United By Their Royal Baby

When her heart melted at even the memory of it, she finally acknowledged the truth of his words. But he was right. She was scared. Scared of the change, and of what that change would mean for her life. One day she would be Queen of Aidara and she knew what that would demand from her.

And it wasn’t because her grandmother had warned her of the demands of the role. Or the way she constantly referred to Xavier as a distraction, and their friendship as ‘childish’. After years of defending what they had, Leyna had learnt to brush it off, knowing that Kathleen had a limited idea of what real relationships were.

No, Leyna’s fears had nothing to do with Xavier, and everything to do with what she knew those demands would cost her. Because she’d seen exactly how they had affected her father.

King Clive had gone from exuberant Prince to reserved King. She had memories of her father being happy, chasing her around the royal gardens as her mother watched on, laughing. But in the ten years since he’d become King, that man had slowly faded away. Wrinkles of stress had replaced those of laughter. Every smile he gave her seemed like the hardest thing in the world.

The only remnant of the man her father used to be was the love he clearly still had for her mother. It made her ask, ‘Will you still love me when I become Queen, when you become King, and we both have the hardest jobs in the world?’

‘Of course I will.’ His hand moved from her chin to brush away a stray curl. ‘Who better to love and support you than someone who knows exactly what you’re going through?’

‘It’s going to be harder than anything we’ve had to do so far, Xavier,’ she said, to remind herself just as much as to remind him. ‘You’ve seen what it’s done to my father,’ she whispered.

‘We’ll get through it,’ Xavier said softly.

‘What if we got through it better as just friends?’

‘We’ve never been just friends, Leyna.’

‘So why bring it all up now?’

‘Because it’s your birthday in two days. You’ll be twenty-one and you’ll be expected to marry. Just as I’ve been expected to marry for the last year.’

She pulled a lip between her teeth at the reminder of their one-year age difference.

‘You know I’ve been waiting for you. It’s the only reason I’ve managed to put my family off. I love you, Leyna. I want to be married to you. And I know that we’ll be stronger together than we’ll ever be apart. Apart here meaning just being friends.’

She smiled at that and felt the punishing pulse of fear ease. ‘It’s not as charming as you think, you know. Having all the answers.’

She saw the relief in his features, and he grinned. ‘And yet you’re still in love with me.’

‘Full of yourself, too.’

‘But you love me,’ he insisted.

She studied him and felt a smile claim her lips. ‘Since you seem so sure, I suppose I don’t have to say it.’

‘If you don’t say it, I’ll be forced to carry you back into that water.’

‘And I’ll be forced to decline your proposal.’

His eyes widened in mock fear. ‘You wouldn’t.’

‘You have no idea what I’m capable of.’

‘Show me.’

The teasing tone of his voice disappeared in a flash, and the light that had been in his eyes heated.

‘Are you propositioning—’

She was silenced by his lips on hers.

It wasn’t their first kiss—that had happened when they were thirteen and fourteen, beneath the very palm tree they stood under now. But it might as well have been their first. When they were barely teenagers, the kiss had been out of curiosity. It had been exploratory. As had the other kisses they’d shared since.

None of them compared to this.

It had the heat of a summer’s day in Aidara. And the promise of passion that had been restrained for years. Leyna’s arms were around Xavier’s waist before she fully knew it, their bodies so close together she could feel every part of him. Her body responded and, for the first time in her life, Leyna felt like a woman. Not a daughter or a granddaughter. Certainly not like the heir to a throne.

No, she felt like a woman.

One who could make a man moan just as Xavier did now. One who had the power to make a man lift her from the ground and press her against the trunk of a tree so he could press even closer to her. She was lost in the sensation of his lips against hers, of his tongue in her mouth.

She was suddenly grateful they were at the beach, wearing the attire required by their location. It meant she didn’t have to battle with clothing to feel the muscular planes of Xavier’s body. It meant she could enjoy the way his hands touched—claimed—the curves of hers.

When his hand lifted a thigh so he could angle himself against her, Leyna heard a sound come from her throat. She felt Xavier still, and then he pulled his head away, just far enough so he could look into her eyes.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing,’ she breathed, and put a hand on the back of his neck, urging him closer.

‘Leyna,’ Xavier said. ‘I’ve known you all my life. Tell me.’

‘I just...’ She felt her face burn. ‘I’ve just never...’

‘You know I haven’t either.’

‘I know,’ she echoed, knowing that if Xavier had had another woman, she would have known about it. ‘But...are we doing this now? Against a tree on a beach, with our bodyguards a short distance away?’

‘I...I didn’t think about that.’

Xavier took a deep breath, and then took a step back. Leyna immediately missed the contact.

‘I didn’t mean that we can’t do it at all. I just... Well, I just pictured it on our wedding night. In a bed surrounded by candles and rose petals. With champagne cooling.’

She sounded like a fool. More so when silence followed her words. But then Xavier smiled.

‘You pictured it?’

Her cheeks went hot, but she laughed. ‘Maybe.’

‘On our wedding night?’

Her heart softened at the emotion she heard in his voice. ‘Yes.’

‘So you always knew there was more, too?’

‘Of course I did. Did you think I was resisting something I knew wasn’t true?’ She frowned. ‘You were so sure...?’