ahead.”
It felt as if she needed a toolbox of skills she didn’t have. “I guess we’ll see. The next few weeks will provide plenty of tests.”
“Don’t worry about that now. Just think about you and me and this beautiful night.”
Serena snuggled close to him and closed her eyes. Her problems would be waiting for her in the morning.
* * *
Serena’s eyes popped open to the sound of knocking. It took her a moment to place where she was and what she was doing. Casimir was sleeping beside her on the lounge chair. She shook him. “Cas, you have to hide. Someone’s at the door.”
Another knock. This time sharper. “Princess Serena? You have not answered your phone and the king is concerned.”