When the next day had come and gone, and, despite his parting promise to see me soon, I had yet to talk with him, I pulled my ear the first moment I caught his eye at dinner. He had nodded and discretely tugged his back before turning back to his conversation with Kriss.

After we finish eating, Kriss and I head to the library—the public one, not the one Maxon showed me last week. We bunker down in the padded chairs, ready for a night of research and planning. I'm so engrossed in the book on Italian wines, I don't hear the door open, nor do I hear someone behind us until he opens his moth.

"What are you ladies still doing up?"

Kriss and I jump in our seats. I grab my chest, smiling over my shoulder as my heart slows back to normal. Maxon winks at me and I feel my stomach flips.

"There's just so much work to be done," Kriss giggles, twirling her hair. I want to roll my eyes at the blatant, desperate flirting.

"Yes, but if your half asleep, it will take twice as long," Maxon reasons. "You might as well get enough sleep and save yourself for tomorrow, instead of pushing through another two or three hours, and being less alert in the morning."

"I suppose you're right," Kriss sighs, sticking out her bottom lip like a mile and fluttering her eye lashes. "But even thinking about cleaning this all up makes my head hurt."

"I'm sure the maids won't mind you leaving it out."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to inconvenience them."

"I'm absolutely positive your work won't be in anyone's way."

We shut our books and nearly hop out of the seats, eager to get to a bed.

"Allow me to accompany you two to your rooms," Maxon holds out each arm and we both take one. I watch as Kriss wraps herself around it. I know that Kriss is not that bad, really I do, but I can't stand being near her with Maxon in the room.

Kriss keeps the conversation centered on her, purposefully not letting me talk. I wonder what she thinks she has accomplished when, by the time we got to her room, she has a wide smirk on her face.

"Goodnight, Lady Kriss," Maxon nearly cuts her off after a good minute of her continued rabble after we had already reached her door.

She glances back at the door and then to Maxon, "Why don't we drop America off and than we can come back and enjoy some dessert. I can send for my maids—"

"But we're already at your room, Kriss," I interrupt with a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Lady America is right, you two need to sleep."

Kriss looks between us before huffing in unsatisfied defeat and turning on her heel into her room. It's not difficult to see that Maxon's second favorite is Kriss. I can't help but feel thankful that the position isn't reversed. I don't know what I would do if I had to watch Maxon chose someone else over me. I nearly shudder at the thought.

"Are you cold, America?"

"If I said that I was would you warm me up?" I glance up at him with what I hoped was a seductive smile.

Maxon visibly gulps and I feel a warmth bloom between my legs. He tugs my arm and we start the short walk to my rooms.

"You need sleep, my darling," his voice has dropped just a hint.

"It can wait."

We turn the corner and I stumble slightly. Aspen stood outside my door.

"America?" Maxon catches me immediately, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I can feel Aspen's eyes on us, but I pointedly ignore him. "I'm fine," I give him a smile that makes it look like the whole fall was a ploy to get into his arms. He rolls his eyes at me and laughs lightly. His laugh sends an unexpected jolt of pleasure thru me. I grab one of his hands and pull him into my room, never glancing at the guard.

The door shuts and Maxon drops a kiss to my hand. "Now that you've got me alone, what are you going to do with me?" His eyes are filled with a fire that I had never seen before. It takes my breath away and for a moment I'm thankful it was too dark to see this in the closet, because it had already been so hard to breathe and I surely would have asphyxiated.

His mouth had not yet left my hand. He was leaving hot, wet kisses over the entirety of the back of it, gently sucking and biting the skin there like he had to my neck. Maxon turns my hand, his lips never leaving, to lave the pulse he found on my wrist with the tip of his tongue. Goosebumps spring up all over my body, and I ponder the new feeling of them on my cheeks.

I'm putty in his arms, a slave to the feelings he's ignited in me, and he's only touched my hand. My mind is on hyperdrive. Recently I can barely smell him without becoming overwhelmed, and now with touch, smell, and sight, I don't stand a chance.

His fingers slowly trail up my bare arms, tracing light designs and patterns as he goes. Then he grabs both my wrists and guides my arms over his shoulders. My body presses flat against his, soft curves against hard muscle. I tuck my head into his neck and we hold each other for a moment. The long hours of work catch up to me and suddenly I'm exhausted.

"Sleep?" Maxon guesses, smug that he had been right.

"Not yet. Just lay with me for a while," I reply quietly.

"As you wish," Maxon whispers before lifting me up and carrying me to the bed.

"I'm supposed to call my maids when I'm ready," I protest as he slips off my shoes for me and then pulls back the blankets.

"Later," Maxon sits against the bed frame and I mold to his side, my head on his chest. "How's the planning going?"

"Fine, it's getting easier."

"And you and Kriss?"

"Fine," I glance up at him suspiciously. "As long as she doesn't mention you."

He chuckles. "You have nothing to worry about, America. I'm already yours."

I lean up to kiss him, but pull back before it gets too heated. "And I'm yours." My heart rejoices in the truth of that statement, there is nothing left to hold me back. Even my reservations about becoming queen seem trivial when I'm in his arms.

Maxon's head falls back against the headboard and his eyes close for a second. "You don't know what that means to me."

"What do you mean?"

He sighs. "I was so scared that this would end up being a hoax. That I wouldn't be able to find someone that I could truly connect with, someone that I wanted to be my wife. And I do want you, America. To be my wife," he clarifies as if there was a need.

"I want that to," I whisper, admitting it out loud for the first time.

Suddenly Maxon flips us and I end up underneath him with his arms caging my head. He lowers his mouth to mine and before I know it, we are caught up in each other again. Maxon's hands are everywhere again and I wonder if I'll ever get used to it. This amazing new feeling of kissing Maxon Schreave.

I sit up, pushing his coat off roughly and then returning my fingers to the tangles of his hair. Hands move up my legs to my thighs, dragging the dress with them. My head swims at the touch so close to that place he had touched before. I want that feeling, need it.

But then he moves his hands away. "Not tonight. You need your sleep," he sits back up and pulls me under his arm again. "This is a big deal, meeting our allies for the first time. You'll need to impress both, not just the Italians."

"What do you mean?" I ask, still breathless from the actions that had unfortunately been stopped.

"It's not imperative, of course, that both the Germans and the Italians approve of my choice, but my allies will become yours once we are married. And I want them to adore you as much as I do."

I smile at his need to compliment me every other sentence. It's nice, dream-like. Every little girl dreams of a prince to come and sweep her off her feet, and somehow I ended up with my own. I press a kiss to where my head rests on his chest.

"How do I impress the Germans if Celeste, Elise and Natalie are hosting? I don't want it to seem as though I'm taking over or stepping into their place. Plus, I know nothing of German culture, and with our project. . ."

"You're right," Maxon concedes. "But what if helped?"

"Helped how?"

"I could teach you the basics of the language. You already know three languages right?"

I look up at him skeptically, "how do you know that?" I don't remember telling him.

He smirked, "I have a copy of your registration papers."

"You mean my resume sheet for the job opening of wife and queen?"

Maxon laughed before playing along. "Yes, but the resume gets you in the door. The interview gets you the job."

"And what does this interview consist of?" I ask.

"Well, I'll need to examine your qualifications, test your skills, reveal your true personality, and receive a sample of your attributes."

"My attributes?" I fake suspicion. "How, sir, could you possibly hope to sample those?"

"You'll see soon enough," Maxon smirks again and I can see the playful, stress-free side of the prince come out. This will be fun. "Shall we start your interview, Ms. Singer?"

"Of course, Mr. Schreave."

"Well take a seat," Maxon easily lifts me from the bed and places me on his lap with only a little help from me as I situate my legs on either side of him. "We'll begin with qualifications. Have you any experience in running a country?"

"Outside of Silvia's classes?"

"Yes."

"No."

Maxon hums disapprovingly. "And what about the wife portion? Ever been a wife before?"

I manage to look solemn as I respond, "No."

"Interesting," Maxon deadpans. "Lets move on to skills, shall we?"

"Very well, Sir."

"First off, do you have anything you'd like to declare, anything at all? No skills useless in my line of work."

"I sing and play many instruments," I offer.

"I stand corrected, nearly no skills are useless—"I a sound of protest and offense—"Moving on. The Next category is personality, surely you can't fail this one as well."

"You jerk!" I exclaim and hit his chest lightly.

"Resorts to violence when challenged. Not a good trait to have in the workplace."

"Maxon!" I laugh. "You're impossible!"

"And a failure to maintain professionalism. One might think, Ms. Singer, that you are failing this interview on purpose."

"One might think my—"

"Language, Ms Singer!"

"You can't be—"

"Our final category is attributions," he talks over me. "What do you think you can bring to the marriage that no one else can?"

That's it. I jump forward and crash my lips into his. I thrust my tongue into his mouth, taking deep tastes of his mouth and tangling with his own. When I pull back I gently nibble on his bottom lip.

A rush of air leaves him and his eyes are hazy and unfocused. "My secretary will be in touch shortly."

I can't help the giggle that leaves me as I watch him fight off the daze. I can't believe this man is mine. When his eyes refocus there is an emotion so intense it stops my heart. The world freezes and there is only the two of us.

His hands come to support my head and my waist as he carefully rolls us. Maxon gently lowers my head, even though it is in no danger from the soft mattress. Somehow, he looks even more fervid when his eyes shine threw the dimmed light from above me instead of across from me.

He brings down his mouth to mine and it's the most passionate kiss I have ever experienced, and there is not a hint of lust in it.

"Tomorrow night, we'll start the German."

"Not tonight?" I ask breathlessly.

"No," is all he says before resuming our intimate kiss.