10. Amy

CHAPTER 10

AMY

“That could’ve gone better,” I say, turning to Xander as his aunt walks away. “At least she didn’t announce it to the entire room.”

Xander groans and proceeds to the bar, grabbing two flutes of champagne and bringing one back to me. “She didn’t go nuclear, and we have to be grateful for that, but it could still be coming.”

“Do you think she would risk outing you like that?” I ask, sipping the champagne.

“My uncle has wanted the throne for as long as I’ve known him.” Xander nods to a little alcove with windows overlooking the gardens. “Let’s go over there, and I’ll catch you up on decades of family drama.”

I swallow hard. “That sounds like something you should’ve told me about before I agreed to join the family.”

Xander chuckles and leans against one of the walls in the alcove. “You never would’ve agreed to marry me if I did that.”

“That bad?”

“Uncle Stavros has been gunning for the crown since he and Dad were kids. He thought that if my father was in a scandal big enough, my grandfather would take Dad out of the line of succession.”

“And that didn’t happen, obviously, but what does this have to do with us?”

“I don’t have children.” Xander downs the rest of his drink and sets the glass on a passing waiter’s tray. “And that means that if I do something bad enough that the council decides to force me to abdicate, then Stavros gets the crown.”

“Which is what he’s always wanted. Okay. I’m catching up now.” I hum and look around the party, spying his uncle in the corner speaking with Jorge. “Do you think the two of them are over there conspiring to blow your cover?”

Xander shrugs, studying his uncle before looking back down at me with a warmth that sends butterflies beating their wings against the inside of my stomach. “No. I doubt Stavros knows. If he did, he would be telling everyone that the marriage was fake, hoping that it would be enough to get me thrown from the throne.”

“Are you sure about that?” I move closer to him, leaning into him as people start to glance our way. “I think people are suspicious, at the very least. Given that you flaunt women.”

“I used to.” He tucks a crooked finger beneath my chin, tilting my head back. His lips brush against mine in the ghost of a kiss. “Until I met you.”

“Damn,” I say, slightly flustered as I take a step back and finish my drink. “That was almost believable.”

He laughs and takes my empty glass. “Go out to the gardens, and do your best to stop and talk to a few people on your way there. I’ll meet you outside in twenty minutes.”

I look at him, one eyebrow raised. “And why are we slipping out like you’ve got some mission in mind?”

“Because the only way we’re going to get through this party is if we have a good time. Now, mingle and then meet me by the fountain at the entrance to the rose garden.”

I stand there for a moment before leaving the alcove and going out to meet some of the guests. Butterflies in my stomach are relentless, making me nervous as I smile at several people I pass before Daphne waves me over.

Daphne smiles and nods to the woman beside her. “Amy, this is my aunt Cora.”

Cora opens her arms, pulling me into a tight hug. I’m stunned for a moment, not sure what to think of what’s happening right now.

She looks too young to be an aunt to people in their late twenties. I would’ve thought that she was one of their friends, maybe another cousin.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Cora smiles and holds me a bit away from her, gaze running over my dress before she reaches out and lets the silk of the skirt run through her fingers. “I must say, you have good taste. It’s going to be so nice having younger people on the throne for once.”

A man nearby snorts, shifting over to join us. “Cora, you know that the young people are only going to cause too much uproar.”

“Davis, you’ve never given much thought to the future of Katastinia, and it’s showing again.” Cora gives me a wink before turning to Davis. “You know that we need fresh ideas, and younger people are the only ones with the confidence to bring that forward. Now, you need to tell me about this arts program you’re proposing.”

He turns his full attention to her with a bright smile, looking happy to bask in her attention.

I don’t blame him either. Cora has hair the color of milk chocolate and bright blue eyes that would make any man melt for her. She’s the kind of woman who shines when she walks into a room.

It’s clear that she was born for this, and I’m just another person playing pretend.

Daphne nudges me. “Don’t look so scared. She’s much easier to get along with than my parents.”

“She’s young.” The words come out without me thinking, my cheeks immediately on fire. “I didn’t mean it like that, but your parents are older, and Xander’s parents would’ve obviously been older than us.”

“Cora was an affair baby just before Grandpa died. It was the scandal of the castle for a while, but my grandmother took her in like she was her own. She raised her out at the country estate without the influence of the castle weighing her down.”

“And I’m guessing the rest of you weren’t so lucky?”

She chuckles. “Yeah, you’ve got that right. I wish that I could’ve grown up the way Cora did. It would’ve been better than spending countless hours in etiquette and politics classes, but I like where I am now. I’ll never see the crown, but at least there isn’t pressure on me to produce an heir.”

“Wait a second, why would you never wear the crown? If Xander, your father, and brother all died, wouldn’t that make you next in line?” My stomach ties itself into a tight knot as I glance around the room. “And also, produce an heir?!”

“They don’t allow the crown to pass to female relatives. It’s an outdated rule, and Yorgos was going to overturn it, but he died before he could get it passed.” Daphne shrugs and smiles at a couple people who pass us. “As for producing an heir, the advisors are already talking about when they’re going to pressure you and Xander into having a child.”

I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Excuse me.”

Before she answers, I hurry to the doors that lead outside, pushing them open and taking a gasping breath when the chilly air greets me.

I didn’t think that having a child was going to be part of the deal. I read through those documents over and over again, and there was nothing there about having to have a child with Xander.

Though I want children one day, I want to have them with someone I plan on being with for the rest of my life. I don’t want to have a child and be forced to leave it in a foreign country for someone else to raise.

Hiking up my dress, I walk down the steps, trying not to trip over my heels. I head straight for the fountain and sit on the edge. My chest feels tight, and my breath comes in short bursts.

Xander appears in front of me with a bottle of champagne in his hand. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“You didn’t tell me that the advisors were going to be pressuring us to have a kid.”

He cracks open the bottle and takes a swig before handing it to me. “Because I didn’t know about it either. Daphne just found me and told me that you came out here and why.”

“Well, I was supposed to meet you out here anyway.” I force a smile and take a sip from the bottle. “I’m not ready to have kids yet, Xander. Definitely not one that I would have to leave here while I go back to New Jersey or wherever it is I go after this.”

“First of all, I’m not going to let them push this on us, okay?” He sits beside me and loops an arm around my waist, fingers brushing against the sheer panel. “Second, I would never keep you from our hypothetical child.”

Shivers run down my spine as I look over at him. I try not to think about the way his fingers linger on the curve of my waist.

I shuffle a little closer to him. “I think I believe you.”

He takes the bottle back, smirking as he brings it to his lips. “Is that the only thing bothering you right now?”

“Not just that.” I cross one leg over the other, the slit of my dress opening wider.

Xander’s gaze drops to my leg before it meets mine, desire running rampant. “What else?”

“Yorgos wanted the crown to be able to pass to the women in the family line too. Daphne said he was going to change the succession rules, but he died before he could.”

“And you want to know if I share the same thoughts?” He hands me back the bottle, and I take a sip while he considers it. “I don’t ever want to see a world where any potential daughters I might have don’t have the same options as any potential sons.”

“So that means that you’re going to be changing the line of succession?” I hand the bottle back to him.

“Yes.” He smiles and takes a long drink of the champagne before handing it back to me to drain the last bit.

“I’m glad. I think you’re going to do good things for the country.” I set the empty bottle to the side, swaying just a little. “And whoever Davis is, he’s a dickhead and doesn’t know anything.”

Xander leans a little closer to me, his mouth hovering inches from mine.

There’s laughter as the doors open and more people spill outside, drinks in their hands while they gaze up at the night sky.

“We should go get a little more privacy.” He stands and holds out his hand, laughing when I nearly stumble back into the fountain. “Maybe we should put you to bed.”

“No.” I put one hand on his arm to steady myself while reaching down and taking off my heels. “I’ve never been good at walking in these damn things.”

Xander chuckles and takes the heels from me, tossing them into one of the bushes near the stairs. “We can get those later. Now, come on.”

He pulls me into the labyrinth lined with rose bushes, their scent sweet even though the blooms aren’t full yet.

I follow him deeper into the maze before he turns a corner, stopping at a dead end.

When he spins me around, pulling me close to him, my heart skips a beat.

His gaze is burning hot as he leans closer, arms banding around my waist. Xander pulls me flush against him as my hands go to his chest.

I’m torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.

Luckily, I don’t have to make the decision.

One moment we’re locked in a staring contest, and the next his hand is sinking into my hair, cupping the back of my head and pulling me closer. His lips mold against mine, tongue sliding along my bottom lip.

Xander tastes like champagne and possibilities.

My hands climb higher, linking together behind his head. His hand slides down the slit in my dress, fingers tracing my skin before he picks me up.

I moan into the kiss as my legs lock around his waist.

His fingers sink into my flesh as I reach for the top buttons of his shirt, loosening them.

“If the two of you are done, you should probably come inside and say goodbye to the guests that are leaving.”

Xander groans, pulling away and setting me back down on my feet to turn and glare at Daphne. “Give us a minute.”

I dart past him. “Don’t worry about it. I’m ready. Let’s go say goodbye.”

Xander sighs somewhere behind me, but he doesn’t hurry to catch up.

Which is fine. I need to get my head clear, and then I need to remember that even though the way he looks at me sets me on fire, none of this is real.

It’s all going to come to an end, whether I like it or not.