Page 68 of The Reluctant Wife

I sense the king stiffen in surprise. When I look at Arthur, he has that familiar crafty look on his face, the one I’ve spied right before he comes up with one of his schemes. I glower at him.

He chuckles. To my relief, he doesn’t say anything. But he seems extremely chuffed with himself. A prickle of distrust cascades through my veins. I shove it aside and focus my attention on the princess.

"We’ll make sure they never get to you. My team and I are going to track them down and throw them behind bars, where they’ll never harm a single hair on your head. This, I promise."

She nods, then takes a deep breath, and when she looks up at me, her gaze is resolute. "I know you will."

Our eyes connect, and once again, I feel that pull toward her. That feeling of something inevitable that binds us together. That sensation that we fit.

Aura’s hand trembles. I squeeze her fingers, trying to communicate without words that she should not worry about anything. She shakes her head. “Everything is going wrong. My marriage would have brought much needed money into the country. But that’s not going to happen now.”

Anger squeezes my guts. I take in the disappointment in the downward slope of her shoulders, in how her lips turn down, and I’m so pissed off. She should not be bartering her future in this way. She should not be holding herself hostage for the sake of her people. And yet... Isn’t that what I did again and again? I put my life on the line for the safety of my fellow citizens. I can’t blame her for doing the same. She’s the princess of her country, after all.

But she’s also mine.Mine. Mine. Mine.I reel back as the realization sinks in. My insides are in turmoil. My guts churn. She’s mine, and I almost lost her.Only you never really had her, did you?

If her bastard of a fiancé hadn’t turned out to be such a heel, it's likely she’d have gone through with the wedding and I... I would have realized too late that I hadn’t tried my best to stop it. I never would've forgiven myself for not stepping in and making her mine. And why? Because I was blinded by pride. I was attracted to her, and she gave me her virginity, and it meant something to me. But the fact that she didn’t mention she was engaged bruised my ego. I was so overwhelmed by the blow tomy self-esteem, I was ready to let her walk away from me. I’d have lost her, and by the time I realized I should have found a way to make her break her engagement and, instead, marry me—Whoa, hold on. Am I really thinking this?

Why am I not running away screaming from that thought? Why don't I find the prospect of being hitched again, and to her, alarming? Why is the idea of using the opportunity to make her my wife so appealing?

More to the point, am I going to do something about this opportunity I’ve been offered? Am I going to seize the moment and use every resource I have to tie her to me? Am I going to use this moment to acknowledge that, since I first saw her, I haven’t gotten her out of my mind? That I need her in my life? That her engagement broke up for a reason? That I'm the man she must marry? That I'm the only one who has the resources to help her?

And if I don’t do so? If I don’t step up now and make a claim for her? Could I live with myself? Would I forgive myself for having the chance and squandering it? No. That cannot happen. There’s a reason I’ve been afforded this window, and I cannot let it go.

She winces, and I realize I'm squeezing her hand.

“Sorry.” I loosen my hold enough to relieve the pressure but don’t let go of her. “I might have a solution to your problems,” I murmur.

My phone vibrates. I pull it from my pocket, and there’s a message from my brother.

Tyler: One of the team spotted the car the suspect got away in. The person is masked but we managed to get a few images from our security cameras. Quentin’s on the case. He’s reached out to his contacts in the police to issue an APB. We’ll track him down.

I slip the phone into my pocket, then nod in the direction of Arthur and her father. “If you don't mind, could the two of you give me a moment to speak to the princess in private, please?”

I stare at Arthur until my grandfather deciphers my silent message. He jumps up. He wears such a pleased expression, I wonder if he didn’t set up events to unfold so I’d be led to make this exact decision.

Not even Arthur could have predicted how her fiancé would act, so I highly doubt it.

When the door shuts behind them, Aura turns to me. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

I choose my words carefully. "We Davenports are only five times removed from the Royal Family of England. In fact, our family fortune outshines that of the King of England."

"Okay?” Her forehead creases.

"It’s also no secret that we have business interests in every continent, other than Antarctica.”

She looks at me carefully. “You’re saying that?—"

“My brothers, my uncles, and I are equal heirs to the Davenport fortune. In fact, I have a seat on the board of the Davenport Group. And we’re always looking for new countries to invest in," I say slowly.

She stays silent, then a flash of understanding lights up her eyes. She pulls her hand from mine, and I let it go.

I need her to understand what I’m going to propose. I need her to realize I’m not manipulating her. Well, not completely.

Apparently, my grandfather has taught me well. He’s going to be proud of what I’m going to propose. But I’m not doing this for him.

I’m doing this for her. And yes, also for myself. If I didn’t use this chance to get what I want—which is her—I’d be a fool.

This is good; this is right, I can fix this for her; I know what to do. I can have her and make her mine.

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