Page 11 of Royal Rebel

I’ve got to set a few boundaries, and that’s the biggest.

“Understood, Amelia. I’ll have them bring both our bags up here.”

He gets up to go let them know and as I watch his retreating back, I sigh. My life—is about to get way more interesting.

CHAPTER 6

TRISTAN

The next morning, I awake with her in my arms. Sometime through the night, even though we started out on separate sides of the bigger-than-king-size bed in the suite, we came together in the middle. She’s snuggled up with her back to my front, and I have my arm wrapped around her, my legs tangled in hers. It feels good, waking up with someone there. Hardly any of my other conquests would spend the night with me.

It was mostly my doing, but they didn’t push. If they had, I’d probably have pushed back and never spoken to them again, but it strikes me as a learning experience. None of them wanted to push. They really didn’t want the life, they wanted the status for the one night.

This woman? She seems to want the life. At least I hope she wants the life.

As I’m trying to awaken against the last pull of sleep,Amelia situates herself more fully against me, and I take note of where my arm actually is. Wrapped around her chest, her unbound breast resting in the palm of my hand. She snuggles back against me, her softness rubbing against the part of me that’s hard.

This is hell, I decide pretty quickly, but at the same time, I can’t seem to stop myself. Dropping my lips to her neck, I smear them against the exposed skin, kissing softly in the sleepy grogginess of the early morning.

“Tristan?” Her whisper is a question in the silence of the room.

“Right here, Lia,” I answer, pressing my palm against the firm peak of her nipple. “I won’t go too far.”

She whines as she extends her neck farther, allowing me room to move against her soft skin. Nipping slightly, I allow the few days growth of beard to abrade her flesh.

“Mmmm, don’t stop, Tristan.” She reaches behind her, grasping my neck with her fingers, pressing her ass against my dick.

With my free hand, I hold her hips still as I grind into her from behind, the clothing providing a layer of modesty that I wish wasn’t there right now. With a growl, I twist her around so that she’s lying on her back, me halfway covering her body. Her arms go around my neck, pulling me down to her. Our mouths open, tongues duel, and hands fight with one another as I reach down to lift her shirt up over her stomach.

Just as my fingers feel the soft heat of her skin, my phone rings loudly. It’s the phone number that comes directly from the palace.

“Fuck,” I groan as I let my head drop against the pillow. “I have to get that.”

She moans loudly, her fingers gripping the waistband of my pajama pants. “Really bad timing,” she groans as she rolls away from me.

Flat on my back now, I scrub my hands over my face, bring my palm down to adjust my hard-on to a more tolerable level. The phone is still ringing. “Yeah,” I answer, not worried about custom, or politeness. The raging erection in my pants has made me lose all my humor.

“Tristan.” I hear my father’s voice on the other end of the line. “That’s not how you answer the phone.”

“Sorry, I was asleep. Is there something I can help you with?”

“I was just calling to see if you’d seen the news this morning, but since you just woke up, I’m assuming you haven’t. You and Amelia are the talk of the worldwide tabloids. You’ve put Haldonia back on the map, people are already planning to come here for the wedding. Be sure the two of you are able to put on a good show.”

Immediately my mood is soured. I’m feeling a friendship with her, I never expected to feel. He’s making it into almost a business transaction and it doesn’t sit well with me, but I have to realize to him that’s what this is. Six months I have to determine what this is—six months to make sure we’re compatible, six months to fall in love, six months to become the ruler I want to be.

“Thanks for the heads up, Dad.” I clear my throat. “But right now, I have work to do, I’ll be in touch.”

Talking to him always puts me in a weird head space. I don’t even realize he’s hung up on me until I hear the beeping of the dial tone.

Throwing the phone down, I growl, noticing for the first time Amelia’s gone.

“Are you okay?” Amelia asks as she makes her way back into the bedroom, her hair wet, wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt. She’s just as beautiful in a pair of jeans as she is in an evening gown.

“Other than having the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had in my life, I’m good.” I push myself off of the bed, swinging my legs over. “My father called to let me know that we’ve made the worldwide tabloids. Many people are already planning to make their way to Haldonia for the wedding. He says we better put on a good show when the time comes.”

She wrinkles her nose up in disgust. “That’s a vulgar way of putting it.”

“He doesn’t believe in a happily ever after anymore, doesn’t think that love can conquer all. He’s lonely, and the loneliness has made him a cynical bastard.”

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