As I turned for the door, the ring box struck over my heart with a thud. My ribs closed in around my lungs, seizing the air. I straightened my shoulders and steeled my resolve. Today wasn’t going to be the day. My brother needed me.
38
Molly
I couldn’t take it anymore. Brooklyn hadn’t returned any of my calls. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door. I hoped Georgan was downstairs. He was my favorite driver. I didn’t know the others as well. I was out of options. I had to check on her in person. I still had a key to the apartment.
As soon as I opened the door I ran into Damon. His wide frame filled the door.
My eyes locked on his dark stare. Chills ran along my spine.
There was something sad in his gaze. It was as if the smolder in his eyes was clouded.
I took a step backward.
His arms encircled me. He held me, breathing into my neck. Holding me tighter with each exhale.
“What’s wrong?” I wrapped my hands around his waist. “Did something happen?” I asked.
He kicked the door closed behind us as he lifted me. I drifted over the hardwoods as he kept me in his embrace, carrying me back into the room.
My toes touched the floor again. I looked at Damon. I traced the lines of his sculpted jaw with the pad of my thumb. I could feel his somber mood washing off him.
“What is it?”
He still hadn’t spoken a word.
“I need you. I need this.” His voice was low and certain.
He brushed his lips over mine, drinking in the kiss as if I was the last breath he would ever take. His tongue slid along mine, twisting and curling in my mouth. I had no idea what had happened. I only knew he needed my lips.
He lowered me to the couch. His hands roaming. Pulling the clothes from my body. He sat up, shirking off his jacket and shirt. I reached for his zipper, freeing him from his pants.
He found my lips again, searing them with another heated kiss.
All the other times, Damon had been commanding and powerful with my body. But as he moved between my legs, I felt how different this was. I wrapped my heels around him, digging them into his backside.
He groaned as he pushed inside me. His thrusts were slow and deliberate. He kissed my throat and behind my ear.
“Ohh,” I whimpered as he drew back and stroked my inner walls with his thickness.
If I could take away the hurt in his eyes, I would. I would love him whole again. I would heal him with my body. Give him pleasure. Take away the pain.
I arched into him, giving him my body. He surged inside me with a vibrating growl. The wave began to build, my need matching his.
“I’m yours,” I whispered. My eyes locked on his. “Yours, You Majesty.”
“Oh God.” He pumped faster. And within seconds I could feel his body tighten.
I gripped his shoulders as we shattered together. Our bodies fighting the pleasure and giving in to the release until we were covered in the glow of making love.
Holy hell, that was entirely different. Damon kissed the side of my neck and gently rested on my breast. I ran my nails over his back. He twitched inside me, but neither of us was anxious to move.
He needed to be anchored within me. It was where I wanted him. We were bound together on so many levels.
“Do you want to tell me what happened now?” I ventured.
He sighed. “Do you know how much I need you, Molly?”
He leaned forward on his arms, hovering over me.
“We need each other,” I answered. The email was lurking in the back of my head. This wasn’t the moment to tell him about it. The guilt started to erode the haze of my afterglow.
He pressed up. The couch wasn’t the most comfortable piece of furniture. It was meant for décor impact, not to binge watch shows all weekend. I doubted anyone in the palace did that.
He looked up, noticing the surroundings. “Nice apartment.” He grinned.
“Thanks. Haven’t you been in here before?”
He shook his head. “Not since it was redecorated.”
I felt a twinge of jealousy. Who had occupied the rooms next to his before I did?
“This is redecorated?”
He laughed. “You should have seen it before. Burgundy and gold everything.”
I stuck out my tongue. “Ok, then this is better.”
He moved to the end of the couch, repositioning me so I lay against his chest. I reached for a cashmere throw at the end of the armrest. It was the softest blanket I’d ever felt. Damon layered it over the side of my body.
“I was at Dominic’s before I came here.” His statement surprised me. I waited for him to continue. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t good new.
“I signed an order.” He sighed.
“What kind of order?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger as if he were trying to soothe a headache. “He’s going to rehab.”
I sat forward, the cashmere falling from my hip. “Oh, Damon. I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “I should have done it a long time ago.” He pressed his hands to his face, running his palms to his forehead. “I let it get out of control. I let him crash.”
I pulled his heavy hands into mine. “Hey, you’re not responsible for your brother’s choices. You know that, right?”
“But I should have helped him sooner. I’m his older brother, damn it. I let it go too long. I put it on Kenley. I pawned his problems off to her. What kind of man does that to his own family?”
I tried to ease some of his burden. “What’s important is that you’re getting help for him now. Focus on that. When does he leave? Where is this place?”
“Kenley is going with him. It’s in Spain. It’s best if he’s away from Galona press. He leaves tonight.”
“Spain?”
He nodded. “He doesn’t want to go. He’s fighting the entire thing. But he’s still drunk. Of course he’s going to fucking fight.”
I twisted my lips together. “Isabel stopped by today.”
“She did? Was it about Dominic?”
“No. Actually, she really wants to take a trip to Spain. That’s why I was reminded.”
His eyebrows arched. “And she came to you.”
“Yes. She needs a break from Galona. And even though it’s not exactly what she wanted, why don’t you send her with Dominic?”
“Fuck. My family is falling apart. A princess who doesn’t want to be in her own country. A prince in rehab.”
I turned his face to focus on me. “You’re doing everything you can to keep them together. Grant this request for Isabel. Give her some time to recharge her batteries. She’ll be in Spain if Dominic needs anything. And he will get better.”
He grazed my cheeks gently with his fingers and looked deep into my eyes. It felt like he was searching for the answer to some unspoken question.
“You are what I’ve always needed.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Swear to me you’ll always be here like this when I need you.”
I swallowed hard. “I promise.” I closed my eyes as Damon’s lips pressed to mine.
“Now, let’s go christen the rest of this apartment.”
He pulled me from the couch, lifting me with one quick scoop of his strong arms. I flung my hands around his neck and kicked my legs wildly. He would always be hungry for me. He needed me. I wasn’t about to burden the king with more problems. The email could wait.
39
Damon
The lodestar clicked open. I sipped my coffee and read the agenda. I smiled when I saw Dominic’s name on my list of appointments. I had a video call with him at three. It had been two weeks since he left the palace, and his progress had been steady. The doctors were pleased.
Isabel was still in Spain, supposedly working on state matters. Outside of my briefing reports, I hadn’t heard from my sister. I had to fight the instinct to call her back to Galona. Molly assured me she’d return when she was ready. I trusted her adv
ice.
I pulled open the top drawer of the royal desk. The ring box sat where it had since the day I brought it home from Vitania’s. I lifted it from the drawer and cracked the lid. The sapphire sparkled in the morning sun.
I plucked the beautiful jewel from its box and carried it to the balcony. The waves crashed in the distance. The staff had brought a full cart of breakfast this morning. There were pastries, bowls of fresh fruit, and a basket of Galona’s most exotic tropical flowers. Everything was exactly how I instructed it to be presented. All of her favorites, down to the color of the china.
I inhaled deeply, my lungs expanding with the sea air.
I quickly snaked my hand around my back when Molly appeared in the doorway. My T-shirt grazed the tops of her thighs. Damn she was sexy, especially wearing my clothes.
Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in amber waves.
“Bonjour, love.” I smiled.
“Bonjour.” She looked at the gilded cart. “Wow, you must be hungry this morning. And mimosas? Are we celebrating something?” She smiled sweetly and reached for the coffee carafe first.
Why the fuck was I suddenly nervous? I could hear the blood pump between my ears.
“Are these fresh raspberries and kiwi?”
I nodded. “They are.”
“Yum. And I love these croissants.”
The sun washed over her, highlighting the blue in her eyes. She’d never looked more beautiful. More like the queen I wanted to make her.
“I fell asleep before you got in last night. Sorry.” She looked up. “But I do have some crazy news. I talked to Brooklyn for an hour.”
I eyed her. “Is this about Roux?”
She nodded. “He’s going to leave Carina.”
“What? I haven’t seen his petition.”
“They just decided last night. I’m sure you’ll have it sometime this week. I can’t believe it. I’m so excited for Brooklyn.”
I watched as Molly heaped the ripe berries on her plate. I couldn’t let Sebastian’s idiocy destroy this morning. For two weeks, I had tried to find the perfect place. The perfect time. But the world kept colliding with my plans. I had to make sure Dominic was settled. The irrigation grants had to be finalized. The Bostique Islands were impatient to start the new trade arrangements.
If I waited for everything in the country and my family to have complete peace, I’d never have my queen.
“Damon? Aren’t you going to say something? Brooklyn and Sebastian are going to be together.” She sipped the coffee. “You are going to grant his request, aren’t you?”
“To abdicate his position as duke and leave his wife?”
“Yes. He’s miserable. He loves Brooklyn. It’s obvious the way he looks at her. You can see that, right?”
I didn’t want to argue. I wasn’t going to fight with her this morning about someone else’s love story.
Today was the beginning of ours.
“Damon?”
I walked to the other side of the table. The ring was pressed between my thumb and fingers.
“Yes, I’ll grant it,” I replied. “I don’t want to talk about Roux. I want to talk about you, Molly.”
Her eyes lifted. I could get lost in those shades of blue for the rest of my life.
“Me?” she squeaked.
“Mmmhmm.” I ran my fingers through her hair, sweeping it from her shoulder. I lowered to one knee and she gasped.
“Oh my God.”
I grinned. “I want to talk about you. About me. About us, my love.”
She started to shake. “Damon,” she whispered.
“I’ve given a lot of speeches as king. So many lectures and talks, but I’m almost at a loss for words right now.” I gazed into her eyes. “I look at you and I see light, kindness, strength. I see a woman who loves me despite my crown. I see home. I see a future. Molly, I see the woman I want to love and to protect.” I revealed the ring from behind my back and held it toward her. “I don’t know what’s ahead for me as king. I can’t promise you normal. This life is far from it. But I can promise to fight for you. To fight for us. To love you. To give you as many mornings like this as I can. And I promise to do my best to consider your counsel.” I winked. I was still working on that one. “I’ve never knelt before anyone. But I’d do far more than this to show you how much I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me, Molly Washington?”
The ring sparkled between us. I held my breath. It felt like the longest second of my life.
I didn’t exhale until she collapsed into my arms. “Yes. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
She crawled into my lap, kissing me. I tasted the salt of her tears on my lips.
“Then I need to give you this.” I threaded the sapphire stone over her knuckle. It fit perfectly.
“I can’t believe this.” She held it toward her face.
“I knew it had to be a sapphire,” I teased. I dragged my lips over hers. “Always my sapphire.”
She giggled. “Yes. Always yours.”
I untangled us and helped her stand. “Let’s have a toast.” I reached for the champagne.
Molly crinkled her nose. “Maybe just the orange juice. Sorry, I think I’m too excited. The champagne would send me over the top.” She smiled.
“All right.” I handed her an orange juice in fluted crystal.
Our glasses clinked. “To the new queen of the House of Sauvage. To our future.”
“To our future,” she echoed.
My hand rounded over her ass as I pulled her to me. “Before we announce this to the world, I could use some time alone with you.”
“Please,” she whispered.
I lifted her in my arms and carried her across the threshold.
40
Molly
“Oh God.” I fell back on the bed. Every part of my body felt exquisitely sensitive. Sex had never felt like that before. The way he touched me was like lightning shooting from his fingers. My nipples tingled. My clit buzzed. I was still on fire even after three orgasms.
Damon nuzzled behind me. He ran his fingers along my arm, twining them between mine. The ring was the only thing I had on.
“I should have Sutcliffe clear my schedule so we can spend the entire day like this,” he growled. “We could never leave the bed.”
I nodded. “Can we?”
“I wish. But Galonians might not accept how much we enjoy fucking each other as an excuse to ignore my royal duty to them.” He laughed.
I twisted to face him. His body was damp with sweat. I placed my palm over his chest. I could feel his heart still beating wildly. I kissed his tanned skin.
“What is today?” I asked. It was easy to lose track of time in the palace.
“The thirtieth. I have a cabinet meeting this afternoon. Why?”
The deadline to schedule my study at the London Institute was tomorrow. I had been a coward for two weeks. Afraid to suggest abandoning Damon while he dealt with Dominic’s health. He needed me to stay. And the thought of asking him if I could leave for six weeks seemed out of the question.
But I hadn’t sent my reply.
I counted back on the calendar. In a month’s time my life had changed more dramatically than any fictional character’s in any piece of literature I had studied. One month of Damon had turned everything upside down.
“Wait, are you sure it’s the thirtieth?”
He nodded. “There is always a cabinet meeting the last day of the month. I’m sure. But I was thinking maybe the middle of next month in between sessions we could go somewhere. A pre-honeymoon, honeymoon.”
“A month,” I whispered.
He tilted his head. “Yes.”
I sat up in bed. “Oh shit.” I hopped off the side and slid a robe on. My phone was on the dining table. I ran through the apartment.
“Molly?” Damon followed me through the apartment naked.
I grabbed my phone from my purse and pulled up the calendar.
I looked at him.
It
had been six weeks since my last period.
“Molly, what’s wrong?”
I didn’t know what to say. I sat on one of the chairs embroidered with the Sauvage family crest in the center. My head spun. Was it possible I was pregnant? I had heard stories about IUDs not working, but I couldn’t be one of those cautionary tales, could I? This wasn’t the time to fall into an online rabbit hole of birth control gone-wrong blog posts. I needed the truth.
I had gone to bed last night with a terrible headache. I had blamed it on too much screen time researching. I had fallen asleep two days ago while I was working on chapter outlines in the middle of the afternoon. I had been exhausted all week, but my body was coursing with heightened sexual energy like never before. And the smell of the champagne this morning had made my stomach turn. The signs had been creeping up on me the past couple of days, only I hadn’t noticed them—or maybe I didn’t want to.
“I think I need to buy a pregnancy test,” I blurted.
He was silent and motionless.
“Damon, did you hear what I said?”
He nodded. “I’ll go get one now.”
“Wait.”
He turned slowly. He was in shock. He had to be. I expected him to curse or roar. React with his deepest emotions.
“It could just be all the stress of the past few weeks.” I looked into his eyes. “I might be overreacting.” I shouldn’t have said anything to him until I knew.
I reached him in the doorway. He cradled my cheeks, drawing my lips upward. “I hope you are pregnant.”
“You do?” My eyes darted back and forth, trying to read his mood. It was the last reaction I expected from him. My stomach flipped. Was he serious?
“Yes, love.”
The words warmed me, sending heat through my chest. “I-I can’t believe this. You want a baby?” First a proposal, and now this.
His lips burned mine. The kiss was fiery and raw. I tried to catch my breath. I gripped his neck. I was off balance, falling into his arms.
“I want our baby,” he growled.
“Ok.” I nodded. “A baby? We want a baby?”
He laughed. “We do.” He kissed my cheek. “Now, I’ll go get what you need. I don’t trust this errand with the staff. Wait here.” He broke free and disappeared to get dressed.
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