“I’ll see you later, Alex,” she said, curt again. “I have work right now.” She vaguely pointed to the desk where she had been working before their little episode.
He looked hurt as she said it but nodded. Jules was engulfed with guilt. She reached up and brushed her lips to his jaw, trying to make up for her harsh attitude. He smiled sadly. “You don’t have to do that,” he said. “Take your time. Whenever you’re ready.” With that, he exited her office.
Chapter 21 – Alex
Later that day, Alex was surprised when Jules visited his apartment. The moment they saw each other, flashes of their episode in her office came back suddenly, leaving them both flustered. He offered her a drink before they sat down on separate couches, careful to keep their distance.
There was silence at first. And then Jules spoke.
“I hate how you make me feel, Alex. I hate how you make me feel everything, all at once. I hate how overwhelming your presence is. I hate how helpless your touch leaves me. I hate how I still feel something for you, despite everything you did.”
Alex listened quietly, his head bent down.
“I hate how you were too cowardly to handle your feelings for me. I hate how you thought I was going to be a hurdle in your goals. But you’re my weakness so I’m here.”
Alex was silent.
“Do you have something to say?” Jules snapped.
“I regret that day every single minute,” he said quietly. “The day I broke up with you. I regret it so much.”
“I forgive you,” Jules said suddenly.
Alex looked up, surprise etched over his face.
“I’m not one to give second chances but I forgive you.”
“I-” Alex begun. “Thank you, Jules. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jules rolled her eyes. “What about your dad?”
“That’s my problem,” Alex replied.
Jules switched her couch, taking a seat next to Alex. She rested her head on his shoulder as he slipped a cautious arm around her. “Where do we go from here?” Jules asked.
“Wherever you want,” Alex replied. “I’ll do as you say. Whatever is best for us. And our child.”
Jules propped her chin on his shoulder, looking up at him. “Our child,” she repeated. “Sounds strange.”
“I want to have a daughter,” Alex said. “She’ll be a fighter like us. A brave little fighter.”
Jules smiled at that. “Hope she never falls in love with another fighter. They’re the worse.”
Alex laughed. They sat in silence, Jules with her head on his shoulder, Alex with his arm around her. They made plans of how to raise the child. Alex suggested they should move in together and Jules agreed.
When Jules was leaving, Alex walked her to her car.
“About what happened in your office today-” Alex begun.
“Oh, don’t remind me,” Jules moaned. “My assistant heard my screams. It was so embarrassing.”
Alex was amused. “Who knew you were such a screamer, Jules,” he teased.
“Oh, shut up,” Jules said. “You full well intended to make me scream in my own office.”
“Of course I did. I love hearing you scream my name.”
Jules rolled her eyes, unlocking her car. Alex told her to take care of herself until they can move in together.
“Alex,” Jules said. “It’s still very early in the pregnancy. I’ll be fine.”
But Alex was adamant.
When their lips met, the kiss was extremely hesitant, short and sweet. Alex watched as Jules drove away. For the first time in ages, he felt happy.
The next day, Alex headed over to his father’s house before he went to the club. He found him in the garden, reading the newspaper and sipping tea. After exchanging pleasantries, his dad commented in his obvious change of demeanor.
“You look happy,” he noted. He had commented on Alex’s nonchalant and dull behavior ever since he won at Manchester.
“I am,” Alex replied cheerfully.
“I’m happy to hear that,” his dad said. “Is there any particular reason or is your win at Manchester finally hitting you?”
“It’s Jules,” Alex replied simply.
“Ah,” his father said as if he was expecting this reply.
“She forgave me,” Alex continued.
His father looked tired. “Just don’t get distracted again,” his tone was resigned. “Jules is a nice girl and I can tell you care about her. Maybe I cannot keep you two apart. Maybe I shouldn’t even try.”
“You shouldn’t,” Alex said with finality in his tone. “It’s not going to work. I was a coward so I pushed her away. Scared of how much she meant to me. You gave me the validation I needed to leave her. That’s all.”
“Well, take good care of her then,” was all his dad said.
“She’s pregnant,” Alex told him.
His father was surprised at first but then he nodded. He patted Alex on the back and congratulated him.
Later, Alex dragged his younger sister with him to find the perfect ring for Jules. He rejected about fifty of them to his sister’s frustration. It was a long night but worth it when they found the perfect one.
Chapter 22 – Jules
Since her promotion, Jules became busier and busier. She had to take a leave from her Karate classes. She was in Donna’s training room, collecting her equipment when she came across Carlotta and another blonde girl who she had never seen before.
“We’re looking for Alex,” Carlotta informed her.
“He’s waiting in the car,” Jules replied.
“You must be Jules,” the blonde girl said.
“I am.”
“Jules. The girl Alex is so serious about,” Carlotta said, her tone mocking.
“Alex can’t be serious with a girl,” the blonde replied. “He’s Alex.”
Jules shook her head, walking away. The girls followed, chatting and gossiping.
“I remember back in university, he had a new girl in his bed every night,” the blonde was saying.
“Well, I fell in love with him after the first night we spent together,” Carlotta replied. “He does wonders in bed. He was so rough and ruthless. I’ve never had such amazing sex.”
The blonde nodded. “What I love is how he can be gentlemanly and rough at the same time during sex. It was such a turn on. He took me against the wall, at the back of the gym once. Luckily there was no one around. I bet you could hear my screams all over the ground though.”
“What about you, Jules?” Jules heard the blonde say from the back.
“I’m not discussing Alex with you girls,” Jules replied warily.
“Why?” Carlotta said. “Are you shy?”
Jules had to laugh at that.
“I heard you both are back together,” Carlotta continued.
“Don’t worry,” the blonde assured Carlotta. “He’ll leave her soon enough too.
Shaking her head, Jules exited the club. Outside, she met Alex. He kissed her sweetly, taking her bags from her hand and throwing them at the back of the car. Carlotta and the blonde surrounded him, chattering away. Jules sat in the passenger seat, leaving Alex to struggle with them on his own. Moments later, he opened the car door, looking exhausted.
“You’ve got quite a fan club,” Jules said as he reversed the car.
Alex shot her an annoyed look.
“I had to hear them talk about you from the third floor to here. It was torturous,” Jules was amused at his obvious discomfort.
“What did they say?” Alex said as if not wanting to hear the reply.
“They kept talking about how rough you are in bed,” Jules continued, teasing him. “How come I’ve been denied of that pleasure?”
“I thought you like it slow,” He sounded annoyed. “I didn’t want to hurt you. But if you wanted me to be rough Jules, you only had to say the word.”
She remembered his tender and gentle movements when they had sex. The way
he had taken his cues from her. The way he had asked if she was okay. The way he had sweetly complimented her.
“I do want to see that side of yours,” Jules admitted.
“I’ll gladly show you,” Alex said, making her laugh.
Alex left her at her apartment, only to return near midnight. He insisted that Jules accompany him. She quickly donned appropriate clothes at his insistence and got in the car. She noticed they were going towards the ice skating rink. When they reached it, it was completely empty. The lights in the trees were glowing and soft music could be heard from the café which still had a few people lingering. They didn’t put on their skates but Alex led her to the middle of the rig.
“Why are we here, Al?” Jules asked, confused.
“It’s beautiful here at midnight.”
“I know,” Jules agreed.
“I thought it’s the perfect setting for this,” Alex said and suddenly, he was kneeling down.
Jules’ heart skipped a beat as he took her hands in his.
Jules was speechless as he asked the question. She heard herself say yes and saw him slip on a slim, diamond studded ring on her finger. He did it perfectly, she thought as he stood up and hugged up. Jules couldn’t make sense of all the emotions she was feeling so she just held him there for what seemed like hours.
The coffee shop showered them with free food and drinks after witnessing what happened at the ice rig. They stayed there for hours, exchanging kisses and holding each other.
Chapter 23 – Epilogue
Jules didn’t know what the future held for her. She didn’t know how life was going to turn out. She didn’t know where life will take her. But with Alex by her side, she thought she could tackle anything life threw at her. With Alex by her side, she was happier. With Alex by her side, she was stronger.
Thinking back, Alex was still surprised at how much Jules had changed him and his life. She had come into his life like wildfire; maybe that explained her red hair and fiery temper. She had supported him, loved him and made him stronger.
Alex and Jules were probably the most unlikely couple one would ever come across. She was short tempered and he was calm. She was diplomatic. He was impulsive. She smiled and laughed a great deal. He did, too but sometimes, she had to remind him to. She wanted to work in the corporate world, make a name and start her own company. He wanted to continue MMA, to go on to become a world champion. In terms of future plans, she wanted to travel, he wanted to settle down. She wanted to go with the flow. He wanted to plan out their life.
Wherever life would take them, they were content knowing that they had each other; a constant reminder of support and strength.
“Hey, Alex,” Jules said one night, as they were skating on the ice rink that held so many memories. “Is it true you have a thing for redheads?”
Alex looked surprised. “Who said that?”
“Carlotta. At your sister’s wedding. She said you’ve dated multiple redheads,” Jules sounded amused like she usually did while discussing his past and how uncomfortable it made him.
“You’re the only redhead in my life, love,” Alex said.
“I’m pleased with that,” Jules said, laughing. She took his hand and pulled him along as she started skating again. He had been getting better at it too, courtesy of Jules.
It was midnight and the stars were shining above them. The trees were glowing and the ice was smooth. The wind was pleasant and the rink was nearly empty. They were together. And happy.
The End
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The King’s Brother
Caroline Lake
The King’s Brother
Copyright 2016 by Caroline Lake
First electronic publication: September 2016
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.
The King’s Brother
Chapter 1
Light streamed in through the window, creeping across the sheets that draped across her body. She had watched it crawl closer to the tips of her fingers, not bothering to get up as the sun rose. It was the inevitable knock on the heavy wood of her door that had her sitting up finally, sighing softly. Soft, brown curls dusted down across her cheeks and bounced gently as she moved to sit up and adjust the light material of her night clothes. The swell of her chest had attempted to fall free overnight.
“Come, I am awake.”
As soft as the strains of her voice were, it carried across the room in a way that had the door clicking and shuffling open. Grey eyes gleamed at her through the scant opening and then a mouse of a girl was stepping through, dropping her gaze as she did so.
“Your Highness, the King… grows impatient…” The poor girl seemed uncomfortable with her message.
“Help me into my dress, Tia. Do take all the time you need, my husband could use a dose of patience… don’t you think?” She smiled as she stood, feet delicately dropping to the stone floor. Her voice was pitched with playfulness, amusement, of course. After all, the Queen couldn’t have anything truly awful to say about the King… could she?
Never.
“Of course, your Highness… Is there a particular gown you would like this morning?”
Her own head tipped, curls tumbling over a shoulder as she moved to sit at her mirror and untangle the locks. “The blue one…” The handmaiden hadn’t moved an inch until she’d gotten her answer, but then she was moving to find the dress.
“Ah… which… your grace?”
“Dark blue with the silver flowers around the neckline?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t long before she was swathed in folds of cerulean fabric, curls braided and pinned back away from her face to reveal delicate cheek bones, a soft jaw line, and the glittering sapphire of her eyes. Blue really was her color, it did much and more for her eyes. Her fingers smoothed down the bodice of her dress as she peered in her mirror, a breath sucked in so that her tiny waist shrunk more and her chest filled the bejeweled neckline.
“If I may say so, your grace, you look beautiful.” The handmaiden’s voice was soft and meek, but heard well in the quiet of her room.
“Yes…” It was a quiet, thoughtful answer of agreement as she eyed her own reflection. Then she was moving to leave the room, down the stone hallways of the castle, but she paused before entering their smaller dining hall. Her eyes closed for a moment and she drew in a fortifying breath, fingers curling at her sides. One of the last things her mother had told her before her marriage had been to make sure that King Harold believed she was entirely devoted to him. Regardless of how happy she was to be there.
Perhaps she should have been happy… she was a Queen. Who wouldn’t be happy to be Queen?
She could still hear her mother’s words, “many would kill to be in the position you are.”
As many times as those words had echoed in her thoughts, she could not help but think that she would kill to get out of the position she was in. But that was a treasonous thought, wasn’t it? Not something that cou
ld be voiced aloud right then… or at any point in time. In the castle the walls had ears and eyes that no doubt reported back to the King.
As she walked into the room and took her seat, she smiled ever so softly at her husband. Her gaze lingered over every feature of his face as though trying to memorize each wrinkle and curve of skin. To any outsiders the look might look loving, adoring even, but the truth of the matter was that she was noticing everything that displeased her. While it was true there was no slouch to his shoulders nor a grey hair on his head… it seemed like even the way he spoke displeased her.
His hair was lank and brown, face rounded and soft, eyes an uninteresting brown. One after the other his features were ticked off the list in her head. There was a paunch to his belly and a dopy look to his face. She really wondered if he had the slightest clue how uninterested in him she was. He seemed flattered enough with the way she gave him a once over. The fool. He ought to have been dressed in motley.
“Hm?” The noise came from her, he’d asked her something but she hadn’t the faintest clue what. She hadn’t exactly been paying attention.
“My brother Jeffrey will be joining us; I had asked if you remembered him from our wedding. Of course there were so very many people there it would hardly be surprising if you did not remember him entirely…” He continued speaking even after she’d looked away, thoughts drifting back to that awful night that she’d had to endure. Before the day had been done she had consumed enough wine that it was entirely a blur.
Jeffrey. She vaguely remembered him. He had embodied her own sour mood and she remembered having wondered what he found so awful. He wasn’t the one marrying King Harold Karhardt, third of his name, ruler of the Nordland and the Sundi Isles.
Romance: The Bad Boy Affair: A Second Chance Romance Page 85
