My head spun. I wasn’t sure if it was from the sex, the realization Dominic was a father, or because he was taking us so seriously.

He was on the phone with Johannes Montclair. They had been talking for at least twenty minutes. I didn’t like the arrangement they had. Montclair was from one of Galona’s oldest families, as old as the Sauvages even. He was an earl, but ran a number of underground operations I didn’t approve of. Although, I didn’t like it when anyone in the royal household crossed the lines of the law. It made me nervous. It usually meant there was a mess for me to clean up.

It would be a complete nightmare if anyone discovered Dominic was searching for Sophia. I watched him pace around the rooms, asking questions brusquely.

But there was someone out there who knew about Sophia and the baby. Someone who had written to Dominic. I wondered if he was focused on the right thing. He was too close to the situation to see there were other obstacles at play.

As far as we knew, Sophia had no idea he knew about the baby. That could be an advantage. Dominic didn’t want me to sort through every single angle, but it was the only thing I knew to do. When there was a royal crisis, I was the one who dealt with the fall out. I knew how to craft perfectly worded press releases. I knew how to spin a story. I knew how to deflect the public’s interests. I could shift the focus to something completely abstract. And it was seamless. It always worked. I had always pulled off the impossible. If he ever needed me to tap into that side of my talent, it was now.

He hung up and walked back to the couch where I sat.

“Johannes had a few more details,” he announced.

“Oh? What did he say?” I had to stay calm. Grilling him right now wouldn’t make the information come faster.

“Sophia moved to France after she left Freychon. She saw a doctor there for a few months before she moved to the States. It seems there were issues with the pregnancy.”

I sat closer to the edge of the cushion.

“But she’s ok?” I asked.

“He dug through the medical records and she seems to be fine now.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I just can’t believe she would have done it all on her own. He said it was serious for a while. She could have died. She could have lost the baby. Did she hate me that much to keep it from me?”

I saw the pain in his eyes.

“She wasn’t thinking, Nic. She probably went into survival mode.” I couldn’t believe I was trying to make excuses for Sophia. I had never liked her. I liked her less now.

“But I had resources. I could have made sure she had the best doctors in the world.” His eyes darted back and forth. “She’d rather die than have my help.” He pressed his palms into his knees. “And it could have cost me my daughter.”

“But it didn’t.” I took his hands in mine. “She’s alive and healthy. And you know now. You still have the opportunity to be her father.”

His frown turned to a forlorn smile. “I do. I can still be a father.”

“Yes. You can bring her back here,” I encouraged.

The baby should be here under the royal crest. She needed protection. She needed to learn about the crown. She should be with her family, growing up inside the palace walls. And knowing there was another prince or princess on the way it seemed even more imperative the cousins grow up together.

Sophia had never understood the royals. She was from a prominent Freychon family. Somewhere in the family tree there was a duke or duchess, but she always swore her family had outgrown the use for titles.

Thank God Dominic had never required me to work with her. It was enough work to explain to him how important it was that Sophia be convinced to conform when she was around the family. They had been an unlikely pair from the beginning.

“You think that’s what I should fight for? To raise my daughter?”

I nodded. “I do.”

“You always know how to bring me back, don’t you?” he whispered.

“Maybe.” I grinned. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

I could feel the beast in him taming.

“Years,” he teased.

“And years.”

His thumb brushed over my bottom lip. I liked how familiar he was with my body, as if it had always belonged to him. It didn’t feel like tonight was our first night together. It felt like this was what we always should have been.

“I think I promised you a long hot shower,” he growled.

“Oh, it’s going to be long? You didn’t mention that part.” I giggled.

“So long,” he promised.

I gasped when he lifted me from the couch and carried me to the master shower. He stepped inside, turning the water to the hottest setting and placed my feet on the marble floor.

“You need to take those off.” He eyed my clothes.

My cheeks flashed with heat and the words made my core ache. I wanted him all over again.

I pulled the shirt over my head.

“In the morning you realize Cinderella turns back into the cinder maid,” I whispered.

He cupped my breasts.

“No. She won’t.”

His lips crashed into mine and I fell into his body.