“Tristan called me today,” she said.
I knew exactly what that would be for.
“Gossip columns,” I responded, and she nodded.
“He thinks we should be running away.”
“So would anyone who knows the situation and our families, but they can go fuck themselves, Elaine. I’m not backing down on this for anyone. You’re the love of my life and I’ll be shouting it from the fucking rooftops. Our families can suck it up and take it.”
“But what if they come for us?” she asked.
“They’ll want to,” I said. “But our empire and roots here are growing and expanding firmly. I hope they’ll have more sense than to take a shot at that.”
I could see she wasn’t so sure. She knew her mother after all, no doubt grieving the prick who’d spent years giving her daughter over to the cunts in the fellowship. Still, I knew my father. He’d no doubt be fuming to the point of abject rage, too. My father had a brain at least. I hoped he chose to use it.
“We are really doing this?” she asked. “The West End premiere?”
“Yes,” I told her. “We’re definitely doing it.”
She didn’t question me again, just turned her attention to dinnertime, saying how excited she was with her new friendship with Francesca. Again, it was lovely to see her glowing so brightly, right from the core.
Dinner was nice. Once more I was far more interested in Elaine enjoying the conversations than I was in enjoying them myself. I saw Devon smirking at me when he realized I was staring at Elaine between every mouthful of roasted lamb.
Francesca didn’t notice. She was chatting away quite happily to my princess, clearly excited about the friendship just as much as Elaine was. I loved that. I adored that. The Quentins would no doubt be high on our list of guests when we were in our own kingdom.
We headed upstairs as soon as dinner was over. As usual my hands were all over her as soon as she stepped in through the bedroom door. As always, she was desperate right back, begging for everything she took from me.
One thing she did ask for was pain, beautiful pain. Only I didn’t give it to her, not that night. I had a whole set of other plans on that front, too. Ones I wanted her skin clear and flawless for, a perfect canvas for when I did truly put some marks on her.
“Wait for your gifts,” I told her as I fucked her pretty little slit from behind. “You’ll be given them when I choose.”
I knew she loved that from me. Ownership. Possession. Making her my hungry little submissive under my command.
I made her come, my fingers rubbing her clit as I slammed into her, only giving her my cum in return when she was riding the wave. Fuck, I was spent when we were done, long days and nights finally catching up with me.
Then we did something we hadn’t done all that much of before. We lay in bed together, staring at each other in the fuzzy glow of the aftermath, asking each other random questions.
“Do you like snow?”
“What’s your very favorite color. The exact shade, not a vague one?”
“Have you ever watched a sitcom and been hysterical laughing?”
“What’s your star sign? Have you ever had your birth chart made?”
It was so much fun. So lively. So lighthearted. Something we hadn’t had much of in all the time we’d known each other.
That’s when I picked up on it in myself—just how much I wanted to see the same things I’d seen in her eyes when she was looking at me as when she’d been looking at Francesca downstairs across the dinner table. Friendship as well as love. Love was all consuming and everything, but friendship is knowing. Truly knowing someone. I wanted to know my princess inside out.
She was asleep before I was, the bedside lamp still on on my side of the bed. I watched her, smiling to myself.
I couldn’t wait to show her off to the world. Miss Elaine Constantine on my arm on the red carpet.
My love, my life. My very best friend.
25
Elaine
I must have twirled a thousand times in front of the mirror, staring at the sparkle in my sapphire gown while Francesca stood beside me. She looked absolutely sensational, in a bright orange dress fitted like perfection to her curves. It was so striking. Totally beautiful.
“You look AMAZING!” she told me for the hundredth time as I checked out my back in the mirror all over again.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m just… I’ll be standing next to Lucian Morelli, the hottest guy on the planet.”
She laughed at that. “Just as well you’re probably the hottest girl on the planet, then.”
I rolled my eyes, because that was a crazy statement, but it still made me feel so nice inside, her being so nice to me.