by Nichole Rose
"It's true. I knew before you ever left the Ball that I was in love with you. I also knew I would endure anything so long as you were mine at the end of it. You belong to me."
"You belong to me too."
"Without question." He smiles at me, that little divot appearing again. "Your heart is pure, sweet baby. Everything you do, you do for others. To protect the things and people you care about, you dive right in with your whole heart. That's how I know Kennedy will forgive you. How could she not when she knows your heart as well as I do?"
"Daddy," I whisper, tears prickling once more. I seam my lips to his, kissing him hard and deep. My hands rove over his body, touching him everywhere I can reach. When I growl in frustration, he lifts his hips to pull the towel away from his body.
Within seconds, he's inside me. I wrap myself so tightly around him, I'm not sure where I end and he begins. He makes love to me slowly, whispering the sweetest things in my ear. And then he adds the dirty things, telling me how crazy my little princess cunt makes him. How tight it is. How daddy can't wait to claim my other hole too.
I leave claw marks down his arms when I come. He leaves new love bites on my shoulders when he follows me over the edge. And then he holds me close as the sweat dries on our skin. We touch and kiss, refusing to separate until my phone chimes with another incoming message.
I'm pretty sure half the campus has texted me at this point.
"I should go," I mumble, but make no move to do so.
He sighs.
"Come with me," I blurt.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
No, but I want him with me anyway. At least until Kennedy gets home. Being away from him is painful. As soon as we're apart, I miss him. He's a piece of me, some vital organ that I didn't realize I needed until I had him.
"I wish…"
"What?" he says.
"That I never had to let you go."
"You don't. I'm yours, Caroline. Until the day I die."
"I know that. I mean…I like sleeping with you."
He cocks a brow at me. "Did you think we'd be sleeping apart?"
"I just thought…" I trail off, not sure what I thought.
"Yeah, that shit won't be happening," he says, his voice firm. "Whether we're in our bed here or our bed in the apartment, we'll be sleeping together from now on. If you want to wait until you graduate to officially marry me and move in, I'll be patient. I'll try to be patient. But we aren't sleeping apart."
"Yes, daddy," I whisper, my heart overflowing.
He eyes me for a minute, all bossy King, and then his expression softens, and he shakes his head. "You're mine to take care of, sweet baby," he says, kissing me on the forehead. "I'll give you all the time in the world to spend with your sister, but I'm not sleeping anywhere you aren't."
"What if I don't want to wait until I graduate?"
He blinks at me and his cock jerks inside me, hardening again. "You want to marry me now?"
I nod without hesitation. As much as I want Kennedy to forgive me, I want to be his wife even more, I think. I want everyone to know that he's mine. I want him to know that I'll proudly stand at his side, loving him like he deserves. He deserves to know I believe in him and the kind, caring man I know he is. People may say he's a beast, but I know the truth. He's my handsome prince and my autocratic king…my daddy. Loving him is the easiest thing I've ever done too.
Of course I want to marry him.
"I want it more than anything," I whisper, meeting his gaze so he can see the truth in mine.
He swallows hard, emotion shining like beacons from his eyes before they flutter closed. He inhales a deep breath and then exhales it. And then his hands tighten on me, and he unravels me with his body all over again.
"Meeko, you can't just run everyone over," I huff as he barrels through the front door once we get back to the apartment well over two hours later. It's already close to nine. He dives straight for the couch, sprawling out like he just ran a marathon. He didn't. He walked up one flight of stairs. He's just dramatic. "You're so spoiled."
"I'm pretty sure you spoiled him, princess," Jared chuckles behind me, wrapping a hand around my hip to get me moving forward. "I saw you sneaking him pieces of your burrito last night."
"Did not," I mumble. It's a lie. I totally snuck him pieces of my burrito. He actually ate most of it himself, I think. I wasn't very hungry.
Meeko flops over onto his side, his tongue lolling out.
"He's a bum. He didn't even growl at you yesterday."
"That's because he knows I'm no threat to you," Jared says, following me into the apartment. "We're on the same team."
"He didn't know that when you…" I trail off when Kennedy appears in her bedroom doorway. She's not alone, either. There's a tattooed giant standing behind her. He wraps one big arm around her waist, holding her protectively against his body. Jared is big, but this guy is even bigger than he is. He's shirtless, with piercings in his nipples and bold, intricate tattoos all over him. He's beautiful in the way a storm is beautiful, somehow fearsome and stunningly gorgeous at the same time.
"Um, hi," Kennedy whispers, blushing bright red all the way to her hair, which is all mussed up. Her bridesmaid dress is wrinkled and hanging off one shoulder. Her lips are swollen too.
"Hi," I whisper back, gaping at her.
We stare at each other in awkward silence for a moment. And then I giggle because I can't help it. She looks like a little kid who just got caught stealing cookies. She also looks happier than I've ever seen her look before. Is this the guy she was talking about yesterday morning?
"We weren't having sex!" she blurts out, her eyes wide.
"Making love," the giant corrects in a deep growl.
"I had sex," I whisper to her.
"Made love," Jared growls, exactly like the giant did.
Kennedy and I stare at each other for a minute and then we both giggle. The hard knot in my stomach loosens. Things may not be perfect between us, but I think we're going to be all right.
"Can we talk?" I ask.
"Can we talk?" she says at the same time.
I glance over my shoulder at Jared. "Would you mind waiting?"
"Of course not," he says, his expression soft. "Go talk to your sister, sweet baby."
"Asher, you can wait with him," Kennedy says, wiggling out of his hold. She turns to look at him and then her chin comes up. For the first time in my life, I hear possessiveness in her tone. "After you put a shirt on."
"Yes, ma'am," he drawls, grinning at her. Despite his teasing tone, his eyes are soft as he looks at her, which makes me happy. He's not at all what I expected for her, but he seems enamored of her. She looks equally as caught up in him. They gravitate around each other like the moon and the Earth.
"Hi, Asher. I'm Caroline." I wave at him.
"Hey. I've heard a lot about you." He gives me a smile and then turns a hard look on Jared. "You must be King."
"I am," Jared says.
They do some weird alpha male stare thing that leaves me moderately concerned about leaving them alone together, but before I can say anything, they seem to come to some kind of silent agreement because they both nod and then relax.
"Go talk to your sister, princess," Jared says, pressing a kiss to my temple.
Asher disappears into Kennedy's room for a minute and the reappears a second later, a white dress shirt hanging open over his chest. "Go talk, baby," he says, buttoning it up. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, staring at her like she's a goddess. "We'll be cool."
"You better be," she warns him before grabbing my arm and practically dragging me into my bedroom. Meeko hops down from the couch to tag after us. Once he's through the door, Kennedy practically slams it shut.
"So…Asher?" I say after a moment.
"We didn't have sex," she says again.
"Is he the one…?"
She nods, her eyes big.
"I guess he did notice you then," I say.
She nods again and t
hen buries her face in her hands. "He is so hot," she whisper-groans. "I can't even think straight when he smiles at me! And he has tattoos. And he says the sweetest things to me."
"I didn't know you liked tattoos."
"Me either!"
I giggle because she sounds a little mad about it. I think my baby sister might be falling in love with him. He's definitely in love with her. It was written all over his face when he looked at her.
"You really like him."
"Yes." She swallows hard. "He says I'm his now."
"You should probably believe him," I suggest, thinking about how Jared always says that to me. Asher doesn't look like he would say something like that if he didn't mean it.
She groans and flops backward on my bed.
"Falling in love is scary, isn't it?" I cross to sit beside her.
She turns her head to look at me. "You're scared?"
"I'm scared that you'll hate me for choosing Jared," I whisper. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt you, Kennedy. I didn't know who he was until it was already too late. But I should have told you the truth as soon as I found out."
"Why didn't you?" she asks, sitting up. There's no judgement in her voice. Just…genuine curiosity. And maybe a little hurt.
"At first, I kept it a secret because I didn't want you to feel betrayed. But then I realized that I had to tell you the truth. I was going to do it yesterday morning, but I wanted him to know first. That's why I was in his office. I was going to tell him I wanted to tell you about us. We…um…never mind," I mumble, deciding I probably shouldn't tell her he fucked me over his desk five minutes before she showed up. "You got there before I could tell him."
"He's different with you," she says.
"He isn't a bad guy. He's just been…lost in his own pain. For a long time, I think. What happened to him hurt him deeply, made him stop trusting people, even himself. He's been alone for so long." My eyes fill with tears at the thought of him being lonely. "He never meant to hurt you either, Kenz. He thought if you could survive him, you could survive anything."
"I know he's not a bad guy," she says, her expression softening. "I even believe he meant well. But he was still a jerk. It's going to take me some time to get used to this new side of him."
"Do you…" I bite my lip, almost afraid to hope. "Do you want to get used to this new side of him?"
"I think so." She stares at me for a long moment, her face scrunched up as she tries to work it out for herself. "I think I want to prove to him that I'm not the helpless little girl he thinks I am. I may not be like you, but I'm not helpless."
"Of course you're not."
"Would he really quit if I asked him to do it?"
"He would," I say, not doubting it for a second. "And not just because he wants you to accept that he and I are together, but because he genuinely feels badly for making you hate college. He really did write your recommendation before we ever met. He showed it to me last night. I promised him I wouldn't tell you that because he didn't want me to try to change your mind, but I never keep secrets from you."
"You're really in love with him, aren't you?"
"So in love," I whisper, staring at her with wide eyes. "He's…everything I didn't even know I needed. He's so amazing to me, Kenz. He treats me like a princess and doesn't judge me for the way I am. He loves me exactly the way I am. He even talked to Sebastian and Killian last night."
"Whoa."
"I know, right?"
"He wants to marry me."
Kennedy blinks wide eyes at me.
"I want to marry him too." I take a deep breath. "And I really, really want you to be there when we do it. If you need time or space, I understand. I'll stay with him. But I don't want to lose you, Kenz. You're my best friend. Please don't hate me for choosing him. Please…please don't hate him for it, either. He never wanted to hide the truth. That was all me."
"I could never hate you," she swears, her voice shaking with emotion. She turns and flings her arms around me, pulling me in for a tight hug. "And of course I will be there when you two get married. I don't want you to feel like you have to choose between us. I would never make you do that. You're my best friend too."
We cling to each other and cry, purging ourselves of the last day of emotional upheaval. And then she takes a deep breath and pulls back, running watery eyes over me.
"You look so happy," she whispers.
"So do you."
"Do you think they killed each other?" she asks, a nervous giggle escaping her lips as her gaze slides from mine. I don't think she's ready to say much about her and Asher yet. Interesting.
"Probably not." I hop up and then hold out a hand to pull her to her feet too. "Jared wouldn't ever do anything to upset me, and I'm guessing Asher wouldn't want to upset you either."
"He's so crazy," she whispers, making me smile. Yeah, she is definitely falling for him.
"Sometimes crazy is good."
"It's the best."
We both look at each other and laugh again. I fling my arms around her, hugging her hard as the final knots in my stomach loosen and float away on the sounds of our laughter. Jared may still have some work to do to win her friendship, but she and I are okay. And that's a start. Especially since I know Jared will move heaven and earth to win her forgiveness because he knows how much she means to me. And my daddy would do anything for me.
Kennedy and I exit the room arm in arm to find Jared and Asher deep in discussion about…something. They don't seem all aggressive and weird, but as soon as they see us, they stop talking.
Asher loops an arm around Kennedy and drags her down onto his lap. She fusses at him, but she doesn't try to get up. She just snuggles up on his lap with her face pressed to his throat.
"I missed you," Jared murmurs when I cross to his side. He pulls me into his arms, cuddling me close to his chest. His gaze runs all over my face, searching.
"We're okay," I promise him, tipping my head back for him to kiss me.
He does, his lips moving over mine until Meeko decides to try to crawl into his lap with me.
"Meeko!"
He just looks at me and then licks Jared on the chin.
Asher, Jared, and Kennedy all laugh. The sound fills my heart with lightness and peace. The two people I love most are happy and laughing together. I can't think of a sound that's ever been so beautiful to me.
"I love you, princess," Jared whispers in my ear.
Except maybe that one.
"I love you too, daddy," I whisper back, so happy the emotion overflows, spilling from my eyes in two little tears. Jared catches them, holding me close as my heart knits itself back together…and my happily-ever-after finally begins.
Epilogue
King
Five Years Later
"Daddy."
I look up from my laptop to see my four-year-old daughter, Hermione, standing in the doorway to my office, her stuffed Yoda in one hand, rubbing her eyes with the other. Her copper hair is tangled from sleep, so are her pajamas. There's a pillow crease on her little cheek.
My gaze softens, my heart pulsing with emotion. It's been four years since Caroline gave me our first baby, and I'm still awed every time I set eyes on her. She's a little replica of her mom, tiny, fierce, and so sweet I lose my mind worrying about her.
"Hi, baby girl," I murmur, pushing my chair away from my desk and then holding my arms out for her.
She stumbles toward me, her bare feet shuffling across the hardwood floor. She can barely hold her little eyes open.
"What are you doing awake?" I ask, picking her up. I already know the answer to my question, but I ask it anyway.
"Da monsters are back," she whispers, snuggling up against my chest with her tiny legs tossed over the arm of my chair.
"Oh no," I say, smiling gently. Reaching over her head, I snag her blanket off the chest beside my desk to cover her up. Once every couple of weeks since we all migrated to California, Caroline and Kennedy get together with Liberty and Rowan, their
sisters-in-law, for girls' night. The four of them are incredibly close. Hermione appears in my office like clockwork each time the girls get together, declaring that there are monsters in her room. She sleeps in here with me until I carry her back to bed. She doesn't like to be left out. I'm on to her, but I let her get away with it.
Caroline says I have to learn to tell her no, but we both know that won't ever happen. My girls get what they want. If Hermione wants to snuggle up on my lap to ask me a million questions, I'm not going to stop her. Sooner or later, she'll outgrow me. Like her mommy, she'll learn to slay monsters herself. But so long as she needs me to protect her from them, I will.
"Da monsters are loud, daddy," she says through a yawn, blinking wide obsidian eyes at me. "They don't wike to let me sleep."
"Daddy will take care of them, baby girl," I promise, earning a grave nod from her.
Just that easily, she forgets about the monsters, trusting that I'll handle the situation for her like I always do. She turns her face to look at my computer screen, squinting. "Dat's a lot of words."
"It is," I say with a chuckle. She's learning to read but hasn't quite mastered it just yet. Thankfully. There's nothing in this particular book she needs to see.
Since claiming Caroline as mine, finding words has been as easy as breathing. My princess is a never-ending source of inspiration to me. So are Hermione and her two-year-old twin brothers, Archer and Jude. My life is full because of them, my future brighter than it has ever been.
I spend my nights buried deep in my wife, my days protecting and watching over the family she's given me, and those quiet hours in between lost in worlds and characters that never seem to leave me now. What bitterness once stole, love has given back in abundance.
Little pieces of my princess find their way into most of my books. This one is different. She doesn't know it yet, but this book is for her. It's about her and the incredible life she's given me. It's a love story, our own fairytale. Because of her, I know peace and hope. I know true passion and purpose. I know love so deep it lives in every cell of my body and runs through every vein. I'm more obsessed with my wife now than I was five years ago. My love for her grows immeasurably deeper every day. So does my need.
