Page 72 of Talon (Road Rebels MC 2)
Teagan smiled and snuggled closer to him, her head resting on his chest. She fit perfectly against him. And he hoped she would never be far from where she was then. He felt like he’d lost her once and he was damned sure to never let that happen again.
“I think you are a fast learner,” Teagan said. “I take it I do have the job, right?”
“Well, I am interviewing some other applicants, but I think you are definitely at the top of the people I am considering,” Cort said.
Teagan slapped his chest playfully. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her deeply on the mouth.
“So, why didn’t you return my calls?” Cort asked. He hoped he didn't sound whiney, but he had to know what happened. Was she that good at playing hard to get?
“I was at a yoga retreat out away from civilization for three days, and they took our phones,” Teagan said.
“Ah, I guess that explains it. You had me a bit worried,” Cort said. “I thought I blew my chance with you.”
“What? Why would you think that, Mr. Prince?” Teagan said with a giggle.
Cort rolled his eyes. Busted.
“I was wondering when you were going to bring that up,” he said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Being Prince has its advantages, and I love what I do, but it does have its drawbacks. My personal life happens to be one of them. Do you know what it’s like to be with someone and to not know if they actually like you or the fact that you are The Prince? I just wanted to go out and be an anonymous guy for once. I do that periodically. It usually doesn’t last long until someone recognizes me, but when I saw you and you are American, I knew that you were clueless about who I was.”
“I can understand that,” Teagan said. “But what else did you lie to me about?”
“I do surf. I love music. I am a songwriter, but I don’t play for anyone. If I ever did play for people, it would be like some kind of a sideshow.”
“Why? If you have a passion or a talent, then you should follow it.”
“It’s different when you are Prince. You are expected to adhere to a particular way of behaving and being in the spotlight. And playing guitar and singing is not it.”
“I guess that makes sense, but I still would love to hear you sometime.”
Cort smiled. “Ok. I might play for you one day.”
“That would be nice,” Teagan said. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Deal,” Cort replied. “So, when did you find out who I was?”
“I saw you on television. The whole marriage thing. I think that’s a pretty sucky way to do things. You deserve to be King. It’s your birthright. You shouldn’t have to be married to assume the throne.”
“Thanks, but that is the way it’s going to be. I’ve spoken with my advisors and with the Parliament. The Council has made up their minds, and the rule still stands.”
Teagan kissed him softly and snuggled up closer to his chest. “I’m sorry,” she said.
He could tell that she really meant it.
And something about the way she said it told him that she really cared for him every bit as much as he cared for her.
CHAPTER 17
Teagan
As Teagan lay there with her head on Cort’s chest listening to him tell her about how difficult his life was right now, she felt so sorry for him. The internal pain and struggle that he was going through was something she could hardly begin to fathom, but she wanted to. She wanted to know what made him tick, who he really was.
But there was so much of himself that he kept guarded away. She supposed that was the way he’d been forced to live his life being The Prince. He had to be two people almost all the time. There was the public face of being part of the royal family, and then there was the private him. She felt like she was getting a small glimpse beneath the surface, but she wondered if she would ever know the real him.
And she wasn’t sure if he would ever really let her.
“So, if you don’t get married by your birthday then the crown goes to your uncle?” Teagan asked. She’d done some research, and this was about all she’d been able to find out in the news.
“Yeah. The man is a total moron, and I know he will set out nation back several years if he becomes King.”
“That’s horrible,” Teagan said. “And the Parliament can’t see what a bad idea this is?”
“They do. They are smart men who realize exactly what a bad idea it is, but they are also shrewd. With a King like my father and a king like I would be the Parliament knows that I will change things for the better. Our nation will continue to progress, but they want things to remain the old way.”
“Why? Why are they so against change?”
“They are against it because they want to remain in control. Even though my father is King, he has to constantly fight with the Parliament to get things done. They cross him at every point. He is a champion of the people, and this goes against what the Parliament is all about.”
“What are you going to do?” Teagan asked.
She held her breath waiting for the answer. That was a dumb question to ask. She knew the options were limited, but a part of her wanted to know where she stood. But she was also terrified of the answer. What if he actually asked her to marry him? Would she say yes?
“I don’t know,” Cort replied. His voice sounded full of strain and worry. It was the first time she’d ever actually heard him sound scared.
Teagan felt relief at the answer that passed through his lips. What was she really thinking? Lying there with Cort after the passionate love they’d just made she knew that her feelings for him were real. She had never felt like this about anyone before, and even though it sounded crazy, she was in love with him. She wanted to be with him forever, and she wished he would ask her to marry him.
But was she ready for that life? Could she fathom becoming Queen of a country she barely knew? Did she want that kind of responsibility? She would have to leave everything she knew and loved behind. Her family, her friends, her job—all of that would stay in the States, and she would start a brand-new life here. Of course, she would have the resources at her fingertips to do anything she wanted and have her family and friends visit her whenever they liked, but she would have duties and responsibilities that she could not begin to understand. Cort had lived his whole life as a member of the royal family; she would be a total outsider, an immigrant from another country even, and she would be stepping into a whole new world.
She wanted to be with Cort more than anything, but she just wasn’t sure she could go through with it. She was afraid. She was afraid that she would fail in her duties, that she wasn’t strong enough to be that kind of a leader. It was all too much to think about, it was just too much to take in.
She just needed more time. And time was something Cort did not have a lot of. Teagan tried to rest and breathe easy, enjoying the company of the man she loved, but there were now too many things weighing heavily on her mind. If he’d asked her right then to marry him, she knew that she would have to say no.
It was the right decision. If Cort decided that he wanted to be King badly enough to choose a bride and make that kind of a rush decision Teagan realized that she would say no and step back while he chose someone else. It was heartbreaking to think about this man she had fallen in love with being married to someone else, but there was far more at stake.
“I just never knew that it would be so complicated,” Cort said. “I’ve known my whole life that one day when my father stepped down as King, the duty would fall to me. I heard about this rule before now, but I never knew how firmly etched in stone it really was. I always figured it was just an old tradition and tradition can be swiftly changed. I can’t believe how wrong I was,” Cort said with a laugh.
“If you’d known the whole time would it have changed your situation? Have you ever been in love before? Was there anyone special enough in your life that you thought could have been the one?” Teagan asked the question carefully, arranging t
he words in her mind to have just the right effect.
Cort paused a moment. Was he trying to think of the right answer to not hurt her feelings? Or was he really thinking about the question?
Finally, he said, “No. There has been no one that I’ve ever loved like that. At least not until now.”
Teagan felt like the air had just been sucked out of the room and she forgot how to take in a breath. What was he saying? Was he asking her the question now? Oh, my God…
The silence in the room was now deafening and getting awkward. Unless it was just all in her mind. She might have just been reading way too much into what Cort was saying to her, but she didn’t want to poke at it. She was willing to let his words hang heavy in the air and keep them from finding their mark.
Teagan kissed him softly on the lips. As she started to pull back finishing the kiss Cort grabbed her tightly and pulled her close again, kissing her hard and deep. As the kiss ended, he rested his forehead against hers and held her body close to his.
“Wow, this feels amazing,” Cort said. “I’ve been looking forward to getting you back in my arms since the night we met.”
Teagan smiled, feeling the warmth spreading over her body.
“Me too,” she whispered.
“I want to take you out to dinner tonight,” Cort said.
“Really? You aren’t afraid the paparazzi will be everywhere? Or maybe you enjoy that more than you let on?” Teagan teased.
Cort laughed. “I sometimes do, but tonight I just want us to have some alone time. The paparazzi might be around, but the restaurant I’m taking you to won’t allow them to come in or bother us. I and my family dine there often as well as a lot of celebrities. It will be fun.”
“Ok,” Teagan said. “That sounds awesome.”
“Great,” Cort replied.
