Page 48 of His Highness's Hidden Heir

She nodded, starting to believe it.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHATLEXIREALIZEDover the next weeks was that trusting her husband meant she began to trust him with her heart. She was falling in love with him.

At first, she thought it was a side effect of the love she felt for her son. She was utterly enraptured with Prince Eryk Rolf Alexander Thorolf. He cried loud, consumed gallons and slept hard. He had fine blond hair and piercing blue eyes and smiled when he dreamed. He had two doting and underworked nannies because Lexi liked to keep him where she could see him.

She especially loved seeing him with his father.

That’s when she began to recognize what was happening to her. Magnus would show up in the middle of the day and say, “I only have a minute before my next meeting, but I wanted to see what sort of trouble you two were getting into.”

It was never more dramatic than nursing or snuggling while she read a book, but Magnus would kiss her and steal Rolf from her arms and tell him state secrets in Isleifisch before he handed him back and kissed her again.

She would justmeltthrough those hit-and-run moments of affection, then she would begin counting the minutes until he came back for the evening.

Almost from the first night they had brought him home, after Rolf was bathed and fed, Magnus would take him to see the queen.

Lexi half suspected Magnus did it so she would get used to trusting that it was safe to let her baby out of her sight for a half hour. It caused her the normal amount of new-mother anxiety, but she also knew that her son needed to bond with his aunt, since Katla would provide him guidance on the role he would one day assume.

One evening, Magnus hadn’t turned up by the time Rolf usually went up so Lexi took him. She was still recovering from her surgery, so she was moving slowly.

“You carried him up the stairs yourself?” Katla scolded. “Why didn’t you take the pram and the elevator?”

Because that was an even longer walk, but Lexi didn’t say so.

“Do not set back your recovery, Lexi. You need to attend that summit in New York with Magnus next month. Otherwise, your countrymen will think we’re holding you hostage.” She held Rolf aloft. “You’re such a big, strong boy, aren’t you?”

Lexi took her at her word. A few nights later, Magnus swept into their suite muttering impatiently, “These people who don’t know how to end a meeting without telling you what they’ve already said.” He looked around. “Where is he?”

“I sent him up.” She set aside the book she was reading.

“Is he walking already? They really do grow up fast.” He picked up her feet and sat, then set her feet in his lap, exactly as he had done so often while she’d been pregnant.

“Ulmer said that since we’ll be in New York over American Thanksgiving, he thinks I should host a charity dinner.” She wrinkled her nose. “At first, I thought he meant serving meals at a soup kitchen, which I’m happy to do, but he means putting on a whole...thing.”

“Why are you reluctant?”

“I was hoping I could stay here in the palace. Maybe never go outside again?”

“Ah. Well, I thought I could finally have someone prettier than Ulmer standing beside me while I make all my appearances.”

“It’s a tight race,” she said with a grimace. “I’m not feeling very pretty.”

“Why the hell not? Because I’m not crawling all over you, telling you how irresistible you are?” In a swift move, he was between her legs, wide hands easily dragging her hips down the sofa so he could loom over her and plant a long, lazy kiss on her mouth.

She caught her breath in surprise, then relaxed into the kiss, letting her leg curl around his waist. Her arms twined around his shoulders and she burrowed her fingers beneath the binding on his hair, looking for the heat of his neck.

“This sex ban is torture.” He nipped lightly at her chin. “How are you not aware that I’m ogling your breasts at every opportunity? You are very, very beautiful, goddess. Let me show you off.”

“People will judge,” she said in a plaintive whisper, stroking his beard. “I didn’t care before. Well, I did.” It had hurt like hell. “But it was only me they were judging so I could stand it. Now they’ll judge you for marrying me. It doesn’t matter if I make a mistake or not, they’ll find one and everything I do will reflect on you and Rolf.”

“It will,” he agreed in his no-nonsense way that always seemed to pull the rug on her. “But you are such a fierce warrior behind this angelic face of yours.” He swept his fingertip along her brow and down her cheek. “I know that you’ll slay them in your sly, ruthless way.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She pushed at his shoulder.

“Oh, please. You win people over with laser-focused charm. Even Ulmer has started to hyperventilate if he risks disappointing you. ‘The princess will be waiting, sir,’” he mocked. “I caught the cook having a little cry because you gave her some things to send to her niece for her birthday. How did you even know it was her niece’s birthday?”

“We were chatting. She’s a fan of Paisley Pocket. I was being nice, not manipulative.”

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