Page 69 of Claimed By the Crown Prince
She caught his tie, started to undo it. His hands were cupping her breasts, already fuller.
Then he said, ‘Wait. I have to show you something.’ He pushed his tie aside and undid his shirt, pulling it open.
Laia looked—and sucked in a breath. There, high on his chest, near the tattoo of the caged bird, was another tattoo. Identical in style, except for the fact that in this tattoo the cage was open and the bird was flying free.
It was very new. Still raised and dark with ink. She touched it softly, reverently. Tears blurred her vision again. ‘It’s beautiful.’
There was a knock on the door. They looked at each other.
Laia called out, ‘Two minutes.’
Dax gently put Laia off his lap and stood up. They rearranged themselves and Laia giggled. Then she sobered up for a second and said, ‘Are you sure you’re ready for this? You’ll be the Queen’s Consort. You might even have to walk a few feet behind me... I’ve always wanted to change that.’
Dax said, ‘Slight issue, my love. You haven’t agreed to marry me yet. But in theory I will walk ten feet behind you if I have to. That way I can look at your ass and make sure you’re safe.’
Laia giggled again. Then she said, ‘You’d better hurry up and ask me, then.’
Dax got down on one knee, and to her surprise took a box out of his pocket.
He said, ‘This visit was only ending one way or I was never going to leave.’ He looked up at her and said, ‘My darling Laia Sant Roman, Queen of Isla’Rosa, will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife, mother of my firstborn child, and hopefully more?’
He opened the box and Laia gasped. It was a stunning emerald ring, glittering in a diamond and platinum setting. He took the ring out and held her hand, looked at her.
She looked back at him. ‘What?’
‘You haven’t answered me yet.’
She moved down and bowled him backwards onto the floor, her arms wrapped around him. ‘I thought that was obvious. Yes, yes,yes!I will marry you, Prince Dax. Now, can we please go somewhere and make love?’
Dax grinned and put the ring on Laia’s finger, where it shone like the seas around Permata island.
A few minutes later they opened the door to Giorgio, who took a step back at the sight of their slightly dishevelled appearances.
Laia held up her hand with the ring and said, ‘Can you organise a press conference? Say for tomorrow morning? And let’s see how fast we can organise a royal wedding. And cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day and don’t let anyone disturb us, okay?’
Giorgio nodded frantically, and then grinned, and he watched as the Queen of Isla’Rosa led her husband-to-be by the hand up to her private rooms.
EPILOGUE
Four years later, Permata
‘PAPA,WHATISTHAT? Is it magic?’
Dax looked at Laia in the moonlight and smiled. He turned his attention back to his daughter, Liselle, held high in his arms. They stood at the shoreline on the beach on Permata.
‘No, it’s not magic, but it looks like it, hmm? It’s called bioluminescence, or phosphorescence.’
Their three-year-old daughter tried to repeat the word. ‘Fozzi-essence?’
Dax chuckled. ‘That’s it.’
Liselle clapped her hands. ‘Can I touch it?’
‘Of course. Let’s go into the water.’
Laia smiled as she watched her husband wade into the shallows holding Liselle by the hand. She was squealing with delight, exactly as Dax had envisaged.
And soon, when their son Demetriou started walking—which looked like any day now—he would join Liselle in the magic water. He was asleep on Laia’s shoulder now, his sturdy body a welcome heavy weight.