“I left New York because I wasn’t as successful as I thought I would be,” Isabel said, and then she turned her head to look at him.
“At your work?” he asked and she nodded silently.
“I worked for a fashion magazine. You might not be aware of it, but it is a highly competitive industry,” Isabel explained and bit down on her lip. She hadn’t spoken about this at all to anybody. She had simply packed her bags and left.
“You’re still young Isabel, I’m certain you have time to achieve what you want to achieve.” She heard his voice in the dark. She could see the glitter of his blue eyes staring at her, and she shied away from looking at him directly.
“No matter how hard I work… I won’t make it big. Because of…because of my…weight.” She said it bluntly, it was like ripping off a band-aid from her skin. She closed her eyes because she was embarrassed till she heard his voice again.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“I’m overweight,” she said exasperatedly.
“What? You can’t be serious. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” Liam said, and Isabel opened her eyes, trying to suppress the smile that was forming on her face.
“Not for the fashion industry. Not for my magazine,” she said and she heard him get up from his chair.
“That is bullshit,” Liam said walking up to her. He was standing above her now, looking down at her face. Isabel shrugged her shoulders.
“My father died. He was the only family I had. And then I lost my job and I knew why I was fired.” Isabel turned away from him to look at the fireflies.
“Because they think you’re too big?” he asked and she nodded her head.
“They are foolish,” she heard him say. She smiled blankly, a million images of her past life running through her head.
“I wanted to run away. I wanted to go away to a place where someone needed me for who I am,” Isabel continued, but he interrupted her.
“You were running away, hiding out here,” he said and she didn’t need to nod her head for him to know that was the truth.
“But Isabel…” he began and she looked at him again. “This isn’t the life, you know. You can’t hide out here forever.”
She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. She could see that he was struggling with the words. He was trying to say the right thing, even though it hurt him. Even though it would mean that he would lose her forever.
“When I met Sophie…when I met you… I knew that I wouldn’t be hiding here. I could be myself here,” Isabel said and she watched as he crouched down in front of her.
“The moment I saw you, I knew that you would want to change your mind about your decision. You’re too beautiful, you have too much to give, and you’re too smart for us,” Liam said.
Isabel shook her head. “I’m happy here. Even though it’s only been two days, and I got sick, and I…we argued…and Sophie was late for school,” she began and Liam smiled. “It all made me happy. I felt useful and needed.”
“And desired,” Liam added and Isabel felt her cheeks flush. Liam reached for her face. In the dark, she shut her eyes. “I didn’t want a bride. I didn’t think about it and I was so angry with Sophie for what she had done behind my back. But now I’m glad that she did,” Liam said while stroking her cheek with his large thumb.
Isabel felt shivers run down her spine. She wanted him again, she wanted his mouth on her skin, she wanted his arms around her.
“She’s a smart kid,” Isabel said and they both laughed.
“So you won’t leave tomorrow afternoon?” he asked and Isabel bit down on her lip.
“Not unless you want me to.”
“No, I want you to stay. At least for a while longer. See if you want to change your mind after that.” Liam’s voice was low and gruff. She could see that he was thinking of her body again, just like she was thinking of his. Isabel nodded. It was a good deal. The best deal that she could have asked for.
“But you have to promise to teach me a few things around here. I want to learn how to ride a horse and brush its mane, just like you,” Isabel said with a smile. Liam nodded his head.
“As long as you eat well and drink lots of water,” he said like he was talking to a child. Isabel laughed and fell into his arms; she couldn’t keep herself away from him any longer. His arms were strong and masculine around her and she breathed in his musky scent.
“And you have to promise to keep cooking up these meals. I’m starving. I was drooling from the smell of the lasagna,” he said and they both laughed again.
Chapter Seventeen
Liam had warned her that the Christmas that Isabel was used to in Wisconsin or in New York was worlds away from what Christmas at Mitchell Town was going to be.
For starters, there was no snow and it rained more than it was cold. Strangely enough, Isabel couldn’t have been happier.
Liam bought a Christmas tree from two towns away and Isabel helped Sophie decorate it. The three of them spent a week putting up lights around the house, stringing them from all the trees in the ranch and building a fake snowman near the gate with cotton wool and red felt clothes.
So, on Christmas night, when the sun had set all around them and it was dark, the ranch shone. Isabel had never seen anything as beautiful before.
She had been at the ranch for nearly a month now and she could hardly remember what her life was like before she moved here. She was falling in love with Mitchell Town: the simple good people she met every day, the teacher at Sophie’s school who was overwhelmed and underpaid and had requested Isabel to help him whenever she could. She loved the horses, especially Henry, Sophie’s four best friends who came over to the house ever so often now that Isabel had started baking them cupcakes and cookies after school.
Most importantly, she loved Liam Mayer. She had arrived at this town with the hope that she would be able to settle down with a strong man and his daughter, escape the life she didn’t feel worthy of, and, hopefully, get over the loss of her own father. She had achieved all of that and then some. She had also found a man who cared for her, who was upright and strong, who she felt safe with and who loved his family passionately. But Isabel wasn’t quite sure if she was a part of his family yet.
They lived together like one. She slept in his bed and every night, Liam made her orgasm violently, hugged her limp, spent body and put her to sleep. They ate all their meals together, they laughed and joked together… but was this permanent? Liam never spoke to her about it. They didn’t sit down and have an actual serious discussion. Isabel was beginning to grow restless. The arrangement felt too temporary; too much like a dream that could end at any time.
“When can we open our gifts?” Sophie squealed. She was sprawled on the floor beside the Christmas tree, watching Isabel clear up the plates from their dinner.
They had just finished a lavish six-course meal that Isabel had spent the whole day preparing. Liam was smoking his pipe outside.
“Soon honey,” Isabel said, smiling at Sophie. She couldn’t get enough of this child, she was growing to love her more passionately every day, like she was her own.
“I say we open it now. It’s midnight somewhere in the world isn’t it?” Liam had come in through the door and Isabel hadn’t heard. Sophie squealed and fell on the gifts that lay scattered under the tree. Isabel smiled and shook her head at Liam and took off her apron.
“Come over here, Isabel.” Liam extended his hand towards her and she accepted. He pulled her close and kissed her softly on her forehead.
“This one’s from daddy.” Sophie was screaming excitedly as she ripped the wrapping paper open. It was a dollhouse that Liam must have bought in the town he had visited for the Christmas tree. Sophie was excited beyond words. She came running to Liam’s arms, hugged and kissed him, and then went back to her gifts again.
“This one’s from Isabel,” she said and stretched her lips. She shook the box in her hands and held it to her ear before ripping
through the wrapping paper.
“A baking set!” She squealed and ran into Isabel’s arms. “Thank you so much. Does this mean I can bake with you?” she asked and Isabel nodded. “Come open your gift from daddy, Isabel,” Sophie added, running back to the tree.
Isabel looked at Liam and bit down on her lip. He was smiling and there was a twinkle in his eye that excited her. The box was square and big, and Isabel took her time to open it. Only to find that the box opened to another box, which she had to open again. Like a Russian nesting doll, this one gave way to another so that she had to open six other boxes until she got to the final one.
This wasn’t a box so much as it was a small velvet case. Isabel’s heart was racing as she opened it, aware by now what she would find there. A diamond ring lay in the center like a pearl in an oyster. Isabel shrieked and Sophie shrieked as well. She jumped up and Liam caught her in his arms and kissed her neck.
“Will you marry me, Isabel Bowes?” he asked, laughing at her excitement.
“Of course I will. I was ready to marry you the first day I got here,” she said as he took the ring from her hand and slipped it onto her finger. Isabel didn’t have the time to look at her ring. She was busy kissing Liam while Sophie danced around them in delight.
“I wanted to do this right,” Liam whispered in her ear when they broke away for breath. Isabel nodded, her own breath caught in her throat.
“I want you to be my wife, the mother of my child, and I wanted you to know me before you said yes.” Liam pressed her hand and then brought it to his lips. Isabel felt faint again. This time, it wasn’t because of the heat.
*****
THE END
The Prince's Virgin
Description
I’m the heir to the throne.
According to custom, I have to pick my bride during a festival.
A festival where women compete for my attention.
Seriously, how outdated.
Besides, all I can think about is the girl I’ve been talking to online, anonymously.
The one who disclosed all of her dirty little secrets to me.
She just sent me a new message.
She’s been chosen for the festival.
She has to come.
It’s the law.
Now all I have to do is figure out which of my willing subjects she is.
You know what’s also the law?
She’ll have to spend two whole days and two whole nights with me. It’s the official trial period.
She’s never been touched before.
I’ll claim every inch of her body.
I’ll order her to carry out all of her dirty fantasies.
And then, once the two days are over, I’m gone.
But what if I don’t want to go? What if she’s the one leaving?
Chapter One - Ella
It was an ordinary morning. Like every Tuesday, I had gone to class in the morning and then had lunch with my friend Gretchen. We’d been friends since we were children, but now that we were both studying law, we hardly had time to see each other. That semester, neither of us had afternoon classes on Tuesdays, so we’d started weekly lunches to catch up and take a break from studying.
That Tuesday was no different. We’d even had the same waitress we’d had the week before. The cafe and the streets were quiet, like usual. The only interesting news in town was that invitations to the Crown Prince’s Festival would be arriving at selected households, but I wasn’t at all interested in receiving one.
Gretchen was, though. She talked all through lunch about the invitations, the prince, and how exciting it would be to be chosen.
“You don’t know anything about him. You don’t know what he looks like, or what he’s like,” I said, chiding. Gretchen had always been a dreamer, impulsive and reckless. She was beautiful, too, beautiful and graceful and confident, even bold. She’d started kissing boys when she was twelve years old. Some of them were still in love with her, following her around Ladoria like lost puppies.
“He’s a prince, Ella. Does it matter?” Gretchen asked. She laughed and sipped her lemonade, looking at me like I was missing something important.
“Could you really marry someone if they were awful?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. Gretchen shook her head at me, eyes sparkling.
“Only if it would make me royalty,” Gretchen said. “I’ve always wanted to be royalty.”
“You’re terrible,” I said, teasing.
“You’re really not at all interested? Everyone knows Prince Tristan is gorgeous,” Gretchen said, laughing again.
“No one actually knows that. Neither of us knows anyone who has actually seen him,” I pointed out.
“He’s gorgeous, and I bet he knows how to treat a girl right,” Gretchen said, winking and making me blush. I shook my head, not wanting to talk about princes or festivals or sex with Gretchen. She liked to tease me sometimes about being uptight and inexperienced. She didn’t know the thoughts I had, the images that raced through my mind, the conversations I’d been having with a strange man online. I couldn’t tell her. I didn’t want anyone to know, even my best friend. I let her do most of the talking for the rest of lunch.
At home later that afternoon, I began my studying. I had four chapters to read and an outline to make before I would let myself take a break. I was hoping that the man I’d been talking to would be online during my break. Lately, I’d been using conversations with him as rewards to myself, treats to look forward to after long days of classes, studies, and helping my family. I wasn’t thinking of anything but him and the readings in front of me. Even with all of Gretchen’s talk, I had completely forgotten about the prince and his festival.
So when my mother ran into my bedroom with a large envelope and an excited look on her face, it took me a minute to figure out what was happening. Then I saw the corner of the envelope, with the glossy Ladoria royal seal in the corner, and my heart sank.
“Ella, you’ve been chosen!” my mother exclaimed, handing me the letter.
“Oh,” I said, not knowing what else to say. My mother loved old customs and royalty. When I was young, she’d told me story after story about princes and princesses, about courtship and old fashioned romance. I did not want to disappoint her, but the festival hardly seemed romantic to me.
“Just think, you could marry the crown prince!” my mother said, clasping her hands excitedly. She looked wistful, and I felt uneasy in the pit of my stomach. When she was a little girl, her oldest sister, my Aunt Sophia, had been selected for a festival, the one for Prince Tristan’s father. Aunt Sophia always said the whole thing had been silly, but my mother had been jealous, wishing she could get dressed up for a chance to be selected by a prince.
“I will be one of many girls there,” I said, shaking my head. I did not want her to get her hopes up. Aunt Sophia had said that at her festival, she was one of fifty girls and that she’d never seen the prince at all. I was sure the room would be filled with girls like Gretchen, beautiful, confident, and worldly.
“I need to go make a special dinner to celebrate,” my mother said. She looked to be daydreaming, lost in her own romantic tale. I watched her go, shaking my head.
I pushed my studying aside, not sure I could focus on it after the news. I ran my fingers over the letter, wishing I could just stay home instead, not sure how to go through with the festival. It was not up to me, though. As I well knew from my law studies, and as the letter reminded me in tiny script at the bottom, all girls chosen must attend the festival or they and their families would be thrown in prison. It was an outdated law, but one no one had ever seen fit to change. I sighed and opened my laptop.
I had barely been online for a minute when he messaged me, and I smiled, in spite of everything. Since meeting on Facebook, Frederick and I had only talked over the computer. He did not even know my real name, but I felt closer to him than to anyone else I had ever known. I had told him things no one else knew, things I could not say out loud but tha
t felt safe to type. I had never been with a man, but my mind was always filled with desires and fantasies. I’d told Frederick about them, every erotic detail, and he had listened. He did not judge me or make me feel silly or ashamed. Instead, he encouraged me. He was kind and clever and funny, and I was in love with him. It was another reason I was not interested in the prince’s festival. I was already in love with a man. How could I take the chance, no matter how small, of marrying another?
I just got big news, I typed, looking back at the letter on my desk.
What is it? he replied. I knew it was ridiculous, but seeing the familiar small navy blue font he used in the messenger made me feel a little better.
I’ve been selected for the Crown Prince’s Festival, I said. From the kitchen, I could hear my mother humming to herself, one of those old love songs she liked so much.
Really? he replied.
Really. I wish I hadn’t been. I don’t want to go, but it’s the law, I said, glad I could tell someone how I really felt about it, sure that my mother, my family, and my friends would not really understand.
I’m sure you’ll be the sexiest, the most beautiful, and the most fascinating girl there, he replied, making me blush. I shook my head. He didn’t even know what I looked like. My entire profile was fake. He knew so much but so little about me. It was probably part of why I felt so safe around him.
I’ll just be happy when it’s over, I said. It was just a day, I thought. One day, and then I could go back to my normal life, my studies, my family, and Frederick.
Maybe something good will come of it, he said. I smiled. Frederick always made me smile.
Maybe. Tell me about your day? I said, changing the subject. I told myself if I pushed it out of my head, I wouldn't feel so sick and nervous. I couldn’t shake it, though, and no matter how much Frederick made me laugh and blush, I couldn’t get the festival out of my head.
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