“I’ve been here in New York just working for the UN,” he said. “And … well …”
He found himself tripping over his words, not wanting to give away too much about the more social aspects of his life. Though he knew that she was more than aware of what he had been up to, he didn’t want her to think he was proud of being some sort of womanizing bastard. Even if he was one.
“I know.” The smile on Myf’s face seemed brittle, making him want to gather her into his arms.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” Her laugh was thankfully genuine. “At least you can teach me a few things.”
She was blushing again, and it only took him a minute to realize that she was trying to be seductive. The idea of having her naked and in his arms, this time without the barriers of their underwear, made him sit up and take notice.
“Oh, I certainly can teach you a few things.” He leaned forward so that she could hear his whisper across the table.
A shudder visibly went through her, and he immediately felt several pairs of eyes trained on the back of his head. Reminding him that his cousin and best friend were sitting there, waiting for him to do something stupid that would need intervention.
“I look forward to it,” she said.
“Am I going to need to get on one knee for this?” Johann pulled the ring from his pocket and held it up for her to see.
“I think we’re a bit beyond that, Johann.”
“Will you accept this ring?” He reached for her hand gain, trying to ignore the way his own were shaking.
“Yes.” Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat. “Of course.”
He slid the ring onto her finger then, pleased at the way her face lit up at the sight of it. “Do you like it?”
“It’s perfect.” There were tears in her eyes, and he could see that she was shaking as she held it up to the light.
“Mattie helped me pick it out,” he said.
“Mine isn’t anywhere near as beautiful.” She opened her small clutch bag which was resting on the table, pulling out a velvet box. “It belonged to my Great Uncle Saith.”
The ring that was inside was a thick band of gold, set into is was a length of onyx and two small diamonds. It was distinctly masculine and dignified, so very different to the man it had once belonged to, it nearly made him laugh. However Johann knew how much Saith had meant to Myf, and also how important this act was.
“I love the sentimentality.” He took the ring from her and slid it onto his finger. “Thank you.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Well, your credentials are perfect.” Professor Clarke placed her resume on his cluttered desk and looked up at Myf through thick rimmed glasses. “We’ve had quite a few minor celebrities and the like volunteer with us over the years, but never a Princess.”
Myf shifted uncomfortably in her seat, this was the first time that she had ever used her birth right to get her ahead in the world. However, she wasn’t known at all in New York and even voluntary positions here were few and far between, it was a much more cut throat world than what she was used to in Sydney. In fact, she was fairly sure that she had only got this opportunity due to Johann’s influence. “I assure you that despite whatever you have heard about my sister I am more than willing to get dirty and involved in a dig.” She had never really considered that Cat, with all her glamour and being known by the press as completely high maintenance, may possibly be a bit of a liability in her getting a job. That was until she found herself being questioned on whether her upbringing meant that she wasn’t used to working hard.
“Oh, I never even considered such a thing Miss …” Here he stumbled much like most people that weren’t well versed in modern royalty did when trying to address one of them.
“Vaughn,” she said. “That’s the closest I have to an actual surname.”
Clarke nodded quickly and then smiled at her again. “That’s fine Miss Vaughn; we will be starting on a dig in Cove Neck next Wednesday. Do you think that you will be able to attend?”
Though she had absolutely no idea where Cove Neck was in relation to Manhattan, she quickly agreed to join them. After all, Johann surely wouldn’t care if she wasn’t around very much, it would give him the freedom to continue on with his life without if appearing that he was neglecting her in any way.
After they had shook hands and Myf had been given the usual paperwork for things such as insurance and the like, she found herself cradling a cup of tea and watching as the handsome middle aged man puttered around the small office. She had always had a bit of a thing for older men, not that she had ever had the opportunity to act on that attraction.
She didn’t want to think about attraction right now. Myf had come into this courtship thinking that she knew exactly what was happening and how it and her marriage would progress. Johann, however, had thrown her completely for a loop, leaving her feeling as though she floating aimlessly in a world she wasn’t prepared for. His insistence that theirs was not just a political marriage and that he wanted them to have both a romantic as well as a sexual relationship was more terrifying than anything else her future held. Myf had more than been prepared for some semblance of a sexual relationship with her fiancé, well when he became her husband anyway, as they had a need to not only consummate the marriage but produce the required children. There had also been the knowledge that this side of her marriage wasn’t exactly going to be a chore, after all Johann was a very good looking man and he was certainly experienced in pleasuring women if what she had experienced already was anything to go by. However, he wanted to court her and was already making efforts to changing his playboy lifestyle into one that included her, something which made her feel incredibly guilty as he was as much a victim in all of this as her. Only she didn’t have all that much to lose by this union as he did.
“So what brings you to New York anyway?” Clarke finally turned from where he had been quickly putting some books from his desk into a bookcase at the far side of the room. “I can’t imagine why you would leave your life in Australia to come to here just for the sake of it.”
She shook her head slowly and then took a sip of her warm tea, pleased that for once she had seemed to find an American who was up to the challenge of making a drinkable pot. “I’m here for my courtship period before my marriage.”
Clarke raised an eyebrow at that and then walked across the room so that he could sit back in his chair across from her. “And what is a princess doing in New York during her courtship?”
Myf suddenly felt uncomfortable, her engagement hadn’t been announced yet and talking about it with the public was something that nobody had ever thought to discuss with her. Then again, if this man was to be, essentially, her boss it would only be fitting for him to know about anything which could affect her work. “My fiancé lives here.” She looked down at her hands. “He is Prince Johannes of Finland.”
There was a long moment of silence during which Myf looked back up at Clarke only to find him looking at her with concern in his eyes. “He has quite the reputation, doesn’t he?”
From the tone that he used it was quite clear that Dr. Clarke wasn’t exactly a fan of her erstwhile fiancé, and honesty she could understand why. To a certain type of person it must have seemed like he had come over from Europe, throwing his money around and causing chaos amongst the socialites. “So I have heard.”
“And how did a man like that romance a young lady like yourself?” He was the kind of direct man that reminded Myf of her Great Uncle Saith, and she found that she couldn’t lie directly to his face. Clarke however wasn’t an idiot and he must have taken her silence as an answer. “Or he didn’t romance you.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said.
“I know that the Europeans claim that arranged marriages amongst their royalty died out decades ago.” Clarke clasped him hands around his chipped NASA mug. “But I’ve never been quite so sure.”
“You call it arranged.” Myf gav
e him a sad smile. “We call it betrothed. In the end it means the same thing.”
He nodded. “I had a feeling.”
“Do I still have the position?” Myf had never considered the idea that she might be refused certain things due to Johann. In Finland he was much loved by the people who seemed to look on him as a breath of fresh air in their Royal family, she hadn’t thought that his antics may not be as tolerated in other countries.
“Certainly.” Clarke looked surprise. “You are not he.”
“No.” For the first time in her life Myf felt like her own person and not an extension of the Finnish Royal family. “No, I’m not.”
Chapter Sixteen
“My grandfather is coming to New York to speak to the UN.” Myf looked up from where she had been chopping up a red onion for a salad, to look at where Johann was sitting at her breakfast bar.
For a moment she let herself take in how incredibly attractive he was, and how right he looked in her kitchen. His chestnut colored hair was a messy tousle on top of his hair, slate grey eyes looking warm and inviting. Strong and toned body dressed in scandalously tight dark blue jeans, and a light blue polo shirt, the part of her that was controlled by her hormones wanted nothing more than to go and wrap herself around him.
“Oh, and when is this?” She gave him a smile, knowing that he was probably nervous about the man he looked up to so much turning up on his home turf.
“Monday.” Johann started tapping his fingers against the benchtop.
Only two days away. Myf had wondered why he and Mattie had turned up unannounced on her doorstep for dinner, after all their ‘dates’ up til now had been carefully planned and chaperoned. She had to admit that she much preferred the idea of standing in her kitchen talking about the news of the day with him. Sometimes their kind did things the wrong way entirely. “I suppose you will be going with him?”
Johann nodded his head. “I suppose I will be seeing quite a bit of him since I already work at the UN anyway.”
Of course that made sense, between the King’s schedule and her own upcoming work on the dig it didn’t make sense that she would need to make time to spend with him. Part of her was thankful for that. She had felt completely out of her depth as it was over the summer holidays, and hadn’t felt much better during her time in New York so far. “It will be nice for you to catch up with him.”
“I suppose.” He shrugged his shoulders. “He’s booked an appointment for you.”
Myf looked up from the lettuce she was washing quickly, creasing her brow in confusion at that piece of information. “An appointment? What for?”
He suddenly looked nervous. “For the tests.”
Oh of course. For a while there she had forgotten that she would be required to pass a series of medical tests to make sure that she was a suitable wife to a Prince of Finland. Naturally, she had gone through a set of fertility tests at the age of fourteen when she had first got her period. However, she was aware that she would need to undergo further testing closer to the wedding. Drugs, excessive alcohol, STDs, and any fertility issues that had developed in the meantime would need to be known about. “Ah, I hadn’t thought about that. Alright.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through this,” he said.
Rolling her eyes at him, Myf returned to her salad. “Oh please, it’s not like I wasn’t expecting it, Johann. Plus, if you think that Valto is getting away with not having to wank into a cup for the good of Wales, then you’re sadly mistaken.”
“Oh, well, Cat better be careful she doesn’t get any spit in there.” He laughed at her horrified expression. “Apparently your sister has a mouth like a …”
“Oh, shut up.” Myf threw a slice of carrot at him, laughing when it caught him on the nose. “I would rather not think about it.”
“Well, you see in a blow job a woman, or man, puts a man’s …”
“I know what a blow job is, thank you.” She pushed the salad bowl away, before placing her hand on her hips. “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I haven’t watched porn.”
Johann raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh, is that so?” He stood up from his stool and all but stalked her across the kitchen, until her arse bumped into the dishwasher. “And what porn did you watch?”
“Just porn.” She shrugged her shoulders. “The stuff they make especially for women. I have to admit that I’m kind of intrigued about the whole blow job thing.”
She heard his breathing catch and then speed up, and they were close enough that she could see his grey eyes dilate. “Are you now?”
Licking her suddenly dry lips, Myf watched as he tracked the movement. His body pressing closer to hers, and she could feel his arousal pressing into her hip. “Yes.”
In one swift movement his hand came up to tangle in her hair by the nape of her neck, wrapping it around his fist in a way that she felt a sharp sting of pain against her scalp. Rather than scare or even make her flinch, Myf found herself give a soft moan of pleasure and the rush of wetness at her groin was enough to make her tremble.
“Do you want me to teach you?” With a surprising gentleness he used her hair to tilt her head back, his lips against her ear. “Because I would like nothing more than your lips on my cock.”
A shiver went through her at his words. Up until now Johann had been careful with what he said to her, even when they had been intimate with each other in the past he had kept a civil tongue. Now though that appeared to be over, and Myf found that she quite liked it. “I would like to try.”
He glanced around the kitchen, first at the salad bowl and then the oven where the lasagne was cooking. “Come on we’ve got an hour.” With that he took her hand and started pulling her towards the living room, and in turn the bedroom beyond.
“Johann, what are you doing?” She dug her heels into the carpet, forcing him to come to a stop.
Turning around he took her into his arms, clearly ignoring Mattie who was watching the Princess Bride on the television and playing with his phone. “You want to learn, I want to teach.” He kissed her long and slow. “Now is as good a time as any.”
“What about dinner?” Despite her words, Myf got up on tip-toes to brush their lips together in a way that made him sigh. Warm breath sweeping across her skin sent a shiver down her spine.
“Won’t be ready for a while yet.”
She looked around the room, blushing suddenly when she noticed that Matte was watching them with a grin on his face. “What about Mattie?”
Johann followed her gaze. “Well, if you insist.”
“No.” She gripped his arm tightly. “I didn’t mean …” She swallowed around her own words. “I didn’t mean I wanted you both.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Even though his words were harsh, there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
“Nothing.” She was suddenly very aware of the shape of his bicep beneath her hand. “Absolutely nothing.”
A cheeky smile came to his face. “What’s wrong with Mattie?”
“Nothing is wrong with Mattie,” said Myf. “But I’m not marrying him.”
“Yet you’re marrying me.” Something came over his expression, a look that she could only describe as shuttered. Suddenly she felt cold in his arms.
“Johann?”
Without another word he let her go, walking past her and into the bedroom, leaving Myf standing in the living room looking at Mattie who simply shrugged his shoulders at her. It took a lot of courage and several deep breaths for her to finally walk through the open door.
Johann was sitting on the floor with his back resting against the bed, looking surprisingly deflated for once, his eyes focused on a spot in the carpet. Something about this made her heart go out to him, and she seated herself on the mattress.
“Can you just try and like me, for myself and not because of your perceived duty.” Johann took Myf’s hands in his, rubbing his thumb gently over the callous on the side of her palm from where she had been on digs in Australia. “Becau
se I like you.” He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I happen to like you a lot.”
He was so beautiful like this, sitting on the floor by her feet in a way that put him in a much more vulnerable position than she had ever seen. Unable to help herself, Myf placed her spare hand on the top of his tousled chestnut coloured hair. “Oh Johann, of course I like you.”
At those words his dark grey eyes searched her face, as though searching for any dishonesty in her expression. “You have a strange way of showing it.’ There was almost a bitterness in his tone that had Myf sitting back and removing her hands. “Whenever I try to bring up our future all you talk about is your duty, as though I don’t matter.”
“Oh.” Something inside her chest ached. Johann should never sound so sad and defeated, he was the playboy Prince of Finland and should certainly never be brought down by a woman of all things. “Johann, you have no idea how much you matter.”
She slid down off the bed then, kneeling beside him on the floor.
“We’re supposed to get married Myf.” He placed his head in his hands, making a soft noise of defeat as he did so. “I’m scared, absolutely terrified about having to finally grow up and take some fucking responsibility for once in my life. The only thing that has kept me from freaking out for all these years was the thought that we were once friends, and that we would be doing this together.”
“And what makes you think we’re not in this together?” Myf cupped his face, easing it up so that she could look him in the eye.
“The only reason that you’re here is because your father forced you to be.” Despite his words there was something about the way he pressed his cheek into her touch that made her heart leap. ”Every time you saw me on the news with another woman did you hope that this was it, and that you would be free.”
Myf shook her head slowly, and she felt that prickling sensation of unshed tears filling her eyes. “To begin with, I cried. Every single time. Then, as the years went on I just felt numb, as though there was nothing left in my future but an empty existence.”
Dusk (Equinox Book 1) Page 9