Page 10 of Royal Rebel

“I’m sure I will. I can see the appeal, and I can’t wait to view it all through your eyes, Tristan. Show me the rest?”

He takes me through an amazing kitchen, a library, workout room, shows me a couple of bathrooms, a pantry, and two guest rooms. We’re about to head up the last set of stairs to the top floor when he stops, turning to face me.

“This is the master.”

As we climb the stairs, I hold tightly on to his hand. My heart is pounding, mouth is dry, because he didn’t mention more than one. When he opens the door, I gasp again. Thebedroom is the length of the house. There’s a huge bed with windows looking out over the ocean again. Only here, you can see so much further because it’s higher. There’s a veranda with what looks to have outside furniture, and I can’t wait to sit out there, hopefully with him.

There’s a sitting area on one side of the room, situated around the focal point of a fireplace. It’s cozy, and everything I would want if anyone asked me what I imagined my home as an adult would look like. Carpet on the floor looks plush and like it would sink between my toes if I took my shoes off.

“Wanna see the bathroom?” he asks.

If the bedroom looks like this, the bathroom is going to be amazing. “Oh my god, yes.”

He laughs at my enthusiasm. “Come on.”

When he opens the door, I’m totally in love. There’s a tub so big I can probably lie down in it, a shower large enough for at least five people, and the largest makeup vanity I’ve seen in my life. “This is…” I don’t even have words for it.

“I’m a guy.” He laughs. “This means nothing to me, but I’m really glad you like it.”

Turning to him, impulsively I throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “I do like it, I can see why you love it here.”

He wraps his arms around my waist. “I hope you’ll come to love it as much as I do.”

“I can’t wait to see it through your eyes,” I tell him. “Can’t wait for you to show me why you’d rather be here, instead of at the palace.”

“Oh you’ll see that very quickly, trust me.” He laughs again as he pulls me back through the room and has a seat on one of the sofas around the fireplace. “There’s a few things I need to talk to you about.”

And that’s when my stomach drops. I’m unsure of what he’s going to say, don’t know him well enough to be able to gauge what he may say by his facial expression.

“While we’re here, we’re going to become comfortable with one another. We’re going to learn all the things other people learn about each other while dating. Together we’ll figure out what it is to run this country.”

Hearing him talk about us like a couple is comforting. “Together?”

“Together, I’m not going to let you go about this alone. Sometimes, the media will be harsh. I watched my mother go through it, watched her hate it, and sat by while my father did nothing. I swore to myself that when it came time for me to be one in charge, I wouldn’t allow my wife to shoulder the responsibility of being the face of our nation.”

He grabs hold of my hand, twisting his wrist so that he strokes my palm. “I appreciate that, Tristan. While I do have some training, and obviously Shannon will be with us, nothing will help more than the two of us standing strong.”

“Which brings me to my next point.” He continues running his fingernail along my palm. “Obviously this is the only master suite. There are two options. I can stay in one of the guest rooms, or we can stay here together. The decision is yours. Whatever you want to do, I’ll stand behind.”

My breathing increases as I think about the implications.

“I don’t want to pressure you,” he continues.

“You’re not,” I assure him, closing my palm around his finger, biting my bottom lip as I think about what sharing a bed with him means. “In a few months we’ll be doing it anyway, right?”

“Is that you saying you want me to stay here with you?”

This may be the worst decision of my life, but we have tobecome comfortable with one another and the best way to do that is to spend time together. Here, in this room, at least we’ll have complete privacy. Even if my heart does pound at the prospect of sleeping in the same bed with him.

“Yes,” I answer. “Yes, I want us to share this room together.”

“To share the bed?”

“Yes.”

He shifts so he can move his palm to my neck. “To share our bodies?”

“Yes, when the time comes.”

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