“Just not now,” Hannah said, lifting her chin. “I understand.”
“Do you?” Kyril put his hand underneath her chin and raised her face to his. “I hope you know how much I wish we could leave the marina and cruise to destinations unknown.”
“But you have responsibilities at home.” Her wide blue eyes were determined.
“My country. My family. There will need to be a formal announcement.”
“About the wedding?”
“The wed
ding…and the baby.”
She glanced downward, a flicker of her eyelashes, and Kyril couldn’t bear it. “I am not ashamed about the way our child came to be. Know that in your heart.” His own heart beat faster at the thought of it. With every day that passed, he found himself more and more dedicated to this yet-unknown child and to Hannah. It took Kyril’s breath away. “I couldn’t imagine doing any of this with anyone else.”
She grimaced. “I imagine the rest of your country might not feel the same way.”
“Oh, they’ll be furious,” Kyril said with a laugh. “But mostly that they didn’t get to watch the wedding ceremony live and televised. A sheikh having a secret wedding? It’s such delectable gossip and such a disappointment at the same time.” He kissed her, and Hannah made a low noise in the back of her throat that spurred him on as much as her glistening, naked body. “I shudder to think of the fallout.”
Her eyes flicked open, sparkling with desire. “But your family will stand with you.”
“I’m sure they will. My father—”
“I meant me,” she interrupted, and his heart swelled with joy. Hannah grinned at him. “Me and our baby.” She blew a breath out through rounded lips. “I’m sure there will be fallout, but I’ll—we’ll stand with you.”
“It could be difficult at times,” Kyril admitted. “Not everyone we meet will be so…enthusiastic about the way we’ve gone about things.”
“What’s done is done.” Hannah let one of her hands fall to her belly. “And anyway, all that is still in the future. For now, we’re in this pool…” She lifted her hand, dragging her fingertips down the ridges of his abs. The sensation chased all the worry from his mind, and he was instantly at attention. “There’s nobody here to interrupt us. No cameras. No prying eyes.”
He couldn’t keep himself away for another moment. “Let them come,” Kyril said between devouring kisses. “I don’t care.”
12
Hannah’s heart fluttered in her throat as the black sedan swept them through the streets on the way to the palace. It was a white, sprawling structure at the northern end of the city, watching over the heat and bustle below. They’d arrived at the country’s biggest port the night before, and she’d slept a restless few hours before an early doctor’s visit. Kyril had insisted. The visit had gone well, and they’d returned to the yacht just before the stylist arrived. Kyril had wanted to make sure she felt her best, and she did, with her hair dried and gleaming in an elegant chignon, fresh makeup, and a brand-new outfit.
She put her hands in her lap and forced herself to take a breath. Kyril was busy on a tablet, no doubt making plans to control the fallout he’d talked about. Hannah knew it would take only a word to draw his attention, but now that they were back in Al-Dashalid, he seemed distant from her in a way he hadn’t on the yacht. His time had to be carefully managed, she saw, because he was so deeply involved with running the country. There wouldn’t be many carefree romps in the pool at the palace, assuming the palace did have a pool. It probably did. What palace wouldn’t?
Hannah missed the relative privacy of the yacht. She didn’t, however, miss having to haul her luggage from place to place by herself. It had been sent ahead. She wasn’t sure of the logistics, but those things didn’t seem to be Kyril’s concern. He simply gave the order to have their things sent ahead.
They drove by a crowded marketplace, brightly colored tents guarding the wares from the sun, and Hannah wanted to go back. They had fantastic cheap jewelry at the market, and she longed to lose herself among the stalls. But she pressed her lips together and swallowed the disappointment she couldn’t shake.
She’d known that marrying Kyril would result in a life dictated by royal duty, but she wished it hadn’t come so soon. It was her own fault. That stupid lava cake…
Hannah straightened her back. Moping about it wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, she’d known this time would come months ago, the moment the pregnancy test had shown two pink lines instead of one. It had been obvious. And yet this drive toward the palace felt like a cage closing in. Those last months of freedom had gone by in a flash.
“They're waiting for us at the palace,” Kyril said, and she realized he’d turned off the tablet and was watching her.
“What’s—what’s the plan for that?” Hannah swallowed a flash of anxiety. This wasn’t like landing in a new city, armed with her own itinerary. And she’d never been to the palace before. When she’d been in Al-Dashalid, they’d spent time at her own hotel room and some of the smaller royal residences, away from the main palace. The anxiety morphed into a strange excitement. She’d also never been in a real working palace before. “A…meet and greet, probably?”
Kyril laughed. “If by that you mean a formal introduction to my family, then yes.”
“They’re going to love me.”
He laughed again. “Undoubtedly. I’m certain we’ll sit down with them right away. After that, we’ll let the day unfold.” Kyril took Hannah’s hand in his and squeezed it. They were almost there.
With her hand in his, she felt calmer. Maybe it wasn’t a cage she was entering. Maybe all of this was a new, exotic adventure. It would be different, yes, but there would be chances to travel, and a new world awaited her, chock full of amazing experiences.
Maybe, instead of tying her down, being with Kyril would set her free.