I crinkled the paper in my hand. “We should probably go by the fire and socialize, because if you keep touching me like that, I’m going to come right here in front of all these people.”
“Jesus Christ, Katie,” he growled, and I shrugged.
I was learning that my king liked it when I talked that way, when I let go of the reins Mama had placed so tightly into my hands—but only for him, only like this.
I pulled away and turned to face him. “And my body has always been yours.” He devoured me with one look but reluctantly took my hand and led me to the bonfire.
Chelsea walked over and extended her hand to me at the first few beats of one of our favorite songs. It was slow and sexy, and we used to always drive boys wild when we danced together every time it came on. I shook my head and backed up against Sutton. There was only one boy I cared about, and he was already as wild as they came.
“Remember that time we danced to this on the bar at that club in Valetta?” she asked, and her picture-perfect smile lit up her face. “I thought that one guy was going to explode in his pants.” She turned her attention to Sutton. “He was literally dry-humping the air while watching Katie. Your girl is fucking hot.”
“Chelsea…”
She laughed then held her hands up in surrender. “Just calling ’em like I see ’em, babe.” Then she threw a wink over her shoulder and walked to the back of the beach, stopping right in front of the guard that took Antonio’s place at the gate. With every sway of her hips, his head turned more in her direction. She caught him staring and smiled then threw her hair over her shoulder and teased him some more.
Sutton leaned forward. His day-old stubble brushed my cheek. “You’re not going anywhere with her unless I’m with you.”
I laughed, then ground my ass into his crotch, rolling my hips to the beat of the music. He hissed through his teeth. His hard length pressed against my body. “Keep doing that, and I promise you I won’t explode in my pants. I’ll undo my zipper and come all over your fucking back, and no one will ever know it happened.” He fisted one hand in my hair and pulled, tipping my head back to meet his dark gaze. “Is that what you want?” I rolled my hips again and licked my lips in response. A wicked grin spread across his face. “I’m going to fuck you so hard your soul screams.”
God, I loved when he talked to me like that. “Promise?”
“Every day for the rest of our lives, and then some.”
When I was with Sutton, it felt like an eternity would never be enough. Maybe that was the true definition of a soul mate—two souls connected beyond time or reason. Perhaps we loved each other in another life because this pull, this force, this fire was so much stronger than one lifetime could allow, so maybe fate decided to give us two.
The paper in my pocket suddenly felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds. I stopped dancing and slid my hand inside my pocket, gripping the crinkled paper as sweat covered my palm. Breathe, Katie. My heart pounded in my chest, and an icy chill rushed through my bloodstream in spite of the warm fire in front of us.
Breathe.
I inhaled a deep, calming breath then pulled the paper from my pocket, my eyes locked on it and my body froze.
Breathe.
The fire blazed. The music faded into the background. The circle of friends became a blur.
Sutton hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me back against him. “What’s that?”
I swallowed, forcing the bile from my throat, then gave him a weak smile. “Nothing. Just some trash I found in my pocket.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. You can’t leave me.
Without another moment of hesitation, I threw the paper into the fire. Then I turned around in his arms and brought my fingers to his hair. “Are you going to kiss me now, or what?”
Earlier that day…
Mama met me in the library instead of her old office because, without a queen, there was no need for a Queen’s Secretary. She told Sutton she could move to Valetta, find a job and an affordable place to stay, and in true Sutton fashion he put her in her place—which happened to be right here in Thornebridge Castle. The mother of my queen isn’t going to file papers for some asshole with an authority complex and sleep in a one-bedroom cottage on the outskirts of town. God, I loved this man.
She sat next to me on the leather sofa in the middle of the room. “I saw that they’re remodeling my old office. Does that mean you’ve decided on a secretary?”
I wouldn’t exactly have called it remodeling. They changed out the heavy, jewel-toned window treatments for long white sheers, replaced the Persian rug with a white shag and painted the gold walls a soft gray.
“I have.”
The decision was nowhere near easy. The Queen’s Secretary had always been someone the queen could trust without hesitation. She would know everything about me from the company I kept to the meals I ate to how often I took my birth control shot. The obvious choice was Chelsea, but—God love her—she wasn’t focused enough for that kind of responsibility.
“I asked a girl named Madeline. She works in the kitchen. We get along great, and I think she’ll be a perfect fit,” I said, smiling as I remembered the way Madeline screamed so loud that Mrs. Fletcher dropped the pile of dishes she was carrying, sending a stack of porcelain plates crashing to the floor. Mrs. Fletcher just shook her head, ignoring the mess on the floor. She pulled us both into her arms and said, I knew you were meant for greater things… both of you. Then she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, I’m so happy he found you.
I was happy we found each other.
Mama dropped her gaze, and I could tell her heart was breaking. The Queen Mother hardly spoke to her anymore. In my mama’s eyes, she was never just a secretary. She was a friend. Apparently, the former queen had no use for friends.
When she looked back at me, her eyes held so much pain that I wanted to march to the East Wing and slap the stupid right out of Sutton’s mother. “I’m glad you found someone you can trust. I know you’ll be good to her.”
I squeezed Mama’s hand. “I was hoping you could train her.”
She softly smiled and nodded her head. “I would love that. I still can’t believe in seven months my daughter will be the queen of Torryn.”
“Do you think Dad would be happy for me?”
Her smile grew. “I know he would be.” She cleared her throat and moved her hands to the square, black box she held in her lap. “Speaking of your father…” Her fingertips trailed across the bright red ribbon. “I believe you’ve been waiting for this.” My heart raced as she handed it to me.
My inheritance.
She stood and smoothed the front of her dark blue dress. Even though she no longer worked for the queen, Mama still managed to look the part every single day. “I’ll leave you to open it whenever you’re ready.” She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Happy Birthday, Katarina. I love you.”
I had let go of my anger towards Mama over losing the farm as soon as I’d found out the truth. I asked for her forgiveness, and she gave it without hesitation because that’s who Katherine Bellizzi was—a kind-hearted warrior with the grace and beauty of a thousand queens.