Jilted Groom (Romance Novel)

by Mia Carson

  “Yes, Mother, and I would like to… to apologize,” she forced out, “to both of you.”

  “Accepted,” Calix said quickly. “Now, we do not have much time before we must plan the ball for your betrothal, so come here, daughter.”

  Daphne flinched at his harsh tone but did as he said. Stacked on the desk were files, and when he motioned for her to open one, she had to bite back another angry retort. “These are the young men you wish me to choose from?”

  “Yes,” Alexandria said. “I hear we have some cleaning up to do. You appear to have upset your aunt and cousin again, along with several key leaders of parliament.”

  “I’m sorry for whatever distress I’ve caused you both,” she replied in a monotonous tone, her head down so they wouldn’t see her roll her eyes.

  “You should be. All the work we’ve put in is about to go to waste,” the queen snapped.

  Daphne picked up the files to distract herself from snapping at her mom that they had done nothing. It was all Daphne’s work. “Well, at least there are pictures.”

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, Father, nothing,” she said more clearly.

  “Good, then you are excused. We will expect your choices presented to us in a week,” he told her before waving at the door, dismissing her.

  Daphne’s heart sank as she backed for the door and knocked for it to be opened. She couldn’t even meet Matt’s eyes when she passed him, but instead of going to her room, she turned right and took one of the doors leading out to the private royal gardens. Her mind racing with what was in her hands, she walked on, through the arched hedge entrance and deeper into the gardens where no one could see them.

  When she reached the center and the fountain there along with several marble columns surrounding it, Daphne dropped the files and sat on the edge of it.

  “What are those for?” Matt asked after telling the others he had the princess safe in the garden and she wished to be alone and removing his com from his ear.

  “Those are my choices for a future husband,” she spat out, glaring at the files.

  Matt bent to pick them up and flipped through them, his face blank. “Quite a few interesting men in here. All quite rich from the look of it. And handsome.”

  “None of them are you,” she argued. “I have a week to choose which ones I want to date.”

  “And they’re all coming here?”

  She frowned, leaning forward on the edge of the fountain. “Yes, and they’ll be here soon after, staying until I pick one. Why?”

  Matt tossed the files aside. “You can’t pick one.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” she said with an exasperated laugh. She’d barely held herself together while her parents told her what she had to do, but now that she was away from them and alone with Matt, her control on her emotions vanished.

  Daphne hung her head, holding it in her hands as tears pricked her eyes. It wasn’t fair. Maybe before, she could have accepted her fate, but with Matt in her life now, how could she bring herself to marry someone else? Have sex and have a child? She couldn’t do it. The tears fell and she couldn’t stop them, her whole body shaking with the reality of her life.

  There was no way out. She couldn’t run away unless she chose to give up her right to the throne, turning over the kingdom to Dion.

  Matt hoisted Daphne to her feet. “No, you’re not going to be with anyone else. I won’t let you,” he growled before his mouth slanted over hers. He cupped her face in his hands and backed them up to a nearby column.

  Daphne clung to him as their tongues entwined. He moved his hand up under her skirt. She fumbled at his belt and pants, desperate to feel him when the world around them tilted and faltered. Fear of losing him overwhelmed her, and she kissed him fiercely, pressing her body hard against his. He cursed, and she heard a rip before a draft moved between her legs. Matt tossed aside the torn shreds of the thin lace, and the second she had him free, he lifted her up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and plunged into her to the hilt.

  She groaned against his lips, Matt moving into her again and again as he kissed her neck, tugging her blouse aside to lick the mounds of her breasts. He possessed every bit of her, leaving his mark on her in ways she would never be able to forget or live without.

  “You are mine,” he whispered harshly in her ear, moving deep inside her. “I won’t let you marry someone else. Won’t let another have you like this.”

  Daphne believed him, gripping his shoulders hard. “What are you telling me, Matt?” she pressed roughly.

  “You know what,” he muttered.

  When his slate eyes found hers, he thrust into her until they moaned as one, their bodies shaking as pleasure rippled through them. It was more than just that. Daphne knew it and saw the truth in Matt’s eyes. One of these days, she’d get him to say it out loud.

  His kiss was gentle and his breath ragged as their bodies calmed. She slid down his front, putting her raw nerves on edge, but they had risked too much by being together out in the open. While she fixed her skirt and blouse, Matt buttoned his pants and picked up the torn lace panties with a raised brow.

  “You want these back?” he asked, his lips twitching in one of his rare smirks, but his eyes smiled at her.

  She took them and tucked them into his pocket, letting her hand linger. “Keep them for luck.”

  “Going to need it if I’m taking you into the city tonight,” he grumbled.

  Daphne stared at him wide eyed. “You’re taking me to the city?”

  “With conditions,” he told her firmly. “We’ll talk about it more later, but I looked into those clubs you pointed out last night. Might be a good place to poke around. One of my military buddies is going to meet us when we get there.”

  Daphne hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Matt, really.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We might find nothing,” he said quietly.

  “But the chance is enough for right now.” She looked around for the files on her possible betrothals and picked them up. “I guess I’ll act like I’m interested in them for the time being.”

  Matt’s dark look said she should just throw the files away, but he didn’t voice it. Daphne made sure she looked like she didn’t just have sex in the garden and walked calmly back out to the main path towards the palace, her bodyguard close behind.

  ***

  Orion flipped through the pictures he had taken and grinned. There were plenty of good shots showing both their faces. Dion would be pleased. Orion tucked the camera back into his suit jacket and pulled out his cell.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he said when Dion answered. “I have something that might be of interest to you.”

  “How much interest?”

  “You said you wanted to bring Princess Daphne down? Well, you will be able to do that sooner rather than later. Where do you want me to meet you?”

  Dion gave him a location and time, but before he hung up, Orion told him to double his usual fee. “It better be worth it,” Dion snapped on the other end.

  Orion leered, remembering the look on Daphne’s face while Matthias took her against the column. “Oh, it’s worth it, Dion, it’s definitely worth it.”

  ***

  Getting Daphne out of the palace without being noticed was easier than Matt assumed. Marie told the other servants and the king and queen Daphne was busy going through the profiles of the men and would not be leaving her room the rest of the night. Jeremiah stood guard in the hall, which covered any worry of someone going to check on her. They waited until ten when most of the household was headed to bed before Daphne crept out of her room, ushered down the corridor by Jeremiah, with Matt watching the cameras from the surveillance room while Theodore took a break. Once she was safely outside, Matt joined her, and together, they took off on his bike.

  Daphne’s arms stayed securely wrapped around his waist, and as they left the palace behind, he wished he could’ve seen the look on her face. He hadn’t been sure if this was a good
idea, but after their moment in the garden, Matt realized the only way they might make this work out was to bring Dion’s real business into the light and give Daphne something to bargain with. It was a long shot, but Matt was not going to lose her easily.

  When they’d reached the main drag in the city close to two of Dion’s nightclubs, he parked the bike in a nearby lot and put down the kickstand. Daphne hopped off, her eyes wide as she stared at the city’s bright lights. She turned in a circle, and Matt cursed under his breath. He’d told her to wear something so she’d fit in with the club nightlife. He should’ve told her to wear jeans and a damn turtleneck.

  The dark blue mini skirt clung to her ass and hips like a second skin, and the cropped halter top stopped right at her ribs, showing off her flat stomach. She didn’t have a bra on underneath, and he groaned when she turned back around to face him. If they hadn’t been in public, he would’ve torn every last bit of clothing from her and taken her on the bike, but there were too many people around and they were here to do a job, not enjoy a night out. Roughly, he cleared his throat and nodded towards the sidewalk.

  “Is it always like this?” she asked excitedly, slipping her hand into his and leaning against his side.

  For the night, he tucked his gun at the small of his back in a different holster so he wouldn’t give himself away. Daphne’s hair hung down, and her makeup was heavier than normal to disguise her. In the midst of the crowds at the clubs, he doubted anyone would recognize her, but just in case, he didn’t want them to get swarmed and have pictures posted of the princess out clubbing with her bodyguard.

  “Usually,” he finally said, trying to keep his eyes in front of him and not on her body.

  “Where are we meeting your friend?”

  “Outside the first club,” he told her. “Just a few blocks up. Can you walk in those damn things?” His eyes slid to the five-inch black heels she wore, strappy and sexy as hell. He shifted his hips, trying to adjust the erection growing quickly in his pants.

  Daphne winked. “Why? Do you not approve?”

  “I didn’t say that,” he growled roughly. She laughed beside him, and he reminded himself there was no time to sneak off somewhere and show her exactly what she did to him.

  While they walked, his hands twitched at his sides because of the large crowd, but Daphne leaned into him and rubbed his arm soothingly. After a few minutes, his hands stilled, and he blew out a heavy breath. No, he could not live without this woman to keep him grounded. The first club came into sight on the right, its bright neon sign announcing it as Aphrodite’s Harem, a ridiculous name, but now that Matt knew the man who owned it, he wasn’t surprised.

  “There he is,” Matt said, nodding to his one of his only friends, Dorian.

  “Was he a sniper too?” she asked as they approached.

  “Yes and no,” Matt said quietly. “He was on my team and was my spotter when my other one… when Damien was killed.”

  His steps stilled for a moment, but all Daphne did was squeeze his arm. No questions about Damien, which was good. Matt still hadn’t gotten over the man’s death. He cleared his throat and brought her to Dorian, introducing them quietly.

  “Lovely to meet you,” Dorian said with the same stoic look on his face Matt wore. “You look beautiful, Daphne.”

  “Thank you, Dorian. And for meeting us here.”

  Dorian shrugged his muscled shoulders and scratched his nose. He was a few inches taller than Matt with blond hair instead of black. “Don’t mention it. I managed to get us VIP access so we can go right in.”

  “How’d you manage that?” Matt asked as they followed him to the club’s entrance.

  “I, unlike you, have a certain charm,” Dorian teased with a wink.

  Daphne snorted a laugh but covered it quickly with a cough. When they reached the door, Matt pulled her back for a second. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, but I want you to wear this while we’re inside,” he said and pulled out an earbud for her. “I’ve got one too, and so does Dorian. They’re only linked to each other. Just talk, and we’ll hear you.”

  Daphne frowned but stuck it in her ear. “Right.”

  “Don’t lose it,” he warned. “If we’re separated, it’s the only way I’ll be able to find you again.”

  “You can track me with this?”

  “Course. These are military grade. GPS on ‘em,” Dorian told her. “Ready?”

  Daphne and Matt nodded, and the three walked through the heavy black doors. The second they opened, they were assaulted by loud pop and techno mixed music blaring throughout the club. They only had time to visit two clubs that night, and from what Dorian found out, quite a few of the drug dealers worked out of this one and another one down the street. All they had to do was find a link to Dion, but the club was jam-packed, and beside him, Daphne looked like the last thing she wanted to do was find dirt on her cousin.

  Her eyes shone brightly in the lights and her hips moved subtly with the music. Matt wanted to drag her onto the dance floor and show her how this night could go, but they had to find what they needed and get out of there before someone recognized either of them. Dorian told them he’d take the bar and handed over the VIP access cards, pointed to a set of white faux marble stairs, and disappeared into the crowd.

  “Where’s he going?!” Daphne yelled. Matt grimaced and pointed to his ear, and she mouthed an apology. “He’s taking the bar?” she asked, quieter this time, but with the earbud, Matt heard her perfectly.

  “Yeah, we’ll hit the upstairs. VIP only. See what happens when we throw Dion’s name around.”

  They had nothing else to go on, so that was their best bet for the moment. As he tugged her up the stairs, he noticed her eyes widen as she looked around. The club was too gaudy for his taste, and the music shook the damn floor. He’d been security in this one a few times and remembered why he hated it now. Upstairs were various circle booths backed into dark corners against the wall with cushions draped in bright pinks and deep crimson reds. The lights were dimmed, and there were curtains that could be pulled across the openings for privacy. When they passed by the first, several female moans of pleasure escaped, and Matt saw Daphne’s face turn three shades of red.

  There were several booths open. He could easily slip inside one, pull her with him, and disappear for five minutes. Had it not been for the coms in their ears and the fact that they were there to find out information, he would have.

  Daphne’s eyes trailed back to the booth as he guided her forward. “People do that here? Just like that?”

  Matt leered at her and let his heated gaze roam her body from her head to her toes until she shivered. “Yeah, they do, with good reason. Come on.”

  There were several men in perfectly tailored suits sitting in a booth towards the end of the balcony. Ladies with long, flowing blonde hair surrounded them, and Matt and Daphne paused and walked to the railing as if they were watching the crowd. A man passed by, asked for their passes, and Daphne showed them while Matt asked Dorian if he had anything yet.

  “There’s a man up there, supposed to be one of the suppliers,” Dorian answered. “Bartender said he’s here every Tuesday and Thursday nights, sits at the end booth.”

  “Description?”

  “Buzzed head, tattoo on his neck, and has a fetish for feathers.”

  Matt raised a brow, and Daphne laughed. “Feathers, really?”

  She leaned back with Matt, and when he saw the man in the center of the booth, two women draping feather boas over his shoulders, he frowned, disgusted, and Daphne laughed even harder. “Think we found him. Guy have a name?”

  “He goes by Hades… How original,” Dorian said dryly.

  Matt grabbed Daphne’s hand and leaned in close, whispering, “Act drunk.”

  “That’s your plan? I’ve never been drunk!”

  “Giggle a lot and hold onto me clumsily. Want to see if I can get him to sell,” Matt told her.

  When they got closer, Daphne
stumbled into his side hard and burst out giggling, her hands digging into his shirt as he held her up and forced a smile to his lips. “Hey, man! Hey, yeah, you!” The men in suits standing near moved to block Matt and Daphne from getting any closer. “Easy, guys, I just want to see my friend Hades. Hey, Hades! Need a favor, man!”

  Hades’ narrowed gaze landed on Matt, and he sneered hungrily when he turned to Daphne. Matt nearly forgot what they were doing and rushed forward to deck the guy. “Let them pass. For the lady’s sake. She is quite a beauty.”

  “Aww, you’re so sweet,” Daphne said loudly. “Isn’t he sweet?”

  “Yeah. Hey, man, need something from you. He said you had it.”

  “Who said what?” Hades asked and stood.

  “Dion, man, he said you got in a new shipment last night, you know…” Matt muttered and leaned closer. “The good stuff.”

  Hades frowned, and the men pulled their jackets open, flashing their guns. “Who told you this?”

  “Dion,” Matt said lightly, hoping to appear calm. Daphne, to her credit, didn’t seem scared at all though her hands shook against his arm. “Dion Eridian? I’m the son of a guy in parliament, if you know what I mean,” he said and rubbed his fingers together, indicating a bribe.

  Hades scratched his chin and told his men to relax. “Fine, but you came to the wrong club. You want Hermes. He’s the big man, handing out the new stuff from Russia tonight.”

  Russia meant cocaine. Matt heard Dorian curse through the com and said he’d meet them outside. Matt shook Hades’s hand, and when the man leaned forward to kiss Daphne’s cheek, red filled his vision. His lips lingered far too long on her skin, but Daphne dug her hand into Matt’s arm, keeping him in check.

  “Yes, it’s a shame I couldn’t help you, but please, my lady, come back and see me anytime,” Hades told her. “I’ll give you a discount.”

  Daphne giggled loudly and said she would. Matt turned and guided her quickly back down the steps and out onto the sidewalk. “Well, that’s good, right? We got another name?” she said when they were out of the crowd.