She swallowed, gathering her words as she toyed with the hair on his chest. “While I’ve been here, I’ve wondered a couple of times what it would have been like if my dad had moved here with my mum instead of her joining him in Soleil. They’d probably both still be alive.”
If he noticed her nonanswer, he didn’t show it. “Your dad had big dreams though. And an inherited seat in Parliament. He couldn’t have lived his life in Clair de Lune,” said Brayden.Are you the same as him?She could hear his unasked question.
“I think he wanted to use his position for the greater good,” she said carefully. She wanted to bind herself to Brayden, not have another fight. “If I pretend duty wasn’t a factor, I can see him as a bookseller in Clair de Lune. He’d have been happier doing that than he was as a politician.” Under the covers, she rubbed her smooth leg against his hairy one, enjoying the sensation.
“What about you? Would you be happier in another job?”
“Hmm. I’ve known since I was little I was destined to work in politics. If I had to choose a different career, I might choose teaching.”
“You could dothatalmost anywhere.” His warm brown eyes looked cautious but hopeful. He reached toward her and brushed some strands of hair out of her face.
“Yes, I could. I could teach politics after a few years in Parliament. It’s hard to imagine doing that in the foreseeable future though. The government is so divided. If I gave up my seat to Beni today, it’d be empty for at least six years until he was old enough to get an age exception. The Ceruleans would have a harder time passing any of the legislation my dad believed in.” Scarlett raked her nails over Brayden’s bicep as she considered it. “If Beni came of age and agreed to take the seat, I could potentially quit.”
“What would happen if you gave him the seat and he gave it up too?”
What if Beni would want to live in Clair de Lune with us?
Scarlett sat up, clutching the duvet to her chest. Shivering at the chill in the air, she reached for the water on the nightstand closest to her, taking a long drink before answering. She didn’t want to think about both her and Beni abdicating. “They’d give the seat to a distant relative, or if there truly wasn’t anyone, the prime minister would award it to someone deserving.” Scarlett offered Brayden the glass. His eyes had been glued to her bare back, and he took the glass with a roguish grin.
“Thanks,” he said, downing the rest of the water and setting the cup on his nightstand.
Scarlett lost focus for a second at the sight of his bare chest and the curve of his arse, barely visible under the edge of the blanket. Then he scooted closer to her once more, and she was lost in the kiss he placed on her neck, delighting in the sensation of his stubble scraping against her skin.
After a long moment of his lips moving over her body, she laughed breathily and pushed him away. “You’re distracting me, and I want to finish this conversation. What about you? Could you be happy doing something else?”
“I want to talk too, but you’re so kissable, and in my bed, and so very naked.” He bit her earlobe before leaning back against the headboard. “I don’t know what else I’d be good at. I’ve always liked doing physical stuff. I also love this place so much. This may sound cheesy, but there’s something fulfilling about it being my job to protect my family and my home. It matters to me, you know? I’d also like to see my dad retire before he gets too old to enjoy it.”
She swallowed. “I don’t think that’s cheesy at all. It’s nice. I wish my dad could have enjoyed retirement. I thought we had more time.”
“Exactly. That’s why I want to take over from Lachlan sooner rather than later.”
“What do you mean, you want to take over from him? Do you inherit Lachlan’s job because you’re his son?” asked Scarlett.
“No. I don’tinheritit, exactly, but…”
“People expect you to take the job?” She ran her fingers through his hair.
Brayden leaned into Scarlett’s touch. She gasped as he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“It’s because of my valor. I’ve been the heir apparent since I came out of the Forest Temple with the phoenix valor when I was eighteen.” His voice rumbled against her back.
She stiffened. “I can’t believe I didn’t know that,” she whispered. It was another slap in the face, reminding her that while she knew parts of him better than anyone else, much of Brayden was still a mystery to her. Like he’d said last night at the bar, he’d had the ability to control what she knew and what she didn’t through the mirror. That was all too apparent now.
He rested his chin on her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. We never spoke about valors, and I don’t like to make a big deal about it.”
“I wish you’d said something.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Because there’s no chance you’ll ever move to Soleil,” she snapped. Before, she’d assumed—arrogantly, she now realized—his position in the Clair de Lune army was less pivotal than hers in Soleil, but it was dawning on Scarlett they were both equally tied to their inherited roles. That could mean never living together full-time, and how could they stand that?
Heavy silence enveloped the room before he replied. “I can’t rightnow,with Evory about to go to war. But maybe someday.”
She swallowed a remark about conversations they probably should have had before getting married and focused on the politics. “What’s the latest on the Evory situation anyway?”
“The latest is they’re launching unauthorized, weaponized aircraft into Evory’s airspace.”
Her chest tightened. Images of what could be flashed through her mind. Brayden, caught up in the horrors of war, while she was thousands of miles away.
