Royal Disgrace (Cake Love Book 5)

by Elizabeth Lynx

“This is the United States. They do things differently here. It’s more laid-back,” I offered.

  Right as I said that, Grace popped back into my head. Her ease with helping people and the breathtaking smiles she gave that put everyone around her at ease filled my mind.

  Perhaps it wasn’t this country I’d miss when I went back to Cambria, but Grace. She had taught me so much since I had been here and took her time with me.

  I’d like to teach her a few things, too.

  That thought went straight to my cock. I lifted the champagne once more and took another sip, hoping to ease my thoughts back to the party.

  “That’s fine, but it’s been several weeks of me acting as the official royal on this trip and I only wish to have a night off. What do you say, Tiber? Tell the mayor we had a royal emergency to take care of. We can all go out for the night. Our own little Chicago adventure.”

  Tiber groaned and the tall man seemed to shrink before my eyes. “Can’t there be one event during this trip that doesn’t require me to lie?”

  “No,” both my sister and I said at the same time.

  “Come on, Tiber. Live a little.” She slipped her arm into his and I noticed a knowing look pass between them.

  “But what about my speech? I’ll have to give it before we all leave. When am I scheduled to go, Tiber?”

  He let go of my sister’s arm. He had on his serious expression, one that told me before he even uttered a word, that I wasn’t going to like what came out of his mouth.

  Tiber’s eyes fell to the floor. “There isn’t going to be a speech, Your Highness.”

  “But the reason I’m here . . . ? Did something happen?”

  I was confused. The only reason I agreed to come to this ridiculous fancy dress party was to speak to the people about a cause near and dear to my heart.

  “I lied. I never told the mayor about your cause.”

  In utter disbelief, I glared at the man I had known since I was a child. We used to play hide-and-seek throughout the castle when we were little. He was my best friend and the one person I could trust outside the family.

  “But you have never lied to me before. That is disrespectful.”

  “That’s not true,” Cali said and laughed.

  I blinked, unbelieving of my eyes. It was as if I didn’t know these people. Was I some sort of joke?

  “But I am a duke . . . You can’t lie to me.” I stood at full height, placing a fist to my chest.

  “Wow. Do you even see what you are becoming?” Cali stepped closer, but Tiber placed his hand on her arm to stop her.

  “No, Tiber, it’s time someone told my brother the truth.”

  I was gone only a few weeks and suddenly, I knew nothing.

  “What truth? What have you two been hiding from me?”

  Placing the champagne flute down, I prepared for their worst. I knew they weren’t happy I had been gone, but it’s not as if I wouldn’t come back. If my sister couldn’t handle a few handshakes and ribbon-cutting ceremonies in my absence, then she’d be even more unhappy once she became a princess when Mother stepped down.

  “That you are worse than Father.”

  My eyes widened and I glanced at Tiber, wondering if he felt the same. He said nothing, worse than nothing, his eyes were glued to the floor.

  “If I am so much worse than Father, then why do I care about helping the poor and needy in Cambria? Last I checked, the Prince of Cambria only cared about a perfect royal family who could bow and wave on command. Causes and trying to help people wasn’t on his list of royal duties.”

  My sister took a step closer until her finger lifted and dug into my chest. “At least he doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. You say you want to help the people of Cambria, yet you hide away in a diner cleaning floors. You have no problem lying to me, to Tiber, our parents, to the world . . . And lying to that diner owner because she’s got a pretty face. You even make us lie for you.” She waved a hand at Tiber.

  “But, if someone dare tell a fib so that you would take one night to do your real job, then they’re disrespectful. Tiber and I have been running around, doing our best to keep the people here happy. Having been told the future Prince of Cambria would greet them only to find out he’s not around, too busy playing local. Or Mother, who began to cry on the phone when I last spoke to her, so I lied and said you were courting a possible bride. Or the press that’s not stupid enough to buy the excuse that you’re under the weather anymore. You want to play and have fun, fine. But then we can too, and this time, you’re cleaning up our mess.”

  Cali turned and grabbed Tiber’s hand, tugging him out of the room toward the hall. I stood there with a range of emotions coursing through my veins.

  I was hurt, but at the same time, disappointed in myself. I glanced around to discover a few eyes on me. They heard my sister’s raised voice, but did they hear what she said?

  In a way, I hoped they had. I hated living the lie. Cali told me her truth, but what was mine?

  When Father first told me I was to be prince sooner rather than later, a bolt of fear ran down my spine. I wanted to run, which in a way I did. But now, it wasn’t the crown I feared—it was becoming my father. And here I was turning out to be even worse than he ever was.

  Cali was right. I said I cared, but what had I done that I could point to and show the people I meant what I said.

  Grabbing my mask, I pulled it over my head, planning to mingle before making my leave. But as I stepped toward the crowd, I realized that they wanted the future prince and all I could show them was a lost man incapable of handling any responsibility.

  Instead, I turned and quickly made my way to the exit, not even bothering to grab my coat before leaving. There was a deep chill in the night air. I pulled up the collar of my tuxedo jacket and tugged my jacket closed.

  I chose to walk despite the cold. The mask helped by keeping my face warm, so I kept it on. No one appeared to care as it was Halloween. The more I thought about my actions over the past few weeks and how I worried since Father explained he would abdicate, I realized I might not have what it took to take the crown of Cambria.

  When I looked up from turning another street corner, there was someone at the end of the block that was familiar. She moved toward me, glancing at me a few times but ultimately, kept her focus on a door.

  It was the entrance to a shop. I got there right before her and held it open.

  It was Grace.

  ELEVEN

  Grace

  The Empire Strikes Back

  He was hovering behind me, just standing there, staring.

  The one time I get a man interested in me, he turned out to be a creepy stalker who enjoyed wearing animal masks.

  “I know kung fu and just about every other martial art invented west of the Mississippi.” I turned with a jump and held up my hands.

  I wasn’t lying. Tiffany’s fiancé, Jagger, taught her friends how to defend themselves.

  The guy was tall, built, and sporting a tuxedo. He was a fancy fucker, but did he know any moves? Doubtful. As Jagger once said, most people thought they knew how to take someone down, but it required learned skill.

  I may be small, but I had no trouble pinning a man a foot taller than me to the ground.

  “You hear that, creeper? I will hurt you.” I stepped one foot back to ground myself to prepare for our battle.

  “Grace?” He tipped the mask up until it sat on his head like a hat.

  “Nico?” I relaxed my posture but kept my hands up, still a bit thrown off by his ridiculous mask.

  “I hope I didn’t scare you?”

  “You followed me in here with a mask on and stood right behind me. Of course, you scared me.”

  He nodded. “When you put it like that, I can see why you would be weary.”

  We were silent for a moment as my eyes drifted to the double-A batteries I needed to recharge my vibrator at home. I was full of energy from hanging out with my friends and frustrated I didn’t have a
nyone to go home to, so I figured a night of orgasms would help.

  Now I had a man who I should have fired two weeks ago standing between me and the charge I needed to relieve all the stress.

  “Look, Grace, I feel like there’s something you should know.”

  “Nico, I’m going to be honest—”

  “Just rip the Band-Aid off—” we both said at the same time.

  “Band-aid?”

  “What?”

  “You need to be honest about what?” we said, speaking over each other once again.

  We broke out into laughter.

  “Is there somewhere we could go to discuss this?” He pointed to a shopper coming down the aisle.

  I nodded. “Sure, there’s a bar on the corner. Why don’t we head there?”

  He agreed and we made our way to the door of the drug store. I was about to push it open, but he stepped in front to open it for me and held it until I stepped outside. That surprised me. I wasn’t used to men acting chivalrous. Usually getting them away from their phone long enough to hold a conversation with me was a win.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded, stepping beside me and pulled his jacket close to his body. By doing that, every muscle in his body was defined and every curve accentuated. My eyes traveled his chest, his arms, and farther down with wonder. Like a kid in a candy store, I wondered what sweet things I’d find under there.

  I should have grabbed the batteries before I left the store.

  Nico gasped and heat flooded my face. He caught me. He caught his boss ogling his body. Maybe I wouldn’t have to fire him . . . maybe he’d quit.

  “Look, Nico, I know what I was doing wasn’t right—”

  “Grace, we need to get out of here.” He grabbed my arm and turned me so we were huddled close to the building wall.

  When I glanced up at him, he wasn’t looking at me but at something down the street. I leaned over and tried to find what held his interest.

  There was some guy walking toward us, searching the faces of the people on the sidewalk.

  “Who’s that?” I asked, partly relieved he hadn’t caught me leering at him but still concerned that the person we were hiding from wasn’t a good guy.

  “He’s from my country. I’ve seen him before.”

  He must be from the Cambria government. If he caught Nico, I bet he’d force him back or worse, torture him.

  “Come with me. I know where we can hide.” I slipped my fingers into his and a warm spark went straight up my arm to my chest. As much as I enjoyed Nico’s touch, I had to focus on getting us out of here.

  I tugged him back toward the drug store and turned the corner. After a few more blocks and another turn, we were in front of my townhome.

  “Up here.” I pointed to the door at the top of the steps.

  His brow knitted, and I bit my lip at how adorable he appeared.

  “What’s this place?”

  “My home.”

  We jogged up the steps. I lifted a panel next to the door and placed my palm against it. The door unlocked and clicked open.

  “Are you a spy?”

  We were still holding hands as I pulled him inside the brownstone building.

  “No, my brother’s obsessed with the latest high-tech gadgets. He outfitted my entire house.” I waved my hand around the entranceway.

  I let go of his hand and I swore I heard him groan. Throwing my bag and keys onto the marble-topped mahogany side table, I removed my black wool coat to hang in the closet.

  “Wow. This place is beautiful. I guess you make a lot as a business owner.”

  I shrugged. “I have yet to make a dime.”

  I turned toward the living room and waved for him to follow. The room was filled with some of Alex’s paintings. I liked the older paintings, the ones with lush landscapes. Most of my stuff was either a castoff from Alex or his decorator picked it out for me.

  Never putting much thought into how my home should be decorated, I let everyone do it for me.

  “That’s a great copy of a Rembrandt.” Nico strolled over to the painting as he pulled off his mask and let it hang from the tips of his fingers.

  “It’s not a copy.” I came up beside him and held out my hand. “I can take that for you.”

  With wide eyes, he glanced down at me before he finally blinked. It took a moment, but he finally realized I was asking for his mask. He gave it to me, and I went back to the entrance table where I placed it next to my purse.

  “So, all these paintings . . . They’re real?” He turned around and stared at the various pieces of art on the wall.

  “Yes, but they aren’t mine.”

  He released a breath, his shoulders sagging. “That’s what I thought.”

  “They’re my brother’s. He collects art. It’s kinda his thing. I just took some to fill the walls. He prefers more modern pieces, so I picked out the older stuff.”

  “Alex? The same Alex from the diner? He owns these?”

  I tilted my head and took a step closer. “Yes, he’s a Hawthorne, after all. Do you not know about the Hawthornes over in Cambria?”

  It would make sense. When most people found out my brother was the Alexander Hawthorne, one of the richest men in America, they fell all over themselves to make him happy. Then when they found out I was his sister, they sucked up to me, too. But I was savvier than my brother. I could spot a fake asshole from anywhere.

  “Hawthorne. Hawthorne.” He tapped his chin before realization dawned in his eyes. “He’s Alexander Hawthorne? The famous art collector? But why is he working in a diner?”

  I shrugged. “Why are you?”

  Nico’s face fell. I wondered if I said something wrong by the way he reacted. I might as well have pulled out a gun with the fear in his eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, why does anyone have a job? Most people need to work for money. To put a roof over their heads and put food on the table. But the lucky few, me now being one of those rare people, can work for a sense of fulfillment. To do what we love. As I found out tonight, my brother loves working at the diner.”

  I laughed before I continued, “I guess growing up cut off from the everyday life of average people and having everything done for you, then hard work like being a waiter was fun.”

  My explanation seemed to satisfy Nico. He nodded with a smile. “I completely understand.”

  “Well, I don’t. Maybe because I didn’t grow up like that. I’m finding the diner isn’t as fulfilling as I had hoped.”

  My hand flew to my mouth. Why did I say that out loud? I didn’t want anyone to know that I thought it was a mistake to open the diner.

  “I understand that, too. You didn’t grow up like your brother?”

  I shook my head. “I was given up as a baby. Something about my mother protecting me from my father. My father only wanted a boy and while my mother tried to hide me, she also abandoned me to the foster system. Even after my father died when I was a kid, she never came and got me. I had no idea I had a mother or a brother or that my family was loaded.” I let out a bitter laugh.

  “I’m sorry, Grace.” Nico’s voice deepened and he placed his hand on my shoulder. My anger instantly melted away.

  His touch was warm and when he squeezed my shoulder, it felt like the most erotic touch I had felt in a long time.

  That just showed how hard up I was. One shoulder squeeze and I was ready to rip the guy’s clothes off.

  Now, I was picturing him naked. Crap. Maybe I had some spare batteries in my junk drawer in the kitchen?

  Would it be weird to work one out in the bathroom while he waited in the living room? Yes. Yes, it would. And yet, I was still considering it.

  I lifted my head, ready to excuse myself to the bathroom when I thought I heard him say, “I want to kiss you.”

  “Did you say something?”

  His green eyes darkened, and his expression told me he had said what I thought he said.

  “It’s yo
ur lips.” He placed his other hand on my shoulder, doing more of that erotic squeezing. Nico was really good at the shoulder action. “I’ve been wanting to taste them for weeks.”

  Mentioning my lips caused me to stare at his mouth. I swallowed, wondering what his lips and more importantly, his tongue, could do to my body.

  “Why haven’t you before?”

  I had no idea what made me ask that question. Perhaps it was to stall. To shake off this horny fog that was taking over my brain. It had traveled up from my vagina to render me incapable of being a good host, like offering him coffee or to sit on the couch.

  The only thing I could think to offer him was me.

  His hand lifted to my hair, his fingers twisted and flipped strands as he studied my locks.

  “It’s not a wig,” I said.

  Again, I had no control over what was coming out of my mouth.

  With a quirk of his lips, he said, “I didn’t think it was. It’s too soft. So smooth, I couldn’t help but touch it, wondering if it was made of silk.”

  “Wow. You’re smooth. Like Lando Calrissian smooth.”

  He lowered his head, still fiddling with my hair, until his mouth was inches from mine. “I have no idea who that is, but I hope Lando is a good person.”

  What just happened?

  I took a step back and pushed his hand from my hair.

  “You don’t know who Lando Calrissian is? Have you never seen any of the Star Wars movies?”

  Whatever hormones that were causing me to focus on his mouth were subsiding. Movies, specifically anything that came out in the 1980s, were more important than his lips.

  Maybe. Okay, just as important. Now that I thought about it, his lips seemed crucial, but these films were relevant.

  Who hadn’t seen a Star Wars film? That was like never realizing man had walked on the moon or never tasting pizza.

  “I’ve seen documentary films about the stars. Is that the same?”

  My mouth fell open, and I knew at that moment what I had to do.

  TWELVE

  Nico

  Raiders of the Lost Ark

  I was so close. Grace’s mouth, her beautiful, pouty lips that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for over two weeks, were mere inches from mine. My mouth had almost reached Valhalla and then I screwed it up by mentioning that I hadn’t seen a movie based on a war of the stars.