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  Shuffling over to the shower, I turned it on, giving it a minute to get hot. Walking over to the mirror, I surprised myself with how horrible I looked. I forgot to take off my makeup from the day before, and dark circles surrounded my eyes.

  I washed my face before throwing the cap on and getting into the nice warm shower.

  Without risking Gia bursting in on me while I was in the shower, I cleaned up quickly and came out to the bedroom in a robe, my towel still cinched under the soft folds of the silky material.

  “Hair and makeup first,” Gia said, pointing in the direction of a chair set up across the room. In the time spent in the shower, Gia had the servants set up a vanity next to the window. On the surface were various kinds of makeup, along with hair supplies.

  The servants went to work. Hands pulled at my hair and wrapped locks of it around small curlers while others patted my face with creams and then caked on the makeup. The result was stunning.

  Then it was time for the dress. Gia oversaw the entire makeup and hair process but insisted on lacing up the back of the dress for me. Another “tradition” I supposed. But this one, I didn’t mind so much.

  Her nimble fingers moved down my back. I was swept up in the moment, and I lifted my eyes toward the ceiling to keep myself from crying. I wasn’t the sentimental type to think about my mother and my wedding, but the moment had come, and it turned me into a mushy girl.

  Gia inspected me one last time. “You look stunning. Are you ready?”

  I glanced down at my dress. I said a silent thanks to the woman who chose another dress instead of this one. I loved it, and I knew Luke would too.

  “Yes,” I said, taking her hands in mine before lightly squeezing them. If I talked about how much she meant to me, I knew I was going to burst into tears.

  As if Gia understood the words I couldn’t say, she held tight to my hand as we made our way out of the room.

  In the hallway, Matt was there, dressed to the nines in a very dashing tuxedo.

  “Wow,” he said, checking me out.

  “Same to you. Where did you get that?” I remembered his one suitcase from when I picked him up.

  “Your future husband has amazing taste,” Matt said, checking himself out. “I sent him my measurements and poof! Don’t let go of this one.” He winked at me, and I looped my arm with his as the three of us, plus a train of servants silently following us, walked down the hall.

  We arrived at the smaller ballroom sooner than I anticipated. It was a good thing that Matt was by my side. My knees started to shake, and my palms were clammy. I wasn’t nervous to marry Luke; I was nervous to go in front of everyone that we loved and profess that love to Luke. I didn’t care about being in front of people. Hell, I’d given countless interviews in my career, but this was so different. It was like these people were interviewing me, coaxing me to reach deep down into the depths of my soul and become more vulnerable than ever.

  “It’s natural to feel nervous,” Gia said. “But just remember, this room is filled with love for you and my son. This is the safest place you can be.”

  “Thank you,” I said to her.

  Gia smiled and reached up to grab my veil. She pulled it down over my face, and the world turned a hazy shade of white. All but two of the servants dispersed, and Gia walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

  “You ready to get married?” Matt asked me.

  “Yes,” I said, lifting my chin. For a moment, I felt like Gia. Since I was to take her place as queen one day, it seemed fitting.

  A swell of music filtered out from under the doorway and the doors opened. It was a good thing the veil covered the surprised expression on my face. We’d planned for the wedding to be small and intimate, but I didn’t know that there would be more than immediate family at the event. Gia had mentioned some close family and friends that she’d wanted there, and I brushed it off, thinking there would be one or two extra people.

  All in all, there were only about fifty people, but when their gazes turned toward me, there might as well have been two hundred people there.

  Matt gripped my hand harder. “Just look at Luke.”

  As if he heard Matt, Luke turned around. His smile was unmistakable, and it was all I could do not to sprint down the aisle toward him. His gaze dragged over my body, and I could almost feel the searing warmth radiating from him.

  Matt started forward, and I kept the same pace as him. My gaze drifted to the crowd. There were a lot of people I didn’t recognize, but they all seemed to be happy to be there. It was a wedding. Who wouldn’t be happy?

  Abir and Alda sat next to Gia in the front row, and Gia dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. I had to look away, or I was about to use my veil as one too.

  When I reached Luke, he held his hands out to me, and I took them. Matt stood at his place by my side, and the ceremony commenced.

  I’d heard enough stories of women’s weddings where they didn’t remember much about it. Whether it was the number of people invited or the amazing music or food, but there was always a common thread when others spoke of weddings.

  I had no such feeling. Whether it was the feel of Luke’s hands against mine or his brilliant smile. With every blink of my eyes, I took mental pictures of the ceremony and the emotions associated with it. My nerves were gone, and even though we were far from alone, all I could focus on was him and the poetic words given by the officiant, even though I had no clue what he was saying.

  My next step toward queendom was actually learning the native tongue.

  The ceremony was quite long, but with Luke’s strong hands in mine, I didn’t falter once.

  I only knew that it was the end of the ceremony when Luke lifted my veil and we kissed for the first time as husband and wife. It was a chaste kiss, but it sent an electrical pulse through me. Luke’s eyes never left mine, and for a moment, I wished we could leave right away and go somewhere a little more private.

  Luke turned me to face our guests, and they applauded for us. My heart swelled with love for my new family.

  I glanced at Matt, who clapped the loudest. He even let out a quick whoop, much to Gia’s dismay. I couldn’t help but laugh. Everything had turned out perfectly, and now I was married to the most spectacular man while gaining a brother and mother to boot.

  * * *

  Later, at the reception. Luke and I danced the day and night away while he introduced me to everyone who attended the wedding. Now that I was more than Luke’s fake girlfriend, I took note of each person, remembering their names and a little tidbit about them to recall at later events. These were the people I had to impress, even though I was their queen. If Luke was going to change the ways of the kingdom under his rule, there was no reason that I couldn’t shake things up too.

  When Luke introduced me to the council members and their wives, I turned up the charm. These were the men who wanted to break us up, and there was a hint of awkwardness during our introduction. One in particular, Jaabir was his name, was the stiffest man there. I was sure to chat him up when I could. I had a feeling I would hear more about him throughout our lives. Or at least, until the end of his time on the council.

  At some point, Gia pulled us aside. Her cheeks were flushed from dancing and smiling. I’d seen her grace several of our guests with dances, while I only danced with Luke, Abir, and Matt—the three most important men in my life.

  “I’m so happy for the two of you,” she said to us.

  “You have no idea how that makes me feel, Mother,” Luke said.

  “Your introduction to our country as king and queen marks the most important and special day of my life.” She teared up, and I had trouble not doing the same.

  “I will try to do your family justice,” I said to her.

  “And you will succeed,” she said, taking me into her arms for a tight embrace.

  21

  Luke

  I never wanted my wedding day to end. Even though it was an intimate affair with under a hundred gues
ts, the party went much longer than most banquets that I’d attended. Sophia and I stumbled into my bedroom in the wee hours of the morning.

  Even though I celebrated, neither of us drank heavily. I supposed we were almost drunk from the music and dancing, so when we arrived in a quiet and sacred space, the both of us passed out from exhaustion.

  The one thing I remembered as my eyes closed was the way she looked slipping out of her wedding dress. God, I was a lucky-ass man.

  * * *

  When my eyes finally peeled open, Sophia was already up and facing me. She had a big smile on her face, and her left hand propped on the pillow between us. The sparkling engagement ring glittered in the morning light that streamed through the windows. The night before, I’d barely gotten out of my clothes, so there was no chance I had been able to reach the blackout curtains before falling onto the bed.

  “Good morning,” Sophia said. I loved that her voice was a little hoarse. It made my cock twitch. I was already semi-hard from waking up, and I needed to consummate our marriage as soon as she wanted. I felt a little bad that we didn’t do it last night, but it wouldn’t have been much fun with the both of us so tired after the events of the day.

  “Morning,” I said, raking my hand through her hair.

  She turned over and stretched her arm over her head. “Ow.”

  “I told Abir to be careful,” I said, bringing her arm down to mine. I kissed her hand before placing it between us again. I enjoyed seeing the diamond on her finger. It meant she was mine. Forever.

  “He does like his spins,” she said, wincing.

  “It was a good day, wasn’t it?” I asked her.

  “The best,” she said. “I’m glad I remember it. It was my goal for the day. Other than to marry the kindest and most handsomest man in the world.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I said. “I remember when my father told me of his wedding. He and Mother had to ask each other to remind them of certain parts.”

  “They did have like a million people there,” she said.

  “Are you okay with how we did it?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Of course. Are you?”

  “It was more our style,” I said. “At the time, my parents conformed to what their parents wanted to get out of the ceremony. Luckily, Mother has had a change of heart when it comes to us.”

  “I’m not sure we’d be married right now if she didn’t,” Sophia said.

  “There’s nothing that would have stopped me from marrying you. You might not have been a queen, but you were always meant to be my wife.”

  “Gosh, Luke, I think you’re getting soft on me,” she said, giggling.

  “I might be,” I said, sitting up. “How about I get some breakfast for us. Coffee is in order before I start spouting poetry to you.”

  That made her laugh harder. I rolled over to her, trapped her in my arms, and kissed her until I started to get erect again. At that pace, I would never leave the room. But I had a plan for Sophia and me and that involved nutrients.

  I jumped off the bed and strode across the room. I was in my boxer briefs and the white T-shirt I’d had on under my tux. So when I opened the door to the hallway, I wasn’t too embarrassed to see a servant nearby.

  I asked him for breakfast in the room, and he nodded his head and skittered off toward the kitchen.

  Turning back toward the bed, Sophia was gone. The sound of running water from the bathroom brought her to my attention.

  Joining her, the two of us brushed our teeth together. It was nice to get the stale taste of food and champagne out of my mouth. I watched Sophia through the mirror as she watched me. Energy crackled between us, and I could have dragged her into the shower to expend that energy. Knowing we were to be joined by several servants as they brought breakfast in the room for us made me kill the urge. For now.

  Even though it was the simplest of acts, the idea that I would brush my teeth at least once a day with this woman filled me with the most joy I’d ever felt. I wondered if only the birth of our children would rival that feeling.

  I finished before her and held her against me while she finished. With a shimmy of her ass against my crotch, I glanced at her. She leaned back against me, lifting her perky breasts higher. Slowly guiding my hand along her middle, I caressed the outside of her breasts.

  That was when I heard the door open from the other room. My hand froze before I removed it from her completely. Walking into the other room, several servants carried a small table into the room.

  “That won’t be necessary,” I said. “Just the trays. Sophia and I prefer to eat in bed today.”

  They nodded at me and carried the table out of the room while two other servants brought the trays in.

  “Over there,” I said, pointing to the side tables. Even though I didn’t prepare or arrange the food, I wanted to be the one to serve it to Sophia. To show her a shred of my appreciation for sticking with me as much as she had over the last few months.

  The servants closed the door just as Sophia walked out from the bathroom. “I don’t think I’ll get used to being waited on.”

  “You will,” I said. “Come back into bed. This is the start of our honeymoon, and I want to do this right.”

  She hopped into bed and brought the covers over her lap before smoothing out the wrinkles. I placed the tray on her lap, and the legs kept it straight so none of the food would spill.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had breakfast in bed at the palace. It was probably when I was younger and sick. The vision reminded me of Father and his last days when he couldn’t get out of bed.

  I said a silent prayer for him, hoping he was finally at peace and in a place with no pain.

  “Did you plan a honeymoon without me too?” she asked.

  “No.” I hadn’t thought about much past the wedding. Getting there was hard enough. It was a miracle that I survived to tell the tale while holding on to my title. “Would you like to go anywhere in particular?”

  “Anywhere where you are,” she said with a smile.

  Plopping the tray on my lap, I pointed to her plate. “You better start eating, or you’re going to get all mushy like me.”

  I rattled off a few places for our honeymoon. I knew we wouldn’t be able to go until sometime next week. I wanted to settle things with the council first and get everything in a row before we left. This wasn’t going to be a three-day hike to England. I wanted to show Sophia the world, possibly two to three weeks before returning to the palace.

  “I think you should set it up,” she said. “Planning a wedding in three days wore me out on planning for a little while. Besides, you know more places than I do. I trust you.”

  “Okay, then,” I said, plotting the itinerary in my head. It was one reason I loved having a private plane at my disposal. We could get to where we wanted on our schedule.

  We ate in silence for a few moments. Memories of the night before came in flashes in my mind.

  “Do you ever think of having kids?” Sophia asked.

  “Where did that come from?”

  She shrugged. “All of this mess was because you weren’t blood-related to Erol. Since you’re changing a lot of things, I didn’t know if you changed your mind about that either.”

  Recalling the last time she asked me this question, we were at the amusement park in Dallas. The question had caught me off guard, but that was before we were engaged and before the council made it perfectly clear that someone like me wasn’t wanted on the throne.

  “As I said before, I never thought I’d find someone to have children with,” I said. “To be honest, if Father died before I knew you, I don’t know if I would have married straight away. I supposed I would eventually, but thoughts of children weren’t in the picture until now.”

  “Until now?” she asked, her eyes widening.

  I finished my tea and turned to her, holding the tray steady. “I’d like to have kids, but we can wait. There’s no rush.”

  “Yo
ur mother said—”

  I pressed my finger to her lips. Mother had no right to be in this bedroom right now. This was about Sophia and me.

  “Whatever happens in this bedroom is between the two of us. I don’t want to have a child today, but someday. I’d rather practice with you instead.”

  Moving my finger down her lips and to her chin, I lifted it and pressed a kiss to her lips. Pushing into her mouth with my tongue, I tasted the sweet fruit from her breakfast.

  “I think I’d like to do that too,” she said, breathing heavily.

  “Good,” I said, nipping at her bottom lip. There was no hiding my arousal then. The tray shifted, and I grabbed onto it before I ruined the moment between us.

  Hastily removing the trays from our laps, I replaced hers with my body, showing her how ready I was for her.

  “You want to practice now?” she asked.

  “More than anything,” I said, kissing her again.

  22

  Sophia

  Every single point where our bodies touched lit me up inside until searing heat scorched every fiber of my being. Touching Luke’s face, feeling the stubble of his chin under my fingertips, added licks of heat to burn through me. I fell into the pools of his eyes, my love for him wanting to burst out of me. My panties were soaked through as his hand moved up the side of my body. His fingers brushed over the side of my breast. After getting out of my dress last night, I changed into a ratty old T-shirt. The fabric was thin and worn, which didn’t offer any protection from his touches. Not that I wanted any.

  His fingers lightly touched my neck. He put some pressure on my jaw, and I moved my head to the side. I loved when Luke kissed the sensitive part of my neck. It was one of his favorite moves. At least, from what I could tell.

  His soft lips touched my skin. With each movement of my body, he left a wake of warm invisible kisses along the way. He trapped my earlobe between his lips and tugged.