Prince Player(64)

Nolan reaches Julian’s door and decides just to throw it open instead of knocking. We might as well go all the way, I figure, as we push into the room.

Julian is sitting behind his desk and looks startled when we burst into his office. He quickly clicks out of something and adjusts his pants as Nolan looks back at the guards.

“Protect the door,” he says, and the guards form up at the entrance to the office.

Julian stands and I realize that he’s buckling his belt. “What are you doing here?” he says, shocked. “I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

“Busy stroking one out to underage girls, Julian?” Nolan asks him.

“What?” he sputters, turning red. “What are you suggesting?”

Nolan is silent for a second before holding up his phone. He unlocks the screen and pushes the play button.

Renee’s face appears on screen. She launches into the story of how she met Julian, complete with her age at the time.

“Turn that shit off,” Juliann hisses.

“Are you sure?” Nolan asks. “We’re getting to the good part.”

“Turn it off,” he says again.

Nolan hits the pause button and lowers the phone. “Concede,” he says.

Julian sits back down and crosses his arms. He watches Nolan for a second quietly before shaking his head. “I don’t think so.”

“The nobles are backing me. When this becomes public, your wife will leave you, and you’ll be finished.”

“I don’t think so.” Julian grins at him. “See, nobody will believe that. And the nobles know they can’t betray me.”

“Your blackmail won’t work,” Nolan says to him. “Not after we ruin you. Nobody will believe a thing you release.”

He smiles, an insane glint in his eyes. “Bullshit. You don’t know anything.”

“Concede and I won’t make this public. Choose now.”

Julian slowly rises again, eyes locked on Nolan, hate seething through him. “You fucking bastard,” he says. “You think you can just come back here and take everything away from me? I’ve built so much, and you think you can destroy it?”

“Yes,” Nolan says simply.

That pushes Julian over the edge. He leaps over the desk, diving for Nolan, his hands reaching for his throat.

Nolan moves faster. He slams his elbow down, knocking Julian away. Julian collapses onto his desk, groaning, as two guards appear, their guns raised at Julian’s face.

Slowly, Julian rolls over onto his back, breathing heavily. Nolan nods at the soldiers and they lower their guns, though they don’t move away.

“Concede,” Nolan says again.

“I won’t just go away,” Julian says, his voice hoarse. “I’ll come for you again. I won’t stop.”

“Good,” Nolan says, grinning wildly. “I look forward to it.”

He turns to me and smiles. I smile back, and the two of us leave Julian’s office. The guards follow, bringing up the rear. People are standing in the halls, staring at the group of us, and I grin at them as we pass.

I feel so fucking alive. I can’t believe Nolan just stormed in there and took what he wanted from Julian. He showed Julian who the real man is, and now he’s destroyed. Julian is going to concede, and Nolan is going to become the crown prince, and one day he’ll be the king.

We leave Julian’s offices and as soon as the door shuts, Nolan waves off the guards. Once they head back toward the queen, Nolan pulls me against him and kisses me deep and hard.

Passion floods through me, but so do questions. I don’t know what this means for the two of us. We were married to make his father happy, but now that we know his father doesn’t care, Nolan has no use for me. He doesn’t need to get me pregnant anymore. He doesn’t need to keep me around.

He pulls back from the kiss and looks into my eyes. “I have one more thing to do today,” he says softly.

“What’s that?”

“I love you,” he says. “You’re stronger than I ever imagined. You make me a better man, I need you to know that.”

I bite my lip. “I love you too,” I say, realizing, that it’s true. “But you don’t need me anymore.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “I need you more than you even realize.”

“How?” I ask. “Your father doesn’t care that you’re married. Julian is stepping down. What else do you need?”

“I wouldn’t have done any of this if it weren’t for you,” he says softly. “You have to realize that. I was floating through my life, making the best of things. I planned on coming here and doing what I could, but I never really imagined… I never thought I could do it.”