A crooked smile bloomed on Ian’s face. “Is that so?”
“I was soiled. Ruined.”
Ian moved his face close to hers. His eyes, were smiling and Sofie knew she’d been
found out. “You knew that would happen.”
“I beg your pardon?” She feigned offense. “What are you insinuating?”
He laughed. “When you slept with me, you knew you would be ‘ ruined. ’”
Only Ian would understand her like this--only the man with whom her heart was joined.
The truth was the one thing they had between them now, and she wasn’t going to respect that. “I knew it would matter to one of the Dukes and to Count Leo. They were the ones who would have accepted an arrangement from my mother without much care over how I felt.” His hands were rubbing her back and Sofie was aware of how this sounded. Like she used him to get out of marriage. “I made love with you because I wanted you. I loved you so much, and I didn’t want to wait.”
He kissed her softly, and then pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad. The thought of a couple of old pervs having their hands on you pisses me off. How could your mother do that?”
“She thought she was doing the right thing. But I almost committed murder when the old Brit sniffed and said he could never marry someone with such “loose morals.” The dirty old bastard almost had my knee in his crotch. He came sniffing around again after my brother died and I was now heir to the throne. The pompous arse.”
Ian was laughing now to the point of shaking.
“I’m glad you’re finding this funny,” she said.
“I am eternally grateful that the dirty old bastard pissed you off so thoroughly,” he chuckled.
Sofie burst into a round of giggles herself, only to be brought back to earth by the gentle caresses of Ian’s hands. She’d thrown on one of his t-shirts before coming downstairs, but nothing else, and he’d gone up under the shirt, so his touch was on bare skin. “Mmmm. I need breakfast and then I need you to take me back to bed.” She could hear the wind kicking up and she couldn’t think of a better way to weather the storm than in Ian’s arms.
“I am happy to do both, Your Highness.”
She loved the playfulness, but the beauty of all that had happened swamped her. He was everything, this man. He loved her, was willing to protect her—there was no one else she would ever love.
“I have a question for you,” she said.
“Shoot.”
“My father told me you volunteered to protect me. That you didn’t hesitate.”
He hesitated then, but he answered. “I did volunteer. I wasn’t going to trust just anyone with your safety.”
“Even knowing what it could cost you in other ways? What it could cost both of us?”
“Even then. No one will hurt you while I’m here, Sofia. No one.”
She grasped his hands in hers and left a kiss on his knuckles. “Thank you.”
“And I love you, Sofie. I’ll die before anyone hurts you. That’s a promise.”
Holding him close, Sofie felt like she had everything she could ever want. She hoped he felt the same way.
Wrapped in Ian’s arms hours later, Sofie watched as the storm was beginning to rage outside the bedroom windows. They’d made love, talked endlessly, and laughed until their sides hurt. They held each other because being together, after all this time, was so very right. Each minute she was with him was a reminder of how much Sofie couldn’t, and wouldn’t, give him up. Forbidden or not.
He’d flipped on the television in the room, looking for information about the storm, but she didn’t want to think about any of it. It was severe and, in the distance, she could see the waves crashing against the bulkhead, but here, in his bed, they were safe.
“Shit. That fucking weasel.” The outburst got her attention because Ian rarely ever swore.
If she thought about it, she could probably count on her fingers the number of times he used profanity.
He’d bolted upright in the bed and put the volume up on the television.
“Ian?”
“Fucking hell,” he snapped. Reaching for his phone on the night table, it was already ringing. “How did this happen? I don’t give a shit that he claims he has rights. He has no fucking rights as long as the princess is in danger.”
On the program, she saw Louis, her secretary being interviewed by the news reporter.
Louis, who didn’t ever want to talk to reporters because he deemed them “bloodsuckers”, was having an interview.
“It’s quite unfortunate what’s happened to the royal family in Aubonne,” Louis said.
“We’ve been told by more than one source,” the reporter began, “that Crown Princess Sofia has been put in protective custody in the United States. Is this true?”