“You love me?” I said in shock and shook my head. “You’re just saying that.”
“I never just say anything.” He shook his head. “I love you and I’m going to show you exactly what that means. I’m going to show you exactly what it means to be mine.”
“What are you going to do to me, Xavier?” I said anxiously, my knees weakening at his words. He pulled me back away from the door and toward the bed, and I watched as he pulled out some candles from a drawer and lit them and placed them around the room. And then suddenly, I could hear the sounds of jazz playing from hidden speakers in the corners of the room.
“Xavier, what are you going to do?” I gasped, wondering what was going to happen next.
“What am I not going to do?” He grabbed my wrists and spun me around. “I’m going to show every inch of you exactly who I am and why I do what I do. I’m going to make every fiber of your body wonder where I’ve been all of your life. And I’m going to show you through words and actions just how much I love you.”
“You can try to do that, I suppose,” I said flippantly, my stomach churning in excitement. I could hardly believe that this moment was real. It was something I’d never expected to happen.
“Oh, I’m going to do more than try.” His voice dropped. “I’m Xavier Van Romerius. I’m the Crown Prince of Romerius and I’m going to make sure that you never forget that.”
“Or what?” I said softly, my heart racing as I saw the handcuffs suddenly appear in his hands.
“You’ll just have to wait and see.” His green eyes danced as he placed one of the metal cuffs over my right wrist. My breath caught as his eyes darkened and he leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “ "No one leaves me, Lola, no one. You were going to try to leave earlier, but I’m glad that I woke up before you left. I’m going to show you exactly what a prince does to his lady-love, in the privacy of his room.”
“I didn’t leave.” I swallowed hard. “You caught me before I left.”
“And?” His eyes darkened.
“Is this...” I stumbled on the words as I spoke. I didn’t know how to ask him if this was about love or sex. Did he really love me or did he just want my body? Was I just a possession to him?
“Is there something you want to ask me, Lola?” Xavier pushed me back onto the bed and sat down. His naked tanned chest teased me with its sexiness and I swallowed hard as I stared up at him.
“No, why would you think I wanted to ask you something?”
“I sense your emotions. I sense how you feel.” And then he laughed. “And you were just about to ask me something. What are you feeling, Lola?”
“I’m not feeling anything,” I lied.
“I want to tell you something. I need to tell you that there is no such thing as true love, Lola. People come and go from your life. You can’t count on anyone being true to you, other than you.” His eyes burned into mine. “So you must always speak your mind and live for the here and now. You never know what will happen in life.”
“That’s sad that you feel that way, Xavier.” I spoke softly, my heart breaking at his words. “I believe in true love. I believe in one person loving another so much that they won’t let anything get in their way.” I licked my lips as he lay down next to me. “So what, then, do your words of love mean? Do you love me for me, or do you just want something from me?”
“Don’t be a fool. Look around you, Lola. Everyone wants something. No one does anything just to be nice. No one loves someone for no reason at all.”
“I do,” I said, my heart breaking as I gazed at him. “I love you simply because you are you.”
He stared at me then, his green eyes darkening at the look on my face. I could tell that I’d unnerved him. I could tell that that wasn’t the response he’d wanted or expected to hear.
“I’m not good enough for you, Lola. I can’t give you what you need and deserve.” His voice broke as he spoke. “The path I’m on isn’t for someone like you. I wish that it wasn't true, but it is. I do not deserve you.” He jumped off of the bed and looked at me in anguish.
“What path is that?”
“The path of absolution.” His gaze darkened. “The path of change.”
“Who do you want to change?”
“I want to change the roles royals play in Europe. I want to create a new history.”
“You think you can change the royal families of Europe?” I gazed at him, somewhat confused at what this had to do with his loving me and not believing in happily ever after.
“I have to change them,” he said softly. “It’s a dark history we have. If I could tell you stories of truth, if I could tell you things that people have done in the name of power…if I could tell you, then you would understand.”
“What things, Xavier?”
“Rapes, murders, slavery.” He leaned forward. “Casper’s line has a history of evil.”
“Isn’t Casper’s family related to yours, though?” I frowned.
“Not by blood.” He shook his head and his eyes darkened with anger as he thought of his cousin. “I hate him for what he tried to do to you. When he had you in that room, Lola, I was so scared. I thought he was going to do something bad, something horrible. Something that would have made me kill him.”