Page 29 of Coral Prince Conundrum
“I…don’t know about that. I might not be able to help,” Daryl replies.
I step close to him and stroke his face. “I believe in you, Daryl Tishman.” Before we can kiss, Drakey moves forward, throwing us off balance. I roll my eyes and smile. Next, I reach down and take the reins. “Get comfortable, it is going to be a bit of a long ride. And you might want to hold on to me.”
Daryl nods, then crowds my space. He wraps his arms around my torso, and his warmth jolts straight to my groin. We are embarking on a fake-fiancé gambit to stop political unrest, but I still feel this intense attraction to him.
Quelling my lustful thoughts, I whistle to direct Drakey to keep going. With speed, he darts across the water, leading me back to my home.
Hours later, Daryl wakes up in my arms. When he was getting tired, I told him to switch places with me so that he wouldn’t fall off, and he complied. The top speeds on the water were alarming to him at first, but sometime after hour three, he got used to it.
Now, he stirs on my chest as I sit behind, arms wrapped around him, holding the reins. The whirring noise of the great blue ocean around us is a familiar soundtrack to me. He must have already grown used to it, because he stretches and gazes around.
“I’ve always been one to fall asleep on long car rides,” he says.
I lean my head almost on his shoulder. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. Drakey is one smooth ride.” We both laugh, and he cuddles close.
“He is the most loyal steed. He’s even faster underwater, but I gave him specific instructions to stay on the surface.”
“Yeah, please don’t dive deep, little dragon.” We laugh again, and he taps the platform below him. “He listens to whatever you say?”
“Yes. I raised him since he was a baby.” I clear my throat. “In a lot of ways, he’s my best friend.”
“Yeah? No one close to you at home?”
I shrug. “My siblings, sort of. But Father always made it clear that I am the heir, I am the Coral Prince, and that I had higher duties. So we were not allowed to play together for many years. Until recently, they treated me like an extension of him.”
“But what about boyfriends?”
I snicker. “I learned a long time ago that many people want the Coral Prince for his power. But no one wants to know me. That was never satisfying. So, occasional trysts and short-term intimacy were all I could accomplish.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Seero,” he says. He turns to me, his face so close to mine. All it would take is me leaning forward to kiss him again. But no, we are simply fake fiancés on a mission.
I clear my throat and look away. “I should be sorry. I am the one taking you away from everything you know for this…charade.”
“You did it so the guards wouldn’t kill me, I get it.” He grins, and I’m humbled that he’s so understanding. “Besides, now I get to help you prepare your case for your Corali Court.”
I smile at him and hold him closer. “That is true.”
“And plus, I get to ride on the back of a freaking dragon.” We share a chuckle and gaze at the ocean passing us by.
“That is so very common in my kingdom.”
“I can’t wait to see it all.” His wistful expression is one of beauty, and for a moment, there’s nothing fake about us. After a beat, he giggles and cuddles closer to me. “Getting to travel and see a new kingdom…I’m actually kind of excited to be your fake fiancé.”
My smile falls?I must not forget my mission, and more importantly, my heart. Daryl has been forced into this relationship. We are not real; we are only temporary.
“There is much I can show you.”
Daryl turns to me. “Are they going to kill me after I…you know?”
“After what?”
“After we find a way to break off this engagement and I go back home?”
My mouth goes dry, and I grip the reins tighter. The idea of no longer being with Daryl is a frightening one. “I will make sure no harm comes to you.”
He nods in understanding, then looks forward again. “Good. Because if I get hurt, Layla might personally swim here and cause an international incident.”
