The King and Jai (Royal & Reckless Book 1)

by Isla Olsen

  “But, Papa, why does it have to be a secret?”

  I search my brain for a reason she’d understand. “Because I want it to be a surprise for Jai—you don’t want to ruin it, do you?”

  She bounces up and down on my knee, her hands clapping together. “Yay, a surprise! I love surprises! I won’t ruin it, Papa, I promise.”

  I let out a soft chuckle and draw her in for a hug. “That’s my girl.”

  The next day, Alik bursts into my office, a wide grin on his face. “Congratulations, brother—I hear you’re getting married!”

  Jesus Christ, Katya! I pinch the bridge of my nose, letting out a resigned sigh. I level my brother with a stern look. “The situation is complicated, as you know. I told Katya not to tell anyone.”

  Alik lets out a wry chuckle. “You asked a seven-year-old to keep a secret? I admire your ambition, Luka.”

  “Has she gone and told everyone?” I ask with trepidation.

  “No. It was just me. And to be fair, she warned me it was a secret.”

  I roll my eyes. “Well, that makes it better. I wonder how many other people she’s done that with.”

  “So you’re really doing it?” Alik asks, his tone more serious now. “You’re getting married?”

  I nod. “I hope so. Although I haven’t actually asked Jai yet. And I have no idea if it’s even possible. Of course, if word gets out I’m gay before this law’s overturned we’ll all be out on the street anyway. Might have to go live with Jai in America.”

  “Have you considered not waiting?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Alik shrugs. “Get out in front of it. Cut them off at the knees. Don’t give them a leg to stand on.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Can you please stop spouting idioms and get to the point.”

  “Look, brother, the people love you. No clue why, but they do. They love you, they love the children, and I’m sure if given the chance they’ll love Jai. Call a press conference, present the situation to the people. Your people. Tell them everything. All of it.

  “Trust me, Lukas. There’s no way they’d enforce this ridiculous law of father’s after that. There’d be riots in the street.”

  “It’s a hell of a risk.”

  “It is. But aren’t there some things worth taking a risk for?”

  Alik’s suggestion has me thinking. In fact, I can barely concentrate on anything else for the rest of the day as I turn over the options in my mind. I could do what might be considered the smart thing and wait for this ridiculous law to be overturned before coming out to the world and declaring my love for a man who also happens to be my children’s tutor. Or I could do what Alik suggested—get out in front of it. And the more I think about it, the more this idea starts to appeal to me. And not just because I miss Jai desperately and will do pretty much anything to see him again as soon as possible.

  It’s true that there is an anti-monarchist faction within Korova, and that they would jump at the chance to see me and my family removed from the throne. But this faction is small. And the more I consider it, the more I realize it’s quite possible—quite likely, in fact—that those sentiments would be drowned out by the support from the large LGBT+ community and their allies.

  But I can’t do anything until I talk to my son. I already know how Katya feels about the situation, but Tomas is a different matter. I don’t expect him to kick up a fuss, exactly; he’s been raised to be tolerant and accepting and, with Alik as an example, has learned that being queer is completely normal. But, even so, this will be a big adjustment for all of us, and if he needs time to deal with it I’ll gladly oblige.

  Once Katya is asleep, I make my way to Tomas’s room and find him sprawled on his stomach on his bed, reading one of the Percy Jackson books. I gently knock on the open door, drawing his attention.

  “Can I come in for a moment. I need to talk to you.”

  He nods and scrambles to sit up, making sure to mark his page before setting his book aside.

  I close the door behind me and stroll over to the bed, sitting down next to him on the mattress. I hesitate for a long moment, before remembering he’s almost twelve and this is far from our first awkward conversation. Surely this can’t be any worse than trying to explain where babies come from.

  “Do you remember a few weeks ago when we were having dinner with Jai and you and Katya were asking whether I like kissing boys or girls?”

  He nods, his brows drawn together in confusion. “Yes.”

  “Well, I never answered your question. The truth is, I’m like Uncle Alik. I’m attracted to men, not women.”

  “But…you loved Mama…”

  I nod. “I did. Very much.” I take a steadying breath. “You’ll understand it a bit better when you’re older, but the truth is Mama and I were friends. Best friends. Rather than anything…more.”

  “So you didn’t have sex?”

  I shake my head. “No.”

  He frowns. “If you didn’t have sex where did Katya and I come from. You told me babies come from sex.”

  “Uh, that’s a little complicated. Mama and I didn’t want to have sex, but we really wanted babies, so we did something called artificial insemination.”

  He nods, and I have no doubt he’s filing that term away so he can look it up online later.

  “But that’s not really what I wanted to talk about,” I say, trying to get us back on track. “As I was saying, I’m like Alik. I’m gay. And I’ve met someone I love very much.”

  Tomas nods. “You mean Jai?”

  I smile softly. “Yes, I mean Jai.”

  “Is he going to be coming back soon? You’ve been sad since he left. I don’t like it when you’re sad.”

  My smile grows brighter. “Yes, I hope he’ll be coming back very soon. But there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about…tomorrow I’m going to make a statement and come out publicly. I’ll be telling everyone that I’m gay and that I love Jai. I want to make sure you’re okay with that.”

  He frowns, his forehead creasing. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with that?”

  I offer an affectionate smile, tousling his hair as I get to my feet. “Just making sure.”

  “Papa?” he says just as I’m starting to walk away.

  “Yes?”

  “Did you always know you were gay? ...or, how did you…?”

  “I’ve known since I was a little older than you. I started to realize I liked boys in the way most of my friends liked girls.”

  He nods slowly, glancing down at his lap.

  “Tomas…?” I venture warily, recalling what Jai mentioned the night we watched The Sound of Music. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

  I smile softly. “That’s okay. I’ll be here if you decide you do want to.”

  21

  JAI

  “Jai! Oh my god, Jai! You have to get in here!”

  What the fuck? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Owen this excited about anything. Well, except for the first night I stayed over here before I thought to buy noise-reducing headphones. A word of caution: even in really old brick houses, noise can still travel up through the floors.

  My curiosity piqued, I abandon the sandwich I was making and wander into the lounge room where both Jai and Blake are glued to the massive TV. “What’s going on?”

  “Just watch!”

  I turn my eyes to the TV screen, letting out a small gasp as I see Lukas standing at a podium for what appears to be some kind of press conference. “What the hell…?”

  “Look at the banner,” Owen says, pointing at the screen.

  The TV’s switched to CNN and at the bottom of the picture is a news banner that reads KING OF KOROVA COMES OUT AS GAY. I almost fall down on the spot, but manage to stumble into one of the plush sofas instead. Seriously, what the hell?

  I do a quick mental calculation of the time difference and realize this must be a replay of a press conference
that happened hours ago, but even so, I’m on the edge of my seat, my whole body racked with nerves as I listen to Lukas open up to his people—and the world—consequences be damned.

  “Eighteen years ago, my father, King Mikhail, put forward a Monarchical Act that was quietly passed by the Houses of Parliament and made into law. It declares that the ruling monarch of Korova must be of heterosexual orientation.” He lets out a heavy breath before continuing. “I consider the passing of this law to be a black mark in Korova’s history. Korova is home to a strong and proud LGBT plus community. It is something that, as king, I take immense joy in fostering. But this law is a backward step, a misguided endeavor to return our country to a less enlightened time. It is essential it be overturned swiftly and without debate.

  “Not only does this law legally remove my brother, Prince Aleksandr, who is openly gay, and my cousin, Prince Sebastian, who is openly bisexual, from the line of succession, it also means that Prince Aleksandr would be ineligible to serve as Regent for the future King Tomas should the need arise.”

  He pauses for a long, drawn-out moment here, and I can feel it coming. I know what he’s about to say and all I want to do is dive through the TV so I can stand beside him and offer my strength. But as it happens, he doesn’t need it.

  “This outdated law also suggests that I am not fit to serve as your king. Because I am a gay man.” There’s an uproarious buzz amongst the gathered reporters and Lukas holds up his hands to ward them off. “Just a moment more, please.” He lets out another breath before continuing with his prepared statement. “To avoid a monarchical and constitutional crisis, my advisors have suggested I delay this announcement until after the law has been overturned. But I have faith in the Korovan people, and I feel they deserve the truth—overdue as it is.

  “Thank you, I’ll take some questions now.”

  Both Owen and Blake are looking at me, wide-eyed, as Lukas starts to field the reporters’ questions.

  “Did you know he was going to do this?” Owen asks.

  I shake my head, still numb with disbelief. “I had no idea.”

  When one reporter asks, “So, are you saying your marriage to Queen Lesia was a sham?” Lukas’s eyes turn dark with ire.

  “Absolutely not. There are many different kinds of love. When I made my vow to spend the rest of my life with Queen Lesia, I meant it with all my heart. But as we know, God had other plans. Now I’ve been very blessed to get a second chance.”

  “Are you referring to Jai Winters, Your Majesty?” another reporter asks.

  There’s a soft smile on Lukas’s lips as he answers. “Yes, I am.”

  More questions are asked and he handles them all expertly, but I’m not really paying attention. All that matters to me right now is the burst of warmth consuming every inch of my body, because Lukas has just told his entire country—the entire world, in fact—how he feels about me.

  “Holy shit…” Blake says on a whistled breath.

  Holy shit, indeed. I have no idea what’s going to happen now, but what I do know is I need to talk to Lukas. Right the fuck now.

  I rush up to my room and grab my phone from where I’d left it charging. Ignoring all the missed calls and texts that are filling up my lock screen, I find Lukas’s contact and call.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself. I just saw…you actually…I can’t believe…”

  “Are you mad?” he asks softly.

  “Mad? Why would I be mad?”

  “I should have talked to you about it first. Made sure you were okay with it.”

  I shake my head adamantly, which, of course, he can’t see. “No, baby, no. You didn’t need my permission for that. You were so amazing up there. So brave. It was incredible, I’m so proud of you.”

  He lets out what I’m sure is a breath of relief. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. So fucking much. God, please tell me you’re alone right now. I really need to see you. If I can’t be there to fuck you senseless right now I need the next best thing.”

  “Actually, I’m kind of in the middle of something,” he says.

  “Oh.” There’s no hiding the disappointment in my tone.

  “Yes, I’m flying over the Atlantic, on my way to see my future husband.”

  I let out a soft gasp and my heart explodes with joy and anticipation. “Okay, you so better be talking about me.”

  He chuckles softly. “No one but you, kotya.”

  “Husband, huh? I don’t remember agreeing to that,” I tease.

  “I’m the king. You’re supposed to do what I say,” he says in a wry tone.

  The prospect of marrying Lukas, of spending the rest of my life with him, fills me with so much joy I can barely contain it. But there’s a wariness there, too. “Is that even allowed? The king marrying a man?”

  “There are a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out,” he admits. “We’ll talk about it when I get there.”

  “When will you get here?”

  He pauses for a moment and I can only assume he’s checking the flight’s progress. “In a bit over five hours.”

  Those five hours seem like the longest of my life, but finally the doorbell rings and I rush to open the front door. I launch myself into Lukas’s arms the second I see him, almost toppling him over.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmurs between heated kisses.

  “Me too. So much.”

  “Your Majesty? I’m sorry but I’d feel more comfortable if we moved inside the house.”

  I break away from Lukas and glance behind him toward the source of the Korovan accent, surprised to find Dorev, not Boyd, has accompanied the king for this trip.

  We manage to tear away from each other long enough to follow Dorev’s suggestion, moving into the house and closing the door behind us.

  “Boyd didn’t come with you?” I ask curiously.

  “I didn’t want to take him away from the palace.” Lukas’s eyes catch mine and I see the unspoken words: and from Aleksandr and Lennox. Hmm…that’s definitely going to be a situation to keep an eye on.

  I turn to Dorev. “Dorev, both my friends are out right now but they know Lukas is here and that he’ll have a guard with him so they won’t be surprised by your presence.” I point toward the kitchen and living area. “The kitchen is through there, help yourself to anything. And the living area is just past that if you want to relax and watch TV or something. Oh, and there’s a gym down in the basement you’re welcome to use.”

  Dorev offers a single nod, his impassive expression giving Boyd’s a run for its money. “I’ll be fine.”

  With that reassurance, I take Lukas by the hand and tug him toward the elevator that will take us up to my room. It may have only been a week, but it feels like a lifetime, and the second the metal doors close behind us, we’re all over each other.

  We manage to make it to my room before clothes start coming off, but only just. “Missed this…missed you,” I murmur as I hastily strip the layers from his tall frame.

  Once we’re free of the layers between us I back him toward the bed and push him onto the mattress, climbing on top of him and covering him with my body.

  “What do you want?” I murmur, peppering kisses to his jaw as I grind my hips down against his. “Tell me. I’ll give you anything.”

  He lets out a soft gasp, his head falling back, his legs wrapping tight around me to pull me in closer. “Just you. Inside me. Just like this.”

  Afterward, we’re curled up in each other’s arms in a way I became so accustomed to while I was in Korova, and have missed so much over the past week. Our legs are tangled together, his hand stroking gently over my side as we face each other, just soaking in the reality of being in the same place, in the same bed.

  “Katya’s been begging Santa Claus to bring you home for Christmas,” Lukas says, his tone full of affection. “She misses you so much.”

  I grin at the mention of the princess. “I miss her, too. I miss everyone. And I’d lo
ve to be there for Christmas.” It’s only a few days away and, to be honest, I was kind of dreading it. Now, though, I can’t wait. But then a thought hits me that makes me bite my lip in concern. “Will I be allowed to come back, though? Is everything okay…after that announcement?”

  Lukas smiles. “Yes, everything’s fine. And yes, you’re definitely coming back with me.”

  “Lukas…”

  He lifts his hand to brush my hair away from my face. “It was a gamble, but Alik was right. He suggested I get out in front of it and that proved to be the right move. The announcement has been broadcast all over the world. If the law were to be enforced now it would cause an international scandal. It would certainly jeopardize, if not completely ruin, any chance of joining the EU. The government isn’t prepared to risk that for the sake of a law they plan to overturn in a month anyway.”

  I lean closer to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m so proud of you. You were so brave.”

  “Thanks to you,” he murmurs. “You gave me the strength to do it.”

  I offer a gentle smile. “So what is this wrinkle you mentioned in our plan to get married?”

  “Ah, yes…that. You’d think it would be simple, seeing as how same-sex marriage is legal in Korova. But there are opposers that will argue that this law doesn’t apply to the monarch because they’re not considered an ordinary citizen.”

  “So where does that leave us?”

  “When Parliament sits again I’ll put forward a Monarchical Act declaring that members of the royal family can marry whom they choose, regardless of gender. That will make things simple for the future.”

  I grin at him. “Perfect. And do the kids know you’re planning to marry me?”

  “Yes, and they’ve both signed off. They’ve decided they’re going to call you ‘Dad’, because Katya thinks two papas will be confusing.”

  I let out a rumbled laugh before crashing my mouth against his, clinging tight to him as the kiss becomes completely devouring. God, I can’t wait to marry him and be a dad to those kids.