Page 14 of Crowning His Innocent Assistant

“I dream of weakness,” he said.

“Whose weakness?” she asked.

“My own. I have...withstood torture.” He leaned backward, so that she could see the knife slashes that went across his chest. Then he turned his shoulder, so she could see where he had tasted the sting of the whip on his back. “I did not yield. I did not break. But in my dreams, sometimes I cry out. Sometimes, I am broken. And that is the final indignity.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There is no reason to be sorry for me.” He inclined his head. “I am a king, after all.”

She nodded. “But a man as well. I can see that in your scars.”

“Reinforcing, perhaps, your theory that men are flawed.”

“Oh, I know they are. But you’ve made me think, maybe they’re good too.”

“And what if I’m only good to further my own selfish ends?”

She was silent for a moment. “Do you intend to hurt people?”

“No.”

“Then perhaps it doesn’t matter why. I have lived very selfishly for a great many years. Because I had to survive.”

He nodded slowly. “I’m familiar with survival.”

“Isn’t it a wonderful thing, to live for more than that?”

He did not know how she remained so bright. How she had so much optimism.

“I never thought of it as such.”

“I do. Every day. I think that’s the real reason I get lost in the details of this place. It’s wonderful to want something other than to not feel quite so cold. To not feel quite so hungry.”

“Do you dream still?”

“Yes. That is something that’s not quite fair, isn’t it? The dreams are still there. But at least we both sleep in safety.”

“Indeed we do.”

And he thought of her then as a mouse, not because she was small, but because she was as the tiny creature who fearlessly approached the lion, and perhaps was the only one who could say what needed to be said or do what needed to be done. No one else had ever spoken to him quite like this. Perhaps because she was a street urchin who was so outside of everything that held the kingdom together, she was quite so effective. All he knew was that he had never quite felt as if another person had understood him so keenly. And there was something healing about sitting across from her, and seeing how she sat with strength. How she had not responded to him with fear. That this creature, so filled with an appreciation for life that he did not feel, so placid in the face of danger, but never truly placid. She made him feel like he could see the best outcome for a person who had been through such trauma. And he didn’t think he would ever feel as she did. But he could see the merit of one such as her, a person who had endured all she had, and still had emotion. Still had hope...

He could see how it might be valuable to use her.

As the heart that beat outside of his body, for there was none to be found within.

Her lips brought him back to the moment, a shocked sound escaping her mouth. It was soft and sweet, and filled with desire.

Yes. He had known it then, and he knew it now. That she could be his heart. She could be the one who led with all that fierce conviction that she had.

She was the only one who could be his Queen, and if he had to seduce her to see it done, then he would.

Women enjoyed his body. He was not conceited about it, but neither was he falsely humble when it came to the assets that he possessed that women enjoyed. Why should he be? And so he kissed her. Kissed her until she cried out and stepped back. “What was that?”

“If you’re going to be my Queen and produce my heirs, we do need to know if we are compatible on that score.”

He was honestly shocked as the desire that he felt for her poured through his veins.

He had not expected to feel this deep, low pull of attraction, not for his mouse. But then, she had always had a way to the core of him. She had always seemed to know him. And perhaps there was something in that. Perhaps in bed they would know each other in a way that proved pleasurable for them both.

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