Kian: Prince of Sorenia (Dirty Princes)

by Imani King

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Copyright

  Dirty Princes

  By Imani King

  © 2016 Imani King

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

  Kindle Edition

  CHAPTER ONE

  My phone shakes in my hand. Trembles and a wave of nausea grip me. I’m falling.

  People press around me lining up to board the plane, but I’m stuck in this moment. Disbelief. It can’t be real. Right? This isn’t happening. Not to me. I don’t deserve this. I’ve always done the right thing, been the good girl, followed the rules. How could he do this to me?

  “Abby?” Eva grips my arm as she leans close, looking into my eyes.

  Looking up at her, I try to say something but the lump in my throat is barely allowing me to breathe. Getting words past it isn’t working. My mouth moves, but sounds refuse to come out. The concern on Eva’s face is obvious. I want to answer her but I can’t. Lifting my phone up, I turn it so she can see the message. Her eyes widen, her mouth drops open and she shakes her head side to side. Tears stream down my face and some of the other passengers are giving us odd looks.

  We’re done, Abby. There’s someone else. There’s been someone else for a long time.

  Eva bites her lip hard and draws me into a hug. “Is that from Roger? Shit, Abby.”

  Shaking my head I inhale deeply and try to regain some semblance of composure. “Yeah. He’s been—he’s been distant for some time now—and oh shit, Eva. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Now boarding for flight 2205, Class B.” An announcement comes over the loudspeaker.

  Grabbing my carry-on bag, I shuffle forward in line. Eva places an arm around my shoulders and keeps her arm around me as we move. I lean my head onto her shoulder, taking her support. My stomach is a tight knot of boiling acid, and my head starts to throb. We reach the ticket taker, and she checks our tickets and passports for probably the third time now. She smiles as she hands them back to us and we walk down the gangway.

  “Watch your head,” the pretty flight attendant warns as we step onto the plane.

  Eva and I find our row, and she looks at me then back at the seat. I slide in and take the window seat. She doesn’t like flying, and seeing how high up we are makes her stomach queasy. I shut the window shade for her sake, fasten my seat belt, and lean back in the seat. Eva straps in then grabs onto the arm rest squeezing so hard her knuckles are turning white.

  “Hey,” I say, glad to focus on something besides the empty ache in my chest.

  Eva smiles, swallows hard, then grits her teeth. Finally, she nods then relaxes her grip.

  “I'm all right,” she says. “Are you?”

  I smile halfheartedly. What else can I do?

  “Kind of,” I reply. “Maybe?” The tears start to well in my eyes, but at that moment, the plane rumbles and moves onto the tarmac. Instead of tears, there’s a jumble of emotions running through my body, through my head. Didn’t I expect this for some time? Didn’t I know this might happen?

  “You’re sure it’s not a mistake? Or Roger trying to… I don’t know… get back at you for something?” she asks.

  I think about it. Somehow I know it’s not. Something has been off for a while now, and I’ve known it. Everyone always said a long distance relationship wouldn’t work and you can’t get much more long distance than this. Four thousand miles is a lot, which is how far it is from Glasgow to Kansas City. Roger is attending KU Med while I go abroad to finish my degree in Literary History at St. Andrews in Glasgow, Scotland.

  I was sure Roger and I were different. I always thought we could survive the time apart. But sitting here as the plane lines up in the queue, I know with devastating certainty that his words are true. He’s been cheating on me, and now we’re done.

  “I don’t think so,” I say at last.

  The plane starts to taxi out to the runway, and our conversation is interrupted by Eva grabbing onto my arm with a vice like grip that threatens to cut off all blood flow to my hand. Putting my free hand on hers I pat her arm.

  “This is the worst part,” she says through gritted teeth.

  “I know,” I say. “But seriously, it’s not that bad okay? We’re fine.”

  “I know, it’s just…”

  “It’s nothing,” I finish for her. “Seriously, just breathe and relax.”

  She nods, closes her eyes, and slowly her death grip on my arm relaxes.

  “Okay,” she exhales. “So it’s real? This is the first you heard of it, huh?”

  “No,” I shake my head and tears start falling as I realize it with a deep certainty. “When he was here last there were these odd texts on his phone. I saw the messages, and he tried to cover them up, but it was strange, you know? It seemed like they were from another girl but the name was Alex and he said it was a guy friend of his.”

  “Oh honey, I’m sorry,” she says. “You’ve been with him for what, forever?”

  “Freshmen in high school,” I answer, and as I say it, my stomach falls to the floor.

  The plane is speeding up and I want to keep Eva’s mind off of the takeoff. Talking seems to help her, and no matter how much I don’t feel like talking about this, she’s my best friend. Helping her takes my mind off my own troubles.

  “Well, fine,” she says. Her brow is sweating, but she focuses her gaze on me like she’s trying to steady herself for take off. “Here’s what we do. We’re going to Gibraltar for the weekend. This is our fun vacation, and I had big plans anyway. So now we just add to them. You need to find a new guy, a ‘bounce back’ we call it back home,” she says.

  “A what?” I ask.

  “A bounce back, skip over, one-night stand,” she explains.

  The ache in my chest is overwhelmed by fear at the idea she’s suggesting. This was supposed to be a getaway, a break before the run up to finals, nothing like this was on the agenda.

  “I don’t know,” I reply.

  “Sure you do!”

  The plane is picking up speed as it heads down the runway, but Eva is oblivious to this. Her face is alight, and she’s talking quick.

  “I’ve never—”

  “I know,” she cuts me off. “And that, my dear, is exactly the problem. How can you know what life is if you haven’t lived? You need to sample the world before you settle for one thing to have for the rest of your life. I never understood you
on this point, and now Roger has given you the perfect reason. He cheated on you. He admitted it.”

  “I don’t know,” I say, fear and hurt vying for control of my feelings.

  “Of course you don’t,” she says. “You’re hurting, and I get that. Best way to get over the pain? Find a guy, use him, then go home. Which this weekend is perfect for. We’re going to Gibraltar, vacation spot of the world. No one is there looking for long term. So don’t look either.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I say.

  “Think, schmink,” she rolls her eyes. “This isn’t the time for thinking, this will be a weekend of non-stop action. We’ll drink too much, dance too long, sleep not enough, and it will be grand! We’ll make memories to tell our grandkids, or maybe not. Probably not appropriate huh?”

  Eva laughs and it’s infectious. Mid-laugh she stops, looks around wide-eyed, then her head turns sharply back to me.

  “Are we stopped?” she asks, gripping my arm again.

  “No hon, we’re in the air,” I smile.

  “You’re kidding me?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  She cocks her head to one side listening to the low whine of the engines that cut through the cabin.

  “Well I’ll be,” she says. “That was better than normal.”

  I smile and pat her hand. She grins and breathes a sigh of relief.

  “Not so bad huh?” I ask.

  “I guess the secret is to have something else to think about,” she says. “Now back to hot, delicious, beautiful men.”

  “You’ve got a one-track mind.”

  “You’ve got a limited world view.”

  “True,” I say and pick up my phone.

  The message is still there. It hasn’t vanished. Hasn’t gone away.

  How could he do this to me? Why didn’t I see it?

  “Delete it,” Eva says. “That part of your life is over. Close the door because sister it’s time to move on!”

  My finger hovers over the delete button, but it refuses to touch it. I try, I really do, but it won’t move. I hit the home button and it disappears.

  “You’re right,” I say, making my decision.

  “I’m right?” Eva asks, taken by surprise.

  “Yes, I’m going to do it.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Let’s do it. A one-night stand. No strings, no expectations, just one night of fun.”

  “Right on!” she exclaims loud enough that the passengers around us all look over.

  My cheeks burn hot and I want to crawl under my seat.

  “You could be a little more discrete,” I admonish her.

  “Sorry,” she says sheepishly.

  I shake my head then lean my seat back. Closing my eyes, I let my thoughts drift. Roger keeps appearing, sometimes at the edge, sometimes taking center stage. It hurts so much more than I want to admit but maybe Eva is right. I just need to get some payback. Balance the books so to speak. He’s been cheating on me. Maybe more than once. When I first came to Glasgow, we’d talk every night, sometimes for hours. Then, it became every other night. Lately, we barely talk once a week and then most often by text message.

  I knew, the entire time, something was wrong. I didn’t know what it was, and I was so busy with working on my degree that I didn’t take time to look at it. I should have. Maybe it’s my fault? Did I not give him enough? Could I have done something different? What did I do to deserve this?

  Sleep eludes me no matter how hard I try to clear my head. Somewhere in the plane, a child starts crying, showing no sign of stopping. Giving up on sleep, I dig in my purse and pull out my iPad and open up one of my textbooks to review the class material. Eva is sleeping, so I let her be, losing myself in the biography of Picasso.

  “Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts,” the announcement echoes through the cabin.

  People shift around, and I put away my book as we prepare to land. The plane’s engines change their sound, and then we’re coming in for a landing. Eva grabs onto my arm as the plane angles down and her death grip returns with a vengeance, making up for lost time. When we’re on the ground and she finally lets go, I can see her fingerprints still on my arm. I shake my head and laugh a little. As her face regains color, we get our carry-on baggage and make our way off the plane.

  It’s not long before our car drops us off at our hotel and we’re walking in. A concierge greets us and takes our luggage while we finish checking in at the front desk.

  “Welcome to Gibraltar,” a new concierge says. “May I show you the amenities we offer before I take you to your room?”

  He’s a young man, sharp dressed in a white suit with black shirt and high polish shoes.

  “Sure,” Eva says.

  “Right this way ladies,” he says, leading us through the lobby. “This way you will find our hotel bar. You see it is well established for the discerning guest.”

  The bar is beautiful. White with gold and wood accents. The bar is a horseshoe in the middle with white leather seats, and small tables dot the floor with booths along the walls. A few guests lounge around, one of whom catches my eye. Dirty blond, just out of bed messy hair, sharp features with a strong jawline bragging a five o’clock shadow at ten in the morning. He’s broad shouldered, tall, wearing a tan blazer and matching slacks. His shirt, sans tie, reveals a hint of olive-tanned flesh. He looks over as we walk by and our eyes meet. Electricity crackles between the two of us. I can’t tear my eyes away—I want to lose myself in his emerald green pools. A tingle runs down my spine, and my core tightens to a hard knot. He has full lips and the way he leans towards me, even at this distance, is aggressive but not in a threatening way. More like a ‘he knows what he wants and is going to take it’ way that makes me weak in the knees.

  Those amazing green eyes roam up and down across me and I feel myself flush. I’m melting into him and we haven’t said a word to each other. Someone touches my arm and I jump, looking around. Eva is smiling.

  “Are you okay?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I say too fast, too embarrassed and burning hot in my cheeks and chest.

  “Uh-huh,” she says, looking around but he’s gone.

  Blinking, I look around and we continue our tour of the amenities before being shown to our suite. Eva tips the concierge, and we find our bags are already waiting for us.

  “Well?” Eva asks.

  “Here we are,” I say.

  “Let’s go then!”

  “Sure,” I say, my thoughts still full of the man I saw in the hotel bar.

  “There’s a dance club not far away I want to check out,” Eva says.

  We walk the short distance to Casemates Square. Bars and restaurants as well as shops line the massive open square. The sun is setting and the crowds are forming as music begins to pour out of the different locations. We make our way to one of the bars that seems interesting based on the number of people walking in and out. As we make our way in, the music is pounding, the crowd is pulsing, and the air is electric.

  “What do you think?” Eva asks, shouting to be heard.

  “Seems great!”

  “Let’s dance!” she says, pulling me towards the dance floor.

  “Sure!”

  I want to make the most of the weekend, and a few drinks and some dancing seem the best way to keep my mind off of everything from back home. We join the crowd on the floor, all of us moving to the beat.

  I lose myself in the music.

  CHAPTER TWO

  It’s her.

  I spot her moving through the crowd, and the same electric thrill from the first time I saw her runs through me, from my center and expanding outwards. There’s something about her. Whatever it is, I want her. I want to taste her, feel her, see her moving beneath me. Maybe it’s the way she moves, the sway of her hips.

  No, it’s something more.

  I usually don’t look at women this way, really seeing them. There’s got to be something more.


  Innocence. She looks innocent. None of the girls I’ve had have been pure, not quite like that. Hell, they throw themselves at me and into my bed. I can’t put my finger on it, but she exudes an innocence that makes my cock stiffen. I’m going to have her. I’ll break that look. Bring her down and dirty with me.

  “Hey, wake up.” My brother, Aidan, punches me in the arm.

  “What?” I give my brother a lazy, uninterested look.

  “What’s holding your attention? Mia here was just saying how interesting it would be to see the presidential suite,” he says, motioning to Mia with his beer.

  Mia and her friend, who’s currently hanging on my arm but whose name I’ve already forgotten, both giggle and nod. They’re hot, sure, but they’re also easy. I’ve already lost interest. There’s no conquest here. Nothing to be gained except one night of getting my rocks off.

  This girl, the one with the golden brown skin and eyes like rich honey, she’s something more.

  “Good, have fun,” I say, staring out at the girl. She sways her hips a bit awkwardly and brushes a piece of deep black hair away from her forehead. She looks interesting. She looks smart. How can someone look smart?

  Who is she? I saw her at the hotel. Her warm brown eyes locked with mine and I felt something I’ve never felt before. I don’t know what to call it. I’ve never felt anything like it before.

  “Are you serious?” Aidan asks, leaning in close.

  “Yes,” I glare at him. “Why else would I have said it?”

  My brother stares at me like I’m ill. I shouldn’t be surprised. When have I ever turned down an opportunity to jump into bed with a good looking girl? If my new plan doesn’t work out, I can always come back and do it later. These girls are too easy. Aidan follows my gaze across the bar and down to the dance floor. He looks from the two dancing girls to me then back to the floor.

  “The curly one or the straight hair?” he asks, leaning in close so only I can hear him over the music.

  “Curly,” I answer and he nods, leaning back.

  Mia slides closer to him hooking her leg over his and running a hand up his thigh. I glance over and shake my head just as the girl whose name I don’t remember tries the same move with me, apparently following the other one’s lead. I take her hand and put it back in her lap just as she inches closer to my groin.