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A Photographer's Dilemma (Traveler and I)

Adela nodded her head, "And if I am not working a charity for children then I can be found at the museum helping the curator with is latest collection."

Michael chipped in, "Or hiking somewhere she shouldn't be."

"Or reading a book from front to back." Andrew added.

"Or just generally getting into trouble." Came from Oliver.

Adela smiled at her brothers, "Thank you." She forced out and shook her head. "I am glad to hear you are a one man woman. I wasn't afraid of an issue like that though. Our contract has a no cheating clause. I know you're a stickler for contracts." She winked at Adin and smiled at him.

She watched him leave and stood up to leave as well. She kissed her family good bye and left the dining room. She smiled at Clarissa, absentmindedly measured her up. She was a good choice for Adin. She seemed very business like a real go getter. Someone Adela could trust to be by Adin's side when she couldn't be. "And I can't wait to see him." She smiled at the woman and took the schedule.

She walked to the garage and took one of the fancy cars and sped off to Amelia's. She picked her friend up and they went tot he spa. They gushed like girls over the engagement ring. They talked wedding plans and then they talked about Adin because she hadn't met him yet. She had a couple drinks to loosen up but she didn't get dunk. She didn't even get tipsy.

When she got on the helicopter to go to Adin she was sober enough to remember he handed her a letter before breakfast. She looked in he purse and she read over it during the helicopter ride. She checked her phone to send him a text but she saw an email and it matched the letter so she just replied to that.

Adin,

I never thought of the psychological side of our relationship. So we are both looking at this in new ways. I believe twenty-five to thirty hours will be nice. It sounds like a lot but when you think about it if you visit me, or I visit you, for four hours every day we will be in that time range.

I don't know about you but I feel like we should have a dog before we have any children. We should have children but only when we are completely ready to devote the time to being parents. And when the children are old enough we can add more pets to our family.

As for absolutes, I think the obvious one would have to be infidelity. We are not going into this marriage as a loving couple. It would be easy for one of us to find someone appealing. I trust that if this happens we will think of the other person. It will never be my intention to hurt you mentally, physically or emotionally.

That being said there is something I must tell you. I did fall in love with someone once. He was a kind free spirit and everything I believe I want in a future husband. I fell in love knowing I could never have him and now we both live with the burden of immense feelings for each other but never being able to act on them. Out of respect for you I tell you this. Out of respect for you I gave him up. And out of respect for you I will never act on the feelings I have for that man. I will not tell you his name so do not ask.

I only hope you can be as honest with me as I have been with you. I didn't intend for you to find out this way. I didn't even know if I would tell you but I feel better after doing so.

I'm looking forward to lunch.
See you soon,
Adela
 
There had been something completely charming about the way the royal 'children' teased each other, and Adin wondered what it would be like to be a father to such a group. He found himself warming to the idea of a large family. Obviously Adela liked children. He had absolute faith that he could encourage her towards that end.

He was getting ready to be driven to lunch to meet his fiancee when the email alert came in. With a smile he read her letter, then he frowned slightly when she mentioned a dog. Surely she can be reasoned with. Then came her confession, which made him pause. She was giving up a lot for this, wasn't she? But... he did admire her honesty. Perhaps there was much more to this princess than met the eye, which was saying a lot. She was beginning to be quite interesting, though he knew that there would be a few details to iron out with her.

Clarissa was busy making notes across from him in the limo. She was punctual and predictable, something that he liked. She was also easy to be around. Would Adela be the same? He frowned and reread her email. They would have a lot to talk about.

Lunch was going to be held at a lovely bayside restaurant. There were plenty of windows and someone had alerted the press, so a throng was waiting for them at the entrance. As Adin and Clarissa climbed out of the limo pictures were being taken and reporters were asking them questions.

"Is this your fiancee?"
"What about the rumors of Princess Adela?"
"Is this your mistress?"

"Please!" He held up a hand and waited for the voices to quiet. "This is my personal assistant, not my fiancee."

Clarissa blushed and held her notepad over her face, embarrassed by the attention. Adin leaned over and whispered something to her and she nodded before going inside to see if the princess had yet arrived.

"If you would like we will be pleased to stand and offer a few pictures to the media, bu then I respectfully ask that you allow us a quiet luncheon. Time is precious, good sirs and ladies. As you may surmise our busy schedules do not allow us much time for getting to know each other." He smiled charmingly and began engaging some of the photogs and reporters he knew in small talk as he waited for his PA to let him know if he should continue to wait for Adela or go inside.
 
The helicopter ride was a short up and down. She was up int he air long enough to the email and post a few pictures to Instagram and then she was back on the ground. From there she was escorted to a private car that was waiting to take her to the restaurant. She wasn't a limo person, they were too big and she felt lonely when she was rode them by herself. It took maybe a half hour to get into town from the airstrip she landed on. She waited for the driver to get out of the car. She took his proffered hand and got out of the car. She smiled for the cameras and walked over to her darling fiancee. She gave his a kiss on the cheek, "I hope you weren't waiting long." Which he wasn't because moments before Clarissa came out and told him she would be arriving soon.

The poses for the camera were simple and sweet. She put her ring hand on his chest to show off the ring. Sometimes she smiled at the camera, sometimes she looked up at Adin adoringly. Then came the questions; when did they meet, how did they meet, where would they get married and where would they get married. Adela shook her head, "The less you guys knows about my relationship and wedding the better. The last thing I need is you on my tail everywhere I go." She teased.

"You know how this works. There will be a formal announcement as soon as we pick a date." She took Adin's hand and walked with him into the restaurant. They were taken to their table that had a gorgeous view of the surrounding bay.

They still had to act like the in love and charming couple that they were inside but now it could be a little toned down. She held his hand above the table but she wasn't giving him the big googely eyes anymore. "How was your meeting?" She asked looking over the menu but she would mot likely end up getting a chicken caesar salad.
 
She worked the crowd like a pro, giving Adin more reason to admire her. He followed her inside and nodded to Clarissa before pulling a chair out for his fiancee. His assistant would find a place to stay close but out of the way; she was good at that.

"My meeting went well," he answered, giving her hand a light squeeze before letting go. "What about your day? Did you completely buy out the toy store for the orphans?" He smiled at her and when the waiter arrived he asked Aletha if she would like some wine with their lunch.

He ordered lean chicken breast, quinoa and steamed vegetables for his lunch. After their meals were delivered he brought out her earlier email and unfolded it. "I've been giving this a lot of thought. Let's see... 'What do I like to do?'" Adin smiled. "You mean, what do I like to do during my free time? I don't have much of that any longer." He took a sip of wine.

"I enjoy exercising. All kinds - the endorphins are nice. I... like to sail." He tilted his head. "What about you, Adela? What do you enjoy doing with your free time?"
 
"Oh shoot the orphans." Adela frowned. She completely forgot. Clarissa and a way of making her forget things. "I can do it when I get back. Problem solved." She smiled at Adin and ordered the same thing he did but with out the quinoa. "Other than my day went pretty well. Clarissa can't wait to meet you. I just don't now how well you two will get along." If she Adela didn't like Adin's straight-laced ways then Clarissa definitely wouldn't.

"Endorphins." She had something naughty to say but she held it in because the waiter came back to refill her water. "Oh we should take out one of the boats sometime. A nice day on the sea. Actually that might be really nice for this Saturday. We can get my friends together and go sailing. I don't think it would be considered sailing at that point though, we would be on the party boat." She thought it was a good idea but of course Adin would have to consult the schedule and make sure. If h was busy she would still take the yacht out and have some fun with her friends.

"I like to spend time with kids. I do yoga when ever I get the chance. It pushes boundaries that you don't normally get to push. And like my brothers said this morning I like to go places where I am not supposed to be. Mostly the top of Widow's Peak because you can see the entire island form up there. It's absolutely beautiful. I'm not supposed to go up there, no one is, because the some of the path is really old and fragile but I have been climbing the rock for so long I know where I should and shouldn't step. When I took Sc--" Se stopped talking and rubber her lips together.

"So what do we have to talk about next?" She smiled at him and sipped on her water.
 
He thought to tease her about not shooting the orphans, but then he thought about the fact that she had made a commitment to go see them but then she got distracted by her friend. That was not a good sign. This friend of hers was probably a bad influence on Adela, and once they were married Adin would have to slowly wean her off her friend's presence. It would be for her own good, of course.

"I'll have Clarissa check my Saturday schedule," he consented as she came up with the idea for the party boat. "Perhaps we can have your parents' photographer take a few shots for the paparazzi, slowly leak our romance and such." He smiled over a sip of wine. "It's good for the economy."

He tilted his head in interest when she mentioned Widow's Peak, and would have chided her for her riskiness but then he thought that it might encourage her to be more challenging, so he simply mentally noted that it was possible that she would wind up dying young and tragically if she kept up her shenanigans. His mind calculated the kind of affect such a romantic tragedy would have on the country, and decided that if she continued to be a risk taker in those kinds of ways he would have to allow it. Just as long as she didn't do anything that would label her a harlot and lose the sympathy of the older, wealthier section of society. She had an appeal, like Lady Diana, that would make her loss still beneficial. Although Diana was in the middle of a love affair with an Arab playboy, which really soiled her sweet, angelic persona... had she been with some clean-cut businessman, a Protestant or Catholic with a respectable background, her death would have been more of a national day of mourning then it had bee.

Adin was snapped back to the present when Adela asked him what they had to talk about next. He opened the letter and looked at it.

Talking points:
1. You -What do you like to do? Who is your best friend? What is your favorite food? Your favorite place? How do you unwind after a stressful day?
2. The Future -Where do you see us next year? In five years? How many kids do you want to have? Do you want pets?Which estate would we move to or would we stay in the palace or leave the country altogether?
3. The Past -What's your favorite memory? What's your worst? How was your childhood?

"Let's see, you ask about my best friend. Hm... I don't really have one." He looked up at her. "There are those who I'm friendly with but a personal 'friend' isn't anything that I ever found I needed to cultivate." He moved on. "Favorite food? Yogurt. Favorite place? The office. Unwind... we went over that, exercise..." His eyes scanned the paper. "The future."

He looked up at her. "Within two years I'm expecting that we should be starting our family. Two children, maybe three. We can always add more if we find that we are enjoying that aspect of marriage. I don't desire pets but if we do have them we have staff who can care for them..." He pressed his lips together, "actually pets would add to the whole 'normal family' aspect. It would appeal to the average family, so one or two might be good to cultivate. My family has a duchy and I assumed we'd stay in one of the manors, since I have responsibilities to the region and you have nothing to tie you down here. Of course we'll holiday with your family; that would only be appropriate. And there are multiple opportunities for us to travel to other countries. I think that we should do that as much as possible, to present a united front."

Then Adin looked down at the paper one last time. "The past... is the past." He folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket. "It brought me to you, and that is all that really matters, isn't it? My complete resume is available to peruse if you're interested in where I earned my education and such. I had two siblings, a brother and a sister. My brother drowned in a surfing accident when he was seventeen. My sister was trampled by a horse when she was ten and expired a few days after that." His eyes flickered slightly and he took a sip of wine. "I'm all that is left of my line."
 
Adela smiled when Adin said he would check his calendar. She sent a quick text to Amelia that said, "Party boat?" from there Amelia would know what to do. Maybe they could get Adin drunk. Get him to take his tie off and have some fun for once. Now that would be a good sight to see. Yes, please continue to think of the economy when we are on a date. zShe tried not to roll her eyes when she looked out at the ocean. "I'm sure Scott would love to go. I believe he is still taking pictures of the island. We can take him around too. I imagine you are going to have to work at some point so if the party is at like 3pm then while you work I can take Scott around the island before we get to the yacht."

He went over the next talking points and blew through them. "It's a good thing twins are common in my family. We can pop those suckers out at one time." She joked. Kids two years after they were married. Hopefully by then she would be scheduling time with Adin through his secretary. She frowned at his explanation of pets. You don't get pets to have some one else care for them. And you certainly don't use them to make the people like you more. She was fine with living with him. She was more than ready to move out of her parent's palace. She wasn't opposed to traveling a long as he was constantly working during these travel trips.

She felt down right stupid when he spoke of the past. She was pretty sure that wasn't in the profile she received, not that she read the profile to check. There was a silence at their table. She wanted to recover somehow and think of something else to talk about. "I'm sorry for asking." She said softly, "I didn't know. If I did I wouldn't have asked. I wouldn't have brought it up."
 
When Adela set a quick text it drew a slight frown from Adin. He tried to ignore it and continued, though he found it unprofessional and rude. "Scott? Is that the photographer's name, then? You seem so informal around him." His eyes narrowed slightly and he considered her earlier comment about Widow's Peak. Perhaps this was just a harmless coincidence, but he had found that coincidences rarely were. "I suppose when someone is invited into the intimate moments in your family then you might feel like they are part of your inner circle, but don't forget that he works for you. Servants are not friends." He took a sip of wine as the conversation continued.

"If you prefer to have twins we can always use AI to ensure a double pregnancy, though I'd say it might ruin your waistline if you're not careful." His gaze was analytical, as if he was looking through her clothing to determine if she would be one to easily have stretch marks. "I'm not against a future tummy tuck if that is what it takes to get your form back to fighting shape, though I do say, your yoga should keep you rather trim." He smiled at her as if he had just complimented her. "I do admire the fact that you've kept yourself in such good form. It demonstrates that you have a sense of self respect."

When she seemed uncomfortable about the topic of his siblings he set his glass down. "Don't apologize, darling. It's not a topic that disturbs me, and we should be able to speak about such things. I'm sorry if I seemed harsh in my response. It's just... I don't want you to worry about past friends or lovers begin a part of our future together. I've put that aside, as, it seems, have you. My life is with you, in the future."

He smiled at her and reached across to touch her hand. "I mentioned my siblings because they are the most gossip-worthy parts of my past. There was one other thing - an old girlfriend who claimed that her child was mine. Paternity tests proved that it was not, but it is the one thing that might come up in the tabloids one day, so you should be aware of it." His eyes roamed over her face to discern her reaction to the news. "I'm not one to let the tabloids determine our relationship to each other."
 
The topic get very unpleasant by the second. First he called Scott a servant as if it were a bad thing. Then he spoke of her having a possibly ruined waist line. And to top it off he suggested plastic surgery if things went wrong. She was stunned she couldn’t speak. Well, she could and she could have gone off on him but she took some deep breaths and decided to take it slow.

“One, don’t say servant like it is some naughty word. They work for you. They make sure your life is as pleasant as it is. If they didn’t do their job, I’m not sure you’d know who to wipe your own ass.” She smiled at him, in case any pauperize was taking pictures from an unknown location.

“Two, and I’m not saying I will but, if I did lose my shape to childbirth I would be proud because I brought children into this world. You will not shame me into making my body the model of perfection you want it to be. My body, my rules.” She sipped on her water, “Oh and that wasn’t a compliment so don’t smile at me like that. You are right about one thing though. i have a lot of self respect and that means I will not be afraid to leave you if you decide to be a bully. I don’t take domestic abuse in any form. Watch my PSA’s.”

She pulled her hand back when he reached out. It felt like they just took ten steps back and they were doing so well for the moment. She wasn’t surprised some woman claimed to have his child. People always attacked people in power. There were multiple men out there saying they had nudes of her. They were all fake, and some were good fakes but besides the scandal that went in the papers, all the photos were faked.

“Thank you for telling me about her. I’m afraid my little topless scandal already reached the world so I have nothing to share with you.” She shrugged her shoulder and felt her phone buzz. She looked down at her lap and read it but didn’t reply. “The party boat is a go.” She told him and finished her water but it was quickly refilled and they were alone again.
 
He raised his eyebrows at her comments about wiping his ass. As she continued, his lips curved into a tight smile. Her emotional resistance, her passion about these topics, were only slightly surprising. He supposed a woman allowed to run around the country of her own accord would enjoy such opinions. There were a multitude of layers to this conversation and he felt like they needed to understand each other much better than they were.

She responded to her phone again and he felt his ire rising. Adin drew in a breath as she read the text, and when she told him the news he nodded but he wasn't smiling.

"Now that scheduling has been dealt with would you mind terribly putting the phone away and concentrating on 'us'." His gaze was leveled, making the request sound more like a directive. "I can't help but feel like our dinner is more of a threesome, and that is not the kind of precedent I want to set for our time together."

He paused while plates were set on their table and thanked the waiter as he left. Once they were alone again, he unfolded his cloth napkin and laid it across his left thigh.

"There are several topics that we need to go over in more detail, Adela, but the most important one tonight is this 'leaving me' nonsense. If we marry each other it is with the understanding that there is no divorce. Marriage is forever, whether I become a 'bully' or you gain fifty pounds. We've made a contract with each other and with God to be united in every way."

He cleared his throat lightly and studied her across the candlelit table. This was definitely not his idea of the perfect 'first date'. "If we cannot agree on that one premise then I'm afraid we have nothing more to discuss."
 
She turned her phone off after getting he last text and put it in her purse. She looked into his eyes with a defiance. She heard the order in his tone. She just wasn’t going to comment on it more than the look she gave him. The innuendos made her giggle. She didn’t know if he mean tot say it or if it was just natural for him to speak that way. He didn’t seem amused. She stopped giggling but sh couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face.

“I can assure you our first time will not be a threesome.” She sipped down her water to keep from giggling again. The male who set their food down glanced at Adela. She gave him a small wink and looked at Adin. “You said it.” She told him before he could say anything.

“Adin, I completely support staying married to one person for the rest of my life but I will not stay married to man who judges me because I put on a little weight after giving birth to his children. It’s not healthy for any one involved, especially the children.” She told him. She wasn’t going to argue about it.

“If you can’t agree with me on that then I guess we don’t have anything to discuss.” She looked at her food and then she looked at Adin waiting to see if she should eat or if she should hop on the helicopter and leave.

She thought about the lecture she would receive form her mother if she told her the wedding was off. She didn’t want to imagine it and she really didn’t want to hear it. "I’m afraid that one day I will wake up next to a man that I don’t know and I will have no way out of it. My mother is dead set on me marrying you and she took out every possible way for me to get out of this marriage. I am trying to find all of your flaws now so that when that day comes, if that day comes, I won’t be surprised.” She poked at her food with her fork.

“I just don’t want wake up hating my life one day.” She told him with a sigh.
 
He had opened his mouth to retort to her 'threesome' comment, but her cute giggling and the accusation that he had said it first stilled him. Instead he cleared his throat and reached for the wine. This woman was definitely going to keep him on his toes.

Adin pressed his lips together. When he mentioned plastic surgery he meant it as a sign of his willingness to work with her, not a way of bullying or judging her, but it appeared that their backgrounds were so different that she did not see it that way. She saw him as borderline abusive, and that was on their first real date. How would the rest of their lives together be?

"Adela, I do not want to be a stranger to you. Far from it. And certainly, if you woke up one day and hated your life I would be very disappointed in myself." He considered her statements and tried to view the arrangement from her perspective. "The truth is that I'm a very busy man. I do not have time to linger and chat or go on spontaneous get aways. There are too many people who count on me to manage our region wisely." He frowned slightly as he took another sip of wine. Then, as if realizing that he had drank much already he set the glass down and picked up his water.

"I... assumed... that you would be vain regarding your appearance. I assumed such because of your reputation, and for that I am sorry. My intention was to support you if you decided to use surgery to remain as you are now - not to make you self-conscious or to bully you into surgery that you did not desire. Certainly not. Forgive me, please. Children are a wonderful gift and I would not want to make it seem as if anything that accompanies them would be unwelcome."

He rested an elbow on the table and rubbed his forehead unconsciously, as if trying to hold in the pressure. "This is not something I want to fight about. Our marriage means too much to everyone who would be affected to be cancelled simply because of a misunderstanding."
 
“Do you think I would have flashed the camera man, if I cared about what anyone thought about the way I looked or acted? Right now the only thing I really care about is this wedding that I am not going to be able to plan.” She reached out for his hand and gave it a gentle. “I’m sorry too. I jumped to conclusions. I’m not making this very fair. It has to be hard for the both of us. It’s not just my wedding or marriage.” She bit her bottom lip and started to eat her lunch. The rest of lunch was much more upbeat and positive. They actually found something to talk and laugh about.

After lunch they took a few more pictures for the paparazzi and then they got in the car. She had her driver drive him and his assistant to where ever their next meeting was and she did some shopping. She had security to follow her around and make sure the paparazzi wasn’t crowding around her too much.

When the time came she got on the helicopter and she was back on her island in no time. She walked through the palace with nothing but her purse in hand. It had been a while since she spoke to Scott but she hoped they could try to keep a professional relationship. She found him after a few minutes of searching and she smiled at him.

“Hey.” She said softly and rubbed her lips together. “I…There…”She sighed and looked him over. she walked closer, “I was wondering if you would join some friends and I on the yacht. It would be the perfect place to get some pictures of the islands. If you can snorkel I can take you down to the reefs. I don’t think we are login out too far but it will be nice."
 
"How was lunch, Duke Adin?" Clarissa looked up from the tablet she was writing on, her startling eyes peering above the librarian glasses she wore. Her demeanor was professional, as usual, and her tone was akin to one that a nurse might use to ask a patient their medical history.

He pressed his lips together as he looked out the limo's window. "Passable. The salmon was dry and the broccoli overcooked, but what can you expect from a restaurant?" His fingers tapped his knee as the scenery sped by.

The assistant gave a small laugh, drawing her employer's gaze. "No Sir, that's not what I meant. I meant, how was your time with Princess Adela?" She smiled at him as one might to a friend.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded, her implications finally understood. "Passable. The conversation was dry and the interactions staged, but what can you expect from an arranged marriage?" His frown finally relaxed. He leaned forward and took the tablet from her hands, turning it around and looking at the schedule for the day. Inhaling as one might who was tired, he made a few changes and then handed it back to her. "See if you can move up the Mimbrook meeting, will you? There's an event on Saturday I want to attend with Adela."

The assistant raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow, then picked up her phone to make the call.

Back at the castle, Scott was in the main library going over some of the files of photos he had taken and arranging them for the queen to review. He was so engrossed in the task that Adela's soft "Hey" startled him. He glanced up, feeling guilty for some reason. When she explained what she had wanted he had to think over what it was she was asking.

"Are you asking me to go as the family's official summer photographer?" He asked.

He turned his chair to face her and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know if I can make it. See, I've been exploring the islands with this girl who's a poor local historian. We used to hang out. I was falling in love with her, and I thought that she was my friend, but she's disappeared."
 
Adela looked at the books and sighed. “I want to be that girl. I want to be the local historian that showed you around. I want you to show me around New York. I want to do all the things we talked about but I have responsibilities.”

She sat in the chair next to him and put her elbows not he table. She used her hand to keep her head propped up. She looked over him and reached out of this hand. She squeezed it gently, “You have to believe me when I say I wish I was that girl. If I have to marry someone for the rest of my life I would want it to be with you but it’s not that easy. The contracts have been signed. I have to marry Adin or give up everything I have.”

She sniffed and sat up straight when she heard a maid walking in, “I have a few hours before the party. I can show you around. We can go zip lining through the jungle.” She offered. There were still places she wanted to show him.

“Or..” She added and thought it over. “I have somewhere better in mind actually but you have to follow me.” She smiled mischievously and stood up. “You’ll love it. I promise. I haven’t steered you wrong so far.” She walked to the door and opened it for him. She walked him to a hidden door and looked around before she unlocked and pushed it open. She walked him through a dark cobwebbed hallway and then walked him down a long set of stairs.

They made it to another hallway but this one had a fork. “Left, right or straight?” She asked letting him decide which cave they explored. In the end they all lead tot he same place. Each room had different histories though.
 
Responsibilities. That word was a bane in Scott's life. True, he believed in keeping the promises he made, but he also believed in honesty, and she had allowed him to think that he might have had a chance with her. He had fallen for a poor, eccentric, wonderful free spirit and then found out that she was someone he could never have.

Then she mentioned that she had to marry Adin or give up everything she had, and that made it worse. So she was tied to what she had? They mattered more to her than he did? In the background he knew that he was being stupid. They had only known each other for a week and a half, but... he felt like there had been 'something' there. It didn't help that she had completely rocked his world a couple of nights ago, and now those same lips that had wrapped themselves around him so perfectly was kissing her duke-of-a-fiancee.

She came up with another idea, then claimed that she hadn't steered him wrong so far. He wanted to snip that she had lied to him, which was akin to steering him wrong, but she seemed happy and he missed her, to be truthful. He missed her adventures and her smile, and the way she looked at him...

When they got to the fork she asked him "Left, right or straight?"

He pressed his lips tightly together but the snide remark came out anyway. "I wanted you to do what was right and be straight with me, but you didn't, so I suppose I'll take what's left." His jaw twitched. "I'm still angry with you. Just because I'm here, now, doesn't mean that I'm not still upset." He motioned to the left and began to follow her.

Part of him wanted to go back, to put her behind him, but another part wanted to press her against the wall and kiss her. The two sides waged war and left him simply following her and feeling the dread numbness slowly creeping over him. He supposed he'd have to finish out his contract with the family and try not to let his pain affect him, but he already felt his happiness tainted. He almost wished he had never met her like he had.
 
Adela sighed and led him left. They came across another cave system but this time she didn’t give him an option. If she did let him pick he get both of them lost or hurt. They ended up near a small pool and the deeper they walked in the prettier it got. The water was fed in through a water fall. It seemed like something out of a fantasy movie. The water was a clear blue. You could see all the way down to bottom of pond. It looked like it wasn’t that deep because the water was so clear but in reality it was very deep.

“Glad you came now?” She asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

“It is said that the first queen found this place and with the help of a magic woman created the fountain of youth. Every day the queen would have to bring a bucket of water down here by herself and fill it up. Then when the water reached the top, she had to bring the magic woman back to bless the water. When the magic woman finished lessing the water a water fall emerged from the side. Constantly filling he pool with new water and when the queen bathed in it she would feel as fresh as the water that was poured in through the water fall.” She took a deep breath and looked at Scott.

“You have right to be angry with me. I can’t ask you to stop being angry but I don’t know what to say to make you feel alright.” She looked into his eyes, “I fell in love too. It hurts me too. I did not intend for it to end this way. I wanted to show you around and have a good time. But I fell in love and I can’t take it back.”

She rubbed her lips together and looked down at her feet. She looked back up into his eyes, “If you no longer want to be around me then tell me and I will leave you alone for the rest of your stay. We will leave this place and we depart as if we had never met or talked to each other. If that is what you then tell me.” She paused and looked up to stop any tears from falling, “Just now that is not what I want."
 
It was beautiful. The lights built into the cavern walls reflected the water perfectly, and the sounds and colors looked magical. As she told him the story he simply stared into the depths and wondered if one could swim so deep into that pool that they could never come up before drowning. That was what it felt like to him; that he was drowning.

Then she apologized and explained her side of their story, and he felt the hardness inside of him shatter. She hadn't set out to break his heart or to fall in love either, but it had happened.

"Rose, I..." Three steps brought him to her arms and he drew her against himself and kissed her. There were no words that would ever describe how he felt, but in a kiss it was possible. His lips trailed across hers and then his tongue followed, exploring her and taking her gently, but firmly, as he poured out the love and the desire that he had felt for her every since he spoke to her that first day. He hadn't recognized it then, but it was love. He was forever enchanted, and he believed that he would never again find anyone who fit his soul the way she did.

When the kiss ended he leaned his forehead against hers. "I never want to leave you. Life's never going to be the same, and now when I see things that I had wanted to share with you there's always going to be that part of me that feels like something died when I found out who you are. I just... I wish you had told me from the beginning. It would have been easier if I had known that you could never be with me." He squeezed his eyes to stop the threat of tears. Men didn't cry, right? Never.

He put a hand up and cupped her cheek so that he could look at her. "You terrify me, Rose. If your parents found out I'd never work again. They'd probably bury me under a pile of rocks somewhere." He tried to smile, to lighten the mood, but he felt like he was being sucked down a whirlpool.
 
Adela wrapped her arms around Scott and kissed him back. It probably wasn’t the most romantic of kisses, since she was crying, but it some how made her feel so much better. Being in his arms again and feeling his lips against hers. This is what she should feel like when she got married. Not the way she felt when she was with Adin. It was a fresh breath of air when the kiss broke. She looked into his eyes and kissed him once softly.

“I know I should have told you but for once you didn’t know who I was. I wasn’t the wild child who got into trouble. I wasn’t the princess that every one wanted me to be. I was Rose, your Rose, who could do whatever and say whatever. She didn’t have a care in the world and I guess I to so caught up in that life that I didn’t want to think about the real world.”

She squeezed his hips, “No because if they did that i would be right under that rock with you. They won’t hear you and for the sake of our job and future they will never find out.”

She smiled at him, “I missed you. I missed talking to you and being with you. Adin is…Adin. he is the complete opposite of how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. Could you imagine living day by day on calendar? I only touch my calendar to find out what day it is. He has ever minute planned out for him.” She felt so much better being able to talk to someone about her frustrations.

She looked at the pool and then at Scott, “Would you like to test the Fountain of Youth?” She asked and unzipped her dress. She peeled it off and dove in. She swam back up the surface and smiled at Scott, “I can feel the rejuvenating powers already.” She teased and floated on her back.
 
"I..." he watched her pull off her dress and let it fall to the ground, then dive into the water. As she swam back to him he thought that she looked like a mermaid.

Did he want to test out the waters with her? Hell yes he did. He set his camera down a good distance from the pool and then stripped down before jumping into the water with her. He swam up to her and took her into his arms, encircling her in the pool. "I'm really going to miss you, Rose." He gave her a kiss as their legs kicked at the water and occasionally intertwined. "Let's pretend, just for tonight, that there's no Adin and no Princess Adela. Let's just be Scott and Rose for one more night." He felt the soft, smooth rock behind her as they bumped into the side of the pool.

His hands moved down to her hips and he felt her pressed against him. He wished so badly that it was true - that they could just 'be' forever, but he knew that their time together was going to get shorter and shorter. Soon he would have to put on his theater hat and pretend that she meant nothing to him, and that would be the toughest act he had ever played.
 
Rose smiled when he started to get undressed. He jumped in and the water splashed against her. She watched him come back through the clear water and she put her hands on his shoulders. She pushed his hair back and kissed him softly.”I’m going to miss you too.” She told him and rubbed his cheek. “I don’t want to think of a life with out you.” She looked into his eyes and smiled. “I think I’d like that.” Se said softly and leaned adjacent the wall behind her.

She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him again. If this was going to be there last night then she wanted t to be memorable. She didn’t want to have a what if moment. She just wanted to be with him in all ways. When she was an old women she wanted to think about the time she gave herself tot he man she loved and didn’t care about the consequences.

“I love you.” She whispered and put her lips against his shoulder. “I love you more than I thought I could love someone.” She rubbed his back. She looked into his eyes, “Take me. Make me yours.” She smiled. She never felt so sure of something. She wanted him more than words could express. She could express it physically though. “I want you too."
 
Her legs felt like velvet around his, and as she moved her smooth skin sent tingles up his thighs and into his gut. There was something undeniably erotic about floating in this underground pool with her, and when she whispered "I love you" Scott felt like the moment would last him his entire life. The woman he had come to love, loved him back... what more was there to need? If he could live without breathing he would have captured that moment and floated in it for eternity.

Then she told him to take her and make her his, and Scott thought that he must have misheard her. But her eyes as she smiled at him and there was no doubt - she meant that she wanted him. She wanted him to take her, and there was no grey in her words, only black and white.

"Rose..." He drank in her kisses as his hands moved down her body and pulled away the last few remnants of clothing and modesty between them. Slowly he traced the lines of her waist to her breasts, his hands taking her soft mounds firmly and molding them to his palms as his legs moved to lace with hers. He could feel the warmth of her core against the top of his thigh as he nudged her legs apart with one of his. He didn't want to rush it; this night was all they had. But he did want to explore her and memorize every curve of her body. If he was only going to have one chance to make love to her then he wasn't going to risk ruining it in haste.

"I've never loved anyone like this before," he admitted. "But you, this gypsy-on-the-island, this free spirit... you've marked me for the rest of my life. No one is going to ever measure up to you."
 
In a flash they were naked and there was nothing to stop them from going all of the way. She smiled when he touched her. There was something soothing about it. She thought she would never feel his touch. She pulled back when they almost had their time in the cabin because she couldn't allow him to have her without knowing who she truly was. Now he knew and she couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like if she gave everything up to be with him. That was her big fear. Right now she had no financial problems and she could whatever she wanted. If she left with him, she didn't know what type of life she was entering.

"God I love you so much." She whispered to him and rubbed his cheek. "I can't explain how you make me feel. I just know I want to feel it for the rest of my life." She kissed him again and wrapped her arms around him. She rubbed his back and bit his bottom lip.

She reached between them and took his manhood in her hand. He was already hard. The stroking was just a matter of keeping him hard and feeling a little closer to him while she waited for the right moment.She felt her back press against the cave. "Say it again Scott." She whispered into his neck and lined him up. His head was inside of her she was just waiting for him to push the rest of the way. "Tell me you love me."
 
Her hand wrapped around him and he thought of the night they had together, when she had gone down on him and gifted him with the most amazing blow job he had ever had. Now she was offering him something even more precious; she was letting him in.

There was something sacred about joining with a woman in that most intimate of ways. The water around them was cool, but not unpleasantly so, and her warm legs felt like silky wraps of ecstasy as they slid against his. He felt her placing his tip against the heat of her entry as she asked him to tell her again the words that he had whispered.

"I do love you, Rose. I wish you could be mine, Adela Rose... always." He pressed his lips to hers and sealed his promise with a kiss as he pushed up, entering the tight sheath within her body. He moaned in the base of his throat as her heat nearly burned him. It was a good pain - a great pain. His arms cushioned them against the rocks so that she wasn't hurt, and he found a purchase under his feet to push against. The buoyant water kept them going at a slow, sensual pace, as Scott began to explore her depths with each stroke.

His kisses traveled from her lips to her neck, slowly pulling and licking at her delectable skin as he worked down her body. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to know what it was like to feel her twitching against his kisses, and so he slowly pushed her to float on her back and pulled out of her body before drawing her legs up to his shoulders. He kissed the inside of her knee and then licked up her thighs until his warm breath moved over her hot, wet sex. Scott glanced up to look at her face. He wanted her to remember this for the rest of her life. When she was lonely or dissatisfied and she needed to remember when someone loved her, he wanted her to think of the pool and the photographer who wanted what he wasn't supposed to have.
 
It was everything she dreamed of. It was that simple. When he looked at her she wasn’t a princess. She was Rose, his Rose. He demanded nothing of her. He just wanted to be loved and she wanted the same thing. She could feel he love radiating off of him and she didn’t want it to end. Round after round of beautiful sex came to an end with one last gasp and moan. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him again. They had to get back to the palace so the could get ready for the party on the yacht. She would rather stay with Scot here for ever then have all the riches int he world with Adin.

She sighed and put her head against his shoulder, “Will I see you again when your job is over?” She asked softly unaware that the queen already offered him the job of photographing the engagement and wedding pictures.

She wanted to make him feel good and tell him she could move to New York and they could adventure together but they both knew it would be a lie. She couldn’t do that to him. She dried her hands on her cloths and picked up his camera. She snapped a couple pictures of him and then took a couple selfies.

“Shoot me like one of your french girls.” She teased and handed him the camera. A little playfulness before they had to get serious wouldn’t hurt. After he took his pictures she took the camera and flipped through them.

“I have to break your heart now.” She said softly feeling tears build up in her eyes. She shook her head and stood up. "How am I supposed to do this? I can’t. I don’t want to.” She wiped her cheeks and looked at Scott, “I love you.” She rubbed his cheek and kissed his lips. “I love you so much.”
 
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