Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 26177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
I tilted my head. “What? That’s what gets you to stop yelling?”
“I just, they’re going to think I just, whored myself out to the new king after kissing Frederick, which is already all over the castle too!” She stomped her foot, “I can’t believe this! He told me when we got here. They’ve been calling me the princess whore!”
I tried not to smile.
“Z…” Aw, she nicknamed me out loud. Not the time to get sensitive. “You are in some very deep shi—water!”
I bit down on my lower lip and smiled. “Aren’t you the one that basically attached your person to my body, making everything think something happened when it was a simple kiss?” Not the time to say it was anything but simple. “And aren’t you the same one who willingly seduced Frederick to get out of marrying me?”
She crossed her arms. “That was, yes, but…” She took a calming breath. “I mean, Frederick was obviously a mistake I was just, angry, and done being told what to do, if that’s my only rebellion in my life which it was by the way, then there are worse things to do, furthermore you goaded me, and I just…” Tears filled her eyes. “You braided my hair.”
“So you made them think we had sex because I braided your hair?”
“No. Yes. I didn’t want, I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want us to leave. It was different, nice, I never got to know you in that—manner.”
I grinned. “Oh, you have no idea what sort of manner you could get to know me in, I mean, if you think kissing Frederick was a scandal…” I sat up further in the bath. “Join me, let them talk, I’ll have you screaming my name so loud they’ll think that—”
“Sir!” Rupert called. “I heard yelling.”
She looked at me.
I looked at her.
Then I waved her toward the closet, as much as I talked, I still didn’t want to add insult to injury with staff finding her watching me naked in a bath. “HIDE! He talks too much!”
“Oh, ya think!” She hissed and glanced at the closet, saw it was too far then simply dove into my very large bath and held her breath as I pulled a nearby towel over it thanking God that the towels were ginormous enough he shouldn’t be able to see from the door unless she splashed.
“NO closer!” I shouted. “I’m… private, in baths, when I do baths,” She pinched my leg, then let out a bubble dangerously close to where she should not be touching, while I shuddered. “What I’m saying is, what a king does is private.” If she punched me between the legs or bit me, all bets were off.
“Very, um, elm, well, sire, just be careful while you…” He covered his mouth like he knew how to actually whisper. “Engage in such a hot bath.”
“Yup. Got it, loud and clear, okay bye!”
He clicked the door shut just as she came up for air and I can only imagine what he’s heard.
Gasping.
Water splashing everywhere onto the ground like I’m battling my own appendage, imagining it as an alligator, who the Hell knows?
All in all, a splendid last twenty-four hours.
Samira smacked me in the chest. “You, you almost choked me!”
I burst out laughing when she clapped a hand over my mouth, only to release it quickly and wipe it on her wet shirt.
“Like I said, I almost choked you? With what? My body?”
Her cheeks burned a bright red. “Just try not to get aroused.”
“God woman!” I threw my hands up. “I’m naked in the bath with my very attractive fiancé, who I actually like when she’s not yelling at me, and you want me to just relax? Chill out? Play with a rubber ducky?” I leaned in. “You know, maybe if you wouldn’t have face planted in that exact same spot, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”
“It wasn’t a choice.” She sniffed as water dripped down her face.
“What was it?”
“Desperation.”
I jerked back. “To not be seen with me?”
“To… to…” She chewed her lower lip and sat back, not even bothered that she had clothes on and I was nude. She rested her legs on either side of me. “I don’t want to be the princess whore or the queen whore my whole life.”
“Come here.” I pulled her across my chest as more water moved around us. I had her to the right side of my body, holding her close. “I would never let that happen, all right?”
She nodded her head, her inky dark hair sticking to her chin. “Promise?”
“Well, gossips will gossip, but who are they to say it wasn’t a prank or planned or that you really loved me? It’s easy to lie in the palace, hmmm?”
Her eyes darted to my mouth, but she didn’t say anything, just rested her chin on my chest and folded her arms across it. “Are you going to kiss me now?”