Bad Nerd Rising (32 page)

“But he’s honorable?” Nick’s voice was
hard.

“You’ve met him.” She
sounded exasperated, which must have gotten through more
effectively than her yelling, because Nick subsided.

“Yeah, I thought he was a good guy.”

“He is. He’s just had a few
nasty blows lately.”

“I can understand that. But
I want you to know that Bryan, Josh, Mom and Dad, the kids, Macy
and I all believe you’d make an excellent princess. Although Josh
was sure you’d wimp out.” Nick’s eyes crinkled at the corners and
Tia saw how attractive her older brother was.

She had to notice that or
she’d cry. “You all support my attraction to Aleksi?”

“We all support you loving
and marrying him, yes. We all think you’d make a gorgeous princess,
if that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I want, but
I want the man,” she whispered. It was then, thinking about Aleksi
that she realized there as a huge possibility she had fallen
totally in love with the man. Where did that leave her?

“That’s why you’d make an
excellent princess.” Nick nodded to himself as though coming to a
firm decision. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go call home
and report in. Macy should be awake by now.”

“You’re totally in love with her, aren’t
you?”

Nick’s face was solemn when
he turned back to her. “Yeah. And I was so stupid I nearly messed
up with her. Don’t let fear or pride hold you back from the
greatest experience you could have with another person. I don’t
know what I’d do without Macy. She really does complete me. She’s
my other half. Love is a privilege, Tia.”

“Nick, that was beautiful.”
Tia actually had to brush away a tear.

“So are you, Tia. Don’t
ever forget that.”

Chapter
24

“I think I preferred you
when you slept,” Tia stated and glared at him.

Aleksi glared back at her,
thinking she was beyond beautiful. “I’m sick. You’re supposed to be
nice to me.”

“
Not when you’re such a
grouch.” She growled at him, and heaven help him, she was so sexy
he had to squeeze his hands into fists to keep from reaching for
her.

“Most women would feel
sorry for a sick man.” He tried playing on her feminine
senses.

She snorted. That
apparently hadn’t worked. “The
most
women
you’re talking about have already
wisely headed for the hills. Only the stupid ones like me have hung
around.” She crossed her arms over her chest. The gesture only made
her cuter.

“Why didn’t you head for
the hills?” He infused suspicion into his voice.

“That’s an excellent
question.” She sounded disgruntled. It made him hide a
grin.

“You like me,” he taunted.

She sneered at him. “I
could poison you.”

“You really like me.” He
wiggled his brows at her, and her eyes glazed over. “Come here and
show me.”

“I’m not kissing you and
getting your germs.” She sounded upset. Aleksi realized again how
much he liked this woman.

Liked
, some little voice in the back of his mind repeated.
You
love
this
woman. He already knew that. That’s why he was so adamant about
making her the mother of his heirs.

She had somehow wiggled
into his soul and he couldn’t separate her from the rest of
himself. He needed her.

But did she need him?

Would she care he might not
be the prince?

She hadn’t run for the
hills like most of the other women in the palace. Only his mother
still showed up to help with his care.

“Did I hear that even Karis and Sara have
left me?”

“You’re a horrible patient.”

“Have they actually sworn
not to help?” He pressed her for more information. His mother was
used to how surly he grew when he didn’t feel well.

But then Karis and Sara
knew that as well.

“They have kids, so I told
them they didn’t have to deal with you as well. I’m sure Sara
mentioned you’re worse than Hubert when he’s sick. And he’s five.”
She cocked a brow at him.

She was so beautiful, it nearly hurt to look
at her.

“You’re beautiful,” he
croaked.
Nice, de Leos. That was smooth.
Yes, you are the epitome of a prince
, that
little voice mocked.

But her eyes went soft and
she shook her head at him. “No, I’m not, but I’m glad your fever
befuddled mind thinks so.”

“I am no longer feverish,
love,” he reminded her.

“Yes, you are.”

He shook his head. “No, it
broke in the night. I have a normal temperature again.”

She eyed him suspiciously.
“What do you want then?”

He grinned. “How about
you?” He kept his tone hopeful. It made her laugh, just as he
intended.

“You’re crazy.”

“No. I am perfectly
sane.”

“You need glasses.”

“I need you.”

She sighed. “Aleksi, you
have so much going on right now, and I’m in total disfavor because
the wells still aren’t clean. The last thing you need right now is
me.”

“Who will support me? Who
will help me? Who will kiss me?”

Her eyes softened further
and he couldn’t stop himself. He leaned across the bed and captured
her head, drawing her close enough to kiss. She didn’t even fight
him. Instead, her lips went soft and her eyelids fluttered
shut.

“All the other women ran for the hills...”
he coaxed.

At which point her eyes
snapped opened and she glared at him again. “Oh, so any woman will
do?”

“No, I didn’t say
that.”
Better backpedal fast
here
, his smarter side prompted.
Yes and you better hurry
.

“Yes, you did.” She leaned
out of the kissing zone and then re-crossed her arms. Tia looked
like a woman who was prepared to battle with him. Not that he
feared battling with her, but not until he was certain of
her.

Of course, he wasn’t
certain of himself. He might not be his father’s son, which meant
it was likely he wasn’t the true prince of Rurikstan.

But if not him, then who?

He frowned and Tia copied
his gesture. “What’s that for?” she asked.

“What?”

“Why are you frowning at
me?”

“Well, it occurred to me
that if I am not the Prince of Rurikstan, who is?”

Confusion slipped across
her face. “Where did that come from?”

“I was thinking about
being sure of...
things
, and it occurred to me that I’m not even sure of my place
here.”

“Aleksi, your father, the
prince, raised you to be his son. That means
you
are his son. Does it truly
matter if you’re Graham’s son? Would that change things so
much?”

He thought about that. “Of
course it does.” His frown deepened.

“Didn’t I hear somewhere that Graham and
your father were first cousins?”

“Yes. But what does that
signify?”

“So you still would have
the proper royal genes, no matter what, right? And you’re still
Graham’s first son if you’re his. That makes you the rightful
prince no matter what.”

He paused to further
examine that statement. Yes, technically, that was true. Whether
his genes came from his father the prince, or Graham, he’d still
have the House of de Leos genes. Graham’s mother and Aleksandr’s
father were brother and sister. That lineage meant that Graham and
his father were first cousins.

“Technically that means I
have the same genes regardless.”

“Correct.” She sounded
satisfied. At least she wasn’t glaring at him now. “Your father
raised you to be his son. That makes you his son. Regardless of
whether you’re his biologically or not.”

“I am not certain the
people of Rurikstan would agree.”

“Why not? They’ve thought
of you as his son since the day you were born. Actually, you’ve
likely been his since
before
you were born. What I don’t understand is how
your mother didn’t have a thorough physical
examination?”

“We could ask her that.”

“Let’s then.”

***

“A thorough physical
examination? No, I did not have one before I married
Aleksandr.”

“Isn’t that proper
procedure?” Tia asked. She glanced at Aleksi who looked
surprised.

“I have always assumed so,”
he said.

“Perhaps in other places,
but not here, as far as we’re aware. I never submitted to an
examination.”

“Mother, Tia says since
Father thought of me as his son and raised me, that I am therefore
his son regardless of my biological...” He glanced at
her.

“Supplier,” she
offered.

“Yes, biological supplier.”

Gracia frowned but then she
nodded. “Yes, that is true. Even though Aleksandr might not be your
father biologically, he did raise you.”

“Aleksi is the only one who
has been trained to run Rurikstan. And wouldn’t Aleksandr and
Graham’s genes be from the same line anyway?” Life was simpler in
America where your genealogy didn’t matter.

“Yes, I have thought of
that as well. I hoped that Aleksi would resemble one or the other,
but in reality, both men were quite similar in
appearance.”

“Wouldn’t the women have been a factor
there, such as your genes and Maria’s?”

At the mention of Maria’s name, Gracia’s
mouth pulled down.

“She’s completely innocent
of all this, you know, Gracia. Yes, she’s an American, but I’ll bet
she has no idea of that night you and Graham spent
together.”

Aleksi stirred. “We are
not even certain you
did
spend a night together.”

“I woke up next to him,” Gracia said
dryly.

“But you might have both passed out.”

Tia had to admit, Aleksi’s
logic was, well, logical. “In college, most of the guys who’d had
too much to drink generally couldn’t perform sexual acts after a
certain number of drinks. If Graham doesn’t remember that night,
then it’s likely you did nothing more than sleep.”

“Maybe you should ask him,
Mother.” Aleksi’s tone was intense as he stared at his parent. It
was the least she could do to alleviate all these
worries.

She went pale. “Oh, no, I
couldn’t do that.”

“You might not have ‘slept’
with him, you know. Then there would be no question as to Aleksi’s
parentage.” Tia allowed a little steel to creep into her voice.
What was the big deal anyway?

“If you do not ask
him,
I
will.”
Aleksi stared Gracia down.

“Ask what?” Maks said as he
entered the room. Followed by his father, Graham.

“We wanted to ask your father a question,”
Tia said.

“Okay. I’ll go find more
fluids for you,” Maks offered and left the room, shutting the door
behind him.

“You had a question for
me?” Graham asked her. Tia pointed to Gracia and Aleksi.

“They do.” She used her
chin to indicate the other two room occupants.

Graham sat in the chair
beside her and looked expectantly at Gracia and Aleksi. Both of
whom looked uneasy and a little worried. Her heart went out to both
of them.

“There is some confusion as
to whose son I am. Your’s or Aleksandr’s.” Aleksi finally just said
and Tia watched as Graham’s face turned as pale as
Gracia’s.

“You and me?” He stared
askance at her. “We
never
...” He tried to use his hand
but it fell weakly at his side.

Graham stared at Gracia like he’d never seen
her before.

She, a princess through and
through, raised her chin. “I’m afraid I woke up beside you shortly
before Aleksandr and I were married. I, unfortunately, do not
remember most of what went on that night.”

“Maria and I married around
that same time,” Graham said, staring at the ceiling.

“Yes. You were feeling glum
because she had refused your first proposal of marriage.” Gracia’s
voice was sympathetic, and soft. But she didn’t quite look at
him.

“Aleksandr had noticed you,
and I knew he was interested, so I can’t imagine I’d have turned to
you,” Graham said, now staring at something on Aleksi’s
duvet.

“I woke up beside you in
the early hours of the next morning,” she repeated.

“Are you certain it was me?”

She started and finally
turned to stare at him. “What do you mean?”

“I have absolutely no
memory of waking up beside you, or going to sleep with you for that
matter. And I rarely drink, so I have retained all my memories. I’m
finally remembering that night. Aleksandr was upset because his
parents were giving him a hard time about something or other, but
he wasn’t drinking recklessly either.”

“You mean she went to bed with Aleksandr?”
Tia stared between the two of them, amazed at what a simple
conversation could do for clearing up confusion.