Leo chuckled. “I don’t blame him. What was your reaction when you found out you would be a princess?”
“I was mostly annoyed,” Evelyn recalled. “I didn’t want to leave my home. I didn’t want my whole world to change when none of it was my choice.”
Leo looked nervous again. “Do you feel that way now?”
Yes. I don’t want to be a queen.
But I can’t say that. I can’t hurt him.
“I want to be with you,” she said. “I can handle anything if it means I get to be with you.”
Her heart lightened when Leo smiled.
“You will be an incredible queen, Evelyn. The whole kingdom will love you.”
“Be careful with your promises, Leo. I might become more popular than you.”
“I hope you do. I want everyone to know how amazing you are.”
Leo kissed Evelyn, his lips soft against hers. She breathed in his familiar citrusy scent. It took only heartbeats for the sweet kiss to turn heated, their breaths and pulses quickening. Evelyn stood on tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. The dimly lit room suddenly felt much warmer.
Despite Daffodil’s attempts to trip them, Leo guided Evelyn over to the couch. She barely registered being horizontal before he was on top of her. Leo kissed her greedily, trying to make up for lost time. One of his thighs pushed between her legs. She moaned at the contact and rocked against him. He shifted and the hardness of him pressed to her stomach.
Yes, gods, I need?—
An alarm bell sounded in Evelyn’s head, overriding her own arousal.
No! I can’t do this with him today!
“Stop!”
Leo pulled away. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
Evelyn shook her head. Leo climbed off her, and they both sat up.
“What happened? I thought you wanted to?—”
“I did!” she interrupted. “I do, I just…”
Evelyn scrambled to think of something to say that wasn’t“I would feel icky having sex with you because Haydn was in my bed this morning.”
Leo searched her face for an explanation. “Did I do something to upset you?”
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I… I want to wait until we get married.”
His brows furrowed at the unexpected request. “You want to wait until after the wedding to be together?”
“Yes.”
This sounds so silly. But it would be weirder to ask him to wait until tomorrow for no apparent reason. That would feel like I’m scheduling appointments for sex.
“Are you…” Leo’s eyes widened. “Have you not done this before?”
Gods, this is mortifying.
“No! I mean, yes! Ihavedone this before.” Evelyn’s cheeks were as red as her hair.
“Then…why?” he asked with a hint of impatience. “I’m not trying to pressure you. I just don’t understand what changed so quickly.”
