Page 34 of Royal Cocktail

“Isn’t that all the more … reason to take what we can? If I … can’t have you … I at least want … this.”

He stroked her hair, his eyes not leaving hers. “You’re amazing.”

“We deserve … the memory.”

His grin was ironic. “I supposed we do. A better one than last time.”

There was no pain or judgment when she shook her head, but a single tear snaked down her cheek. “Last time … was amazing.”

“I was your first.” He heard the harshness in his voice, the recrimination. “And I left.”

“You were my only … and it was wonderful.”

It took a moment, but once the meaning of her words hit him, he stiffened. “Only?”

Her shoulders rose and fell in a casual shrug. “Who could compare to you?”

“Skye. I—”

Once again, she shushed him with her fingertip. “No … I wasn’t … pining. I was studying and working. And dating … is hard, what with … this,” she said, pointing to her mouth. “But … I know it … was different … for you. I … became a … royal watcher.”

“Oh, God.”

“Quite the player.”

Her tone was teasing, but he rushed to explain. She deserved the truth. Hell, she was the only one who did.

“I never slept with any of them.”

Her brow furrowed, and then she laughed.

“I’m serious.” Eventually, he probably would have taken one of them to bed, but how could he when Skye was so fresh in his mind and still alive in his heart? Two years wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, and he’d been mourning the inevitable certainty that one day he would sit on the throne alone, because even if he did find a woman to be his queen, it wouldn’t be the woman he craved.

She was staring at him as if he’d gone crazy. “But I read—”

“I drank and I partied. I acted like an ass. My father survived, for which I was terribly grateful, but his heart attack was a wake-up call.”

“That’s why you left that night. You never told me. Never called or anything.”

“I was angry at the world, furious about the golden chains that shackled me, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry. I can’t ever make it right, but I am truly sorry.”

She brushed a light kiss over his lips. “I forgive you. And,” she added with a mischievous grin, “if you take me back to your hotel you can at least try to make it better.”

He burst out laughing. “God, I love you.”

The reality of his words hit them both at the same time. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted. He could see the way her T-shirt moved with the pounding of her heart.

“It’s true,” he whispered. “I wish it wasn’t, because one day I will be king, and my choices for who can be my queen are limited. And even if it could be you…” He trailed off, blinking back the tears that had gathered in his eyes, “how could I ask you to live such a public life?”

She swallowed, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came.

“And so I rebelled. I partied. I acted like an ass. But I never slept with any of them. They never got into my heart. There’s only ever been you, Skye.”

Tears streaked her face now, and she shook her head. “There can’t just … be me. Leo, you’re … breaking my heart. I don’t … want that for … you.”

“Being royal has its perks, I won’t deny that. But fate balances the scales. I accepted that a long time ago.”

She moved closer, her arms going around his waist, her body pressed against his. “That’s why we … deserve tonight. These … weeks. To fit in a … lifetime before you … have to leave.”