Taming the Princess

by Alyson Reynolds

  Right?

  I could hope anyway.

  My day passed quickly as I picked out a dress for our night out—black, of course—and pampered myself with a manicure and pedicure. If I’d had time, I probably would’ve got a massage too, but it was late notice. I might be spoiled, but I wasn’t so demanding and selfish that I would make an entire company come to me for something so frivolous.

  I was putting on my makeup, staring in the mirror and attempting to get my eyeliner just right, when there was a soft knock on my door. I frowned slightly. There were very few people who actually knew I was in Warington. I wasn’t expecting anyone for makeup or hair, and my dress had already been delivered for the evening. And Carrick would have just walked inside, since it was his room. The last person I expected to see when I opened the door was standing on the other side.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, pulling Ava into a tight hug. “I thought you were leaving to go back home to Carleigh this morning?”

  “Carrick invited me,” she smirked and put her hands on her hips. “Apparently, he knew I was already in Warington. Did you have something to do with that, little sister?”

  I grinned and choked back a laugh. “Maybe. He’s just so fun to bait.”

  She chuckled and walked further into the room, closing the door behind her. It took me a few seconds of staring at her to realize she really was here with me. I pulled her in for another hug, afraid she might disappear if I let her go. This was an amazing surprise, but it confused me that Carrick would go to these lengths just to make me happy. Nevertheless, I was thankful for his thoughtfulness.

  “You’re engaged,” Ava breathed as she hugged me tighter. I gave her a tight-lipped smile as she pushed me out to arm’s length. “I can’t believe you’re engaged—like its official official, on TMZ and CNN official. Oh gosh, you’re going to be a queen!”

  I scowled. “I am. We haven’t had any of that pomp and circumstance yet, thank goodness. I didn’t even know that Carrick had announced the engagement.”

  Ava rolled her eyes. “You were never one for big showy ceremonies. I’m sure Carrick is glad for that right now, since things are going to have to be done so quickly. I also haven’t seen your name in the papers, unless it was linked with his, the past few days.” She paused. “What does he think of your…nighttime activities?”

  I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be right for a queen to go out and get drunk or high, would it? I guess it’s time to grow up.”

  She pulled me over to the bed and patted the seat next to her. “Scarlett, I’m just happy that you’re not—”

  I shook my head. “I know you’ve been concerned, but Ava, I had it under control.”

  She looked at me in disbelief. “Your security detail found you passed out in the back of a limo three weeks ago. What I don’t understand, is why you didn’t come to me if you were so upset. You need help, Scarlett.”

  I turned away for a second to gather myself. We’d never actually talked about that part of my life. Ava was the good girl, the favorite, and even though I was the fuck-up, she never looked at me like that. My father hated me because he saw me as the reason his beloved wife was dead—not that he’d taken much time in finding the step-monster after her death.

  “You’re the golden child. It’s hard to ruin that for you.” I took a deep breath. “Since the accident, Dad has hated me. He blamed me for what happened to Mom.”

  Ava shook her head, but I took her hand in mine and continued. “I’ve always been the odd one out and I didn’t want to drag you through my hell too. Dad was interested in marrying you off to the highest bidder, since Roman was going to take over Carleigh when he finally died—which is completely unfair that our step-brother gets to be king, and you get screwed over, by the way.” She gave me a sad smile. I knew it bothered her, but she wasn’t one to make waves. So Roman would take over Carleigh, and she would allow our dad to marry her off to whoever would pay the most.

  “I was just the troublemaker because I didn’t fall in line. Sometimes I needed to forget, just for one second, that my life completely sucked.”

  She frowned. “Dad doesn’t hate you.”

  I snorted. “The king is good at hiding his feelings from people, when he doesn’t want them to know.”

  I could see that she wanted to believe the best in our father—that’s how she was—but deep down, she’d had to know it was the truth. “What has he done to make you think he hates you?”

  “To him, it was my fault that Mom died in the wreck. It didn’t matter that I’d been through hell too, or that it was the paparazzi chasing us that caused the driver to swerve.” I swallowed thickly. “If I’d died in the car wreck and not Mom, he would have been much happier.”

  Ava gasped softly and took my face in her hands. “You don’t truly believe that, do you?”

  I couldn’t look her in the eye, because yes, I did.

  With all my heart.

  I pulled away and sighed. “Maybe things will be better with Carrick. I’m surprised that the king even let him pay my dowry. That’s not how all this is supposed to work. You were always supposed to be first, and we all know how he is about how things are supposed to be.”

  She smiled. “Father told me that Carrick only offered for you. And he offered more than just than the dowry. So much more so that he had to accept Carrick’s offer.” I watched her mess with the items on my dresser. “He seems quite taken with you, especially if he’s willing to put up so much cash just to marry you.”

  That’s something to file away and think about later.

  “Does it bother you?” I asked softly.

  “What? That you’re getting married before me? Not at all.” She grinned. “If anything, it gives me a few more years of freedom.”

  I smiled back at her. “You’re welcome for that,” I teased, trying to break out of my spoiled mood.

  She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Let’s get you ready for this night. Something tells me it’s going to be amazing.”

  Ava helped me finish my makeup. I don’t know how she was able to do such a natural smoky eye, but I was incredibly thankful because most of my makeup consisted of drag queen amounts of black eyeliner. Even though we looked nothing alike—me, blonde and sunny, which was enough of a contradiction in and of itself, and her with beautiful long dark tresses—we both cleaned up nicely.

  She was done in minutes. It wasn’t fair that she was so good at everything. Peopling, makeup, making our father love her. Ava was definitely the perfect one. Her dress was beautiful, a deep crimson color that looked gorgeous against her pale skin. It fit her like a glove, skimming her curves as it flowed to the ground. My dress was completely opposite, just like everything else about us. The black high low-cut dress I wore had a sweetheart neckline that accentuated my chest, instead of being long-sleeved and fitted like hers. And of course, my favorite thing about my dress was that it had pockets. Ava shook her head and grinned when I pointed them out.

  In my royal opinion, all formal dresses should come equipped with pockets.

  Carrick wrapped my arm through his, leading me down the sweeping staircase and into the shark tank of people he wanted to introduce me to as his fiancée. He was being the perfect gentleman tonight, which went against every story I’d ever heard about him. He’d been a wild child, messed up in the wrong things just like me, when he was younger. Scandal was normally attached to his name, not that I cared, but tonight I was the scandalous one. People turned to stare at us as we entered the large ballroom and whispered to their neighbors. It was a little disconcerting. Carrick smiled at me, and I tried to hold my head high and act like the whispers didn’t bother me.

  “We were supposed to be married by now,” he grumbled, as he leaned down next to my ear. His breath tickled the hair on the back of my neck, causing my skin to prickle.

  “And I’m sorry that was delayed. Maybe you’ll have to punish me again for it.”

  Carrick smirked. “Sounds like a solid plan, b
ut we just walked in the door. I’m afraid that might not look decent if we turned right back around.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “You care about propriety?”

  He shrugged. “I do when I’m going to be king in a matter of a few weeks.”

  I felt like such an idiot. “Fair enough.”

  He grabbed two glasses of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter, and handed me one. Carrick was smooth in the way only an older man could pull off. Not that thirty-nine was old, but no boy my age would have been able to pull off that maneuver and look as elegant as he did.

  We made our way around the room slowly. Carrick introduced me as his fiancée to friends and dignitaries of his that I hadn’t met before. Mainly, it was the same people that were at every one of these stuffy events, but I knew it was important to keep up our image. My sister was perfect, flitting around and making nice with the people we knew and charming the ones we didn’t. It was fun seeing her in her element. She would make an amazing queen one day, but I felt inadequate. Watching her work the room made me wish that I hadn’t blown the last few years of my life in drug-induced hazes. She would clearly be the better choice for Carrick.

  I got quieter as the evening wore on. My head pounded and I wanted to be at home in bed, except my bed was hundreds of miles away, and I had to get used to a new home. A new bed. I hated being unsure of myself, but lately it seemed like I lived that way.

  Carrick tensed beside me and before I could turn back to him, I knew something was wrong. One glance at the beautiful woman staring daggers at me proved my intuition right. I tried not to narrow my eyes at Carrick’s ex-wife, but she was looking at Carrick like she still owned him. She approached us like a tiger might trap their prey, and I felt a prickle of unease run over my skin. The look in her eye was unnerving, but I’d never show how it affected me. The woman standing in front of us was toxic.

  “Well, well, Carrick. So, you’re a cradle robber now, huh?” she sneered, glancing me up and down, clearly unimpressed with what was standing in front of her. “You’ve moved from women to children. Such a disappointing turn of events. I’m sure your uncle wouldn’t approve.”

  I smirked and placed a hand on Carrick’s arm. As I spoke, I leaned in closer so no one could overhear. “Carrick isn’t into old pussy. He enjoys when he doesn’t have to use an entire bottle of lube to fuck.”

  The bitch sucked in a breath and Carrick tried to stifle his chuckle.

  “You little—”

  I leaned in even closer to the woman. “You probably shouldn’t make a scene with the future king and queen of Warington. I’m assuming you probably lost your title in the divorce, and if you say the wrong thing, you’ll probably be thrown out before you could even say bitter.”

  If looks could kill, I would probably be dead on the floor. This was going to be more fun than I thought.

  “Hello, Jade,” Carrick finally said when he’d pulled himself together.

  “You’re going to let her talk to me that way?” she demanded.

  I moved my hand so the ring Carrick had given me to wear was visible. The woman gaped at the beautiful sapphire stone.

  “She’s my fiancée. She’s cute when she gets all possessive. You’re just a crazy bitch.”

  We all knew about the infamous Jade and all her crazy antics, but I had never had the pleasure of meeting her before. I hoped I never had to again because the woman was creepy as hell. I watched in amusement as her eyes narrowed at me, and I could see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Darling,” she purred, clearly changing tactics. “Don’t be hasty. Can we talk? Privately.”

  Carrick studied me for a second. “I’ll be right back, Princess Scarlett.”

  I glared back at him. “Really?”

  “There are a few things I need to clear up,” he said, kissing my temple and pulling his arm from mine. “I promise I’ll be right back.” He leaned in closer and whispered. “I want to make sure she isn’t an issue going forward.”

  I didn’t like it, but who was I to try to stop him? She was his ex after all, so he must know what he’s doing.

  “I’ll go talk to Ava. Come find me when you’re done?”

  He nodded. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Carrick had paid my dowry, so at least I knew he wanted to marry me, but I didn’t like his ex trolling around, trying to get back together with him. I thought there was more between us, but that might have just been a childish dream. Maybe Carrick did want only sex, and because I was young and pretty, I fit the bill of a trophy wife. God, could it even be that he wanted to save me from myself, and I was simply a charity case to him? I hated that idea more than if he just wanted to use me as a fuck toy. The uncertainty of this whole relationship was going to drive me nuts.

  I slowly circled the room twice, feeling the sense of panic start to consume me, trying to decide my best escape route. That was, after all, what I did best—run when things got tough. It only took me a minute to grab my purse and jacket from the coat check and make my way to the back exit where I was least likely to be seen. There would be a ton of cars outside, so I could easily get a driver to take me wherever I wanted to go. As I was about to slip out the door, a hand wrapped around my wrist. I winced and turned around to find Ava’s whisky-brown eyes staring back into mine.

  “Why are you leaving?” She glanced around suspiciously. “And without Carrick?”

  I tried to fight back the tears. “I can’t do this, Ava. I’m not you.” My eyes pleaded with her to let me go. “He’s with his ex-wife, and I just need to get out of here. I need room to breathe, but I swear I’m not running.”

  Her face was full of concern, something I didn’t deserve. Not from her. Not from anyone, really.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  A soft, sad smile crossed my face. “I appreciate it, but you should stay here.” Maybe she could distract him, give me more time to put some much-needed space between us. “You look like you’re having fun. Stay. Enjoy. I’m just going to go back to the castle and go to bed. My head is killing me, and this is all too much for me tonight. I’m too young to be dealing with ex-wives and marriage contracts. Two days ago, I was drunk in a club and tonight, I’m meeting dignitaries with my fiancé. It all seems a little surreal.”

  She was quiet for a minute; probably debating with herself if I was a flight risk or not. “Text me when you get there, so I know you’re okay.”

  I gave her a quick hug. “I will. Promise.”

  “Does Carrick know you’re leaving?” she asked, suspicion tinting her voice again.

  I didn’t want to outright lie to her. “I’m sure he’ll be right behind me.”

  Heaven forbid his property get away.

  “Okay, I’ll be back in a few hours. Just don’t...” She paused. “Don’t get yourself into any trouble please.”

  “Yes, Mother,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ll be a good little girl.”

  She watched me duck into the car. I told the driver to take me back to Brixton Falls and leaned back into the seat, breathing a sigh of relief. Before we started moving, the door opened quickly and Carrick climbed in beside me, an angry expression on his handsome face. Of course I’d pissed him off. It was what I did—even when I wasn’t trying to. I wanted to leave for the night and not cause a scene, but as usual, I was the bad guy for quietly leaving. No one trusted me to take care of myself. Now he was leaving early with me, which was probably just as awful, since this was a charity event in honor of his uncle. I sighed and leaned back in my seat.

  So much for making it look like I had my shit together for Carrick.

  Chapter 4

  Carrick

  She was running.

  Again.

  Motherfucker.

  Why she kept doing this was blowing my mind. I hadn’t trapped her in the house, nor had I mentioned marriage again since she’d run the first time. With everything going on, I was trying to give her time. I assumed she was skit
tish and I wanted to allow her a few more days to adjust to the idea of marriage—especially since most women in her situation had a year at least to plan their weddings. We were rushing things, which I was well aware of.

  All I wanted was one day of peace, but the only time I actually got that was when I fucked her into submission. She’d gone to sleep with a smile on her face last night. I fought back a triumphant grin at the thought.

  “Are you going to say anything to me?” she asked, biting down on her full bottom lip.

  Probably not a good idea.

  “No.”

  “Are you mad at me?” she asked. Now her bottom lip was trembling and I felt like a complete asshole. I stared into the seat ahead of me, remaining silent. “Because I would understand if you were mad, but you should ask the driver where I told him to go before you totally freak out.”

  I couldn’t look at her, afraid my anger might make me say something I would regret later. Or I would completely give in and tell her that I wasn’t mad, and that everything was okay. Marrying Scarlett was probably a horrible idea, but she was who I wanted at my side, not some lifeless woman who had been trained to follow my lead. I’d been attracted to her in ways I shouldn’t have, a long time ago.

  We were cutting it a little close to get things settled between us before my uncle passed away, and while each day with Scarlett was proving to be more challenging than the last, it didn’t change the fact that she was the one I wanted by my side. There were things she needed to know, but I was too much of a coward to tell her.

  I stared at the seat in front of us. “Scarlett, I’m through trying to force you to marry me.”

  She startled, her head jerking in my direction. “But you paid my dowry,” she whispered.

  I sighed and ran a hand down my face. “If you don’t want to be here, I’m not going to force you. I can’t make you become ready for something you just aren’t. I know that baiting my ex-wife is fun, but we should be planning a wedding, not trying to cause problems for us going forward. You know how important it is to the future of Warington. If you want out, just let me know now.”