Page 8 of His Forever Princess

He'd never told her he knew. Was too humiliated. Gideon should've been enough for his wife.

Where did we go wrong?

Gideon shouldn't have come out here with her, alone.

He'd kept his hurt to himself for a decade now, along with the knowledge that she’d been having an affair. That Arnault was the one making her laugh and buying her flowers.

Just thinking about it made him want to howl. He clenched his teeth against the desire to make any noise.

Alessandra was his.

That kind of caveman mentality wasn't something Alessandra would appreciate. He'd always kept that side of himself hidden—the greedy, selfish side that wanted her all to himself.

After all these years, he was sure she didn't want to see it now.

He should call in reinforcements. Or take Alessandra to the nearest airport and put her on a plane straight back to Glorvaird and the palace that was built like a fortress.

But this whole thing had been his plan. Keep Alessandra hidden away until time to meet with the Ambassador. Give the FBI team back in Texas long enough to track down the assassins that had attacked during the ball.

His plan to hide Alessandra away was the opposite of her usual modus operandi. Her every move was published by the crown, she took every photo opp. Eloise had relied on her to be the face of the royal family for decades. Everyone in the kingdom, and even on an international level, loved Alessandra.

Gideon loved her, too.

He'd never stopped.

And maybe that was clouding his judgment now. Lord knows, he'd failed Maggie when she'd been twelve and needed him most.

No.

He couldn't think like that.

He turned his head slightly. The moon had come up in the hours since he'd walked the perimeter and light filtered through the blinds he'd closed. It was enough to see her expression relaxed in sleep.

She looked ten years younger.

He'd known her in her twenties, and she was even more beautiful now than she'd been then.

Her lashes formed dark fans against her cheeks. Her mouth was slightly open, and he forced his eyes away from her kissable lips.

He never got to see her like this. Relaxed. At peace.

When they were in a room together, she was always hiding behind a polite, distant mask.

He did it, too.

With every secret they held between them, taking off those masks was too painful.

Stop staring. He pointed his chin up to the ceiling again.

She doesn't want you.

He wasn't going to change the plan now. Not when they'd found safety in this remote cabin. He'd made sure they weren't followed. He'd turned off both cell phones and secured them in a Faraday bag in the back of the SUV after she’d patched him up.

Alessandra was safe.

It was his peace of mind that was in jeopardy.

How long could he stay in this tiny cabin, locked away with the woman he loved—who didn't love him back anymore—and keep his distance?

---