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He led her around so that the table was behind them and got down on one knee in front of her. Her eyes widened even more. Suddenly reality impinged on her. She glanced at the wall of media and then back at him. She’d gone pale. ‘Daniel..?’
He looked up at her and felt every single vestige of his old emotional armour fall away. He’d never been so exposed but he’d never felt so invincible. He held her hand in his and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, ‘Queen Analia, as the father of your child, would you do me the honour of marrying me?’
She looked down at him and he could see tears in her eyes making them glitter like brilliant gems. Her voice shook, ‘You don’t have to do this...just because...just because—’
‘Just because I love you?’ he finished for her. ‘Oh yes I do. Now, I asked you a question...will you marry me?’
Daniel could see the final vestige of her own fears and willed her to trust, like he did. She let out a shaky breath and then said, ‘Yes...I’ll marry you, Daniel Petrovsky.’
She bent down to kiss him and Daniel pulled her onto his knee, enveloping her in his arms, mouths open, tongues tangling in heat and lust. Before it could get too out of control Daniel pulled back reluctantly. Keeping hold of Analia’s hand, he stood up and pulled her up with him.
In a smooth move he caught her under her legs and lifted her up into his chest making her squeal.
Analia’s chest felt so full it hurt. She saw the stunned crowd of press, most with open mouths. Daniel’s arms were tight around her and she wrapped hers around his neck.
He looked out over the crowd and said in a deep authoritative voice, ‘I’d like to use this opportunity to announce that the City of Azoria will be the home of the Petrovsky Philanthropic Foundation, and as we’ve established that I am the father of Queen Analia’s baby and she’s agreed to marry me, I believe that any discussion of abdication is now irrelevant.’
Analia caught Pierre’s smug look to the old council member who had attacked her the day before and an incredible lightness bubbled up inside her. She knew she should care that Daniel had her held high in his arms and that he’d just kissed all her make-up off in front of her entire nation, but she couldn’t drum it up.
‘If you’ll excuse us now, I’d like to have a private meeting with my fiancée. We have matters of the state to discuss.’
Feeling drunk, Analia giggled and buried her head in Daniel’s neck as he strode through the crowd and out of the room. He went straight to the elevator where an open-mouthed attendant held it open for them.
By the time the press had got over their shock and raced out to follow them, Daniel was opening his hotel bedroom door and shouldering his way in, kicking the door shut behind him. They’d been followed by security who now took up positions outside the hotel room.
Daniel walked to the bed and laid Analia down. She looked up at him and bit her lip, everything that had just happened hitting her. ‘Daniel...’
He came down over her and kissed her and drew back. ‘Yes, my love?’
Analia looked up at him and the truth and love blazing from his eyes melted away any last doubts.
She reached her arms around his neck. ‘About those matters of state...we could be here for some time, they’re very complicated...’
Daniel interspersed his words with kisses as he undid the buttons on Analia’s shirt and pulled it open. ‘The more complicated the better...’
When he pulled open her shirt, he bent his head and pressed a kiss to her belly where their baby grew, before covering it possessively with his hand.
He looked at Analia. ‘If it’s a girl I vote for Alexandra Sasha.’
Analia smiled. ‘And if it’s a boy Alexander Sasha.’
* * *
Ten months later, Crown Princess Alexandra Sasha Penelope Petrovsky of Azoria was christened with great pomp and ceremony. When Queen Analia and Grand Prince Daniel emerged smiling from the church, their daughter held securely in her father’s arms, the crowds cheered and roared.
The Crown Princess merely blinked in the sunshine, revealing huge dark blue eyes ringed with gray, and then promptly went back to sleep.
The video footage of Queen Analia publicly declaring that she wanted love had become a viral sensation all over the world. The picture of her being kissed by playboy Daniel Petrovsky adorned the walls of romantic teenagers’ rooms all over Azoria.
Lip readers had tried in vain to decipher what had passed between them in those few moments when they’d had a hushed conversation just before he’d kissed her passionately and then proposed. But no one had figured it out so far, and it looked likely to remain a romantic mystery forever.
* * * * *
