Page 53 of Royal Player
Polly:In my room.
Me:Why?
Polly:I’m thinking.
Me:Think over here.
No response.
I take a deep breath, reaching for calm, and text again.Which room is yours?
Polly:I’m next to Marge. Do NOT come here.
Me:Then you come here.
I wait for her response and, receiving none, text again.If you don’t tell me which room is yours, I will knock on every door in the east wing until I find you.
Polly:I’m the last room on the second floor.
I pull on a T-shirt, slip my phone in my pocket, and head out. By the time I get there, I’ve calmed a little. I don’t want to fight with her. I need to be with her as much as I can before she slips away. Her door is unlocked, so I let myself in, not wanting Marge to hear my knock.
She turns from where she’s standing by her bed, and my breath catches. She’s just so beautiful. I don’t know why it catches me by surprise now. Maybe because I fear I’m losing her. Her heart-shaped face, bright brown eyes, and pink cheeks are all so familiar to me, yet I find myself trying to memorize her features. Her dark curly hair cascades over her pale pink nightgown, a light silky material with spaghetti straps, which ends at her knees. It’s a loose, flowing gown but still so sexy because I know every inch of what lies beneath. A surge of affection has me closing the distance between us in a flash.
I frame her beautiful face with my hands. “I love you.”
Her eyes well.
“That’s all you need to know. There’s nothing else to think about.”
She turns away. “It’s not that simple,” she says quietly. “Not that black and white.”
I cup her cheek and turn her back to me, pressing my lips to hers. “This is right. You know it is.”
Her voice is strained. “Yes.”
“Let me in.”
“You’re in, okay?” Her voice chokes. “You’re in my heart so deep I could never get you out.” She frowns. I’m a complication to her straightforward simple path to queen. Marry the man who benefits her kingdom, and she gets everything. Be with me, and it’s all a question.
Still, I press for more. I want everything with her. “Invite me to your kingdom.”
“I will when the time is right.”
“Okay, and then I’ll invite you to mine.”
She throws her hands up. “I’m in yours already.”
“I mean ours together. Our own place—a home of our own. We’ll get one not far from here.”
She sighs. “And now we’re back to square one.”
I never wanted her to give up her kingdom, but it’s different now. No one is looking out for her back home. They don’t respect her and her abilities. Here she can have everything. We both can.
I pull her in for a hug, and she melts against me. I wait for her to lift her head, and then I kiss her, trying to make her remember what we have. She returns the kiss eagerly, her hands tunneling through my hair, her hips arching up against me, instinctively seeking more.
I break the kiss and take her hand, leading her to bed. “We’ll talk about it again once we know more. We’ll make a plan.”
“I’m good at making plans,” she says with a soft smile.
