Page 34 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
‘Why did you do it?’ she asked. ‘Why not just go ahead with marrying me?’
‘I wanted to offer us both another way.’
‘I told you that I would not force you down the aisle.’
‘There is no version of this life in which I would ever need to beforcedto marry you, Min. Not then, not ever. I walked away from you once in an effort to save you, and in doing so I wasted fourteen years that I could have spent with you in my bed, in my arms, in my heart... I am selfish enough to grab this opportunity to make you my bride...but I loved you too much to have it happen this way.’
‘Loved...as in past tense?’ she asked. ‘Because I know you loved me once and I came here to ask you if you could give me another chance. If you could love me again, the way I love you now.’
‘Love...as in, every place, every time. Always.’
She threw away all her plans to be romantic and poised in her own declaration, throwing her arms around his hulking shoulders and pulling him down halfway to meet her lips. She kissed him with all the love she felt, all the fear and all the joy. She kissed him until the wind almost pushed them both overboard and the captain called out across an intercom for them to get inside to safety.
‘Mad woman,’ Liro drawled under his breath as he gripped her behind through her wet gown. ‘I don’t know anyone else who could have made that shot with a rope bridge in a thundering storm. You’re terrifying when you’re furious, you know that?’
She gasped as he climbed over her, tearing away her wet dress as if it was tissue, grumbling about her catching a chill. It was laughable to think her body would have the chance to get cold with him nearby. He had them both naked in minutes, his hot skin evaporating any rain water that dared to remain upon her.
‘Ask me to marry you again.’ She breathed as his hands began to travel down her stomach to where she craved him. ‘Ask me to be your wife, Liro.’
She waited for his answer, her breath coming faster as his fingers found the centre of her and dipped in, drawing slow circles upon her right where she burned for him. Her practical mind argued that they should be fully clothed and serious as they discussed something as pivotal to their future. But, then again, so little about their relationship had ever followed the rules.
‘God knows I have wanted nothing more in this life than to hear you beg me so prettily,princesa. But there is something that would make me happier.’ He paused, a smile transforming his lips. ‘I want to watch you become Queen in your own right, just as you have always dreamed of. When I propose to you...when I finally claim you in front of the world as my bride, my wife, my queen...it will be because that is what you want.’
‘What if I want it right now?’ she challenged.
‘I’d obey, without a question, Your Highness.’ He smirked, placing a kiss upon her breast with reverence. ‘When are you going to realise it, Min? If you decided that you want to get married right here, right now, I would do it. I would wear the giant crown. I’d be paraded through the entire capital in the open carriage, no questions asked.’
She laughed, feeling joy burst through her fears as he kissed her again, deeper and softer than before. A kiss that was filled with promises.
‘I like your plan better,’ she whispered. ‘It feels almost like a normal courtship.’
‘I plan on sneaking you out for as many dates as I can manage, Your Highness.’
They had soaked the sofa through with their clothes, and the storm outside was only picking up with every moment, but in his arms she felt warm and secure. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers.
‘I vow to you right here and now that, whatever our life needs to look like on the outside, you will have it. Because you have me. As long as we both shall live.’
EPILOGUE
QUEENMINERVAOFARQALETAwas crowned in late November, after six months of already acting as Queen of the realm. Her mother, a monarch globally known for her stoic manner, sobbed throughout most of the ceremony and sought regular comfort from the handsome ginger-bearded man by her side. Once the rumours of the banished and formerly disgraced prince had surfaced, it seemed that the public had been more interested in their relationship than in his family’s unhappy past—a fact that they had decided to use to their advantage, giving tactical teases about their passionate love affair while simultaneously insisting upon privacy.
Their numerous romantic getaways had dominated the headlines of most of the world’s press, bringing an unprecedented amount of attention to their tiny kingdom during the transitional period after her mother’s abdication. The fact that the new Queen was still as yet unmarried had not been an issue. In fact, her public approval ratings were now the highest of any new monarch in the kingdom’s long history. It seemed that the people of Arqaleta had been hungry for change, and Minerva intended to give it to them. Her mother had not fully disappeared from palace life, of course, and still took part in monthly summits discussing the future of their beloved kingdom.
A weekend of festivities followed the coronation, with not one but two public holidays declared to celebrate the coronation.
‘I didn’t fidget with the crown once.’ Minerva smiled at Liro as they finally returned to their private apartment in the palace, shutting the door on work for the day. Here, they were just Min and Liro, and that was the favourite rule they’d made up once they had formally moved in together last month. He was upon her in an instant, his hands deftly pulling the pins from her hair and massaging her scalp as he pressed his nose to her neck and inhaled deeply.
‘I know these big events with all of the public adoration are a part of the job, but damn if it doesn’t get any easier sharing you.’ He growled, pulling her closer to claim her lips with his. They had not had a single private moment all day and Minerva groaned into the kiss, relaxing into his quiet strength. This was her favourite time of every day. Their passion for one another had not waned much in the wake of their tumultuous reunion—they’d already made love twice that morning before they’d had to begin to get ready for the ceremony. But that did not stop Liro from lifting her bodily into his strong arms and bounding through the apartment in the direction of their bedroom.
‘I don’t know if the carrying is approved in the handbook.’ Minerva smirked, tracing the perfectly trimmed edge of Liro’s beard with reverence. He smelled like sea air, adventure and home. Even now when they were living full-time at the palace he still managed to make every single day feel exciting and rich with possibility. Truly, every reigning monarch needed a brooding ginger pirate by her side.
He laid her down upon the bed, removing both her shoes and throwing them away without any care for propriety. Her stockings were removed next, and then the skirt of her gown rolled up around her hips.
‘I can take off the dress.’ She laughed as he growled with impatience, burrowing his head impatiently under the material.
‘And ruin my fantasy?’ he chided, disappearing fully beneath her gown.
‘Wh-what is your fantasy?’ she asked, shuddering as she felt his lips tracing a slow, determined path above her kneecap.
