by J. J. McAvoy
“Why?”
“I’m sorry?” he asked.
“Why don’t you want to stay?” I asked.
“Do you not see me? I’m aching to stay, Odette.”
“So, why are you leaving?”
He reached out, placing his hand on my cheeks. “I promised I would pull you close and then give you space, remember? Today, we became husband and wife. I am sure you will need time to panic later. I do not want to add to it by taking you tonight.”
A chill went through me as he said, take me.
“Gale.”
“Please do not tempt me, Odette,” he said softly, his hand falling from my cheek to the side of my chest, his arms brushing the skin of my stomach.
“Okay. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight...wife.” He smiled, stepping away, and so did I, closing the door.
Leaning on it, I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths until I felt the drumming of his hand on my back.
Knock. Knock.
“Yes?” I asked as I opened the door to find his hands were on the frames beside me. I didn’t get a chance to ask him why before his hands were on my face, and his lips were on my lips. Our bodies pressed up against each other. I couldn’t help but moan into him. Just as quickly as he started, he let go.
“That should get me through the night,” he whispered, kissing my shoulder then abruptly turning and leaving.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I called out to him, “That might work for you, but what about me?”
He stood at his door at the opposite end of the hall, grinning. “To come out dressed like that, you deserve to suffer a little bit!”
“Oh, I see. Fine. I am never going to get dressed up for you ever again.”
“Yes, like you were never going to marry me?” He snickered.
I glared.
He winked.
So, I closed the door.
What in the world were we doing? And why did my cheeks hurt so much? Was it all the smiling? What was wrong with me? I put my hand on my chest, and there went my heart, drumming like it was part of a rock ’n’ roll festival. Taking my phone, I moved onto my bed and called the only person I knew crazier than me.
“Sweetheart, I was just going to call you. How was your birthday? Did you enjoy—”
“I married him, Mom,” I cut in, unable to hold it in.
“I am sorry. Repeat that.”
“I married—”
“Ahh!” she screamed so loudly through the phone that I flinched and had to pull it from my ear. Even with the distance, I could still hear her! “I knew you were my daughter! I just knew you would never let me down! Haha!”
“Mom, you’re supposed to be mad and hurt that I eloped! And say something like ‘How could you do something like that without me being there?’ Instead, you’re cheering and hooting.”
“Oh, please. Do you think the royal family will accept that as your wedding? When the real day comes, I will be walking you down the aisle dressed in white.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you going to wear your crown and sash, too?”
“Can I?”
“Mom, you’re ridiculous.” I laughed, lying back on the pillow.
“And you are a princess.”
I remembered what Gale told me. “Technically, I’m not. Gale said I would be a duchess—”
“You are married to a prince, so you are a princess. I don’t care what anyone else says.”
“There’s no point in arguing with you.”
“Wait...tonight is technically your wedding night. Why are you talking to me instead of being with my son-in-law?”
“Cause your son-in-law is hot and cold with me.”
“Now, you know how it feels.”
“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am. That’s why I tell you the truth,” she shot back.
“And what is that truth?”
“You are an impulsive scaredy-cat.”
“I don’t like this truth.”
“But you know it, anyway. And Gale is getting to know it, too, which is good. It means he pays attention to you; he sees you. He’s giving you time to accept that you jumped into this marriage on impulse.”
“How do you know it was my idea?”
“Who else’s idea could it possibly be? As if you’d jump to get married at his request. Either way, I’m excited and happy. Tomorrow, go to the lake house.”
“The lake house? Why?”
“Odette...sometimes.” She sighed. “How much privacy can you both get in a penthouse with two other people. There is more space, and he can go around without worrying about people in the city finding out about him. It will do you both some good to stay way.”
“Right.”
“Now that you are a wife, I will give you some advice. Think of him and trust that he will think of you. Okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry about anything else. I will call Mr. Greensboro in the morning about the inheritance.”
“No—don’t!”
“What do you mean, don’t?
“I promised his brother we would all keep it a secret.”
“Why?”
“He asked, and I’d rather not go proclaiming to all the world, either. If we claim my inheritance, then Yvonne and Augusta will know, and once they do, the whole world will.”
“Do you know how long I’ve waited to gloat?”
“I am sure you can hold off for just a little bit longer.”
“Fine, I will hold back. But I will get in contact with Gale’s family. They will pay off a few of our debts in the meantime.”
“Mom, the whole reason they are here is that they need money.”
“So do we. If they are going to make us wait, they will have to pay for it. We will pay them back tenfold later. It’s fine. Don’t worry about all of this. Just enjoy your night, princess.”
I shook my head. “Goodnight, Mom.”
Tossing the phone onto my side table, I lay there, letting reality kick in. I had married a prince of a country that I couldn’t speak the language of or knew much about. And I did so on impulse after a few weeks of knowing him. Yes, I did it to get my fortune, but I also did it because I liked him. But how long was like going to carry us? What happened if all these feelings wore off? What if I went to his country and hated it? What if the people hated me?
Burying my head into my pillow, I tried to stop myself from thinking—again, it failed. How could I not think about the fact that I was about to become a royal?
Chapter 25
Pillows covered the floor, and there was a spread of food that filled the table completely. There was champagne and chocolate. There was even a gift box on the pillow. When I looked back at him, he was holding a single yellow bell-shaped flower.
“The third national flower of Ersovia is called the golden Stella d’Oro Daylily,” he explained, tucking it behind my ear. “The scientific name is Hemerocallis, which comes from the Greek hemera, meaning ‘day,’ plus kallos, meaning ‘beauty’ and symbolizes the morning star—the sun. It is the symbol of new life, valor, and justice—the perfect flower for you, Odette of Sunrise.”
I reached up to take the flower, twirling it between my fingers, trying to take in the effect of everything all at once.
“You don’t play fair, Gale,” I whispered, unable to look at him.
“I thought everyone knew. You do not play fair in love and war. And before you ask, yes, we are at war,” he replied, lifting my chin, forcing me to see the grin on his seemingly perfect face. “I am currently winning, but this war—”
“Hey!” I poked at his side, and he poked back, but instead of my side, as I had done to him, he got my left breast. My eyes widened, and he did his best not to laugh. “You—”
“Wait!” He held out his hands. “Before we fight, we should look at all my hard work.”
“Your hard work, or did you make Iskandar and Wolfgang do everything?” I questioned, eyeing him carefully.
>
“I helped!” he exclaimed seriously.
“Sure, you did, Your Highness.” I bowed my head to him.
“It is true, Your Highness.” He curtsied to me, and when he saw the look on my face, he shrugged. “I thought we were switching roles this morning, seeing as you bowed when women are to curtsy.”
“First, I was more shocked that you did it so well. And secondly, do not call me Your Highness.”
“First, why are you shocked? I’ve seen people do it all my life. Secondly, that is who you are now,” he shot back, stretching out his hand.
I took it without argument as he led me to his morning breakfast.
“Where did you get all of these pillows from?” I asked when I sat down on one carefully.
“Wolfgang went to someplace called Target.” His eyebrows furrowed as he made sure that was correct. “He said it was like a home wonderland.”
I chuckled and looked over the table. He really put so much effort into this morning—technically, our first morning as husband and wife.
“Thank you for this,” I said gently, reaching for the chocolate muffin. “It’s very sweet.”
“I will take sweet, I guess,” he replied through a piece of toast. “I was going for, ‘Oh, Gale, you are so romantic. I am so glad we eloped together in the dead of night.’”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at how he was sulking. “If you had made it all from scratch, maybe I would have said that.”
“I was trying not to burn down your home.”
“Thank you, which is why I said you were sweet.”
He rolled his eyes as he took a bite. He was kind of like a big kid sometimes. Putting my muffin down, I shifted so that I faced him. “Ohhhh, Gale, you are soooo romantic. I am soooo glad we eloped together in the dead of night.”
His gaze shifted to me with his brows raised. He nodded and waved his hand. “Now, one more time without the obvious sarcasm.”
“You are—”
He kissed me before I could get the words out, and everything I was going to say disappeared. I could taste the cinnamon in his mouth. I could feel the rest of me getting warmer all over. Again his arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer to him. My arms wrapped around his neck, and before I knew it, I was in his lap, wanting more of him.
“Gale.” I gasped when he cupped my breast through my blouse.
He paused, taking a deep breath and licking his lips, his eyes meeting mine. “I apologize. I got carried away there for a moment.”
I was shaking again. “I wasn’t stopping you.”
He and I stared at each, and I realized I was still straddling to him. However, when I went to move, he held me in place. “Stay here.”
“What?”
“Let’s eat, but you stay here. I want to feel you...against me.” And just like that, he wasn’t a kid anymore. He was all man.
And the normal fight I had just melted at the sound of his deep, lust-ridden voice. I said nothing, only turned and sat in his lap with my back against his chest. I tried to focus on the food. I picked up my muffin again and nibbled on it, but I was very aware of all of him. Where his hands were, what his body felt like, how his chest rose and fell with each breath...and other things. It took him a moment, but he reached out and grabbed the champagne, pouring it and resting back a bit.
We sat there quietly, eating, trying to calm ourselves down. However, it did not seem to be working for me at all. It had been such a long time since I had been touched by any man, just feeling his legs beside mine was driving me crazy.
“I should move,” I whispered.
“Do you want to move?” His voice sounded stronger, heavier.
“Aren’t we trying to get back in control of ourselves?” I muttered, brushing my curls from my face. “This isn’t really helping.”
“That is the thing. I am wondering back here, why am I trying so hard to control myself?” he questioned, reaching over and brushing the curls off my shoulder, exposing my skin. “I was wondering the same thing last night. Why did I leave your room? Why am I denying myself?” When he kissed my shoulder, my eyes shut at the warmth of his lips on my skin. “Why am I denying you?”
Get it together, Odette!
“Maybe it’s because I’m different,” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder at him.
His blue-green eyes were coated over with desire.
“You and I could go anywhere in the world, but we always find ourselves in one room or another, talking for hours. With the way I melt every time we get close like this, you could have easily had me like you have had so many other women.”
“It was not so many.” He frowned.
“Either way, are you treating me like you treated them?”
He was silent for a moment, and I let him have a moment. “You are different.” He nodded and kissed the side of my face. “You are forever. That is the difference. Open your present.”
For me to reach the box that was on the far end of the table, I had to get up. This time, he let me. I took it and sat back down beside him, untying the bow and opening the lid.
“I do not know if you like jewelry, but you will receive a lot of it. Not just from me but my family. In the past, it was the only thing women could pass down to future generations. I found this in one of my bags. My mother apparently wanted to make sure I knew you were different, too,” he explained as I lifted the bejeweled brooch out of the box.
It was heavy and covered in diamonds, rubies, and gold. It was a shield, a crest of some kind, but all of it was made and forced together by some precious stone or metal—even the words. “Per Deus, cordis et in gladio,” I read slowly.
“By God, heart, and sword,” he translated. “They are the words of the House of Monterey. Two eagles hanging, the red and white checkers are of roses, one pure, one stained with blood and love, the four crosses of God that protect us on all sides, the two stars that are the eyes of justice, and three swords that uphold it. Every member of the House of Monterey has one of these. Mine is a ring. Yours will be this brooch.”
“It’s beautiful.” It was all I could say.
“Then it fits its owner,” he whispered, and I looked back up to him. “The world does not know we are married yet, and as my brother said, we cannot let it be known. However, we are, so this belongs to you now because I know you are Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Wevellen, Odette Rochelle Wyntor of the House of Monterey.”
It was heavy before, but the brooch felt like it had gotten heavier.
“I thought about this last night,” I said, gently putting the brooch back into the box. “What if your people hate me?”
“They will.”
“Hey!”
He chuckled, taking my hand. “All around the world, they will love and hate the monarchy. We are entertainment to them, mostly. You just have to remember that for everyone who is jeering, there is someone trying to order the same shoes you wear.”
It was easy for him to say that.
“Come on, let’s eat and not dwell on it. In here, in your tower above the sky, I’m just Gale, and you are still Odette, the bossy—”
I shoved my muffin into his mouth, causing him to laugh all over again.
I wouldn’t think about being some duchess. I would only focus on here, right now with him.
“You are cheating.”
“I am not!” she exclaimed.
I looked over the billiard table once more, shaking my head. “You are most definitely cheating! How did this ball get here?”
“It was always there!” she lied boldly to my face like I did not have eyes.
“Odette!” I could not even believe she would be so blatant about this.
“What?” she called out before looking to Wolfgang. “Am I cheating, Wolfgang?”
“No, ma’am, not that I can see,” he replied.
I eyed them both, moving around the table. “Something is off here, but I will let it go,” I said, dusting off the tip of my cue. Leaning over, I eyed the le
ft corner pocket, then twisting to the side, I sank both the purple four and the red seven.
“What are we betting on again?” I smirked, walking around her.
Her mouth looked like it wanted to fall off her face from the way she frowned.
“Oh, right. On my birthday, you will bake a cake for me dressed as an American cheerleader.”
“That is never going to happen. Instead, on Christmas, you will oil up like a firefighter and carry me anywhere I want to go,” she said smugly from the other side of the table.
“So long as you are doing the oiling, I do not mind,” I replied, sinking the green six next. “Why would I mind? You chose the wrong game to bet against me.”
We had spent the last day going to places no one would ever expect to find a prince, seeing as how I was now back in my Clark Kent disguise. We had gone to the Seattle Pinball Museum, hidden in the heart of Chinatown, where she had epically defeated me and two preteen boys, who then told her she was too old to be playing. The look she gave them had crippled me with laughter as they ran away.
We were now in what she called a small dive bar named Sam’s Big Toe on Mayfield Avenue and Mount Pleasant. The place was owned by a woman named Sam, who knew Odette and welcomed her with a nod, along with ten very large, white-bearded biker men. They screamed her name like she was family. And the only explanation she gave for how a rich heiress like her knew people like them—so well that they cheered—was “don’t we all have wild teenage years?”
She did not like surprises, and she was full of them.
Leaning over the table once more, I noticed Wolfgang move out of the corner of my eye, noting that one of her balls was now significantly closer to the corner pocket.
“It is you!” I pointed at him, and he just stared at me. “You are helping her cheat.”
“He would never,” she said quickly.
“Really?” I asked then looked back at him. “Would you never, Wolfgang? Remember who it is you work for, by the way.”
“We are one and the same, aren’t we? He works for us both,” she interjected. “Right, Wolfgang?”
“Of course, ma’am.” He nodded at her.
“The treachery of you both!” I looked between them. “I understand her...Et tu, Wolfgang? I really cannot trust anyone.”