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But he really fucking wanted her to be.
“Belle…”
“Shh.” She kissed him gently. “I know.”
He lay back down, cradling her in his arms. He’d never felt so at peace in another person’s arms before. So fucking happy. He’d tried to deny that the other night, when they’d first had sex. Had tried to talk himself out of the odd feeling. But there was no denying it anymore. She made him happy…
And he was going to lose her.
So he kissed her.
Later that morning, he awoke gradually. The sun crept in through the blinds, slowly teasing him into consciousness. Isabelle lay on his left side, curled up against him with her hand on his chest, and the blankets were at hip length. He lifted his lids, a content smile on his face…
Until he saw the old woman standing next to the bed, glowering at him.
Shit.
He yanked the covers up over their naked bodies, watching the woman closely. At her nod, the ambassador from lunch yesterday stepped out from the living room door, and so did her PR Rep—the one who didn’t like him. Double fucking shit.
Isabelle squirmed, her nose scrunching up adorably. “Mmm…”
“Uh…Belle?”
“Hm?” she asked, wiping her palm across her mouth. “What?”
“Open your eyes.”
Her lids drifted open, and she smiled at him sleepily. “Time for you to go?”
“I think it’s too late for that,” he said, jerking his head toward the crowd next to the bed. “We have company.”
“What?” She lifted her head and looked past him. Her eyes went wide, and she burrowed underneath the blanket. “Oh my God. What are you doing here?”
“One might ask the same of you,” the older woman said, crossing her arms.
“Oh, we already know the answer to that,” the ambassador said, his mouth held tight. “And so does everyone else. How could you jeopardize the relationship we had going with Linton? You’ve ruined everything with your car escapades.”
Isabelle paled. “W-What do you mean?”
“A reporter caught the two of you…doing indecent things in a car. With no regard to your status as a princess about to embark on a marriage that would benefit your country.” The older woman leveled a stare at Gordon that made him feel about six inches tall. “They went live with the story. It’s all over Linton, and Maldeva, too.”
“No,” Isabelle said, her voice broken. “This can’t be happening.”
“Oh, it’s happening.” The older woman came around the side of the bed, picked up Isabelle’s robe, then tossed it on the bed. “Get dressed. We need to discuss much with the ambassador.”
Isabelle nodded slowly, her face pale and her eyes hauntingly empty. “I’ll be right there.”
They all filed out of the room, leaving Gordon and Isabelle alone. Gordon reached out to grab her hand, but Isabelle hopped out of the bed too fast.
“I can’t believe I did this. I ruined everything. Brought disgrace to my people. To my parents.” She paced back and forth. “I’m a shadow upon my family’s good name.”
Her panicked words sent a knife of guilt piercing through his heart. He’d done this to her. This was all his fault. He ruined everything he touched…even her. “Isabelle, stop.”
“I can’t!”
He got out of bed and stepped in front of her. “You’re not a bad person. If anyone is, it’s me. I’m the one who should have known better than to…” He broke off, unable to finish that thought. “You got caught by some dipshit with a camera, doing something that millions of other people in the world do on a daily basis, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you human.”
She glowered at him. “Millions of other people are not princesses.”
