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“Victor?”
She whispers his name and I nod. “He knew that the only way to disrupt this wedding and get what he wants is to bring you on side. He set the whole thing up to make me out to be some kind of maniac.”
“He was going to kill you, all of you.”
“Yes, he was.”
I shake my head and say sadly, “Victor didn’t know that we’ve been watching him for weeks. Monitoring his moves as he set everything in place. The gas cannisters he was going to use were filled with oxygen and not really the lethal cocktail he hoped for but gave us a burst of energy we badly needed.”
I wink and it lifts my heart to see her smile and I say gently, “He wanted us out of the way so he could take over. Be crowned king and get everything he ever dreamed of. Months of planning were for that reason alone and you were the one he has fixated on all these years. I used to see the look in his eye when you walked into the room. I watched from the shadows because I had that same look myself. Two brothers with a similar desire to win the heart of the beautiful, strong, funny, brave and courageous Cassiopeia Annalise Brookes-Stanley. You were Victor’s friend, but my one true love. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you. I can’t explain it, it was a calling that never diminished over time. The trouble is, my brother apparently had the same desire and thought he would manipulate the situation to his advantage.”
“So, this was all a game. The best man would win, and I was the prize at the end of the fight.” She shakes her head and looks so sad, I can’t help myself and pull her close and stroke her hair lovingly.
“No, my darling, you were the reason I had for living. For doing whatever it took to make you mine. I want you beside me, Cassie, as my queen and my best friend. Somebody who will make me better, make me stronger and give my life purpose. I don’t want to control you because that role has already been taken. You control me because I can’t think straight if you’re not by my side. It’s as if a piece of me is missing, so I apologize for the way I proposed. Got you here under false pretenses and ruined your life but I’m a selfish bastard and thought I could make you fall in love with me.”
She pulls back and looks at me in shocked surprise and I smile gently. “But I don’t want to be like my brother. I don’t want to force you into something you aren’t comfortable with, so…”
I take a deep breath and prepare to ruin my life forever as I say, “I’m handing your life back. The choice is yours. Marry me like I pray to God you will and become my queen and make me the happiest man in the world, or leave with your head held high and your chosen profession waiting for you, along with those of your friends. I want you to have everything you ever wanted, but I also need you to want me as much as I want you.”
Leaning forward, I touch her lips briefly and am surprised when she leans in and takes mine with a ferociousness I never expected. Wrapping her hand around the back of my head, she pulls me closer and kisses me with a passion I never really expected. Then, as I deepen the kiss, her moans give me courage to pull her close and lift her beside me on the couch and we start a journey neither of us expected tonight when she whispers, “I can’t decide, it’s too much to take in but there is one thing I want you to do for me.”
Stroking her beautiful face, I whisper huskily, “I will do anything for you.”
“Then make love to me tonight. Show me what it feels like, show me how to feel.”
I’m not sure I heard her properly and as she touches my face with a gentle hand, I feel the emotion battling against my common sense. Take her virginity now, the night before our wedding. What if there is no wedding? If she decides to walk away, this could be the only time I get to hold her in my arms and after desiring it for so long, how can I say no? It’s a difficult decision because honor tells me to let her down gently, set her free and let her decide her own path. But I want her so badly it physically hurts, and she wants me. It’s the desperation in her eyes, the yearning, the innocence that makes up my mind and I hiss, “Are you sure? What if…”
She places her finger on my lips and whispers, “I want you and I want it to be on my terms. When I was alone in the room with Victor, I was so afraid. At first, he convinced me you were the one responsible, and it hurt my heart. When he held me up against the wall, I was afraid, but the thing that struck me like a bolt of lightning was that I wished it was you.”
“Me?” I’m confused, and she smiles. “If anyone took my virginity, I wanted it to be you. Not Victor, never him, but you, Maxim. In my darkest moment, I could only think about how much I wanted you. So please, grant me this one wish. An unforgettable night that has no bearing on my decision tomorrow. Tonight is about us, what we could have and the start of something that will leave a fond memory rather than the nightmare it could have been. So, please, Maxim, give me this night, I’m begging you.”
As I crush my lips to hers, I know there is no going back for either of us because if this is our final night together, I need to make it count and show her just how much I love her and give her a reason to stay.
