Becoming the Dark Prince

“I want you. I want to give you pleasure, both mentally and physically all day and every night for the rest of our lives. I want to be the reason you smile.” I watched as a slight flush crept up her neck, pleased. She longed for that too, it seemed. “I want to spend hours and years of my life figuring out ways of making you happy. I want you to feel the same way about me. Not because I’ve demanded it of you, but because every piece of you longs for me. I want our passion to ignite the world around us, making even the stars jealous.”

I was also free to choose another path. One that was filled with love and laughter and light.

“I love you, Thomas.”

“Of course, you do. I’m the tall, dark, hero of your dreams, remember?” I pressed my lips to her temple and drew her into the circle of my arms. “I love you, too. For much the same reasons.”

I will never beg or use subversive tactics to win your heart. I will earn it because you choose to give it to me of your own free will, or I won’t have it at all. I will never manipulate you. No one should. And if they do? They aren’t worth your time

I would not be the one who made this harder on her. She had every right to choose her own fate.

“If you think doing the admirable thing is easy or comes naturally, you’re more naïve than I thought,” I said, in a rare moment of truth with him. “I fight against my innate selfishness because I love her. I want to be better not just for her, but also for me. I want to be the sort of man who earns her trust and love and then works to keep it by growing into an even better person.”

“And she hardly requires a knight to save her. She’s more likely to ride in and save you and then smack you for being an idiot,” I said

“You must fancy yourself quite valiant. Should I find a brilliant white horse for you to ride in on?”

I leveled a cold look at him. “This isn’t a fairy tale. I’m not a white knight or some morally incorruptible prince.”

“The operative term you used is ‘old.’ Winning is an archaic way of looking at romance. Her heart isn’t like a cheap round of cards. Love isn’t a game. It’s a choice.”

Fear and love were powerful motivators.