Max also talked about growing up as a prince. Although he’d already told her about his family and his brothers, this time he opened up about the trials of being the heir apparent. He was honest about the difficulties as well as the benefits of his life, andhe didn’t gloss over the many challenges he would face in the years to come in a changing and sometimes volatile world.
Throughout their discussion, it was easy to see how seriously he took his role, how passionate he was about his position, and how he’d prepared for years to take over his father’s duties. He would need to shoulder a heavy load; the responsibilities would be great and the pressure immense. But Max had proven to be a strong and determined man, and she had no doubt he would handle everything well.
She was full of questions about what his life was really like, where he lived, and what his duties as prince were. She admitted she’d googled him to find out more information and had found his picture with more women than she could count. He confessed to having a wild period of his life when he was at the university and for a while after that.
Although she was a little jealous of all the women he’d known, he assured her that none of them had mattered, that he’d never felt for them anything like what he felt for her. The relationships had been shallow and had lacked substance compared to the one with her, which was mature and deep and real.
At some point late in the night, Max got up to add more wood to the stove while the storm continued to howl through the cracks and rattle the windows and roof. She had a feeling things were only getting worse with the storm rather than better, but she tried not to worry about it. Instead, she soaked in every minute of holding Max’s hand beside him on the couch and talking about everything.
The second time Max got up, dawn was only an hour or two away, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. When Max sat back down, she curled up next to him, put the blanket over both of them, then laid her head on his shoulder. Within seconds, she was asleep.
She wasn’t sure how long she drifted off. When she stirred later, she realized that somehow she and Max had ended up lying beside each other. He had his back against the cushions, and she had her back against him, and both of their heads were on the same couch pillow. His arms surrounded her and held her securely, his hands together across her stomach. The blanket covered mostly her, but her warmth came from him and his encompassing hold.
She didn’t want to wake up, wanted to go back to sleep this way and never have to get up from the couch again, so that she could lie in his arms forever.
Could she really allow herself to dream about waking up with him every morning? Was that really a possibility? Max had seemed to think so. He’d made it clear she was special and that he’d never loved or wanted to marry a woman the way he did her.
She released a contented sigh.
“Are you awake, darling?” came his whisper against her hair.
“No. I’m asleep and plan to stay that way for a while.”
He chuckled softly.
She loved the rumble against her back, the strength of his arms around her, and the pressure of his long legs against hers. She shifted backward and snuggled into him even more.
At the movement, his arms tightened, and he bent and pressed a kiss to her head, a long and hard one that contained all of the passion he was obviously holding back.
Heat swirled languidly inside her. But more than the heat, a deep sense of appreciation swelled up into her throat, choking her with sudden emotion. This man was truly honorable. He’d vowed that nothing would happen except that kiss they’d shared last night, and he’d kept his promise. That’s the kind of man Max was—a man of strength, character, and the highest caliber.
There was no sense in playing any games with herself or with him. She may as well be completely honest. She loved him, and she wanted to marry him. No amount of time would change that. Not a few weeks or a few months. So why not admit it now?
“Max?” she whispered.
“Yes, darling.” He pressed another kiss to the back of her head, this one gentler.
“I know I love you.”
His whole body stilled. “Truly?”
“And I do want to marry you, because I can’t bear the thought of living without you.”
This time he breathed out what sounded like relief. “Hearing you say so makes me a very happy man, the happiest ever.”
She couldn’t hold back a smile of her own happiness. “You know what would make me happy right now?”
“What?”
“If you kissed me again.” Her words were bold, but she’d been thinking about their kiss for hours, and her craving for another was only growing.
“I vowed I would not kiss you again.” His voice turned husky. “Believe me, I have worked incredibly hard to keep my vow. I had to exert herculean strength in order to resist the temptation of turning you over and kissing you senseless.”
Sweet pleasure washed over her at his words, and she closed her eyes again to bask in the beauty of the moment with him. “You said you wouldn’t kiss me again last night. But it’s morning now.”
“You have an excellent point.”
“It’s brilliant.”
