“I’m willing to negotiate. I did enjoy every minute of it.”
“Thankfully. I might’ve shed tears if you said you didn’t.”
Laughing, I kiss him, nipping at his lip when I pull away. Rolling us to our sides, he continues to caress me and kiss me, each time looking at me with more affection than the last.
“Please don’t fall for a suitor, Fi. I couldn’t take losing you after finally being able to have you.”
“You have nothing to worry about. None of them have what you have.”
“What do I have?”
“My heart.”
CHAPTER THREE
MATHEAS
The warmth of her body tucked into mine starts my day better than any day before. She stirs and I kiss her cheek. Rotating her body to face me, she places one long, sensual kiss on my lips. Caressing her arm and back, I move my rigid cock against her pussy, and she moans sweetly.
“You feel so good. Can we stay in bed all day?”
“I wish, Princess. You have more trials today, and I have more suitors to deter.”
The sound of her automated bedroom door I made sure to lock beeps from the only person with the code besides myself and Fiora—her father. With no time to do anything, I cover her with the comforter and prepare for the repercussions about to take place.
“Matheas?” His dark brows pinch inward with concern.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Fiora peeks out from the blanket. “Father, what are you doing here?”
“I’ll do the asking. Did you ruin her purity?”
He looks to me, his expression filled with worry.
“No, it’s intact.”
With the tension releasing from his broad shoulders, they lower, and his stance becomes much more relaxed.
“Good. I didn’t think you’d be weak and destroy her coronation.”
“I wouldn’t do that to her.”
“I believe you. Get dressed. Both of you. Matheas, come to my sitting room. We have things to discuss.”
King Gregory leaves, and Fiora bolts upright, dropping the comforter.
“This is bad.” Fear fills her eyes. “I’ll fight like hell if he tries to remove you as my bodyguard.”
“It’s all right. I know your father well. What we just saw wasn’t anger. He didn’t seem surprised by us together either. I’ll meet with him and see what he wants to discuss. Shower, have breakfast, get ready for the horse race. I promise to see you soon.”
With a kiss goodbye, I gather my clothes, wasting no time getting back to my room. With the quickest shower I’ve likely ever had, I put on a fresh soldier’s garb and get my ass to the King’s meeting room.
Inside, King Gregory, sits tall and regal at his dining table placed by the large window overlooking the gardens. Below, I see Melinda in the garden, handpicking flowers with two staff members behind her, holding baskets already half full of flowers.
“She insists on picking them herself. She loves those flowers.”
“Queen Melinda’s garden is the most beautiful in Anauka.”
“She knows and takes great pride in it. Sit,” he tells me, motioning to the chair across from him. “Have breakfast with me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Plate with a hearty choice of foods, I take the seat across from him and await what he wants to discuss.
“Was last night the first you’ve stayed the night with Fiora?”
“No.”
“Was it the first you’ve been intimate with her?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not angry with you for being intimate with her, son. It’s good for her to learn how to pleasure a man.”
Tension tightens my chest at the insinuation I’m preparing her for another man. Staring at me, the wrinkles around his eyes double as his eyes narrow, studying me.
“You love her?”
“I do.”
“You’ve always loved her, haven’t you? Since you were teenagers.”
“I have, yes.”
“Your love for her is valuable to me. Do you know why?”
“Because I’ll do anything to keep her safe.”
“Exactly. What better person to watch over my daughter than a man who loves her as much as I do?”
“But I’m here to be reminded I can’t have her, correct?”
King Gregory shakes his head as he brings a forkful to his mouth. Chewing slowly, he points to my plate.
“Eat, Matheas. You need it.”
Taking a bite, I chew uneasily, unable to determine where this conversation is headed.
“You’re not here to be reminded you can’t have her because the truth is, I want you to have her.”
The fork stops on the way to my mouth. “Excuse me, Sir?”
“You heard me correctly. Eat, son.”
Taking the bite, I swallow the food, unaware of the taste. My mind is buzzing too wildly to comprehend anything but the words now coming out of the King’s mouth.
“When you have a daughter as beautiful, strong, and pure as Fiora, you have to do everything in your power to keep her safe. It’s why I chose you as her lifelong bodyguard. You come from a line of men who are loyal til death. It was when you both were young, I realized the potential to soothe all my worries. Not only do I have a daughter to protect, but I also have a territory to protect. With you protecting her and her protecting Anauka, everything would be peaceful and prosperous. The only problem is you don’t come from a Royal bloodline, so you can’t be a suitor, but there’s something in our laws that isn’t shared with the Royal families. Once Fiora is crowned, she has every right to choose any suitor for marriage, including a man not from a Royal bloodline. We just have to get her to her coronation, then you and I both get what we want.”
Placing my hands together in front of me, I rest my chin on my hands, absorbing everything he’s said.
“She can marry me after her coronation?”
“She can. All prior monarchs were convinced or fell in love with their suitors, but not my Fiora. It’s always been you, Matheas—whether she knew it or not. There isn’t a single suitor who is going to live up to you. You’re on a pedestal, no other man compares.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“My mother, Nina, is a gifted and observant woman. She also tells me what she feels is important for me to know. She’s been Fiora’s secret guardian all her life. Nina adores Fiora like no other.”
“What do you need from me? I’ll do anything to achieve our mutual goal.”
“You’re much stronger than other men, Matheas—physically and mentally. The fact you haven’t taken Fiora’s purity shows that. I need you to ensure no other man tries to take it before her coronation. If it’s taken, you know the consequence. She’d lose her crown, be shamed, and defiled. Be with her as much as you want. Take her intimately, gain her love, but never her purity. I’d much rather my daughter learn pleasure from a man who won’t hurt her.”
Reading the signals in his body language and words, I lower the bite I was about to take.
“What else? There’s more you’re not telling me.”