Powerful Prince (Steel Series Book 5)

by Victoria Pinder

  Done. My sister looked up and I stopped and shivered, but I showed her the screen and asked, “Are you satisfied?”

  Her eyes widened as she asked me, “Are you?”

  No. I took my phone back and ignored my own trembling. If I knew where Ryder was, I’d run to him. I quickly typed out: Emily where is Ryder? I need to talk to him.

  I ran my hand through my hair and said, “I hope he can forgive me.”

  Stephanie’s lips curved up, but I paced. She took my phone from me like she was taking charge of me but said nothing. My skin vibrated now and I realized how idiotic I had been to let Ryder walk away.

  I should have run into his arms and wrapped myself in them and never let go.

  Now my heart raced and I prayed I wasn’t too late.

  My phone beeped and Stephanie showed me the screen as she said, “Emily sent an address.”

  I grabbed it from her hands and pressed the phone to my heart.

  Now I needed to go and tell Ryder the truth. I loved him and I’d accept the consequences, or just close my blog. Online life meant less to me than being with Ryder. Love was the most sacred of feelings and I’d ignored the feeling that he was my other half.

  Adrenaline rushed in my veins and I grabbed my hotel key and opened my phone for the map app as I said, “I have to go. Thank you.”

  The blue dot was walkable. Stephanie tossed me my blue sweater and I caught it and gave her a thumbs up. I tugged it on over my yoga shirt and stretch pants and took the stairs down.

  The blue dot was easy to follow, even in the dark. The howling night wind over the ocean had my hair standing on its ends, but the sound of the water lapping against the wharf as the tide came in made it easy to hear where the edge was.

  Boats were tied up along the pier and my blue dot stopped in front of a small white yacht named “Queen Elsa”. The lights were off, but I tucked my phone into the pocket on the thigh of my yoga pants and ignored how my heart raced.

  If this was Ryder’s place, then I needed to knock. My mind raced with one question: how do you knock on a ship? I glanced around at the other boats tied nearby. If I called out loudly, I’d wake everyone.

  My body trembled, but I pressed my hand to my heart and decided to climb aboard to knock on the cabin door.

  I saw no ladder or plank, so I reached for the side of the boat and jumped.

  I made a thump when I landed and a light turned on.

  I hoped this was the right place. My hands shook as I knocked on the door, and called out, “Ryder? Are you here?”

  For a moment, no one answered. Then, I heard footsteps.

  The air smelled of the ocean and the forest meeting—Ryder’s special scent. And then the door opened. He was wearing jeans but no shirt, and his hair was wet.

  “Nicole?”

  My lips tingled to kiss him. I needed to tell him. But I didn’t want the world to see us, so I pushed past him, into his sitting room.

  The yacht was much nicer than the one I’d given a class on for the rich ladies in Seattle a few years ago. He closed the door, and I shifted my weight back and forth on my feet as I said, “I told my lawyer to sign the contract.”

  He stepped away from me, but his eyes widened. “You didn’t have to.”

  My heart pounded so loudly in my chest, it was all I heard in my ears. His blue eyes were exactly what I wanted to see when I woke up in the morning and when I went to bed at night. I moved closer to him and ignored how my skin had zaps of electricity in it as I said, “If I have to choose between you and the blog, it’s so clear now. I love you. I want to marry you because you’re the best man I’ve ever met, and I can’t imagine spending my life without you.”

  His lips curved into a smile as he asked, “You love me?”

  “Yes.” I nodded, and realized tears had escaped my eyes. Did he want me? Did he love me, too?

  He handed me a tissue and I dabbed my eyes. He was the only man I’d ever met who always had tissues to hand out like this. He said, “Then, marry me and we’ll leave together.”

  More water streamed out of my eyes and I took his hands and nodded. “If that’s what you want. Or we can stay here. I don’t care. I want you more than I want my blog or anything else.”

  He wrapped his muscular arms around me and held me tight. I relaxed and was at peace now as he asked, “You’re willing to give everything up for me?”

  “Yes,” I said, without hesitation. This choice was so simple. I loved him and needed to follow my heart.

  He eased his hug and said, “Sweetheart, you don’t have to give up your blog. I love you too, and I won’t let you sacrifice for me.”

  I placed my hands on his cheeks. The blog wasn’t a huge sacrifice, not if he loved his family and wanted to be with them. I met his gaze as I said, “If you love your family, and me, and want to stay here, I can accept limits. I just want you.”

  Finally, his lips claimed mine and his kiss burned into my soul. I’d met the love of my life and he loved me back. Together we had everything, and I didn’t need more. We were enough.

  Chapter 18

  Ryder

  Sleeping next to Nicole in my berth on the yacht was tighter than the bed, but waking up with her bare leg sprawled on mine already made me hard.

  I wanted to ravage her body and bury myself inside her, again.

  However, the birds chirping outside the window meant it was daytime—and our wedding day.

  So I ignored my base urges and untangled myself from her and the sheets. I tugged on my pants and headed upstairs to ensure our wedding was still happening today.

  All we needed was the priest. Though, I might have to find alternatives if our spot had been filled in the past few hours.

  I paced, but the priest answered my call with a yawn and admitted he’d not listened to his messages yet. Perfect. The wedding was still on.

  I hung up as I saw through the window that Nicole was stirring and I rushed back into the room. She was sitting up and stretching when I came in and I tossed my phone on the bed beside her as I said, “The priest hadn’t heard my message last night, so we’re still on for our wedding at one.”

  Her lips met mine and my heart leapt out of my chest. She was mine forever now. I’d never let her go.

  But, as the kiss ended, she jerked back and grabbed her clothes from the floor and pointed to the door. “Who’s that?”

  A flash of bright blue and gold fleurs-de-lis was the one thing I saw. I waited for her to dress and then turned on my heels and said, “My father’s messenger, dressed in his livery. Be right back. He must have sent a missive.”

  I went out and accepted the paper. Without care, I ripped open the royal seal and glanced inside. Nicole would want to hear this immediately. I headed inside and held the paper in front of me as I read her the words, “His Royal Majesty requests the presence of his son, Prince Ryder Kristoff, and his bride-to-be, Miss Nicole Steel, at the palace for breakfast. All wedding festivities will be held at the royal palace.”

  She kissed my cheek and grabbed her phone like this was Christmas morning. “Good. Let’s go there now. I’ll text my sisters to meet me. This means we can get the dress I picked out there with Emily.”

  My mind sharpened. Of course. I dropped the letter on the built-in table. She wanted a wedding dress. In my bag, I’d packed my tuxedo, but wedding dresses were different entirely. I hugged her waist and said, “Emily can bring it to you, and I can send a note back telling him to fuck off.”

  She laughed, kissed my cheek, and let me go as her phone beeped with messages. Then she said, “Don’t. You love your country and your family. Let’s head over right away and straighten everything out.”

  She texted her replies and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I cleaned up once she was finished and put my clothes on. As we put our shoes on together, I listened to the zip in my heart and said, “Let me talk to my father first, and decide then.”

  She headed out to the deck with me but said quickly, “Yes, he�
��s your father, so it’s your decision—as long as we end the day married.”

  I helped her off the ship then jumped off after her. On the dock, I said, “While I speak to him, get your dress, and have your hair and makeup done.”

  We walked the path together and she took my hand and said, “I’d rather be with you.”

  I raised my right hand and said, “I will come for you right away. I swear it.”

  She bumped into me and smiled as she said, “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” My heart was hers, and today was about us, not my father or his crown.

  The rest of the way, we walked in silence, but it was the calming kind. I was with Nicole. She loved me and nothing else mattered.

  We sailed past the guards and I dropped Nicole off in the tailors’ atelier.

  She kissed my cheek and I headed toward my father’s throne room and office with a whistle on my lips.

  As I breezed into his office and past his secretary, I announced myself. “Father, I’m here.”

  His secretary bowed out of the room. My father waited for the door to close and his shoulders dropped as he said, “I have your fiancée’s contract that she authorized her lawyer to sign.”

  I steeled my spine as I met his cold blue eyes and said, “I promised her she could post about herself and her thoughts without a filter, Father. I want this honored.”

  He took off his formal jacket and leaned on the desk. His hands gripped the sides and he said, “When you left the palace, I was sure you’d never return.”

  I widened my stance and nodded. “That was the plan.”

  He tapped the desk with the wedding ring he still wore, and said, “Ryder, your mother always said you were the most like me. When I saw you leave, it was like history repeating for me.”

  My shoulders loosened. I’d not heard my father’s tone so … familial, and not formal, in years. I stepped closer and asked, “What?”

  He reached behind him and showed me the picture of my mom he kept on his bookcase. “Your grandfather refused to allow me to marry Elsa, your mother.”

  I came beside him and said, “I didn’t know that.”

  He gave me the picture. It was from before I was born, and Mom was young and vibrant. Emily had her smile. My father spoke slowly, which was a sign he was sad. “It was a long time ago. He thought she’d distract me from my duties.”

  I reached behind my head and massaged my neck. “I’m not the heir, father. I have no interest in being Harry.”

  He bumped shoulders with me and met my gaze. “You’re still my son, and I pushed you away when … I started acting like my own father. I promised your mother I’d never stand in the way of your happiness.”

  I hadn’t realized how much Emily, Harry and my father cared about me. We hadn’t acted like a family since Mom died, and I thought all I wanted was to get away from them and this life. Now, I wanted Nicole to know that the royal family were also good people.

  I lowered my voice and said, “Father, I wanted to retire to the North Castle and only do occasional public events. But I will leave here forever, if I need to. Nicole leads an independent lifestyle, and people look to her and her Modern Life blog for advice. I won’t stop that.”

  My father picked up the contract and showed me a draft of an amendment to it. “Look, we’ll set up a twenty-four-hour window and the only filter will be from the security team. If they think something strategically important will be leaked, then we inform you and your wife. Otherwise, she can post her opinions on spiritual living and yoga all she wants.”

  “Good.” I relaxed and smiled as I said, “Thank you.”

  He reached over and hugged me. I patted his back. This wasn’t what I’d expected, ever. I’d wanted to be part of my father’s life for years. As the hug ended, he said, “Thank you for giving your father a second chance.”

  I straightened my shirt and said, “We’re still planning to get married today.”

  He raised his eyebrows as he asked, “Is it okay to move the festivities here and let palace security handle precautions?”

  This time, I brushed into him and said, “I’d like that father, after the church ceremony.”

  He stood stiffly, like he’d be serious again, and said, “Then my chefs will officially get to work.”

  I waved to him and headed to the door. “I have to go see Nicole.”

  “I understand,” he said, and returned to his desk.

  Growing up in this house had been strange, but good. I headed out of the office with a bounce in my step as I returned to my bride—who, I knew, would want to hear everything.

  The halls were empty, and I made it to the other side of the palace quickly. As I neared the door of Nicole’s room, I stilled and wondered if she would answer. I rapped on the door. A minute later, it flew open and Nicole jumped into my arms. Behind her, I saw her sisters and mine, but they were all fuzzy in my mind. Only Nicole shone bright in my eyes.

  Her hug held me in place as she said, “There you are! What happened?”

  I stepped back to stare at her, holding her hand in mine as I asked, “You don’t want to talk through the door so I don’t see you before the wedding?”

  She shrugged and squeezed my hands as she said, “I’m not superstitious. What happened?”

  “Exactly what we wanted,” I said. But then my gaze narrowed and I decided to tell her exactly what the terms were, in case she wasn’t okay with them. “He will limit the restriction to security matters only, and all reviews will be done in twenty-four hours or less by the security team. They will be instructed that you can write whatever you want on yoga and your lifestyle choices.”

  She gave me a thumbs-up, and said, “Sounds perfect.”

  I let out an audible sigh. We had gotten what we’d agreed on, and she didn’t seem to blink. We probably should have discussed it all before we returned to the palace, but last night I’d only wanted her. And when I was near her, everything else in the world faded away. I held her hands and asked, “Is having the wedding reception here okay with you?”

  She jumped like she wanted to fly but then landed back in my arms as she said, “That’s amazing. All my sisters are here! And this palace is beautiful.”

  My family had lived here for almost a thousand years. I tugged her closer, as I didn’t want her to disappear from me, and said, “Then, I will see you at the wedding.”

  Her lips opened and her eyes fluttered closed, so I took the opportunity to kiss her. She tasted better than cream puffs and chocolate. She was perfect for me.

  A hand pressed on my elbow and tugged as a voice said, “Hey! No more kissing. You can do that after the wedding.”

  I laughed, but we separated, and I said, “I see Emily is here.”

  Nicole slipped away, but winked at me from the door. “See you soon. Look for me. I’ll be the one in the white dress.”

  I gave her a once over. Everything about Nicole was amazing. I’m sure my eyes glimmered with happiness as I said, “I’ve been looking for you my whole life.”

  She winked at me. “That’s why I’ll say yes.”

  My sister slammed the door on me, and I headed to my old room. Gio would have a fresh tuxedo laid out for me, and soon I’d be with love of my life, forever.

  Chapter 19

  Nicole

  My wedding was a blur, though I’d remember it forever as TV cameras were set up inside the church. I’d been taken there in a horse-drawn carriage. And the flawless day made my feet feel like I floated on air.

  It was Ryder who broke through to me when he said, “It was nice that you asked my father to walk you down the aisle.”

  I met his blue eyes and curled closer to him as our names were called in the hall. The doors flew open, and as we stepped into the roaring crowd, I said, “I don’t have a father anymore, and my cousins were all seated. And, since it was being televised, it made sense to have someone tell me what was proper.”

  His lips thinned as people took our pictur
e. “I hope he didn’t say anything to annoy you.”

  I bumped into his muscular chest and pushed his cheeks up with my fingers. He kissed my fingers as I said, “Not at all. He talked about how much he loves his son, and that he wants you to be happy.”

  My new husband hugged me and smiled for the cameras now as he said, “I wouldn’t have believed that, before you came into my life.”

  Finally, the cameras stopped flashing and we made it to the table next to ours. I stopped and squealed when I saw that my oldest sister was here with her family. I said, “Ryder, this is Georgie and her husband Michael, and their son Jeremy.”

  He shook their hands and said, “Lovely to meet you.”

  As I dragged him to the next group, I pointed to a cluster of people behind us, near the bar and said, “You already met Olivia and Stephanie, who are with Emily and Harry, over there.”

  “Yes.” He nodded in their direction.

  “And this is Indigo and Jacob.”

  He shook hands with them, and as they stepped back, Jacob said, “Happy to have you on my board of directors.”

  Ryder quickly said, “Happy to be there.”

  My brows went together as I pointed at the two of them. “You already know each other?”

  He patted Jacob’s back and, as we moved along to the next sister, he said, “We have the same interests.”

  Interesting. The world is smaller than it seems. I grew up eating pizza with my sisters in Pittsburgh, and he grew up in a palace, but somehow, our lives meshed.

  “This is Ridley,” I said, hugging her, “And her husband Carter, and their daughter Chelsea.”

  “Nice to see you again.” Carter tipped his cowboy hat.

  Ryder said, “You, too.”

  My eyes widened. Wow. We were closer than I could have imagined. I looped arms with him as we continued to our designated seats and I asked, “You’ve met him, too?”