The morning bled into the afternoon and the remnants of the breakfast Mateo made was half eaten on the bedside table. He and Maia nibbled on fruit, bacon and eggs between their insatiable love making. Mateo nuzzled his face in Maia's curls and sighed. He'd never been with someone who satisfied him like this. It was why he had so many affairs and even when he was with Saskia, he wasn't truly happy with her.
Thinking back, he made himself believe he was in love because he was ready to settle down and she was just...good enough. Maybe if he wasn't so preoccupied with the idea of falling in love like the stories Maia weaved, he would've seen that Saskia wasn't who she claimed to be or loved him at all.
And he never thought he'd be so lucky to meet the author who stole his heart from that first book Eline made him read on a whim, nor did he think a woman like Maia would ever want to be with a man like him, but she did.
Mateo pressed a kiss to Maia's head.
And it felt so good to be loved by her.
"We can't stay in bed like this," Maia murmured, kissing his neck as she snuggled closer to him.
"Why not?" he said, sliding his hand over her hip. "I'm enjoying this."
"I am too, but if we keep lying here like this, I'm going to want you again and then we'll end up fucking all day," she said, looking up at him as she caressed his cheek. "I want to enjoy being a somewhat normal couple today before we have to go fight for your crown."
"I'd like that too," he said, sliding his hand over hers. "But we can still be a somewhat normal couple in Oost den Burg too, you know."
"Can we?" Maia raised an eyebrow and laughed. "I doubt you'll be cooking for me everyday and I'm assuming we'll have far more eyes on us in your country than the few paparazzi hanging around here."
"Yes, there will definitely be more eyes on us, but I'll still cook for you," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "And take you on dates." He kissed her cheek and dragged his lips along her jaw. "And love every inch of you," he whispered, against her neck and grinned as a soft moan escaped her lips.
"Don't do that, lekker ding," Maia said, slapping his shoulder as she pulled away from him. "You know that's my spot and I want to take you out today."
"Okay, okay." Mateo laughed, catching her hand as he pulled her back to him. "I'll stop for now," he said, curling his fingers in her tousled mane of curls. "But I'm serious, we can still be like this. It's not all about fighting for the crown. I'm fighting for you too."
"You don't need to," Maia said and the tenderness swirling in her brown eyes made his heart thump as she placed a soft kiss against his lips. "You already have me."
"I do," he whispered, sliding his hand down her side and cupping the curve of her ass. "But I want to keep you too."
"I'd like that," she said, dragging her tongue across his lips as she slid her leg over his hips. "One more time and then we're getting up."
"Whatever you say, liefje," he murmured against her lips as he slipped himself in her slick cove and relished in the sound of the sensuous moans she purred against his mouth.
It was late afternoon by the time they finally got out of bed and emerged from Maia's home to spend what was left of the day in the city. They ate a decadent dinner at Maia's favorite fondue restaurant, Het Karbeel, and now they were strolling down a street of row houses and boutiques with displays of handmade crafts and art pieces.
Mateo looked down at Maia's bouncy curls framing her face and the smile tugging at her mauve lacquered lips. He brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss against her skin. "You look beautiful."
Maia giggled, looking up at him with her eyes full of amusement. "Are you going to say that every time I put clothes and a bit of makeup on, now?"
"Yes." He grinned, leaning down to her ear. "But I prefer saying it when you're naked."
"Yes, I know," she said, curling her arm around his. "That's why it took us so long to leave the house, ya fiend."
Mateo raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't all me and you know it."
"Shut up," she said, laughing as she nudged his side. "It was mostly you."
"Mm-hm, whatever makes you feel better," he murmured. "And where are you taking me now, liefje?"
"We're going to a show and Demetri's leaving party at the art gallery where I used to work."
"That sounds nice. So, I get to meet more of your friends?"
"Yes," she said, smiling up at him. "You said you wanted to see my world."
"I do and you said it wasn't so different from mine, but your secret room is the only evidence I've seen of that."
Her smile grew brighter. "That's because, unlike you, I've reigned in my public escapades years ago. Now I mostly keep them confined to my room and my friends respect that about me."
"That's good." He nodded. "They sound like mine, but just in case, should I warn Willem that we might be caught in a scandal tonight?"
"No, there'll be no scandals tonight. Demetri doesn't stand for that shit at his parties," she said, shaking her head. "He's got a reputation to keep intact too. The most scandalous thing we'll do is be late getting on the plane tomorrow."
"Ah," Mateo said, tugging his phone from his pocket. "Our guards are used to that, but I'll keep them on alert anyway."
"Yeah, it's always better to be safe than sorry."
"Too right, liefje," he said, sending a message to Willem before he tucked his phone back in his pocket and grinned. "I'm excited to see your world, mijn prinses."
And Maia's world was filled with an eccentric mix of free spirited creatives who were happy to welcome him into their group without a care for his royal status or his smutty past. They were just overjoyed that Maia was happy and she'd finally moved on from Sven.
Everyone except for her friend, Noa, who was skeptical about their engagement and wasn't shy about making her feelings known. Mateo stood by the bar in the private lounge above the art gallery below and eyed Maia and the tall, pixie haired brunette speaking in hushed heated tones in the corner of the room.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Demetri said, sliding up next to him with a drink in hand. "This is a pretty mild party, but I didn't want it to be too extra before we left in the morning and I'm so glad you and Maia came."
"Yeah, I'm glad to be here. You're an interesting bunch," Mateo said, keeping his eyes on Maia and Noa. "But should I be worried about them? Maia's never mentioned Noa and it doesn't look like that conversation is about anything good."
"Mm, probably not," Demetri said, shaking his head. "Before Maia got with Sven, she was with Noa and Noa wanted more than Maia was ready for at the time. I'll let her fill you in on the particulars of their relationship, but now that Maia's engaged to you, I'm sure Noa's not too happy she's taking that step with you instead of her."
"Ah, I see." Mateo nodded. "Then it's probably best if I don't go over there and save her from that talk."
"No, you shouldn't," Demetri said, taking a drink from his glass. "Our Maia can handle herself and she's used to Noa having something to say about her relationships. This isn't new." He nudged Mateo's arm. "But I'm curious, did you go to that shop I told you about?"
Mateo grinned, tearing his eyes away from Maia. "I did."
"And from that look on your face, I'm assuming you found some nice things for our lady?"
"Mm-hm. I'm going to surprise her with them when we get to my home," he said, tapping his glass to Demetri's. "Thank you for suggesting that place."
"You're welcome. Always happy to help you sweep Maia off her feet," he said, smiling. "She deserves that."
"What do I deserve?" Maia said, walking up to them as she thread her fingers through Mateo's. "What bullshit is Dem gossiping about?"
"I'm not gossiping." Demetri scoffed. "And I was just telling Hendrik that you deserve someone like him."
"Yeah," Maia said, looking across the room at Noa glaring daggers at her. "Not everyone feels that way."
"The people that matter do. Don't let Noa get to you," Demetri smirked. "You know how she is. She's not happy unless you're single or with her."
"I know, I just wish she could be happy being my friend." Maia sighed, looking up at Mateo. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't think she'd be here tonight."
"It's alright as long as you're okay," he said, kissing her head. "Demetri told me a little bit about your history."
"Of course he did because he's a gossip," she said, cutting her gaze to Demetri who shrugged his shoulders. "I should've mentioned her to you before, but we haven't been together in years. I didn't think she'd have much to say about us."
"It's okay, liefje. I'm not bothered by it. You don't need to tell me every detail of your past relationships," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. "All I care about is keeping you happy in ours."
"Mm, that's sexy and not gonna lie, it's turning me on," Demetri said, leaning into them. "At some point we need to talk about the parameters of our relationship while I'm working for you because I'd love to have you both."
A blushed burned over Mateo's cheeks as he choked out a laugh. "I'm sure we can talk about that, if Maia wants to."
"I'm open to that," Maia said, poking her finger into Demetri's chest. "But I want Mateo all to myself for a little while before we invite anyone else into our relationship."
"Of course," Demetri said, chuckling softly. "You just let me know if and when you're ready."
"We will," Maia said, turning her gaze to Mateo and his dick twitched at the sultry look in her brown eyes. "I wouldn't mind getting out of here, if you've had enough."
"I'm in your hands tonight, mijn prinses," he said, curling his fingers round her chin. "I'm happy to go wherever the night takes us."
"I bet you are," Demetri murmured under his breath before he clasped his hands on their shoulders. "Get out of here before I demand we have that talk now with your sultry asses," he said, kissing Maia on the cheek. "Thank you for coming and I'll see you both in the morning."
"Alright. Be good, Dem," Maia said, giving him a hug.
"Enjoy the rest of your night," Mateo said, wrapping his arm around Maia's waist as he guided her to the entrance of the lounge. Before they left through the tinted glass doors, Noa wrapped her hand around Mateo's arm to stop them.
"Noa, please." Maia sighed. "Give it a rest. I have nothing else to say to you."
"That's fine, Maia. What I have to say isn't for you," Noa said, keeping her steely gaze on Mateo. "Everyone else might think you're good enough for her, but I don't. You're no different from that other fuck, using Maia for your own gain, but I'll be here to pick up the pieces when she's given you everything and you've left her with nothing." She released her vice like grip on his arm. "Enjoy your night."
"Come on," Maia huffed, tugging on his arm as she pushed through the doors. "I'm so sorry Noa said that to you," she said as they walked down the stairs to the entrance of the dimly lit gallery. "It was out of line and she shouldn't have done that."
"No, she's right," Mateo said, slipping his arm around Maia's waist to stop her pursuit through the closed gallery and turning her to him.
Maia frowned. "What do you mean? You're not using me."
"No I'm not, but she has every right to think that I am," he said, sliding his hand to her cheek. "And I want you to know that no matter what happens between us, I'll always take care of you. I'll never leave you with nothing."
"I never thought you would." A smile tugged at Maia's lips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I don't care what Noa says. You're good enough for me and I know you care more about me than your image as a prince or a king," she said, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I love you, Mateo."
"I love you too, Maia," he whispered against her lips as he tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her close. "I promise I'll never leave you broken."
"I promise too," she murmured. "Because I don't want to leave you," she whispered, slipping her tongue in his mouth and Mateo drowned in her embrace and her sweet confession in the middle of the empty gallery oblivious to the sound of the faint camera clicks outside the windows.
A/N: I love them together 🥰 I'm not mad at Noa for saying what she said to Mateo due to Maia's past but she didn't have to come at Mateo like that. Also, damn, Maia what do you do to your exes that they act like this when you're with someone else? I mean I think Mateo is already in that camp of never letter her go, but goodness! I also love that Demetri isn't being shy about wanting to have them both, but he gon have to wait a minute 🤣