Free i 4f76e0157454f707 by Drakon

Half-asleep, I swatted at a tickle on my shoulder. It happened again, and I instinctively rolled away. The tickle
    returned, traveling across my back. Oh. It wasn’t a random breeze or another feather that had escaped from my
    pillow.
    Those were kisses.
    Eyes still closed, I smiled to myself as Maxon brushed away a lock of hair to find a new place to kiss.
    Waking up to the feeling of Maxon’s breath on my skin reminded me of how we ended up knotted in these
    sheets in the first place.
    I giggled as his mouth hit a ticklish spot on my neck.
    “Good morning, darling,” he whispered.
    “Good morning.”
    “I was wondering,” he began, murmuring the words into my cheek as I rolled over. “Seeing as it’s my
    birthday, do you think we could get away with spending the entire day in bed?”
    I smiled and forced my sleepy eyes open. “And who will run the country?”
    “No one. Let it fall to pieces. So long as I have my America in my arms.”
    His hair was a perfect mess, and he was so warm that every last particle in my body wanted nothing more than
    to stay here with him. It was completely fascinating to me the way that love grew. I kept thinking I’d found a
    way to give him all that I had, but then I’d learn a new quirk, hear a new story, go through a new experience,
    and my heart swelled.
    “But what about the party? We spent weeks planning,” I complained.
    He propped up his head on his hand. “Hmm. Okay, we’ll take a ten-minute break to check out the party and
    come right back.” Maxon wrapped his arms around me, and I laughed as he covered me with kisses.
    We were so distracted, we didn’t even hear the butler open the door. “Your Majesty, there’s a call from—”
    Before he could finish, Maxon chucked a pillow at him, and the butler retreated into the hall, pulling the door
    shut behind him. There was a pause before a muffled voice filtered in. “Sorry, sir.”
    I’d gotten used to a lack of privacy since living in the palace, and as far as those awkward moments went, this
    was one of the better ones. I covered my mouth, trying to contain my laughter, and when Maxon saw my
    smirk, he smiled, too. “Well, I guess that answers my question.”
    I sat up to kiss his cheek and immediately felt a rush of dizziness. “Oh!”
    “Are you all right?”
    “Mmhm,” I mumbled, covering my mouth. “Sat up too quickly.”
    He ran his hand over my back, and I leaned into him.
    “What time’s the party again?”
    “Six. Everyone’s coming, even my mom.”
    “Oh, then it’ll really be a party!”
    I swatted him. “Are you ever going to let it go? It was one time.”
    “She danced in the fountain on New Year’s Eve, America,” he said, a childish amusement in his eyes. “It was
    amazing, and I will never let it go.”
    I sighed. “Anyway, don’t be late. I’m going to get dressed. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
    “Okay.”
    I pulled the sheet off the bed as I stood, wrapping it around me.
    He lay back and watched me go. “Of all your dresses, that’s my favorite.”
    I bit my lip as I took one last look at him before opening the door that led to my suite. There was no way I was
    ever going to have enough of him.
    Mary was waiting for me, of course. She was used to seeing me walk back from Maxon’s room or watching
    him bolt out of mine, but it was that knowing smirk that got me every time.
    “Good morning, Your Majesty,” she greeted me with a curtsy. “Have a good night, then?”
    “Wipe that smile off your face!” I teased, tossing the sheet at her and running to the bathroom.
    I had been worried about the cut of my dress, but it fit spectacularly. Heads turned when I walked in to the
    party, and I tried to accept the attention graciously. Even after two years of marriage, being in the spotlight still
    took some getting used to.
    May rushed to my side. “You look radiant, Ames!”
    “Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself.” I touched one of her perfectly placed curls and