Hathor and the Prince by J.J. McAvoy

Author:J.J. McAvoy [McAvoy, J.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2024-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

Wilhelm

This did not happen to me.

Many had tried, many had come close, but no woman had ever made me enjoy rowing a damn boat. And it was not just that I enjoyed rowing it, it was that I now had no wish to stop. I’d carry her out to sea, to new continents, if she wanted. All for a chance to continue seeing her like this: the carefree way she laughed so hard that she snorted, the fierceness of her nature as she chastised me, the scent of her hair carried in the breeze.

Shit.

I could feel it…that quiver in my heart.

But this did not happen to me.

I did not become enamored by women’s smiles and giggles…their breasts, yes. The sensuality of their beauty, of course, but it was always because I desired to see them in my bed. A woman was merely for personal pleasure. Yet here I was, more content than I ever thought possible…due to her silly, loud laugh.

Was this what other men were thinking when they brought women out onto the water, or shared a picnic in the park? If so I finally understood them, but I understood myself less. It was unsettling how fast these feelings came without warning. She was right. I would have left if I did not like her.

But I liked her. I liked how she showed me no pity; it made me more comfortable by her side. I had not a clue what I was supposed to do now.

By the time we finally reached the dock, a servant was already waiting to assist us. When he reached out for her, I quickly stood to help her first. Again, she looked at me. Those amber eyes of hers were worse than Medusa’s, for I did not turn to stone, but water.

“Thank you,” she said gently, and I wanted to hold on to her longer…closer.

I wanted her not just for a night or a season, but for—forever? Was that truly it? Forever? So, marriage? But marriage was so…permanent. How did I know these feelings would not pass? What if one day, years from now, I woke up and realized I did not wish to be married to her any longer? Or worse…what if she realized her whole life had been ruined because she was married to me? What if all I could ever give her were sad stories?

I did not desire that, and I did not wish her to suffer it.

“Are you coming?” she called back to me, waiting.

“Yes,” I said, stepping out myself, feeling the need to stretch my arms. But since she watched me, unflinching, I could not bring myself to do so. I placed my hands behind my back.

She looked me over carefully and grinned. “Your arms hurt, don’t they?”

“No, why would they?” I lied. She just shook her head at me. “They really do not hurt. I am fine.”

“Thou doth protest too much, methinks,” she chuckled as we walked back.

“O, but she’ll keep her word.”

She looked at me strangely. “What?”

“I thought we were reciting Hamlet now.

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