"I've seen the news and talked with a local friend who told me everything, including that it seemed that you've been having a hard time finding someone to marry." She clasped her hands together more tightly. "Is that right? Or is the rumor mill wrong?"
The king clasped his hands behind his back. "No, the rumor mill is accurate in this case."
"So you have to be married by next week, but none of the women you've spent time with appeal as a lifetime partner."
"Correct. We narrowed it down to a few possible options, but none of them feel... right. I still have a day or two before I really need to make a decision, although that does assume the woman doesn't turn down the proposal."
Elise took a step forward. "Then will you consider my proposal? We spent time together on the trip here. I thought we had chemistry, and it seemed like you felt the same way."
He gave a single nod. "I did feel that way." After hesitating for a second, he went on. "In fact, I don't think I've ever felt the connection that we had with anyone else. I know I haven't."
An unexpected thought crossed her mind. "When did you find out about this marriage requirement?"
"A few weeks ago." A nice, noncommittal answer if she ever heard one.
"Frederick." The first time she used his name and it definitely had a warning note in it.
"The day we got back, not long before you came to my office." He wouldn't look her in the eye.
Her thought had been right. "Were you going to talk to me about this that morning?"
She could barely hear the sighing sound he made. "I had planned on it, but at the last minute..."
Elise moved closer until she was only a couple of feet in front of him. "Why didn't you?"
His dark eyes finally met hers. "I couldn't put that sort of pressure on you. You have a life and a career that really isn't compatible with being queen. If that title wasn't an issue, or if my father was still alive so we'd have time to figure out our normal and you wouldn't need to change careers so quickly, then maybe. I would never ask you to give that up."
That made her eyes begin to fill with tears. Taking a half-step more, Elise reached up and placed her hand on his chest. "I love that you gave that much consideration to my well-being. That alone tells me everything I need to know about you."
One of his hands covered hers and curled around it. "You would give up your career, everything you've worked so hard for, to marry me and deal with everything that comes with being a member of a royal family? Not just any member, but the queen consort?"
"I'm used to living in a fishbowl," Elise reminded him.
"It's not the same." As his free hand came up to cup the side of her face, he closed the remaining distance between them.
"I know." Her voice came out a whisper.
His face came closer to hers, and her eyes closed. The first soft touch of a kiss sent a thrill through her and she found one hand flexing against his chest as the other came to rest on his side.
Without making a conscious decision, Elise rose to her tiptoes and grasped the front of his shirt as the kiss intensified.
But as suddenly as it start, it stopped.
Frederick took a step back, but held onto her elbow to make sure she was steady.
With her eyes still closed, Elise blew out a breath. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about chemistry."
A chuckle caused her to look at him. "No," he told her with a crooked grin. "Chemistry won't be an issue, but we already knew that."
"Yes, we did." Taking a small step back. "So what does that mean for you? For Southern Santiero?"
He reached out and took her hand, leading her to the chairs by the large window. Even as they took a seat, he continued to hold on. "What it means for me, for Southern Santiero, is that this - you - may be the solution we've been praying for."
Elise looked at his thumb where it rubbed lightly against the back of her hand. "I'm glad."
"We would need to discuss logistics." Frederick leaned back in his chair and fixed his tie with his free hand. "You're still working. You have commitments that you will need to fulfill. What does that look like for you?"
She hadn't thought that far ahead. "I have to finish this movie, of course, and all of the promotional stuff for it when it releases next year, though I may be able to scale that back some. I doubt I can get out of it altogether, not without significant consequences, but I can probably cut back."
