Page 115 of This Prince Is Not Charming

“I didn’t for a while, but then a few months ago, I had a dream about us laying under this tree, arguing about the shapes of the clouds.”

“Sounds about right.”

“And I woke up feeling so deliriously happy that I knew. That was the dream I’d had over and over when I was on my tonic.”

I rolled on top of him, brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes. “I can’t believe you planned all of this without me knowing.”

He gazed up at me, his eyes a searing blue in the warm glow of the sun. “Well, you’ve been a little distracted making new wardrobes for Marsten and Aoife.” He gave me a look, and I knew exactly what it meant. “You’ve also been doing a little meddling.”

“I have not!” I said.

He gave me another look, this one saying that I was a liar.

“Okay, I’ve meddled a little. Lor is king and Aoife is queen, and they need a little help realizing it.”

“King,” Cillian murmured. “I can’t believe all I got was high prince, and now Lor is king. Castle just goes and changes every document, every treaty, every manifesto. Our first king in history. No idea what that means.”

He was getting sidetracked like he often did. I swore this man would lose his head if I didn’t keep track of it for him. “Yes, like I was saying, king and queen. They’re also married and need to start acting like it.”

That wedding had been painfully awkward. One of the worst weddings I’d ever attended.

“Face it, Ceri.” Cillian tucked a curl behind my ear. “They hate each other. It’s an arranged marriage. Nothing more. We can’t make them love one another.”

“If they would just stop being so stubborn, they’d see they’re actually perfect for each other.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Really? Because all I see are two headstrong rulers who refuse to back down.”

“Exactly! They’re so alike, but they can’t see past their differences. I think I can help them.”

“Ceri,” he warned. “Don’t get involved. You’ve got a husband now.”

“I know! That’s what’s amazing. I have more time than ever before now that I have so much help with Father.”

Cillian groaned, his hands wandering up over the velvet fabric of my dress and squeezing my backside. “I don’t want to talk about my brother or your father.” He rolled me over, and now he was on top of me, pressing his erection into my thigh.

I gasped, all thoughts of anything but this glorious man fleeing my mind.

“We’ve done a lot of things under this tree,” he said, leaning down to press a kiss to my neck. “But we’ve never done this.”

His lips met mine, and he kissed me deeply. Heat flooded me.

“What if someone stumbles upon us?” I asked as his lips brushed against my jawline.

“Then they’re going to get a very good show.”

I laughed, and Cillian laughed too. He reared back, gazing down at me in a way I never thought he would.

“You are a very beautiful woman,” he said. “I think I’ll keep you.”

“Oh really?” I asked. “Well, maybe I don’t want to keep you. I think I’m going to need to be convinced.”

His hands roamed down my waist and up under my skirt, and I sucked in a sharp breath. “I can be very convincing, Cerriwen Morgane.”

“I don’t know,” I said in a singsong voice. “You’re going to have to prove yourself.”

“Oh, Ceri,” Cillian said, face growing serious, “don’t you understand? That’s all I’m going to do for the rest of my life. Every single day, I’m going to show you why I deserve you.”

He already had, and I would never forget it.