Not-So-Happily Ever After - (AU,M/L ADULT) [COMPLETE]

[short_up]

“Not-So-Happily Ever After”
Date: November 26, 2002
Rating: M/L ADULT
Summary: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Maxwell are to wed, having been betrothed since before they were born. They’re to meet, fall in love, and then marry quickly so that their families’ kingdoms will finally be united. But things don’t go as planned. Will they live happily ever after or will this story’s happy ending not end so happily?
Disclaimer: My words, Jason Katim's characters


“Oh, do calm down, dear. Maxwell is a magnificent young man.”

That is easy for you to say. You are not the one about to meet your future husband for the first time.

Once more, my hands found their way to my long, flowing brown hair, all sleek and shine. I cannot believe how nervous I am, my heart pounding loudly in my ears, my body fidgeting any way possible. When I found out last week that Prince Max would be at my eighteenth birthday ball and would soon take me back to his country for our wedding, I had been so shocked that I fainted.

And now, seven nerve-racking days later, I anxiously waited in our large sitting room for him.

You see, my parents, King and Queen of Amoria, have known Max’s parents, King and Queen of Perfectia, since they were young children. They had agreed that their first-born son and daughter would wed, despite this being the 21st century. My mother and Max’s mother were both pregnant for the first time and were ecstatic… until both their children turned out to be boys. A year later, my mother became pregnant again and I, the first daughter, was born.

The rest is history. Max and I grew up aware of our arranged marriage, yet not once ever meeting. Our parents believed that it would be love at first sight. Therefore, both Max and I were forbidden to be with anyone else.

A loud knock interrupted the quick pounding of my heart.

Just as my father was about to answer, I grabbed his arm. My brown eyes frantically pleaded with him, “Oh, Father, I am not ready yet!”

He just shook his head, his aging hand affectionately patting my cheek. “There is no need to wait any longer, princess. You look beautiful.”

With that, he and my mother stood, hiding me and answered, “Enter.”

I heard Henry, our butler’s formal voice announce, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, may I present King Philip and Queen Diane of Perfectia with their young son, Prince Maxwell.”

I nearly fainted. In less than a minute, I was going to meet him, my prince in shining armor.

There was a squeal and my mother rushed across the room to Diane and my father’s laughter followed as he embraced Philip. After their little reunion, Philip and Diane finally noticed me, their eyes shining with loving approval.

Smiling, I stood up and gave them hugs. Philip and Diane had always been with me, they were like my second parents, which in a few weeks, they would legally be.

“Are you nervous, dear?” Diane’s voice whispered into my ear.

Weakly, I nodded.

Philip pulled back, feigning shock, “But why? You are a vision of perfection!”

It was then that I knew I had made the right decision in choosing this outfit.

It had taken me the whole week to decide what to wear. My mother and I had gone from designer to designer, but nothing caught my eye. Nothing until we had accidentally come across a small boutique on Palace Street. We walked in and rummaged around. Just as we were leaving, I saw it and fell in love. It was white silk with lace designs over it. The straps, made of sheer pink ribbon were long, connecting to the dress an inch above my cleavage. And the bottom of my bust was wrapped with a single strip of more ribbon. The dress reached just below my knees, ending in curved lace.

“Our son will fall at your feet!” Diane exclaimed. She turned to the door. “Maxwell, dear, please come in and meet Princess Elizabeth.”

I held my breath as the door opened and Prince Max appeared.

I gasped, my eyes widening just as his did.

“You!” we both exclaimed.

|||PART 2|||

It couldn’t be, oh God, it just couldn’t be!

We stared at eachother, astounded beyond belief. Our mouths hung to the floor, tiny gasps of surprise still escaping.

“You? You?! What is that supposed to mean!” my mother and Max’s wailed in the background.

Our fathers hastily wrapped their arms around their wives, preparing to exit the room. “Maybe we should leave you two alone for a few minutes…”

“No!” I screamed, whirling to face him. “Do not[/i[ leave me alone with that, that rude pig!”

“Rude pig?!” Max yelled, his eyes blazing with anger. “You were the rude one! I apologized and you kept ranting and hitting me!”

“I would not have if you had meant it!” I glared right back.

“I did mean it!”

“No, you did not! You were laughing on the inside the whole time!”

“So?! You looked hilarious! And that was before I spilled the drink on you!”

My eyes widened even more. “How dare you?!” I screeched, running at him. When I reached him, I immediately began punching his chest, ignoring the pleasant feel of his strong muscles underneath his silk charcoal shirt.

He reacted instantly, his hands attempting to grab a hold of mine.

“Elizabeth Claudia Marlowe!”

“Maxwell Lucien Weston!”

Guiltily, we broke apart, our faces red, our eyes glaring.

“What is the matter with you two?” our parents demanded, mine standing in front of me, his in front of him.

“It is his fault!” I cried, still fuming.

“It is yours!” he bellowed, leaning around his parents to glower at me.

“You were the one who spilled the drink!” I shouted back.

“I would not have if you and your friends hadn’t been acting like fools!”

“ENOUGH!!!!!!” our fathers yelled.

We grew silent. My father had not once ever yelled at me before. It was all Max’s fault. If he wasn’t such a jerk, my father wouldn’t have found the need to shout.

“SIT!!!!!” they commanded, pointing to a semi-large love chair.

We did, but as far away from one another as possible. I shot distrusting glances in his direction as he did to me.

“Now, tell us what your outrageous behavior is all about,” they demanded, our mothers weeping together next to them.

Sorry, Mother, but I could never love this impolite, chauvinistic boy next to me.

“As I mentioned before, Max-“

“I did not do a thing! It was her!”

We continued to glower at one another.

“Elizabeth, you may tell your side of the story first,” Philip said.

“Humph!” Max made an ungentlemanlike sound.

“Thank you, Phip,” I cooed, using the nickname I had given him a long time ago. His eyes softened and I knew I had him wrapped around my finger.

“It was last Saturday,” I began…



“Elizabeth! We just must go in there! Everyone says it is the most delicious food ever and everyone goes there!” Maria, my best friend of 13 years, exclaimed.

“Yes, we just must!” Isabel, my other best friend, agreed.

“I suppose we could… I am a little hungry,” I replied, my mouth watering at the delicious aromas floating around outside. “But remember, our mothers want us home by four for tea.”

“How could I forget,” Tess, my other other best friend, rolled her eyes and the four of us giggled cheerfully. She pointed to her cell phone. “They have only been calling every five minutes to remind us.”

Laughing, we made our way into Zando’s, the new teen hang-out. Zando’s was a restaurant with a dancefloor and mini-movie theatre.

“Oh! It’s just wonderful!” Maria exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.

I nodded in agreement. It was dark with multi-colored strobe lights flashing everywhere and even now I could clearly see people dancing on the wide dancefloor.

Giggling over the indelicate dancing some were doing, we made our way to the “bar.”

“Are you excited, Elizabeth?” Maria asked, her arm linked through mine.

“About what?” I asked, although we all knew I knew what.

Tess nudged my side and we all laughed.

“Maxwell!” Isabel nearly yelled.

And then suddenly, I rammed into someone, a very muscular someone. Glass shattered. Cold liquid soaked the front of my shirt making me scream as the “someone” grabbed my waist and held me close to save me from falling.

Breathing rapidly, my shirt dripping wet, I furiously lifted my head to look my attacker in the eye.

My breath caught. He was gorgeous, the most handsome person I had ever laid eyes on. A lock of silky brown hair fell across his forehead, his chocolate brown eyes stared into mine, a mixture of concern and laughter.

Laughter?!

Furious once again, I yanked myself away from his tight hold.

“I am terribly sorry,” he apologized, a smile tugging at his lips. His voice was smooth and deep, a sexy growl. A shiver crawled down my spine.

“Why did you not watch where you were going?!” I yelled, my eyes glaring.

His eyes turned to tight slits. “Me? It was you who ran into me.”

“I did not! I was just walking in a straight line when you crashed into me!”

“I am sorry, but it does not matter now.” He grabbed my hand. “Let me help you dry up.”

“Unhand me!”

His eyes widened and then slanted once again. “Fine.”

And then he was gone.

Still fuming, I turned to my friends who I then realized had witnessed the whole thing. Inwardly, I flinched. I had never lost my control so easily before. I was such a quiet, controlled person; I rarely ever got angry, but there was just something about that guy!

“Oh, Elizabeth! Are you all right?” Maria cried, rushing to my side.

Suddenly, they were all there, handing me paper towels and offering kind words.

“He was a jerk.”

“I can’t believe he blamed you!”

“But he was good-looking.”

I stared aghast at them.

“Not good-looking, great-looking!”

Loudly, I announced, “I just pray I never have to see him again.”



“Is that what happened, son?” Philip asked Max, who could only nod for what I said was no doubt the truth.

“Yes, but as you can see quite clearly, I had kept apologizing and she just continued to yell at me!”

“You were laughing at me!” I shouted, my face reddening from anger again.

“You would have laughed too!”

“I would not have! I am too mature to,” I answered haughtily.

“Mature?!” my mother raged. “You call your behavior mature? Why, I’ve never heard of something so absurd! You and Maxwell are acting like two children, arguing and fighting!”

“Yes, Nancy and I are quite ashamed at both of your behaviors,” Diane announced, her eyes still glistening with tears.

“And disappointed. You were supposed to fall madly in love with one another!”

Max and I both shouted at once, “I will never love him/her!”

Our mothers burst into tears again.

I was suddenly ashamed with myself. How could I? My mother and Diane had such hopes and I was being terribly inconsiderate. But before I could go to them, Max was already there.

“Elizabeth and I are so sorry, mother, Nancy. We didn’t mean to be so uncaring of your feelings. Who knows,” he glanced at me and I got the distinct impression that he wanted me to forgive him for what he was about to say next, “maybe Elizabeth and I will learn to love eachother after spending a little more time together.” He turned to me, his warm eyes shining, “Elizabeth, would you, please, like to attend a film with me tonight after a nice dinner?”

I stared silently into his wonderful eyes and nodded, “I’d love to. How about at six?” At his nod, I announced, “I guess I’ll go get ready then. Mom, Diane, would you two please help me prepare?”

Still sniffling, they grabbed my arms and dragged me upstairs. While we were walking up the stairs, I heard Max’s laughter. It echoed deeply in my heart and it was then that I realized that I would like nothing more than to spend time in his company.

What? Did I just say that? I must be sick; I hate this guy! Don’t I?

|||PART 3|||

“Lower!”

I sighed, feeling sorry for Margaret. For the past hour or so, my mother and Diane had been shouting out orders constantly.

In less than an hour, Max and I would be going on our first “date…” alone… for a long time. This was actually going to be my first date ever and honestly, I was not even the tiniest bit nervous… If you count the fact that my stylist and make-up artist have redone my hair and make-up a total of a million times and that I have torn up thousands of tissues from wringing them in my hands not nervous, then no, I was not nervous at all.

“The dress is low enough!” I said, exasperated.

“You have a wonderful body! You should be showing it off!”

“Mom!” I stared at her with wide eyes.

“And besides, Max will be seeing all of your body soon anyways.”

“Diane!”

“What? It’s only true.”

“Done,” Margaret exclaimed with relief.

“Oh! You look absolutely gorgeous!”

My heart pounding, from their words of course, not from the fact that I was going to be on a date with Max soon, I made my way to the mirror.

I gasped. Margaret and the others had worked wonders! In all the years I have been alive, this was the first time I had felt as if I was a true princess. I wore a sparkling red dress, just below my knees. The cut was low, layers of fabric folded over one another, held up by two thin straps. The red contrasted brilliantly with my brown hair and deep eyes and it accented my pale skin perfectly. The thin, sexy heels made my legs long and shapely, adding a couple of inches to my small frame. Despite the perfection of my image, there was something missing.

“I almost forgot!” my mother exclaimed, rushing over to the drawer and grabbing hold of a large velvet bow. “Put these on,” she offered the box to me.

Lain proudly inside were a pair of dangling diamond earrings and a matching diamond necklace.

My eyes tears as my mother and Diane lovingly placed the jewelry on me.

“My little girl is all grown up,” my mother sobbed in Diane’s embrace… not that Diane was any more composed. They were both weeping their eyes out with joy.

“Oh, you guys,” I soothed, giving them each a kiss. “If you’re going to cry this much for our first date, how will you be at our wedding?”

The second those words came out, I gasped and shut my mouth. There was never ever going to be a wedding because I hated Max and would never ever marry him!

A laugh rose of them, “We’ll drown the place.”

I smiled weakly, nodding in agreement. “We must make sure to order row boats.” Not really though since there would never ever be a wedding.

Knock Knock

“Yes?” I answered because my mother and Diane were too busy crying once again.

“Prince Maxwell is waiting for you in the sitting room,” Elena, my maid, stepped in. She immediately sought me out. “Princess Elizabeth! You look, oh, just perfect!”

“Thank you,” I smiled.

“Go!” my mother and Diane screamed, wiping at their eyes.

“Startled, I jumped about a foot into the air. Lord, you would think that it was their first date!

As I walked down our long, twisting marble staircase, I wrung my hands nervously. What if the date turned out to be an absolute disaster? Well, then again, how could it not? Max and I hated one another with a passion. Too bad, I admitted to myself. If he was not such a jerk, I might actually have my happily-ever-after with him, although now it seemed that it would be more like not-so-happily-ever-after.

I was so preoccupied with the worst possible scenarios that could happen that I did not notice stepping into the sitting room.

I froze in my tracks.

He looked even better than before. He was my Prince Charming in shining armor come true, except that he was wearing a sleek black suit and crisp tie and was an absolute jerk.

He finally noticed me, his eyes widening as he jumped to his feet.

And then, he just stood there, gaping at me while I gaped at him.

Finally, he seemed to gather his composure and rasped out, “Wow.”

Much to my dislike, I could feel my cheeks heating up.

“Wow,” softer this time, but the single word held the same amount of impact. Then his cheeks turned pink and he shook his head.

Finally, I managed to regain my mind and stated smugly, “I clean up well, do I not?”

And immediately regretted my words. The wonderful fairy-taleish mood shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

His charming face turned hard and he nodded, “Yes, quite better than I had imagined.”

“Pictures!” someone screamed and next thing I know, I am being herded this way and that, Max on my tail.

We must have spent hours taking photos. I found myself wrapped in Max’s arms once and my heart fluttered, a strange feeling enveloping my heart. Then he scowled and the feeling dispersed.

Finally, we were able to leave. Playing along, Max held my small hand in his large one. I tried my hardest to ignore the sudden pounding of my heart, the sweaty state of my palms. What was wrong with me? I hated this guy, yet I was acting like I was… like I was… in love.

|||PART 4|||

“And then Maria tried to turn around, but instead, ended up knocking both of us into the freezing water!”

Max laughed and it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard… again. He and I had been laughing nonstop since we left the castle. It was odd; it seemed as if we could be the best of friends. We had so many things in common and when he was not spilling drinks on me, he was absolutely wonderful.

“I can just imagine! Did you cry, Lizzie?” he teased, his eyes glittering.

Lizzie. I loved it.

“But of course, Max. I just stood there in the water, weeping my little eyes out,” I teased back, my own eyes sparkling.

Grabbing my hand, he used it to wipe at his pretend tears. He wailed, “Oh, my poor little self. I am just soaking and my hair is ruined!”

I giggled and attempted to wrench my hand out of his. He held on and just smiled. “Cheers.”

Just as I was about to fall into another laughing fit, a deep, very feminine voice broke in.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

I looked up and immediately wanted to grab Max and run away with him. Pamela Marsh stood in front of us, all 5’8” of her supermodel frame and gorgeous looks perfectly displayed in a short, white dress.

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” she purred at Max in that sultry voice of hers and I could feel myself starting to pout. “My name is Pamela and I go to school with Princess Elizabeth.”

Max let go of my hand and stood up. Taking her hand, he leaned down and gave it a kiss. His smile was absolutely charming. “I am Prince Maxwell of Perfectia.”

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I might as well leave now and maybe, due to a miracle, he’d notice and give me his car keys or something. I didn’t even know why I was so upset, it was not like I really wanted to be Max’s girl. I started to get up, but was stopped when Max’s hand covered mine once again. I shot him a sharp look to find myself staring at his enchanting smile.

“Are you and Liz good friends?” he asked Pamela, his eyes leaving mine briefly.

At that, Pamela threw her perfect little head back and laughed. I could feel my face heating up again and wanted nothing more than to just die then and there.

“Friends? Princess Elizabeth has no friends but those sorry-excuse for females she drinks tea with,” Pamela’s voice hissed. “Max, why don’t you ditch her and come with me? I’ll show you what a real princess is like.”

No one calls Max, Max but me! I could feel my anger boiling again. I could never understand why Pamela hated me so much. I had never done anything to her, yet she had loathed me since the day we met.

But before I could react, Max had risen out of his chair, his eyes gleaming with anger.

“A real princess? Liz is a princess, in every essence of the word. Not only is she breath-takingly beautiful on the outside, but the inside also. You, on the other hand,” his stare was piercing, “would not know how to be a princess. Real princesses are never as forward and rude as you are. They put their hearts into everything they do and would never wish harm unto someone.”

We left Miss Pamela Marsh, the most beautiful, popular girl in school, standing there, her mouth having dropped onto the floor.

|||PART 5|||

“Oh, Max, thank you so much for defending me,” I turned to face him and found myself wrapped up in his arms.

After leaving Pamela there to clean up her own drool, we had decided to take a walk on the river rather than go view a film. Amoria was known for its busy streets, a glimmering city in the country. Perfectia, Max’s kingdom which he was soon to share with me, was known for its rolling beaches and clear, blue waters.

“It was entirely my pleasure,” he murmured into my hair.

“No one has ever stood against Pamela. She is, well, she is every guy’s dream come true and every girl’s nightmare.”

Max scoffed. “Sorry, Lizzie,” a chill crept down my spine, “but you are wrong. She is not every guy’s dream come true for she is certainly not mine.”

“Really?” I took a deep breath and looked up at him, “Then who is?”

He stiffened behind me. “Umm,” he stuttered, letting go of me and I immediately missed his warmth, “I, well, I, I mean, ummm…”

My face fell. I do not know why I even asked. It is not as if I was expecting him to say… me. I am hardly any guy’s dream, let alone a prince as handsome as Max.

I pulled away from him and muttered somewhat lamely, “Nevermind. Oh, dear, it is getting late and I had promised Mother and Diane that we would be home before midnight. Come, this way.”

I could hear Max’s footsteps persistently following behind me.

“Lizzie! Please, I –“

I whirled around, anger suddenly bursting from within, “Do not call me that! I hate that ridiculous nickname!” Gracious, where did that horrible lie come from?

He stared at me, his eyes wide. “I, I am sorry. If I had known, I would not have-“

“Ugh! It does not matter!” I took a deep breath, “Let us just return home.”

He nodded, his eyes small slits. “Yes, let’s.”

We drove home in absolute silence.

Oh, yes, definitely not-so-happily ever after.

|||PART 6|||

“Elizabeth Claudia Parker!” my mother bawled, “Open the door this instant!”

“Go away!” I screamed into my tear-soaked pillow.

My mother has been banging on the door for at least a half an hour now and I was more than sure that Diane was doing the same with Max on the guest floor.

Max.

How had everything gone so wrong? The date had started so perfectly and I had even begun to fancy myself somewhat in love with him.

Ha! As if! How could I ever be in love with a self-centered, uncaring jerk like him?!

“Elizabeth!”

Reluctantly, I got up and yanked open the door. Not bothering, or not daring, to look at my mother’s face, I turned straight around and flopped back down onto my canopied, king-sized bed

“What went wrong with Maxwell?”

Max.

I burst into tears ago, my heart-wrenching sobs finally reaching my mother.

She sighed and sat down on my bed, pulling my head into her lap. Lovingly, she combed her fingers through my hair while she said, “Elizabeth, tell Mother what happened.”

I sniffled. “Oh, Mother, it was the most absolutely perfect night of my life… in the beginning. But then Pamela Marsh showed up and-“

“Pamela Marsh?” My mother knew all about Pamela and her absurd hatred for me.

I nodded. “Yes. She showed up and then Max told her off and then we left and then I asked something stupid and then I got upset and, oh, Mother, it was just horrible!”

“Oh, sweetheart, I am more than sure that it was not that horrible. I know Maxwell still loves you.”

Whoa! At that, I shot up from my mother’s lap and stared at her, wide-eyed. “He does not love me!” I screeched and then immediately regretted my harsh reaction. I was so loud, he must have heard, despite being two floors below on the guest floor! My floor may have been the highest but that didn’t mean that the floor was sound proof!

“Elizabeth, my darling child, why are you so opposed to admitting your feelings for him and acknowledging his feelings for you?”

“I am not opposed to anything! I am just stating the truth.”

My mother shook her head. “You and Maxwell love one another; it is obvious in your eyes. If you would both just admit it to yourselves and then one another, you will have your happily-ever-after.”

“Mother, how could I love someone I have only just met?” But even as I asked it, I knew the answer. Because I had been dreaming of that someone for years now, because his smile made me feel faint and his laughter nearly brought me to my knees. Because he was truly my Prince Charming whereas I was not, and could never be, his Princess.

My mother shot me a knowing look, “I believe you have already reached the conclusion on your own.” And with those few words, she turned around and left.

Maybe she was right; maybe they were all right, my mother, my father, Phip, and Diane.

Or maybe they were all wrong.

I shook my head. Sitting here, thinking contradictory thoughts was not helping me figure out what to do with Max. What I needed were my best friends and a large jug of ice-cream.

Flopping down onto my bed, I pressed 1, Maria’s number on my speed dial.

The phone rang in my ear as I struggled ferociously to change into my comfortable Vera Wang pajamas.

“Hello?”

“Maria? Thank God! It is I, Elizabeth.”

“Of course! Who else would it be?” Maria giggled in my ear.

I giggled back, feeling some of the tension easing its way out of my body. “Let us gather The Four together and have a Night.”

“Oh! I was just about to phone you and suggest the same thing! The others are already coming over now.”

“I will be right there! I have so much to tell you all; you could not believe it!”

Maria laughed, “Well hurry up over here and make us believe you!”

I chuckled and quickly hung up. I fled down the three flight of stairs (my floor was the fourth) and was almost out the door when I heard Diane’s voice.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!”

“Diane! Yes?”

“Where in Heavens do you think you are going?”

I gasped quietly at the exasperation in her voice. “To Maria’s. The Four are going to get together for another Night.”

“Oh,” she looked much more relieved, “did you mention that to your mother? She didn’t mention it to me.”

“No, I just called Maria but Mother doesn’t mind. Maria is right next door and there is a private path from this house to hers. I will not be in any danger.”

“Oh, I know that,” she smiled, her eyes, so like Max’s, smiled. “So, how are the rest of The Four?”

“They are fine.”

“I am absolutely certain they are wondering about Maxwell.”

I gulped. “Yes.”

Diane sighed and she leaned over and gave me a quick squeeze. “I remember when you were just a babe. Your parents and Philip and I took one glance at you and just knew. You and Maxwell were going to be just perfect for one another. You know, we still believe it, despite all that has seemed to happen between you two.”

“Diane, I just do not know. I mean,” I broke off at a loss of words.

“I know,” she shook her head. “Oh, dear. The rest of The Four must be waiting for you, go ahead, have fun.”

I planted a small peck on her cheek and escaped through the garden door. Quickly, I walked across our enormous marble deck and down the stairs. I started walking and could almost see Maria’s house when I suddenly found myself flying through the air.

“Oomph!” I grunted as I landed on the dirt path. I quickly stood up, brushing off the dirt and turned to look at the offending object which I had tripped over.

My brows bunched up together. It seemed to be a present of sorts; there was a small square box with a beautiful deep pink ribbon attached to it.

My heart started to pound. Was it, could it be from Max? Maybe it was his intended apology for not admitting that I was his dream girl. Ha! I doubted it, if anything, I should have been the one apologizing.

I walked over to the gift and picked it up. There was a little card with one simple word on it: Liz.

Oh! It just had to be from Max! No one ever called me anything but Elizabeth but Max.

My heart hammering against my chest, I carefully undid the beautiful ribbon and opened the lid.

“Ahh!” my scream tore through the night. I dropped the box like it was on fire and with tears streaming down my face, I ran to Maria’s.

Flinging myself against the back door, I pounded furiously.

Through the glass, I could see the rest of The Four rushing to me, their faces full of concern.

Maria yanked open the door and I collapsed into her waiting arms, sobbing.

They pulled me upstairs to Maria’s room and we all sat down in the sleeping area.

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Tess asked, her hand on mine.

“Did Maxwell hurt you? What did that, that bastard do to you?” Isabel demanded, her eyes already glinting with anger. Isabel was the oldest of The Four and she treated us all as if we were her younger sisters. She was the strongest also and protected us fiercely.

I tried to speak; I really did, but found that I could not. All I was capable of doing was crying, salty tears flowing down my face.

How could he? Oh, how could he?

I felt as if my heart had shattered into millions of tiny pieces. I had suspected that he was upset with me, but oh, not that upset.

How could he?

“Elizabeth!” Maria yelled.

“Tell us,” Tess pleaded.

I nodded and somehow managed to find my voice. “Max, he, he was the guy, the guy that…”

“Yes?” Isabel insisted.

“The guy that spilled all that water onto me at Zando’s!”

“What?!” they all gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Yes and then when we first saw eachother we just yelled and fought and then our mothers were crying and we felt so ashamed so we agreed to go out for dinner together. We went and it was just, it was wonderful. He was so handsome and kind and sweet and funny. And then Pamela Marsh came and was the horrible… horrible wench that she is and Max just told her off and we left and then I asked something stupid and then I got mad at his answer and then.. oh, it was horrible! We came home and then I spent, oh, it must have been hours crying and then my mother came and we talked and then I called Maria and was walking here when I tripped over this beautiful box. My name was on it and I had believed that it was from Max. And,” I gulped, “and in it, there was, there was…”

“What, Elizabeth, what was in there?”

“A dead rat!”

“What?!”

“I think I am going to be sick,” Tess moaned, rushing to the bathroom.

“It was a, a dead rat! He gave me a dead rat! Does he really hate me that much?”

“I’ll kill him,” Isabel swore.

“Wait!” Maria yelled, “Are you sure the rat, the rat was from Maxwell? You did say that he was kind and sweet and all those other things. How and why would he do something so awful?”

“I do not know but it had to be him! No one but him calls me Liz and that was what was written on the box!”

“Elizabeth, it just does not make sense. Why-“

“It does make sense! He is a whoreson who thought it would be funny to do something so horrible to poor Elizabeth!”

“Isabel!” Maria shrieked.

Isabel just shrugged and turned to me, “How should I kill him?”

The seriousness in her voice and the laughter in her eyes caused a giggle to come out. And with that giggle came laughter. And before we knew it, the three of us were laughing our dear heads off.

Tess walked back in, her face dreadfully pale and asked, “What? What is so funny?”

I just shook my head.

After we had all gotten our giggles out, I admitted, “I guess maybe, I was overreacting. Maybe Max did not leave that, that, thing for me.”

“Maybe you should go talk to him,” Maria suggested.

“I cannot,” I sighed.

“And why not?” Isabel asked, nudging me playfully on the shoulder.

“Because!”

“Because what?” Isabel questioned. “Because you find yourself falling madly in love with him and do not want to fall any deeper?”

“What?!” I nearly shouted. “Of course not!”

“It is obvious!” Tess squealed. “And I did not even hear you go on about him! I can tell by the star-struck look on your face, Elizabeth!”

“You cannot!”

“Well, at least she is admitting that she has a star-struck look,” Maria sighed.

“I do not!”

Tess squealed, “I cannot wait to meet him! He must be so handsome and sweet and-“
“He is not!” I yelled.

“Well,” Isabel huffed. “Since Elizabeth does not want him, maybe he will fall madly in love with one of us instead!”

“He will not!”

They ignored me.

“Yes!” Maria said excitedly. “And then I can be Queen of Perfectia!”

“You cannot!”

“Oh! Would that not be wonderful?” they squealed, seemingly unaware of my presence.

Finally, I could not stand it anymore. Jumping up, I yelled, “Fine! I will go speak with Max now… but only to cease your ramblings!”

I could hear them cheering all the way home.

[short_up]

|||PART 7|||

“Max?” I whispered into the door after lightly tapping it for what had to be the hundredth time.

I sighed. Maybe he just was not in bed…or maybe he was in bed. Images of him, his bare body, tangled up in white sheets, the white contrasting sharply with his tanned color, filled my mind. And then more images, only this time of his legs and arms tangled with my legs and arms, his hard body against my soft one. He would lean over me, spread my legs…

“Liz?”

Startled, I jumped and realized that Max had opened the door…and that I had not noticed because I was fantasizing about being in bed with him.

I gulped.

The images of his body which I had conjured up were no way close to the real thing. The real thing was much better.

Max stood in front of me dressed only in black boxers. His muscular six-pack shining slightly from the light.

“Hi,” I managed to get out.

His frown showed that he was more than curious and astounded at finding me in front of his room so late at night. “Hi. Umm, is there something I can help you with?”

“No.”

He paused. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” I sounded breathless to my own ears.

“I see.” He shot me the strangest look. “What ails you? Are you ill?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I will be going back to bed now if there is not anything you wish to speak with me about.”

“Please do not.”

He took a deep breath. “Ok then.”

And then we just stared at eachother: him in nothing but his boxers and me in my skimpy tank top and colorful pajama bottoms.

“Liz,” he ran a large hand through his silky hair, “I must apologize. I did not mean to call you ‘Lizzie.’ I did not know you were offended by it. I was out of place.”

As he talked, a lock of hair fell across his forehead and before I could comprehend my actions, I reached out and gently brushed it away, sighing with pleasure at the velvet softness. Before my hand fell back, his gaze locked onto mine. I gulped, not knowing what to say, and the next thing I knew, there was no need for words.

Max’s hard mouth crashed roughly onto mine, capturing me in a hot kiss. His lips played over mine, demanding me to let him in. I did.

Stars burst. Fireworks exploded. The world spun and I found myself holding onto Max for dear life.

This was not how I had expected it to be; I had never dreamed in a million years that I could be standing squarely on the ground yet be flying at the same time. But it was happening. As Max’s kiss sent shivers of passion and delight through me, his kiss ever-deepening, I felt one of his calloused hands tighten around my waist. I arched insistently as his warm hand touched my bare skin. He growled, the vibrations centering between my legs.

“Max,” I moaned as his assault moved from my swollen lips to my smooth neck. He nibbled and all of a sudden, his teeth bit down into my skin. I climaxed then and there, my body arching into his aching one. I moaned out his name as he held me through my first orgasm.

The sensations were so strong, so wonderful, I collapsed into his arms, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Liz,” he whispered huskily, his hands rubbing my back.

“Max, please,” I moaned, not exactly sure what I was asking for, just whatever Max could give me.

His mouth crashed back down onto mine, his hands tangling themselves into my hair. Hastily, he dragged me over to his bed, slamming the door shut behind us. Contrary to the need he was feeling, he gently placed me onto his bed, his mouth never leaving mine.

As his mouth attacked my neck once again, I ran my hands down his chest, squirming underneath him, needing to feel his bare skin against mine.

“God, Max, oh, please,” I muttered incoherently.

One of his rough hands slid down, cupping my breast. As his thumb brushed across my peaked nipple through the thin fabric of my top, I arched helplessly into him, rubbing my aching center against his hard erection.

“Yes, yes, yes,” I chanted like a prayer.

His mouth moved lower from my neck and I let out a restrained scream when he took my nipple into his mouth. Even through my top, I could feel the searing heat of his mouth on my sensitized flesh. I could feel release edging into me once more and I arched into it, wanting to feel only what Max could make me feel.

“Oh, yes, right there,” I groaned breathlessly. Oh, it was right there, coming, I could almost reach it…

Knock, Knock

Max sprang away from me and I missed his warmth instantly. Eyes wide, he stared at me and took a deep breath. Holding a finger to his mouth, he glanced at me, and then walked to the door and opened it an inch.

“Mother…. Uh, hi.” He sounded nervous.

Oh, God. Diane? Please, do not come in, please do not see me, I prayed. Sitting up, I strained to listen.

“Maxwell, darling, we must talk.”

“Umm, not now, Mother. I just fell asleep and am very tired. Could we please discuss this tomorrow?”

“No, we cannot,” her voice was firm. “You love Elizabeth, I can tell, we all can tell.”

I held my breath.

“Mother, please, not now.”

“No, now. You must apologize to her or you will lose her for ever.”

I saw Max using his large body to try to block Diane out. When she stepped to the left, he stepped to the left. When she stepped to the right, he stepped to the right. And then, she tricked him and got through.

“I will not have you lose –“ Her eyes widened as she caught sight of me. I could practically see her take in my disheveled clothes, my swollen lips, my glazed eyes, and my tangled hair.

“Diane, I, it is not, we,” I was at a loss for words. What was I supposed to say? I hate your son, but was just having some fun letting him feel me up? I doubt that would go by well.

“Mother,” Max said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped. Her eyes flashed as she turned towards her son. “How could you?” her voice broke. And then her betrayed gaze landed on me. “Why did you not let us know?” her voice rose.

Max rushed to me and protectively gathered me in his arms. “Mother, Liz came a few minutes ago. She knocked and I opened the door. We thought it would be best to talk inside so I brought her in.”

That story was full of gaps and we all knew it.

“Do you expect me to believe that?” Diane asked, incredulous. “You both know how Philip, Nancy, Ted, and I feel about the two of you having premarital, premarital-“

“We did not though, Diane!” I swore.

But the look of utter disbelief that she threw at us made it more than clear that she didn’t care what we had to say. She was going to believe that she saw with her own eyes. Heart broken, I crawled further into Max’s embrace. His arms tightened around me and his hand rubbing my back soothed me.

“Come, make yourselves presentable. Meet me and your parents in the sitting room as soon as possible.” She threw us a warning glance and walked away, shutting the door.

I started trembling; I couldn’t help it. What would happen now?

Max must have felt my trembling because he soothed, “Shhh, Liz, shhhh. It will all be ok, I promise.”

I did not even know what I wanted “ok” to be. Everything just seemed to be out of control and I could not seem to decide what I wanted.

Suddenly, he tilted my chin with his hand and made me look at him. “Liz-“

“Lizzie,” I stated firmly. I wanted to be “his” Lizzie again.

He frowned, not quite understanding. “Ok, Lizzie, I-“

“I lied,” I interrupted him. “I do not hate that nickname. Actually, I, I like it a lot,” I whispered.

He smiled at me, his chocolate eyes twinkling. “I like it a lot too,” he whispered back. “Come on, Lizzie, let us go downstairs and face the music or rather the enraged rants of our parents.”

Letting me go, he stood up and offered me his hand. Somewhat shyly, I took it and smiled gratefully at him. With his arm wrapped around me and my head resting against him, we walked downstairs to find our parents.

Taking a deep breath, we walked in.

“Elizabeth Claudia Marlowe!”

“Maxwell Lucien Weston!”

His arm tightened around me, almost as if he was protecting me from what was to come.

“SIT!” our parents commanded.

We made our way to the loveseat. After I was seated comfortably, Max began to sit. But before he did, our parents screamed, “Away from one another!”

“But Mother, Father!” I protested, not letting go of Max’s hand.

“No! The two of you have been close enough!”

Max gently tugged his hand away and made a big show of sitting on the seat opposite me. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

I began, “If you would just let us explain-“

“No!” Phip shouted.

My father nodded. “The two of you will be married on Thursday next.”

“But, but that’s before my eighteenth birthday!” I shouted. “And in three days!”

“I do not care!” my father yelled. “You and Max will marry on Thursday and then on Friday, the two of you will attend your ball and then leave immediately for Perfectia.”

“Yes,” Phip nodded, “And Diane and I will stay here for a month or two until you are settled in.”

“What?” Max shouted. “No! I will not marry her!”

Not “I will not marry her so soon” or “I will not marry her under these circumstances,” but rather, “I will not marry her period.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as my heart shattered. Of course he would not want to marry me. Why would he? Ashamed at my earlier actions, I looked down. I was so stupid. I let myself get caught up in the passion and made a fool of myself.

“You will too,” my mother scolded.

“Yes,” Diane agreed. “If you can sleep with her, you can marry her.”

“We did not sleep together!” Max explained in an exasperated tone.

“I believe you did! Why, I walked in there and Elizabeth was in his bed, her clothes rumpled and… I know.”

“I know you do, Diane,” my mother agreed.

“Lizzie, please tell our parents that we did not sleep together,” Max asked me.

I shook my head, but could not find my voice.

Suddenly, I felt someone take a seat next to me and could smell my mother’s perfume. Her arm came around me and I leaned into her.

She whispered into my ear, “Elizabeth, I am so sorry things had to happen this way, but I can ensure you that Maxwell is chin-deep in love with you. He just may not be willing to admit it right this instant. Be patient, darling.”

I shook my head again and cried quietly in my mother’s embrace.

|||PART 8|||

“Oh, Elizabeth! This dress is the one.”

“That is what you said about each of the other five dresses, Maria,” Isabel laughed.

Maria giggled and smacked her playfully.

Tess nodded, “I agree with Maria on this one, Elizabeth. This dress looks so gorgeous on you!”

I twirled around in front of the mirror. The dress was really pretty; I had to admit. It was strapless with diamonds covering the bust. The dress flared out and had a long “V” train, bordered with more diamonds. The back was tied with a long, deep red ribbon, its tails flowing with the train. The bust clung tightly to me, enhancing what little assets I believed myself to have.

“I love it,” I said, knowing that this dress was the one.

The Four and my mother and Diane have been here, at Vera Wang, for hours now. We came here after brunch and have not left since I had made it more than clear that I wanted a Vera Wang dress for my wedding.

Mother and Diane both nodded vigorously and said, “Yes, this is it. Oh, Elizabeth, you look beautiful!”

“Just like a princess,” Tess muttered dreamily.

“She is a princess,” Isabel said sarcastically.

Tess blushed deeply while the rest of us laughed at her.

“Oh, yes, it seems as if I have forgotten that,” she teased while winking at me.

“Girls, girls! We have so much more to do before the wedding, we do not have time for your ramblings and teasings,” Diane scolded.

“Yes,” my mother agreed and then turned to me. “Elizabeth, darling, is this the dress you desire or would you rather continue to look for more.”

“This is the one,” I replied breathlessly. I could feel it.

“Good. Now…” my mother continued, “Mary, Mary!”

The young seamstress rushed in and answered, “Yes?” And then she turned and saw me. She froze. “Oh! Oh! Princess Elizabeth, you look, oh, just absolutely beautiful!”

I smiled. “Thank you so much, Mary. I love the dress.”

“Mary, can we please see your shoes? All of them that are white and with diamonds,” Diane ordered.

Mary nodded and rushed out. A few seconds later, she appeared again, this time with an armful of shoes. Kneeling by my feet, she pulled out a pair of shoes.

I immediately pulled back. “Not those shoes, Mary. They do not match!” Then, realizing how harsh I must have sounded, I asked softly, “Mary, do you think I could look at them and decide which ones?”

She nodded, her cheeks flushed.

I kneeled down and the rest of The Four immediately rushed over and began stuffing shoes in my face.

“This pair!”

“No, this one, Elizabeth!”

“Look at the pretty bows on this one!”

“But, oh! Look at these diamonds!”

My shoulders slumped in defeat. “Stop!” I yelled.

They all froze and I smiled tightly at them. Shooing them aside, I looked down at the pile of shoes and there, sitting right on top, I saw it. The perfect shoes to go with my perfect dress! I gasped and slid my feet into them. They were pure white and closed-toe with diamond-studded straps. The diamonds had hints of deep red in them, like the ribbon on my dress.

“Look, mother!” I gasped excitedly.

My mother and Diane both hurried to my side and I could see the utter disbelief and pleasure in their faces. “It is perfect!” they exclaimed, while quickly moving over to the side so that the rest of The Four could see it.

“Oh, Elizabeth! It is perfect!”

“Yes, it is!”

“I knew it would be this one, did I not?”

“It is gorgeous!”

“And it matches your dress so well!”

I smiled and turned towards my mother and Diane. “What is there left to do now?”

“Only preparations for the bride, dear,” Diane smiled.

“Yes, Diane and I have arranged everything else.”

“Everything? The invitations, the food, the music, the-“

“Yes, everything.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” I gushed, capturing my mother and Diane in a huge embrace.

“Oh, dear, you do not need to thank us. We have been planning and dreaming of your wedding to Maxwell for lifetimes now!”

“That reminds me,” Tess interrupted, “The Four has yet to meet this handsome Prince Charming.”

A blush rose to my cheeks. “You will meet him soon enough.”

“How about today during supper?” my mother invited.

“Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much, Your Highness,” The Four gushed out.

Yes, thank you, Mother.

“Elizabeth,” Diane called, “There is something your mother and I have for you.”

“What is it?” I asked eagerly.

My mother grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the large seat. Tears welling up in her eyes, she handed me a large jewelry box.

I could feel my eyes staring to water. Accepting the box, I carefully opened it. My breath caught. They were the most beautiful things in the whole entire world and they matched my gown and shoes so perfectly! Perched proudly inside were a pair of sparkling, dangling diamond earrings and a matching diamond necklace which would go perfectly with my strapless gown.

“Oh, thank you so much,” I cried, hugging them tightly once again. “It’s perfect!”

“The perfect earrings for the most perfect day of your life,” my mother wept.

I hoped so.

|||PART 9|||

“Max, this is the rest of The Four: Maria-“

Maria smiled.

“-Isabel-“

Isabel winked.

“-And Tess.”

Tess drooled. Yes, she drooled. My goodness, he was handsome, but not drool-worthy! It was embarrassing, but he just laughed it off and shook each of their hands.

“Girls, this is Max, my, umm, my, well-“

He gave me his most charming smile, “Fiancée. Well, actually, she is quite more than that,” he winked suggestively at me.

The blush rose onto my cheeks and I playfully, but discreetly punched him.

“Is she really?” Isabel asked, her eyes boring into mine.

“No, I am-“

“Yes,” he cut me off, “she is.”

Next thing I know, we are holding hands and walking towards the fireplace with the rest of The Four following us. When we arrive, he graciously offers each of us a hand in sitting down. Once we were settled, he announced that he would return shortly and he was true to his word, returning less than a minute later with light blankets in his arms. He handed Maria, Isabel, and Tess one. And thankfully, they managed to mutter out a “thank you” without fainting or in Tess’ case: drooling. Then, he sat down next to me and covered us both up in the last blanket.

Not noticing my discomfort or rather choosing to ignore it, he pulled me into his lap and asked The Four, “So, how did you all meet?”

Maria began, “I moved next door, well next door as in about a couple of miles away, but anyways, I moved here when we were just about, four, would you say, Elizabeth?”

I nodded.

“And I was more than ecstatic to be living next door to a real, live princess. And I was even more ecstatic when I met Elizabeth and we became the best of friends.”

I giggled, “How could I not love her? She was so much more outgoing than I and she had such fashion. Her parents let her do practically anything and everything. She was amazing.”

Maria laughed, “And I thought the same of Elizabeth. She was the most amazing person I had ever met. She had gowns and even spoke like a princess.”

Tess and Isabel rolled their eyes and Tess commented, “When I first met Elizabeth, I actually took an instant disliking to her.”

“Really?” Max’s voice held a hint of amusement.

She nodded eagerly and I felt a twinge of jealously at her obvious adoration for Max. “Isabel was already the best of friends with Elizabeth and Maria and when I first met them, I kept thinking to myself, ‘they are all selfish, snobby brats.’ But I was wrong. I was originally friends with a girl by the name of Pamela Marsh, you probably do not know her.”

At the mention of Pamela’s name, I felt Max stiffen behind me and I placed a reassuring hand on top of his.

“Well,” Tess continued, “She is the most obnoxious, horrible girl alive. But I did not think so at the time. She was really the only one who would give me a chance and we became friends. And then one day, she said something horrible to me, teasing me, and Elizabeth, Isabel, and Maria all defended me. And the rest is history. We were The Four and would always be The Four.”

“Yes,” Isabel nodded. “When I first met Elizabeth and Maria, it was as if I had finally come home. I was always a loner, many actually called me something close to an ‘ice queen.’ The girls were scared of me, as were the boys. But Elizabeth and Maria were not scared of me, they showed me around and by the end of the week, we were inseparable.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Max remarked. “I must thank you for keeping my Lizzie safe and happy while I could not.”

Oh, God. I blushed and blocked out whatever astonishing and humiliating comments my friends would make.

And I guess I did too good of a job ignoring them because the next thing I know, Max was caressing my cheek and whispering into my ear, “Lizzie, darling, wake up. It is time for supper.”

“Hmm?” I yawned and then immediately blushed. I was so mortified! I could not believe that I had actually fallen asleep! I covered my face with my hands and hid under the blanket when I heard all of their laughter.

“Lizzie, let us go eat,” Max said, laughter in his voice.

His head appeared next to mine under the blanket and I gasped. We were so close, if I tilted my head the slightest, I could be kissing him. The thought of his lips playing over mine again sent shivers down my spine. He stared into my eyes and I nearly fainted at the obvious desire in his eyes. I felt as if I was under a spell.

And then it was broken. “Come on, you two!” Isabel yelled. “If you stay any longer under there, ideas which we should not be thinking of, might just appear in our minds!”

Mortified, I threw the cover off and sprang up. Blushing furiously, I said hastily, “Let us go eat. Our parents are most likely expecting us.”

I did not wait for them to agree. I just walked off.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” The Four called after me.

I paused and turned around. “Yes?”

They smiled and Maria hooked her arm through mine. “There is no need for you to be embarrassed.”

“Yes,” Isabel nodded, “I would have fallen asleep also if I was wrapped up in Maxwell like that.”

“Oh, go away, you two!”

Maria and Isabel laughed. “If only it were that easy.”

I paused. “Wait a minute, where is Max and Tess?”

When they did not immediately answer, I stared at them.

“Well, Elizabeth, it seems as if Tess may have developed a slight crush on Maxwell,” Maria explained.

“Yes,” Isabel agreed, “And she just so graciously offered to help him fold the blankets. They are still in the living room.”

“What?!” I nearly shouted. How could they leave Max alone with Tess? Tess was what some would call a, a ‘slut.’ She was always with guys and guys were always with her.

I unhooked my arm from them and ran towards the living room. I was not sure if I wanted to see what was happening in there. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the worst.

I opened the door.

And felt my heart break.

Tess was in Max’s arms on the floor and he was on top of her!

The tears welled up in my eyes and I turned to flee, but bumped into the door on the way out.

“Lizzie? Lizzie! Wait a minute! It is not what it looked like!” I heard Max call after me.

But I did not care. I ran up the several flight of stairs until I reached my floor. I flung open the door and ran to my alcove. Collapsing into the window seat, I placed my head against the cold glass and covered my face with my hands.

And I cried.

I cried horrid sobs, gulping down the pain. How could they? How could they? I guess I could understand Max. Tess was a beautiful girl and so very unlike me. But how could she? She was one of my best friends and she knew how I felt about him! She was even one of the ones who told me!

I felt someone else’s presence on the floor, nearing me. I did not need to turn around to know that it was Max. I wanted nothing more than to shout at him to go away, but I could not seem to stop crying.

His heat came closer and his arms wrapped around me, bringing me into his lap once more. I struggled to get out of his embrace, but he was far stronger than I.

“Lizzie, you misunderstood. Please, give me a chance to explain. I know that it did not look good, but I can assure you we were doing nothing.”

I just sobbed harder.

His hand stroked my hair. “Lizzie, oh, my dear Lizzie. Please, do stop crying; I cannot stand it.” He kissed my cheek, kissing away my tears. “We had just finished folding the blankets when Tess tripped. I caught her, but she is a bit on the heavy side, so I fell. That is why I was on top of her. You came before I could get off. I am so sorry you saw what you saw.”

Now not only did I feel stupid, but I was beyond humiliated. I managed to say, “I should not have run out like that. I was foolish and jumped to conclusions.”

“Oh, Lizzie,” he lifted my chin to look at him. “If it was I and I saw you with another guy, I would have reacted just as quickly. Only instead of running away, I would have ran towards him and thrown my fist into his face as hard as possible with as much strength as I could muster.”

A giggle bubbled out of me.

“Ah, there is my Lizzie again. I do love it when you smile so; it makes you even more stunning than unusual.”

“Oh, Max.”

He leaned down slowly, as if giving me time to escape, as if I would! And then his lips were on mine and any worries I would have had flew out the window. He kissed me slowly, lovingly, as if I were a fragile flower which would wilt at the slightest hint of anything rough. His tongue slowly found its way into my mouth and our tongues tangled feverishly.

Suddenly, he broke free and panting heavily, said, “Lizzie, I think we had better head down. They are all expecting us.”

“Yes,” I nodded, but could not manage to get up. My legs, no, my whole body felt like it was jelly.

A few moments later, I mumbled against his chest, “Max?”

“Hmm?”

“I cannot get up.”

He chuckled and I savored the rumbling in his chest. “I cannot seem to either.”

Giggling, I managed to look up at him. I took a sharp intake of breath at the loving warmth in his twinkling eyes.

After a few more minutes, he stretched and we found a way to get up. Walking was a different matter. He was fine. I, on the other hand, was still reeling from the intensity of his kisses earlier. When he noticed that I was holding onto him for dear life, he half laughed. And then, without notice, he swooped me up into his arms and made his way downstairs, all the while with me protesting loudly, “Max! Let me go! Put me down!”

We entered the dining hall and I caught only a glimpse of the astonishment on everyone’s faces, but that was enough to send me burying my face into Max’s neck. Could someone die from embarrassment? I would be the first.

“Excuse us,” I heard Max say, “Lizzie was having some problems getting her legs to work, so I chivalrously offered to help her down.”

I heard someone sigh and others let out exasperated snorts.

Finally, Max put me down and I was able to wallow in my mortification…. But not for long. Less than a second later, Max plopped himself down and after scooting his chair closer to mine and grabbing my hand, he asked cheerily, “Shall I say Grace?”

After that, dinner flew by in a blur. And with Max’s help, I somehow forgot about my embarrassment and was thoroughly enjoying myself by the end. It was great, having my best friends and my family and Diane and Phip… and yes, even having Max all together. It was as if we were a huge family and my heart warmed at the thought.

By dessert, we were all stuffed and blissfully tired.

“Here, Princess,” Henry said, placing another cup of ice-cream in front of me.

“Oh, Henry! You know I cannot! I am stuffed!” But then I caught sight of the delicious chocolate syrup dripping down the vanilla ice-cream and sighed. Throwing Henry an accusing glance, I dug in.

“I will blame you if I get too fat to fit into my wedding dress, just to let you know, Henry.”

He just smiled and answered, “Cook placed a surprise in there just for you and commanded me to make sure you ate that dessert.”

I giggled and quickly devoured my dessert, disappointed at not finding any surprise. Maybe in eating it so quickly, I had missed it.

Once dinner was over, Max suggested a walk in the gardens since the night was so beautiful. The parents declined, claiming that their old bodies could not handle it, so Max and the Four went out.

After the girls donned on light cardigans and Max got his jacket, we proceeded to the gardens.

It was a beautiful night. The full moon shone brightly and the crickets’ chirps were so harmonious. And the night was made even more beautiful with my hand in Max’s and my best friends chattering alongside me.

“Oh, Elizabeth!” Maria exclaimed, “Your roses are even more beautiful than they were last year!”

Laughing, The Four rushed to my roses and we all picked some and placed them in one another’s hair.

By the time Max reached us, our heads were bearing crowns of roses and the scent of roses hung heavily in the air. Max’s eyes widened as he caught sight of us and he started backing up, looking like he was trying to escape. Giggling, I ran over to him and grabbed his hand, dragging him to my rose garden. Despite the sudden pain in my stomach, I picked some roses and quickly assembled another crown and with the help of the rest of The Four, we managed to place the crown on top of Max’s head. He looked ridiculous and we could not stop laughing. He frowned and growled, furiously attempting to tear the crown off. He succeeded, but not before his head was covered in rose petals.

As I caught sight of the seductive contrast of the red against his chocolate-brown hair, an image floated into my mind: Max covered in only rose petals.

I swallowed hard as images of his bare body flashed through my mind, images of silky rose petals covering the parts of him which I had yet to see.

Max must have noticed my intense stare because the next thing I know, his eyes have glazed over with passion and ignoring my friends’ presence, he proceeded to kiss me senseless.

Oh, God. If his kisses managed to do so much, what would happen when I, when we…

|||PART 10|||

“Lizzie, my darling, please wake up. Liz, do you hear me?”

Max and his sweet, sweet voice. I could hear him calling to me, but from where? His voice was so distant, so very far away.

I began to panic.

“Liz, wake up.”

“Max!” I called, but could not be sure whether or not a sound actually came out.

“It is all right, darling. I am right here. Just wake up.”

I could not. It was so dark, so very dark.

“Liz?! Lizzie!”

So very dark.

|||PART 11|||

“Ugh,” I moaned, the pain in my head intensely throbbing. I pulled my covers over my head and-

Wait a minute. These were not my covers!

“Liz!”

I threw the covers off and immediately regretted my actions as my head throbbed harder and I swooned.

“Liz!” Max gasped, his hands instantly grabbing a hold of my head and laying it gently down onto the rough pillows. “Be careful; you are still not fully recovered.”

I moaned. “Recovered from what?”

He chuckled and gave me a soft peck on the forehead.

“Food poisoning.”

“What?!” My eyes flew open.

“Calm down,” he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “You are in the hospital. You fainted yesterday at the gardens and I sent The Four to find your parents while I stayed with you. Do you remember?”

“Yes,” I nodded. I did.

“And then, your parents came and when we could not wake you up, I carried you to the house and we called the hospital. They came right away and after pumping your stomach, they realized you suffered from food-poisoning…. Well, not really. You had eaten something that contained a deadly poison in it.”

“What?” my voice shook and my lips trembled.

Max noticed and groaned, sitting on the hospital bed and wrapping his arms around me, rested my head against his shoulder. “The doctor said that this poison is extremely hard to obtain and that the smallest amount could be fatal. But for some reason, you did not die. Thank God. I do not know what I would have done without you,” his voice broke and I started to cry.

“Shh, do not cry. The doctor said that certain substances can reduce the effect of the poison, like chocolate. When I told the doctor that you had eaten ice-cream with chocolate, he said that the chocolate had saved your life. He told your parents to obtain a bit of the ice-cream for research, but by the time your parents reached Henry, the dish had already been disposed of.”

“Who, who wants me, me…” I could not continue.

His arms tightened around me. “I am not sure, to be honest. But there are so few people who have access to your food.”

“Cook? She would not! She loves me! She has been with our family for years and years and has always spoiled me! She-“

“I know, but she is our top suspect.”

I cried harder. This could not possibly be happening. “Max, why are all these things happening to me?”

His voice was sharp. “What things?”

“First, the horrible rat you sent me and now someone attempting to kill me! Why is it that everyone harbors such an intense hatred for me?”

“Rat?” he pulled away from me, “I did not send you a rat! Why would I do a thing like that?”

“Because you were upset with me for ruining our first date.”

“You did not ruin it!” his stared at me with wide eyes.

“Yes, I did, but that does not matter. You did not send me the rat?”

“Of course not!” he gathered me back into his arms. “Tell me.”

“I was walking to Maria’s and I found a beautiful gift waiting for me with ‘Lizzie’ written on it and I was so happy because I thought it was from you since you are the only person who has ever called me Lizzie. I opened the box and there was a, a dead rat inside! I dropped it and ran to Maria’s.”

“Odd,” he kissed my head absent-mindedly. “First the rat and now the poison.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I have my thoughts.”

I waited for him to continue, but he did not and as one of his hands stroked my hair in an attempt to comfort me, I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

“Elizabeth! Oh, my princess!”

My head shot up and I smiled as my mother and father ran over and crushed me in their embrace.

“Oh, darling! Your father and I were so worried! I am so glad you are coming home today!” my mother kissed my forehead, her hands scanning my face.

“If Max had not been the hero that he is, I do not even care to think about what could have happened to you,” my father said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

I watched somewhat proudly as my father walked over to Max and embraced him. I heard him whisper, “Thank you for keeping her alive.”

Max looked lovingly at me and said seriously, “I would give my life to.”

The corners of my lips lifted shyly as my parents grinned at us with loving pride.

“Elizabeth!”

I looked up and smiled widely at Diane and Phip. After a quick round of hugs and “are you ok?”’s, oh, and making sure that I was perfectly fine, they left Max and me alone.

Chuckling, Max walked over and sat down on the bed next to me. He grabbed my hand and his thumb caressed my hand sweetly.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you. I forgot all about my headache once my parents came in. And then with your parents coming in, I barely had time to breathe, let alone hold my head and scream in agony.”

He chuckled and I felt my heart flutter. Flushed, I turned away from his intense stare and gasped at the beautiful pinkish-orangeish-yellowish roses filling up the room; I had not even noticed them before!

“Do you like them?”

I turned and nodded excitedly, smiling at Max.

“I thought you might. I had them dyed especially for you. I know how much you love those colors together.”

My eyes widened and I giggled unexpectedly at Max’s slight blush. “They are just wonderful!” I threw my arms around Max and hugged him tightly. He was just so sweet. Who but him would have dyed roses for me?

He inhaled the scent of my hair and muttered into it, “I even had a few hundred dozen dyed for our wedding and for your eighteenth birthday ball.”

I froze.

Our wedding. Oh my goodness, our wedding was tomorrow! Tomorrow!

I pulled away from him and struggled to get out of the hospital bed.

“Where are you going, Lizzie?” Max’s voice was curious.

“Our wedding, Max! I had forgotten all about it! It is tomorrow and I have not even panicked about it! I need to make appointments and pick up my dress and-“

“Lizzie, our mothers have handled everything, I assure you,” he pulled me back onto the bed and kissed my forehead. “Everything will be just perfect for us tomorrow.”

I was still worried and I knew Max knew. He slowly leaned his head down and the instant his soft lips captured mine in a searing kiss, I knew I was lost. I whimpered, weaving my hands into his wonderful hair. He smelled so good, so masculine. I had never felt such longing to be held intimately by someone, to feel someone fill this emptiness inside of me. No, not someone…Max. I moaned and crawled further into his embrace, grabbing one of his hands. Removing it from my back, I tugged it and boldly placed it on my swollen breast. I gasped. It felt so good, so right.

“Yes, Max, yes,” I moaned as his fingers pinched my aching nipple through the thin hospital gown.

He groaned and removed his hand from my flesh. I moaned in protest as it returned to my back.

This need inside of me was so powerful, I wanted nothing more than to succumb to it.

“Well, it looks as if you two are doing just fine.”

|||PART 11B|||

I gasped and pulled away from Max quickly.

“Alex!” I yelled in surprise and an instant later, my brother’s strong arms were wrapped around me. “I missed you so much! What are you doing here?” I pulled away and kissed him sisterly on the cheek. “How was your trip in the States? Was it as wonderful as Mother and Father said it to be?”

He chuckled and turned away from my curious questions. Smiling, he and Max embraced over the bed. Alex slapped his best friend on the back and asked him how he was doing.

Max looked at me, warmth filling his eyes, “Fine. Just fine now that I have Lizzie.”

I blushed. I could not believe that Max had admitted that in front of my brother who happened to be his best friend!

“Now, Max,” Alex scolded good-naturedly, “this is still my darling baby sister you are talking about and looking at with obvious lust. If I believe you are not good enough, I will gladly and obtain the right to, smash your face in.”

“Alex!”

Max laughed and said to me, “Do not worry, Lizzie. I have bested your arrogant brother more than once and at more than one thing. Besides, Alex,” he turned towards my brother, “if I am remembering correctly, you promised her over to me years ago, declaring that if anyone tried to take her away from me, you would be the first to kill them.”

My eyes widened and then Alex burst out laughing, slapping Max on the back again.

“I always knew you two were perfect for one another.”

I placed my hand on top of Alex’s and said sarcastically, “Of course you did.”

My brother shot Max an accusing glance. “You have only been together for a few days and you have already turned my darling sister against me. She was never this rude and adored me. She would never have dared speak to me with sarcasm.”

That was all it took. Laughter bubbled out of me and I teased, “I was only like that sweet in hopes you would tell me more about my Max.”

Alex laughed harder as if he could not even begin to comprehend such an absurd thing.

I looked at Max for help in besting my arrogant brother and had a sharp intake of breath at the fierce look in his eyes.

“Max?” I removed my hand from Alex’s and leaned close to Max. “Is something wrong?” I whispered.

He shook his head and a slow grin spread across his handsome face. “So, I am yours, am I?”

Pink tinted my cheeks, but I knew I had to be honest with him. I nodded, “Yes, you are…. As I am yours.”

His stare intensified until I was sure I would drown in his chocolate eyes.

“Elizabeth!”

I jumped and nearly fell off the bed, but was saved by Max’s protective arms wrapping around me.

“My goodness, Alex! Are you trying to kill me before my wedding tomorrow?”

“Of course not, my dear sister. I am just upset at having my baby sister looking at my best friend that way.”

“What way?”

“You know.”

“Yes, Alex,” Max taunted, “which way? Please, do elaborate.”

“As if you have hung the moon.”

“Oh!” I gasped. I was not that foolishly obvious, was I?

“Well, I did.” Max made me face him, still holding me captive in his strong arms. “It is nothing to be embarrassed about, Lizzie. I am more than certain that I carry the same look on my face when I think of you.”

Before I could answer, Alex cut in, “Oh, he does, Elizabeth. You have nothing to get flushed over. But Max, well, no self-respecting man would ever let himself look so stupid.”

“Stupid? He called you stupid, Lizzie!”

“Well she is to have fallen for you!”

“Oh, just stop it!” I yelled and dove under the covers, flipping over onto my stomach and covering the back of my head with a pillow. “You two are insane!”

I could hear their egotistical laughter and then it grew silent… much too silent. They were planning something and I did think that I would like it one bit.

Suddenly, the pillow was wrenched from my hands and the blanket flung away. I felt Max’s muscular arms flipping me over and scooping me up.

“Max! Put me down!”

He just grinned.

It was then that I noticed we were heading out the door.

“Max! What are you doing?! I am not dressed properly!”

“I am taking you home. Alex will see to your belongings and fill out all the necessary forms.”

“Max! You cannot bring me out there!”

“I can and I am.”

Humiliated beyond belief, I dug my face into Max’s neck. Here, I was, dressed in nothing but a skimpy hospital gown, and Max, my sweet Max, was carrying me home, my knight in shining armor, my Prince Charming.

“Hello. Good day to you,” Max greeted probably some astounded, about-to-faint nurse.

I knew we were outside because I could feel the sun warming my skin through my gown. Suddenly, Max placed me in a black limo and I crawled to the other end of the seat, wanting nothing more than to hide under the seat.

I heard Max laughing and I was almost more than positive that he was laughing at my expense. And then he got in and the limo started to move.

“Lizzie, come here.”

“No,” I mumbled into the leather. “Leave me alone.”

He laughed and once again, scooped me up into his arms. He stared down at me, his face mere inches away and rasped out, “Hello.”

I gulped. “Hi.”

His face lowered slowly and less than a moment later, his hot tongue was seeking entrance into my mouth. My mouth parted and I moaned when I felt his tongue searching every bit of space possible. My hands dug into his hair and I pushed his head down, crashing his mouth roughly to mine. His fingers crept up my thigh, moving the gown to my hips. I gasped when his calloused hand cupped my swollen vagina.

I was out of control and I did not care.

“Yes, Max, yes,” I pushed down onto his hand, seeking the delicious friction.

I quickly got up, moaning with him as we lost contact. Straddling him, I ground down into his lap. Even through the thick cotton of his pants, I could feel his long hardness. I pushed down harder and harder, using the solid strip of fabric at his fly as a long, hard finger.

“Yes!” I grunted as Max roughly tugged the gown over my head, leaving me naked except for my panties.

Max groaned and his hands at my back pushed my firm breasts into his eager and waiting mouth. His tongue swept across my nipple once, twice. Not stopping my grounding, I glanced down at him and felt more wetness as I took in the sight that awaited me: Max’s mouth was full… full of my breast. His eyes were closed in ecstasy as he moved one hand to pinch and twist my abandoned nipple.

Suddenly, he bit down on my large nipple and I let out a scream. I continued grounding down on Max as my orgasm washed over me in powerful waves. I could feel my wetness soaking through my panties and onto Max’s jeans. My clit throbbed, demanding more. I wanted, needed to be filled, to end this growing ache.

Max lifted me off him, his hands burning my waist. He placed me on the seat next to him and slid down to the floor. Licking his lips erotically, he spread my legs. I blushed, certain that my panties were see-through with my liquid.

Tentatively, Max leaned closer, inhaling my musky scent which was filling up the limo. He stuck his tongue out and lapped me through the fabric. I shuttered and bucked, another wonderful orgasm shooting through me.

“Mmmm,” he moaned, his tongue sensually forcing my panties into my hot crack.

I wrapped my long legs around his head, squeezing him tightly in place. Rocking, I grunted and moaned my pleasure.

“You taste so delicious, Lizzie,” Max growled, the vibrations shooting through my vagina.

This was so wrong, but God, so right.

My hands tugged at his hair; I was certain that he would be left with several bald spots.

“So hot,” he mumbled, still trapped in between my legs, “God, I could drink you for ever.”

His words inflamed me and I surrendered once again to the hot rushes sweeping my body.

Breathing hard, Max kissed his way up my body. I convulsed at the sight of his face drenched in my juices.

“Shh,” he soothed, covering my bare body with his covered one. His lips finally reached mine and our tongues dueled passionately.

“Prince Maxwell, Princess Elizabeth, may I inform you that you are approaching the castle.”

We both jumped at the sound of the driver’s voice, groaning at the interruption.

Sitting up slowly, Max reached for the gown and placed it tenderly back on my body while I just laid there limp, staring at him in awe.

He gulped and inhaled my heady scent which had filled up the limo. Opening the window, he admitted, “I am more than reluctant to do this, but I would hate for anyone to find out what we had been up to.”

I nodded. “What exactly were we up to?”

He shot an affectionate glare at me and said roughly, “You know what we were up to. And if we had not been interrupted, I am more than positive we would have accomplished it.”

I smiled, teasing him. “Ah, well, we always have tomorrow night for that. I am sure we will get around to it sooner or later.”

His eyes narrowed and darkened in hunger. Swooping down like a bird, his mouth crashed down onto mine.

For those few moments, I was lost.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!”

I gasped, pulling away from Max at the sound of my mother’s voice. Smiling teasingly, I grabbed his hand, placing it over my swollen breast and squeezed.

He groaned, his eyes closing in pleasure.

Haughtily, I scooted away from him, opened the door, and ran into my mother’s waiting arms.

My body was still throbbing.

|||PART 12|||

“Aldith, I believe you know why you are here.”

Our cook glanced nervously at my father, wringing her hands together. She nodded.

“It was you who prepared the dessert for my daughter.”

“Yes, but I did not poison it! I would never try to hurt Princess Elizabeth! I-“

“You were the only one who had access to her food, the only one who could have poisoned the ice-cream,” my father’s voice was filled with anger and I could see him clenching his fists. My mother reached over and intertwined their fingers. His hand tightened around mine.

“I know that is what is believed, but it was not me! Someone else must have somehow put the poison in it while I was not paying attention,” her voice was pleading and I found myself believing her. But how could I? It was more than obvious she had tried to… kill me.

“Aldith, you have been with this family for years. It is difficult for us to believe that you wished to inflict harm upon Elizabeth, but we have no choice. I will not take another chance with you and put my daughter in danger again. Do you understand me?”

She nodded, her eyes watery.

“I want you out by noon tomorrow. You are never to set foot on this property again. Leave us now.”

She nodded again and walked out the door.

The air was filled with tension.

I turned towards my father. “Father, I, I do not believe that it was Aldith.”

His gaze jerked to me. “It was her. It could not have been anyone else.”

“But Father, she has been with us for so long and she loves me.”

“She said that she had a ‘surprise’ for you. What a surprise.”

“Oh, Father!” my eyes teared up.

My mother got up and quickly came to me, wrapping her arms around me. Crying, she whispered, “I know that is a lot to take in right now, but this is the way things must be. Your father and I love you too much to put you in harm’s way again.”

I could not find it in me to tell them about the dead rat.

[short_up]

|||PART 13|||

All thousands of eyes were fixed on me, watching me intensely as I walked down the aisle. But there was only one pair of eyes I could see. They were warm and reminded me of chocolate.

I woke up this morning, a nervous wreck. I knew I wanted to marry Max, I knew that my life would be complete once I was in his arms, but I was afraid that Max did not feel the same way. I knew that he desired my body, but that did not necessarily mean that he loved me.

I knew I loved him. How could I not? He was sweet, kind, funny, caring, and handsome. I realized that I had become so enraged at him the first time because he had stirred feelings deep within me which I was subconsciously afraid of feeling. But I was not afraid now. I loved him more than anything and the feeling was never going to go away. I needed him; I could not survive without him.

An hour before the wedding was to start, I looked at myself in the mirror, all dressed up in my gorgeous dress with the matching shoes, my upswept hair glittering with diamonds. The image that I saw stunned me and the feelings were so overwhelming that I just sat down and cried. I could not believe that I was going to get married, so soon. What was even more unbelievable was that I was marrying the man of my dreams. I had always known that Max would be my husband, I just had not, not even in my wildest dreams, believed that he would actually be my Prince Charming.

Now, walking down the aisle, tears of happiness streaming down my face, I finally let my mind, and my heart, believe that everything would be fine. I loved Max and I knew that he would eventually love me. We were meant to be, our parents were right, no, everyone was right all along.

When my father and I finally reached my prince, I turned towards my father and after brushing a light kiss over my forehead, he placed my hand in Max’s.

As the priest spoke, Max and I turned towards each other. Smiling, he wiped the tears from my face, his eyes staring deeply into mine. I was drowning in the warmth of his eyes and did not care.

I heard the priest, but was not listening. Yet, I somehow knew when to say, “I do.”

I pledged to be Max’s and he pledged to be mine. I could hear the women, especially The Four, sighing dreamily. But I kept my gaze locked with Max’s.

Before I knew it, Max was leaning down to kiss me, our first kiss as husband and wife.

Our lips met sweetly and even after Max moved away, his kiss still lingered on my mouth.

The ride to the ballroom went by in a blur. I only remember staring into Max’s eyes and holding his hand. It was as if I was scared that if I let go, he would disappear.

I did not want to lose him.

Then came the time for the first dance. Grinning, Max offered me his hand, and asked in a husky voice, “Lizzie, would you care to dance?”

Speechless, I nodded and let him lead me to the dancefloor. As we approached the center, Max turned around and twirled me into his arms. The dress that I was wearing twirled dramatically with me. My floor-length dress was layered and elegantly sexy. The bottom layer was a seductive red lace slip with tiny red straps, a square cut an inch or two above my bust. The top layer was of black sheer with lace lining, inch-thick lace straps covering my bare skin. The sheer was a low V-cut, ending at the bottom of my bust. But it was not too scandalous; the red lace was underneath it, showing up in between the “V” where my skin should have been. It was tight-fitting, but perfect, flaring out and ending in lace. My open-toed black heels with the ribbons which tied up to my calves, peeked out teasingly. After I changed, the hair dresser had undone my hair, letting it fall down naturally (the way Max liked it best) and had placed shimmering glitter in it. When Max had first seen me, his eyes had widened, then immediately darkened with lust.

An hour later, they were still dark.

Giggling, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he drew me close, his arms wrapped around my waist. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his husky scent. As if we were in a dream, we swayed to the slow, beautiful music as everyone watched.

“Lizzie?”

I tilted my head back and looked into his eyes. “Yes?” Our mouths were mere millimeters away from one another.

“You are beautiful.”

I smiled shyly.

“And so kind.”

My eyes searched his, wanting to find what he wanted to say, but was hesitant to.

“And perfect. You are perfect.”

I whispered, “So are you.”

He shook his head and pain filled his beautiful eyes. But before I could ask him what the matter was, his head lowered and his lips captured mine. Time froze as he cradled me in his arms, his mouth gently working over mine. I forgot about everyone watching us; I forgot that this was considered an inappropriate display for a prince and princess. The only thing I could think about was the softness and sweetness of Max’s lips.

“I love you,” I whispered against his lips.

His kiss deepened.

I did not even realize that he had not answered me.

|||PART 14|||

“My baby sister is all grown up, married off and all. Soon she will not even remember her darling big brother, the one who changed her diapers and- ” Alex teased.

“You did not!” I laughed and smacked him playfully in the chest. “Margaret did.”

“Ah, your wetnurse. Well, I pretended to help.”

After the first dance, Max and I had danced for a few more songs, and then Alex came and demanded that Max give me up for at least one song. Max agreed, but not before giving me a lingering kiss. Alex made a face and pushed him away towards his friends from Perfectia who had come for the wedding.

“Of course you did.”

“Are you teasing me?” he feigned astonishment.

“Of course not. I just know how much you hate being teased.”

“Oh?” his eyebrows raised, “And how, may I ask, do you know that?”

“Isabel told me.”

At the mention of her name, Alex’s eyes lit up and his gaze immediately lifted off of me and landed on her.

“She looks beautiful tonight.”

He nodded.

And she did. For the dinner, I had wanted all the bridesmaids to wear the same dresses as with the wedding. The four of us went out and we found the perfect dress. It was like mine, with two layers: a silk purple slip with sheer black overlaying it. There was a slit on the side and aside from the purple spaghetti straps, there were a pair of thicker fabricated straps hanging off the shoulder. The dress was perfect for them.

“Did you miss her while you were gone, Alex?”

Tearing his gaze from her, he looked into my eyes. “Yeah,” he admitted.

I smiled triumphantly. “I knew you did. Maybe you should go over there and ask her to dance instead of dancing with your newly-wed sister who would much rather dance with her new husband, no offense.”

He chuckled and after giving me a small peck on the forehead, he released me and walked over to Isabel. I watched happily as they smiled at each other and then made their way to the dancefloor. I winked at Isabel when she saw me and giggled when she exaggeratedly sighed and wrapped her arms around Alex tighter.

Leaving the dancefloor, I searched for Max. My smile widened when I saw him standing with some guys. He must have sensed me because at that moment, he turned around and spotted me, grinning.

My heart reeling from his grin, I walked over to him and leaned into him when his arm wrapped around my waist.

“Lizzie, I would like for you to meet my good friends: Michael,” he pointed to a very handsome, dark-haired guy, “and Kyle,” he indicated another very attractive, brown-haired guy.

“Guys, this is my wife, Elizabeth..”

“It is nice to meet you,” I smiled, offering my hand.

Michael immediately leaned down. Taking my hand, he kissed it and smiling, replied, “It is entirely my pleasure.”

I laughed and felt Max tense next to me.

Kyle then took my hand from Michael’s and kissed it, “Maxwell is a very, very lucky man.”

I smiled at the teasing tone of his voice.

“Let us go socialize, Lizzie.”

I turned, frowning at the steelness in his voice. “Max,” I whispered, “what is the matter?”

He ignored me. “I will see you two later,” he said to Michael and Kyle, who seemed undisturbed by his sudden change in behavior.

“I hope to see you soon, Lizzie,” Kyle said.

I nodded, but before I could reply, Max cut in, “Her name is Elizabeth! Elizabeth!”

And then he dragged me off.

While we were walking, to God knows where, he stopped unexpectedly and I rammed right into him.

“Oh!”

He quickly turned around and caught me in his arms. “I must apologize, Elizabeth.”

I made a face. At his questioning look, I replied, “It seems as if I really do not like my full name. Ever since a certain someone started to call me Lizzie, I have grown quite fond of that name.”

He smiled. “Ah, well, Lizzie, that certain someone would like to apologize for his harsh actions before. His behavior was uncalled for.”

I placed my arms around his neck and stared deeply into his eyes, preparing to see whether or not he would tell the truth when I asked him, “Max, what happened back there? You suddenly grew so tense and I was worried.”

His gaze did not falter. “I was slightly jealous. My friends are known for their courting skills.”

My eyes widened and I could not contain the bubble of joyous laughter. “Jealous? Oh, Max! You are the one I am wedded to and the one who I love.”

He smiled, but it did not quite reach his eyes. “Yes, yes, I am.”

It broke my heart to see him not as happy as I was. Releasing him, I grabbed his hand and tugged, “Come. Let us thank everyone for coming.”

“Everyone? There must be at least a thousand people here.”

“Well, of course. Our parents know just about everyone in the world and all of our citizens are here.”

“Great. Just great.”

And after that, everything went by in a blur. Before I knew it, we were at home and were faced with the problem of where we were going to sleep.

It was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. Max and I, along with our parents, were sitting in the sitting room, arguing about whether or not Max and I would have our wedding night tonight.

“They could always reside in Elizabeth’s room until it is time to leave. Elizabeth’s floor is spacious and will give them the privacy they need,” our mothers suggested.

“Would it not be best, though, if they did not get that privacy until they were at home in Perfectia?” our fathers argued.

Blushing and feigning tiredness, I leaned on Max’s shoulder and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his hand rubbing up and down my back.

“You two just cannot bear the thought of being under the same roof with your children while they are bedding one another!”

I gasped and my eyes flew open at our mothers’ remark. I heard Max chuckle as our fathers’ faces reddened.

“That is not true!” our fathers denied.

I sighed, suddenly growing very tired of their arguing.

Max must have sensed my tiredness because he said loudly, “Father, Mother, Ted, Nancy, I believe that Lizzie must be getting very tired. It is late and she has had a very long day with the wedding and all. May I put her to bed?”

“Yes!” our mothers yelled.

“No!” our fathers shouted back.

“I will just put her to bed, see that she falls asleep, and then, I will retire in the guest bedroom which I have been residing in.”

“What a great idea, Maxwell!”

Our mothers reluctantly agreed.

Thank God.

Max stood up and after pulling me up, wrapped his arm around me and slowly led me up to my floor.

I yawned and blushed at his tender smile.

“They really wore you out with their bickering, huh?”

“Yes. I just wish they would let us decide. It is us who have just gotten married.”

“Oh? And what would you decide?”

We had reached my floor and stood at the top of the stairs. It was dark and I could barely make out Max’s handsome face, but I could see the sparkle in his eyes.

I gulped. I opened my mouth to tell him that I would have done what was settled, but that was not what came out. “I would have you in bed with me.”

His eyes widened and I blushed more fiercely.

“Lizzie.”

And then he kissed me. His tongue traced my full lips, tasting my essence.

“Max,” I whispered against his lips.

Nodding, he scooped me up in his arms, his lips never leaving mine. Swiftly, he walked us over to my large bed and laid me down, lying on top of me. His hard body felt so wonderful on top of my soft one; I never wanted him to move. His hands roamed my body, moving down and then back up, lifting my dress.

Suddenly, he sat up and pulled me along with him. “Your dress,” his voice was hoarse, “Take it off. We might wrinkle it.”

I wanted to tell him that I did not care if we ripped it to shreds, but he was already tugging it off of me. When it was finally off, he threw it behind him and we heard it softly landing.

His eyes widened and I saw him swallow repeatedly. I waited patiently for him to say something, but he seemed speechless.

I was disappointed; I had thought that he would enjoy my sexy undergarments. I had bought the Victoria Secrets ensemble in hopes of arousing and seducing him. Things were not going according to plan. I looked at him and watched as his hot gaze took in my appearance. His eyes started at my lacy, black, low-cut, push-up bra, enhancing what little assets I had and then they moved lower. He gasped as he noticed how my matching black lace thong was semi-transparent in the front.

“My God, Liz!”

He liked it! My heart leapt with delight as he practically drooled. I smiled in triumph as he cautiously raised his hand to my shoulder, fingering the fine silk of the bra strap. His eyes caught mine, seeking permission. I nodded and gasped as his hot tongue nipped, pushing the strap off of my shoulder. He repeated the actions with the other strap and by the time he was done, I was sweating and arching wantonly into him.

“Please, Max, please!”

He shook his head, his kiss moving to my semi-exposed mounds of flesh. He nipped there and here and oh, right there! As my hands unbuttoned his crisp white shirt, his mouth moved lower, playing with the front clasp.

I finally managed to get his shirt unbuttoned. Eagerly, I pushed him up, roughly tearing off his shirt. His hands moved to my breasts, but I stopped them, grabbing them and moving them away.

“Let me.” Staring hotly into his eyes, I trailed my fingers down my shoulders, my chest until I finally reached my destination. Groaning, I pushed my breasts together, kneading through the lace. When I could not take it anymore, I spread my fingers out over my breasts, and with my two thumbs and pointer fingers, I unclasped the lace. My eyes fluttered as Max’s tongue snuck out, wetting his lips. I could just imagine that tongue wetting my aching, hard nipples. Slowly, I peeled the bra off, revealing inch by agonizing inch of silky skin.

He roared like a lion and came at me before I could stop him. Ripping off my bra, he discarded it and pushed me roughly onto my bed. Impatiently, his mouth claimed one of my breasts, sucking and laving my large nipple. His other hand rubbed and pinched my other breast, causing me to scream in want and need. I wrapped my legs around him, thrusting fervently against his chest. I moaned hotly as his rough chest hairs rubbed against the lace and my bare skin. My heels dug into his skin erotically, feeding our need.

“Max! Now!”

“Not yet,” he muttered, his mouth full of my flesh.

Hurriedly, he kissed a wet trail down to my stomach, his tongue creeping into my belly button. Arching, my legs fell to the sides of him. Sitting up, he stared straight into my eyes, not moving. I started to squirm, the ache inside of me growing more intense. Then, all of a sudden, his hands grabbed the straps of my thong and grunting, he ripped my thong up, the thin strap digging into my vagina.

I let out a yelp. The thin strap was not enough; I needed Max’s large cock filling me up. Forcefully, I pushed at Max with my two hands until he flipped back onto the bed. Crawling on top of him, I nipped and sucked at his neck, sliding along his chest.

“God, Lizzie, you’re so wet,” he groaned as he felt my wetness spread against his muscles.

Moving down, I liked along his chest, delighting in the wonderful taste of his sweat and my juices combined. Finally, I reached his pants. My small hands worked at his button and zipper, tearing apart the fabric. Impatient, I jerked the pants off of him, along with his boxers. When I reached him again, I nearly fainted.

He was beautiful. His cock was hard and long and thick; it was longer than the length of my two hands and I could not wrap a hand around it. Out of the mushroom tip leaked a constant trail of his hot fluid.

My heart pounding, I leaned down slowly, but stopped as I saw Max close his eyes tightly. The cords in his neck were taut and he looked so handsome, so sexy. I could not stand it anymore. Not wanting to waste any time, I swooped down and captured his hot organ into my mouth, or as much as I could.

Max yelled and nearly jumped off the bed, causing me to take his penis further into my mouth. I moved my tongue, licking around. Slowly, I retreated and released him. Cupping his balls, I licked the underside of his penis, thrilling at the feel of that thick vein. Wrapping my lips around him, I took him into my mouth, further this time, wrapping my tight throat around him. Up and down, I bobbed, knowing that he was almost there. I wanted to taste him, the way he had tasted me before. Just as he was about to come, he groaned and pushed me off of him. Grabbing me, he rolled us over and loomed above me.

Cupping my face, he asked in a husky voice, “Are you sure?”

How could you doubt? Instead of answering verbally, I captured his lips in a searing kiss, thrusting my tongue inside of his mouth.

Groaning with surprise, Max spread my legs and wrapped them around him. I gasped when I felt his hot tip against my dripping wet folds. Slowly, our lips still locked in a kiss, he pushed his way in. When he reached the thin barrier, his tongue dug deeper into my mouth and one of his hands reached between us. I groaned when his fingers found my swollen clit and then he pinched. I screamed in pleasure and then in pain, when he deeply thrusted his hard cock into me. Buried to the hilt, he swallowed my scream of pain with his mouth. After a few moments, he released my mouth and kissed my cheek.

“I am terribly sorry; I did not want to hurt you.”

Capturing his mouth again, I whispered against his lips, “It does not hurt now. I want you.”

He groaned.

And then he began to move.

It was the most wonderful feeling, having his large penis filling me up, easing the ache that I was sure only he could ease. As his thrusts grew harder and faster, I felt myself reaching the edge.

“Yes, Max! Oh, God, yes! Harder! Harder!”

He rammed into me harder, the bed rocking with our love making. Grunting, he thrust and thrust. Finally, when his fingers pinched my hard clit again, I came, bursts of white light filling my vision. I came and came and came, not able to stop; with each stroke of his penis, I continued to come. My lips wrapped around him more tightly, fluttering and spasming and then Max groaned loudly and came. His white, hot fluid exploded into me, a hot river of cum. It crept into every single bit of space, filling me and filling me.

“I love you, Max!” I screamed, thrusting against him.

After several more thrusts and long orgasms, Max collapsed on top of me, his face buried in my neck as my face was buried into his. Our ragged breaths filled the room and the alluring scent of our sex loomed in the air around us.

Max turned over and tears gathered in my eyes as his penis slipped out of me.

Everything had been perfect, so perfect.

“God, Liz, God.”

I opened my eyes and found myself staring into Max’s loving ones.

He frowned, disappointment and shame filling his eyes. “Tears?”

I shook my head. “It was so perfect, so wonderful, Max. Thank you.”

Leaning down, his lips brushed across mine softly before he pulled me into his arms, wrapping me snugly against his side after tugging a blanket on top of us. Resting my head on his chest, my fingers splayed against his muscles, I sighed, breathing in his scent. Burying his nose into my hair, Max wrapped his arm tighter against my side, his hand resting on my bare stomach.

“I love you, Max.”

He did not answer.

|||PART 15|||

“Mmmm. Good morning and happy birthday.”

I smiled sweetly at Max, my fingers brushing a strand of hair away from his handsome face. “Hi and thank you.”

“Are you feeling alright?” Max searched my eyes.

“I feel great, a wonderful birthday present,” I replied honestly, capturing his mouth in a soft kiss.

His hand cupped my face as his thumb caressed my cheek. “So, what do you feel like doing today, our first day as husband and wife?”

“How about we,” I paused and smiled suggestively, “stay in bed a little longer?”

A smile lit up his face. “Why, Princess Elizabeth, you read my mind.” He leaned down, nibbling tenderly on my ear.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” Maria yelled and I could hear her and what I guessed to be also be Isabel and Tess’s footsteps.

“Not now,” I groaned as Max chuckled. “Maybe if we pretend to be asleep, they will go away.”

Max burst out laughing and sat up, frowning.

“Is something the matter?”

“Lizzie, where are my boxers and your undergarments? I prefer not to face your friends naked.”

Giggling, I pulled him down next to me and leaning over him, kissed him as I covered us with a blanket.

“Elizabeth! Happy birthday! You must tell us all about-“

“Oh.”

I pulled away from Max and turned towards The Four. “Hello, girls,” I greeted cheerily.

“Oh.”

I resisted laughing aloud at their shocked faces. “Umm, is there something I can do for you?”

“We, uh, we did not realize that you two, well, that you, your parents did not tell us…” Isabel broke off.

Max peeped out from behind me. “Hello! Gorgeous morning is it not?”

“Hello, Max,” Tess said dreamily.

I frowned, disliking the hungry look in her eyes. Subtlely, I moved myself closer to Max in hopes of covering his wonderful body. “Is there something you all wanted?”

“Umm, just, well, we will come back later.” And with that, they all fled down the stairs, not looking back.

When I was sure they were out of earshot, laughter bubbled out of me as I turned around to face Max.

“I believe that we gave them quite a surprise,” he replied, a twinkle in his eyes.

“They should have known we would be sleeping together.”

“How? Our parents, well, more like our fathers, did not want us sleeping together and maybe, The Four realized that.”

“Yes, but they knew how much I desired you.” Oh, God! Did I just say that? I could feel my cheeks heating up.

Max chuckled, pulling me closer, kissing my neck. “Did they? How did they know?”

“I told them.”

He pulled back, a definite glitter in his eyes. “What exactly did you tell them?”

“That is for me to know and you to find out,” I replied haughtily.

“Elizabeth, my dear, happy birthday! But why in God’s name did The Four run out of here like there was a monster chasing- Oh.”

“Mother!” I screamed, sharply turning around and tugging the blanket higher.

My mother just stood there, smiling smugly. Turning towards the stairs, she shouted loudly, “Diane! Diane! Hurry! You must see!”

I groaned as Diane appeared. “Oh!” she exclaimed and she turned to mother and they both hugged and cheered.

“Mother! Diane! Please!” I knew my cheeks were red and I could feel Max burrowing himself deeper into the blankets.

“Maxwell! Show your face! Let us know for sure that we are not dreaming.”

Reluctantly, Max sat up and smiled. “Hello.”

“Oh! We are so happy for you two! We told your fathers, yes we did, that you two could not keep your hands off of one another!” my mom exclaimed.

“Yes we did! But they did not believe us! Ha! Wait until we inform them about this!” Diane shouted happily.

“Mother, Diane, please,” I pleaded.

Nodding and wiping at tears, they made their way downstairs, but not before warning us to be down for breakfast in half an hour and reminding us of my eighteenth ball tonight.

Max and I looked at each other… and burst out laughing.

“We have odd parents,” Max stated the obvious.

I rolled my eyes and kissed him lightly before getting out of bed. I walked to the stairs and punched in the security code to lock my door and walked to my large bathroom…naked as the day I was born. But for some reason, I was not the least bit self-conscious; Max had seen all of me anyway.

Walking across the marble floor, I made my way to the huge shower, my eyes pausing to glance at the sleek bathtub. I loved baths, especially bubble baths. A bath was what I wanted right now, but I knew that I had only a short amount of time, so I turned on the water and stepped into the glass shower. As the hot water slid down my face and my body, I closed my eyes, letting the water sooth my muscles. A few moments later, I felt Max come in and despite the huge size of the shower, he chose to plaster himself against me. We helped each other showered innocently, despite a few shudders here and there. Finally, I turned off the water and walked into the towel Max held for me.

After wrapping the towel around me and rubbing my toweled arms up and down, Max turned me towards him and leaned down, kissing me softly. He pulled back. “I am going to go back to my room and change; I will see you soon, eh?”

I smiled brightly and nodded. “Will you come up and get me, so I will not have to make the journey all by myself?”

“Whatever you desire.” And with a quick peck on the forehead, Max made his way out of the bathroom.

I stood still and listened as he shuffled around, most likely putting on some clothes, and when all was finally silent, I rewrapped the towel around me and walked over to my sink. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I walked over to my large vanity mirror and smiled at the fresh face that greeted me. For once, I fancied myself beautiful. A quick chime of the clock alerted me that I only had about ten minutes left before Max could come to retrieve me. I quickly put on some eyeliner, blush, and then a thin coat of clear lip gloss, strawberry flavored, if you must know. Rushing to my massive walk-in closet, I pushed a button on the wall.

“Happy eighteenth birthday, Princess Elizabeth,” the robotic female voice greeted, “Today will be beautiful, perfect for your ball tonight: in the high 70’s, sunny, with a small breeze; perfect weather for a nice stroll in the city. I believe that you might wish to look for a skirt or dress and the best top would most likely be something closely related to the sleeveless.”

I smiled. Perfect. Maybe Max and I could spend the day together in one of the few parks Amoria provided before my ball. Walking along the many aisles of clothes, I finally reached my tank top collection. My eye caught the calm deep blue of a criss-cross tank and I immediately donned it on. I then walked a little further and found my skirt collection. After a few quick glances, I finally found what I was looking for: a knee-length floral colored skirt with lots of the same deep blue color scattered everywhere. Perfect once again.

Oh, no! My hair! Rushing to my vanity mirror again, I pushed another button.

“Princess, excellent choice. The blue is an impeccable color on you. For your hair, I recommend wearing it loose and down. That way, the wind may catch it and relieve you of the warmth of the sun. Also, if I am not mistaken, Prince Maxwell appreciates your hair very much.”

“Wonderful idea, Katerina.” I grabbed my brush and smoothed my hair with it.

KNOCK, KNOCK

Smiling, I ran down the stairs, but paused before opening the door.

“How do I look, Katerina?” I smoothed down my clothes and raked a hand through my hair.

“Beautiful as always, Princess,” my robotic helper replied. If you are wondering why I did not have to summon her with a button this time, it is because she was not turned off. She automatically turns off if not in use for five minutes.

The door opened and I said excitedly, “Max, I thought that we could spend the day- Oh. Hello, girls!”

Maria, Isabel, and Tess stood there, grinning from ear to ear. “Would you mind terribly if we stole you from Max for a few minutes?”

I feigned defeat. “I guess not,” I sighed.

They laughed and we threw ourselves into a group hug. Ah, The Four was back in action.

“May I join?” a deep, masculine voice questioned.

We drew apart and the corners of the mouth lifted at the wonderful sight Max made. I walked over and kissed him lightly on the lips. Pulling back, I apologized, “I am sorry, Max, but it seems as if it is time for The Four to have a little gossip time.”

His smile dropped comically and he wrapped his arms around me, claiming loudly, “I will not let you go!”

“Oh, girls!” I pleaded, “Help me, please! This overgrown bunny is holding me captive!”

The giggled and after a “reluctant” kiss, Max declared that I was set free.

I smiled as I watched him walk away.

“Oh, Elizabeth, you are so lucky!” Tess exclaimed as The Four made our way up to my alcove.

Maria nodded, “He is rather handsome.”

“Not as handsome and sexy as Alex,” Isabel replied before I playfully hit her on the arm.

“Please, Isabel! I would rather not hear that about my brother!”

She giggled and asked, “Well, what happened last night?”

I blushed as I caught the expectant look on their faces and the curiosity in their eyes. “I believe that you all know what happened last night.”

Maria laughed. “Of course we know! We practically walked in on an encore!”

“Maria!” I gasped and then I felt my eyes and tone of voice get dreamy. “It was wonderful, oh so wonderful. Max was so gentle and loving and kind and when he kissed me, I saw stars!”

They sighed in unison.

Tess asked quietly, “Did it, well, was it painful?”

I bit my lip. “It was at first, but oh, the pleasure quickly overtook the pain. It felt so, so fantastic! I can not even describe it; it was breathtakingly perfect!”

“Oh, Elizabeth, you are so lucky! I know I have said it more than enough times, but you just are!” Tess gushed.

“I believe that I may not be the only lucky one, and I am not talking just about you Isabel who have found my brother.”

Isabel frowned. “Then who?”

I smiled at Maria who was pointedly ignoring me. “Why, Maria of course.”

“Maria?!” Isabel and Tess exclaimed.

“Yes. If I am not mistaken, she and Max’s friend, Michael, got along quite well at the wedding. They even danced together!”

“Maria, why did you not tell us?!” Tess whined.

Maria’s cheeks were tinted red as she replied, “I did not want to jinx it. Both Elizabeth and Isabel have found someone and I was afraid I was dreaming when I met Michael. He is just so wonderful!”

I smiled. “I know, I met him last night with Max. Max told me that he and Michael have been best friends forever, but not before he and Alex.”

“What about that other guy that was with them?” Tess questioned.

“Oh, him,” I waved my hand. “His name is Kyle and now, he too, is best friends with Max and Michael. Hey! In a way, they are kind of like us, The Four, only they are The Three!”

We all giggled and then Isabel suggested excitedly, “Why not triple date? That would be so much fun! Elizabeth and Maxwell and then me and Alex and then Maria and Michael!”

Maria and I nodded in agreement and before we knew it, we were discussing our grand plans. A few moments later, I realized that Tess was still with us and unusually quiet. Oops, it seemed as if we had forgotten about her.

“Wait! Tess,” I turned to her, “you could go with Kyle! And then we could quadruple date!”

We all burst out laughing and Tess nodded, “I guess I could, but I have not even met him!”

“That is no problem,” I replied. “I am sure the two of you will like one another. I met him and he is quite charming….But not as much as Max.”

“Not as much as Alex,” Isabel countered.

“Not as much as Michael!” Maria shouted and then the three of us were in a “competition” to decide which guy was the most charming.

“Maybe you should ask Max about setting me up with his friend, Elizabeth! You never know,” Tess suggested.

“Yes, great idea.” Getting up, I pushed Katerina’s button.

“Hello, Princess. Hello, girls.”

“Hi, Katerina!” They replied.

“Katerina, can you please ring for Max?”

“Of course, Princess.” And with that, she beeped off.

“I hope Kyle is single,” Tess sighed.

“I am sure he is,” Isabel soothed.

“Princess, Prince Maxwell is on his way.”

“Thank you. Unlock the door for him.”

“Yes, Princess.”

A few moments later, we heard footsteps approaching. Turning towards the door, I jumped up and ran straight into Max’s waiting arms. Leaning back, I puckered my lips and gave him a peck on the lips. “Hi, honey.”

He smiled and teased, “Hi, honey.”

Grabbing his hand, I tugged him towards the alcove.

He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. “We have a favor to ask,” I began…

“Let us just get to the point,” Tess interrupted, “Maxwell, is your friend, Kyle, seeing anyone?”

Max’s eyes widened and much to our astonishment, burst out laughing. He looked at us with suspicion written all over his face, “What are you girls up to?”

We all smiled innocently and I fluttered my eyelashes flirtatiously. “Max,” I cooed, “we thought it would be so much fun if we could all go on a ‘quadruple’ date together!”

“The two of you could go together and Alex and I could go together,” Isabel said, planning to continue but Maria interrupted, “And I could go with Michael!”

“Ah, I recall, now, Michael mentioning something about the two of you,” Max replied thoughtfully.

“What?!” Maria shrieked. “What did he say?”

Max’s eyes widened and I felt terribly sorry for my poor husband. Patting his hand, I offered him some comfort.

“I, well, he,” Max stuttered nervously, “No, no, I do not think he has a significant other, but I really do not think he will appreciate-“

“Wonderful!” Tess exclaimed, clapping her hands happily.

“No, I, girls, please-“

“Oh, this will be so much fun,” Isabel gushed.

“I cannot wait to tell Michael,” Maria agreed.

I could see the helpless expression on Max’s face and knew something was wrong. I leaned into him and whispered into his ear, “What is the matter?”

He whispered back, his warm breath sending tingles down my neck, “Kyle will not like this; he does not like to be set up with girls. Believe me, Michael and I have tried it numerous times; it just never works out. Another thing, he well, he confided in me that he does not particularly like Tess. Please do not be upset, he just finds her too… too desperate and clingy.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about? Tess and Kyle have never met!”

Max shook his head, staring at me incredulously. “They danced two dances together at our wedding before she attacked him!”

“Attacked him?! What?”

Max must have sensed my confusion and disbelief because his hand immediately went to my hair and his fingers threading through it calmed me greatly. “I am terribly sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but I convinced myself that you all knew. She claimed to need fresh air, and Kyle, with the little chivalry I have managed to drill into him, reluctantly offered to bring her outside. Once there, she jumped on him and proceeded to kiss him senseless. He fended her off and apologized, telling her that he did not feel that way about her. She became extremely upset, slapped him, and ran off.”

“What?! She would never!”

“Who would never what?” Maria asked.

My eyes widened; I had not realized that I had spoken so loudly. My gaze fled to Max’s and once I saw the plead in his eyes for my silence, I knew that I could not and would not mention it until I confronted Tess. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

They stared at me intently and I knew that they knew that I was lying. Not once had I ever lied to them, to anyone for that matter, and I knew I was blushing and most likely, very easy to read.

Isabel shrugged and Tess looked expectantly at Max, “Well, Maxwell? Is that not a wonderful idea?”

“We will have to do it some time soon for you are all leaving after tonight.”

“Oh,” Maria suddenly wailed, “Elizabeth, you are going to be leaving so soon!”

Tears flooded all of our eyes, except for Max, as we realized that The Four was going to split up. Getting up from Max’s lap, I walked into their embrace. Sobbing uncontrollably, we did not care that Max probably thought we were crazy; it did not matter anyway, he was stuck with me.

“I will miss you all so much!” I cried.

Isabel nodded, tears streaming down her face. “But we promise to come and visit often! But you must visit us too!”

“Of course she will,” Max placated us, removing me gently from my friends’ embrace into his own. “Now, her mother and mine asked for me to bring her down, and I suppose you three also, to made last-minute adjustments to your gown for tonight.”

We nodded and I leaned into Max as we all made our way downstairs. When we entered the sitting room, I was greeted with balloons and confetti and every single person on staff and living in our house shouting, “Happy eighteenth birthday, Princess!”

“Oh!” I gasped, tears flooding my eyes. Everything was so beautiful!

My mother and father appeared and blindly, I hugged them, thanking them for the wonderful surprise.

“There is more,” my father said, a hint of pride and eagerness in his voice.

“More?”

He nodded and pushed me gently towards the door, “It is waiting for you in the garden.”

I frowned with curiosity and then smiling brightly, ran outside with everyone following after me.

What was waiting for me was not what I expected, oh no. I nearly fainted when I caught sight of the beauty waiting expectantly for me. I came to a halt, tears flowing down my face. My very own childhood dream coming true, I had my Prince Charming and now, my beautiful white horse. At someone’s prod, I found myself walking down the marble steps slowly, as if I was scared that it would disappear. Approaching cautiously, I raised my hand slowly and stroked my mare’s soft mane. Its manes were beautiful: golden white with slivers of orange and pink hiding in it. The horse turned its head towards me and I swear I saw it smile. Then, it licked me and I threw caution to the wind, throwing my arms around it and hugging it tightly.

“Is she not a beauty? Are you happy with her?”

I turned towards my father and threw my arms around him, crying happy tears. “Oh, she is perfect, Father, absolutely perfect! Thank you so much!”

“Maxwell and I have been looking for her for a while now and when we saw her, we immediately knew she was the one. Maxwell even noted how your favorite colors were embedded in her manes.”

“Oh! Max! Where is he?” Releasing my father, I searched frantically for Max. I found him smiling a few feet away. Ecstatic, I ran to him and laughed when he caught me and swung me around and around.

“Thank you, so much, Max. She is beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you, Lizzie.” Releasing me, he smiled at my mare. “Go on, Lizzie, name her.”

Grinning like a fool, I walked over to her and stroked her again, relishing the feel of her silky mane running through my fingers. Her mane was almost as soft and wonderful as Max’s. I whispered in her ear, “Your name is Silk, for your silky and colorful mane.”

Silk neighed and licked me once again.

I turned around and started walking towards Max again, wanting to share my choice of a name with him. All of a sudden, I looked down and noticed that my ankle bracelet was almost undone. Not wanting to lose it, I bent down to clasp it more tightly.

The next thing I heard was a deafening gun shot ringing through the air and screams. I felt something graze just over the top of my head and it took me a millisecond to realize that it was the bullet. Shocked, I fell down, but was saved by Max’s strong arms picking me up and covering me protectively. Chaos was in the air and I heard Silk neighing loudly in fear. I struggled out of Max’s arms and ran to Silk. When I reached her, I grabbed her rein and it took me only a few pats to calm her down. If only it took me a few pats to calm down. Suddenly, I felt Max’s hand grab mine and I was pulled away as our stable man led Silk away.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Are you ok?”

I heard my mother’s frantic calls, but could not find the energy to answer her.

Max held me and whispered in broken gasps into my hair, “Oh, God. I almost lost you, I almost lost you. What would I have done?”

It was then that I realized someone had tried to kill me. Again.

I held onto Max and cried.

[short_up]

|||PART 16|||

“Lizzie, wake up,” I heard Max’s sweet voice whisper, “We are just about to land.”

Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My voice still weighed down with sleep, I asked, “So soon? I feel as if I have not gotten a wink of sleep.” Max let out a loud laugh and I whipped toward him, frowning. “What is so funny?”

“Darling,” he kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand, “you have been getting more than ‘a wink’ of sleep; you have gotten all three hours of sleep.”

My cheeks heated up and I scowled at him.

After the horrible incident earlier this morning, everyone decided that it would be best if Max took me home immediately. That meant: no ride on Silk, no eighteenth ball, and no dancing all night long with Max. What a wonderful birthday, huh? So, Max herded me onto his private jet with only a few days’ supply of clothes (Mother and Father promised to have everything sent over within a day or two) and we have been on the plane for, as Max said, three hours.

“Excuse me, Prince Maxwell, but the captain asked for me to inform you that we are flying over Perfectia and will land shortly,” a beautiful blond stewardess told Max.

As Max asked her a question, I turned away and stared at the window. I gasped when I caught sight of the beautiful view. I could see so much of Perfectia, its beautiful white beaches and clear blue waters. How I missed it all so very much. Without thinking, I placed a hand on the window, wanting more than anything to be out there.

Max leaned over, his mouth next to my ear. “Is it not beautiful?”

I nodded, “I have missed being here.”

“I have, too. Although I have to admit, is does not seem as beautiful now that I have laid my eyes on you.”

Blushing, I would not dare look at him. Did he really mean every word that came out of his mouth? Or was he just playfully wooing me? I had no idea, honestly. I have told him many times that I love him, yet he has never expressed his love for me. Oh dear, what if that was because he had no love to express? What if he did not love me at all, let alone the way I loved him? That would break my heart.

“Lizzie, once we get you settled in, would you like to spend the rest of the day at the beach? I could have Cook prepare us a picnic.”

I knew my cheeks were still flaming so without looking at him, I answered, “Oh, Max! That would be absolutely wonderful! Oh, but I am afraid that I did not bring my bathing suit!” Now I did look at him, my eyes full of disappointment.

He smiled mischievously, his eyes glittering. “Who said anything about bathing suits, love? We will just go bare.”

“Oh!” I gasped, the color flying back to my cheeks. I quickly tried to turn my head away, but Max just cupped my chin in his hand and brought my lips to his.

Millimeters from my lips, he whispered softly, “Since you find that so outrageous, we will just buy one for you.”

Mmmm… he sure kissed nicely.

Leaning closer, brought a hand to Max’s handsome face and blindly caressed it, memorizing once again the silky smoothness of his cheek, the splendid soft flutter of his long eyelashes.

“Ahem,” someone cleared her throat.

Halfheartedly, I pulled my lips away from his and rested my head on his broad shoulder.

“I am terribly sorry to interrupt, but if you are ready, the plane has landed and you may depart,” the stewardess informed us, leaving promptly.

I jumped up enthusiastically, tugging on Max’s hand, attempting to get him to make haste. I wanted to hurry to my new home and then to the beach. But mostly, I just wanted to forget the horrible events of the morning.

“Max! Do hurry!” I suggested, practically hopping up and down.

“What is the rush?” he asked lazily, still not getting up.

“Max! I wish to see my new home now!”

His eyes flashed, with what, I am not sure. Smiling tightly, he got up. “Yes,” he nodded, “yes, your new home.”

My heart broke as he stiffly walked away, my hand in his.

Oh, Max, when will I ever learn all there is to know about you? When will you share your pain and fears with me?

I must have been thinking too hard because I suddenly tripped. Letting out a tiny gasp, I saw the floor quickly approaching my face. But thankfully, I felt Max’s strong arms around me, picking me up.

Laughing at myself, I looked up into his eyes. “Thanks.”

“You are very much welcome,” he grinned, transforming into the Max I knew. Gently, he kissed the top of my head and pulled away, tugging me along .

Grinning like fools in love, we bumped into each other not-so-innocently, making our way off the plane.

“Prince Maxwell! Princess Elizabeth!”

Looking ahead, I smiled at James, Max’s, our butler.

Animatedly, he grabbed my hand, shaking it furiously. “Congratulations, Princess. We at the house are more than happy to welcome you! This is all just so exciting! We have always known that you and Prince Maxwell would marry and now, the day has finally come and –“

Chuckling, Max freed my hand from James’ and suggested kindly, “Let us get to the house. The Princess, here, is looking forward to meeting everyone at the house and then, we are going to spend the rest of the day at the beach.”

“Wonderful! Let us hurry then!,” he turned to me, “Why, Princess, you have not been here for years!”

I nodded in agreement. “Yes, I have missed Perfectia dearly.”

“Much has changed I hope you find it to your liking.”

“Oh,” I said, looking at Max, “I am very sure I will like it all.”

Max, sensing my gaze, looked at me and winked hotly. Leisurely, the three of us made our way to the stone path from the helicopter landing in Max’s backyard.

“Oh!” I gasped, halting as I took in the beauty of everything. Flowers bloomed prettily everywhere, bouquets of pink and red and yellow and… all the colors of the rainbow!

I sensed Max nearing me. Whispering in my ear, he murmured, “Is it not beautiful? It is all for you.”

“Oh, Max!” I knew that it could not all for me, but it was nice to think of anyway. Turning away from the terrific display of colors, I threw my arms around Max, kissing his cheek excitedly.

He chuckled and held me away. “I am very pleased, but come, the sooner we get home, the sooner we can go to the beach.”

“Yes,” I blushed, “Of course, the beach.”

Shaking his head, Max kissed me on my forehead and wrapping his arm around me, tugged me excitedly towards the huge castle.

When I was a little girl and was here visiting, I would always love to just sit and stare at the Perfectia Castle. I had always thought it so big, despite the fact that it was the same size as my own home.

When we finally stepped through the massive glass doors, I was overwhelmed by the hundreds of people welcoming me. One by one, they came and shook my hand, congratulating.

An hour later, Max and I were lounging luxuriously on the glittering sand, the cool breeze from the sparkling ocean teasing at our hot skin.

“Max?” I whispered, not entirely sure whether or not he was awake. He did not answer. Sighing, I leaned my head down onto my arms again, my gaze landing on Max. I could not seem to look at him enough. He was so handsome, so muscular, so perfect. Disturbingly, I noted that an ache was forming between my legs. Subtly, I rubbed my legs together, relishing in the short-term relief. Key words: short-term. Moments later, I found my hand drifting down, fluttering over my bare stomach, teasing at the Abercrombie bikini bottom I wore. Embarrassed, but needing desperately to end this horrible ache, I looked around, making sure no one could see, even though I knew that Max’s beach was private. Satisfied that I was unwatched, I slipped my hand under, groaning when I encountered the soft bush of curls. Biting my lip so I would not cry out, I carefully parted my lower lips, spreading my juices up and down. God, it felt good; not as good as Max’s hand and definitely not as good as his mouth, but still good enough. Closing my eyes, I imaged my small fingers to be Max’s large, calloused ones. Moaning, I plunged my fingers in harder and faster. I could practically feel Max’s hot gaze on me, taking in my arches, my sweaty body. Harder and faster I went until finally, the hot rush overwhelmed me and grunting out my orgasm, my fingers slowed and then stopped. Panting, I opened my eyes, not believing that I had done something so private in the public.

“Max!” I screamed, my cheeks heating up in mortification.

Eyes dark with desire, Max leaned down and capture my lips with his while his hand drifted inside my bikini bottom. Grabbing my hand, he slid it up my body, sliding my drenched fingers in between our lips, allowing our kiss to be full of my taste.

After several minutes, Max pulled away and leaned over me, his eyes burning a hole through mine.

“What is it?” I asked in a breathless voice, “Why did you stop?”

Max did not answer; he just continued to stare into my eyes. His eyes were frightened, surprised, panicked.

“Max?” Now I was starting to worry. Pushing away from him, I sat up. Frowning, I brushed a loose strand of hair off of his forehead.

At the contact, he jumped and the panic in his eyes increased. Stiffly, he got up and turned his back to me. “I think it is time we went back inside.” And without waiting for me, he headed back to the castle.

Struggling to my feet, I chased after Max. “Max! Max! Please, wait!”

But he was gone. Collapsing onto the hot sand, I laid my head on my arms and wept.

|||PART 17|||

Blinking wearily, I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I must have fallen asleep; the sand had cooled, the water’s breeze whisking through my hair. The sun was setting, the beautiful oranges and reds and purples filling the sky. So mesmerized I was by the sun, that I just sat there on the beach as darkness surrounded me.

Suddenly, I shivered, becoming aware of how dark and even frightening the beach had become. A chill passed over me and fear clenched my heart. Not even knowing why I was so nervous, I jumped up and started to walk quickly back to the castle.

Why had Max not come and get me? Was he not worried about me at all?

A twig snapped and I jumped. Scared, I whipped around and opened my mouth to scream when I saw the dark figure looming closer. The figure’s hands wrapped around my throat, silencing my scream, stealing my breath. I clawed frantically at him, kicking and thrashing. When I kneed him in the groin, I heard him groan and his hands tightened more. My head got lighter and I was slowly losing consciousness as he lifted my feet off the ground. My arms and legs hung limply at my sides.

This is it. I am going to die, on my eighteenth birthday. I will never hear Max say he loves me nor will I ever be able to tell him I love him.

Please, Max, save me. I love you.

“Liz!”

Max! He had come.

My attacker stilled and then dropped me and like a rag doll, I fell onto the ground.

“Seize him!” Max yelled and I heard a couple of men answer, “Yes, sir.”

“Liz, oh God, Liz! I am so sorry for leaving you. Are you alright?”

I opened my eyes and groaned as my vision swayed. I could barely make out Max. Reaching up, my hand was grabbed by Max’s and as he kissed it, I slid into the blackness invading my mind.

|||PART 18|||

“Will she be ok, doctor?” I heard Max whisper.

“She will be fine, Your Highness. She just needs rest and plenty of liquids,” a man with a warm voice whispered back. “Who will be her nurse?”

“I will,” Max stated firmly, silencing whatever objections the doctor had.

“Well then,” the doctor sounded amused, “keep things quiet and do not let her talk too much. The Princess’ throat is still very sore.” His voice trailed away and a few moments later, the door closed.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and groaned when I noticed how dry my throat was. Turning my head, I searched the elegant bed stand for a glass of water.

“Lizzie! You are awake!”

Blinking, I turned my head a little more and smiled as Max hurried towards me.

When he reached me, he quickly gathered me into his arms and kissed every centimeter of my face, murmuring, “Oh, Lizzie. I am so terribly sorry. This is all my fault! I should have come back to you, no I should have never have left you in the first place. Forgive me, my love, forgive me.”

Crying sweet tears, I wrapped my arms around him and nodded. “I love you, Max,” I rasped out in a raw, hoarse voice.

Cupping my face in his gentle hands, he looked straight into my eyes. After an eternity, he whispered in his own hoarse voice, “I love you, too, Lizzie.”

My heart soared to tremendous heights as Max leaned down to kiss me, whispering his sweet words of love into my ear over and over again.

“Oh, Max, make love to me. Show me how much you love me,” I pleaded with my raw voice.

He fluttered light kisses over my forehead, my eyelids, my lips. “You need rest. I am sure you heard what the doctor said.” Even as he said it, his hands were peeling by bikini top off.

His hands were everywhere, yet I needed more. The ache I was feeling was not only physical. No, it was so much more. After such a close call with death, I needed to feel alive… and I felt the most alive in Max’s arms.

Together, our lips fueled in a searing kiss, our body locked in a sensual rhythm, we flew into ecstasy together.

Afterwards, I laid my head on Max’s shoulder and reveled in the warmth of his smooth skin. Trailing a lazy finger on his chest, I swirled it around in a random pattern. When his hand petted my hair, I purred like a kitten. Unable to stand not knowing anymore, I leaned up on my elbow and looked down at him, my long hair enveloping us like a curtain.

“Max?”

“Hmm?” he asked languidly, his fingers threading themselves through my hair.

Taking a deep breath, I prayed I would not lose courage. “Do you really love me?”

His movements stilled and I felt dread striking at me. Distrust and uncertainty filled his eyes and panicking, I gripped both of his hands and pleaded, “Oh, Max, please do not! I love you, I have since the very first moment I met you. I know I may not have acted like it, but it is the truth!”

Sitting up, Max tentatively wrapped his arms around me, keeping his gaze locked onto mine. “Liz,” he began, “you know that I am a man who, well, who needs control.”

I nodded, not knowing where this was going.

“My control is the only thing I have ever really had. I am not handsome nor,” he shook his head, ignoring my protests to that ridiculous statement, “… nor am I kind and gentle. I was always surrounded by wonderful people, people who would make wonderful kings. And then there I was, this lanky, clumsy fool who was to be the next king. I was unfit and no one bothered to hide that from me. They were harsh, but they were truthful. Liz, you may think you know who I am, but you do not. I am not a fairy tale Prince Charming nor the man of your dreams. I am just a useless, worthless,” he paused, “peasant,” he spat.

“Oh, Max!” I cried, cupping his truly handsome face in my hands. “You are my Prince Charming and the man of my dreams. How can you not see that? You are neither useless or worthless, or a peasant for that matter! You are handsome, indeed, but you are also kind and sweet and caring and yes, loving.”

“Liz,” he kissed my palms, “I was afraid to tell you the truth; I did not want to lose the only thing I believed I had: control. Forgive me, love, for being so selfish. I should have let you know sooner.”

“Of course I forgive you, although there is nothing to forgive! I love you!” Throwing my arms around me, I kissed him, my tongue dueling passionately with his.

Groaning with desire, Max pushed me gently back onto the bed, kissing a wet trail down my neck to my aching breasts. Heatedly, he licked around my nipple, kneading my other breast provocatively until I was writhing and begging for release.

Unable to wait, I ran by hand down his chest, loving his moan of pleasure when I wrapped my warm hand around his hard cock. More hot liquid pooled at my center as his member throbbed and jerked in my hand. Squeezing tightly, I pushed Max back onto the bed and straddled him, facing his thick, long erection.

“Oh, God, Liz, you are so wet and hot,” Max gasped out, grabbing my hips and moving them against his hard muscles.

I moaned and squeezed him tighter as his raspy chest hairs caressed my sensitive clit. Leaning forward, I captured him in my mouth, running my tongue along the thick underside of his cock. He tasted so good, the salty flavor heightening my senses. Cupping his heavy balls, I squeezed and bit down on his thick head. Screaming my name, Max came in my mouth, wads and wads of his life-giving fluid shooting into my mouth and dribbling out of my lips.

“Liz! Now, I need to fuck you now!”

Sweating, I turned around and grabbed his already-hard penis. Guiding it into me, I groaned at how large he was, stretching me and filling me to capacity. Placing my hands on his stomach, I let his hands wrap around my waist and pull me roughly off of him. Less than a moment later, he slammed me back onto his huge cock. In and out, he went while I sat helplessly above him, riding him and moaning. My breasts jiggled as I was thrust downward and then upward, Max’s eyes staring hungrily at my hard nipples. Grunting, Max rammed into me to the hilt and exploded, his cum filling my body as my lower muscles gripped him during my own orgasm.

Panting, I collapsed on top of Max, burying my face into his sweaty neck. Not even knowing what I was doing, I stuck my tongue out and licked at the salty liquid. He jumped under me and moments later, he was over me, practically sawing me in half with his already stone-hard cock.

“Yes, Max! Yes!!!” I screamed, frantically clawing at his back as I came and came. White stars shot before my eyes, blinding me in my ecstasy.

“I love you, Liz. Tell me you are mine,” Max demanded, still thrusting roughly into my pliant body.

“I am yours, Max!”

“Tell me I am the only one!”

“You are the only one!” I moaned, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Harder, Max! Harder!”

And as Max rammed into me harder and faster, I felt the heat coiling within me, growing hotter and hotter, until I exploded again.

And as Max stilled and then grew even larger within me, I felt his tears mingling with mine.

|||PART 19|||

“Max?” I questioned quietly. The grim, hard expression on his face told me I needed to tread carefully.

His expression gentled when he saw me and tenderness filled his eyes. Walking towards me, Max held out his hand.

I ignored his hand and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his chest. I could feel the tension in his body and knew that whatever his guards had told him, it was not good.

An hour ago, Max had left our bed to meet with his guards. He wanted to know if they had caught the man who had attacked me or at least obtained some evidence of his identity.

Sighing, Max pulled away and wrapped an arm around my waist. Without saying a word, he led us towards the extravagant sunroom. After closing the glass doors, Max seated us on the beautiful swing. Grasping my hands, Max looked me in the eyes.

“Lizzie,” he began, “as you know, I have been talking with my guards about your attacker.”

I nodded, scooting closer to him.

“They were not able to catch him, nor find any clues about his identity or his whereabouts or even how he managed to get past our security system. This is all so frustrating!”

“Oh, Max,” I soothed, crawling into his lap.

Stroking my hair seemed to soothe him also. His fingers combed through my hair as he continued, “Lizzie, do you understand what I am saying? The attacker does not seem to have existed! We have the best security system around; our guards and their families have been with us for generations! Yet, the attacker managed to sneak in… Or, he did not sneak in at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“My guards and I believe that well, your attacker is one of us.”

“What?!” Startled, I leaned away and gazed into his eyes.

His grip tightened on me. “That is the only way. He must be one of our servants; someone who has access to the castle. If he was a stranger, there is no way he could have made it past the security. Our guards must have let him in because they recognized him!”

“But why would one of your servants try to kill me?” Fear clawed at me and I snuggled further into Max’s embrace. I always felt so safe and secure in Max’s arms; nothing and no one could harm me while I was with Max.

“I am not sure. They have all known you since you were born and they have known our parents that long also!”

“But wait, Max! I was attacked in Amoria, as well! That would have to mean that the attacker is one of Amoria’s servants!”

“But then how did he get here? You did not take any of your servants with you. Unless, unless one of them followed us here. Maybe Aldith sent someone here to well, to, for lack of better words, finish what she had started?”

A shiver swept through me and I placed a feather-light kiss on Max’s neck.

His arms tightened around me and he whispered, “We will find him, I promise you, Lizzie. I will not rest until we do.”

“Oh, Max.” Tears gathered in my eyes at his passionate promise. “I just want this all to be over with. I do not like living my life in fear; I want to live a real life, a life with you.”

“We will have that. Come.”

Standing up, Max wrapped his arm around me and led me out of the sunroom.

“Where are we going?”

“What do you feel like doing?”

A mischievous glint flickered in my eyes, “Let us go up to bed.”

Max shook his head, “As much as I would love to, I cannot. I must go speak with my guards to find out which Amoria servants have left since our wedding.”

“I wish to go with you.”

He shook his head again, his voice firm, “I cannot allow that, Lizzie. The things of which we have to discuss are not appropriate for you to hear.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him. Staring straight into his eyes, I told him, “I am going and that is that.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I said ‘no,’ Elizabeth.”

Uh oh. Max was angry with me; I could tell by the way he called me ‘Elizabeth’ instead of ‘Liz’ or ‘Lizzie.’

“Max, please,” I pleaded, putting on my best puppy face. “I do not wish to be alone.”

I could see his eyes softening, but his tone was still firm. “You will not be alone. I will have a few guards keeping watch over you.”

“Then I will be alone for I am lonely without you.”

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my soft hair. “I am lonely without you also, my love. Come, let us go then.”

I hid my smile by burying myself further into his embrace.

|||PART 20|||

“Your highness,” a huge giant greeted me, bowing politely.

“Oh! Ummm, yes, uh, thank you,” I stammered, my eyes wide.

He was so big! He had to be at least seven feet tall and more than 200 pounds in weight.

“Lizzie, this is Dante, my head guard. He is in charge of our security.”

I nodded, more than a little frightened by this giant.

Dante apologized earnestly, “I am terribly sorry, Princess. It is my fault you were attacked that night. If I had been on closer watch or-“

“Oh, do not be silly, Dante,” I scolded gently, lightly touching his hand, “It is not your fault at all. If it was not for you and your men, I would not be safe at all.”

He blushed then, blushed! It was astonishing to see such a strong, fierce man blush! I let Max lead me to the head of the circular table, to the huge throne there. He sat down first and then pulled me down onto his lap. Astounded, I sat there with my mouth gaping open for a few moments. I could not believe that Max would do such a thing! In front of all of his guards, nonetheless!

Stroking my hair like a cat, he began in a stern voice, “Men, the Princess and I have been speaking. We believe that whoever the attacker is, he was a servant of Perfectia. We believe that he has followed the Princess, and myself, here to Amoria. Go and find out who has left Perfectia. We must make haste; I do not like knowing the Princess is in danger.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they all nodded in unison, their faces forbidding and serious.

How did these men live their lives so grimly? They appeared to be like robots, without hearts and life. Then I realized that they were supposed to be robots, to be killing machines. A little afraid, I looked up and saw that Max carried that same expression on his face, the same ruthless, harsh look.

“Max?” I whispered, reaching out to turn his face towards me.

His head turned and his softened gaze caught onto mine. “What is it? Is something wrong, my love?”

“Max, I do not wish to be here anymore,” panic edging my voice.

He nodded and addressed his men, “That will be all for today. Go and fetch for me the information I wish to have.”

His men nodded and one by one they bowed, exiting the large room. When they had all left, Max gently nudged me off of his lap. Holding my hand, he led us out of the room.

“Is everything all right? You look a little pale.”

I nodded. “You were right; I should not have gone with you. That was no place for a woman.”

“Lizzie, if we frightened you, I am terribly sorry, but that is the way things are.”

I nodded again, understanding, but still a little afraid of how different Max was when he entered that room. Squeezing Max’s hand, I tugged him along up the winding staircase to our large bedroom.

“Are you tired?” he questioned, concern in his deep eyes.

“Just weary. Will you tuck me in?” I asked, a pout on my face.

He smiled and winked. “But of course,” he answered, undressing me.

Later, I was almost asleep when I felt Max carefully getting out of the bed. Gently, he tucked the blanket around my bare body, kissing my forehead softly.

My eyes fluttered open and I smiled at him. “Where are you going?”

He smiled slightly and traced the arch of my eyebrow. “I am going to meet with my men and see if they have learned anything new.”

“Mmm, ok. I will just wait here for you,” I teased, yawning.

Max chuckled and walked out, shutting the door softly. Less than a moment later, I heard the lock turn and knew that Max had locked it. I was safe; no one could get in but Max.

I turned, inching into the spot where Max was laying just a few minutes before. The area was still warm from his body and when I laid my head down onto the pillow, I could smell Max’s wonderful scent. I snuggled deeper under the covers, letting the satin brush against my smooth skin.

I fell asleep with Max’s scent surrounding me.

|||PART 21|||

“Max?” I called, sitting up in bed, still somewhat groggy.

No answer.

I frowned. I could swear that I heard the door opening and closing; it had woken me from my deep sleep. I listened a little longer. When I did not hear anything, I shrugged and burrowed down under the covers again, the moonlight casting a ray of light onto my face.

My eyes shot open moments later when I heard footsteps right next to the bed. It was not Max. I just knew that it was not Max. My heart pounded loudly in fear as I silently called out to my husband.

“Who are you?” I asked, a slight tremor in my voice, not moving an inch.

The footsteps stopped and I sat up. Fear clenching tightly at my heart, I turned around, clutching at the covers to cover my nakedness.

I gasped. No! It could not be! It just could not!

“Surprised, Princess?” he sneered at me sarcastically, a sharp dagger glittering in his hand.

“Henry? But, but why?” I asked, tears pricking at my eyes. Henry, my beloved butler, the man who had taken care of me since the day I was born, was also my attacker.

“Why? Why? Do you mean you do not know why?”

I shook my head, tears of fright falling.

Henry threw his head back and laughed and anger flowed through his every movement. He stared at me, his eyes empty and cold. “You, Princess, are nothing but a killer!”

I gasped and leaned away from him, fear flashing through my eyes. “What, what are you talking about?” I questioned innocently. Whatever Henry thought I had done was bad, horrible and I knew that he would not let me get away with it if he could help it.

He growled and suddenly, his hand flew outward and slapped me across the cheek. The sound of his palm smacking against my flesh echoed loudly throughout the quiet room. Shocked and my cheek tingling with pain, I flew backwards, tumbling off of the bed, the sheet tangling around my tense body.

Fuming, Henry stalked around the bed and harshly pulled me up by my hair. Seething, he jerked my head forward. “What am I talking about? What am I talking about?,” he yelled, fire burning in his eyes, “You killed my daughter and for that, I am going to kill you now!”

Tears flowed unchecked down my face. The outrage and deeply-etched pain in him warned me that this was it: he was going to take my life and I would never get to see Max’s smile again or hear him declare his love for me and I would never be able to tell Max that I loved him one last time. “Please, Henry,” I pleaded, sobs racking my body, “I am terribly sorry for whatever I have done, but please, do not hurt me!”

“Hurt you? Hurt you?! Oh, Princess,” he laughed evilly, “I am going to do more than hurt you! I am going to rip you apart limb by limp, I am going to tear your heart out and shred it into a million pieces for your darling Max to find! I am going to take your life, the life my sweet daughter should have had if you hadn’t stolen it from her!”

“Henry! Please, what are you talking about?” I cried, silently calling out to Max.

“While your wench of a mother was in labor with you, my beloved wife was also in labor with my daughter, the daughter I never got to know because of you!” he bellowed, roughly hurling me across the floor.

I landed with a loud “thump,” my head ringing from pain. Quickly, I stumbled onto my knees, dragging the blanket with me as I attempted to reach the door. But before I was within ten feet of the door, Henry buried his hand into my hair and yanked my head back. “No, please!” I screeched loudly.

“Shut up, wench!” Henry barked, slapping a cold hand across my mouth.

“Mmmff, wraff!” my voice was muffled against his skin. Thrashing, I kicked and punched, trying to escape Henry’s brutal hold on me.

He dragged me to a corner of the room and threw me into it. “Shut up and listen; I am not done telling you my story yet!,” he calmed slightly, “As I was saying, my wife was having a hard labor. My daughter, my darling daughter, was too large and my wife could not seem to push her out. I sat there, holding my wife in my arms, while she screamed with pain. Finally, hours later, my baby came out. I was ecstatic! My child was born! A loud wail echoed throughout the castle and I bent down to see my trashing, wailing child, but,” he paused, swallowing hard, “when I looked, she was not thrashing nor wailing! She was as still as a mountain, pale as snow even covered in my wife’s blood. I could not believe it; where did that wail come from? Where?,” he demanded, pulling me by my hair again.

“From me?” I gasped out, knowing he expected me to answer.

Henry smiled, then, a cold, ruthless, evil smile. “Yes, from you, the Princess. I picked up the unmoving body, held her in my arms and turned around to show my wife, my wife who had gone through hours of this agonizing pain to give birth to my dead child. And guess what I find? Not only had I lost my daughter, but my wife too! I held my dead, newborn child in my arms and stared at my lovely wife lying dead in front of me, blood surrounding her body while you, you screamed and flailed your lively arms around in the embrace of your damn father and mother! You stole the life of my daughter and my wife! It is your fault they were snatched away from me before I got to love them! It is your fault they are not alive today! It is all your fault!”

Whimpering, I pushed further into the corner and covered my ears, not wanting to hear the awful things he was saying. I shook my head furiously, as if everything he had said would fall out… it did not. “No! Please, go away, please!”

He grabbed my arm, violently ripping it away from my body. “Listen to what I am saying, slut! You killed my wife, you killed my daughter! You are a murderer, a killer! And now, I will finally get my revenge,” he finished in an empty voice.

I stared, too terrified to move, and watched Henry as he slowly pulled the sleek dagger from behind. “Please,” I pleaded tearfully.

He just smiled. Holding me captive, he held the dagger above his head, ready and willing to bury the sharp blade into the flesh of my body. “Finally, finally I will be able to avenge the lives of my wife and daughter!” His eyes widened and it seemed as if everything was suddenly in slow motion.

I could only stare and watch as the tip got closer and closer to me, as death loomed nearer.

Max. I would never get to hold him in my arms again, never tell him how much I loved him.

I love you, Max.

I closed my eyes as Henry’s hand started to come down, sealing my dark fate.

|||PART 22|||

“Liz!!!”

My eyes snapped open as Max’s voice sliced through the air.

It all happened so quickly that all I saw was a big bulky shape coming in between me and death. I was pushed roughly back into the wall, my head connecting with the hard plane with a harsh thud.

A hand poked at me, stabbing the sharp point of the dagger into my body once. Twice.

And then, everything was black.

|||EPILOUGE|||

“How are you feeling today, my little Lizzie?”

I laughed, shivering at the warmth of Max’s breath on my neck. I turned around to face him. “Not so little.”

Max laughed deeply, his eyes twinkling with delight as his large hand rubbed my rounded stomach affectionately. “You are still very little, Liz. I am becoming quite worried about you; are you eating enough? Why, I remember with the twins, you ate and ate and grew quite large, but now-“

“Father! Mother!” an adorable, brown-haired boy of four, who looked remarkably like his handsome father, came shouting into the room.

“Look what Trevor and I found, Mama!” an almost identical girl to the boy shouted, running in excitedly after her twin brother.

The two sweet children ran, laughing, into their parents’ waiting embraces.

“What is it, children? What have you found?” I asked, holding my charming son and daughter while Max held all three of us.

“Katrina and I were playing at the beach,” Trevor began, “when I stepped on this.” Holding out his hand, he showed Max and me a breath-takingly beautiful shell, painted the delicate colors of a Perfectian sunset.

“Oh, honey, it is gorgeous!”

Katrina smiled up at me and then gasped, her eyes glinting mischievously. She quickly turned around and comically whispered into Max’s ear. I frowned humouredly when she made a big show of then whispering into her brother’s ear.

“Hey,” I pouted, “Are you not going to whisper in my ear?”

My daughter giggled, her brown curls bouncing as she shook her head.

I stared at the three of them, guilty expressions on their faces. “Well, I do believe your grandparents will be here in a few days for the baby shower. I hope you two have finished making their cards; you know how much your grandmothers love it when they receive a card and you also know how much your grandfathers love it when you let them win at checkers.”

The twins giggled and nodded.

Sighing, I feigned defeat. “Well, if the three of you will not tell me the secret, I think that I will go call your Uncle Alex and Aunt Isabel and see how they are managing at Amoria.” Groaning, I made an attempt to get up, but before I could, the three of them jumped up. Max wrapped an arm around my waist, hoisting me up and the twins held my hands. “Thank you,” I smiled at them, giving Max a quick peck on the lips. Leaning down, I kissed the tops of both of my children’s heads and walked out of the living room, listening to their giggles and whispers.

Slowly, but determinedly, I made my way up the large flight of stairs, sending playful glares at any of the servants who tried to help me. I may be large and slow as a snail, but I could get up the stairs; I was not that hopeless! Finally, after what must have been ten minutes, I reached the landing and made the long trek to the master grand bedroom, which Max and I had completely redone when Phip and Diane had more-than-willingly handed the Perfectian castle over to us. Actually, come to think of it, Max and I had, basically, the whole castle redone. We told the press it was because we thought the castle needed a new look after so many years, but honestly, it was because it brought back nightmares when I walked into Max’s old bedroom, the one where, where that man had nearly taken my life.

I shivered at the mere thought of that night. If Max had not knocked Henry unconscious after he had stabbed me, I would not have survived. My stab wounds were deep and large. But thankfully, my hero had came and saved me. Henry was arrested after that and declared officially insane. No one said they blamed me, but I still sometimes feel that it was my fault, that my birth had caused that poor man to lose his sanity and to drive him to murder, or attempted murder. He loved his wife and daughter and had believed that I had killed them, and now, after knowing how much a child could mean, I almost felt sympathetic towards him. Max, on the other hand, declared that he hoped Henry would rot in Hell.

God, how I love Max.

Anyways, after the incident, as it is often referred to in this castle, I was forced to stay in bed for a few weeks with Max as my nurse, what a wonderfully interesting experience. Finally, when I had gotten better, Max and I received the life-altering news of my pregnancy. Of course, I did not mind staying in bed then. And I did not mind it more when we found out that we were having twins; Max and I were ecstatic, crying in one another’s arms. Despite the fact that we were remarkably young (I was not even nineteen!), I knew that Max and I would make wonderful parents and I believe that we have.

Moving over to one of our large mirrors, I lifted my shirt up, exposing my rounded stomach. I could not believe that it has been four years since I was pregnant. At the rate that Max and I make love, well, I will just say that it was quite a shock that I did not get pregnant sooner. Gently, I touched my stomach, smiling as my child kicked at my hand. I just knew that this baby was going to be just, if not more, energetic as his or her older siblings.

“Lizzie?”

My head snapped up and I smiled lovingly at Max, “Hi.”

He walked over and placed his hand over mine, a silly smile spreading over his face as he felt our child’s fast movements. “I love you. Have I told you that lately?”

The corners of my lips tugged upwards. “If lately means within the last hour, then yes. But of course, I would not mind hearing it once again.”

He leaned down, his manly scent teasing my senses, and whispered hotly in my ear, “I love you. And I love the wonderful children you have given me. And I love this lovely home we have made together. And I love the laughter and joy you bring me just by breathing. And I love the way your smile steals my breath. But most of all, I just, plainly and simply, love you.”

“Oh, Max,” I breathed, tears filling my eyes as I turned around and snuggled into his warm embrace. “That was so beautiful. I love you, too, more than I ever thought I could love someone.”

“Papa! Mama!” our little girl shouted, running into the bedroom with her brother right on her tail.

The two angels stopped right in front of Max and me, their little hands tugging excitedly at my gown. Their eyes gleamed and their cheeks were pink with life. “We have something for you!” they announced, grabbing my hand and Max’s while they headed for our cozy loveseat.

Max sat down and then tenderly helped me into his side while Trevor and Katrina climbed into his lap.

“Father helped us wrap it,” Trevor said, handing me a small, clumsily-wrapped object.

“Ah,” I sighed, “that must explain for the wrapping.” I immediately corrected what I said when the smiles slid off of all three of their faces, “Not that the wrapping is not gorgeous because it really is; I could not have asked for a more beautifully-wrapped gift.”

The smiles returned and life was right once again.

I began to undo the tape which held the gift together when Katrina exclaimed, “Here, Mama!”

I turned to her and fought the tears that pricked at my eyes when she tucked a sunset-colored rose into my hair. I smiled, and after taking the other rose she offered me, I threaded that rose through her hair, too. “Now, we match,” I told her and squeezed my eyes closed as I brushed a kiss on her forehead.

“Open it! Open it, Mother!” Trevor nearly shouted, his excitement shining in his chocolate eyes.

“All right,” I chuckled. Still grinning, I gingerly unwrapped the gift. “Oh!” I exclaimed. No longer able to contain my tears, I let them flow freely down my face. Immediately, Max’s arm tightened around me while Katrina and Trevor frowned worriedly.

“What is it, Mama? What is wrong?” Katrina asked, tears now filling her eyes.

“Do you not like it?” Trevor replied, his voice trembling slightly.

“Oh no!” I assured them through my tears, “It is perfect! I love it!”

And I really did. My tears blurred my vision, but I could still picture the small Perfectian-sunset-colored shell in my hands.

And as my children giggled happily, as my expected baby kicked in my stomach, as my wonderful husband hauled me close and kissed me nearly senseless, I could only think of one thing to say:

“And they lived happily ever after.”