He reached up and framed my face with his large hands. “If you would like me to. I might need a place to crash if my father decides to kick me out of the family.”
“I can’t promise it will be like this,” I answered, smiling. “But yes, you are more than welcome to.”
His thumb rubbed over my cheek lightly. “Thank you, Anna, for being my friend.”
“Thank you for being my accomplice.”
Max grinned and dropped his hand, hauling me against him. “Come on, let’s watch this movie and eat the shit out of some junk food.”
“You’re on.”
***
I saved Royce for last, knowing that it was going to be far more difficult to walk away from him than the others. Royce and I had so much emotion between us and I loved him, which had me worried as I walked in his mansion the next night, wondering if I was making a huge mistake.
I couldn’t stay here, and he knew it. This life had stifled me, making me feel as if I wasn’t the person I knew I was. I needed to go back where I belonged.
And leave my heart behind in the process. “Royce?”
He wasn’t in the living room or in the kitchen, but a flicker of light caught my eye and I followed a row of small candles to the basement door, where his home ring was located. I had been down there many times before, but never by candlelight.
I pushed open the door and descended the stairs, careful not to knock over the candles in the process. Royce waited for me in the center of his ring, dressed in a button-down shirt and jeans, his feet bare. “Pauper.”
“Royce,” I said, my blood coursing through my veins. Why did he have to look so sinfully handsome now? “What are you doing?”
He gave me a little grin. “Taking it back to where it all started between us.”
I arched a brow. “Then you should have taken it to the freshman hall or the bathroom.”
He laughed, a sound that I held dear to my heart to warm the lonely nights ahead. “Maybe, but this is the very spot I fell in love with you.”
I know my mouth dropped open. He had said it. He had told me he loved me.
“Cat got your tongue, pauper?”
I started toward him, tears in my eyes, and he met me halfway, grabbing me and burying his face in my hair. “I’m sorry it took me so fucking long to tell you, but I do love you. I’ve never said that to another human being, Anna, and I don’t plan to ever do so.”
I clutched at his shoulders, feeling him wince. “What?” I asked, instantly alarmed, pulling back. “What’s wrong?”
He released me and started unbuttoning his shirt. “I really didn’t think you would believe me,” he said as his bare chest came into view. “So, I did something probably really stupid.”
Curious and blatantly turned on, I watched as he stripped off his shirt and turned around. I gasped as I realized what I was looking at. “You got a tattoo?”
“Yeah,” Royce said, rolling his shoulder. I saw the word “pauper” with a tiny crown hanging off the R and my heart melted at the sight. He had gotten a tattoo with the one word that meant a heck of a lot to me, a nickname that had become so endearing, I enjoyed hearing it roll off his tongue.
I stepped around him, putting my finger under his chin and forcing him to meet my eyes. “You got a tattoo for me.”
His eyes burned with intensity. “I needed to show you that you mean everything to me, pauper. I know you are leaving, and I can deal with a long-distance relationship. I’m not going anywhere.”
I rested my forehead against his chest, tears threatening my eyes. “I can’t even with you.”
His arms went around me and pulled me close. “I thought I could ignore my feelings for you, Anna. I thought I could just let you go and never think about you again. I can’t. I don’t fucking care if you sleep with the other kings, as long as you always come back to me.”
I was crying in earnest now, my heart unable to take much more of this king. “I can’t leave you,” I said brokenly. “I can’t leave you behind.”
Royce pulled back gently, his thumb wiping away the tears on my cheeks. “You can leave me. You need to go have the future you want, Anna, not the future we wanted you to have. If I knew it would keep you happy, I would keep you here, with me, but you won’t be happy until you get your freedom and that freedom is back in the States.”
I was a mess. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to have this discussion with Royce, but I hadn’t imagined it would hurt this badly. “I’m sorry.”
His smile was tender. “Don’t apologize to me, pauper. I knew the moment I really met you that you couldn’t truly belong to anyone. I don’t want to be your gilded cage.”
I fell against him once more. “I’m not leaving tonight.”
Royce chuckled against my hair. “I wasn’t planning on it. Someone has to rub aloe on my tattoo.”
I choked out a laugh. “You are too much.”
We stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, and I felt the love infusing us. “I’m coming to see you when you get settled,” he said after a moment. “And I don’t care if the other kings come either, Anna. I’m willing to share but you will always belong to me, to my heart.”
Lord, the man and his words now that he had said that he loved me. “What will you do when you graduate?”
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I’m sure I will be part of parliament and represent my family’s name. I want you to come to London, pauper. I want to show you the sights.” He then nuzzled my neck. “And have you in my bed.”
I sighed. “I will like that.”
I would be counting down the days until I could see him again.
Chapter 22
Anna
Three months later
“You look beautiful. Like a princess.”
Sarah’s eyes glistened with tears and I immediately started to fan them. “No, you can’t cry! You will smear your makeup!”
“I can’t believe this,” Sarah said, smoothing down the front of her dress. “I am getting married today.”
I smiled as I saw the excitement on her face, so happy for her and this day. It had been three months since I had been back in the States and a whirlwind of activity since then. I loved my little apartment that Sarah had been able to get for me, with the perfect view of the downtown area. There were always people around, but I didn’t mind, glad to be around others that were just like me.
Occasionally I would wake and look for the mountains in the distance and for a moment, feel a sense of sadness because of the life I had there.