Page 51 of Powerful Prince
Finally, his lips claimed mine and his kiss burned into my soul. I’d met the love of my life and he loved me back. Together we had everything, and I didn’t need more. We were enough.
Chapter 18
Ryder
Sleeping next to Nicole in my berth on the yacht was tighter than the bed, but waking up with her bare leg sprawled on mine already made me hard.
I wanted to ravage her body and bury myself inside her, again.
However, the birds chirping outside the window meant it was daytime—and our wedding day.
So I ignored my base urges and untangled myself from her and the sheets. I tugged on my pants and headed upstairs to ensure our wedding was still happening today.
All we needed was the priest. Though, I might have to find alternatives if our spot had been filled in the past few hours.
I paced, but the priest answered my call with a yawn and admitted he’d not listened to his messages yet. Perfect. The wedding was still on.
I hung up as I saw through the window that Nicole was stirring and I rushed back into the room. She was sitting up and stretching when I came in and I tossed my phone on the bed beside her as I said, “The priest hadn’t heard my message last night, so we’re still on for our wedding at one.”
Her lips met mine and my heart leapt out of my chest. She was mine forever now. I’d never let her go.
But, as the kiss ended, she jerked back and grabbed her clothes from the floor and pointed to the door. “Who’s that?”
A flash of bright blue and gold fleurs-de-lis was the one thing I saw. I waited for her to dress and then turned on my heels and said, “My father’s messenger, dressed in his livery. Be right back. He must have sent a missive.”
I went out and accepted the paper. Without care, I ripped open the royal seal and glanced inside. Nicole would want to hear this immediately. I headed inside and held the paper in front of me as I read her the words, “His Royal Majesty requests the presence of his son, Prince Ryder Kristoff, and his bride-to-be, Miss Nicole Steel, at the palace for breakfast. All wedding festivities will be held at the royal palace.”
She kissed my cheek and grabbed her phone like this was Christmas morning. “Good. Let’s go there now. I’ll text my sisters to meet me. This means we can get the dress I picked out there with Emily.”
My mind sharpened. Of course. I dropped the letter on the built-in table. She wanted a wedding dress. In my bag, I’d packed my tuxedo, but wedding dresses were different entirely. I hugged her waist and said, “Emily can bring it to you, and I can send a note back telling him to fuck off.”
She laughed, kissed my cheek, and let me go as her phone beeped with messages. Then she said, “Don’t. You love your country and your family. Let’s head over right away and straighten everything out.”
She texted her replies and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I cleaned up once she was finished and put my clothes on. As we put our shoes on together, I listened to the zip in my heart and said, “Let me talk to my father first, and decide then.”
She headed out to the deck with me but said quickly, “Yes, he’s your father, so it’s your decision—as long as we end the day married.”
I helped her off the ship then jumped off after her. On the dock, I said, “While I speak to him, get your dress, and have your hair and makeup done.”
We walked the path together and she took my hand and said, “I’d rather be with you.”
I raised my right hand and said, “I will come for you right away. I swear it.”
She bumped into me and smiled as she said, “Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” My heart was hers, and today was about us, not my father or his crown.
The rest of the way, we walked in silence, but it was the calming kind. I was with Nicole. She loved me and nothing else mattered.
We sailed past the guards and I dropped Nicole off in the tailors’ atelier.
She kissed my cheek and I headed toward my father’s throne room and office with a whistle on my lips.
As I breezed into his office and past his secretary, I announced myself. “Father, I’m here.”
His secretary bowed out of the room. My father waited for the door to close and his shoulders dropped as he said, “I have your fiancée’s contract that she authorized her lawyer to sign.”
I steeled my spine as I met his cold blue eyes and said, “I promised her she could post about herself and her thoughts without a filter, Father. I want this honored.”
