Chapter Forty-Six

I opened my eyes and saw Aidan sitting on the bed next to me. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Sorry I must've fallen asleep." I said with a yawn.

"No need to apologize, you've been working hard Ari."

"Not as hard as you." I said as I looked down.

"This is the nature of my role, there's no need to feel guilty that your schedule isn't the same."

"I-I should be helping but instead I'm just buying drapes and chandeliers."

"Not just," Aidan says as he pulls me to him, "you're making our home beautiful. Not just our home but our palace - a place our key business partners, royal dignitaries, and other important guests will all visit and be inspired by."

I groaned. "I hope I made the right choices then."

"I'm sure you did." Aidan said and held my hand.

"Oh." I say and look up at him. "I-I didn't talk to the merchant about the china, or-or a new rug or table runner - I need paper for this." I said and sprung out of bed. I grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill with ink on it. I wrote down china, rug, and table runner when I felt Aidan behind me.

"This couldn't wait?" He asked.

"If I didn't write it down, I'd forget." I said.

"Then write something else down for me."

"Wh-what is it?" I ask and look back at him. "What did I miss?"

"Just the most important thing." He took the quill from me and set it down. "Satisfying your husband."

"It-it's only the afternoon."

"I missed you." He said and pulled me to him. "We didn't get to have as much fun last night as I wanted." He said and kissed me. "I want you now."

"I-I should make you wait." I say timidly.

He smirked as he picked me up. With one arm he held me upright and with the other he pulled at my leg so I wrapped them around him. He took me to the bed and set me down.

"You can try." He laid me down on the bed and looked down at me with lust. He moved the hair from my face and traced my collarbone with his index finger.

"But you're all mine now." He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off over his head. "Whenever I want." He sounded a bit possessive.

"If-if I allow it." I said and sat up.

He let out a moan as he leaned down and kissed my hand.

"Yes I want you to want me too." He grinned as he reached behind me to untie my dress.

"D-don't untie it."

"You know I don't like these clothes on you. I want to see you, feel you." He says and unties it. "I think...you're testing me." He pulls the top of my dress down so my chest is showing. He unties his pants, takes them off and throws them aside.

"You're gorgeous...now let's take this off." He says. I help him take my dress and undergarment off. He climbs on top of me and bends down to kiss me. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"The beach wasn't enough?" I asked.

He chuckled and started placing kisses all over me. "Not in the slightest."

The days quickly turned into weeks at the palace - I kept myself busy continuing to pick out decorations for the guest rooms, the chapel, and the outside patio. Now that the rainy season was starting to subside, we would be hosting people in the ballroom and opening up the doors to the patio to see the beautiful garden.

Aidan tried to convince me to have the garden redone to my liking as well - but I loved it just the way he had planned it for me.

A month after I had ordered everything for the ballroom it had finally all arrived. The chairs were taken away to be reupholstered while the floors were ripped out and replaced. After that dust fiasco the fireplace was retiled, the chandeliers were replaced, new curtains were hung, new paintings were hung, a new rug was put in, and finally the newly stained table and chairs were brought in to finish the look.

It was all in the nick of time, the day after the renovations were completed we were to be hosting our first formal event at the palace. I had the servants break out the new china and silverware for the special occasion.

"It's about time we get to celebrate." I hear and turn around.

"Aidan." I say and smile. "Yes, it's about time we celebrate the peace treaty. You got back so late last night I didn't get to ask you how your trip to the border went."

"That's not what I want to talk about." He said and walked up to me.

"Th-then what do you want to talk about?" I asked.