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Chapter Five
Madeline struggled to 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.
“I’m honored to be on your team,” she tried to tease.
Some of the sparkle dimmed from his blue eyes. He eased closer, and she smelled the unique cedar and mint combination that messed with her brain waves.
“What kind of team are we going to be, beautiful Madeline?” His gaze was piercing. He lifted a hand and gently cupped her chin.
Madeline’s eyes widened and her pulse skittered. Could this happen? Her and King Nolan?
She glanced away to get her bearings when all she wanted to do was arch up and press her lips to his. Two tall, broad men at the end of the hall cast furtive glances their way.
“Oh. I didn’t realize …”
Nolan followed her gaze and let out a resigned breath. He released her face but slid his hand down her arm until he engulfed her smaller hand in his. Her arm and hand tingled, and she felt lightheaded with dreams and hopes she’d never let herself dwell on. Even slightly dizzy from his touch, she was somehow stronger than ever with her hand in his. Team Madeline and Nolan.
They walked down the hall together, and Nolan nodded to his guards. “Madeline, this is Captain Levi Favor and Sergeant Braxton Mueller.”
“I know Levi.” She smiled at the young man who worked closely with Chad.
“Good to see you, Ms. Prescott,” the dark-haired man said.
“You as well. Nice to meet you, Sergeant Mueller.”
The broad man nodded. Obviously the strong, silent type.
“These two used to be my favorite hiking buddies,” Nolan said. “But now I have you. An impressive upgrade, right, Captain?” The look in his eyes thrilled her.
“Yes, sir.” Captain Levi had a twinkle in his dark eyes.
“I only hope I can keep up with all of you,” Madeline said. She loved to jog and swim, but she lived in Traverse and ran the river trail in the morning and swam in the evening. She didn’t head to the mountains to hike and give herself an incline challenge very often.
