Page 2 of Cross Me

“My meetings are all going to be here.” I coaxed her legs farther apart with my knee to give me better access to the prize I was ready to claim. I earned a soft shudder accompanied by a moan of approval as my thumb found its target. “I’m here and you’re here. Other people can wait.”

My lips whispered temptations as they trailed along the soft skin behind her ear and down to the freckles I’d been fantasizing about only moments ago. I drank in the sight of her languorous body in my arms, the mirror reflecting exactly what I wanted out of life: to possess her completely until she knew nothing but the safety and security I’d promised her.

Clara opened one eyelid, lazily meeting my greedy gaze. “So in this scenario, I’m here waiting naked in your bed—right, X?”

She didn’t sound as annoyed about this prospect as she usually might. Of course, I was actively lowering her defenses.

“Something like that,” I said silkily.

“No way in hell.” She turned her head, though, allowing her face to come a breath away from my own. “But I don’t mind if you keep trying to convince me.”

“Challenge accepted, Poppet.” And then my mouth closed over hers.

Two discussions later and I’d failed to persuade her to stay home. She said goodbye to me, glowing like a lightbulb, which would no doubt contribute to speculation that she was with child again. If she was going to insist on going out in public, we would have to confirm this pregnancy sooner rather than later. It would be easier if she would just stay here. But her defiance was what had first drawn me to Clara Bishop. I’d never take that away from her. I would never want to. Still, it made things more complicated.

My fingers raked through my hair as I buried my head in my hands, wondering what a simple life looked like. What was it like to be a normal guy whose pregnant wife went off to work? I’d never know. Not for the first time I wished I could trade my birthright in for a less regal model.

“Alexander?” A deep voice interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t have to look up to know it was my old friend and longtime personal guard, Norris, because he was the only person on my payroll who didn’t constantly address me as Sir.

If he was here, that meant my day was about to start. Then again, Norris shouldn’t be here. I frowned, not bothering to hide the reproach written all over my face. “I thought you were going with her.”

“The Prime Minister’s visit today. The household team had to split duty. Brexton is with her.”

My frown deepened. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my old friend and Royal Air Force buddy, it was simply that I trusted Norris more. If I couldn’t be with Clara, I always felt better when he was there. Norris didn’t look like a bodyguard. With his thinning blond hair and average build, he blended in, looking more the part of the fatherly advisor than the trained killer. He was lethal and he wouldn’t hesitate to protect her. “I’d prefer these decisions were run by me first.”

“Her Majesty was quite determined on the point.” His lips pressed into a thin line, recalling an unpleasant memory. “She said I fuss over her too much.”

My eyebrow cocked at this bit of information. Perhaps my attempts to persuade her this morning had backfired. Now, not only had she gone out, she had sent a defiant message as well. Clara knew that I preferred for Norris to be with her, so sending him away in favor of a team led by Brex was her way of telling me to back off. “I’ll discuss this with her later.”

“If you don’t mind me saying so.” Norris finally stepped into the room, his hands behind his back and his expression unreadable. I had no idea what he wanted to say to me, but I suspected I was about to get a lecture. “Clara seems a trifle emotional these days. Perhaps you can trust her to make her own plans. I think she would prefer that.”

“Which one of us is the politician?” I grumbled. Norris had chosen his words carefully, but the meaning was clear. I hadn’t confided the news of her pregnancy to him yet. She had wanted to keep it private and only begin to tell people once it was confirmed by the doctor later this week. Norris had clearly guessed what was going on. “I don’t know why I try to keep secrets from you.”

“Well, Alexander, you have been strutting around here like a prize stud for the last week,” he said dryly. “She’s out to teach you a lesson. I caught her crying twice last week. We’ve been here before.”

I did take an inordinate amount of pride in knowing Clara was carrying my child again. Watching her body transform with the proof of our love and knowing that she had chosen me was a massage for my ego, admittedly.

“Plus,” Norris continued, “there’s the matter of you both acting like damned fools.”

“Excuse me?” His criticism broke me away from thoughts of my wife. It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak to me that way. It was that he rarely did.

“She’s obviously making a point that she won’t be told what to do and where she can go, which makes me suspect that you tried to tell her what to do and where to go this morning.”

I held my hands up in surrender. “I tried to convince her.”

“Are you certain you didn’t try to command her?” Norris had been privy to many of our premarital arguments. He’d witnessed the few moments where I’d almost lost her because of my controlling nature. He was well aware of my tendency toward possessiveness.

“I asked. Nicely.”

He didn’t have to know what I meant by nicely. Clara, however, had obviously seen this morning differently. I reminded myself that my wife was pregnant and therefore prone to mood swings, but despite that, my palm twitched. I had to fight my urge to dominate her outside of the bedroom. If my best efforts were going to be rewarded with passive aggressive actions meant to test me, it would be harder to maintain that boundary.

“It’s none of my business,” he said with the air of somebody who felt it was very much his business. Norris was like a father to me. Because of the terrible relationship I’d had with my real father, I usually appreciated Norris’ insight. Today, with the prospect of a morning meeting with the Prime Minister and briefings all afternoon, I wasn’t in the mood.

“Anything else? Are we prepared for Prime Minister Clark’s arrival?” My tone shifted to cool business.

His eyes narrowed. He understood when he was being dismissed, but unlike most of the people who worked around me, Norris wasn’t prone to sycophancy. Still, he seemed to sense I was on edge.

“Everything is in place and the arrangements for Queen Mary’s quarters at Kensington Palace have been made.”