“No. I will always be married to you according to the laws of my country. Divorce isn’t common here, but it’s perfectly acceptable, except for royalty. But I can set you free in the United States, make sure our marriage is invalid,” he rasped, as though it hurt him to say those words.
Bryan shifted and leaned back against the headboard, taking her with him so she lay sprawled against his chest.
“Yes. I’ll marry you.” Shea decided just that quickly. Bryan was so willing to do anything for his daughter that she couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to say no anymore. “But I’d like to try to make this a real marriage. I’d like to make your family my own. I want us to raise Hayden together.”
Bryan tilted her chin and Shea’s heart skipped a beat as she saw his happy grin. “You will love me,” he stated arrogantly.
I want you to love me, too.
In fact, she ached for him to care about her.
“We can start with respect. The pony?” She gave him an annoyed look.
“Honesty is valued here, and Hayden will be expected to ride. Everything I said is true, but we should have been in agreement. I’m sorry, sweetheart. We’ll discuss everything concerning our daughter from now on,” he said contritely.
She had no real problem with her daughter learning to ride, and his apology had sounded sincere. “Will you teach me, too?” she asked hopefully. “Will you teach me the things I don’t know about Rubare Collina?”
“Of course,” he answered as though his assistance was a given. “I’ll be more than happy to teach you anything you want to know about my country.”
“I might not always agree with you,” she warned him. Bryan might be agreeable enough at the moment, but he had an inbred confidence and bossiness that she assumed came from being royalty. Okay. Yeah. It was actually pretty hot, but she wasn’t the type of woman to bow down to a man…even if he was a prince.
“I realize that,” he answered, sounding amused. “You need to remember I’m royalty and very used to getting my way.”
“Get un-used to it,” she told him firmly.
“We will fight. But then we can have amazing make up sex,” Bryan decided.
Shea laughed at the hopefulness in his voice. “Only if we actually do make up,” she told him, delighted by his playful mood.
He flipped her over so quickly that she squealed, pinning her body beneath his and capturing her wrists to hold them over her head. “I think I’ll have to insist that we do make up.”
A sudden, dire thought fluttered through her mind as she looked up at him. “I’m not on birth control, Bryan. We didn’t use anything in the tower — ”
“I’d love to have another baby with you, get to watch you grow ripe with my child this time,” he said in a guttural voice. “Would you mind so much if you did get pregnant? I swear to you that I’ll always take care of you and any children we have. Do you trust me enough to not worry about that?”
His vow was sincere, a declaration of his intentions. Obviously Bryan planned to try and make this marriage real, and it touched Shea’s lonely heart. “No. I’d love to have another child. And yes, I trust you. I think you can probably afford another one,” she joked, but she knew it would be wonderful to have someone beside her during another pregnancy. She’d been so terrified and alone during her pregnancy and labor.
His beautiful hazel eyes danced with humor. “I think we could scrape by.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t have to watch every penny,” she mused.
“What’s your greatest wish? What have you always wanted that you’ve never had?” He searched her face anxiously.
Love. Acceptance. Kindness.
She sighed because she wasn’t ready to spill her guts. They were trying to build a relationship. Having another child was definitely putting the cart before the horse, and they had a lot to work out.
“I’ve always wanted to travel. See the world. It’s always been a dream of mine. I guess I’ve already accomplished traveling out of the country, even though I haven’t seen much of Rubare Collina yet.”
“We’ll take my jet and travel. I’ll take you and Hayden anywhere you want to go,” he said agreeably.
“We’re close to Europe now. I can see so many places,” she said excitedly.
“We can go anywhere on Earth, except for anywhere dangerous.”
She jerked at her wrists until he let go and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “What’s it like to be one of the richest men in the world?”
He was silent for a moment before he answered. “I guess I’ve never thought about it. I was born a prince and incredibly wealthy. I’m glad I’m a second son. It leaves me free to do my work in the Dyholm mines. I’ve never wanted to rule a country. I just want to do my job. I abide by most of the customs because of tradition. Every country has its own. Ours are unique to Rubare Collina, and I love my country.”
“Do you really have a law school where I can finish my degree and become a lawyer?”
“Yes. The Royal University is one of the finest in any country.”
Shea’s brow wrinkled in concentration. “Then why didn’t you attend college here?”
“America had a better program for learning mine technology and engineering. I wanted a specialized degree. I guess I also wanted to see what it was like to live somewhere else, somewhere that I could just be a man and not a prince for a while.”
“How did it feel?” Shea asked curiously.
“Strange, but not altogether bad. After a while I missed my family and my homeland. The best part of America was meeting you,” he answered, his possessive gaze raking over her face.
Shea’s heart beat erratically, wanting so much for what he said to be true. “So we’ll be married when our week here is over?”
“Yes. Simon will have everything ready.”
“Then there’s no need to stay here any longer?” It was beautiful at the summer palace, so the thought of leaving sooner than they’d planned made her a little disheartened.
“There’s every need to stay. I want my privacy with my wife-to-be and my child. Once we get back to the city, the paparazzi will be all over my residence and the main palace,” he grumbled.
“Is it big
?” she asked curiously.
He grinned wickedly. “Right now, it’s huge. Do you want to see?”
Shea’s mouth went dry with longing. She coughed to clear the sudden lump in her throat nervously. “I meant your house.”
“Bigger than this summer house, but smaller than the main palace.”
“Big,” she confirmed. “What are your plans for the rest of our time here? I’d love to get out, meet people and see your country.” Now that she’d made the choice to stay, she wanted to be able to see her new country of residence, get the feel of the people who lived here.
“We can’t stray far right now. We’re under guard. But there are some things we can do. Tomorrow, I’ll show you the stables and start getting you both used to your new mounts. And I promised Hayden to show her the sea. We’ll be safe on the beach as long as I let the guards know what we’re doing. We can walk the grounds and spend some time outside. We need to stay within the protected perimeters, but I can show you some of our wildlife, flowers and plants.
It all sounded wonderful to Shea. “What’s first?”
“Finishing what we started earlier. You mentioned a bath, I believe.” He rose from the bed, taking her with him.
She squeaked as he tossed her into the air and caught her, cuddling her against his body. She’d been coveting that tub since the moment she’d seen it. Usually, taking a long bath wasn’t on her agenda…or even close. “You’re coming with me?” She shivered.
“Definitely,” he answered provocatively. “It seems like the quickest way to get you naked.”
Shea burst into laughter, her heart light and hopeful, as Bryan strode eagerly toward the bathroom.
Chapter Eight
Having anyone take care of any of her needs wasn’t something Shea was accustomed to getting. She’d been a latchkey kid in grade school and beyond, coming home every day to an empty house and lonely existence as an only child. She’d been making her own meals as long as she could remember, which, when she was younger, was often a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Although she’d been lonesome while she was home alone, there were many times when she’d found it preferable to being completely ignored on the rare occasions when her parents were actually in the house.
