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“Yes, sir.”
Hiking together might be an excuse to monitor him, but he’d make the most of their time alone, though they’d be trailed by guards. With all of his meetings and large family, they wouldn’t get much time to simply talk.
“I’ll come for you at six,” he said.
“Perfect.” She slipped into her room.
Nolan immediately felt the letdown of not being in her presence.
“I like Chad’s mum,” Kiera said, beaming at him and squeezing his hand.
“Me too, love. Me too.”
What if they both liked her too much? He’d been worried about upsetting Kiera and that issue had resolved easily. Now he was worried about how Kiera would take the hit of her leaving. He should probably bemoreworried about how he would survive.
Nolan shook his head. He was fifty-five years old, a father of seven, a widower, and a king. He’d survive.
Why was he falling so quick? That was the better question.
The memory of touching Madeline, her quick wit, and the way her emerald eyes mesmerized him all came to mind.
It wasn’t hard to riddle that one out.
Seeing her and Kiera interact so beautifully inspired him. If Kiera could accept and embrace a loving new mum it would be irresponsible of him not to work toward that goal.
Pursuing Madeline seemed not only alluring but sensible and commendable.
He smiled to himself. He could hardly wait for the morning to see her again.
ChapterFive
Madeline struggledto fall asleep despite the highest-quality mattress, pillow, and sheets she’d ever slept on or in. Her mind was consumed with Nolan. He’d always been friendly to her, but she’d kept him on a pedestal of the illustrious ruler of their country. After spending the afternoon and evening with him, she knew she was in deep trouble. She was wading in his blue gaze, his tingly touch, and she never wanted to ever climb out.
Nolan was down-to-earth, kind, smart, an invested father, and more impressive to her than ever. She liked seeing him as their hard-working, confident king all afternoon and as a warm, fun dad all evening.
Somehow, in the midst of excelling at both roles, he’d also given her plenty of attention and made her feel like the most important person in his world and the most desirable woman in Augustine. To have him ask her opinions and draw her out about each of his Zoom meetings made her feel valued. To have his blue gaze sweep over her in her swimsuit and tell her she was ‘unbelievably fit’ made her stomach do loop-de-loops, even after the fact.
She’d gradually convinced herself over the past seven months that she’d created a fantasy, believing his touch inspired her and lit her up from head to toe. She realized now she’d underestimated how incredible his touch was.
When her alarm went off at five-thirty, she was groggy and wanted to curl back into the pillow that made her head feel like it was floating on a cloud. Instead, she slipped to her knees and begged the good Lord to help her keep her head on straight and clear the king’s name without falling desperately in love and making a complete fool of herself. The tingles and smiles and touches of the night before didn’t seem as probable in the pre-dawn light.
Flipping open her computer, she checked her email. A message from Prime Minister Carrera said he was fine with the ‘fake dating’ idea. It would take pressure off anyone wondering why a member of parliament was staying at the castle. She’d asked him to have parliament keep the fake dating quiet just as they would her mission here. If possible, she’d love to not go through the drama of a media explosion. Nolan had assured her the castle staff and guards wouldn’t spread rumors about him or his family.
She rushed to brush her teeth and get dressed, appreciating the way her red Lady Fit T-shirt and black ten-inch inseam running tights flattered her. Hope and Faith were incredible and successful. She was very proud.
She was in the hall pacing when the king strode toward her from the main staircase. Dressed in a t-shirt and knee-length shorts he still managed to look as commanding as he did in his Brioni suit.
His welcoming smile lit a fire in her chest. She was going to personally thank Faith for creating this outfit.
“Madeline!” He hurried across the space between them, and it appeared he’d either plow her over or wrap her up tight in his arms. Her heart sped up.
He stopped a few paces away. “I woke this morning, and a horrible thought struck me.”
“What was that?” She leaned into the wall, weak from the intense look in his blue eyes.
He eased closer. “I feared that I’d dreamed it all up and that you weren’t really here, in my castle, officially dating me, and ready to spend every moment with me.”
Madeline’s eyes widened. There was no one else in the corridor. She suspected no one else was even staying in the guest level. Was he in earnest? Officially dating wasn’t fake dating. Not at all. She wanted to admit that she’d stayed up half the night thinking and dreaming about him, but she couldn’t be that transparent.
