Page 19 of The Only King to Claim Her

She suddenly felt a bit bratty and quite self-indulgent. But she wanted it. For just these few moments.

“Eat pastries first,” she said.

“Is that by royal command?”

“Unless you don’t want to. Eat what it is you want. But do not let protocol stop you from eating the pastries.”

“Annick, protocol never stops me from anything.”

She studied him. “No. I expect not.”

She had done so much reading about him. About The King and about Maximus. And she wondered which bits and pieces were true. She wondered if he was half so...wicked as the tabloids claimed.

And then she wondered why she was quite so interested. Yes, she had been prepared to offer her body to him. The very idea made her warm now. What would she have been? If she had been free? What foods would she have liked? Would she have had a score of lovers by now?

She very much liked the look of this man. She wanted to touch him. It stood to reason that if she were around other men who possessed a certain level of attractiveness, she might wish to touch them too. And if she had full freedom...she might have.

She turned her focus back to the food, but she could feel his eyes on her.

“You must realize, Annick, that your plan will not work.”

She looked at him again. “What?”

“Adviser. Guard. These are not official titles. It is not a statement. It is not strong.”

“And you think you can do better than this plan?”

“I know I can. It isn’t enough to have me by your side. You want ‘The King’? I will be the King, Annick. But you will be my wife.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“FOOLISHNESS!” SHE SAID, without even thinking. “I cannot marry you.”

“And why not?”

“You said you didn’t want power,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “A lie. You are making the ultimate power grab now that you are here.”

“You brought me here—you can hardly accuse me of engineering it. But think about it. What stronger stance will you take as a Queen than having a King beside you? And I can protect you, truly protect you. I can be in your chamber at night.”

Heat crackled up her spine. “You said you did not want my body.”

“I do not. But this is a traditional country. Do you think you won’t create rumors by bringing me here? Me? With my reputation?”

Her eyes went narrow and bright. “Okay. I see. But...but to what end?”

“Any end. The end that makes the most sense.”

“And what do you get out of it?”

“The good I can do commanding an army outstrips what I can do alone. Don’t you think?”

“For how long?” she asked, her chest squeezing tight. “How long would we have to...?”

“For life. A royal marriage cannot be anything else, but we can live separate lives.”

“And...and children?” she asked, her throat dry as sandpaper.

“There will have to be children. For your kingdom.” His words were like stone. “But no need to concern ourselves with them for now, don’t you think?”

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