Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Alexei shuddered above her as his own release tore through him. His fingers dug into her hips with bruising intensity. He collapsed against her back, their sweat–slicked bodies pressed together, both of them trembling in the aftermath. For several moments, they remained frozen in that position, their ragged breathing the only sound in the luxurious bedroom.
“Jesus,” Keira finally gasped when she could form words again. “That was…”
“Incredible,” Alexei finished, pressing a kiss to her shoulder blade. He withdrew carefully and tied off the condom, tossing it aside on the nightstand, before helping her onto the bed properly.
She curled against him, her body still humming with aftershocks. The pendant he’d given her rested cool against her flushed skin.
“Do you think anyone heard us?” she asked, suddenly remembering where they were in the royal palace, with staff and guards everywhere.
Alexei laughed, the sound vibrating through his chest under her cheek. “The walls are stone and a foot thick. I very much doubt it.”
“I’m glad. I don’t want talk about us.” But she couldn’t muster any real embarrassment. She felt too good, too sated, way too content in his arms.
“They already know I’m here,” he said, fingers tracing lazy patterns on her bare back. “It’s not exactly a state secret.”
“Your father said separate accommodations.” She propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. “Propriety, remember?”
“My father says a lot of things.” Alexei smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I’ve never been particularly good at following orders, and if you think I’m not sharing this bed with you every night… You will be in for a surprise when I come through the balcony doors.”
Keira studied his face. There was something different about him here in Wystovia, almost like a weight he carried that wasn’t present in New York. The responsibilities. Still, he was her Alexei: infuriating, demanding, and utterly captivating.
“Are you worried? About tomorrow?” she asked quietly, turning to look at his face.
His expression sobered. “Not about the announcement. About what comes after.”
“The media frenzy.”
“That, and…” He hesitated, his hand stilling on her skin. “I meant what I said earlier, Keira. This isn’t just for show, not for me. But I don’t want to pressure you into something you’re not ready for.”
Her chest tightened. This powerful gorgeous man was uncertain about her feelings.
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“I’m here, aren’t I?” She reached up to trace the line of his jaw. “I could have stayed in New York, faced the press. But I chose to come with you.”
“Because you had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Alexei. I have a pretty powerful family remember.” She leaned in, brushing her lips against his. “I’m choosing you, complications and all.”
His eyes darkened, and he pulled her closer for a deeper kiss. When they broke apart, both breathing harder, he pressed his forehead to hers.
“I should go,” he murmured. “We have dinner with my family in a few hours. My brother and his wife Amelia will be there.”
Keira made a face. “Right. More royal scrutiny. Will they be as… welcoming as Maria?”
“Niko and Amelia are different. They’re…” Alexei paused. “Just trust me. You will like them.”
“Thank god for that. If I had to deal with more like Maria, I’d lose it.”
He sat up, running a hand through his just fucked hair. “Besides, after tomorrow night’s announcement, everyone will have to accept the reality.”
Keira watched him gather his scattered clothes, noting the tension in his shoulders.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Alexei stilled, his shirt halfway on. “What makes you think I’m hiding something?”
“Because you get this look when you’re not telling me everything. The same look you had when you were planning to piss me off at the office.” She pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “Out with it.”
He finished dressing before turning back to her, his expression serious. “My brother has been… struggling with producing an heir. The pressure has been mounting on him, and by extension, on
me.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning if Niko doesn’t have child soon, the line of succession falls to me and any children I might have.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I want you to understand that any child we have could be next in line for the throne.”
The weight of his words settled over her and her poor eggs…
Keira felt the blood drain from her face. “Next in line for the throne,” she repeated slowly. “You’re telling me that if we have children, they might have to… rule a country?”
“It’s a possibility. I did bring it up on the plane. I have also told you before about the pressure for me to marry, and why.” Alexei’s voice was measured, steady but careful. “Niko and Amelia have
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been married for three years. The pressure from parliament is mounting.”
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Keira sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. “What kind of pressure?” She tried to remember what he had said on the plane, but she had been tired and almost brain dead. The other times he might have talked about it she may not have paid a lot of attention because it didn’t involve her and now it did.
“The succession kind.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If the crown prince doesn’t produce an heir within a reasonable timeframe, the line passes to me and… you.”
Keira felt her heart hammering against her ribs. They were talking about having babies, and they hadn’t even got married yet.
“You’re talking about babies,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Being raised to wear crowns and make decisions that affect millions of people.”
“Keira-”
“No.” She held up a hand, needing space to process this bombshell. “Let me get this straight. Your brother can’t have kids, so if we get married and have children, they automatically become heirs to the throne?”
“Not automatically. Only if Niko remains childless.” Alexei’s tone was careful, like he was explaining volatile explosives. “But yes, it’s a possibility we need to consider.”
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Consider? Alexei, this isn’t like choosing a college major. This is about creating human beings who might never have a choice about their own lives.”
“They would have the best education, the finest opportunities—”
“And zero freedom.” Keira scrambled off the bed, suddenly needing to move. She grabbed her robe from her bag and wrapped it around herself. “God, no wonder your father was so interested in my background. He wasn’t just vetting a potential princess. He was also testing a potential mother of the next in line to the throne.”
Alexei reached for her, but she stepped back. “It doesn’t change anything between us.”
“Doesn’t it?” She spun to face him. “Because five minutes ago I thought the worst–case scenario was learning to curtsy and smile for cameras. Now you’re telling me our hypothetical children might have to rule a country.”
“Many people would consider it an honor-”
“Would you?” The question came out sharper than she intended. “If you had been born a commoner, if you’d had the chance to choose your own path, would you have chosen this life?”
The pause before he answered told her everything she needed to know.
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“That’s what I thought.” She moved to the window, staring out at the gardens. “How long have you known about the succession issue?”
“It’s been building for months. Parliament is… concerned. My father has put on pressure as well.”
“And when exactly were you filling me in that I needed to have a baby as soon as possible?”
“I’m telling you now, and I did tell you my father wanted me to marry soon. We have talked about this.”
“Jesus Christ, Alexei. That’s before I knew I would be a main character.” She pressed her hands to her temples. “I feel like a breeding mare for the royal line.”
“That’s not what this is.” His voice carried an edge now. “Don’t cheapen what we have.”
“Then what is it? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like your father’s timeline for this engagement makes a lot more sense now. Get the spare prince married off quickly to make parliament happy.”
Alexei’s jaw tightened. “You think I would use you like that?”
“I think you’re a prince who’s been trained from birth to put duty before personal feelings.” She wrapped the robe tighter around herself. “And I think your father is a king who sees me as a potential solution to a very big problem.”
“And what about what I see when I look at you?”
The question hung between them, loaded with an intensity that made her breath catch. For a moment, the anger and fear faded, replaced by something more complicated.
“Tell me.”
He reached for her hands, and this time she didn’t pull away. “I see the woman who calls me out anytime she thinks I’m wrong. I see someone who isn’t impressed by titles or wealth or power. Someone who challenges me, who makes me want to be better. I would never be bored with you because you surprise me at every turn.”
Her heart constricted at his words, but the fear remained. “That’s beautiful, Alexei. But it doesn’t change the fact that you just dropped a bomb on me about potential heirs to the throne.”
“I should have explained it all sooner.”
“Yeah, you should have in more depth.” She studied his face, looking for any hint of deception. “What else haven’t you told me? What other royal duties am I signing up for that I don’t know about?”
“Nothing that changes the fundamentals of what I’m asking of you.” Alexei’s grip on her hands tightened. “Everything else we can figure out together.”
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“Together.” Keira tested the word, trying to decide if she believed it. “Like how we figured out this succession thing together?”
He winced. “Point taken.”
Alexei moved closer, his gaze dropping to the front of her chest. She looked down to see the curve of her breast was exposed.
He caught her before she could cover herself, fingers warm at her ribs.
Keira’s breath caught as his lips closed around the peak of her breast, heat sparking low in her belly despite the storm still churning in her head. His tongue swept over her, slow, claiming, and she arched toward him before she caught herself.
“Alexei…” Her voice cracked between protest and want, nails curling into his shoulder.
He looked up at her, eyes dark, mouth still pressed to her skin. “I don’t want to leave you.” His teeth grazed her lightly, and she shivered in spite of herself.
She grabbed his jaw, forcing him up, kissing him hard. She broke the kiss, breathless. “You have to go.”
He leaned down again, claimed her mouth in one last kiss, slower this time, lingering, as if carving it into memory. Then he pulled back, fingers tracing her cheek briefly.
He straightened. “You’re right. I’ll pick you up for dinner in an hour or so. Keira we will figure it out I promise. But I want you first.”
AD
