Page 65 of Royal Games (The Royals of Monterra)

Something was happening downstairs. It was muted, but I heard voices. One of the girls must have been asked. A girl who was not me. I lay down on the bed, putting my arm over my eyes. My chest ached, and the room seemed to spin in circles.

Did he not feel the same way about me? Whenever we were together, it felt right. Like we were, I don’t know, destined or something.

He never said he loved you.

That made me sit straight up. And I had never told him that I loved him!

One reason I hadn’t was that I didn’t want to scare him off. Half the women on this show had probably already sworn their undying devotion to him. And the other reason was that it took me a long time to figure out that what I felt was love.

Maybe he was feeling that same way that I was. Maybe he was wondering where I stood. Maybe he thought Lemon or Abigail liked him more.

I had seen girls at the end get sent home because they refused to open up and tell the suitor how they really felt.

I would not be one of those girls.

Rummaging around in the desk, I quickly found pink stationery and a pen. It was easier to write than I might have imagined. The words flowed out of me as I told him that I loved him. That I could see a life with him. That even if he was a prince, we would find a way to make it work. Maybe we could spend half the year in Monterra and half the year in Iowa.

I told him I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. That he made me the happiest I had ever been. That he was everything I was looking for, and that I loved him in spite of, and not because of, his title. I wrote that I hoped he felt the same.

Sliding the letter inside an envelope, I made a plan to sneak up to his room. I was not a rule breaker, but this was important. I cracked the door open and peeked my head out. The hallway was empty.

At the landing to the third staircase, I paused again, listening. The only sound was my nervous heartbeat. I didn’t know what the punishment for this transgression would be on this show, but I was worried it might entail getting sent home.

Still silent. I climbed over the stupid rope they kept there, like it was an actual deflector shield that would make the stairs inaccessible. Creeping up the steps carefully, I continued to listen for sounds. Something that would let me know I’d been discovered. I didn’t hear anything.

Carefully opening his door, I snuck inside and gently closed it shut. This room was enormous. It took up the entire top floor, and the view from his windows was amazing. I was sure that during the daytime you could see all the way to the ocean. Part of me wanted to explore, thinking that if I investigated a little I might learn more about him. But the other part wanted me to leave my letter and get out before I got caught.

I had just put it on his pillow when a door opened up. But it wasn’t the door I had used.

It was the door from the bathroom.

And a bare-chested, wet-haired Rafe walked into the room, towel-drying his hair.

“Holy Shatner,” I whispered. And despite my protests when we watched that movie together, I suddenly completely understood why couples jumped from A to Z. Waves of lust pulsed through me, stealing my breath and making it hard to stay steady. I leaned out to hold on to the bedpost.

“Genesis?”

I gulped in response, unable to speak. He was beyond beautiful. Total perfection. I’d seen him in the pool before, but this was different. I didn’t know why. The intimacy of the setting? The fact that I was standing next to his bed? That I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to? That we were alone, and not surrounded by twenty other people?

“What are you doing here?” He tossed the towel into a basket.

I regained the gift of speech and shook my head, like I could clear it of the lust-induced haze. “I was going to leave you a note.”

It sounded so pathetic. What had seemed like an excellent idea just two minutes ago now seemed stupid and embarrassing.

A smile shadowed his lips. “A note?”

“I thought you were gone. I thought you were with someone else.” I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, but from the way his smile faded, I knew he’d caught it.

“I’m not gone. I’m not with anyone else.” Each slow step brought him closer and closer, and it made my pulse increase in intensity until I worried my veins might actually explode.

“I can see that,” I said. What I didn’t say was how relieved I felt, like something washed through me, carrying away all my fears, insecurities, and worries.

There was only me and this incredibly gorgeous half-naked man whom I loved desperately. “I heard noises downstairs.”

“The crew can get loud.” He walked toward me slowly, leisurely, like the way a wolf would stalk a very stupid sheep who had left her pen and waltzed into his lair.

“I thought you would invite me. I’ve been waiting all night.”

---