Royal Mistake #6 Page 4

“I love you, too,” she whispers back.

  I kiss her again, pulling her tight against my chest. I hardly dare believe any of this is real—perhaps I blacked out after my disastrous speech and this is all some sort of fever dream.

  But Victoria is warm and soft and real in my arms. Her kisses are sweetness and fire. Everything is too vivid for this to be a dream.

  Victoria is going to be my wife. We’ll be together forever. I get to spend the rest of my life showing her how much she means to me. No matter how many times I think it, it still seems surreal.

  I don’t know how long we sit there on the ground in each other’s arms. My mind is on nothing but her. After a time, though, I become aware of a prickling on the back of my neck, and the sensation draws me sharply back into the present—we’re being watched.

  I pull back abruptly. I’m almost drunk on my happiness, dizzy and lightheaded and reckless, but I force myself to turn my head, to look away from Victoria and toward the narrow path behind us.

  There are people there. And not just a handful, no—a small crowd. Perhaps a couple dozen. All gathered close, watching Victoria and me celebrate our engagement.

  And they aren’t the only ones. There’s a restaurant nearby overlooking the river. Many of the patrons have gathered at the edge of the terrace to gape at our little scene. Some have even pulled out their mobile phones to snap photos of us.

  Quickly, I scramble to my feet, then reach down and help Victoria to hers. My first instinct is to deny everything, to protect Victoria from the attention this scene is bound to bring—but it’s far too late for that. The only other option is to tell the truth. I like the truth.

  “Good citizens,” I say. “Forgive the informality, but I would like to introduce Ms. Victoria Simpson. She has just consented to be my wife.”

  Though I’m sure many of the onlookers have pieced together the situation already, my announcement still draws a collective gasp from the group. Some of them start whispering excitedly amongst themselves, while others boldly call questions out to me.

  “Who is she?”

  “How did you meet?”

  “Is she American?”

  “Does this mean she’s going to be queen?”

  Victoria’s fingers tighten on mine, and I glance down at her. She’s wearing a smile, but I can see the anxiety in her eyes—our happy little moment has turned into an overwhelming one very quickly.

  I raise my hand, quieting the crowd.

  “There will be an official announcement soon during which all of your questions will be answered,” I say. “In the meantime, Victoria and I must return to my father’s bedside.” With that, I step forward, pulling Victoria along with me. A couple of people still try to ask questions, but I ignore them. They must see the determination in my face, because the crowd parts to let us through, stepping back so that Victoria and I may pass.

  We go quickly down the path, back in the direction from which we came. If I weren’t such a fool, I would have waited to propose until we were somewhere private—but there’s no use in chastising myself about that now. What’s done is done, and the important thing is that Victoria has consented to be my wife.

  I look over at her again as we head down the street toward the hospital. She still looks a little stunned, and she glances around as we walk, no doubt noticing how many people are looking at us.

  I squeeze her fingers. “Ignore them. They’re just curious about you.”

  She gives a little laugh. “That’s easier said than done.”

  No doubt these next few weeks—even months—are going to be difficult for her. Victoria isn’t used to being on this side of the celebrity story.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I shouldn’t have been so impulsive. I should have done all of this in private and given you time to adjust—”

  “No,” she says. “No, I’m glad you did it.” She looks up at me, her eyes bright and her lips curling into a smile. “I want to marry you, Andrew. I do. I’m just… This is just going to take some getting used to.”

  “Just remember that you aren’t alone. That we’re in this together. Whatever challenges you face in the coming months, I will face by your side.”

  Her cheeks redden slightly, and she drops her gaze. “I…I don’t even know what to think. I know there’s a lot to consider now, but…I don’t want to deal with any of that at the moment. Is that stupid?”

  “No,” I tell her. “I know exactly how you feel.” I haven’t allowed myself to stop and think fully about the consequences of marrying Victoria…but I’ll face them as they come. Right now, I just want to enjoy this. To live in the moment and allow myself this moment of happiness. Victoria is going to be my wife.

  The hospital is still around the corner, but I can’t wait that long. I pull Victoria into an empty doorway and yank her fully into my arms, kissing her deeply.

  Her surprise fades quickly, and her arms go around my neck, pulling me closer. My hands slide up her back and tangle in her hair. I press my hips against her, and she lets out a gasp against my lips. We’re like two teenagers, helpless against the desire coursing through us. Blissfully ignorant of propriety and responsibility. Right now, in this moment, there’s only us—us and our love.

  My tongue slips into her mouth, tasting and searching. Her fingers grip my hair. I’ve half a mind to take her right here, to lift her up against the door and bury myself in her, any onlookers be damned. I can only imagine what stories they’d print about us then. Victoria makes me feel wild, reckless, unafraid of anything.

  One of my hands falls to the bottom of her shirt. My fingers slip beneath the fabric and slide across her bare skin. She gasps again, but she doesn’t pull away.

  My hand creeps higher, moving toward her breast. I’ve got her pressed against the door, so my body is effectively blocking her from the view of the street. I can explore her all I want while still giving us some privacy.

  My fingers move higher and higher up her body, finally skimming across the bottom edge of her bra. She moans softly against my mouth, and my hand moves higher still, up over the curve of her breast. Her nipple is a hard bud beneath the fabric, and I run my thumb over it, making her whimper.

  I’ve started to slide my fingers beneath her bra when I hear a click. And then suddenly the door behind us opens, sending both of us tumbling into the room beyond.

  It takes me a moment to come back to my senses. I sit partway up, stunned, and beneath me Victoria rushes to pull her shirt back down. When I look up, I see a woman staring down at us, her eyes wide. As I glance around, I realize that the doorway we chose led into a small bookstore, and several shocked faces now stare down at us.

  Once again, there’s no lying my way out of this. I climb to my feet, straightening my clothes with one hand and helping up Victoria with the other. I clear my throat.

  “Forgive the intrusion,” I say, trying to sound as calm and regal as possible. “Victoria and I have just become engaged, you see.”

  It’s not nearly as elegant as my response by the river, but fortunately, the people here are still too stunned to react. I grab Victoria’s hand again and we run back out into the street.

  By the time we round the corner, we’ve both erupted into laughter.

  “The things you do to me…” I say through my grin.

  “Me?” she says, still laughing. “You were the one who pulled me into that doorway. You started it.”

  “Because I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Then you should learn some restraint, Your Highness.”

  “Never.”

  She laughs again, and the sound fills me with such joy that I almost pull her against me again, right here in the middle of the street—until I realize that we’re once again standing in front of the hospital.

  My smile drops as I suddenly remember why we’re here.

  “We should return to my father,” I say softly. “My mother needs me right now.”

  She nods soberly. “I… Maybe I should stay out her
e in the waiting room. I don’t want to intrude.”

  “No,” I say. “You won’t be intruding. We’re engaged now, after all. Besides, there might still be some reporters lurking around. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

  She nods, but she’s still frowning. I raise a hand to her cheek.

  “If it makes you uncomfortable to be in the room with us, I understand,” I tell her. “We can find somewhere else for you to sit. I know that the memories of your parents must—”

  “No, I’m all right,” she says. “I want to be there. For you.” One side of her mouth curls up. “It’s just that I don’t want to cause any problems—”

  “You won’t. My mother and siblings love you.” We won’t speak of my father’s feelings, not now. I understand her hesitation—it feels almost heartless to bring Victoria to his bedside when my relationship with her might be the very thing that nearly killed him—but I refuse to push her away as if I’m ashamed of her. And I want and need her by my side.

  “All right,” she says finally.

  “I love you,” I murmur, leaning forward and pressing my lips lightly against hers.

  We head back into the hospital together. We make it to the corridor outside Father’s room when I hear William’s voice behind me.

  “Andrew! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Why didn’t you answer your bloody phone?”

  I turn, a knot of shame twisting in my belly as I remember our last encounter.

  One look in William’s eyes, however, tells me that something has happened—something far greater than a scuffle between brothers.

  “What is it?” I say. “Is Father—”

  “He’s fine,” William says quickly. “As least as fine as can be expected. But I just got urgent word from the palace.”

  My entire body stiffens. “What happened?”

  “Nothing yet,” William says. “But apparently King Maximilian was rather displeased with your little speech. We’ve received word that he’ll be arriving at the palace as early as this afternoon.”

  Victoria

  I have to close my eyes for a moment to process what William is saying. King Maximilian is coming to the palace. I can’t imagine that Andrew’s speech made him very happy—and when he learns the news of our engagement, I wouldn’t doubt the anger of this king might be enough to cause a war.

  I pull my hand away from Andrew’s, backing away from him and his brother until I’m pressed against the wall of the corridor. My head is spinning—the last thing I want is to be the cause of some war between nations.

  Why can’t Andrew see that?

  The stakes are too high—and I never meant for our relationship to get this far. It was one thing when it was a fling. It wasn’t much different when it was an illicit affair while he courted his potential brides. But this? This is something altogether different. Marrying a prince—the crown prince of Montovia, no less—is so far out of the realm of anything I ever could have imagined for myself, it’s still hard to believe it’s real. And agreeing to marry Andrew was obviously a huge, huge mistake—one that is probably going to cost him and his country dearly.

  Love isn’t worth an international incident.

  Is it?

  William and Andrew are still talking, but I can’t hear them over the voice in my head telling me it’s not too late to back out. It might hurt Andrew—hell, it’s going to hurt me more—but it’s still the right thing to do.

  Andrew takes me by the elbow, pulling me back to his side. “Victoria has agreed to marry me.”

  William’s eyebrows shoot up and his gaze darts to mine. “Really?”

  I try to twist out of Andrew’s grasp, but his hold on my elbow tightens.

  “Yes.” I don’t have to look at him to hear the smile in his voice. Andrew continues. “I know it’s an inopportune time, but I wanted you to hear it from me. From us.”

  William’s gaze never leaves mine. “I suppose congratulations are in order, then.”

  I can’t even force a smile, not when I know I’m about to break Andrew’s heart.

  Andrew drops his hand from my elbow to slide his arm around my waist. “Thank you, Brother. I’ll tell Mother and Nicholas before we leave for the palace to receive King Maximilian—”

  “I…” I turn to look up at him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea if I’m there. I mean, it’s sort of my fault that you and Justine—”

  He interrupts. “Nonsense. The world is going to have to accept that you are part of my life now, Victoria. And that begins today. We will receive King Maximilian together, just as we will receive other heads of state until the day we die.” His lips tick up into a tiny smile and his voice lowers. “And there is no better head of state to begin with than King Maximilian. When he sees the two of us together—”

  “Oh, God.” A wave of nausea washes over me, and it’s all I can do not to vomit on the floor. I am not going to be receiving heads of state. Ever.

  I’ve been writing about celebrities for a long time, and it isn’t as though most of them intimidate me. For the most part, they’re just people. A few of them believe they are larger than life, but even those sorts of celebrities still don’t cause me to be nervous. Not anymore, anyway. There was a time when I was first starting to cover celebrity news that I didn’t understand that we’re all human—all just trying to do the best we can with the lot we’ve been given in life.

  But none of them were kings. None of them ran entire countries. I’m not sure why the thought of it bothers me so much, but it does. Even considering I might have some influence over the running of an entire country is enough to make me nauseated again.

  Andrew’s grip around me tightens. “Are you quite all right, Victoria?”

  I manage to give him a grim nod, even though I am definitely not all right.

  William glances between the two of us, and it looks like he’s barely containing his laughter. “Well, I suppose I’ll leave you two to it, then. I wouldn’t want you to be late for your meeting with King Max.” He turns his gaze to mine, giving me wink. “And you, Victoria… I can’t wait to hear what Max has to say about you.”

  I swear, if I wasn’t barely holding myself upright, I would punch William myself.

  Andrew laughs. “I could not care less what King Maximilian has to say about my fiancée. He and the rest of the world will have no choice but to love her.” He turns to me with a smile. “Just as I do.”

  I don’t think I’ve ever heard him quite this happy. How can I possibly be even thinking of pulling the rug from under him? What sort of horrible person thinks that?

  I let out a sigh as I remember what sort of person thinks that. One who is thinking of the best interests of something bigger than her.

  “Please tell our mother where I’ve gone should she ask. I know she’s quite upset right now…”

  “She is,” William says. “Though she seems to be in somewhat better spirits since your little speech.”

  Andrew nods. “Tell her I will return as soon as it is practical. I’ll not have King Maximilian here in the hospital. If Father were to wake up…”

  William gives him a solemn nod. “Yes, it wouldn’t do to have his mortal enemy at his bedside when he awakens.” He lets out a short sigh. “Would it be too much for me to ask if you have a plan for how you’re going to deal with him?”

  Andrew lifts a brow. “Indeed, it would be out of line.” He chuckles. “Though that’s stopped neither you nor Leopold from asking inappropriate questions of me in the past.”

  William only lifts a brow, almost as though he’s challenging his brother to tell him everything.

  Andrew rubs a hand across his jaw before he grins. “I’m merely going to tell him the truth.”

  “And what truth is that?” William gives him a blank stare.

  “That while his daughter is both beautiful and charming, I have found the missing piece of my soul in Victoria.”

  William’s brows draw together. “I meant about the scepter. You know tha
t’s why he’s here, right? He was going to forgive the debt when you announced your betrothal to Justine. But now that it’s off…” His eyes meet mine for a moment again before turning back to his brother’s. “It isn’t like you can just say you aren’t going to give it to him. You’re pretty much obligated—”

  Andrew chuckles again. “That is where you’re wrong, Brother. I’ve been doing some research recently. And while some of our laws are quite antiquated, others may just be enough to get me out of the situation I find myself in at present.” He smiles. “It would do you good to read our country’s founding documents yourself.”

  William rolls his eyes. “I haven’t read any part of those documents since Mother made me read the preamble to our citizens at the Independence Celebration when I was twelve.”

  “Much as she forced me.” Andrew turns to me. “It is one of our many fine traditions. One I hope you will see one day.

  My mouth falls open, but no sound comes out.

  “Don’t worry, Victoria.” He chuckles. “You have no need to worry about deportation any longer.” He turns his gaze back to William’s. “The part of the law I’ve recently found comes well after the preamble, William. I’ll have to look up the precise paragraph, but there is a clause in the second section that states no member of the Royal Family may give away any property that has not been specifically bequeathed to them. And while I fully anticipate I’ll receive the scepter someday, for the time being, it still belongs to Father.”

  William’s eyes look like they’re going to pop out of his head, and he blinks slowly a few times. “You think he’s actually going to let you get away with that?”

  Andrew’s shoulders lift in a small shrug. “I don’t care what he thinks. The scepter wasn’t mine to wager, and Prince Reginald never should have accepted it as such.”

  “You’re a fool if you think either of them is going to let you get away with that, Andrew.” William shakes his head. “But the scepter is really beside the point now, don’t you think? I’m pretty sure he’s here because of his daughter, who is pretty pissed off at you, by the way—”