The whole situation was so fucked. I hated playing mind games, and we were trapped in the most twisted web of games and one-upmanship possible. I also didn’t love the idea of blackmail, but if that’s what I had to do, I’d do it.
Bridget examined me, those beautiful blue eyes sympathetic. “It must’ve been a shock, learning about Erhall and Andreas. I know you have mixed feelings about your father.”
That was one way to put it. Another way was I despised him even more now that I knew his identity.
“He’s not my father.” Erhall was, at best, a sperm donor. “But I don’t want to talk about him right now. Let’s focus on your plan.”
I had a lot of shit to sort out when it came to Erhall, but I could do that later.
Bridget picked up on my cue and changed the subject.
“Okay. So.” She lifted her chin. “We’re really doing this. Blackmailing the Speaker of Parliament.”
Despite her bravado, a note of nervousness ran beneath her words, and the fierce need to protect her—from the world, from her own doubts and insecurities—consumed me.
I wished she could see herself as I saw her. Fucking perfect.
I framed her face with my hands. “If we do it, we do it together. You and me against the world, princess.”
Her smile sent warmth crashing against my ribcage. “I wouldn’t have anyone else by my side, Mr. Larsen.” She took a deep breath. “We might need the information to push Erhall, but I want to try something before we resort to doing the same with Parliament. All this time, I’ve been treating the tabloids as my enemy, but maybe they can be an ally.”
She explained her plan. It was easier than blackmailing one hundred eighty of Eldorra’s most powerful, but it was also a major gamble.
“You sure?” I asked after she finished. “It’s a big risk.”
Bridget had the most to lose if it didn’t pan out.
“Yes. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier.” She paused. “Actually, I can. I was scared of what people would say and that it would lessen my legitimacy as a ruler. But I’m tired of being afraid. With great risk comes great reward, right?”
A small smile touched my lips. “Absolutely.”
Bridget was, after all, my greatest risk and my greatest reward.
She lifted one hand and tangled her fingers with mine. “I missed you.”
The mood shifted, transitioning from the brisk practicality of our plan to something softer and achingly vulnerable.
“I’m right here. I’m not leaving.” I swept my thumb over her bottom lip. “I take care of what’s mine, and you’ve been mine since the moment I saw you outside your poorly secured house at Thayer. Until I fixed it, of course.”
A smile tugged at her mouth. “You couldn’t stand me back then.”
“Doesn’t matter. You were still mine.” I curled my hand around the back of her neck while keeping my thumb on her lip. “Mine to fight with. Mine to protect. Mine to fuck.” My voice dropped. “Mine to love.”
Bridget sucked in an audible breath.
“In Costa Rica, you asked if I’d ever been in love. I said no.” I lowered my head until our foreheads touched and her lips were scant inches from mine. “Ask me again.”
It was the same request I’d made at the hospital, but this time, Bridget didn’t break our gaze as she asked, “Have you ever been in love, Mr. Larsen?”
“Only once.” I slid my hand up from her neck to the back of her head, cupping it. “And you, princess. Have you ever been in love?”
“Only once,” she whispered.
I exhaled sharply her words sank into my soul, filling cracks I hadn’t known existed.
Until Bridget, I’d never loved or been loved, and I finally understood what the fuss was about. It was better than any bulletproof armor or oblivion I found at the bottom of the bottle during my short-lived affair with alcohol.
Alcohol was for numbing, and I didn’t want to be numb. I wanted to feel every goddamn thing with her.
I pulled Bridget close until our bodies pressed flush against each other. “Damn right,” I said fiercely. “Only once. First and last. Don’t forget that, princess.”
I fisted her hair and tugged her head back, my mouth pressing hot and insistent against hers while I maneuvered us to a chair.
There were nights when I took my time, savoring every inch of her body before I gave us what we both wanted, and there were nights like this, when our desperate need to just be together overrode everything else.
“Rhys…” She gasped as I pushed her skirt up around her hips and ripped her panties off, too impatient to shimmy them down when she was sitting. I tossed the torn silk on the floor and pushed her legs wider with my knee.
“I love when you say my name.” I sank into her, swallowing her small cry with my kiss and pushing deeper until I was buried to the hilt.
We had to muffle our moans so they didn’t carry on the wind, and somehow that only heightened the intensity of the moment, like we were containing all our emotions in this small bubble where we were the only ones who existed.
“Harder, please.” Bridget arched into me, her nails digging grooves into my skin, her warm skin contrasting against the chill of the night air on my back.
I held onto the back of the chair for better leverage and gave her what she asked for, a groan ripping from my throat when she buried her face in my chest to muffle her scream. “You feel so good, princess.”
My blood ran white-hot as I slammed into her again and again, my muscles flexing from the effort. She was slick and tight, her breath hot against my skin as she clenched and shattered around me with a wordless cry.
My orgasm followed soon after, racing through me with such intensity it took me twice as long to recover than usual.
When the aftershocks finally subsided, I pushed myself up on my arms so I didn’t crush Bridget with my weight, but she wrapped her legs around my waist, keeping me close.
“Round two?” I brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She looked sleepy and lazy and content, and it still boggled my mind she was real.
Not only real but here, with me.
She let out a soft laugh. “You’re insatiable,” she said, turning the word I’d used for her against me.
“When it comes to you?” I kissed her jaw. “Always.”
Bridget’s eyes turned liquid beneath the moonlight, and her hold on me tightened. “I love you.”
Another breath rushed out of me.
“I love you too,” I said, my voice gruff with long-buried emotion.
I kissed her again.
Her mouth against mine, her limbs wrapped around my body, our breaths and heartbeats mingling until they were one…I’d lived in hell my whole life, and it wasn’t until now I glimpsed what heaven felt like.
But as our kiss deepened and I sank into her once again, I realized I was wrong.
Bridget felt better than heaven. She felt like home.
Bridget
After my night with Rhys,I kicked my plan into high gear and prayed it worked. I didn’t feel too bad about pressuring Erhall, but it wasn’t smart to alienate all of Parliament. I didn’t believe in ruling through fear.
That was how I found myself standing in front of three dozen journalists on Sunday, three days after my rendezvous with Rhys. We were gathered on the palace’s north lawn, and behind the press gaggle, spectators pressed against metal barricades, eager for an in-person glimpse of a royal.
My friends had left that morning. I’d filled them in on my plans, but I’d waited until they were on the plane back to the U.S. before holding the press conference. I didn’t want them to have to deal with the craziness that was about to ensue. They hadn’t been happy—they’d wanted to be here for moral support, but this was something I had to do on my own.
“Good afternoon.” My voice echoed across the grounds, and the noise quieted. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I realize it’s a Sunday, and there are likely other places you’d rather be right now, like brunch or your bed”—a small ripple of startled laughter. They weren’t used to members of the royal family speaking so informally—“so I appreciate your attendance. But before I take questions, I would like to say a few words about why I brought you here.”
I looked around at the expectant faces staring back at me. Thump. Thump. Thump. Despite my pounding heart, I was strangely calm. It was like I’d expended so much energy worrying about it beforehand I had none left for the moment itself.
Rhys was right. This was a huge risk, and Elin nearly had a coronary when she found out about the last-minute press conference, but I was done playing it safe.
If I wanted something, I had to fight for it, even if meant the possibility of crashing and burning in front of the entire world.
If I wasn’t brave enough to stand up for what I wanted, I had no hope of standing up for what the people needed.
“I am a proud citizen of Eldorra. I love this country and the people in it, and I’m honored to serve as your princess. I also hope that when the time comes, I will be a queen you can be proud of.” Breathe. You can do this. “However, I’m aware there have been concerns about my desire and suitability to serve since I became crown princess. Those concerns haven’t been entirely unfounded.”
A wave of murmurs greeted my statement, but I pushed forward.
“I think I can speak for everyone here when I say none of us could have predicted the events that have led me to where I am today—nine months out from my coronation as the queen of this great country.” I took a deep breath. “When I first found out about my brother Prince Nikolai’s plans for abdication, I was scared. Scared of taking on a role I’d never expected to have, scared I wouldn’t live up to the title and fail my family, my country. But fear is no reason to stay still, and thankfully, I have a wonderful team to guide me through the intricacies required of such an important role. Earlier this year, I spent three weeks earlier traveling around the country, meeting and getting to know citizens just like you. How they lived, what concerns kept them up at night…”