Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,253

for a good many years I had a crush on our fair princess."

She grinned, but it held a touch of reserve."

"I no longer feel that way. Now, I look at you as a woman. A woman I want to protect and love." I laughed, the sound dry and self-deprecating. "Perhaps this makes me sound like a stalker. Perhaps this obsession with you is unhealthy. But my will has been so strong for so many years that I was determined to do whatever was necessary to allow you to see me as a partner. As a potential ally."

She withdrew her hand, sitting back, her face blanking. "What are you saying?"

"The conservatives are challenged by you. They fear your spirit and the changes you want to make. They use the media and old men with loud platforms to try to silence you. In my, perhaps misguided, wisdom, I chose to sow the seeds of insurrection from within the party. I'm not a conservative, Kit. Just a very good actor."

She sucked in a breath. "You're saying you spent the last four years of your life working your way up—aggressively, I might add, the ranks of the conservatives all to… what?"

I leaned forward, our gazes meeting. "To meet you."

11

Katherine

Queen's Bedchamber, The Royal Palace

I paced beside the window, the inky darkness far too calm for my roiling emotions.

To meet you.

The unhinged Jonathan had left the Palace hours ago, his 'good night' accompanied by a chaste kiss to my inner wrist.

I shouldn't still feel that touch now. Shouldn't feel as if those lips had seared some unseen brand upon me.

"The man's crazy," I muttered, furious with myself. "He's a certifiable stalker. I should be glad to be rid of him."

But the heat in his eyes, the genuine warmth and caring, the authenticity with which he'd relayed his story… it seeded doubts within me.

I reached for my phone, pressing into it the numbers he'd handed me earlier that evening.

"Hello?"

"Jon, I need to understand."

"Kit?"

I heard movement on his end, the rustling of fabric.

"Did I wake you?" I asked, suddenly aware that it was closer to morning than midnight.

"You did but that doesn't mean it isn't a welcome intrusion."

He settled while I continued to pace, that strange itchy feeling crawling under my skin.

"Now, what do you need to understand?"

"How can I be sure you're not a crazed lunatic?" The words, in no ways subtle or polished, spilled from my mouth with abandon.

He chuckled. "I knew telling you would be too much. I should have held back."

"Why didn't you?"

"Well, for one I refuse to keep secrets from the ones I love— not the important ones, anyway. Sure, birthday surprises or whatnot, but the big things? The things that truly matter? Never."

I swallowed. "Help me understand then. Are you in love with me?"

"Yes. But also no. I love what I know of you. I love your love for our people. I love your brains and sarcasm. I love your quick wit, and your generosity. I love your smile and your laugh. I love the bits of you I know, Kit. But it's hard to love someone fully when I only know the surface."

His voice dropped, the tone smoothing out. "But within me burns a desire to know more. To know everything. That's what I want."

"To control me?"

He burst out laughing, his amusement loosening the awful tension in me.

"That is an impossible feat and one I dare not even contemplate." He chuckled again. "No, I don't want to control you, Kit. I want to love you. To protect you. To give you a safe place to land."

"And being my husband is the only way to do this?"

There was a long pause down the phone line.

"No," he finally admitted. "The Prime Ministership was my original choice. It was through that office that I'd be able to further your causes."

"What changed?"

"I saw you. I felt your hand clasp mine, your breath hit my cheek as you blessed me, and I knew I wanted you. Fiercely."

"As a partner?" I asked, my heart hammering in my chest.

"As a woman. As my woman."

The rough desire in his voice sent shivers down my spine. My body reacted to it, a primal part of me attracted to his declaration of ownership.

This wasn't about my crown or my throne. It wasn't about the power I yielded or money and connections.

This was about me.

"Jon…."

"Should I describe what I want, my Queen? Tell you how I want to start at your neck and taste the delicate skin above your pulse? How I