The Jealous Groom by Alexa Riley
Chapter 9
Henrik
Without thinking, I move towards Magnus’s room because that’s the only place she could be. I see Allison in the entrance of her closet, pretending to casually lean against the doorframe like she was expecting me.
“Oh hey, Henrik, how's it going?” She smiles brightly like she’s not hiding my wife.
“Why is Amber hiding in your closet?” I narrow my eyes, and she straightens.
“What are you talking about?” She looks over her shoulder and back at me.
“I can see her toes and the pink polish on them from here.” Just then Amber pulls her feet back under the clothes rack and it reminds me of the witch in The Wizard of Oz after Dorothy takes her shoes.
“I don’t see anything.” She crosses her arms in front of her and dares me to prove her wrong.
I let out a heavy sigh as I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Give me strength.”
“Why?” Magnus asks as he walks into his bedroom and tries to figure out what’s going on.
“My wife is hiding in your closet, and they’re pretending like she’s not in there.”
“I’m hungry. Is anyone else hungry?” Allison asks, distracting Magnus.
“Don’t change the subject,” I tell her, and she shrugs.
“I can always eat.”
“Someone tell me what’s going on,” Magnus says, and I wait for Allison to explain.
“Fine, we’re doing this,” Amber huffs as she comes out from under the clothes and moves next to her sister.
She’s not wearing much in the way of clothes—only the shirt I tossed on the floor last night. I growl, knowing she’s naked underneath.
“Why are you hiding in the closet?” I take a step forward, and Allison gets in my way. “Don’t block me from my bride.”
“Hey,” Magnus says, and suddenly the four of us are on alert.
“Explain why you lied to me,” Amber says, and I see hurt in her eyes.
“About what? I’ve never lied to you, and I never would.” I put my hand on my heart and swear the truth.
“You want to change me. You don’t love me for who I am, and you want me to pretend to be someone I’m not. And you want Allison to do it too.”
“What?” Magnus and I both say at the same time.
Amber deflates a fraction and then looks between us. “That’s your evil plan.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of villain in a black and white movie?”
“Well, no,” she says softly and then points her finger at me. “But I heard that Jade woman, and she said the plan is to totally change us.”
I glance over at Magnus, and he rolls his eyes while I curse the social media manager we hired last year.
“She’s fired,” I say simply, and Amber looks around the room.
“I just heard her talking to some guy in the hallway outside your room.” She narrows her eyes. “What are you playing at?”
“Baby girl, this isn’t a game. I went to the kitchen to get you food, and she found me in there. She immediately went into something about image and the right look for you and your sister, and I fired her on the spot. This happened no more than ten minutes ago. You can ask Magnus; he was in the kitchen with me when I did it.”
“It’s true,” he confirms, and Amber drops her arms at her sides like a deflated balloon.
“So you don’t want to change me?” she asks hopefully, and I smile at her while I open my arms. Thankfully she comes right to me, and I hold her close to my chest.
“Why would I want to change a single thing about you? The way you are is exactly why I fell in love with you.”
She sighs heavily against me, and Allison moves to stand beside Magnus, the two of them watching us.
“Look at me,” I say, and she lifts her head to meet my gaze. “You are good enough, just as you are.” Before the tears from her eyes can fall, I’m there to wipe them away. “You’re perfect, Amber.”
“Well, let’s not get crazy,” Allison chimes in, and then I hear her make a sound after Magnus smacks her on the ass.
“We decide how to rule this kingdom and no one else.” I look to Magnus, who nods his agreement. “That means the only thing you have to be is yourself.”
“The four of us will live our lives here and abroad exactly how we choose,” Magnus tells Allison, and she smiles at her sister.
“I like the sound of that,” she says, and Amber smiles.
“I think it’s just past insecurities catching up with me. I’m sorry I freaked out.”
“No.” I shake my head. “You never have to apologize to me or anyone for how you feel. Of course you are vulnerable about being loved because of your past. These are things that we will have to work through as we grow and love.” I kiss her softly and then look into her eyes. “But we will do these together as husband and wife. Not as a husband chasing down his wife to get her to talk.”
“She’s always been terrible at hide and seek,” Allison chimes in, and her sister pretends to glare.
“You don’t have to tell him everything all at once,” she hisses back.
“It’s okay. I’m happy to find a few things out on my own.” I nod to Magnus, and he squeezes his bride close to him. “Now let’s get back to feeding you.”
I pick Amber up and toss her over my shoulder as I keep the shirt pulled down to cover her ass. “Put me down, you brute.” She pretends to object, and I can hear her sister and Magnus laughing behind me.
“I think before your breakfast we need a lesson in what happens when you run from me.” I smack her ass, and to my surprise she wiggles on my shoulder. “I see this discipline might be more of a reward.”
“Let’s try it and find out,” she says eagerly as she grabs my ass with both hands.
“Anything you say, My Queen.”
