“I have absolutely no idea what that means.” He shook his head and stepped toward her. “What I do know is that I want a child, and you’re going to give me one.”
“People in hell want ice water, but they’re still hot and thirsty. I’m not giving you a damn thing. Not even the time of day. Goodbye, King Aléxandros.”
She turned toward the door, and he stepped in front of her, halting her forward motion.
“We’re not done yet.”
“We absolutely are done. You cannot force someone to marry you and have a child with you. Just because you’re a king doesn’t mean you can just command people to do whatever you want.”
He shrugged. “Actually, it kind of does.”
That comment took some of the steam out of her stance. He knew he’d made a chink in her armor when he saw one side of her mouth begrudgingly lift into a small smile.
“You are so insufferable. Is that also part of being a king?”
He nodded, taking another cautious step to her. When she didn’t bolt, he ushered her over to the large sofa in the center of the room and bade her to take a seat next to him.
“What kind of man goes around demanding a woman marry him and give him a baby? You know nothing about me. Why would you want to tie yourself to me like that? We don’t love each other. How could you consider marrying someone you don’t know if you like, let alone love?”
He sat down, extending his arm against the back of the couch and crossing his legs. As he relaxed, so did she. He liked that she took her cues from him. Her willingness to follow his lead had gifted him unimaginable pleasure. If he could only convince her to follow his desires in this matter, maybe he could find something else. Peace.
“Regina, this would be a marriage of convenience, not love. Love is messy and unstable, and when it goes bad, it can poison everything. It can be weaponized, and when it strikes a blow, it can kill you as dead as any bullet.”
If anyone understood that, it would be him. What happened five years ago had taught him a very slow and painful lesson about love. It nearly killed him, and his resuscitation from it hadn’t left him unscarred or unchanged.
“As the king, my number one concern is to simultaneously uphold the monarchy while serving my citizens. Choosing a consort comes down to a few things. Trust, the willingness toprovide support to the sovereign, and compatibility in the ways that are important to each party.”
“You said trust is a must.” Her words were quick and sharp as if she were trying to get them all out at once. “Knowing that the only reason we’re in this mess now is because I lied to you, how on earth can you trust me enough to be such an important part of your life?”
He waited to see if she was going to say more and found her rapt attention zeroed in on him, waiting for an answer to her question. If she was waiting that intently, he had to hope that somewhere deep down, she was considering his proposal.
“Yes, you lied. But before that, you interjected yourself into a situation to help a man who was a total stranger to you. That tells me you’re strong and compassionate. Those are two qualities that aren’t necessarily in abundance when it comes to wealthy people. Your actions, much more than your words, tell me I can trust you to do what’s right when necessary. It was also proof that you’d be willing to support me as I support the nation. Lastly, if Reigna is the face of your company, I know that you’re the brilliant sister who works science like it’s magic in her lab. That’s a beautiful mix of qualities that I couldn’t buy with all the money and power at my disposal.”
Her shoulders sank as she leaned into the cushions. Her gaze was still furtive as it flitted across him. But she was at least listening to him.
“Aléx, this makes not one bit of sense. Why would you even consider marrying and having a child with a complete stranger?”
“As I said before, I’m a king, Regina. My duty is to produce an heir so that the line of succession can continue. That heir must be legitimate, so marriage is also my duty. There’s no one in my circle that I trust enough to contemplate having a child with. As I’m sure your sister can tell you, the royal court can be a pitof vipers waiting for an opportunity to strike. And I’m thirty-seven.”
“Hey,” she interrupted him. “That’s only three years older than me. You say that like thirty-seven is ancient.”
Her offense was noted by the wrinkling of her nose, making him chuckle. “In my world, thatisancient for a sitting king to be without an heir. If I must have a child, I’d like it to be with someone who at least understands what kindness and compassion are.”
She closed her eyes as if she were trying to conceal something from him. He had no right to it. He had no right to her. But the selfish king in him wanted all her secrets. In his world, secrets were power. With Regina, though, he didn’t want to use them against her. He simply wanted to unburden her of whatever darkness her thoughts were cloaking her in.
“Is it that you don’t want children?”
She shook her head, looking away in the distance before bringing her gaze back to him.
“I’m the twin who planned her imaginary wedding and how many imaginary kids she and her imaginary husband would have. I even named all three of them. Reigna wanted nothing to do with a future family and children. Fate’s funny like that. It gives the very thing you’ve always ached for to people who never wanted it.”
Was that resentment? Did she envy her sister’s life?
The thought of Regina pining for something she couldn’t have tightened an invisible knot in his chest. In his bed, he’d given her everything she desired. And as he watched her push down this apparent desire of hers, he ached to give her this too.
He hardly knew her. Until today, he hadn’t even known her real name. Yet when her soft, sad eyes met his, he was certain she’d shared the important parts of herself when they’d met in his country.
“We can make our own fate, Regina. All it would take is you saying yes, and we can make it happen together.”
