Now it’s on me.
I set this in motion, and it would be a lie to say I’m not freaking out a bit. Not because I’m worried about the curse Istill don’t believe in, but more because everything today has to be absolute perfection. I have to prove that this was the right call or there won’t be others after it. It’s as if it’s on me to try to bring this family out of their shells of seclusion and back into the world.
It’s a battle I’m desperate to win. For him. For them. For the country that misses them.
I rose early and worked with Margarite to make the perfect picnic lunch. I spoke with Javier, who assured me he has the security all worked out. The children are going nuts in the back of the car, so worked up and excited they’re hardly able to contain themselves or sit still. Sabrina especially, and that’s saying something.
Sebastian sits beside me, his eyes cast out the window, his face an emotionless mask. He barely said good morning to me and hasn’t acknowledged me since, and while I admit I have no frame of reference after a hookup, I’m a bit out of sorts with that, too. A hookup. Is that what that was? A one-night slip-up?
We made no promises of more. There were words and suggestions, but I’m worried he regrets it.
So, yeah. You could say I have a thing or two on my mind.
Things I don’t even know how to begin bringing up with someone like him.
The car slows once we enter the grounds and meander our way along a gravelly dirt road lined by groves of trees, their leaves an autumn collage of red, orange, yellow, and gold. About a mile or two in, we come to a clearing, the massive lake on the left, sprawling and twisting as the base of the mountains cuts in and slices up. On the other side, in a field of endless grass, is a pink-and-blue castle-shaped bouncy house with a slide attached. I don’t know how he did it, but I guess being the king has its perks.
The girls start to scream, climbing over each other to get abetter look through the window. The second the car stops, they spill out, running straight for it as fast as their little legs will carry them. Poor Zayer has to wait, screaming and crying that he can’t join them until he’s unclipped from his car seat. I make quick work of it and then he, too, is running at full speed, following the trail of blonde hair his sisters make.
“Thank you for this. It’s incredible,” I murmur since Sebastian hasn’t moved to get out of the car. The SUV behind us is loaded with royal attendants. Emily and Javier, who were riding up front, get out, and Emily goes about setting up the picnic blanket in the middle of the field while Javier walks a perimeter with three attendants, instructing them on where they need to be and what they have to do to keep everyone safe.
Sebastian hasn’t said a word, and I’m not sure what to do. I twist around and stare at the back of his head since his gaze is still trained out the damn window.
“You’re thanking me for taking my children out for the day? My children?”
“Yes.” I say it slowly. With far too much uncertainty. It’s his tone that’s setting me off.
“You shouldn’t be thanking me. This goes against my every instinct.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell him, squeezing his arm even though I want to touch his hand. It feels too intimate, and right now, I’m not sure what we are or what’s happening or isn’t happening between us.
I shift to slide out of the car when he reaches out and grasps my hand, slamming the car door shut before I can exit. In a flash, he has me pinned down on the seat, his body over mine, and his lips are there. Kissing me. His fingers interlace with mine, stretching my hands over my head as he tilts his and deepens the connection. His tongue invades my mouth, brutal and thrashing. Rough and frantic.
The kiss, while passionate and incredible, is off. He’sseeking something. Or, more likely, chasing something away with it.
Fear.
It’s radiating off him.
He’s already lost so much. His sisters, his father, and his wife. And I’m pushing him. But how do we ever know what we’re capable of if we don’t push ourselves? How do we grow if we don’t fight the fear?
“I should punish you for this,” he snarls into me. “I should flip you over and spank your beautiful ass until it’s shining red with my handprint. I’m losing my mind here, Bellamy, and it’s all your fault.”
“Look out the window, Your Majesty,” I say to him, breathing the words past his lips. “Take a look at your children.”
He snarls, fierce and angry, nipping at my bottom lip to the point of pain and a little blood, only it doesn’t scare me. He is punishing me for this, but I won’t back down. I can’t. I love him too much for that. I love his children too much for that.
Reluctantly, he pries himself away and peeks out the car window. I can hear the kids from here, screaming and laughing, and I know he can, too. His gaze latches on to them, and he blows out a shaky breath, a softness that hasn’t been there all day slowly crawling through him.
Resigned, he breathes, “They look happy. They look like children.”
“Yes. Now let’s go and enjoy this with them.”
His stormy eyes return to mine. “Tonight, after the children are asleep, I expect you in my bedroom.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Your bedroom? As in your suite?”
He gives me a bemused look. “Is that a problem for you?”
