Page 55 of Impossible Heir for the King

He dropped his hands and blinked. Yeah, he was definitely hallucinating, because Maia was right in front of him, clad in the gorgeous yellow bikini she’d worn the day he’d made love to her for the first time. He just groaned—helpless, wordless, devastated.

‘What’s wrong?’ The apparition knelt down before him. ‘Are you ill?’

He froze as a decidedly real, warm hand softly pressed against his cheek.

Shit. Was she really here? He grabbed her wrist and held her hand to him. ‘Maia?’

She immediately stood—her arm now stretched out awkwardly. ‘What’s happened? Is it Aron? You look...’

‘Terrible? I feel terrible.’ He reluctantly released her wrist and shook his head. ‘I didn’t think you were here. I thought you’d gone.’

She looked at him warily. He didn’t blame her.

‘I was in the pool up on the roof,’ she explained. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I made a mistake. A big one.’ He was suddenly trembling and his brain was doing a very bad job of remembering everything he’d wanted to say.

‘You’re not supposed to be here.’ Maia was struggling to cope with the shock of finding him in the apartment. And he’d brought the small turtle she’d left on her balcony on the island. She’d hidden it there, a secret reminder that Maia was there—once—but he’d found it and brought it with him. Now she needed to move because she was about to lose all emotional control and she wasn’t doing that in front of him again.

‘Maia—’

‘No.’ She stepped back from him. ‘No.’

He suddenly stood, suddenly huge and overpowering, and her barely taped together heart shattered.

‘Maia, darling. Please—’

‘No.’ This time her denial wasn’t for him, but for herself. She was desperate to stop the tears—to stop him seeing. She tried to run but he drew her against him before she could—wrapping his arms right around her so tightly like the morning he’d first met her.

‘Maia.’ He whispered her name in her hair as he cradled her in such a strong, secure embrace. Holding her so safe that every emotion tore free.

‘Please don’t do this to me,’ she pleaded into his solid frame. ‘I can’t go through this again. I can’t—’

‘I’m sorry.’ He pressed her closer into his chest, stroking her back, clearly feeling her whole body trembling. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything. I couldn’t admit it. But now I’m here and—’

‘Why?’she cried angrily, pushing back enough to look up at him. ‘Why are you here? What do you want?’

‘I want...’ He drifted off, staring into her eyes for such a long time and heaven help her, Maia just fell for him all over again—lost in the gleaming intensity of his warm brown gaze. Something new flowed through her—settling her pulse, slowing her breathing—certainty.

‘Wondered if you’d do dinner,’ he finally mumbled. ‘Maybe a movie. Get married. Make love. Lots. Have this baby. Live a long time. Love each other always. That was pretty much the plan. Figured other details might...might...’ He suddenly sighed, a shuddering release of yearning.

She blinked and tears spilled.

‘Maia.’ He wiped her cheeks gently and rested his forehead on hers, his eyes gleaming with the thing she’d never dared dream of seeing. ‘I don’t want to compromise. I don’t want “just enough.” In this I am spoilt. I am selfish. I wanteverythingpossible.’ He drew breath. ‘But most of all I wantyounot to have to compromise.Youshould have everything. I just hope that you still might want to haveme.’

She couldn’t move. It was like it had been from the beginning. He stole her breath, made her brain dizzy, made her body melt.

‘I’m not asking because I feel like I have to, ought to, should...’ he breathed. ‘I’m asking only because I want to. So badly. Because I’m so bloody miserable without you, Maia.’

All she could do was lean in close and it was enough. The kiss ignited everything. She clutched him.

‘Missed you,’ he muttered again and again between kisses. ‘Don’t go away ever again.’

‘Don’tsendme away ever again.’

‘Yeah. Never.’ His beautiful smile was filled with apology. ‘Oh.’ He suddenly stiffened. ‘I found Stefan.’

‘What?’

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