Page 26 of A True King

“We start over.”

I turn my head to look at him. “How?” I whisper.

“We are going to take the horses out, and when we are far from prying ears and palace walls, you are going to tell me your life story. Every little insignificant detail. And I’ll tell you mine. And when there are no more secrets between us, we will come back here and call Jack. Because we need to start figuring out what the hell is going on.”

I swallow. “OK,” I say. I sit up on him, his semi-erect cock still inside me. Holding out my hand, I grin. “I’m Mia Elizabeth Edgewater. And”—I lean down so that my hair falls like a curtain around us—“I’m a secret princess.”

Christian’s grin is wide as he takes my hand in his and presses it to his mouth. “It’s nice to meet you, Mia Elizabeth Edgewater. Funny you should mention your royal status because I, myself, am a prince.” He winks and leans up, kissing me with such fervor, I almost tell him to forget the whole horseback riding thing, the only thing I want to ride is him.

Chapter Fourteen

Christian

Zeus nudges my shoulder as I secure the bit in his mouth. I know the stable hands would do all this for me, but I’ve always found it soothing. The methodical routine of prepping my horse for a ride calms me.

Mia’s already in her saddle atop Petunia, one of my sister’s horses and Mia’s favorite one to ride.

I finish my task and pull myself into the saddle as I lead Zeus out to the trail. The trails at the Summer Palace are my favorite. The surrounding property is expansive with woods and outbuildings, including one that the three of us used as a clubhouse of sorts when we were younger. My favorite place is past a field of flowers. It’s a scenic overlook providing a vista of our country.

I can see storm clouds in the distance, but right now, the sky above us is clear with only a few puffy white clouds. I pat Zeus on the neck. I don’t get to ride him nearly enough. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. I glance over at Mia. It seems appropriate I’d share it with her as we start over.

I head straight to the scenic overlook. Mia follows me. She’s been out here enough to know the trails and I’m sure she already is aware of our picnic spot. I let Zeus gallop across the wide-open expanse filled with wildflowers. It’s only a mile long, but it’s big enough to let him stretch his legs. I haven’t been out to ride him in ages. As we get to the edge of the field, I pull on the reins and he comes to a halt as Mia and Petunia pull up next to us.

I jump off Zeus and start setting out the picnic that Tessa has packed for us. Mia jumps down and helps. In a matter of minutes, we’re sitting and eating the sandwiches and fruit.

Taking a swig of the Merlot, I set it down and look over at her. “So, tell me, who is Mia Elizabeth Edgewater?”

She leans back on her elbows and crosses her legs. “She was born in England. Grew up an only child after her mother had complications at birth. She desperately wanted a sibling. Her family is small. Both of her parents are only children, or at least that is what she was told. She only knew her mom’s parents. She collected ladybugs as a girl. She had a pet dog name Rufus who died when she was eighteen. Although, she only saw him on breaks because she was studying in the States. She was sort of a lonely child. The American kids assumed she was snobby purely based on the fact she was at a boarding school and had an English accent, even though she was far from being the wealthiest child at the school.”

I frown. Mia has never told me that. Her English accent is quite muted, but I just assumed that was from spending so many years in the United States. Perhaps, she purposefully changed it because she was bullied. That thought fills me with anger.

Mia lies down on the blanket and crosses her arms beneath her head, staring up at the blue sky. I lie on my side next to her, my head propped on my hand. “What about her dreams? What did she want out of life, this little Mia?”

Mia shrugs. “She wanted to be a lawyer for a long time. And then a doctor. And then an astronaut.” I grin at the last one. “By the time she went to college to study literature, she wasn’t sure what she wanted.”

“And that’s how you ended up interviewing for an assistant job with me?” I ask as I reach out and tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. She turns her head to look at me.

“I’d only just graduated. I had taken this government course with a lord. Lord Harrington was a character. I honestly think he only taught so people would call him Lord Professor.” She giggles and the sound brings a smile to my face. I’ve missed carefree Mia.

“Lord Harrington’s son went to school with me.”

She nods. “I know.” Turning her head, again, she says, “But you know this part of the story.”

“I do but tell it anyhow.”

“He asked me what I was doing after graduation. I said I wasn’t sure yet. That maybe I’d travel for a bit and figure it out after that. I think his direct quote was, ‘Pish-posh. You aren’t going to be one of those obnoxious backpackers. I know of someone who is hiring. It’ll allow you a bit of travel and will garner you with the most excellent credentials.’ He whipped out a piece of paper and wrote down the contact information for your father’s personal secretary who was arranging interviews. And the next thing I know, I was traveling here to be interviewed.”

“What about once you got here?”

She turns her whole body, mirroring mine. “I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be doing until you interviewed me. The second I saw you, I had the biggest crush on you.” She blushes before continuing. “But then the more you spoke, the more I wanted to work with you, even if that meant I had to pretend not to have a crush on you.”

“That didn’t go so well, now did it,” I muse as I raise an eyebrow.

She laughs. “Nope,” she answers, letting the “p” pop.

She’s quiet as she mulls over her next sentence. “Then, after we…you know…a few months later, I decided to go to a coffee shop. You know that one a few blocks from the palace?”

I nod.

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