Alaric led a frightened Rosalind all the way to his chamber, and though her heart beat erratically in her chest, she tried to maintain her composure because staying calm was better than panicking. He seemed unaware of the storm raging inside her as he held her hand and led her forward.
Meanwhile, Rowan followed behind them, keeping a distance as he was meant to watch over Rosalind as her personal footman.
When they reached the chamber and Alaric pushed the door open, Rosalind's heart began to pound even harder, and she wished there was something or anything that could stop this moment.
She still couldn't fully grasp what he wanted from her, yet she knew it wouldn't be good, not when it involved a man like Alaric.
Unfortunately, nothing came to her rescue.
Alaric stepped inside and pulled her in after him, then shut the door in Rowan's face and locked it.
Outside, the footman remained still, his gaze fixed ahead as if nothing had happened.
Rosalind's breath caught as the sound of the lock echoed in her ears, and her throat went dry almost instantly.
[Someone please tell her this isn't what she's thinking]
Rosalind wasn't naive. She knew what happened between a man and a woman in a closed space like this.
Her gaze lifted to meet Alaric's intense blue eyes as he walked away from her, and she watched the way his robe trailed behind him. He stopped beside the bed, then turned back to look at her before slowly reaching for his robe and pulling it off.
Rosalind's eyes widened, and heat rushed to her cheeks at once. So this really was what he intended... At that moment, she wished she could disappear entirely.
"Look here, Rosalind," he commanded.
She shut her eyes immediately. No, she couldn't... She didn't dare... Rosalind could be bold when it came to many things, but not this. Her breath caught as warmth crept over her skin.
Alaric let out a low laugh that somehow sounded pleasant to her ears, and her stomach twisted again but she still refused to look at him.
"Who would have thought you were such a shy rose?" he murmured.
By then, he had shed his robe and gloves, leaving him in a slightly loose shirt and trousers, his ring set aside. His long sexy fingers moved freely now, no longer hidden.
He settled onto the bed and leaned back against the headrest, his eyes returning to Rosalind. She was trembling despite her effort to remain still. Such a stubborn woman, he thought with a faint smirk. He would enjoy seeing her bend.
"Rosalind," Alaric called in a soft and almost coaxing voice, "You can open your eyes now."
She didn't know why she obeyed when she clearly couldn't trust him, yet she did.
Her gaze landed on him sitting on the grand bed, his head resting against the headboard, dressed in a dark shirt and trousers. For a moment, she had feared he would already be naked, and the realization that he wasn't brought a small, fleeting relief. The room was dimly lit, and the lamp beside him cast a soft glow across his face. As he tilted his head and narrowed his blue eyes at her, he looked like a divine immortal, sent to cause havoc.
Her knees weakened at the sight.
"Come, Rosalind," he said after a moment of silence, his voice low as he watched her. "Come and please me."
Her heart leapt to her throat.
Please him?
His gaze now darkened with expectation, as though he wanted her to begin immediately.
Rosalind lowered her head with the thought of buying herself a moment to think. "Your majesty," she said carefully, and when he didn't interrupt, she continued, "I thought you said you wanted to make me happy… that is why I followed you."
Alaric's lips curved slowly. "Really?" he said, almost amused. "But making me happy will make you happy, won't it?"
What nonsense.
Rosalind forced a small smile, even though she hadn't understood his meaning at all.
"I won't ask you again," he said, and this time his voice sharpened, sending a chill down her spine.
She knew she couldn't delay any longer and this was what fate had wanted her to do.
Rosalind forced her legs to move, though they felt heavy beneath her, and with every step she took, the satisfaction on Alaric's face grew. When she finally reached the side of the bed, she paused again in hesitation.
"Sit," he ordered.
She swallowed and obeyed, lowering herself onto the edge of the bed. She kept her gaze turned away, unable to withstand the intensity of his eyes, yet a soft gasp escaped her when he reached out and turned her face back toward him.
"Keep your eyes on me," he said.
Rosalind blinked, her throat tightening as she forced herself to hold his gaze.
"Start seducing me, Rosalind," he added.
Her eyes widened at him, clearly not expecting him to be this direct, and the flush on her cheeks deepened as heat spread down her neck. He tilted his head, watching her reaction like it amused him.
"Or what do you think being a mistress is?" he asked in a low voice. "Wearing fine dresses and eating expensive meals?"
"I didn't ask to be your mistress," Rosalind said, her voice tight.
His eyes gleamed. "And yet here you are," he replied smoothly. "Now that you belong here, you will do what is expected of you."
Rosalind drew in a breath, steadying herself even as her chest rose and fell beneath his gaze. "I'm not ready, Your Majesty," she said, and the moment the words left her lips, she saw the shift in him.
The amusement in his eyes darkened and his grip on her face tightened just enough to make her feel it.
"Did you need to be ready," he said slowly, "to wear what I give you, to eat what I provide, to live under my roof?"
Rosalind tried again, forcing the words out despite the way her pulse raced. "I didn't..."
Anything to delay this damn moment ...
He cut her off by pulling her closer, until her breath brushed against his lips, and her words died instantly.
His other hand rose as the back of his fingers dragged slowly along her cheek, down to her jaw, and the touch made her shiver before she could stop herself.
"Hush… my sweet rose," he murmured, his voice became softer now, though the warning beneath it was clear. "I know what you want to say, and I suggest you don't."
Rosalind swallowed hard as her lips parted slightly. "Your Majesty… you can have any other woman."
"It is you I want," he said immediately, not giving her room to breathe between those words.
His fingers lingered against her skin, tracing slowly as his gaze held hers in place. "I have never seen anyone like you," he continued,"The way you look… the way you speak…" His lips curved faintly. "Tell me why I shouldn't want you."
Her thoughts faltered. Hadn't he said the same thing to the other women? Hadn't they all been wanted like this at some point? Rosalind pressed her lips together, refusing to let herself be drawn in. She just couldn't trust this man called Alaric.
"Your Majesty..."
His gaze sharpened instantly in recognition of what she was doing. She was stalling, hoping to avoid this moment but too bad for her, he had chosen her and she had no other option than to answer to his needs.
His hand slid from her cheek to her jaw, holding her there as he leaned in slightly.
"If I lose my patience tonight, Rosalind," he said quietly, in a tougher voice, "you won't like what I'll do to you."
His threats settled over her heavily and she immediately understood that he was done waiting. He wanted her to just seduce him, but the problem was that Rosalind was inexperienced in all of this.
How was she supposed to seduce him?