Page 31 of Forbidden Bastard
Her pulse zipped as he lifted his t-shirt off her body, leaving a trail of warm goosebumps. He tossed it and tugged her in for another kiss. Her lips were parted but instead of claiming her, he said, “When we do get married, I’ll need you to promise that you’ll never leave me.”
Her heart beat grew wild as she stared into his brown eyes. She couldn’t just say "wait." Being with Charles was like being in a magical bubble where nothing else mattered. She ran her finger over his sexy dark stubble. “On one condition.”
From their bodies pressed so close she could feel his heart beat faster too. “What’s that?”
Now or never. She let his face go and traced his shoulders and back. “That you don’t test our relationship to sabotage us. No cheating. No clinging. And we just live like this and learn to trust each other.”
He walked her backward toward the bed, his hands on her hips as he said, “I can try. Trust is hard.”
“Then I can try too and I’ll be here for you.” Her leg brushed against the bed.
And finally his lips met hers and the rest of the world no longer existed. It was just the two of them, together, in bliss.
Chapter 10
Later that morning, Charles led Sandi to the back seat of his Mercedes, his heart strangely calm. Their driver understood to go slowly so Charles could point out things of interest on their way to the seaside town near his home.
He needed to ensure his bride shone tonight at the palace. Luckily the local jewelers were some of the most talented in the country.
The salty air had low humidity despite the bright sun and sea, which made today an perfect Mediterranean day.
She slipped into the backseat and tugged on her plain black shirt and jeans like she was embarrassed at looking so American. Charles took her warm hand.
Togetherness was nice as they drove toward town last-minute shopping. She smiled at him in thanks. Sandi might actually be a good choice for him. Could they be happy together?
She'd seen his dark side, his truth, and hadn’t run away. He’d been raw and honest which wasn’t something he did for anyone.
She squeezed his hand and glanced out the window to enjoy her day.
Sandi was a good, smart woman, which meant he might have found the one exception to his general rule. Until her, he'd avoided smart women like they were the harbinger to a plague.
The driver brought them to the diamond district where Charles could get Sandi some pieces so she would fit in at the castle.
Until getting the dukedom, he'd made decent money supporting struggling artists and that included some jewelers here--which was why he knew Sandi would be in good hands with the local artisans.
He’d met Sheena because she also helped artists, put on great shows, and showcased artwork. Their meeting had been inevitable. Sheena had made success in art seem easy, when it wasn't for the average person, and she’d even laughed at his jokes.
But that hadn’t been enough because he knew from the start they’d never actually fit. He'd ruined it all almost to prove to both of them that romance wasn’t actually real.
Sandi was different. She challenged him and it wasn’t her fault that she was asked too young to handle adult work.
Finally his driver stopped in front of an up-and-coming jewelry designer, parked, and opened the rear passenger door for them, helping Sandi out first.
Charles stepped onto the sidewalk and placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her toward the jewelry store that had the best reputation for quality. “So, let’s go shopping. You need a ring and a dress. Why are you so quiet?”
She sucked on her bottom lip. “I have no idea what's appropriate to wear and I’m nervous about going to a palace.”
His biological father wasn’t that horrible even though he wore a gold crown in his throne room. The king had been kind.
The day where Charles had humiliated himself and demanded Sheena come to him replayed in his mind and made his spine go straight.
If Sheena'd actually gone with him, he’d be living in a nightmare.
He much preferred how everything had turned out.
A part of him was sorry that he'd gone to the king about Sheena, but at the time he’d wanted to stop factions from setting up meetings with him to topple a government he had no interest overtaking because of his bloodline. He’d never wanted to be involved with destruction; he made money on helping creative people shine.
He continued to direct Sandi toward the jeweler. “I scheduled a hair dresser and makeup person for you to be at the house at six.”
