“You aren’t the boss of me.” She stuck out her tongue at him and headed for the stairs.
He was right, she had a paper to write. A big one, but she’d lined up all her research for it ahead of time. She just had to follow the note cards and her outline. It should be fine. Which was a blessing, given the spiraling ideas currently taking over her head.
They had a good thing going for them.
Really good.
Which was why when he’d made noises about maybe getting a bigger apartment, she’d nixed that idea and bought a house. It wasn’t like her inheritance was doing anyone any good sitting in a savings account. Though it had taken a considerable amount of arm twisting to convince Jaxon this was what she wanted.
She hadn’t understood it then, because it was a logical step to live together.
Freya went through the motions of showering, lathering up.
Maybe she was missing something.
She was damn proud of him for not only finishing his undergraduate, but all the footwork he’d done to secure loans and the means to start his PhD. He didn’t give himself enough credit for how far he’d come and how hard he’d worked.
Her feelings for Jaxon had grown.
Yes, her body reacted to his touch, his kiss, but it went deeper.
Was this love?
She’d been waiting for trumpets and sparkles and something...big. Instead, slowly, over time, she’d changed.
When she’d watched the tears slide down the groom’s face today, she’d seen Jaxon. She’d wanted that. To make him happy, to be with him. Forever.
If that wasn’t love, then what was?
Freya shut off the shower and slicked the water out of her hair.
She bundled up in a towel and picked her way down the freshly waxed stairs.
Jaxon sat on the sofa, suit jacket off, shirt sleeves rolled up, and his feet on the coffee table.
That was the picture she wanted to come home to after a hard day at work. He was the person she wanted to study with. Travel with. Laugh with. Be with.
Jaxon glanced up and quickly pulled his feet off the coffee table.
“Sorry, I forgot. Won’t happen again.” He clicked the pen in his hand a few times and stared at the book.
Yeah, feet on the coffee table was a losing battle, but she’d at least try to break him of that habit.
“Hey.” She crossed to his side.
“Hm?” He peered up at her.
“Put that down for a minute?” She didn’t want to touch the textbook, not with all the water running off her still.
He set the book aside, his place marked with a piece of paper.
She crawled onto his lap, not the least bit worried that she was soaking him, the sofa and the carpet.
“Um, babe, the windows are open, you know?” Jaxon chuckled.
“You know I’m crazy proud of you, right?”
“You’ve said that a few times. What’s up?” Jaxon tilted his head to the side, his attention on her face while his hands slid up her thighs.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Jax. I know I’m doing this backwards, but—hear me out?” She cupped his face.
“O...kay...”
“There’s no one I want to be with like I want to be with you. I need you with me. You make me happy, you keep me going and... I think I’ve been waiting for...writing in the clouds or something, but if this isn’t love...then, it’s got nothing on what we have. I love you, Jax, and...I want to be with you always.”
Jaxon gripped her knees and stared into the impossibly dark eyes of the woman he loved.
Was he dreaming?
Was this moment real?
He’d dreamed about it that first night when she’d told him she didn’t believe in love. He’d wanted to prove her wrong. Had he really?
“Jax?” Freya’s voice had a watery quality to it.
“I’m...taking that all in...”
“I just said I love you and you’re taking it in?” She sat back on his knees.
He opened his mouth, but what did he say?
He’d told her he loved her a dozen times a day. He’d come to terms months ago with the idea that she might never say it back. It didn’t matter. He loved and he would continue to do so until she left him, because he couldn’t live without her.
But now...
He stood with her in his arms. At least until she squawked and slid to her feet, clutching the towel to herself.
“Jax! I’m trying to talk to you.” She all but stomped her foot.
He grinned and crossed to the built-in shelves around the TV.
They’d made two trips to Finland in the last year. Freya enjoyed her mother’s family more than she’d expected, and on this last trip, he’d gotten something special from Freya’s aunt.
He pried the lid off a decorative tin box. It’d had chocolate mints in it, but Freya liked the pattern so they’d kept it. When he needed a place to stash the goods, well, a box from Finland seemed like a nice spot.
“I’m trying to have a moment here and—what are you doing?”
“I wasn’t ready yet.” Jaxon swallowed and turned toward her, the slim ring pinched between his fingers.
“What...” Freya stared at the ring with a funny expression. Did she recognize it?
Jaxon knelt, because that was what he was supposed to do, and took her hand.
“I told you I wasn’t ready.” He sucked in a breath. He could say that all he wanted, but the truth was, he’d always been waiting on Freya. “Your aunt and uncle gave this to me the last time we saw them, and told me to make you happy. I hoped this might make you happy...”
“Are you proposing or what?” She looked almost afraid, but then again, so was he.
“If you’ll give me a minute, I will.” Jaxon blew out a breath. “Freya—”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t ask you yet.”
“I know, but—we’ve waited a long time.”
“I’m going to ask you, so you’ll have to just hear me out.”
“Fine.”
“Freya—”
“Can we go to Vegas?”
“No. Now, will you stop?” He bent his head and kissed her hand. “Will you marry me, Freya?”
“Yes!”
He held his breath and slid the ring on her finger.
It was plain, and worn by generations of hands, but it fit.
Jaxon stood and gathered her to him, both of them staring at her hand. The silver band had a groove down the middle, and in the center was a tiny emerald.
“It was supposed to be your mom’s, but your dad had other ideas. Your aunt wanted you to have it. It’s not flashy—”
“I don’t want flashy or expensive or anything but you.” Freya lifted her gaze to his. “I’d want to be with you in a cardboard box or in a tent. I’d be happy with used dental floss around my finger, if I needed anything. I don’t care about the things, Jax. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He bent his head.
“Are you sure about Vegas?”
“No Vegas. Your aunt would kill me.”
“I love you, Jax.”
Those were four words he would never tire of hearing.
You can stay up to date on the whole Twisted Royals team in Alpha Prince, Her Prince and Noble Prince (coming June 20th). Make sure to check out the Twisted Royals Origin Story by signing up for Sidney’s Newsletter at www.SidneyBristol.com.
Alpha Prince
Twisted Royals 1
Once upon a time there was a princess with an evil step mother, who wanted her dead, and a prince ready to stand by her side...
Ian Kelly never thought he'd see her again. The woman who ran out on him after some of the hottest sex of his life. Taylor Carter. He knows a damsel in distress when he sees one, but Taylor doesn't want saving.
Taylor only meant to do the right thing. Now she's on the run from her mafia step-mother and her best friend might be dead. Even the FBI has turned on her, and t
he only person in her corner is a hot Irishman with a nose for danger.
Ian can't turn his back on Taylor, not when his gut tells him she's an innocent in a den of thieves. Soon enough her past comes calling, and it'll take more than true love's kiss to fix Taylor's problems.
Her Prince
Twisted Royals 2
Once upon a time there was a brave princess and a smart gypsy boy who saved the day...
Kade Tsaplin left behind his nomadic family to live a different kind of life—one where he doesn't have to read cards and lie for his next meal. When a beautiful woman with adventure in her eyes crash lands into his life, the last thing Kade expects is to get drawn into one of his brother's cons. But Shelby is more than she appears, and makes him an offer he can't refuse.
Shelby Amos is an art thief trying to right the wrongs of her past. Kade’s supposed to be a means to an end—an accomplice she can trust on this most dangerous undercover job. With Kade's help bringing down a criminal mastermind she might finally get the answers she's been searching for. Only, she never counted on falling for Kade.
Working both sides of the job takes its toll, until Kade and Shelby find themselves in a den of thieves, with only each other to rely on. As danger draws them closer, the lovers unwittingly play right into the spider’s web, handing over the true prize—Shelby herself.
Book List
Twisted Royals
Alpha Prince
Her Prince
Bad Boy Prince
Noble Prince
Aegis Group
Blind: Killer Instincts
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous in Training
Dangerous Games
Dangerous Assignment
Dangerous Protector
Hot Rides
Drive
Shift
Chase
Bayou Bound
Picture Her Bound
Duty Bound
Bound Memories
Bound & Tamed
Other BDSM Titles
Committed
Bound with Pearls
Collar Me in Paris
Festive Seduction
Electric Engagement
So Inked
Under His Skin
The Harder He Falls
His Marriage Bargain
Standalone Titles
Falling for His Best Friend
Dream Vacation (free read)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and fostering cats.
Copyright © 2017 by Sidney Bristol.
Editing by Dayna Hart. | www.edits.daynahart.com
Copy editing by Nina S. Gooden. | www.greenteaandpinkink.com/pinkinkeditorialservices
Cover design by Charity Hendry. | www.charityhendry.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Inked Press/Sidney Bristol
www.sidneybristol.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout & Design ©2013 - BookDesignTemplates.com
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.
Bad Boy Prince / Sidney Bristol.—1st ed.
Bad Boy Prince: A Modern Fairy Tale (Twisted Royals Book 3) Page 28
