The King’s Innocent Bride

“Your uncle or the king?” She raises her perfect eyebrows in question. My cheeks heat, and she laughs again. I bite my lip, feeling a little embarrassed. The last thing I should be thinking about is a man. I should be more worried about what I’m going to do next. “I’m sure James will be along any moment now. As for your uncle…” She shrugs. “You’ll have to ask James about that.” She releases my hand and gets up from the bed.

“I’m sure you need your rest, and food will be here any moment.” She smooths out her clothes as she speaks. “I’m going to see about ordering you some clothes. If you make a list of things you need, I’ll make sure we get them.” She points to a pen and pad sitting on the nightstand.

“Why are you doing all this for me?” I question. No one has been this nice to me since I came to live here.

“James told me about your family.” Her face softens. “I know what it’s like to be all alone, but you’re not anymore. You’re going to have a family now.”

I start ask what she means, but she interrupts me. “I’ve said too much already. You need to eat and rest. I just want you to know you’re safe here and your life is about to change for the better. I can promise you that.” She leans down and kisses me on the cheek.

“I’ll be back as soon as James will share you again,” she laughs as she strolls from the room, leaving the door cracked open. I slide from the bed and make my way over to the door that is no longer locked.

I jump back when a man walks in. I squeak in surprise. “Sorry, miss,” he rushes to say and lifts the tray in his hands to show me why he’s here. “I brought you something to eat.” He walks over to the sitting area off to the side and places the tray down. The smell of food makes my mouth water and reminds me how hungry I am.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

He gives me a nod in response and lifts the lids off the different plates. “I’ll take it from here, Marko,” a deep voice rumbles. Every cell in my body stands to attention. Without even looking, I know it’s him. James. The king.

“Of course, sir.” The man heads towards the door.

“Don’t come in this room if I’m not in it,” the king tells Marko.

“Or course, sir,” Marko says again before shutting the door behind him and leaving us all alone.

I stand there fidgeting with the tie on my robe, unsure of what to say. James’s eyes roam over me for a moment, his gaze becoming heated as he makes his way towards me. I have to fight taking a step back from him. His size is intimidating, but I don’t want to be rude. This man hasn’t done anything but be nice to me this far. I should be thanking him.

My breath stills when he raises his hand and pulls the robe that had fallen off my shoulder back up. “I don’t like other men to see you like this.” Possessiveness rings in his words. Then he tucks one of my long dark curls behind my ear before trailing his finger down my neck. The feel of his finger leads my body to respond to him in a way I’ve never felt before. I gasp and my mouth falls open as he leans down, his lips but a breath from mine.

Chapter Six

James

Relief falls over me when my lips press to hers, knowing she has finally woken. I knew the doctor told me that she would be okay, but I still worried. I paced the end of the bed for hours. I’m surprised I didn’t wear a track in the rug. It took my mom finally calming me down and telling me to go find out more about my girl before I finally pulled myself away. She reassured me she would stay by her side and keep an eye on her.

Her soft lips mold easily against mine, and a sweet vanilla scent envelops me. A small moan leaves her lips. Her fingers dig into the front of my shirt. I pull her closer to me, delving my hand into her long silken locks of hair. I never knew something could be so soft before her. I lick the seam of her mouth, wanting her to open for me. I need more of her sweet taste.

She does as I command. I slide my tongue between her parted lips, deepening the kiss. I have to fight walking her back to the bed and tossing her down onto it and taking what will soon be mine. I want to do this right. She has lost so much in her life already. I want to make sure everything from this point on is perfect, more than she could have ever hoped for.