Page 68 of Royal Player
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The moment we escape to the privacy of my bedroom, we slam together in a passionate embrace, tumbling to the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Somehow we manage to get our clothes off in a frenzy of kisses and strokes andI love yous.
Our bodies join together, finally, as close as two people can be. As close as our lives will be joined together as husband and wife, as king and queen, and as parents to the next generation, who will be born into a more modern progressive era.
Oscar’s hand holds my face, and he stills deep inside me. “Are you planning again?”
I beam. He knows me so well. “Yes, planning our glorious future.”
He slips a hand between us, stroking me rapidly. “Surrender,” he commands.
I do, the only place I ever will, safe in his arms. My head arches back, my breath coming harder in a haze of intense pleasure.
And then I soar.
He shudders against me a few moments later, a guttural groan sounding near my ear, before he gives me his weight.
I give him a squeeze. “I love you. I’m so glad things worked out as they should.”
He lifts his head. “I never doubted.”
“You didn’t?” I can’t help my surprise. It was not at all a sure thing.
He cradles my jaw. “I may have doubted in the beginning, but then when I got here and saw you in action, I knew it was Polly’s way or bust.”
I smile as he lifts himself off me and rolls to his back. “You did not know it was my way.”
He turns on his side, pulls me close, and kisses me tenderly. “What I knew was that you would rule whether or not you wore a crown because that’s how smart and driven you are. And I knew you would do that by my side because I was not going to let you go.” He cups my cheek, his thumb stroking the sensitive spot under my ear. “It was love at first sight for me, Pol. I knew there would never be another like you for me.” His voice turns fierce. “I would fight for you at any and all costs.”
“Oscar.” My voice chokes. “Thank you for fighting for me. You’re my hero, truly. You’ve done so many heroic, selfless things in my honor.” My lips part as realization hits. “You’ve been acting like a king all along, putting me and my kingdom above self. This new role as king is your destiny.”
“You’re my destiny. The rest is simply the gift that you bring along with you.”
My lower lip quivers, and he kisses me. Tears fill my eyes and brim over. He breaks the kiss and brushes my tears away with the pad of his thumb, his expression tender.
I’m just so overwhelmed by the wonderful miracle of our love. I never understood why people made themselves such fools for it. And then I saw the love Anna and Gabriel have for each other, and the romantic proposal Lucas gave to his love, Alice, and finally experienced it for myself. It’s the most powerful thing in the world.
“I will treasure what we have,” I say in a solemn vow.
“And I will treasureyou.”
“I’ll treasure you too!” I kiss him and then I can’t stop kissing him as we both keep assuring each other of our mutual treasuring. I’m a fool for love right along with him, and I couldn’t be happier.
Love has set me free (with some strategic planning on my part). I can’t wait to make even more plans with my love by my side.
Epilogue
The royal wedding night
Oscar
I’m the one who was crowned king. If you need to pick me out of the middle of the Rourke clan, the fourth-born son, that’s how you do it. Prince Oscar is now King Oscar. I’m not bragging. It’s simply a fact made possible by the love of an incredible, high-energy, strategic-minded woman. She’s brilliant, lit up by the most amazing strength and spirit, and I love her with all my heart.
It’s been four months since the storm that took Polly away from me and ultimately gave her back. We’ve worked day and night to restore order to the kingdom. The press love us, her people love us, and her parents have grown to love me. Well, as much as they can, given their daughter hugs me frequently, in public and private, and moved me into her room the moment they agreed to the marriage. I hadn’t even put a ring on her finger yet. She’s breaking royal protocol left and right, but her parents tolerate it because they love her. And maybe also because they knew my intentions from the start. I told them at our first meeting that I love her and will doanythingto ensure her happiness.
We married this morning in a formal church ceremony. The public lined the streets to cheer us on as we travelled from palace to church in a horse-drawn carriage. The press was there, along with TV crews. My family, too, of course. Queen Anna and Queen Polly have plans for strategic alliances between our kingdoms since they’re both now in the business of tourism. My brothers are happy for us, even Adrian, whom I left underfunded with the casino and alone when I flew here to be with Polly.
I knew I needed to make things right for Adrian after pulling out of the project, so I pitched the idea of investing in a casino to my sister Emma and her rock star husband, Jackson. They loved the idea and also agreed to perform there, which will be a huge draw. They live in France, so it’s a performance opportunity close to home. The plan is for a small venue inside for them on the second floor and, in good weather, they’ll perform on the rooftop terrace. Adrian is hoping the casino will open next summer.
