“Agreed.” He guides his cock inside me, and we make lazy love, both of us still too tired from the first round to get too creative. But even without all the bells and whistles, it is still the best.
Every time with Andrew is the best, and it just keeps getting better.
By the time our last night on the island rolls around a week later, I’m wondering if I made the wrong decision. I don’t want to rush things or bow to pressure from forces outside our relationship, but the thought of going our separate ways in the morning is devastating.
But returning to Gallantia with Andrew instead of catching my flight home would only trigger another wave of ugly, gossipy headlines right when Andrew needs things to quiet down before his coronation. I know this, and I know going home is for the best. I have to check in on my business and my garden and my mother, of course, before she gets mad enough to follow through on that medical coma threat.
Still, I spend the twenty minutes Andrew is in the shower shopping flights to Baden Bergen. Maybe if I fly commercial instead of on the private jet with Andrew and sneak into the castle under the cover of darkness, no will notice that “the wrong twin” is still hanging around, making things complicated.
“Any email from Lizzy?” Andrew asks as he emerges from the bathroom, a towel slung low on his hips.
Closing the browser and shutting my laptop, I shake my head. “No. Nothing. They’ve been off the grid for a long stretch now. Should we be worried?”
“No. We shouldn’t.” Andrew steps into a pair of boxer briefs, and I spin in my chair to watch him get dressed. It’s not nearly as much fun as watching him get undressed, but still way better than anything my laptop has to offer.
“How can you be so sure? Lizzy and Jeffrey could have died in an avalanche for all we know.”
“Not a lot of avalanches in late June.” Then he adds in a guilty voice, “And I received a text from Jeffrey this morning.”
I sit up straighter. “What? Why didn’t you tell me? What did he say?”
“I can’t tell you,” he says, shrugging on his shirt. “I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
I stand, crossing the room. “But surely Jeffrey didn’t mean me. Lizzy is my sister. I deserve to know what’s going on with her.”
“She’s fine. He’s fine,” Andrew says. “But I can’t say more than that.”
I cross my arms at my chest and glare up at him.
“I’m sorry.” His lips quirk. “Once I make a promise, I keep it. It’s a good trait, I promise. You’ll like it when you tell me something you don’t want everyone else to know.”
“Maybe,” I grumble, leaning against the dresser as I admire the deft way he knots a tie. “You look like you could do that in your sleep.”
“My grandfather made me learn when I was five. Right after I mastered tying my shoes and before I was allowed to play video games with my cousins on Saturdays. He knew how much I loved Super Mario and used it to his advantage.”
“Clever man.” I brush a damp lock of hair off Andrew’s forehead as I study every curve and angle of his face.
“Did I miss a spot shaving?”
“No,” I murmur. “I’m memorizing you. I want to be able to close my eyes and see your face when we’re apart.”
“We won’t be apart for long. I’ll be on that helicopter on my way to you every chance I get.”
I shake my head. “No, that scares me. Helicopters should be used sparingly. Only in emergencies.”
He grins. “You and Jeffrey. Both such worrywarts.”
“I don’t want you taking unnecessary risks. I want you around for a long time.”
He draws me close, linking his hands at the small of my back. “I’m going to be around for a very long time. But I have been thinking. What if I didn’t go back?”
My brows pinch together. “What do you mean? You have to go back. Your coronation is in two weeks.”
“But what if it’s not?” he asks, hugging me closer. “What if I go to Rinderland with you and let Jeffrey take over for me?” My jaw drops, but before I can stammer out all the reasons that’s insane, he hurries on. “This isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, Bree. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Ever since we got here. I mean, why should I be king instead of Jeffrey or Nick? Just because I was born first?”
“You’ve been studying to be king your entire life. Like you said, with your grandfather and the tie.”
He grins. “Jeffrey can also tie a mean tie. Probably even faster than I can.”
“Stop it. You know that’s not what I meant.” I try to pull out of his arms, but he holds me tight. I settle for placing my hands on his chest as I gaze up at him, willing him to see sense. “No offense to Jeffrey, but he’s too scary and grouchy to rule a country. You’re going to be a wonderful king. Your heart is in the perfect place, and you’re smart and kind, and you listen to other people’s opinions before you make a decision. Do you know how rare all of that is in one person?” I smooth his tie down the center of his dress shirt as I answer my own question, “Very rare. And very special. And not easily replaced. So no, you can’t come to Rinderland with me. You have to go make good decisions for your people and make me proud. We’ll see each other every chance we get.”