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Probably the latter, considering he isn’t a royal.
But it’s an interesting thing to ponder, isn’t it?
Marrying Rexington Monroe.
If anyone could keep a kingdom safe, it would be him, wouldn’t it?
He is certainly more than enough to keep me safe. His watchful gaze and poised posture tell me as much. His hand rests on the hilt of his sword, his deep brown eyes scanning the trees that surround the inlet. “You can relax, Rex,” I say, finally taking the crown off my head and moaning at the sudden loss of pressure in my neck. “No one is going to ambush us.”
“With respect, that’s for me to worry about, Your Highness.”
“Can you please call me Britta?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. His attention narrows in on my hand where it kneads the sore muscles of my neck. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, the crown is just heavy.”
Rex grunts, his fingers flexing on his sword. Is he thinking of massaging me himself?
That thought sends an arrow of sensation straight to my nipples and they pebble inside the bodice of my dress, fuzzing the edges of my vision.
“Will you marry one of the princes, then?” Rex half-shouts at me.
“I haven’t decided yet. But it can’t hurt to meet them.”
He snorts.
I draw up short. “Are you angry with me?”
“No, love. Of course not,” he sighs, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword. “I’m mad at the circumstances. I’m mad that you’re being asked to do something so ridiculous.”
“Why is it ridiculous? It’s a common occurrence, royalty marrying for the sake of an alliance. If my parents were still alive, it probably would have been arranged eventually.” Ignoring his thunderous expression, I toe off my slippers. “There are far worse reasons to marry than avoid a war and being responsible for casualties.”
“You wouldn’t be responsible,” he growls. “The king of Northstream would be.”
“No. If I have the power to stop him, I have to do it, or I would be responsible.”
Rex paces away with a curse, turns around and stomps back. “And since you asked, I’ll tell you what would be ridiculous. To marry some pretentious prince when you’re well able to rule the kingdom yourself.”
My lips twitch. “How do you know they’ll be pretentious?”
His expression is pure disgust. “They just will.”
I press my mouth into a straight line to keep from laughing. It seems Rex has more than one mode to his personality. Last night, he was sweet and comforting. Today he’s a grumpy bear. “Do you want to come swimming?”
He shifts uncomfortably, crossing his arms. “No, thank you. But I’ll ask you to be careful, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll limit my number of back flips.”
Now he seems to be the one battling a smile.
Rex turns his big body slightly, giving me a modicum of privacy, while still keeping me in his sights to protect me. Quickly, I strip off my dress, fling it into the grass and wade into the water wearing my slip.
The inlet is warm and clear. It welcomes me, beckoning me to sink down beneath the surface, and I do so, coming up to take a breath and let the sunshine warm my face. Yesterday was long, but today was even longer. But this place I used to come when I was a child soothes my grief with its familiarity. My parents and I didn’t have close relationship and they were often busy with political business, but we loved each other in our own way. Fondly. With respect. And I will miss seeing them in their thrones.
I’m about to sink beneath the surface again when I get a cramp in my toe.
“Ow!”
Rex is already throwing off his armor and splashing into the water, sword drawn. “Britta,” he rasps, panicked. “What is it?”
“You called me by my name!” I gasp, shakily.
A vein ticks in his temple. “You cried out in pain. What is wrong?”
“Just a toe cramp.” The kinked sensation promptly moves to my entire foot. “Oh. Ow!”
“Fucking hell.” Dropping his sword, Rex picks me up out of the water, holding me against his chest with his strong right arm, reaching down with his left to massage my foot. “Right here, love?”
I press my cheek to his chest with a gusty sigh. Lord, it feels glorious to be held by this man. The entire world could fall down and he wouldn’t let a speck of dust reach me. “Yes. Right there. Thank you.”
When I sling my legs up around his waist, I swear I do it so his arms won’t have to hold my entire weight. I’m trying to be helpful. But oh God, I don’t expect it to feel so good to have the thick trunk of his body between my legs.
“Oh my,” I whisper, nestling closer—encountering a thick ridge between our stomachs.
Rex goes very still, his breath rattling in my ear. “Ah, love. This isn’t suitable.”
