Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) (4 page)

She forgot all protocol and rushed to his side, gently gripping his hand. He’d become so much more than her king; he’d become her family since she moved into the palace with Alex.

Gabriel gave her a small smile. “I’ll be fine, Rebecca.”

Rebecca nodded. “Alex told us.”

“We did not make a decision about the wedding yet. Did he also tell you that?”

“No, but it’s not unexpected.”

“No, my child, it’s not. I’m sorry for it.”

“Your health is more important than the wedding.”

“That’s exactly what Alexander is saying right now to the press.” Gabriel pointed to the television in the room.

Rebecca pivoted to the screen; the sound was muted so she didn’t hear Alex’s comforting low tenor. She should be out there with him, and wondered why she wasn’t. Perhaps he didn’t ask her because that would make him look weak somehow.

His first press conference as king. God, she couldn’t even imagine what he was going through. He looked worried, yet fierce and dedicated. The country would stand behind him, she knew. As Alex stepped back and a doctor took the podium, Gabriel spoke, and she twisted back to face him.

“He’ll need you a great deal, Rebecca. He’ll need all of you.” Gabriel rested his eyes on her parents. “This was not how I wanted to hand down the monarchy, even for a short time. However, life, as we know, often has other plans for us. Though he’s only acting-king right now, we are all more than aware it could become permanent at any time.”

“Gabriel,” Genevieve warned.

“It’s true, my dear. We should face it, not hide from it.” Gabriel turned to Rebecca again. “If we do move forward with the wedding, I still may not be able to attend. I assure you, I’ll be there in spirit and watching you on screen while you marry. Genevieve will be there in person even if I cannot attend.”

He grasped her hand and Rebecca leaned down. Gabriel kissed her forehead. “You’re as good as my daughter already, my child, and you have been since my son told me he was in love with you. Make him happy; I know you will.”

Rebecca took a shuddering breath, a feeble attempt to hold back the tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Papa,” she said, calling him that for the first time. His gaze softened and she kissed each of his cheeks before stepping back. Her parents said a few words to both the king and queen, and they left.

Instead of heading to the waiting room again, her mother led her into an empty room. Once behind closed doors, she pulled Rebecca into her arms. “Let it out, honey. It’s just us. Let it out.”

Rebecca burst into tears, the hot, salty streams leaving streaks through her makeup and softening her lips. Rebecca wound her arms around her mother, letting her familiar warmth surround her and soothe her. Her father hugged her from behind, creating a cocoon of comfort.

She took a few minutes to find release, before she faced the others and Alex again. She knew being weak now meant she would be stronger later.

She needed to be strong.

For herself.

For her family.

For Alex.

And for her country.

She wouldn’t let them down; she wouldn’t let any of them down, not now when they needed her most.

A
lex was exhausted
as he entered his apartments at the royal palace late that night. Hours at the hospital had left a filmy coat of grime on his skin, and all he wanted was a blistering hot shower and Rebecca, not necessarily in that order.

“Darling?” he called out as he strode through their space, glancing into rooms as he walked past. He avoided the guestroom – otherwise known as ‘wedding central’, where her wedding dress hung – and entered the bedroom. The bed was still made, though her lavender scent lingered in the room. A peek in the bathroom was futile as well, and he began to get worried until he heard the soft tick of hangers from her closet.

They each had separate walk-in closets, though calling them a small room might be more apropos. Whereas the only color in Alex’s wardrobe tended to be from his collection of ties – which, incidentally, matched exactly with clothes from Rebecca’s wardrobe – his fiancée’s closet was awash in color.

Alex leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched as his love muttered underneath her breath while she perused one outfit after another, giving each a critical glance before shaking her head and pushing them aside. From the looks of it, she’d gone through most of her clothes already.

“Darling?”

She gasped and whirled around, with a hand on her chest. “Alex. Oh. You scared me. I didn’t realize you were back yet.”

“Only just.”

“How’s your father?”

“Sleeping. They did the ECG and decided to go with just medication for now. They’re going to monitor him for another day or two at least.”

She sighed in relief.

“What are you doing in here? Planning on going out?”

“Not at three in the morning, that’s for sure.” She turned back to her clothes and Alex trailed a lingering gaze down her back, over her soft, wavy hair and curvy form, down her toned legs to her ridiculous, yet sexy shoes.

“I can’t believe you’re still wearing those shoes. Your feet must be killing you.”

“Oh. I meant to take them off when I got home, but I got distracted.”

Alex pushed away from the door and pointed towards a chair in her closet. “Sit down, darling.”

She sat down. “They’re probably welded to my feet by now. At least they’re broken in.”

Alex kneeled before her and ran a hand over her smooth leg down to her ankle. “You’re still going to wear these to the wedding?”

Her body sagged a little. “Alex, we should talk about the wedding.”

He gently massaged her left ankle before pulling off her shoe; she winced when he did. “Everything’s still undecided about the wedding.”

“Alex, we should face the fact we may need to postpone it.”

He began massaging her freed foot, taking in the dark purple polish on her toes.

Her hand went to his chin and tilted his face up to meet hers. “Alex?”

“You’re right. We may need to postpone the ceremony, and we should face it.” He paused. “Are you going to fight me on this if we end up postponing?”

She shook her head. “God, Alex, of course not. I told you ages ago that I just wanted to be married to you. The when and where isn’t as important as the man I’ll be marrying. Yet, I understand the politics and everything behind our wedding. You do whatever feels right. I won’t fight you on it.”

A knot of tension relaxed within him. There were still several knots remaining, but that one, at least, was gone. He took a deep breath and removed her other shoe.

“I’ve been making contingency plans, just in case. I’ve been running poor Mara ragged.”

Her toes flexed while his expert hands massaged her. “Tavin likely feels the same, as well as Corrado. I don’t think anyone will get much sleep until everything’s settled.”

“Nate and Marcello can also help you if you need it.”

His hands stilled, then began massaging again. “Do you think I need help?”

“No, but I think you’d be a fool if you didn’t ask for it all the same.”

“You need them and my family more.”

“How do you figure that?”

“We have a horde of family members descending on the palace tomorrow. I can’t take care of them, and complete my duties.”

“Like I mentioned in the hospital, I can help. Let me take care of your family.” When he was quiet just a moment too long, she asked, “Unless, is there some reason I can’t help you with your family?”

“Darling, it’s not that.”

She sagged in her chair, her shoulders curled inward, and her fingers fiddled with her engagement ring. “They don’t approve of me, do they?”

He kissed the top of her foot, then trailed his lips over her calf and knee. He shifted the skirt of her dress up and kissed along her thigh. He situated his hips between her legs, and pulled her towards him. “I approve of you.”

“I know.”

“So does my father, and mother, and all my siblings.”

“I know.”

“And so does Valleria.”

She caressed his cheek and his hands paused. “Guess that means I’m not going anywhere, am I?”

“Damn right it doesn’t.”

“Then let me take care of them. They’ve got to get used to me, and they’ll need to accept me. If they see me making an effort, they’re bound to come around.”

“Some of them won’t. You’ll need to accept that.”

“Do you love me?”

“Of course I do.”

“I can face anything as long you do.”

God, he loved her. “I still don’t want you facing them alone. Get some of the family to pitch in and help.”

She loosened his tie. “I will. Don’t worry about this anymore. I don’t want to add to your stress.” She pressed a kiss to his neck which sent tingles cascading over his skin. “Do you need anything? You’re taking care of me right now, when I should be taking care of you.”

“Why is it either/or? Why can’t we both take care of each other?”

“You need me right now, Alex.”

“I’ll always need you, Rebecca.”

Her breath hitched, and he pulled them both to the floor, positioning her over his body. She placed her hands on the floor beside his head and leaned down; her hair fell in a curtain around them, sheltering them.

His hands slid down her back. “I especially need you tonight, darling.”

“I’m here.”

“Rebecca.” He kissed her, devouring her as he’d wanted to do earlier that day. “Rebecca.” He shifted them until they were side-by-side, and he buried his head in her neck.

Her slim hands slid through his hair, something which normally aroused yet now reassured him. “Did you eat anything?” she asked, and he shook his head. “Are you hungry?”

“Only for you.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

“Then why don’t we take a shower together and then try to get some sleep? We’ve only got a few hours before our day starts again.”

Alex sighed. “Am I being selfish?”

Her hand paused in his hair. “What do you mean?”

His nose nuzzled behind her ear before he pulled back to meet her eyes. “Is it wrong I want to bury myself inside you, to lose myself and forget about everything else?”

“Oh, Alex, of course not. You’ve had a trying day – to say the least – and you need some comfort. I do, too. There’s nothing selfish in that.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Talking won’t make you feel better tonight.” She gave him a soft smile. “Come on, fiancé.”

Alex stood first and held out his hand to help her up. “You may not be able to call me that for much longer.”

“Then I’d better say it as much as possible.”

They held hands as they walked the few feet to the bathroom. “I’ll have to call you ‘my fiancée’ as much as possible, too. What shall I call you after the wedding?”

She let go of his hand and began to undress him, pushing his jacket off first. “I like when you call me ‘darling’, though ‘Becca’ is a personal favorite of mine.”

“That’s because I call you that when we make love. I’ll probably say it again in a minute.”

She went for his shirt next. “Only a minute? Well, we are both pretty tired.”

He paused her hands as they fiddled with his buttons. “Don’t tease me, darling.”

“Never, fiancé.”

He let go of her hands to focus on undoing the zip of her dress. “Perhaps I should call you Mrs. Santoro. That will be your new last name, you know.”

She let out a contented sigh. “Mrs. Rebecca Frances Santoro di Valleria.”

“Or I could call you ‘Princess’, as you’ll finally be one.”

“By that token, I should call you ‘Prince’. Perhaps ‘Prince Fiancé’? Or ‘Prince Husband’? Or His Royal Highness Prince Alexander Robert Louis Santoro di Valleria?”

His face fell. “I’m not ‘His Royal Highness’ anymore, though, am I? I’m His Royal Majesty now. Like my father.”

Her hands went into his unbuttoned shirt and wound around his back. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to–”

“Shhh. I know you didn’t.”

She nodded after a beat, then kissed his bare chest and pushed back. “Well, take your pants off then, and get moving.”

He quirked an eyebrow, but did as he was told. “Bossy, aren’t you?”

“You’ll like the bossy in a minute.”

He grinned for the first time that day since they’d heard the news of his father. “I think you’ll like me being bossy more.”

“Let’s test that theory,” she said with a wag of her eyebrows.

As he dropped his last stitch of clothing to the floor, she pushed off her dress. The sight of her underwear had his cock springing to life. “Holy hell. What are you wearing?”

Rebecca looked down, then gasped. She held her dress up as a cover and then rushed from the room. “Don’t look! Don’t look!”

He raced after her – not easy with a stiffening erection – and took hold of her arm. “You’re too late. I’ve already seen it.”

He pulled the dress out of her hands and tossed it aside. Alex ignored the dejected look on her face and gently ran a finger over her lingerie.

She wore a pale purple silk corset that did remarkable things to her already remarkable breasts. The corset stopped just near her belly button, cinching in her waist. A matching silk thong completed the set.

He traced a finger over her soft, plump breasts. “You were wearing this all day? I love all of your lingerie, Rebecca, but this…”

“You weren’t supposed to see it.”

He finally took in her expression. “Why?”

“It’s my wedding lingerie,” she said in a small voice. “To wear under my dress. I was doing a trial run with it, like I did today with my shoes, to make sure I could wear it all day. Now the surprise is ruined.”

He remembered her saying once that she had something wicked planned for their wedding night.

How right she was.

He hauled her against him. “Darling, this is best fucking surprise you could have given me. I know you’re disappointed you didn’t get to surprise me in a few days, but seeing you in this getup is just what I need right now.”

“Really?”

“Really. You don’t need to find another set for the wedding. Though, how am I supposed to keep my cock calm in a church, knowing you’re wearing this underneath your dress? Jesus.”

“Don’t forget the millions of people that’ll be watching us.”

“So the world sees how much I desire you; it doesn’t matter to me.”

She bit her lip, then released it. “I wasn’t sure if I should mention it, but this isn’t the whole outfit.”

He growled as his cock grew even harder. “What?”

“There are stockings and garters, too.”

“You’re trying to kill me aren’t you?”

She giggled, and the sound was like the brightest sun shining on a weary, dark day. “I can surprise you with another lingerie set if you like.” She leaned in closer. “I do have some extra special things I set aside for the honeymoon.”

The honeymoon
. Alex had planned to take her away for three weeks. Just the two of them on a private island, soaking up the sun and each other. He was going to surprise her with it.

He couldn’t go away now.

“About the honeymoon–”

“You don’t need to say it. I know it’s postponed, regardless of whether we move forward with the wedding as planned or not. You can still keep it a surprise until the time’s right for us to go.”

God damn but he was lucky he had her.

“On the plus side, I can wear my honeymoon lingerie now, and buy something new when we do get to go.”

“Darling, I don’t care what you wear underneath your dress. Wear nothing at all if you want.”

“I couldn’t!”

He started leading her back to the bathroom. “You could. Only I might know.”

“Trust me. In my dress, everyone would know.”

“All the millions of people, you mean.”

“God, don’t remind me. Besides, I’m sure you don’t want millions of people to see me through my dress, do you?”

He led her to the dual sinks, over which a large, wide mirror hung. “You’re mine, darling. So, no. No one gets to see your body but me.”

Alex toyed with the tips of her hair resting on her breasts, and kept his eyes locked on hers. “Do you want people to see you? To see your gorgeous body?”

Her eyes widened. “Alex.”

“Do you want them to see me take you? Claim you as a husband would a wife?”

She tried to step back, but he kept her against him. “Does my fiancée have some exhibitionist fantasies?”

“No, of course not,” she said, though her breasts tightened and her body shivered.

He positioned her so they faced the mirror, her back to his front. Her chestnut waves were wild over her olive-hued shoulders, her brown eyes were wide and her lower lip was nestled between her teeth. “Want to play tonight, darling?”

“Alex, it’s late. Maybe we should just shower and–”

“Or maybe I should fuck you in front of the mirror.” She sucked in a sharp breath.

Watching them both in the mirror, he shifted her hair away and kissed the curve of her neck. One hand curled around her, resting against her stomach to keep her pressed tight against him. The other hand skimmed down to her miniscule thong. He slid it down until it fell at her feet, and she kicked them away.

They both watched as his fingers slid over her trimmed pussy.

Rebecca tipped her head back against his shoulder. “Alex.”

His fingers circled her below until her breath hitched. “Yes, darling?”