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She glared at him. “Don’t count your chickens, Your Highness. They’re likely to fly the coop.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, humor evident in his tone. “You are not a chicken.”
“Neither am I a sure thing for you and you’d best remember that. You are here for Mickey’s sake, not because I want you sharing my space.”
Later, as she tossed and turned in her empty bed, images of her ex-lover on his own narrow cot kept her from sleeping.
Konstantin was the only man Emma had ever had full-on sex with. Her parents had been overprotective, and Emma had had a strict curfew when living at home.
After she and Konstantin had broken up, she’d been too devastated to date. Then Emma had found out she was pregnant. Her life since Mickey’s birth had only recently had any time that might be used for dating.
But Emma had been gun-shy. Her one relationship had come at a high cost to her. She wasn’t ready to trust someone else and she’d never been as attracted to another man as she was to Konstantin.
She knew he hadn’t been celibate. He was discreet, but even discreet, there was gossip about his sex partners. Not lovers, because like he said, Konstantin did not date. Nor did he live with other women.
Even so, when Emma had seen the fashion articles about Lady Nataliya’s dates, Emma had been sure that they would infuriate Konstantin.
Emma was probably one of a very few who had not been surprised when Nataliya had ended up betrothed to his brother the King. Konstantin could be a throwback and she had no doubt he’d reacted poorly to Nataliya dating in such a public way.
Emma admired the Princess of Mirrus and her refusal to adhere to royal expectations, even though, if she were completely honest, Emma would have to admit she had also been jealous of the woman and her role as Konstantin’s intended.
Now, Konstantin said he wanted to marry Emma. For Mickey’s sake.
Which was really nothing like his actually wanting to marry her.
She supposed it wasn’t that much different for him than agreeing to marry Lady Nataliya as part of a business deal.
But Emma had always dreamed of marrying her soul mate. At one time, she’d thought Konstantin was that man.
Now, she didn’t know what to think.
And it wasn’t making sleep any easier to come by.
Mickey was over the moon to have his dad at the breakfast table, though Konstantin had been up for a few hours working already.
Emma knew that because she’d heard him get up a full two hours before her own alarm was set to go off.
She’d been so tired from her sleepless night, she’d just rolled over and gone back to sleep, waking to the smell of breakfast sausage, coffee and a distinct lack of an alarm. She’d found her phone missing from her bedside table, only to discover it on the kitchen counter when she arrived.
Konstantin and Mickey were both seated with plates of yummy-looking breakfast foods in front of them.
“Did you cook breakfast this morning?” she teased her son.
“No, Dad got some people to deliver it. It’s good, Mom. You’ll like it.”
Emma picked up her phone and checked the time, frowning when she realized if she didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t make it to work on time. “I’m going to be late.”
“I called and told them you had been unavoidably detained.” Konstantin didn’t look guilty about being so high-handed either.
“After you took my phone and made sure I didn’t hear my alarm?” she asked with a grimace.
His own frown censured her. “You were sleeping soundly. You clearly needed your rest.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make.”
“When do you plan to give notice at work?” he asked, ignoring her rebuke.
“I already put in my notice.” And she’d started looking for a new job in Seattle, but she was beginning to wonder how that was going to work with them traveling to Mirrus every few months to stay for weeks at a time.
