I leveled a stare at her. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If we don’t try, how will we know?”
For a long, tense moment, there was silence around the table as everyone felt the shifting of power. I didn’t want to demand my own way in every aspect of life. I honestly didn’t care much about the finer details of the transition from commoner to royal. As long as Nicky was happy, I was glad to give in and follow the traditional path as laid out by the Palace officials. But I didn’t intend to be bulldozed as though I were a child who knew nothing, either.
“Fine.” Mrs. Allen expelled a long breath. “We’ll reach out to Sophie Kent and see if she would be interested in the position.” She raised one manicured finger. “But if she does come on, she’ll have to be trained by the Kensington Palace press office. She’ll need to be up to speed very quickly, which will mean long hours of hard work. It will be as though she’s learning years of information in a matter of weeks.”
“She seems to be pretty bright. I’m sure she can handle it.” I sat a little straighter. “Now that we’ve covered the press liaison, what’s next?” I tapped the edge of the table, liking this feeling of taking control, even if it was a very little bit of power. “Let’s finish up here. I have other things to do today.”
“... and I got a call just before you came home that, in fact, Sophie is very interested in the position. She’s coming into Kensington Palace tomorrow morning for a meeting—well, it’ll be an interview, whether they call it that or not. But I’m going to make it a point to be there, too. I want to make sure she’s given a fair chance.”
Nicky and I were sitting at our tiny dining room table, eating what he called ‘take-away’ Chinese food as I filled him in on the adventures of my day.
“Look at you.” Nicky grinned at me as he reached for a dumpling from the take-out container. “Taking on the Palace and winning. They won’t know what hit them, those stuffy old suits.”
I paused, the chopsticks in my hands halfway to my mouth. “That doesn’t make me sound like a very nice person. I’m not pushy.” I frowned. “Am I?”
“I didn’t mean to make you seem that way.” Nicky stuffed the entire dumpling, dripping with brown sauce, into his wide-open mouth. “It ‘as ‘ent a ‘omplm.”
“Not sure what you’re saying there, Prince Suave.” I passed him a napkin. “Maybe you need to come with me to the etiquette and behavior classes. Mrs. Allen said that Lady Marjorie has very kindly agreed to take me on for further lessons, and she said it as though Lady Marjorie should be nominated for sainthood. I’m not that bad. I didn’t grow up in a cave.”
“Of course, you’re not.” Nicky dabbed at his lips. “There are just a lot of ins and outs of what is seen as proper and what isn’t when it comes to my family.” He leaned back, regarding me with speculative eyes. “What I was trying to say earlier is that I meant my words as a compliment, that you’re taking on the Palace and not letting them walk all over you. Now your mission will be to determine what is negotiable and what is not.”
I tilted my head, intrigued. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the Middle Ages, darling, and no one’s going to send you to the Tower if you elect to wear a shorter skirt or different color nail polish. Lady Marjorie and the rest are going to tell you that everything is set in stone. It’s not. My grandmother ... well, she likes what she likes, and she has certain strong opinions, but even so, I’ve never seen her treat anyone differently because that person had a differing point of view.” He smiled, and his face took a glow of affection. “Granny has lived a long time, and I think she’s learned where and how to pick her battles. As long as she feels you’re pulling your weight and doing your duty, she won’t have a problem if you choose to go your own way in some areas.”
“Will she be unhappy about Sophie?” I twirled lo mein around my chopsticks. “Maybe I should have just gone with one of their suggestions rather than make waves.”
“I doubt she’ll care, unless Sophie turns out to be a problem. In that case, she’ll let you handle the consequences yourself. She won’t rescue you.”
“I don’t want to be rescued. I wouldn’t expect that.” I folded up my legs under me as a draft of frigid air wafted over us. “Brrrrr. Have you ever noticed that the insulation in this cottage leaves something to be desired?”
Nicky chuckled. “It was built over a hundred and fifty years ago, Ky, and the updates have been few and far between. You live in England now—we prefer things to be charming and to stay the same instead of updating and improving them.”
“Well, when your fiancée ends up with frostbite on her nose, you won’t find it so charming.” I wrapped my arms around my knees. “I heard the temperatures were going to drop tonight, but I didn’t realize they meant it would happen right here in our living room.”
“Where’s my hearty Maine girl, who withstood the harshest winters?” Nicky pretended to glower. “Don’t tell me that was all an act, and you’re really a hothouse flower.”
“We had air-tight houses and central heat in Maine, thanks very much,” I retorted.
“Oh, come here, then.” Standing, he scooped me into his arms and carried me to the huge overstuffed chair that sat near the fireplace. He dropped into the chair and settled me on his lap. “I’ll keep you warm. We can’t have any important parts falling off before the wedding.”
“Hmmmm.” I snuggled down closer and reached for the quilt that lay on the back of the chair, pulling it around both of us. “What are the important parts? Just out of curiosity.”
“Well ...” He snaked one hand between us and slid it under my sweatshirt, making me shriek when his cold fingers hit my skin. “Let me see. Oh, this is one part I couldn’t live without.” He cupped one of my boobs. “Mmmmm. Yeah, this can’t freeze off. I’d miss it.”
I giggled. “I have another, though.”
“I see. Or rather, I feel.” Nicky’s hand slipped to the other side. “Ah, and bad news, because this one is already cold, judging bythis.” He pinched my stiff nipple.
“That’s true,” I whispered, arching my back slightly to give him better access. “So cold. Whatever will we do?”
“Do you know that the warmest part of the body is the inside of the mouth?” His thumb rubbed languidly at the turgid peak.
“Huh.” I wriggled closer. “Is that legit? Or are you just bullshitting me?”
“Kyra.” His lips skimmed over my throat. “I’m a Prince of the Realm. The grandson of the longest reigning Queen in the history of Britain. A descendant of all manner of famous noblemen and noblewomen. Do you really think I’m the sort of man who ...” He squeezed my breast and touched his tongue to a very sensitive spot just below my ear. “Bullshits anyone?”
For an exquisite moment, I couldn’t speak. I simply existed in the pleasure my lover’s hands and mouth were giving me.
