Chapter 4 #3
“You can catch up tomorrow,” he says gently.
“But—” she starts.
“No,” he says. “Now we’re going to eat whatever sandwiches Maeve sends up and after that, I’m going to fuck my bride.”
“Ew,” she says, rolling her eyes. “We’re you always this horrid?”
“Aye,” he chuckles.
Dahlia lets out a sigh before wrapping her slim arms around me. “Very well then, new sister. It seems the villain has to have his way.”
“Apparently.” I laugh.
“Tomorrow, let’s have tea. I have so much I want to catch up with you,” she says, giving me a look and making her eyes go wide.
I have no idea what that means, but the image she presents has me smiling again.
“Sounds good. I have to meet with Rhys’s team for coronation planning.”
She turns her attention to Rhys who just shakes his head once.
It’s subtle, but it’s there. Whatever he’s telling her not to reveal to me, I’m not sure.
But I do know I’m done sticking my head in the sand and pretending that this life will all go away if I will it to.
I’m going to find out everything I need to know about the coronation and what’s expected of me from now until I die.
“It’ll all be all right,” I tell her gently.
“Who are you and what have you done with my dear sister-in-law?” She laughs before turning to Rhys. “Did you bring home a changeling?”
“Aye.” He laughs at the same time as I say, “No.”
“Stella has decided that she loves me enough to stay here with me,” he says cheekily.
I do love him. Whether that will be enough, only time will tell.
“Here’s a light supper,” Maeve says as she pushes a dining cart through the main door. “I came personally because I needed to see you all for myself before I could relax.”
“Alive and well,” I reply.
“Aye, good to see it too,” she says. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“I’ll do my best,” I promise.
“Good,” she replies. “Nothing a roast beef sandwich, a nice glass of ale, and a good night’s sleep won’t cure.”
“Rost beef?” Rhys asks with an excited look on his face.
“Aye,” she answers. “I figured if you wanted casual fare up here that you’d want your favorites.”
“Aye, Maeve, you’re the best,” he says with a fond smile as he pulls her into his arms for a quick hug.
“Och, stop it now,” she laughs. “You’ll make me blush. Anyway, Craig says we’re meeting in the morning?”
“Aye,” he answers.
“I’ll leave you all to it then,” she says. “And I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you in the morning,” I say quietly.
“Well, I’m off then too,” Dahlia says. “It’ll all be fine. We’ll have tea after your meeting.”
“Sounds good.”
Rhys locks the door behind them and ushers me over to the little table and chairs in the corner of the room where he plays waiter and sets dishes on the table.
Maeve brought thick sandwiches on crusty bread, a garden salad, and a bowl of roasted root vegetables along with a thick green glass bottle with a cap on it and two thistle glasses to match.
When we were stuffed full, Rhys loads the plates back onto the cart and pushes it into the hall before re-locking the door. Then, he comes back to the table to collect me holding out a hand for me to take, and obviously, I do.
He leads me back into the bedroom where he undresses me piece by piece, tossing each item onto the chase in the corner. When I’m naked, he peels back the covers on the bed and helps me in before pulling the blankets over me to keep me warm.
I watch with rapt attention as he uncovers his gorgeous body and scoots into the bed on the same side as me, cocooning us into the warm covers.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “I was dressed for bed and so were you.”
“Aye,” he says. “That was for visitors. This is much better.”
“Much better for who?”
“Hen, have you slept in clothes a single night since we’ve shared a bed?” he asks and honestly, I can’t remember if I’ve worn pajamas or not. I can admit that he does prefer to sleep naked and prefers me the same way, but the question is, do I prefer it?
With a sigh, I settle in because, yes, I think I do.
“What was that between you and Dahlia?” I ask.
“Caught that, did you?” he mutters before coming to some decision—most likely to tell me something but not everything.
I hold in a sigh. We’re going to have to work on that, but not tonight. Tonight, I just wait silently for him to give me whatever he’s willing to. Tomorrow, I might regret that but tonight, I’m happy with the decision.
“There’s a lot that goes into a coronation. It’s a very public spectacle and I’m going to do my best to make sure that you’re as comfortable as you can be.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the consideration.”
“Anything for you, hen,” he says, rolling me to my back. “Anything.”
Rhys makes love to me gently before rolling us back to our earlier positions where we’re wrapped happily around each other. And with a contended sigh and my heart at peace, I easily drift into a soft, dreamless sleep.
In the morning, all my peace will evaporate, leaving me more ill at ease than ever. But that’s not now, that’s tomorrow, when I’ll regret not asking more questions of my new husband.