Hutton

Ally’s discounted because of her looks. In the few days I’ve been here, I’ve witnessed men talking over her more than once and dismissing her ideas as silly. These assholes are missing the big picture of what makes her beautiful. I wonder how many of them have a master’s in business and international relations. My guess is none.

She’s not just a pretty princess to be admired for her looks. Ally has so much more to offer the world than sitting on a throne as a headpiece. With her master’s degree, she could give guidance not only to the committee regarding this deal, but she could also use her studies in international relations to extend olive branches to other countries. She’s the full package, and they don’t even see it.

The duke speaks of her with no consequence. Mr. Yamagata pays her no mind as he tries to impress her father. No value is given to those with beauty.

What they don’t know and what I won’t show anyone—since I want her all to myself—is that true beauty is found in the quiet moments. Here, with me, she’s vulnerable, and her guard is down with her arms open and her spirit strong. She thinks she’s weak for crying, but her strength is in her determination. Everything she wants doesn’t always make sense with how she wants to live her life, but she doesn’t shy away from her ambition. She’s impressive.

I have no idea how I’d fit into this life, or if I’ll even be allowed. It’s a life I never imagined before, and I haven’t had time to measure the pros and cons. I need to calculate how I saw my life going—life in New York, growing the media division—with possibly staying in Brudenbourg doing I don’t know what.

Frustration has set in. Hers. Mine. Ours.

The increasing concern I see in her eyes growing with an excitement that still resides in the clear blue shows the tension she’s feeling. Does she really see me as her Prince Charming? Who knew a costume would lead to this? Not me. That’s for sure. But now that we’re here in the second act of our story, we’re going to have to decide who sacrifices their life for our love to survive.

One day, she’ll prove she’s already a queen, ready to reign. But to me, she’ll always be my Ally.

I stroke my fingers through her desire. Under the heat of the blanket and pressed against her warmth, I keep my voice low. “Let me take care of you first, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I want to feel the stretch. I want the burn. I want to sit at dinner and feel how my body has changed from being with you.”

Kissing between her breasts, I trail my tongue along the curve of her cleavage. I move back, planting my forearms on either side of her pretty face. We’ve had sex a lot and done everything between sin and making amends, but this lump in my throat, the one that formed when I saw her tear-streaked cheeks, makes me want to replace her pain with something tangible. “When I told you I loved you . . .” She can’t touch love, but hers has touched me. Setting my eyes on her bright blues, I want her to know what she means to me. I need her to feel the words, not just hear them. “I meant it.”

“So did I.” She lifts up and kisses me before lying back down and wrapping her arms around my neck. We don’t say those three words again, maybe soon, but I see them in her eyes, and I hope she feels them from me.

With her legs open for me, I press myself against her. My natural inclination is to thrust fast and deep, but that’s not what she needs. I push in, keeping my eyes locked on hers. The heat from her welcoming body spreads, spanning from our connection.

When her mouth opens, I kiss the corner, inhaling her scent. Her eyes close, and her arms tighten around me. A warm breath covers my neck, and she kisses the underside of my jaw as I move with intention—slow enough to feel every inch being engulfed but fast enough to touch the satisfaction we’re striving for.

Her nails scrape down my back, my skin alive like a live wire.

The words come as easy as breathing when I’m with her.

“Beautiful.”

I kiss her forehead.

“Loving.”

Rising into a pushup, I thrust faster. Her body glistens as it syncs to our own music.

“Graceful.”

Little moans fill the large bed, and the covers are tossed off me. My shoulders are grabbed as my body moves from instinct—hunt, gather, devour—take. Take. Take.

I run my nose along her neck, her chest against mine, her breath in my ear. She says, “Please,” as if it’s all too much. It is. I start to lose myself but want to give. Give. Give.

Her body tenses, her breath sucked in like the rough-edged rocks of the castle—sharp—and then as she crumbles into a million pieces, letting her body sink into the ecstasy, and I fall apart right after.

My soul’s peace is in her arms as she holds me so tight that I wonder if she thinks I’ll disappear. I lift my head from her shoulder. “Hey, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Her hold loosens, and a languid smile graces her lips. When her eyes open, she says, “I don’t want to lose this.”

“If you’re referring to me, you won’t. If you’re referring to my body, well, your parents might not be happy to see me still inside you if we head to dinner like this.”

She bursts out laughing, her arms falling wide open on the mattress. “Fine. I won’t cling to you like a spider monkey.”

“Strictly for the sake of the other guests. For me, spider monkey away.”

“So what you’re saying is when I’m in New York, I can cling to your back, and you’ll carry me around?”

“Yep.”

Squealing in delight, she hugs me again. “Can’t wait.”

The two of us, alone, out from under the pressure she feels here. “I can’t wait either.” I kiss the tip of her nose and then get out of bed. “Dinner is soon. I’m going to use your bathroom and then head back to mine to shower.”

Propped up on her hand, she says, “You could stay. We could blow off dinner and make love all night.”

“Yeah, that’d go over well. I’d be thrown in that dungeon of yours before the night was over.”

Laughing, she says, “I’d take care of you even down there. You know, bread, water, blow jobs. The necessities.”

I look back, impressed by my girl’s rebellious side. Before I disappear into the bathroom, I tell her, “Never change, okay?”

Flopping back, she laughs. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’m serious.” Her smile lightens, and she takes another look at me. I say, “When you become queen, promise me you’ll always stay who you are. Don’t change for anyone.”

“What about you?”

“Not even me. I adore you exactly how you are.”

“Why are you such a charmer?” Crossing her legs, her foot bounces in the air as she tucks her hands behind her head.

I cross the threshold and flip on the bathroom light. “Just telling you the truth.”

“I like your truth, hot stuff.”

“Good because I like you.”

I’m closing the door when she says, “The mustard told me otherwise.”

Stopping where I stand, I smile. I’d always wondered what she thought about that sandwich. “What can I say? It was made with love.”

After taking a piss, I wash my hands and then splash water on my face. I’ve been fighting jet lag for days, but once I saw her again, there was no way I was going to miss a chance to spend time with her.

The tie that binds us is stronger than ever. Knowing Ally’s going home with me is more than I could have hoped for. As for the media deal, I need to talk to Bennett because I might need to recuse myself. I want the deal to go through for him and Ethan. I need to talk to Ally about it, too, to hear what she thinks.

After I finish in the bathroom, I come out and give her a few kisses while getting dressed. Sitting down next to her, I kiss her, and then say, “I’ll see you downstairs, beautiful.”

“I’ll be the one in the green dress.”

Sending her a wink, I run my hand over her cheek as I get up. “Looking forward to seeing the dress . . . on the floor of this bedroom later.”

“You’re so bad—”

“Don’t forget hot.” I stand and head for the door.

“And humble. Don’t forget humble.”

I chuckle. “Can’t forget that.” With my hand on the knob, I add, “And by the way, you’re more amazing than I remember, and I have incredible fucking memories of you.”

This time, she doesn’t smile from my jokes or any of my arrogant antics. Her smile is genuine and drop-dead gorgeous. It’s Ally, not the cool-as-ice princess. “Everything about you is unforgettable.”

“You got some lines there, Princess.” When I open the door, I peek out.

“Hey, Hut?” Looking back, she says, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Reminding me how to smile.”

She melts my heart when I see said smile, wishing I could stay longer. “My pleasure.”

“Stick to the outside edges of the walkway, and the camera won’t catch you. And staff doesn’t come up here unless something is requested or taken care of when we’re not here.”

“Beyond me having major issues with the lack of security around you, I’m going to try to push that aside since it gives me easy access while I’m here.”

Giggling, she replies, “Probably best. I’ll see you later, sexy.”

I give her a wink and slip out of the room, sticking to the edges. The coast is clear, so I hurry out and down the long hall. Once I’m on the stairs, I feel home free.

I’m used to wearing suits in New York. I wear them to work every day. But here in Brudenbourg, I’ve stepped up my suit game—fine fabrics and impeccable tailoring.

Ally usually can’t keep her hands off me, but I have a feeling the restraint she’s shown in public while here is going to crumble before dessert is served. At least that’s what I’m counting on.

With our physical bond stronger than ever, I’m glad we’ll have New York to get to know each other without an audience. We’ve never had the option. Margie was in Texas, and here, she’s surrounded all the time. The problems of a future queen have become my problems when I just want to date her. Love her.

I meet Bennett in the corridor. “How does it work dating a future queen?”

“Hello to you too. And I was just wondering the same thing.”

“You were banging her in Austin, and you’re trying, if you haven’t succeeded yet, to bang her in her own palace, but dating seems to be off the table?”

“Stop calling it banging. We’re not seventeen.” We continue to the stairs to take them to the first floor. “And get the fuck out of my head. I have enough to worry about without you reiterating my every thought on the situation.”

“Is that what she is? A situation?” We start down the large staircase. “And damn, dude. If you’re banging in a fucking palace, it’s only downhill from here.”

“You’re such an ass sometimes, Ben.”

He shrugs. “I don’t hide my likes, and I like women a lot. I like having sex with them even more. No apologies.”

“You haven’t met the right one yet. If you had, you’d be content just being in their mere presence.”

“Mere presence? Okay, Shakespeare. Whatever. And let’s talk about that ‘right one’ you just threw out there like you have met her. Is Ally your right one?”

My brothers and I don’t hide stuff from each other, not professionally or in our personal lives, but feeling like I’m constantly under scrutiny here, there’s a sense of protectiveness that comes over me. It’s wrong when I’m with my family. I can tell him anything, and he’d have my back no matter what.

I stop before we reach the bottom step. “I never got over her.”

The jokes and smiles cease. He walks down and looks back up at me. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

I nod, my throat tightening from the confession, my chest feeling exposed. “Well, let’s get you the girl then.”

“It’s complicated.”

“It always is.”

“I’m referring to her being next in line to the crown.”

Now he nods. Crossing his arms over his chest, he says, “It does make things more complicated but not impossible. I see how she looks at you. The duke doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I don’t have land to offer her.”

“Buy some.”

He makes it sound so simple. Thinking about it a little deeper, maybe it is that simple. “I can buy land. What about a title?”

“Everest is a pretty damn good start, but who needs a title when you’ll be the crowned prince if you marry her?”

“Marry her?” I repeat, letting the words roll around in my conscience. “I could marry her.”

“Do you think you both are ready for that?”

“By how much time I spent thinking about her when she was gone, yes.” Marriage. I’m thirty-one years old, and before now, I hadn’t really given marriage a huge amount of thought. Sure it crossed my mind when my mom asked me. That was easy enough to blow off, though, since I wasn’t dating anyone seriously.

Now really isn’t the time to do that thinking, but it does need careful consideration. I don’t know the rules or laws in her country. What if I legally cannot marry Ally? What would it mean for my job if I can? My . . . my life? The life I’m building back in the US.

Later, Everest. Think about this later. “I’ll get a better feel for where her head is at in New York.”

“I got the news earlier. How much work and how much play are we talking here?”

“Ten-ninety split?”

He laughs. “I had a feeling.” Stopping once more before we join the others in the library, he says, “Ethan wants to see you happy as much as I do, but this isn’t the same woman you met in Austin. She’s in a whole other league with problems of her own that come along with her position. Be careful, brother.”

“I will.” I’m about to walk in but take a detour. “I’ll be right back.”

Heading into the dining hall, I want to make sure tonight goes as planned. I learned my lesson the hard way last time. I swap my place card with Bennett’s, which now puts him next to Marielle. Figure he’ll owe me one for that score. And I make one other change before I leave.

Margie’s place card is currently directly across from Ally, so I move her next to Yamagata and Ally’s father at the other end of the table, keeping Duke Dick centered for two reasons—not to be too obvious with the changes and to keep my eye on him. He’s friendly to me because he doesn’t realize who I am to Ally. Once he does, his ego is swollen enough for me to know that he’ll be trouble.