Page 15 of Mistaken as His Royal Bride

Laia had. Maddi, up until relatively recently, had been living a very normal life.

Well, normal except for the fact that she hadn’t had a boyfriend yet. Or a casual lover. Or a one-night stand. All the boys she’d met had seemed like...boys. Not men. She hadn’t been remotely interested. She hadn’t felt anything.

Until she’d seen Aristedes climb out of his car in the desert in his ridiculously out of place three-piece suit.

Maddi cursed her hormones for being triggered by the worst person in the world for her to develop a crush on. Literally the worst. The most inappropriate.

She tried to focus on what he’d said. ‘I... Yes, I guess we have been waiting a lifetime.’

‘And only another two weeks until you will become Queen of Santanger and of your own kingdom.’

‘Of which you will also become King.’

He dipped his head. ‘As has been the agreement since you were born and since I was eight years old.’

Curiosity got the better of Maddi for a moment. ‘And it really doesn’t bother you that this is a marriage purely for business purposes?’

‘And succession purposes. We will have children, Laia.’

Heat bloomed between Maddi’s thighs at the thought of making those children. She pressed her legs together under the table. She was not here to make children with this man!

He went on, ‘Not to mention for all the very good reasons of promoting peace and fostering economic growth on Isla’Rosa. You have nothing to lose.’

‘Only my autonomy—my country’s autonomy.’ Maddi knew Laia would have wanted her to say that.

‘Wedon’t get to have autonomy. We have responsibilities to our people.’

Maddi leaned forward. ‘But don’t you want to be happy? I mean, I’m no idealistic romantic, but surely a marriage will thrive better if there is a sense of companionship and...’ She stopped.

He arched a brow. ‘And?’

Maddi’s face was hot now. ‘Mutual...attraction?’

‘Oh, I think we have something we can work with.’

Maddi balked. ‘You do?’ It came out as a squeak.

Aristedes stood up on the other side of the table and held out a hand. This was heading into territory that Maddi had no idea how to navigate. Reluctantly, but also with an electric buzz in her blood, she put her hand in his and let him help her up. He moved closer, so they were standing only inches apart by the table.

Maddi couldn’t look away from his eyes. They were dark, but she could see golden lights, very deep. Like fires burning. She was burning too, inside. She couldn’t breathe.

Aristedes lifted her hand and held it close enough to his mouth for her to feel his breath. Her breasts felt heavy, and something completely new and alien coiled and writhed, alive in her lower body. She felt hungry, but it wasn’t for food.

His mouth was...sinful. Firm. Sculpted. She desperately wanted him to touch his lips to her skin.

But he didn’t bring her hand to his mouth. He said softly, ‘Exactly how long are you planning on keeping up this charade?’

The heat haze in Maddi’s body went cold. ‘I’m sorry...what did you say?’ Maybe she’d misheard him?

He said, slowly and distinctly, ‘We definitely have something we can work with—which would be very convenient if you were, in fact, my fiancée, Princess Laia. But we both know you’re not, are you?’

He knew. Had he known all along? Since when? The plane?

Maddi’s brain went into freefall. She tried to pull her hand back but the King held on. Not too tightly. But tightly enough.

He said, ‘Who are you?’

Desperately scrabbling for time to think, Maddi asked, ‘When did you know?’