Chapter 28

MILA:

The room was stunned into silence.

I wasn’t expecting a formal declaration of feelings to be so public, especially during my first meeting with his parents. My worst nightmare was a tough first dinner with royals who were cruel to me, but I hadn’t considered that Felix would announce the fact that we were dating like we were about to get married.

Not that I didn’t want to believe that Felix was in love with me. I’d grown up as an outsider in my own family. I had fought hard, for years, to remind myself that I was even lovable. However, at this moment, I couldn’t help but wonder why this famous figure, this prince, would choose to have a public relationship with me.

I stood in the awkward silence, unsure of what to do, when Lady Isabella burst into tears. It was the most genuine emotion I think I’d ever seen her. Maybe she cared about Felix more than I thought.

Isabella ran from the room, still sobbing. We all watched her go quietly.

Rowena was the first to break the tension. She extended her arms to me, a gesture of warmth and maternal love that melted my heart.

“Welcome to the family, Mila,” she said, grinning broadly.

Ivan and Esmeralda were fawning over me as well, giving me hugs and congratulating me and Felix on our new relationship.

At some point, Charles slipped out of the room as well. I wasn’t sure where he went, but I noticed that the tension in the room dissipated as soon as Charles and Isabella left.

The dinner went well, almost shockingly well. I was impressed by how kind and easygoing the royal family was. Ivan and Rowena were lovely, and I was moved by how much they seemed to love their son.

Both the King and Queen seemed interested in my own life, both my upbringing in America and my move to Fresonia. I carefully avoided the topic of Derek and the scam (and the fact that Felix and I met having a one-night stand), but the conversation flowed easily.

It was nothing like my own home life. I didn’t expect to feel easier, more at home, around the royal family of Fresonia than around my own family.

As dinner wrapped up, a castle servant carrying a camera came scurrying into the room. He whispered something into the King’s ear, who nodded in my direction.

“If it’s all right with you, Mila,” the King said, “We would like to have an official picture of you we can use for press releases and such.”

“Oh, of–of course,” I stammered. I made my way over to the stone wall and gave the photographer what was hopefully my most winning smile.

After dinner was over, Felix drove me back to my motel.

“They loved you,” he said softly as we climbed into the car.

“I loved them,” I replied, honestly. “Have you… have they met one of your girlfriends before?”

“No, you were the first,” Felix said casually. That made my heart skip a beat for a moment–in excitement of nervousness, I wasn’t sure.

Felix looked at me curiously before saying, “What are your thoughts on my announcement?”

I hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Why me?” I asked finally. “What makes me different from all the other women?”

Felix’s eyes turned distant for a moment, as if he was thinking in a part of his mind he had not yet allowed me to see.

“I knew you were different when we met,” he said. “Like we were… meant to be. It sounds crazy, I know.”

It didn’t sound crazy. In many ways, I had felt that same instinct when we met. Like he was somehow… familiar.

It was probably just the alcohol talking, nothing more.

I knew my answer, but it was fun to tease Felix with some tension.

“Does being a consort mean I have to have a security detail?” I joked. Felix smiled, relief dawning on his face.

“I mean, it’s not a bad idea,” he said. “You could always use some protection.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

“I accept your offer of official courtship,” I said in a lighthearted tone. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Felix’s eyes were shining. “Good.”

He pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.

As we pulled up to the motel, Felix turned to face me fully.

“Thank you for tonight,” he said softly. “I can only imagine how nerve-wracking that must have been for you.”

I shrugged. “Your family is really nice, Felix. I liked them.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. “Even my brother?”

“I’ll make him some scones or something, that’ll win him over.”

Felix laughed again. I leaned over to kiss him goodnight, feeling emboldened by the successful evening.

Felix deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against his chest. I gasped at the contact, aware of his every breath.

One of his hands drifted up to cup the back of my neck, while the other made its way lower.

I pulled back slightly and looked at him. His eyes were dark with lust. My own heart was racing.

“Would you… like to come in?” I tried to make my voice sound silky and seductive, but it came out as more of a squeak.

“If you’re okay with that,” Felix murmured.

“Please,” I managed.

As soon as we walked in the door of my motel room, I felt self-conscious. The bed was small and dingy, and all my clothes were piled on the floor due to the lack of closet space.

That didn’t seem to bother Felix, though. He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the bathroom. He turned the shower faucet on and turned back to face me, the air steaming around him.

Felix tugged his shirt off over his head. It was the first time I’d seen him shirtless since our first night together, and I–wow. I had forgotten just exactly how good he looked.

He reached for my dress, tentatively untying the corseted back before letting it slip off my shoulders and pool on the floor. As the dress fell, it revealed my lacy panties Marie had thoughtfully slipped into my bag–and the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Mila.” He breathed my name like it was a prayer as he studied my almost-naked body. I looked at him, aware that each jagged breath set my breasts heaving.

Felix reached for me at the same time as I reached for his belt. My fingers quickly undid the loops before I tugged his pants and briefs to the floor.

Felix now stood, naked and hard, in front of me.

In one smooth motion, Felix lifted me and slid my panties off. My legs twined around his waist as he kissed me desperately, moving us both into the shower.

I squealed as the hot water hit my back. Felix smiled against my mouth, my tongue flickering against his front teeth.

“Better start warming up now, darling,” he purred in my ear. “I’ll be making you scream tonight.”

His hands shifted so that they were cupping my bottom, and his feathering touch tickled my sensitive skin, making me giggle.

I stopped laughing as Felix slid into me.

I audibly moaned with the first thrust. My skin was on fire–and it wasn’t just from the hot water.

Felix sank his teeth into a sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. I cried out, arching my back against him, inadvertently causing him to go deeper. The motion caused us both to gasp.

Pressure was quickly pooling between my legs. Felix’s thrusts were harder and faster now. He was pounding into me at a frenzied rate. My fingers clawed at his back. I writhed in his arms, desperate for more friction.

Felix’s mouth came crashing back into mine. One of his hands rose and gently palmed my breast, his fingertips swirling and teasing. The sensual motion, along with his expert motion down below, was enough to do me in.

I screamed his name as I came, riding out each wave of pleasure against him.

Felix was moments behind me, gasping as he finished. For a moment, all I could hear was the water and our own heartbeats.

“Mila,” Felix breathed. “That was…”

“I know,” I said. “I know.”