Chapter Thirteen
‘We have to get married.’
Freya blinked, so stunned—not just by Theo’s bold declaration, but by the leap of joy in her heart—she was lost for words.
They were in the sauna cabin again, having just made love in the heat and showered together, the intimacy so intense it had overwhelmed her. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t seem to think straight.
She grabbed a towel, wary and confused as she watched him do the same, his movements methodical, his hands steady, unlike hers.
Something had been off ever since he had woken her that morning—late that morning, because she’d slept until the sun came up… Again.
‘Is—is that a proposal?’ she asked, trying to get her brain to engage and ignore the tidal wave of excitement, which had to be the afterglow talking.
She didn’t want to marry Theo Caras. She didn’t want to marry any man.
She wanted to live her own life. She’d adored the closeness, the intimacy they’d shared in Finland.
And not just because she’d discovered a side of herself she had never expected—that she was a woman with a woman’s needs—but also because she had discovered something in Theo she had not expected.
That behind the ruthless opportunist was a man who had the same insecurities she did.
But was that enough to build a relationship on?
Let alone a marriage? She might well be falling in love with this man, but how could she be sure her new-found sexual needs weren’t colouring those emotions?
Especially after such a short space of time?
And why would he want to offer her marriage, when he had been so dead set against it three months ago, too?
Was it possible Theo was as susceptible to their chemistry—and the tumultuous emotions of the last eight days—as she was?
‘Yes, it’s the best way to solve our problems,’ he said, his voice so calm.
What problems? The only problem they had was waiting here until her father was forced to accept she was not returning to Galicos. Theo had insisted she would be safe after January sixth. What had changed?
‘I… I don’t understand. Are you asking me to marry you? Or are you demanding it?’ And why was her knee-jerk response to feel valued and cherished, whatever his motivations?
‘It will get us both what we want…’ he said, which was not an answer.
She wrapped the towel tighter around her naked body—feeling exposed, because she wanted to believe so much his offer might be more than simply a means to an end.
‘Enlighten me, how would marriage be anything other than giving my father exactly what he wants?’ she asked, desperate to have him say something, anything that would acknowledge what they’d shared here.
He grasped her chin, and brushed his thumb across her lips, his tender expression making the yearning intensify several thousand degrees.
‘We can’t stay here for ever, Freya. We have to figure out what happens next. And while it kills me to give your father what he wants, would it really be so bad to let me protect you from him?’
Her heart swelled against her ribcage—he looked so sincere, so determined. It reminded her of the man who had stalked out to find her nearly a week ago now—without even pausing to put on enough clothing to protect himself from the freezing temperatures.
‘Why would I need your protection?’ she stuttered, trying to stay rational. And stop her foolish heart from giving his words a meaning he didn’t intend.
‘I spoke to my brother this morning,’ he said. ‘He’s convinced your father isn’t going to let you go, not without a fight. Things are going to get ugly. He’s already sent both your brothers to a military academy…’
‘Oh no…’ Guilt pierced through the fog of adrenaline, and hope. How had she forgotten her father’s threat to Remy and Jacques so easily? Perhaps because she had never once thought her father would follow through on it.
‘We can make their return to Galicos a condition of our marriage,’ Theo said.
‘W-we… We can?’ she said, stupidly touched that he would consider her brothers’ futures as well as her own.
‘Of course, Freya. I refuse to let them, or you, get caught in the crossfire. The best way—the only way—to protect all three of you is to call his bluff. And that means marriage.’
‘But I don’t want to be someone you have to protect.
’ She would have to help her brothers, but relying on Theo felt wrong, because she’d already relied on him so much.
She had escaped in the first place to establish her independence—but so far, she’d done not one thing on her own.
She hadn’t even managed to climb over that blasted wall. ‘I don’t want to be a burden that…’
‘Hey…’ His thumb skimmed across her cheekbone, doing diabolical things to her heartbeat. ‘You’re not a burden. And we can end the marriage whenever the hell we want…’
‘So, it won’t be a real marriage, then?’ she asked, aware of the disappointment sinking like a lead weight into her belly.
What was wrong with her? Why was she hoping his offer could mean more than just a means to outwit her father?
‘How real we make it is up to us,’ he clarified. ‘But if you’re asking me if I want you in my life…’ his voice lowered to a husky purr ‘…and in my bed, for the foreseeable future, the answer’s yes.’
She nodded, swallowed, the lump in her throat now the size of a boulder.
He wasn’t offering love, yet. But he was offering commitment. A part of her knew she should reject him. That by agreeing to marriage she was agreeing to playing this game by her father’s rules. She would be letting her father win.
But why did that have to matter? If she ended up having a chance to be with this fascinating, complex man, who seemed to challenge and excite her at every turn?
And if he could keep her brothers safe? Theo might be doing this to help himself as well as her—she knew he still wanted the land deal to go ahead.
But why shouldn’t he get something tangible out of their marriage, too?
And once they were married, who said there couldn’t be more?
And how would they ever know what they could mean to each other, if they didn’t give themselves time to find out?
She’d been lying awake each night, the hum of afterglow throbbing in her veins, his arms holding her as he slept, while battling the encroaching sense of loss, because each day that passed meant their time together was getting closer to the end.
What if it didn’t have to end so soon?
But marriage still felt like too much. Too soon. Especially as she knew she would want it to be a real marriage, if they ever chose to make that commitment.
‘Perhaps we could secure my brothers’ return by offering an engagement?’ she asked, frantically trying to control the bubble of hope expanding against her ribcage. ‘There would be no need to marry straight away, right? He couldn’t make us? Could he?’
She didn’t want to bind Theo, or herself, too quickly.
They needed a chance to get to know each other better…
The last week had been intense—physically as well as emotionally.
And returning to Galicos—and dealing with her father—was going to be tough enough, without adding the pressure of a royal wedding to the mix.
Something flickered in Theo’s eyes—that looked like guilt or even pity—but it was gone so quickly she must have imagined it. ‘Sure. An engagement should take the heat off.’
‘I’m not sure I’m ready to be a conventional wife,’ she managed. ‘I want to finish my education and think about a career. I want to be independent.’
He smiled, his lips lifting into that sensual grin she’d come to adore. ‘Do I strike you as the conventional-husband type?’
Her heart bounced in her chest. ‘Not specifically,’ she teased.
He grasped her arms, dragged her closer, until he could whisper across her lips. ‘Say yes, Freya. We have to go back to Galicos to get your old man and his threats off our backs. And rescue your brothers from a fate worse than death… But I’m not ready to let you go. Not yet.’
She lifted her arms to circle his neck, aware of the strident erection already lifting his towel—her head no longer listening to all the lingering doubts, because being in his arms had always felt so right.
‘Promise we’ll be a team? And that you won’t take my choices away from me…?’ she murmured, but she was already sure.
She trusted him. She loved him. He was giving her a way out, giving them both a chance to figure this out. And she wanted to take it.
‘You have my word, Your Highness,’ he said, the glint in his eyes as mesmerising as the rest of him. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into his arms.
Her heart soared as he strode back into the sauna, ready to seal their deal.
It was madness, of course, even to agree to an engagement after only a week—an engagement that might be very hard to break once the press had been informed…
But he was doing this to protect her, and her brothers, and somehow it felt right to take this leap of faith, because her love for Theo Caras was as reckless and impulsive as the man himself…