Chapter 42 - I Do

Lilith swallowed and her hands weakly gripped at her dress, balling it up. Her breath caught in her throat and she struggled to take in air. Everything became shallow.

"What are you doing?" she finally whispered after a couple of seconds.

"Being honest." His tone was serious and yet he sounded so uncertain.

He was being honest. With her. How did that make any sense, she told him to be honest with the woman that had his heart, not with her. What was he trying to get at? What was him being honest had to do with him asking her if she liked him? The dots really were not connecting.

"Lilith..." he leaned down a bit closer as if trying to steal every last breath from her lungs.

"Your Majesty," She sucked in a breath. Oh. Shit. No way. "Do you like *me*?"

Raymond did. He so did. The question made his heart skip a beat and that was all he needed for his feelings to become clear. Lilith was the one he wanted to be with. She was the one who made him happy, who prevented him from giving up everything and running away. She calmed down his mind and made him smile. Lilith was the first person to like him for who he was.

"I do."

Lilith was gorgeous, kind, and smart. She had the most mesmerizing eyes that could stop his heart if he stared into them for too long. The way she spoke and carried himself was unlike anyone he had ever interacted with and it was refreshing. She was perfect to be Queen. She was perfect for him.

"N- no. No." Lilith shook her head a little too hard. "You can't have feelings for me, Your Majesty."

"But I do. Do you like me, Lilith?"

How many times had Raymond asked her that question? She was sure that if he did again her heart would explode. Was this really happening? Was he actually, in all seriousness, telling her that she was the one he wanted?

"I cannot."

The King took in a small breath and it seemed to be the cause of all the air exiting her lungs. Lilith's brain was positively fried. Everything was hot. Her head, her stomach, her face, her heart. There was no room to breathe with how close Raymond was.

Raymond could very well see the redness on Lilith's face. She would glance down and then back up into his eyes, undecided as to where to look. Her hands were running over and gripping the fabric of her dress. She was nervous. Everything in Raymond wanted her to be nervous for all the right reasons. He could feel it in his soul. He had hit the nail on the head.

"Lilith," Raymond murmured, "You have feelings for me... don't you?"

A shiver went down Lilith's spine and goosebumps broke out on her skin. He took a step closer and held her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles as he waited for her to answer.

"I... I can't Your Majesty. It's wrong." she said.

"That's not what I asked you." he gripped her hand. "So let me ask you again. Do you like me?"

Lilith was absolutely mesmerized by Raymond's dark eyes. It was like they stared into her soul pulling out all the secrets he wanted. He already knew. He just wanted to hear her say it.

"I do. I do like you," Lilith said slowly.

Raymond's heart squeezed. A small laugh bubbled up in his chest and he smiled down at her. The first and only time he would confess his feelings.

The smile on Raymond's face had Lilith's own grow across hers. It was the widest smile she had ever seen on him and it was nothing short of beautiful. This was bad. Lilith wished she had not seen it. It was bad she was getting herself involved in this kind of thing. She wanted to say no to him and push the smile out of her head. But there was a voice telling her that it would be alright. How long could her relationship with a King last anyway?

Raymond had never kissed anyone before, but the urge to feel Lilith's lips against his was so overwhelming that he just went for it. His hand found its way to her face and that sudden move had Lilith melting into him. Raymond's movements were slow but powerful and when they finally kissed, it was like everything they ever worried about became nonexistent. All the questions they had were answered. Any doubt about the moment dissolved with that simple action. It was just a kiss, but God, it was so much more.

Lilith sighed into Raymond's mouth and she weakly held onto his shirt, leaning herself into him. She had to stretch on her toes in order to get the perfect angle as Raymond's arm wound around her waist, pulling closer to him. Something like this was new to them but instinct took over and their lips began to move more smoothly together.

Her arms found their way around his neck as the kiss gained passion. Heat exploded in Raymond's stomach and it coiled deliciously down to his gut. The feel of Lilith's body against his was taking his mind to places he never knew. It was unfamiliar but not unwelcome. His mouth moved rougher against hers and Lilith seemed more than complacent with his advances.

"Your Majesty," Raymond had kissed her absolutely breathless and she took deep breaths in order to bring herself back down to earth.

The way Lilith said that had the words traveling past his mouth and down into his groin. They had pulled away but Raymond's hand was still on her face and their lips brushed against each other. Their gazes seemed to be stuck and Lilith feared that she would wake up if she looked away. This was a moment she wanted to engrain in her memory forever.

"But even with how magical this moment is... the thing we have can never work. You are a King and I am a servant. We would never be allowed to be something more." Lilith whispered her thoughts.

"I don't care," he murmured back, his eyes flickering to her lips and then back to her eyes. "I will have my way. I will have you."

Raymond knew how big of a problem he and Lilith would be. Marrying her would be near impossible. And if he were to marry another woman then he would never be able to leave her. It was times like these that he wished he and Lilith ran away before the coronation. He wished he was selfish.

Lilith bit her lip to contain the smile that threatened to burst. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"What do you mean?" He tilted his head and looked at her. With the way he was looking at her, Lilith felt like the only person in the world. His thumb gently brushed against her cheek as he waited for her to speak.

"The attempt to find you a wife and all that."

He shook his head. "That can be easily taken care of. I will stop the search and announce that I found myself a Queen. No one will know who you are."

Lilith blinked slowly. Queen?! She shook her head. "This is a bit too fast for my taste. And it should be for you as well. Just because you like me does not mean that we can just get married. Relationships are much more than just feelings."

"Out of everyone. I want to marry you."

"Your feelings may change over time. Don't be hasty and jump into something you might regret. And besides, I am nowhere near ready to be the Queen of anything. I don't have the brain to do something like that."

Raymond disagreed. "You are a lot smarter than you say and if you do become my Queen then I'll be right there to help you. You are the first woman to be able to sway my heart. You are greater than you know."

"Really, swaying your heart is what makes me so great?" She raised an eyebrow.

Raymond shook his head and smiled, kissing her again, letting his lips linger on hers for a couple more seconds. "I'll make sure that we can get what we want. I promise."

Lilith hated that he said that. She hated that she actually expected it to happen.