Chapter 8: Erik
I was spent.
The ocean breeze filtered through the curtains, washing over my sweaty skin as I lay there, playing with Carrie’s hair and listening to the rapid-fire beat of my heart. At first, I thought that the sex couldn’t get any better than the first time, then the whole door mounting a few days ago.
But I was wrong.
She stirred, and I sighed inwardly, knowing that we couldn’t lay here forever, even if I owned the small strip of beach and now this cabana. There had been a time when I was younger when I wanted to build a shack on this very spot and live out my days fishing until my father gently told me that I couldn’t do so.
Not because I was the heir apparent, mind you, but because I wanted to take the palace chef, so I wouldn’t have to go without their sweets after dinner.
“Can’t we just stay here?” Carrie asked softly, her voice shattering the silence. “I mean, I would have to eat and all, but this is nice.”
I chuckled and hugged her close. “I can arrange the food, but eventually someone will come looking for us.”
She sighed and lifted her head, resting her chin on my chest, her eyes boring into mine. “Are you truly being crowned next week?”
“Yes,” I said, brushing the hair off her forehead. “I am.”
“I can’t believe it,” she answered, her fingers drawing circles around my flat nipple. “That you are going to be king. Kings can’t have girlfriends, can they?”
I opened my mouth to retort, but then closed it, not sure how to answer her question. I didn’t know where her frame of mind was going, nor did I want to casually throw something out there that would scare her off. There were a lot of feelings rushing through my body, through my mind, and I wanted to sort them out before I made any decisions regarding my future. Or hers. “He can have a mistress,” I said lightly, a tease in my voice.
She rolled her eyes, some of the worry and concern still lingering in their depths. “Next you will be asking for a harem or something.”
“I believe that one of my ancestors had one,” I mused, pretending to think about it. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Oh, you are horrid,” she laughed, pushing off me and sitting up. I reluctantly did the same and climbed off the bed, our time alone done for now. Gathering up my clothing and her dress, I threw them on the bed, grabbing her elbow as she reached for her dress and pressing her against my body. “Don’t ever think I can replace you,” I said softly, wishing I was some kind of fucking poet so I could tell her what I was feeling.
“Erik,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist tightly. “I just, there’s so much uncertainty.”
“I know babe,” I said, stroking her back with my fingers. Our relationship was about to take a drastic turn for the crazy, and if I weren't careful, I would lose her before I ever really had a chance.
***
I held onto her as we exited the car that had come to pick us up from paradise, guiding her back to her room, her heels in her hands. “I had a wonderful time,” she was saying as we approached her suite. “Thank you, Erik.”
I looked down at her and shook my head. “I don’t want this night to end.”
Carrie glanced at her closed door before looking back up at me. “Well I would invite you in, but you’re not king yet, and I am still certain your father could have me killed with a snap of his fingers.”
I chuckled. My father would never have anyone killed, especially not her. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” she asked as I pulled her through the doors and into my own set of suites. “Is this your suite?”
I watched as she took in the elaborate surroundings, dotted with personal effects from my military days and soccer matches in the past. “You’re the first woman to see it.”
“You’re kidding,” she said, arching a brow. “Surely you’ve used this room to impress a woman before.”
I shook my head, pulling her against me. “I haven’t, but if it’s working with you, I might use it in the future.”
Carrie grinned and hit my shoulder playfully. “What are we going to do in here?”
“I can think of a thing or two,” I said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before releasing her. “But I do remember food being on the list.”
“Pizza,” she sighed happily, walking through the living room and into my bedroom. I watched her go, thinking how deliriously happy she made me whenever she was around. Carrie was my balm, my ground when I needed it the most.
“Oh my god! You have the biggest bed ever!”
I laughed and picked up the phone, ordering a pizza and some drinks before throwing in some ice cream for good measure. I hadn’t lied to her. She was the first woman to come into my personal domain, and I didn’t feel weird about it.
It felt, well, like coming home.