by Marian Tee
Every night, sleep eluded him, and not even liquor could numb the ache in his heart. Every night he would end up tormented by the knowledge that Cass was no longer his.
“You are now man and wife!”
Cass’ lips received her first kiss from her husband.
Julian’s face became wet, but he pushed his loneliness aside. Be happy, Cass. Be happy.
This was the future Julian Rivera, once the Prince of Ethereal, had carved for himself because he believed Cass deserved someone better than him, a lifelong sentence for the pain he had caused to the woman he loved beyond his duty to his kingdom, his life, and everything else he stood for.
****
“Cass?” Julian demanded, terrified at the way she had become pale and almost limp in his arms.
Hearing him call her name pulled her out from the dark future of Julian’s world, and the tears streamed nonstop as she came back to the present.
Her lip wobbled at the effort it caused her not to cry, to be coherent as she whispered, “I saw.”
Instantly, he understood, and Julian stiffened.
Her control shattered, and she threw her arms around him, her sobs causing her body to shake.
Julian said brokenly, “I don’t deserve you.”
She cried harder. Reaching out to cup his face, she said fiercely, “You do. You do, Julian. You do.”
Her love shone like a fierce light in her eyes, humbling him, breaking him a thousand times with its innocent strength. “I love you,” he rasped out just before his arms closed around her like steel binds. He would never let her go now. Never. He had tried. God knew he had tried, but he couldn’t do it a second time.
“I love you, Cass. I love you.” He had to say it. He would say it over and over until he deserved to say it. “When I realized you were in danger, I knew then. All those years I had trained as a child, wondering why I had to suffer, it was then I knew. I had to learn how to kill, how to be tough, so I could have the strength to save you.” His voice became ragged. “When I saw you in Jose’s hold, I was thankful – I was so goddamn thankful I went through those years—”
She stopped his words with a kiss, his love for her so fierce and strong it made her weep harder. “I love you, Julian. Thank you for coming for me. Thank you for saving me.”
His own voice shook as he answered, “Thank you, Cass, for bringing me to life.”
~Epilogue~
One year later
Cass was seated at one of the benches lining the boardwalk when she sensed a man coming to stand a few feet away from her, facing the ocean. She bit her lip, trying to resist the urge to meddle. She had made a bet with Julian that she was capable of not reading anyone’s fortune and just taking a day’s off from her “work” while he left to inquire about the boat that would take them back to Eden.
La la la la la. Cass tried to sing in her mind in an effort to drown the thoughts she heard coming from the man across her. But it didn’t work so she tried another tack, this time thinking back to the months that had gone by.
Julian had withdrawn his bid for the throne. He had only been obsessed about being king because he had been brainwashed by his childhood training to want it. Now, he only saw it as a poison that made men like Jose murder.
Now, he and Cass traveled all over the world, looking for pockets of land that they could develop and transform into something enchanted like Eden. This, however, was to be their last trip. With Cass two months pregnant with twins, it was time for them to settle down, and the prospect of doing so was exciting for both of them.
Because it was her first pregnancy, her doctor had advised her to be extra cautious and avoid stress at all costs. Julian interpreted that as a “no-fortune-reading” warning. In the end, they had compromised. She would only read people’s fortunes during weekdays.
Today was a Saturday, unfortunately.
Cass slowly covered her ears. I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to say anything.
The man started to walk away.
Cass quickly put her hands down and called out, “Mr. Beauchesne?” She hoped she had said that right. But the man only continued to walk away. She had to say his name three times, pronouncing it differently with each instance, before he finally turned.
Almost like déjà vu, reminding her of the time she and Julian had first met. The thought made her smile.
Christian Beauchesne saw the smile and immediately thought, Fille folle. He was one of the most successful actors in the world, with two Oscars and three Golden Globes to his name as well as having amassed a billion-dollar fortune from the movies he not only starred in but produced as well. He was, however, also infamous for having been imprisoned for beating his fiancée.
Cass frowned. “What does ‘fille folle’ mean?”
Christian started. How the fuck had she known that?
“I read minds,” Cass said almost apologetically just before asking again, “What does it mean? The words—”
Crazy girl, Christian thought.
Cass gasped. “I am not. I told you, I just read minds.”
He snorted.
She sighed. “You must believe me.” She paused, his future slowly taking shape. “And,” Cass added slowly, “You should book another flight. What you’re looking for isn’t in Eden. It’s in Boracay. Just Google the island. You’ll find what you’re looking for there.”
Christian raised a brow. “And what am I looking for?”
She answered promptly, “Someone who believes you’re innocent.”
****
When Julian walked back to his wife, he was not entirely surprised to find her conversing with another man. Of course, he knew there was nothing to be worried about. Of course, he was still jealous as hell. That would never change. He loved Cass more and more each day, and there wasn’t a moment when he was not tempted to lock the two of them in a room so no other man would be able to steal her away from him.
Cass looked up when she sensed Julian approaching.
Julian and Christian’s eyes met, both of them recognizing each other. The look on the actor’s face was familiar, and Julian sighed. “You read his fortune.”
Christian’s brow shot up. “You believe her?”
He offered his hand to the actor. “Julian Rivera.” He gestured to the beaming Cass. “And this is my wife, Cass.”
The actor took his hand as he said slowly, “Christian Beauchesne, Your Highness.”
The other man was definitely good-looking, Julian acknowledged grudgingly. Black hair, blue eyes, bronze skin, and a strong physique – he could see why the man had a legion of female fans. Knowing that, Julian was very careful not to touch Cass in any way. Her abilities had seemed to thrive the more time Cass and Julian spent with each other. Nowadays, Julian and Cass only had to be physically connected and Cass would be able to see what he saw.
Well, he did not want that to happen this time – or at least not until the too good-looking actor was on his way.
“Do you think he believed me?” Cass asked wistfully the moment the actor left them.
Pulling her close as he sat next to her on the bench, he murmured, “I think so.” He kissed her hair, inhaling its fragrant scent.
“I hope he does. He felt very lonely.”
“And that’s why you read his fortune,” he said dryly.
“I tried very hard at first to resist the urge,” she said piously.
“But you still read his fortune, which means you lost the bet.’
“Julian!”
He laughed. “A bet is a bet, and you lost square and fair.”
“But he was really very lonely,” she protested even as he slowly guided her to her feet and ushered her towards the boardwalk.
“Bad for him, good for me,” he said mercilessly, but his hold was gentle as he helped her sit down on the edge. He took off his clothes until he was down to his briefs before sliding into the water.
“Your turn.” He took hold of her hand.
He pulled her into his arms from behind, nibbling on her ear as he whispered, “I’ll have you hot in no time, sweetheart.” If Cass lost the bet, which she did, thanks to the actor, she had to trust Julian and allow him to make love to her in public – just like their first time and he trusted her.
Cass whimpered as she felt his fingers underneath her dress. “What if the boatman comes?”
“He’ll wait.”
“People can really see us now…” But her voice was weak as she spoke the words, her body already reacting to his masterful touch.
“So they will, sweetheart.” He started to stroke her folds and Cass gasped, her breasts becoming heavy with desire. “But all they’d be able to see is your lovely face, flushed with pleasure because you can’t get enough of my cock—”
“Julian!” But just like before, his dirty talk only made her feel more wanton and in love with him. And then she heard it and she gasped again. The sound of a boat’s engine, becoming louder as it neared.
“Someone might really—” But Julian had already entered her and Cass whimpered, the pleasure of it so intense she could only wrap herself around him. He started to move, fucking her underwater and even shy as she was, she forgot everything, love being more powerful than the magic in Eden. In fact, it was so powerful that Cass couldn’t help but scream—
Groaning, Julian quickly covered her mouth with his even as his thrusts become quicker and harder, exactly like how his beautiful wife wanted it.
~ The End ~
Dear Reader,
If you have been looking forward to the release of His Fair Lady as part of the Invitation to Eden series, thank you and I apologize so much for the delay. I hope you enjoyed the book, which also serves as the prequel to an upcoming series of standalone books. All of them would feature couples made to come together by fate – with a little help from the mind-reading Cass and her prince.
Secondly, some of the minor characters mentioned in the story are from other Eden books—
Tessa, the girl torn between two gorgeous MMA fighters (her ex and the now-billionaire-best-friend), is from Fight for Me by Sharon Page.
Caine & Jenna, ex-lovers turned boss-and-employee, are from Hydrotherapy by Suzanne Rock.
The trio from the band (MMF) is from Random Acts of Fantasy by Julia Kent.
The Master is of course from the free prequel to the series, Master of the Island by Lauren Hawkeye, who also spearheaded this amazing project.
Joely, the green-eyed pilot, is from Falling or Flying by R.G. Alexander, which will be out this December.
In the near future, I will also be releasing free excerpts featuring Cass, Prince Julian, and other characters in Eden. They will be posted on my blog and included in my newsletter.
If you would like to check out my other books, you can find them here together with its reading order.
If you would like to hear from me about my newest releases as well as enjoy exclusive sneak peeks and cover reveals, please do fill out this form so you can subscribe to my newsletter. You can also chat with me on Facebook, Twitter, or drop me a line on my website.
Thank you again for reading His Fair Lady! Hope to see you again on Eden through the other books!
Sincerely,
Marian Tee
Other Invitation to Eden Books
Master of the Island by Lauren Hawkeye (FREE prequel!)
Random Acts of Fantasy by Julia Kent
Escape from Reality by Adriana Hunter
Yours Truly Taddy by Avery Aster
Hydrotherapy by Suzanne Rock
Fight for Me by Sharon Page
Other Books by Marian Tee
Standalones
The Rockstar I’ve Loved for So Long
That One Time
His Fair Lady
Greek Billionaire Romance Serials - A young schoolteacher innocently dreams of falling for a Greek billionaire, but the one she meets only wants her as a mistress.
The Art of Catching a Greek Billionaire (FREE!)
The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Loving a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Forgiving a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Wedding a Greek Billionaire (Out Soon)
Heart Racer: BIKER Romance Series
Leandro & Bobby’s Story (2 parts) – A young billionaire biker chooses a snarky do-gooder to be his pretend girlfriend.
Heart Racer (FREE!)
Driven by Love
Helios & MJ’s Story (3 parts) - Even though he's commitment-phobic, the aloof president of a billion-dollar bike racing club finds himself jealous of the "secret crush" of a tomboyish camera-wielding first-year student.
Swish
Burn
Click
The Art of Claiming an Alpha Trilogy
Book 1: Wolf Fight
Book 2: Wolf Games
Book 3: Wolf Kisses
Other Books Set in The World of Moretti Werewolves
The Werewolf Prince and I
A Royal Heartbreak
Suit & Fangs
Table of Contents
His Fair Lady
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Other Books by Marian Tee
