AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He makes a funny, snorty, waking-up noise that I find absolutely adorable, and I have to stifle a giggle.
“Kala? Oh, shit!”
And he’s off me, peeling himself away from me in one abrupt jerk. I am boiling hot and yet cold from losing contact all at once. I’m aroused and annoyed with both him and myself.
Now free of him, I feel awful that I might have somehow caused this situation. I scoot back to my side of the bed and turn over to face him. “It’s fine,” I say, wincing.
“No, I’m sorry,” he says, bounding out of bed. When he stands, he immediately sees the tent in his pajama pants. He grabs a pillow, then whips around to face the wall.
Blushing deeply, I scramble out of bed and begin making up the bedclothes, shouting, “Think nothing of it! I think we both rolled into each other and things got…” What? What did things get like? Horny? Lonely? Needy? As I smooth the sheet, I think of the words and begin tucking in the corners. “Tangled! Things got tangled.”
Etienne is on to a new subject now. “What are you doing?”
I look up and see him staring at me like I’m a party clown he didn’t order.
He presses the pillow over his crotch and winces as if willing the blood to flow back to his brain instead of throbbing at his other head.
“I’m making the bed.”
“Why? There are people who do that.”
“I know, I just…I clean when I’m nervous.”
“But there’s no need,” he says.
I look at him and smile bravely. “I like to do it.”
His jaw works as he watches me tidy up like a lunatic. “Fascinating. Do you cook your own food when you’re angry? Wash your own clothes when you’re feeling sad?” Etienne asks haughtily.
“Of course not,” I answer.
“Then there’s hope for you yet as a princess.”
I try not to make a big deal about what a snob he’s being. As I smooth down the blankets, I gently correct him. “I do all those things as a normal part of my day, whether I’m sad or angry or hurt or embarrassed. I don’t have a maid and a chef.”
He stares at me for another short moment, as if that didn’t occur to him. “But you’re from a wealthy family.”
“Is that why you agreed to marry me?” I ask, coming to full height and squaring my shoulders.
Etienne holds up one hand, firmly keeping the pillow in place at his crotch. “We’ve gone off the rails with this conversation. I married you because my father… Because of tradition and because the king didn’t give me a choice. Though I don’t understand why you wouldn’t use your money to secure yourself a house staff.”
The sneer on his beautiful face pushes me to my breaking point.
I cross my arms over my front. “That’s the difference between royalty and commoners.”
He snorts. “You’re not a commoner. You were a titled Lady before yesterday, remember?”
“Still, I don’t waste money on house staff, drivers, gardeners, or gamekeepers. I put money into things I care about, investing in the family business, savings, and paying taxes.”
Etienne blinks. “Business…investments…savings…taxes…when do you have fun?”
“I’m having fun now…thanks to the taxes that pay for this honeymoon,” I say with a smirk, my body aware of Etienne’s narrowed eyes drifting down to my breasts. Great, he’s gotten distracted in the middle of that pointed comment.
“Does nervousness also make your nipples hard, or is that a response to me being an asshole?”
My face flushes, and I lift my crossed arms higher to cover up the outline of my protruding nipples. Pair of little traitors, those are, especially in a satiny nightgown.
I huff out the words, “No! Neither. It’s cold in here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go for a morning run to warm up. Care to join me?”
