“Mmm,” she purred, arching toward me, deepening the kiss. “No. The queen likes it.”
“I think I’m going to turn this into a completely private resort.”
She looked at me. “You can’t be serious.”
I nodded. “Oh, I’m fucking serious. I want my wife all to myself.”
Her nails dug into my back. “You have me. You’ve always had me.”
I palmed her stomach. We hadn’t announced the news to anyone yet, but I couldn’t keep my hands off her. Molly pregnant was sexier than I thought possible. And her appetite for me had exploded. Our honeymoon had been fucking phenomenal.
I returned to my chair, repositioning my sunglasses.
“Have you heard from Sutcliffe this morning?” she asked.
“He sent an addendum with the lodestar.”
She rubbed lotion along her legs. I was mesmerized by her.
“Are the details worked out?”
“You realize we could go about this my way.”
She snapped the cap back in place. “We aren’t doing that. It’s completely unfair to use your position like that.”
“Then what’s the point of being king?” I grumbled.
“We can’t deprive scholars of those texts because you don’t want me to go to London.”
“What I want is my wife.” My hand landed on her knee.
She smiled sweetly. “I know this London thing isn’t your first choice, but if Sutcliffe followed my instructions, then I’ll be home every weekend. And you will be there with me the first and last weeks of the project. It will fly by. We’ll barely spend any time apart.”
“Or we could have the texts flown to the palace and held in the royal library while you complete your work.”
“I love that you want to do that for me. But you know what I love more?”
“What is that?”
“That you let me figure out how to make this work. You didn’t just shut it down.”
When Molly first told me her proposal had been accepted by the institute, my gut reaction was to voice a forceful no. I didn’t want to let her go. I especially didn’t want her to leave the country pregnant. But this woman got me. She understood what I needed and when.
And I had to do the same for her. To love her nerdy book habits. To support her work. To loosen my hold, even when it drove me crazy. London was going to be hell. But I knew I’d go through hell for her.
“I would do anything for you, love.”
“Even ask,” she teased.
“Yes, even ask. I love you, Molly Sauvage. I said it at our wedding, and I’ll say it again on this beach. The entire country of Bostique can hear me proclaim it.”
“Shh,” she giggled. “No one in Bostique wants to hear a crazy king.”
“You can’t stop love. And I’m in love with you. And our baby. I’ll do whatever it takes to show you that every day.”
Molly sat forward, swinging her feet into the sand. She scooted in next to me. “You have lost your mind, do you know that?”
I ran my hand along her back. Her skin was warm. I brought my palm to rest on her belly. “You know without you, I wasn’t a very good king.”