CHAPTER 6
Diana
“What are you doing here, father,” Nic questioned his parent as he strode inside.
I followed him at a distance, wondering if I should make myself scarce.
Nic answered that silent question as he held out his hand to me, and I went to stand beside him, ready to defend him if necessary.
I took a moment to assess the king, noticing the grim expression on his face. He was tall and broad, so it was easy to see where Nic got his stature. The graying hair and closely trimmed silver beard did nothing to diminish the royal’s demeanor of power and strength.
The king finally answered, “You have not made your choice. We celebrate the anniversary of Rubare Virgina tomorrow, and you’ll be expected to make your announcement after the parade.”
“I still have some time,” Nic answered firmly. “I told you I’d make my choice when I had to make it. Isn’t that enough?”
“No, it’s not enough,” his father bellowed. “It will be enough when you announce your choice.”
“Damn it!” Nic shouted angrily. “I’ve given everything for this country. I’ve always done my duty. But I will not be forced to make an announcement before I have to.”
Father and son faced each other, both of them equally furious. I held my breath as I watched the two wage a silent war, their eyes clashing in a storm of stubbornness, both of them wanting their own way.
“Your Majesty?” I said, stepping forward to bow my head. “Your son hasn’t made a choice because he’s been kind enough to show me your country. Or as much of it as I was able to see on my visit. I take the responsibility.”
I’d rather be blamed than to have father and son at odds with each other.
The king pinned me with a set of eyes so much like Nic’s that it was staggering. “And are you planning on marrying my son?”
Nic squeezed my hand, and I knew he was asking me not to dismiss the idea from his father’s mind. Really, I didn’t think it was any of his father’s business. I understood the royal culture here, but that didn’t mean I thought it was right. Nic deserved to make his own decision in his own time, even if it was going to be last-minute. “I can’t say he’s asked me yet, Your Majesty. That would be a matter between your son and I,” I told him firmly.
“This is my country and Niccolino is my son. It is my business,” his father rumbled.
“But I’m an American, sir. I’m not one of your subjects.”
“If you marry my son, you will be,” the king proclaimed.
Fat chance of that happening.
“But as of now, I am not,” I said, hoping Nic’s sire would drop the subject.
King Heinrich frowned at me. “So I suppose you’re not going to tell me what your answer would be if Niccolino asks you to marry him?”
I smiled at the king. “No. I will not. I think Nic would have the right to know my answer first.”
“I don’t like Americans,” the ruler stated. “They don’t understand our ways and our traditions.”
I nodded. “I have to admit that we’re stubborn in that way. And I respect your culture, but I would be going against my own beliefs if I gave you an answer simply out of fear.”
I could tell Nic’s father wasn’t happy, but I stood my ground.
“You make things difficult for my son,” King Heinrich answered irritably. “He knows his duty, and he’s still stalling.”
“That’s not my intention, sir,” I protested. “Nic and I have been getting to know one another.”
“Knowing each other before marriage is unnecessary. You’ll have years to learn each other’s habits and thoughts,” the king said impatiently.
“Leave, father. Drop it now before I lose my temper,” Nic warned.
King Heinrich threw his hands up in the air. “Temper? Your temper? Where did that come from anyway? There was a time that you obeyed me without question.”
“Those days are over. I’m not a child anymore,” Nic retorted.
I watched as the king’s eyes betrayed a collection of emotions, flashing from confusion to pain before his gaze became stone-cold again as he replied, “You’re still my son, a prince of Rubare Virgina. You’re still my subject.”
Nic bowed his head. “Agreed. You’re still my father and my king. But right now I’d like to get on with wooing the woman of my choice if you don’t mind.”
My heart skipped a beat as I turned my head to look at Nic. I knew he wanted to get his father off his back, but he looked downright serious.
“If that’s what you’re doing, then I’ll gladly leave,” the king answered. He turned his back and walked toward the main entrance, his entourage falling into step behind him as they left Nic’s castle.
“Oh, God. I understand why you don’t like to argue with him. He’s much scarier than my mother,” I told Nic after his father had taken his leave.
“He’s a good king,” Nic admitted. “But as a father, he can be a bully.”
“You love him,” I told him.
He nodded. “I do. And I don’t like to fight with him, but I will when it’s important to me. The subject of who I’m going to spend the rest of my life with is one subject I can’t blindly obey him on.”
I sighed, then pulled my hand from his to pace the great room. We’d followed the entourage as far as the big hall when his father had left, so I had more space to move. “We’re screwed, Nic. Now he’s going to be expecting your announcement.”
“He’ll be expecting my engagement,” he admitted with a grin.
“This isn’t funny,” I admonished. “I can never marry you, and you’re running out of time. But I’m leaving the day after tomorrow, early in the morning. You could make your choice tomorrow.”
Nic stepped in front of me, causing me to slam into his powerful body while I was still in motion. His powerful arms encircled my waist, and I was forced to grab his shoulders for balance.
“I’ve made my choice, Diana,” he said in husky tone. “I just need to convince her that she wants to marry me.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck as I looked into his eyes. “Oh, Nic. This is a mess.”
“It’s far from being a mess,” he contradicted. “For me, these last several days have been a celebration of something I never thought I’d find. I want you to marry me, Diana. I can’t even imagine asking anyone else.”
My heart galloped as I looked at his serious expression. “Me?”
He nodded once, his eyes never leaving mine. “We fit, Diana. You know we do. I think we have from the moment we met.”
The problem was, we did fit. I’d felt everything click into place soon after we’d met. The complex emotions I felt for Nic were confusing. After I’d lost my virginity to a man who made my entire body melt, I hadn’t expected to find that same feeling and more so quickly.
Nic was the entire package, everything I’d ever dreamed of finding, and I couldn’t possibly marry him.
“I can’t marry you, Nic. I’m sorry. I do care, but I’m not the woman you think I am,” I said in a voice cracking with emotion. It was killing me to deny the feelings I had for him.
“Yes, you are, Diana,” he insisted. “You’re exactly what I want. I think you want me, too.”
Nic could see me, and he knew damn well that I wanted him. “I do want you, Nic, but this is crazy. I can’t be your princess.”
I’m not a virgin anymore, and there’s no way to change that.
My breath caught as Nic bent his head and took my mouth with a ferocity I’d never experienced before. His tongue demanded entrance, and I couldn’t deny the passion that was soaring between us. My body was craving his touch, and I had to have more than just his kiss. I needed him.
I kissed him back with all of the desperation that I was experiencing, knowing he could never permanently be mine.
It nearly destroyed me to pull away from him, but as soon as he released my mouth, I did it. “I’d like to go back to the hotel, please. I need to get packed.”
Nic was silent for several heartbeats before he answered tersely, “Very well. I can’t force you to care about me as much as I care about you.”
Tears streamed down my face as I kept my back to him while I walked to the front entrance of his home. My heart was aching so desperately that the pain echoed everywhere in my body.
I did want him. I would accept his proposal of marriage so fast his head would spin if I had only kept my virginity.
I slid into the vehicle, moving over as I realized Nic was riding along.
I turned my head toward the window and quickly wiped at my tears. I was going to have to be strong for Nic’s sake.
I was the wrong woman, a bride who could get him killed if anybody found out I’d slept with Alex. Honestly, I had no idea if my first and only lover was from Rubare Virgina. His native country had never come up, and I just assumed he lived here. He could out me if I ever tried to marry into the royal family, and humiliating a man I’d fallen in love with was the last thing I wanted.
I wanted Nic to be happy and safe.
Another droplet hit my cheek as the landscape flew by the window on the way back to the city, and I couldn’t help but wonder how a simple plan had become so damn painful and complicated.