The rest of the day doesn’t go exactly as William had planned, but I’m sure neither of us would complain. Instead of going out and seeing the sights of the capital city, William and I stay in bed and have lunch served in our room. I have no idea how it happened, but we can’t seem to get enough of each other.

My bag finally arrives late in the afternoon. Still nestled in William’s arms, I watch as the valet sets the suitcase inside the closet, never even turning to look at us.

As soon as he’s gone, William pulls me even tighter to him, whispering in my ear. “We have time for another go before dinner.”

I laugh—I can’t remember the last time I was like this, giggling like a young girl. But I’m also the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Everything that happened only yesterday seems a distant memory, and I can somehow now imagine myself in William’s arms for the rest of my life.

How did this happen?

He slides his hand the length of my side, grabbing my ass and pulling it into him.

I catch him by the arm, still laughing. “We really should get ready for dinner.”

He pecks a kiss on my forehead. “I suppose you’re right.” He slides his hand down to the back of my thigh, pulling it over his. “We’ll have to do this in the shower.”

I slap playfully at his shoulder. “As much as I’d like that, I’m not sure we’ll accomplish much if we shower together.”

“Oh, we’ll accomplish plenty, I assure you.” He grins at me, pecking again at my forehead as his hand caresses the back of my thigh. “I can be very helpful at getting certain things…accomplished.”

“As you’ve shown me many times now.” I kiss him on the cheek before I try to wriggle from his grasp.

He holds me firmly, making me wriggle even more, and I struggle with him until we’re both laughing.

“William…”

He grins. “Justine…”

“This is what I’m talking about. If you’ll give me ten minutes, I’ll be back, and I promise we’ll have another—how did you put it? Go at it?” I nod as his grin widens. “After dinner. Perhaps multiple goes.”

He slides his hands over my bare back. “As delightful as that sounds, I think sharing a shower now sounds even better.”

“But the point is, I need to prepare for dinner. For some reason, I suspect you may not allow me to do that.”

He smiles down at me before pecking another kiss to my lips. “Indeed, I may not. But you would get wet. And there may be soap involved—”

“Ten minutes. And I promise I’ll return to you.”

“To my bed?”

I slap again at his chest. “Not to your bed. To you. So that we might have dinner with our fathers.”

He sighs before giving me another grin. “Right. Though that doesn’t seem nearly as important as other things.”

Perhaps we should just skip dinner—I don’t believe I’ll be able to confront my father about anything. I never have before, and I doubt very much that tonight will be any different. Besides, I’m not sure I want to know what he’s doing here in Montovia.

William seems to read my mind. “We could miss dinner. We could just go and see my mother later—I’m sure she’d love to see us. And of course…” His voice trails off and he doesn’t finish the thought.

“Of course, what?” I look up into his eyes.

He shrugs. “I hadn’t really thought of it until now. But…” He pauses again. “Andrew and Victoria are sure to be at dinner. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable—”

I interrupt him by sliding my hand down his back until I’m grabbing his ass, much as he was just doing to me. I pull him toward me, tightening my leg over his. “Why would I be uncomfortable?”

His grin slowly starts to widen.

“Trust me, William. I found the right brother.” I squeeze his ass for a second before releasing him.

“And this is why I love you.”

It’s like all the air has been sucked from the room. William’s eyes widen to saucers, and his grin falls immediately. He looks at me with his mouth open, almost as though he’s said the worst thing he could have possibly said. His lips begin to move like he wants to say something, but no words come out.

A few more moments pass before he finally speaks. “That…that…”

“I love you, too, William.” I smile up at him. “Was that the big proclamation you wanted to make today?”

He nods, his mouth still hanging open. “Not…not exactly like that, however.”

I give him a small shrug. “I think I’d have preferred it like this over some big show.”

“Really?” He tilts his head, looking down into my eyes. “I’d meant to make it quite romantic, if I ever said it. I’d always imagined taking you to the Elizabetta Gardens, kneeling in front of you…”

“That’s very sweet.” I lift my hand to his cheek. “And you may do that if you wish, but you should know I’ll never need a show. Romantic gestures are lovely, but I much prefer this—what we have at this moment. Something real.”

“I love you, Justine. I do. I don’t know when it happened.” There are so many emotions in his eyes, and I’m not sure what any of them are. But I know everything about what he’s saying is genuine.

“I don’t know when it happened for me, either. And I am sorry. For everything I’ve put you through. For being an unbearable bitch for so long—”

He interrupts, grabbing my hand. “You weren’t. Well, you weren’t the only one.” He turns my wrist over, kissing the inside of it. “We should promise now to never make each other miserable again.”

I laugh. “That’s a ridiculous promise, William. But I will promise to try.”

He grins. “As will I.” He dips his head and kisses me deeply, pulling away after a long moment. “I’m going to try every day, Justine. You make me want to.”

I smile up at him. “You make me want to, too.”