Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“I’m okay. Thank you for your concern. The other day…was difficult. I would prefer to never go through that again. West,” he paused and squeezed his eyes shut as his brain replayed that moment of being held so tightly in his arms in front of the crowd as they waited to see if one or both of them would be killed. “West takes his own life too lightly.”
“Or he values your life that highly,” Isidore murmured with a grin.
Alexei wiggled to the edge of the sofa cushion and rested his forearms on his knees, leaning so close to Jin that he could make out the soft rose-petal eyeshadow highlighting his eyelids and the dark eyeliner that graced the rims. That would explain why the man’s eyes seemed to dominate his narrow face.
“So, so, so, tell us. Can you and West date? Like is it against some royal law that you can’t date some icky foreigner? Are you going to turn him into your secret palace love slave? And does that come with golden handcuffs and a bejeweled jock strap?”
Jin’s brain stopped cold, then raced ahead to vividly imagine West in said handcuffs and jock strap. It was something to consider.
Qin nearly choked to death beside him.
Without thinking, Jin poured a glass of water and handed it over to Qin. He took a glance over at Izzie, who was smiling as if this kind of thing tumbled out of Alexei’s mouth on a daily basis.
“There are no laws saying that West and I can’t date. We have to be cautious, as the timing is not…ideal,” Jin replied when he could string a few coherent thoughts together. “Naturally, I am concerned about the approval of my people, and I worry they would not approve of me being romantically involved with anyone while the emperor is in the hospital.”
Isidore glanced from Jin to Qin. “I glimpsed the news reports following the incident.” Isidore paused and cleared his throat. “They didn’t seem that bad to me.”
Jin almost laughed. He hadn’t looked at the news at all since that day. He’d spent the night either wrapped in West’s arms or talking with his brother and West over food. He’d avoided the news and the Internet. Sunday was more of that, though he’d tried to focus more on catching up with his younger brother.
This morning, he’d jumped straight into meetings and hadn’t stopped.
Qin winced. “It was…mixed. The latest survey of public opinion is split along gender lines. Women view West’s actions as romantic and endearing. They are happy someone has stepped forward to protect and cherish their crown prince. Men are more skeptical of him. They want to know who he is, who his people are, and what his intentions are toward the kingdom. They also believe he’s not respectful enough.”
A loud, angry huff escaped Jin as he glared at his tea, his arms folded over his chest. “Not respectful enough? Nonsense. Other than that hug, he has always walked two steps behind me with his head down. He bows and always addresses me properly. He acts forward one time and they deem him not respectful enough. West was protecting me!”
“Sshhh, Dianxia!” Qin hushed him, appearing as though he wanted to sink into the carpet. “West has been very careful and respectful. I’m sure the people will come around to accept him as a normal part of your life.”
“As my consort,” Jin declared.
Qin’s mouth fell open, but no words came out. It didn’t matter because Alexei was squealing and laughing enough for multiple people.
“That’s wonderful!” Isidore cried.
“Yas! I knew West would find his prince charming, eventually. I just never guessed it would be an actual prince,” Alexei cackled.
“Shh! I haven’t discussed this with West, technically. I mean, we’ve talked about him remaining in Gaoxing, but I haven’t said the words, ‘Let’s get married and have some babies together.’ ”
Alexei sighed and rested his face in both of his hands. “I would pay so much money to be in the room when you say those words.” He straightened and pointed a finger at Jin. “And I want to hear you say those exact words.”
There was a soft buzz from Qin. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Qin pulled his phone from his pocket and answered it. It must have been urgent. Qin never answered a call while Jin was in the middle of a meeting. Of course, this had changed from a typical business meeting to more of a visit with friends.
He turned his attention back to his companions. “I want to keep West here with me, but we haven’t discussed specifics such as marriage. He doesn’t seem the type to want children. I wouldn’t even know how to bring up such a topic.”
“You could always show him your baby pictures, and when he points out how you were such a cute baby, you can ask if he wants to have two or three babies exactly as cute as you were,” Alexei suggested.