Unwind My Resolve: Regal Rights Book #3 Read online

  He laid down next to me, and our heavy breathing mingled together as I drew him close for another kiss. Our bodies were hot and sticky, but I didn’t want him ever to leave my side again.

  We didn’t move for a while, but Luke’s fingers twined with mine as we gazed at each other. I never thought I would see him again, never mind hear him tell me he loved me. Was this true love? The kind that overcame everything? Was it even possible to overcome the fact that he was a king and the only way I could be with him was to become a queen?

  In the time that we had been apart from each other, I considered that idea a lot. More than I had when we were together. I would do anything to be with Luke, but I had no idea how to run a country, especially not a foreign one. Maybe having Luke by my side and his trust that I could do it would be enough.

  If only he asked me.

  It was mostly my fault that I didn’t get all the information from him before I launched myself on top of him, but did I want to have that conversation yet?

  Sliding my hand over his slick chest, I pulled him closer to me. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, burning his scent into my mind. I wanted him in my life so badly it hurt. From the look of things, maybe my dreams were going to come true.

  9

  Luke

  As I drifted out of deep sleep, I glanced over at Sophia lying next to me. Memories of the previous day flooded my consciousness, and I knew this wasn’t a trick.

  I blinked a few times anyway, just in case, but the sight of the unfamiliar bed and the naked woman sleeping next to me was proof enough.

  She inhaled deeply, and for a moment, I thought she was awake. Instead, she rolled over and faced the other way. I tightened my grip around her body, spooning her. I had missed waking up with her next to me. Granted, I had only done it a few times, but I missed it just the same.

  She was on the edge of sleeping and being awake, and I didn’t want to disturb her. We were going to have a lot to deal with soon, so keeping us in a little bubble was key, at least until it inevitably burst and we had to deal with real life.

  Sophia had been with me for every moment since I had arrived at her apartment, so I took the opportunity to explore while she slept in.

  I grabbed my boxer briefs where I’d thrown them the day before and walked out into the main area of the apartment. Closing the door as quietly as I could, I stood in the middle of the living room to put my underwear on.

  Glancing at the digital display of the cable box, it was already close to noon. I guessed I was more affected by jet lag than I thought.

  Or possibly, it had been the incredible and overdue sex we’d had. The memory of Sophia’s face as she came for me caused a wave of pleasure to ripple over my skin. I wanted to wake her up and do it again and again.

  I sucked in a breath, calming myself down. There would be time for that. We had a week before we both had to answer some hard questions.

  Going into the kitchen, I peeked through the cabinets for any signs of coffee. There was an older model drip coffee machine and a container of coffee grounds in the cabinet above it. I wrinkled my nose. Being able to afford the best of the best in life changed my view on a lot of things. Coffee was one of them.

  I glanced at my suitcase which I’d left by the door. I could go out to get some coffee, but I didn’t want her to wake up without me there. After starting the machine, I went to the refrigerator to grab some milk. Inside, I saw numerous takeout boxes and little else.

  I frowned. I knew Sophia suffered through our breakup as much as I did, but she wasn’t doing herself any favors by eating that crap.

  I grabbed a few questionable looking meals and tossed them in the trash. I wasn’t the best cook in the world, but I could find my way around a kitchen. I had for years when I lived in England. I imagined staying in with Sophia all day, cooking together for lunch and dinner. It was what most couples did, and I wanted nothing more than to be normal, at least for a little while.

  While Sophia and I got to know each other again, I wanted to be a part of her world before we took that leap and went back to Qatar. My time here was limited, but I hoped that she’d come back with me. I wouldn’t force her, but putting all my cards on the table was what I came to the United States to do.

  When the coffee finished brewing, I fished two large mugs from the cabinet and poured the steaming liquid into the cups.

  Heading back into the bedroom, I was anxious for Sophia to wake up. I wanted to see her smile again and have her fill me in on the rest of her time that I had missed when we were apart.

  Sophia’s eyes cracked open when I entered the room, and she sat up.

  “Don’t get up,” I said and handed her the mug of coffee.

  “Room service,” she said, grinning. “I could get used to this.”

  I kissed her cheek, and she leaned her head against my lips. She moaned contentedly as I turned her face toward me and kissed her lips.

  “As much as I love this, I love my unburned skin too,” she said.

  I pulled back and noticed the coffee in her mug was dangerously close to spilling on her.

  “Shit,” I said and slowly lowered myself onto the bed.

  She laughed. “A little eager this morning? I thought you’d be tired from last night.”

  “I have a month to make up for,” I said, sipping my coffee. I tried not to pull a face at the gritty taste. Sophia didn’t seem to mind.

  “Yes, we do,” she said.

  “You know, I never stopped loving you,” I blurted.

  She cleared her throat. “But you said—”

  “I know what I said, and I didn’t mean a word of it. I was stupid. I wanted you to know that this isn’t just some fling for me. This is for the long haul.”

  “It is?”

  “I wouldn’t have traveled across the world for a booty call,” I said, smirking.

  “No one has ever called me a booty call,” she said. “I like it.”

  I nipped at her lower lip. “As long as I’m the only one calling you that.”

  “Well, duh,” she said, grinning.

  She fluffed her pillow behind her and crossed her legs. She only wore lace panties and a small tank top. She was more beautiful than ever. She must have changed at some point. I practically passed out the moment we finished fucking.

  “It’s not possible for me to love anyone as much as I love you,” I said.

  “I love you too. You have no idea how much I wanted to hear you say that again.” Her cheeks flushed. “Why do we keep doing this to each other?”

  I took her hand in mine and brushed my lips over her knuckles. “Let’s promise each other that we won’t go running off across the world anymore when we’re upset. We should talk things through. We owe it to each other.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me,” she said. “I blew most of my savings to get to Qatar last time.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but her eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “I’m not asking for any money,” she said before I could open my mouth. “I decided to find you. I don’t want you to think I need you like that.”

  “I don’t,” I said, cutting her off. I didn’t plan on letting her ever want for anything for the rest of her life. She would get upset if I offered to reimburse her travels to find me, but with me, she would never have to worry about money ever again.

  “Tell me more about being king,” she said, changing the subject. Sophia was an independent woman, and my offering to take care of her wasn’t in her plan. “Is it what you hoped for?”

  “I never hoped for this,” I said. “I spent most of my adult life avoiding it.”

  I enjoyed living in England and having my own life. Now, I was chained to the throne for the rest of my life. I never took the decision lightly, but since it was so soon after accepting taking the throne, my previous life still lingered in the back of my head. I supposed it would take some time to forget about all of it.

  “I know,” she said. “But after your fathe
r passed, do you feel as if you did the right thing?”

  “Yes,” I said firmly. “Abir wasn’t up for the job, and my mother seems pleased with how things turned out.” It was all I could do to keep everyone happy—well, everyone except for Sophia and me.

  “But she wants you to have a wife?”

  “It’s her life mission,” I said, groaning. “That’s a whole other story.”

  If I had my way, Sophia would be my wife. I allowed myself a moment to imagine her in Qatar, taking over my mother’s role as queen. It wouldn’t work if I pushed Sophia too soon. I had to ease her into it.

  “I don’t mind hearing about it,” she said, taking my hand in hers. “Sometimes, it’s easier to talk it out and get things off our chest.”

  Sophia and my mother were a sore subject to each other, but it seemed Sophia was putting that aside right now. She opened her heart to me. There was no reason I couldn’t do the same. Although instead of bringing up my mother’s obsession with finding me a wife, I chose to tell Sophia about the struggles of ruling my kingdom.

  I sighed. “One of the council members is proving to be quite difficult during this transition.”

  “Really? Didn’t they have to vote to allow you to take the throne? Didn’t he have his chance to air his grievances about the choice?”

  She had done her homework. Since parting ways, I had kept away from any mention of her or the Dallas Post on the internet, but I wondered if she had done the same when it came to me. Asking would only stir up reminders of our breakup, and I wanted more than anything to get past all that.

  “They did,” I said. “But there are five of them. I wasn’t there for the voting, but with my Father’s dying wishes and the need to settle a new king on the throne, I didn’t think there was an issue. Apparently, I was wrong.”

  “What is he doing? Can’t the others vote him out or something?”

  I shook my head to answer the second part. “Jaabir goes against everything I say, even when it doesn’t make sense to oppose me. We all should have the kingdom in the front of our minds. Instead, he has some agenda to get me kicked off the throne. He’s proving to be quite difficult.”

  “What’s his problem?” Sophia asked. “Erol wanted you. He prepared you for the throne. Don’t you have a say?”

  “I do, but to Jaabir, I’m not worthy of the position. I’m not Abir. I’m not part of the bloodline.”

  She sat back against the pillow and sipped her coffee. Her eyes narrowed, and I was reminded of that face each time she attempted to interview me.

  “The older generations are very old school in that way,” I said. “He never approved of me, which is something I learned recently. He was hoping for Abir to come of age before Father passed, but none of us had control over that.”

  Sophia ran her hand over mine. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this. He sounds like a jerk.”

  “Thank you,” I said. My mother’s suggestion about getting Jaabir on my side was to offer me a wife. It was nice to be comforted instead.

  “So, while you’re here, you’re also hiding?” she asked.

  I chuckled. “Something like that.”

  “I’m glad you chose to hide in Dallas,” she said, accentuating her Southern drawl.

  “I’m also here to make my wrongs right,” I said. “In the past month, I’ve felt as if a weight has been pressing on my chest, enough that it was hard to breathe.”

  “I know what that feels like,” she said.

  “Then, can we promise not to do this shit again, Sophia? We want to be with each other. So then let’s be with each other.”

  “Believe me. I want to, but what about all the rest? You have a kingdom to run, and I have a life here. How can we make this work?” My pipedream of being a queen sounded fun before, but I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  I felt her slipping away from me again, and I had to stop her. I took her mug and placed it on the side table next to mine. I took her hands in mine and drew her close to me.

  I squeezed her hands, making sure she knew how serious I was about her. The light blue depths of her eyes filled with concern.

  “I have a week here,” I said. “All I want to do is prove to you how much you mean to me. Will you allow me to do that?”

  “Like I would say no to a proposal like that,” she said.

  I kissed her, and for now, the issue was tabled. I shoved it out of my head and focused on the beautiful woman in front of me.

  10

  Sophia

  When Luke and I finally peeled ourselves away from the bedroom, we settled on the couch. Armed with more coffee and two heavy blankets, we snuggled up together and watched television. The hours flew by with me snuggled up so close to Luke that I could count his heartbeats thrumming against my cheek.

  In the time we’d dated, there hadn’t been many moments of us sitting still. I supposed without a kingdom or company to be in charge of, Luke was finally able to relax.

  But I couldn’t turn my mind off. Seeing him was a pleasant surprise, and the sex we had last night was incredible, but what was going to happen tomorrow or the day after? Luke said he loved me, and I said it in return—in an appropriate amount of time—but were the problems that kept us apart still around? Did he plan on giving up the kingdom for me, or was this a proper goodbye?

  My phone rang, and I was surprised to see that it was almost five in the afternoon.

  “Do you have to get that?” Luke asked with a frown.

  I grabbed my phone and nodded. “Just a minute.”

  Carrie’s number flashed on my phone screen. With Luke returning into my life, I had completely forgotten about accepting the new job.

  I picked up the call and said, “Hi, Carrie. Just a second.”

  “Sure thing,” she chirped.

  Luke’s eyes were on me the entire time I walked across the room and onto my small balcony. He didn’t seem threatened, but I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do when I returned.

  “Okay, sorry,” I said into the phone. “I was, um, in the shower when you called.”

  “Well, as you know from yesterday, I’m super impressed with your skills and qualifications,” she said, getting right down to it. “This is more of a formality, but I want to give you a final offer for the open position.”

  “Wow,” I said, glancing through the window at Luke. He watched the television, but I knew he was aware of the secret conversation I was having. If I accepted the job right away, what would become of Luke and me? Would this be another thing standing in the way of our happiness?

  “Speechless?” Carrie asked and then laughed.

  I cleared my throat. “Sorry, yes. I’m so grateful that you’ve given me this opportunity.”

  “But?” She was much smarter than I gave her credit for.

  I didn’t know what Luke’s intentions were, and I wasn’t going to force it out of him less than twenty-four hours after he arrived. He wanted to prove something to me, and I wanted to hear him out entirely before I made any life-altering decisions.

  He would only be here for a week. Surely, Carrie could wait that long for my answer.

  “I hope this isn’t too forward, but I think I need some time to decide. I have several other interviews lined up.”

  “You do?” she asked. “Of course, you do. This is a very generous offer, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep the spot open.”

  “I just need a week,” I said, giving her the same deadline as Luke’s departure. This was my backup plan, and since Carrie wanted me to work for her, I hoped she would be able to give me the time I needed.

  “A week,” she said. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

  “Thank you so much,” I said. “I just need to be sure.”

  “I understand,” she said. “I’m sure you will impress whichever other places you’re checking out, but I guarantee they won’t be able to offer what we are. I’ll send your contract over to your email for comparison.”

  “Than
k you,” I said again. She had no idea how grateful I was.

  She was the first to hang up. I hoped I hadn’t pissed her off. I had made a good impression, but I was pushing my luck by not accepting right away.

  I glanced into the apartment, and Luke was no longer on the couch.

  I took the moment of silence to absorb what had happened. I had no other offers, but by lying, I was able to keep the door open at Dallas News. I didn’t have another interview, but I did have another position that opened. That was the spot at Luke’s side.

  The conversation between us would have to happen in the next week, and I debated on telling him about the job offer.

  Then, I thought better of it. It would only complicate things. If Luke knew I had another job lined up, he might be selfless again and push me to take it.

  Reporting didn’t stir the same passion in me as it had before I met Luke, but I couldn’t give it up without knowing the real reason he was here.

  Walking inside, Luke stepped out of my bedroom and settled onto the couch again. He patted the seat next to him. “What was that about?”

  I licked my lips. “My friend, Carrie. She’s having issues with her husband.” I hated to lie, but it felt necessary. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. “I didn’t want to bore you with all that man-hating talk.”

  He slipped an arm around my shoulder. “You don’t hate men.”

  “Nope,” I said and kissed him.

  My stomach growled, loud enough that Luke gave me a look. We had eaten some cereal before as I was too embarrassed to offer him the stale leftovers in my refrigerator. Though, he probably saw them when he grabbed the milk for the cereal.

  “Do you want to stay in tonight?” he asked.

  I winced. “Not really.” I wasn’t up for explaining why my refrigerator only contained old takeout and condiments. I wasn’t about to poison a king on his first day in the States. “To be honest, I haven’t left my apartment much in a month.” I couldn’t look him in the eye. I wasn’t playing the pity card, but it was the truth. If he was only here for a week, he was about to get a lot of honesty from me.