Chapter 15: Carrie
I nervously looked at my reflection in the mirror, allowing Jeanie to fluff my hair until it fell perfectly over my shoulder. Today was the day that Erik was going to be crowned the king of Maltan and I was probably more nervous than he ever could be.
“You look hot.”
I turned, giving her a tiny smile. “Do you think so? You don’t think the color is too much?”
She shook her head. “He’s going to love it. I’m not kidding Carrie. You look great.”
I nodded and looked down at the dress that she and I had found yesterday in one of the local shops, the turquoise color matching the blue of the sea just outside our windows. One shoulder was bare, and the fabric moved as I did, making me feel like I was about to be crowned instead of Erik.
I did feel beautiful in the gown, even though my pocket had taken a heavy hit buying it. “Alright,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “I guess I am ready.”
“Oh, this is so exciting!” Jeanie squealed as she stood beside me, her gown a deep royal blue. “A royal coronation. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up.”
I laughed and pulled her along toward the door. “Come on, we are going to be late.” Besides, I wanted to have a moment with Erik before he made his appearance, as we wouldn’t have another chance to speak for many, many hours. Yesterday morning, I had woken in his arms, watching his sleep with my heart full of emotion.
Unfortunately, that had been the only time we had been alone together, his personal assistant coming in to inform me of the rules of a coronation. I liked Karen immensely, even though she had been tasked to tell me that I could not, under any circumstances, approach the newly crowned king in public.
Unless that is, he and I were to make anything official with an engagement.
It had been a downer of all sorts, our lives as we knew it, together, now changed drastically. No more dates, no more public appearances, no more car rides. No, I was destined to only see Erik behind closed doors.
But I had pushed all that aside and focused on his very important day, knowing that we could get through this.
If he still wanted us to, that is.
Jeanie and I reached Erik’s suite, and I knocked on the door, giving the guards posted out front a tiny wave. They had seen me come in and out so much over the last two days that they were not surprised, giving me a nod instead before resuming their blank stares. The door opened, and Karen’s face greeted me, happiness oozing from her as she ushered me in. “I’m so glad you are here. He’s so nervous though he swears he’s not. Maybe you can give him a little boost.”
“I’ll try my best,” I said, crossing the living room and knocking on the bedroom door. “Erik? It’s Carrie.”
The door opened immediately, and I was pulled inside, the door shutting behind me before Erik pressed me against the wood and kissed me hard. “God I’ve missed you,” he said, his breath warm on my cheek. “You look good enough to eat, I swear.”
I pushed at his chest, making him step back before he wrinkled my dress. My breath caught as I took in his military uniform, thinking that he couldn’t possibly get any hotter than he was at that moment.
I had never seen him like this before.
“What?”
My gaze slid to his face, seeing the anxiety in his gorgeous eyes. “You look great, I mean just like a king.”
He arched a brow. “Is that why you pushed me away then?”
I stuck out my tongue, attempting to lighten the mood and settle both our nerves. “Of course not. I didn’t want you to ruin my dress.”
A grin teased his lips, and I pressed my hand to his shaven cheek. “You are going to do fine, Erik. You’ve been practicing for this moment your entire life. Your father could not be prouder.”
“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “The picture. It wasn’t what it seemed, I swear it.”
I gave him a soft smile, wondering why he would think about me at such a pivotal time in his life. Sure, I had seen the picture plastered all over the internet of Monique climbing into his private car, the headlines sending the media into a tizzy that maybe the romance was over with his American girlfriend.
But I hadn’t believed any of them. After a talk with Jeanie of course. She had reminded me that I was the one in this palace, not her. I was the one that had experienced some of the best times of my life with Erik, not her.
Most of all, I was the one in love with the prince.
Not her.
So, I had pulled up my big girl panties and waited for him to bring it up. As he was doing at the most inopportune time, yet the best time to show that Erik truly cared about me. “It’s fine,” I said, pressing a finger to his lips. “I know you wouldn’t do something like that. They are just looking for a reason to ruin your day.”
“Our day,” he corrected, pressing his lips to my finger. “This is much more than me, Carrie. I hope you know that.”
I dropped my hand, feeling flustered. The intensity in his eyes, well, they had my innards twisting in knots. “As long as you don’t trip, you should be fine.”
He chuckled and took my hand in his. I could feel him tremble as I looked into his eyes, interlacing our fingers together. “Carrie,” he said softly. “I want to talk to you about something.”
“O-okay,” I said, my voice breaking a bit. What was he going to say? Was he about to snuff this relationship? Was he about to shock the hell out of me? Why was he looking so nervous at the moment?
The door opened behind us, and Karen stuck her head in, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, but it’s time your majesty.”
Erik blew out a breath and released my hand, giving me a slight grin. “I’m sorry. It looks like I will have to postpone.”
I cleared my throat, forcing every sort of emotion back down in its small box in my brain. There were bigger things at the moment. “Good luck your majesty.”
He leaned close, his aftershave doing some delicious things to my lower half. “We will continue this later, Carrie, I assure you.” He then brushed his lips over my cheek. “And you will pay for that comment, my lady.”
I shivered as he brushed past me, not just because of his veiled threat of later.
No, I was much more intrigued on what he was going to talk to me about.