Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?”
“You stopped moaning,” I replied, kissing her once more, rolling over on top of her.
“Then make me moan again,” she said when our lips parted.
“Happily,” I whispered, kissing down her body.
I felt so much better now.
I felt more at peace now with her in my arms than I ever thought possible. Even the sound of her breathing was comforting. Was that normal? I did not know. That was the reason why I sat outside her door, to begin with. When my mother found out, I was sure she would lecture me till kingdom come on why a prince could not be seen sitting in passageways, drinking. I knew that, too, but at that moment, I was simply looking for comfort, and when Odette opened the door and gave it to me, Sophia’s words faded to the back of my mind. And even now, I was too tired to think. Closing my eyes, I let the sleep come.
Beep.
Beep.
Ugh. I sighed, reaching to the side table for my phone, but I felt nothing.
Beep.
Beep.
“Umm...”
It was only at her grumble that my eyes opened fully to her curls in my face. However, as the beep continued, she slid off me, rolling to the other side of the bed. Immediately, I wanted to pull her body back to me, missing the warmth of her skin on mine.
Beep.
Beep.
Sitting up, I grabbed my pants off the floor and pulled my phone out before sitting against the headboard, rubbing my eyes. The sun was not even up yet, and this had been the most rest I had gotten in the months. The last thing I wanted to do was see why in the hell I was being paged. If it were that important, someone would have come and woken me. So why could this not wait?
The moment I opened the message, I understood.
“Today’s morning headlines,” the message from Ambrose read. When that man slept, I had no idea.
I was expecting most of the headlines to be of the introduction or a profile of Odette. Most of them were except for the Morning Eagle. They had gone in a completely different direction, their headline reading, “I Am the Adelina Now.” Underneath it, a split photo of Sophia at Arthur’s funeral, in full mourning, juxtaposed with Odette, dressed up as Cinderella, speaking into a microphone from what I could only believe was the ball she had gone to last year. A crown already on her head and smile on her face, which normally would have looked innocent had it not been for their so-called “news.”
“Her first day within the palace, American singer and socialite Odette Wyntor tells Her Highness, Sophia De Loutherbergh, the Dowager Duchess of Elmburgh, to call her Adelina, causing Her Highness to burst out in tears.”
I did not think it could be worse; however, the following sentences proved me utterly incorrect. “Our sources close to the palace tell us that Odette Wyntor wasted no time in asserting her position within the palace, demanding her staff be given to her. She even went as far as to demand the secretary of Princess Eliza.”
I could not bear to read anymore.
The smearing and misinformation had already begun?
Glancing over at her, I watched as she buried her head into the pillow, her chest rising, a smile on her face. This was what she was going to have to wake up to? Frowning, I sent a message back to him. “No newspapers in the palace today, and no one is to mention it. Also, find out who this source close to the palace is.”
Though their “news” was utter trash, there was still a hint of truth. Had it just been of Sophia crying, I would have thought it was just luck. However, the news of Wolfgang being her personal secretary meant someone had spoken to someone.
“Yes, sir,” he replied immediately.
Putting the phone onto the bedside table, I lay back, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her naked body back. She rolled over, tossing her arm and leg over me. I kissed the side of her face. I wanted to be angry, but she sucked it all out of me, and I found myself drifting off with blissful ease. I swear I had only closed my eyes for a few minutes when all of a sudden, I heard the last voice I ever wanted to hear while naked in bed with my woman.
“Galahad!”
My eyes snapped open, and there at the foot of our bed stood my mother.
“Mother!” I exclaimed loudly, and when I did, Odette’s grumbled, opening her eyes.
“What is it?” Odette asked, sitting up from the bed while still naked.
Reaching for the sheets, I held them up, covering the side of her body. She was still confused until she turned and saw my mother as well. Gasping, she snatched the sheets from my hand, wrapping them around herself.