Page 4 of Bred By the Emperor

“You will,” he says.

“I don’t think so.” I smile sweetly in return. My heart batters my ribs, but I’m sure. I let my gaze slide to the younger man standing slightly behind him. “At least, not to him.” Prince Kenton gapes at me with clear astonishment. I hate to be a disappointment, but… I suppose even good-looking young men need to experience rejection at least once in their lives. Keeps them humble.

I return my gaze to the father, who is staring at me sternly. “You, on the other hand…” I trail off and let my eyes skim down his body and then back up to his face. “You, I might consider.”

Chapter 4

Malakai

Princess Liliviere is a cool-headed little brat, and I’m going to tame the fuck out of her. Something in the way she scans my body and looks back at my face unleashes a flood of long-pent-up desire. It’s intoxicating. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

Hell, in her position, I’d do the same thing. Judging from the way she’s looking at me, soon, the only position she’ll be in is with her legs locked around my waist⁠—

“Dad,” Kenton nudges me and whispers with urgency, “I changed my mind. I’ll marry Princess Liliviere. Today. Right now. You didn’t tell me she was gorgeous.”

“Shut up.” I push my son back up and advance on the petite blonde princess with the big blue eyes. “Is there somewhere we can discuss this privately?”

“This way,” she gestures toward a formidable double door standing open. This castle has been fortified, but she shouldn’t be inviting strange men into her home. What if we were those fool rebels?

“Ladies first.” I gesture for her to proceed. The instant she turns around, I want to throw her over my shoulder, drag her into the helicopter and take her home to my bed. I can’t. I’m supposed to be here on behalf of my son. But her heart-shaped ass and narrow waist, in that elegant blue dress that hugs her body despite the demure neckline, with that long fall of gold hair between her shoulder blades—she would tempt a saint. I am no saint.

But I’m not a caveman either. I have some discipline. A lot of it, actually. After all, I did spend ten years celibate.

But if that hint of promise sparking in her crystalline blue eyes meant what I thought it did, I suddenly ready for my lengthy abstinent spell to be over.

Claiming her for myself would cause one hell of a problem.

I’m not sure whether I care.

Kenton would never forgive me.

She leads us into a room with a round table set with heavy chairs. An elderly man is asleep in one of them. This must be her grandfather, the king. I’m getting the sense that Princess Liliviere has been managing the kingdom for some time. She doesn’t bother to awaken him.

“Sit. Please.” None of us do. She goes over to the old man and nudges him gently. “Grandfather, the emperor and his son are here.”

“Mff thass nice dear.” He barely stirs.

“I saw your announcement in the newspapers this morning. Rather high-handed of you, wasn’t it? I told you I didn’t agree to the union.” Her blue eyes slide to Kenton. I’m suddenly jealous of my own offspring. I want her to look only at me. Eyes on me, all the damn time. Never on another man.

“Please, Princess Liliviere, I humbly ask you to be my bride.” Kenton, the fool, drops to one knee and produces a diamond ring in a blue velvet box from his pocket. The thing is huge, with a center diamond the color of the sky—and the kingdom’s pennants, and her eyes, too—surrounded by smaller white diamonds, in a gold setting. It’s so perfect for her that I’m tempted to snatch it out of his hand so I can give it to her myself. I’m the one who bought it, after all. It’s not like he put any thought into this. I made all the arrangements.

Getting down on one knee to propose is what I want to do.

Obviously, I can’t upstage my own son like that. This is his day, and I’m the one who made it happen.

“I’m sorry, Prince, I cannot commit my country’s future to a stranger on such short notice,” Liliviere says coolly. Her gaze flicks to me. I feel that glance like an electric shock. Literally any other woman in the empire would be falling over herself to accept a proposal from the crown prince. Not this woman.

Undaunted, Kenton rises to his feet and looms over her, brushing a strand of hair away from her face as he says, “I know you’re going to love me once you get to know me.”

There’s confidence, and then there’s arrogance. Right now my son is radiating the latter. I walk over to him and pull him up by the collar. “Quit making a fool of yourself.”

“I am not agreeing to marry anyone without a proper wedding settlement.” Again those intelligent blue eyes slide to me. I feel her gaze touch my body like an electric shock. My dick is so hard I can barely think. All I want to do is get her alone and make her mine.

But it is not only her beauty that attracts me instantly. It’s her quiet self-confidence. The way she didn’t yield to my demands was annoying yesterday. Today, it’s intriguing. Yes, she is young enough to be my daughter, but I’m already obsessed with her.

“Shall we discuss this in private?” I say.

“That might be for the best.”