Page 11 of The Royal Contract

The next morning, Sanjana woke to a distant sound of water splashing. She slowly moved in bed, taking in the novel scent that filled the air. It was a light yet masculine scent and everything that happened in the last forty-eight hours reeled in front of her, especially the torturous few minutes when her new husband worked on getting her out of the tangled web of her skirt.

She slowly sat up, reaching for the silk robe on the bed-end stool. The curtains were closed, but she could tell the sun was not entirely up so it could not be that late in the morning.

Slipping on the luxurious robe over her nightshirt, she walked toward the patio doors. The sound of water splashing had to be from there. Still unsure why she was so curious about the sound, she peeked outside through the sheer curtains. The sight before her caused a low gasp to escape her.

The private space for the suite she was in came with a private pool and garden, and it looked like a mini paradise, but what made it exotic was the man who was in the water. Her instinct was to look away and give him his space, but like her body had a mind of its own, she pushed aside the curtain and the doors leading to the deck and then to the pool and garden below.

She had never seen anything so fancy, not even in those vacation magazines or online posts. It had to be a one-of-a-kind resort or was it special for their suite?

Their suite? When did that happen?

Sanjana knew she still had a chance to go back inside before he caught her gawking at him, but she could not move as if she was in a trance. She couldn’t help but admire how smooth his strokes were as he swam from one side of the pool to the other. She had noticed how fit he was when she saw him in the t-shirt a couple of days back, but with his body on display, she could see he was well-built like a professional athlete.

Her eyes were still trained on him when he reached one end of the pool, and just when she thought he would turn and continue with his laps, he stopped. Her lips parted when she saw him back against the wall in the water, a hand pushing his thick dark hair back as his eyes locked with hers.

Her mouth went dry when he held the quickly heating gaze until she broke it. Her stomach clenched in weird anticipation, and she kept her eyes lowered.

“Good morning,” he called out, making her jittery deep inside.

She slowly raised her eyes to find him lifting himself out of the pool, his chiseled back on display. She managed to smile and nod in response to his greeting, even as her eyes wanted to follow the flow of water down his body.

Like the universe knew what she was thinking, he walked straight to an outdoor shower and turned it on. The steady stream of water made him look away as his eyes closed shut, and she unabashedly took in his beautiful body and the bulge at the apex of his thighs as it was displayed in all its glory.

How was the man so perfect?

Even as she continued to gawk at his Greek god-like body, she had her timing right and looked away just as he opened his eyes to look in her direction.

As she stood on the deck, she watched him almost as if she wanted to prove she was not intimidated by his looks. She felt the need to show she was not swooning every second over his good looks, especially after how she jittered at his mere touch the night before.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, walking toward her with a white, fluffy towel wrapped around his waist.

She nodded in response.

Why couldn’t she find her voice?

He stopped a couple of feet from her, his lazy gaze sweeping over her face like he was trying to get a read on her. “We need to head back soon. Are there any other questions you have about the contract or anything else you’d like to add?”

Oh, the contract!

She hadn’t really processed all of the legal language in the document, even though she read through it numerous times. The only thing she cared about was being able to do something freely after one year. What would have been shot down by her family as being non-traditional or unsafe, she could pursue it.

Maybe she could even do most of the groundwork, like applying for a job as a pilot even before the year is up. She needed to log in more hours to get her commercial license. “I need to go back to finish… continue my training.”

There was a long moment of silence as he looked at her like he was assessing her request. Just the way he looked at her, she was beginning to feel hot all over. “That is negotiable. Not right now. Let’s go. We need to meet the family for breakfast and head out for our honeymoon.”

“What?” She let out a shriek. “A honeymoon?”Did he forget it was a fake marriage?

He stopped at the entrance of the suite. “Did you not read the contract?”

She hadn't, but his tone irked her. Her eyes blazed with anger and annoyance. “I already told you I’m not sleeping with you.” She started to panic.

His brow furrowed. “I don’t want to sleep with you either. But the contract requires you to accompany me to a romantic destination for our honeymoon.” He seemed as annoyed as she was.

His tone made her gasp a bit. “Oh, but I… I didn’t pack.”

“Not required. Be ready for breakfast in fifteen minutes.” With those orders, he disappeared into the suite, and moments later, she heard the sound of running water.

She had no time to mull over what it meant to go away with him to an unknown destination. What if he seduced her? Maybe this drama was for an heir after all, but he wasn’t telling her.

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