Read Online Alexander & Rebecca (Royals of Valleria #1) by Marianne Knightly - Free Book Online

just a gardener. And don’t worry about the press, not yet. We can keep things silent for now, just between us, until we know each other better.”
     
    “We can’t.”
     
    “We can,” he said and cut off her next protest with a kiss. When she finally stopped struggling and started clinging to him instead, he pulled his lips gently away and began to pepper her face with kisses.
     
    “Think about it, Rebecca. That’s all I ask. I know it’s a lot to take in. I know you probably never suspected it; I took great care to keep my feelings from you, from others. I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m sick of living half a life. I want you. I need you.”
     
    He paused, holding her deliciously close to him. Could she do this? Could she be with him? She knew so little about men, and she knew too little about him to give up so much to be with him.
     
    “We hardly know each other. If you link yourself to me, even for a short time, it will make it harder for you when you find the woman you want to marry.”
     
    Alexander took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to scare you away, but I’m not going to lie to you, or say what I don’t mean and what I don’t feel. Not now, not ever.”
     
    “Okay,” she said tentatively.
     
    “Total honesty, Rebecca. I know there’s a lot of pressure on me to marry, and I’ve never talked about it. The truth is that I never found anyone whom I thought would be strong enough to handle both me and the country. That changed when I began to think of you and appreciate you for the woman you are, and not just the childhood friend of my sister.”
     
    Rebecca barely considered herself a woman, except in age. Her innocent body and heart felt young and easily bruised. However, here was a man telling her, in the span of an hour, that he wanted her in his bed, as his girlfriend, and perhaps as his queen. “It’s too much.”
     
    He nodded as he fingered her pin, the Vallerian crest set in gold and jewels. Alexander hugged her close, his mouth landing near her ear. “I could be an adequate king on my own, Rebecca, but I think I’ll be a better one with you as my queen.”
     
    “I don’t know how to believe you, or if I should believe you.”
     
    “I know,” he said as he dropped a kiss on her temple and pulled back. He lifted her chin so that her gaze met his. She saw truth in his eyes but felt disbelief in her heart.
     
    “I’ll just have to try harder to convince you,” he said.
     
    She dropped her head against his chest and his scent swirled around her. His words were everything that she had ever dreamt of hearing. However, it wasn’t just the man she would be committing to, it would be a life as future queen. Queen!
     
    “I just don’t know. We know so little about each other. I just can’t think right now.”
     
    “We’ll have time to learn each other, Rebecca. I’ll make sure we find some time together again soon. I know we have a lot more to talk about.”
     
    “To say the least.”
     
    Alex smiled softly and kissed her forehead. “For now, why don’t we have some dinner?”
     
    “I’m supposed to eat after what you just said?”
     
    Alexander brushed a finger down her cheek and over her mildly swollen lips. “Just a little. It is our first date, after all.”
     
    Rebecca swallowed. Her first date with the prince. No, she corrected herself; her first date with Alexander. “All right.”
     
    He led her back to the table. He pulled out her chair for her again, only this time he brushed the nape of her neck softly after she sat, before heading to his own chair. After they settled in, Rebecca took a deep breath before picking up her fork and hoped he did not notice the slight trembling in her hand. Never had a first date meant so much before.
     
    “I probably should have asked this earlier,” he said with furrowed brows. “You’re not currently involved with anyone, are you?”
     
    After a pause, Rebecca chuckled which slowly morphed into a full