by Nina Levine
And I do.
I burst into a river of tears, but for the first time in my life, I feel like I have someone catching me as I fall.
Epilogue
Savanah
Coming back to the house, we made our way to my room and went to sleep my bed. In Hunter’s arms, it feels like my entire world has changed. Not only for the fact that my mom is now gone and that fact changes everything, but sleeping with Hunter feels like it has altered things. I knew there was chemistry, but maybe I was fighting it because our parents were choosing for us to be together. Having your future picked out for you isn’t exactly something that makes your heart flutter. But there is something about Hunter that makes me think my mom was right.
I can do this.
Not only for the sake of my family business but for me too.
I’ve only known for a hot minute that I’m an heir to a dynasty, that I’m to reign over a crime ring. I don’t even know how that will work. But what I do know is that after living at the Houston Defiance clubhouse, I can and will be able to do it. With Hunter by my side, as my—for lack of a better word—king, we can bring the two families together and create an empire. I might be green to all of this, but I am willing to learn. Hunter has been nothing but supportive, and even if our wedding is not exactly normal, we can still build on our relationship as we go.
I roll over on the bed, my hand sliding up, caressing Hunter’s cheek.
His sleepy eyes meet mine. “Morning, gorgeous.”
I grin. “Morning.”
He lets out a small sigh, pulling me to him. “How are you this morning?”
“I’ve been thinking.”
His expression turns serious, and he dips his chin. “Okay, talk to me?”
I grip his hand, threading our fingers together. “Hunter, I know I fought this. I know I was… well, all over the place, but last night meant more to me than just needing your comfort.”
His free hand comes up, caressing my cheek. “For me, too.”
“So, I have a question…”
“Anything, Sav.”
I hesitate, but then my chest floods with elation as I stare into his amber eyes. “Marry me?”
His lips turn up so much I worry his cheeks might burst. He beams with joy, and it’s like the sun is shining right here in my bedroom.
“I’m supposed to be asking you that.”
I chuckle. “Do you know me at all? I’m far from conventional.”
Hunter leans up, pressing his lips to mine forcefully. My lips tingle and pop as I kiss him. His large hands wrap around me, encasing me in him as we kiss.
“This whole thing has surprised me… I wasn’t prepared for how I feel when I’m around you. I was sure this was only going to be a marriage of convenience. We’d have lovers on the side. Talk to each other when necessary to keep the business running for the families, but my feelings for you, Savanah… they can’t be refuted. I can’t deny there’s something between us.”
“I can’t either, especially when I first met you.”
Hunter smirks. “Before I accept, you understand fully what this means? What your life will become? This life is not easy, Sav. There are things I will do, things that are not legal. We will sometimes have a target on our heads. But I promise you, I will keep you safe. Everything I do will be for you, and if we are blessed, for our children.”
“I understand and want in, Hunter. I want to be your right hand. I want to know everything about the business and be there for all the decisions, whatever the cost.”
Hunter grins. “As the head of the families, you can make any demands you want. As my wife, you can do anything you want. The world is yours now, my queen.”
“Queen… I like the sound of that!”
When I first heard about all of this, the crown to the empire was something I didn’t need nor want. But I guess it seems the unwanted crown has now become my destiny. And my destiny lies firmly with Hunter and the empire we’re going to rule together.
As long as it’s together.
It won’t matter where our journey takes us…
Thank you for reading The Unwanted Crown.
Savanah’s story begins in:
Fugitive: The Houston Defiance MC Series Book 3
However, you can go back to where it all starts in The Houston Defiance MC Series.
Explosive: The Houston Defiance MC Series Book 1
About the Author
With a flair for all things creative, International Bestselling Author K E Osborn, is drawn to the written word. Exciting worlds and characters flow through her veins, coming to life on the page as she laughs, cries, and becomes enveloped in the storyline right along with you. She’s entirely at home when writing sassy heroines and alpha males that rise from the ashes of their pasts.
K E Osborn comforts herself with tea and Netflix, after all, who doesn’t love a good binge?
Turn lust into love at http://www.keosbornauthor.com/
THE UNWANTED CROWN
Reign: A Romance Anthology
K E Osborn
Copyright 2021 K E Osborn
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.
Editing and Proofreading by Swish Design & Editing
All Rights Reserved
Three’s A Crown
JA Low
1
Augustine
“Your father would like to speak with you,” Joss Knight, my father’s longtime bodyguard, advises me.
I look over at Greyson, my bodyguard, best friend, and Joss’s son, who is sitting on my bed, flipping through a magazine.
His father’s eyes narrow on Greyson as he notices his crumpled clothing on the floor. He’s not the biggest fan of our relationship. He doesn’t understand it, and neither does my family. Still, I don’t care what they think because my feelings for Greyson are real and have been for the past fifteen years we have been hooking up.
“Okay, give me five, and I’ll meet you outside.”
Joss nods his head in acknowledgment and closes the door behind him.
“You knew the day was coming, Auggie,” Greyson tells me, his face softening as he looks at me.
“Still doesn’t mean I’m happy about it,” I reply with a pout.
Greyson pats the space beside him, and I willingly go to him. “We’ve been together half of our lives, Auggie,” he explains. “We’ve dated other people.” He’s reminding me of the years when I had to put my heterosexual cap on for the media and my family.
“And you dated people, too,” I remind him of the countless women and men he’s been with over the years. It wasn’t fair of me to demand his fidelity while I wasn’t.
Greyson reaches out and wraps his hand around my neck, pulling me closer. “It was always you.” His lips touch mine in the briefest of kisses. “It will always be you, Auggie.” As our kiss intensifies, I lose myself in it, in him. “I know I will never have you publicly. You’re not an average person, and it’s taken me a while to wrap my head around what our relationship is.” I know I don’t deserve this man. “I will always be by your side for however long you need me and in whatever capacity it needs to be.” His brown eyes are shimmer
ing with emotion.
“You will be by my side forever, and no one is going to change that,” I tell him. “No matter what my parents want. No matter what my country dictates.” Now, it’s my turn to grab his face and kiss the hell out of him. Both of us are panting when we pull away. “I will make sure whoever they pick accepts you are part of my life and that it’s non-negotiable,” I reassure him.
Greyson gives me a sad nod. “No one is more important than your country and its citizens, Auggie,” he tells me. “Not even me.”
He’s right, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“Good luck,” he states, pushing me off the bed to get dressed.
I give him one last look as I walk out of my suite and into the hallway where Joss is waiting.
“I know you love my son, sir,” Joss starts as we stride down the long marble hallway toward my parents’ wing of the palace. “But you must love your country more.” He’s reiterating his son’s words. I understand he’s trying to help, but it’s not one or the other as far as I am concerned.
“I love Grayson, and I love my country. I will have both,” I reply before turning on my heel as I continue down the hall.
Joss knocks on my father’s office. His deep booming voice echoes down the hall as he tells us to come in. Joss opens the door for me, and I walk into the imposing room before he closes the ornate door again, leaving us alone.
Floor to ceiling of deep mahogany panels filled with books lines the entire side of the room. On the other side is a large picture window that faces out over the city so he can look at his people. Those are his words, not mine. On the other side, where his large wooden desk sits, hangs a portrait of his mother and him in an oversized gilded frame.
“Auggie, thank you for coming.” He motions to the chair in front of him to sit, and I do as I am told. “I think you know why I summoned you here.” Those bright blue eyes similar to mine look at me.
“Yes. I know my duty, Father.”
He lets out a frustrated sigh as he leans back against his chair and steeples his hands in front of him. “I understand your heart lies somewhere else, Auggie.” His voice is calm. “And I’m sorry that you and Greyson cannot be anything more.”
“He’s not going away. You understand that, don’t you?” I say to him succinctly. Making sure he comprehends my words.
“I understand, but things change, especially when you have a wife and then a family,” he explains slowly.
“Greyson isn’t a phase. Whoever my wife is will have to understand that, too.”
My father’s forehead crumples in a frown. “You would hold Greyson back from having a family of his own?”
My father’s words hit me fair in the chest, and my heart constricts with sadness.
Am I selfish? Of course, I am.
Greyson will have to sit on the sidelines while I play happy family with another. At the same time, all he gets is a secret rendezvous in the palace or late-night calls while my family is sleeping.
Shit! I rake my hand through my blond hair.
“I understand you two are close, but duty calls.”
My heart feels like it’s being ripped out of my chest and stomped on. “You know I will do what I have to for my country.” I look up at my father. “You know I am duty-bound, no matter what.”
My father nods in understanding. “That is why your mother and I have decided that you should be the one to choose your wife.”
Hang on, did I hear Father correctly?
“Next month, we will hold a Summer Ball and invite the most eligible women in society for you to meet. Lester is getting all the folios together as we speak, so you may peruse them before meeting the women,” he explains. “You will find a wife at this ball, Augustine, and if you cannot make a choice, then your mother and I will,” he warns me.
“I understand, Father.” Reading between those not-too-subtle lines, I can’t help but frown.
“Lester will drop off the information about the sixty women who will be in attendance,” he dictates. “That is all,” he dismisses me.
I turn on my heel and walk out of Father’s office and back toward my wing. My feet pick up pace as I rush along the empty hallways of the palace. When I reach my room, I pull the door open and slam it shut behind me, my chest heaving.
Greyson sits on my bed, his brows furrow when he sees me. Quickly, he jumps up out of bed and rushes toward me. Then he pulls me into his strong arms and holds my body tightly. “It’s going to be okay,” he tries to reassure me, but it’s not working. At all.
“He’s giving me a choice, Grey.” Looking up into those brown eyes, the crinkles that have appeared at the edge of his eyes are becoming more profound each year we are together. His square jaw is peppered with stubble. Unlike me, he doesn’t have to shave every day, and I like the roughness he portrays.
“A choice?” His brows rise.
“Lester is delivering folders of eligible women for me to choose from who will be at the Summer Ball.”
Greyson nods his head.
Panic fills my body over making a decision like this.
“At least your parents are giving you one.” His grin lights up his sun-kissed face. “I guess we’re going to need snacks, then.”
“You want to help me?”
“Of course. Knowing you, you’re going to pick the most beautiful woman with great tits, which might be all right for a night, but she may not be the perfect fit for…” His eyes look between us.
“… for us,” I finish his sentence.
“Exactly. We need to find someone who looks great but isn’t looking for love and would be okay if you and I continue our relationship. Unless…” He takes a step away from me.
“Unless what?” Concern skims over me.
“Unless… this is it. Our time is up. We knew it might happen one day. Just didn’t think it would happen so soon…” His words fall away and so do his eyes.
“Don’t talk like that,” I reprimand. “You and I are going to find someone perfect for us, not just for me.”
Greyson nods his head in agreement.
A couple of hours later, Lester, my father’s secretary, drops off the women’s information folios, and we spend the night going through everything until we can’t see straight anymore.
2
Lila
“Oh, my goodness.” Henrietta rushes into my room. She’s waving an envelope wildly around in the air.
“What is it?” I’m surprised by her enthusiasm. “I’ve called your sisters to come to your room, too.” Her green eyes are wild with excitement. Moments later, Magnolia and Skylar enter the room.
“What’s got you so fired up today, Henny,” Magnolia grumpily asks as she sits beside me on the couch. Skylar takes the chair by my desk on the other side of the room as we patiently wait for Henrietta to explain what’s going on.
“I haven’t been able to raise your mother.” Not surprising since our father passed away and the depths of his double life have come to light. Since then, our mother has been laid up in her room sedated over the prospect of losing everything we own because my father was a self-centered pig. He only thought of himself and squandered away his family’s wealth on hookers, cocaine, and gambling.
We are penniless. Well, about to be, if we don’t find the money to pay back the people he borrowed from. Our titles don’t mean a thing to these people. They are bad, very bad, borderline dangerous. So, we find ourselves in an extremely precarious situation.
“All the staff of the great houses around the world has been talking about the Summer Ball in Friendsburg. How Prince Augustine is looking for a wife.” She squeals excitedly.
My sisters and I look at each other.
We have heard the rumors about the ball from our friends who have been dying for an invitation.
“Well… look at what has arrived from the Palace addressed to your mother.” Henrietta waves the gilded envelope in her hand, then she offers it to Magnolia as she’s the oldest. We watch in
silence as she opens the envelope and scans the contents. Her eyes widen as tears begin to simmer in her eyes.
“We are all invited.” Henrietta and Skylar erupt in hysterics. “The dowery is ten… million… dollars,” she says the words slowly.
“That would wipe father’s debt clean,” Skylar states.
“It would.” Magnolia holds the envelope to her chest. “And leave money left over to start over.”
My sisters seem rather excited by the prospect, but all I can think about is a life lived of servitude and controlled by a man. The life our father made us endure, and now that he’s gone, I finally feel free, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to give up that freedom just yet, even it means saving my family.
“The prince is very handsome.” Henrietta pulls out her phone and shows us all. He’s tall, athletically built, tanned, blond hair with blue eyes. My sisters are swooning over him. The prince is attractive, that’s for sure, and I wouldn’t kick him out of my bed, but good looks can disguise a horrible disposition. Plus, let’s face it, looks fade.
In the background of the picture, I notice a man as striking as the prince. His face is serious as his eyes are locked on the prince. Who is he?
“Have you seen his bodyguard, too?” Henrietta adds, pointing to the man standing in the background. “He’s just as handsome as the prince.” She grins. “Do not get any ideas.” Henrietta points to us both. “The prince is the prize, not the bodyguard,” she reminds us.
