Forbidden King (Princes of Avce Book 9)

by Victoria Pinder

  Anna’s touch sent a wave of awareness through him. “Someday maybe that might be legal. I don’t know the future.”

  She motioned for them to leave while she said, “I hope so.”

  Laws were something kings and the parliament handled and one day he’d have a bigger voice. Leo led her out of the library. “I’ll speak to my parents when we get back about proposing a bill to the parliament, but no promises. They are still fighting for female nobles to inherit.”

  Once they were in the hall, she nodded her agreement. “I don’t know much about inheritances other than insurance claims, but that’s not quite the same thing. So let’s talk about riding. I’m ready for my lesson.”

  His heart thumped differently at her acceptance. No one generally supported his ideas, not that he often expressed political ones. He kept that to himself. “Lesson?”

  “That you promised. You’ve always kept your word with me, Leo.”

  “You’re the only one that put expectations like that on me.”

  “So let’s start…” She showed off her black leather boots she wore underneath her black pants. “With Lady.”

  They walked down the stairs together while he held her hand up, like they were heading into a ball or to greet dignitaries.

  Now that they were married, she’d be expected to always look like a princess, and he needed to ensure everyone treated her as his wife.

  Her eyes had a sparkle to them like they were playing some game. Once they made it to the bottom step, he forgot formality and pulled her hips toward him. “Soon I’d like a lesson in us lying in bed together.”

  Her face turned red as she blushed, and the sight made his skin grow warmer even as she shook her head and said, “It might rain later so it’s best if we go now.”

  He should let her go. He knew that, but he traced her cheekbone and leaned closer. She smelled like rosewater as he dared, “Scared to be alone in a bed with me.”

  Her lips pursed for a kiss and for one moment he didn’t move, but then she pushed him back and said, “We both agreed you can seduce me, but it’s not that easy. I’m not entirely stupid.”

  He winked at her and walked beside her out the door. “Don’t worry. I enjoy challenges. Let’s get you on Lady.”

  The very quick stroll through the flowered path wasn’t a pace he’d set. Was she hurrying from him?

  She rushed them forward, but for now, he let her.

  Her shoulders were tight like she was on a mission that would end when they reached the stables.

  The horses were already saddled for them and grazing as they waited.

  A groomsman brought his stallion, Rocky, toward him, but he helped Anna on Lady himself. As she balanced on her saddle, he checked her feet were in the stirrups and said, “Scoot forward, hold the reigns lightly and get used to the motion of being in the saddle. Lady will follow me for now.”

  She nodded at him but her face pinched tight. “I’m nervous about riding and not falling.”

  “She’s gentle. Trust Lady. She’s probably safer than talking to me and you never blinked at that challenge.” Leo quickly mounted Rocky and led them both on a nice, easy path.

  Once they passed a few trees, Anna seemed more relaxed and held her reigns looser as she said, “This is nice.”

  He motioned for Rocky to speed up with a quick leg move. “We’ll go a little faster then.”

  Lady picked up her speed without being asked, but he kept a steady and slow pace as they headed toward the hill that overlooked the ocean and the castle.

  She held her saddle hard as she said through pressed lips, “I’ve never done this.”

  He slowed to ride beside her and hoped to calm Anna down while he said, “Hold the reigns with a light touch, and if you press your legs down on the stirrups, Lady will stop. She’s well trained.”

  She followed his direction and the horse slowed. “Okay. We’re at a better speed now.”

  A simple walk was fine. Anna never had to be a champion rider—he had a wall of trophies, though they would be expected to host the occasional party. So long as she was comfortable in a canter, it was all he could ask as he directed her toward her future as queen. “Good. See? You’re a natural. Relax your shoulders.”

  She bit her lip and winced but then she raised her chin with determination. “Easier said than done.”

  Their romantic lunch waited over the hill, but the sky grumbled.

  The flash of lightning made Lady back up.

  Clearly he should have listened to Anna earlier when she’d said it was going to rain later. “We’ll return to the stable—just give me one minute. You were right about the weather. Stay here.”

  “I was?”

  He dismounted and ran up the hill. A small sprinkle of water rushed onto his skin but he scooped up the picnic basket.

  A picnic in their suite suited him fine—being alone with Anna anywhere would be nice.

  He raced toward Anna and their horses, securing the basket under a saddle blanket. He mounted Rocky. “Hold on tight. It’s about to pour, but I’ll get you back in one piece.”

  She gave a curt nod as she patted Lady’s neck like she was accustomed to riding after all. “I trust you.”

  Leo took her reins and kept her beside him for the short gallop back to the stable.

  Her hands trembled as they entered the wooden structure. He dismounted, then helped her down off Lady. Taking the basket, he guided the horses toward the stable lads while Anna just stood there with her arms folded.

  Lightning flashed outside. Perhaps they didn’t have time to return to their suite. “Should we wait in the stable?”

  She winked at him and the rebel without care he’d glimpsed on the beach with the dolphins returned. Anna strode toward the door in total confidence as she said, “I like walking in the rain. Are you afraid to get wet, Highness?”

  Was this a test? Why? He stepped outside and ignored the pellets that pelted against him. Tucking the basket under his arm he said, “Normally people hold my umbrella for me but I’m game if you are.”

  She covered her face with her elbow as she nodded at him. “Excellent. Let’s go.”

  Halfway through the rose garden, the rain droplets grew hard as hail. “It’s getting heavy.”

  Anna’s face was white like she wanted to say something, but then a flash of light raced across the sky. She picked up the pace instead. “Lightning. Run.”

  He stayed behind her, in case she fell, but a moment later they made it back to the castle and he rushed ahead to grab the metal door handle crafted in another century.

  As they walked into the castle, water dripped off both of them. Servants in the grand hall and on the staircase came toward them with towels, but he dismissed them before they could scold him for being wet. Leo dropped the picnic basket on the side table that held flowers near the stairwell—he would let the staff deal with any watered sandwiches—and rushed his bride up the first flight of stairs.

  Anna said, “I can’t believe we did that.”

  Leo would call the kitchen once they reached their suite and have lunch delivered to them upstairs. He placed his hand on her lower back. “Let’s get these wet clothes off and settle in for tea.”

  At the second landing, Anna tugged his hand to her heaving chest. Her hair wild caught his attention first but then he was mesmerized by her dilated eyes. “Only if you promise to kiss me again.”

  A smile curled on his lips. Something had changed in her. “Happily. If that’s what you want, Anna.”

  She closed the space between them. “I want to open up to you.”

  His heart raced like he’d missed something. He was supposed to be earning her trust—had she given it so freely? His fingers felt how she trembled under him and he hadn’t even kissed her yet. “You don’t have to rush.”

  Her mouth lifted as she said, “I want you too, Leo.”

  His lips tingled for a taste of her, but first he needed to ensure that everything would be right.

/>   Too much responsibility was on his shoulders already. She sighed. His skin grew electric, but he patted her shoulders and stepped back. “Maybe we should wait.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wait?”

  He gently took her hand and motioned for them to go up the final flight of stairs. “Till after the tea, so at least you’re warm.”

  She glanced at the floor and the pools of water they were leaving near their feet. “You’re right. I don’t want my sopping mess of hair on those fancy sheets.”

  Sheets. Had she been thinking about sex? She’d been right to wait. He needed to ensure nothing stood in their way and then he’d show her how good they could be together.

  Anna probably deserved better than him, but from now on, he’d have to figure out a way to be worthy of her.

  Chapter 8

  As warm water in the all-glass shower reinvigorated her muscles, Anna Camila’s mind kept replaying how Leo hadn’t kissed her on the stairs. They were in their suite, alone, and she wanted to say yes to him—they were married, and he’d treated her with care.

  But why had he stopped? The question kept her still. What had she done wrong?

  Her lips tingled for a kiss that she’d been denied.

  He’d kissed her before.

  The shower didn’t help and just made her remember the night before their wedding, when he’d kissed her passionately in his office.

  Something had changed.

  She wasn’t sure what. But if she ruined her chance with Leo, she’d never be able to hold her head high.

  If she didn’t leave the shower, she’d never know. Anna turned off the water and quickly dressed in light blue cotton pants and a matching t-shirt as they weren’t leaving the suite, then stepped out to the bedroom.

  Leo had already stripped down to a towel and stared out the window to the balcony as dark clouds covered the ocean.

  His muscular frame was burned into her retinas.

  No man on the beach, in a gym, or anywhere else she’d ever been looked half as appetizing as the man she’d married.

  She licked her lips and then he turned toward her, putting a cup of coffee down.

  His broad shoulders were slightly bronzed from a sun that didn’t exist today, but somehow he still had a sun-kissed glow. Her heart pounded as she hoped she’d find the right words to convince him to give her another chance. “Thank you for letting me get a hot shower first.”

  He strode across the floor in a way that made her knees weak.

  His sensuality wasn’t fair. She ignored how her heart raced as he winked and said, “I was tempted to come in and join you.”

  She sidestepped to let him go by. What fun that might have been. “Well, the shower is all yours now.”

  He brushed his hand down her shoulder. “The staff will be here soon with lunch. Please direct them to set up a picnic for us.”

  Right. She’d been his secretary so him giving her directions was normal. Anna nodded out of habit, but as he let her go and passed her, she called out to his backside, “A picnic, again?”

  He stared at her from the bathroom door and her skin buzzed like he could see through her cotton shirt, straight to her soul. “Just let me freshen up.”

  The way he looked at her caused her legs to shake and she almost fell onto the bed beside her. “I won’t stop you.”

  “Wait for me.” He didn’t bother to close the door as he turned on the water.

  Her skin melted, but she went to the bathroom door to close it so he could have privacy. She froze.

  Inside the shower she could see his fully erect manhood. Her face heated and she looked away.

  Staff would be here any minute.

  Should she join him?

  No. Her heart hammered as she went to look out the window.

  The storm made the clouds black. She hugged her waist and then saw his phone ring on the table where he’d left his coffee mug.

  The office number that used to be hers displayed on the screen. Without thinking, she picked up the phone. “Hi Pierre, it’s Anna.”

  “Nice to hear your voice again, my lady.”

  Lady? Her heart stopped and her eyes widened though in the distance she heard Leo singing in the bathroom. A shot of adrenaline raced through her that she was now here, with him as she told Pierre, “That sounds strange coming from you.”

  Pierre laughed and typed on his computer while he said, “His Highness says you’re sweet.”

  He’d talked about her? Anna smiled and then cleared the table so the staff had a place to set their food. “Well, that’s good to hear. I’m glad you’re working well together. Leo’s in the shower. Can I take a message?”

  Pierre said, “Tell him not to worry about anything. Francesca seemed interested in the next Earl of Pascal.”

  She held Leo’s cup—only the fear of spilling hot coffee kept her from dropping it. “Oh. Was Leo worried about her?”

  She pressed her lips together and hoped he wasn’t still thinking about Francesca.

  Had that been why he hadn’t kissed her?

  Was she being a fool?

  “He didn’t want her interfering with your happiness like she almost did on your wedding day,” Pierre informed her, “showing up unannounced and sneaking into his suite.”

  “What happened on my wedding day?”

  “Ohh… I meant before, not the day off.”

  Wow. Was there more to the story? She guessed it didn’t matter as he’d married her, but she was usually at his right hand.

  Now she was useless instead of useful she thought as she put the coffee cup back on the table. “Well, I’m glad she’s moved on.” Anna didn’t share her feelings with Pierre—they had been friends at the palace and she couldn’t be now that she was a princess. Just like she couldn’t exactly call Maria either, who would have calmed her down with a cookie and a joke. “I’ll let Leo know.”

  The moment she hung up the phone, Leo let out a small cough and her skin zipped. She turned around and noticed Leo’s hard muscles glistening from the shower.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “Are you upset?”

  Energy buzzed through her and she stepped toward him. “Why are you keeping tabs on Francesca?”

  His gave her his “caught but still sexy” smile that normally got him out of trouble. Her adrenaline rushed as she stood taller, refusing to fall for his charm. “I thought to divert her attention to a different noble because I am happily married.”

  Her eyes widened. That meant he thought about Francesca. The truth was written on his face. “That’s why Pierre called. He said she’s interested in Lord Pascal.”

  His gaze narrowed and his curt nod hopefully meant he was satisfied. “Good.”

  Anna Camila lowered her eyes and twirled her wedding band. “You’re happy?” Her heart pounded and she couldn’t look up at him. Why had she just asked that?

  Leo came closer. First she saw his bare feet, and then the white towel around his sculpted waist. He took her hand and she got so hot inside that her skin almost melted off her. Finally she glanced into his deep brown eyes. “You make me happy.”

  “Why?” She ignored the bubbles that grew inside her chest as she waited for an answer.

  He came closer and his towel loosened on his hips as he said, “When you were helping me file paperwork for the noble women to inherit and not just sons, for once in my life I felt useful. My sisters shouldn’t have to give up on being a princess because they married, and my oldest sister, Katherine, she’d have been a better monarch than me.”

  That was his idea he’d sent to parliament. She ignored the goosebumps growing on her body and asked, “Why do you say that?”

  He shrugged, capturing her attention with his display of muscles across his wet, naked chest. “No one takes me seriously.”

  Her pulse thrashed as she met his gaze. “That’s not true. I do.”

  “I like who I am with you Anna.”

  Boom. There he was. The man who could get whatever he wa
nted. She ignored the drum in her heart from the sparks of his touch and focused on her words as she said, “Well, if you’re pushing for women’s reform, how about allowing women to inherit without needing a will. A fifty/fifty split for the rest of the us.”

  He stroked his chin like this was news. “What do the women get now when their parents die?”

  “Twenty-five percent of whatever the brothers equal portion is or less. I had no brother. But if I did, my brother or brothers would in reality get eighty percent of the insurance money and I’d only get less than twenty. I used the money to pay for their funerals so it wasn’t much, but seriously, that’s an unfair law.” Anna couldn’t change everything, but it wasn’t right that women were still considered property and expected to marry for their security.

  He squeezed her palm. “I’ll speak to my parents on both matters, noble and otherwise.”

  Perhaps she should have mentioned that when she’d filed for the noblewomen, but at the time, she’d just been happy he’d done something serious to help his bad-boy reputation. “You’re more open than I imagined.”

  He let her hand go and she trembled until he traced her face. “Did you know my mother had your medical chart from when you started your job and put it on my computer?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “No. Why would she have that?”

  He massaged her cheek which only confused her when he said, “She wanted to ensure you could have children before she mentioned your name, I’m sure.”

  Did her fertility matter to Leo? Her mind raced with the question as she sucked in her lower lip. Of course it would. He’d told her he wanted children, and as a queen, she would be expected to have them. She glanced down at his wrist. “I understand, but I didn’t realize the physical was because she was considering me as your bride.”

  He ran his hands through her hair and goosebumps grew on her arm as her lips tingled. “I didn’t think you did.”

  She searched his eyes. “Why are you telling me?”

  He gently tugged her closer even though he only wore a towel. “I’d like for us to be honest with each other, Anna.”

  Warmth washed through her that she couldn’t explain and her mouth ached for him. “I think we work well together.”