Duched (Duched #1)

by Xavier Neal

  Kellan tilts his head in suspicion. “Why? Why the sudden change of heart?”

  She pushes her painted lips together in a sealed action.

  “For the past four years, Kris has given every effort to his fight, his cause and not mine. Why the sudden change? Why care now? Why give a shit what happens to children whose parents have died? Why-” His voice abruptly halts. “Holy hell, you two are trying to get pregnant!”

  My mouth drops with hers.

  “Holy hell!”

  “Shut. Up.” She snips. “It is not common knowledge yet and if you tell Kris I told you, I will turn your collection of Markay suits into lining for Old Red's bed. Do I make myself clear?”

  Kellan tries to hide his smirk.

  “Who's Old Red?”

  “The family dog,” they answer in unison.

  Because...why wouldn't they have a family dog?

  All of a sudden the door we entered through opens again and Kristopher strolls in.

  Damn they look like twins! Seriously! The only major difference I see right now aside from his slightly bigger forehead is his choice in clothing. He's wearing dark jeans and a polo. Getting Kellan to put on jeans or anything that didn't just stroll off a runaway is like trying to have your wisdom teeth removed without being numbed first.

  “States finally kicked you out I see,” his brother teases with a chuckle at the same time he embraces him.

  Kellan gives him a hard pat on the back and steps away. “More like I got wind that your sanity was almost fully intact again. We both know I can't have that.”

  “You are the reason I'm graying so early.”

  “You mean balding.”

  Horror appears on his brother's face and I instantly nudge Kellan sharply in the ribs. “Be nice.”

  Kris lowers his attention my direction. “You must be the lovely woman responsible for my brother's leash.” When I giggle he takes my hand and plants a kiss on the back of it. “It is quite an honor to meet you in person.”

  “You as well,” I barely coo before Kellan is removing my hand.

  “That's enough,” he defensively snaps. “Stop slobbering on my girlfriend. Did you forget your wife is watching?”

  Soph shoots me a look and shrugs. “Take him. I'll get more sleep at night in the bed alone.”

  Kristopher's jaw drops again while Kellan lets out a hearty laugh.

  “You deserve a medal for putting up with him,” Kris whispers at me.

  My boyfriend swiftly changes the subject, “How did the meeting go?”

  Kris' response is cut off by the door opening once more.

  This time an older man approximately their same height and build with similar striking blonde features enters. Like Kellan he is dressed in an expensive suit except he's wearing a red tie and a blinding diamond studded watch.

  Uh.....What am I supposed to say?! Is hi, hello I'm the woman dating your son really enough? Should I bow or shake his hand or kiss his ring or something?

  The man gives a curt nod. “Kellan.”

  He reciprocates the action. “Father.”

  His attention turns to me and I see an unmistakable flash of consternation in his eyes. “And you must be Brie Sanders, the woman my son attended the Malskiean Fundraiser with a couple of months ago.”

  In a meek tone, I reply, “Yes, sir.”

  “Don't call him sir,” Kellan grumbles under his breath.

  “She was being respectful,” the man corrects and gives his son a stern look. “Something you've forgotten how to be.” Afterward, he lifts my hand to place a gentle kiss on the back of it. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Brie Sanders. My name is Kenneth. You may call me that.”

  Okay so the hand kissing, not a flirty thing, but a way they introduce themselves. Sweet in a throw your jacket over the puddle so I can cross it kinda way.

  I try to stay in a steady voice, “It's an honor to meet you Kenneth.”

  He gives me a small smile and ushers his hand at the table. “Shall we all sit? I'm sure Elliot is ready to serve us his favorite dish to make.”

  “Elliot?” Kellan questions as he leads me to a seat at the middle of the table. “What happened to Andrew?”

  “His wife had her baby a couple of weeks ago,” Soph swoons, though she quickly attempts to hide it. “There were a few complications, so they had to stay at the hospital longer than expected. They should be home in the next day or two.”

  Once he's pushed me in, he sits down beside me, while his brother and his wife sit in the seats across from us. However, Kenneth positions himself at the head of the table closest to the windows. The evening light from them adds an unnecessary boost to his aura of nobility.

  Honestly, not sure I will ever be able to wrap my mind around having dinner with the king of a country. I know Kellan likes to downplay the entire thing like it doesn't mean shit, but look at this place! He can't tell me his titles are just titles any more.

  Five servants stroll in, each carrying a covered dish. The moment it is placed in front of me, he removes the lid, and exposes a green mess I'm not thrilled to eat.

  Kellan leans over to whisper in my ear, “Try everything presented tonight and if you can't stomach it, I'll have them make you a bacon cheeseburger with extra pickles.”

  I offer him a smile of gratitude.

  The conversation proceeds as I do my best to muscle through what Soph announced as summer wedged salad.

  Why they felt the need to put strawberries and sunflower seeds in it is a mystery to me. Those aren't salad ingredients! And while I don't mind avocado I do when I mistake it for a cucumber. Oh, and don't even get me started about the 'light dressing' on this thing...

  Somehow the topic travels back around to me and Kenneth states, “I assume this is the first time you've been to Doctenn.”

  I place my fork down in surrender. Turning to face him, I politely reply, “Yes sir, it's actually the first time I've ever been out of my own country.”

  He lifts his wine with a scrutinizing stare. “Not a big traveler?”

  “Not really,” I sheepishly answer. “Pretty much lived in the same place my entire life.”

  “Small town girl? Interesting.”

  “Are you gonna ask if she's livin' in a lonely world next?” Kellan sings the lyric in a teasing manner. “Perhaps mention a train?”

  The joke lifts just enough tension from my chest to snicker. His eyes find mine and I shake my head.

  “What? Surprised I know an American classic?”

  “Surprised you still think you can sing.”

  Kris chuckles, “Ha!”

  “Oh what are you ha-ing at? You sound like a bag of dying cats when you're crooning,” Soph snickers and it spreads to the rest of us. “However, now that we're on the subject of music, we are attending the Shoreline Symphony tomorrow, if you two are interested in joining us.”

  “What is that?” I ask as our plates are removed and replaced with the next course.

  “There's a theater right close to the coast line where the symphony got its start. They occasionally play classic pieces, but originally and typically they play music that sounds like or reminds people of the ocean,” Kris explains. “It's all rather laid back and very soothing.”

  “You should go,” their father insists. “Make better headlines for this family than we've been seeing lately. Perhaps ones around your brotherly relationship as opposed to the others the media has been relentlessly focused on.”

  Kellan's mouth drops in question, but Kris clears his throat and shakes his head to stop him from pushing.

  “Brie,” Kenneth calls to me. “What is it you do for a living?”

  The question shifts me uncomfortably in my seat and my attention away from the mushroom risotto. “Um...at this time? Nothing. I just graduated from The University of Ashwin a couple of weeks ago.”

  “What was your major?” Soph sweetly asks.

  “Art.”

  She giggles. “The thing Kellan hates the most next to poetr
y.”

  “Both are utterly useless,” my boyfriend gripes. “At least being dragged through art showings typically results in getting my girlfriend naked.”

  A deep crimson color fills my cheeks seconds before his father asks, “And what have you decided you want to do with your degree? Which career path will you be taking when you choose to become employed again?”

  The burning of my face increases. “Not exactly sure...”

  There's a hum of what I can only imagine is disapproval.

  Before the anxiety has the chance to spread further, Soph informs with a comforting smile, “That's alright. I had no idea what I wanted to do after college either.”

  “Yes, but you were young and not nearing thirty like I imagine Brie is.”

  Getting the feeling he doesn't approve of me.

  “She keeps Kellan from burning down the other side of the world and from playing strip poker with actresses in front of open windows. That should count for something,” Kris attempts to lighten the situation.

  The praise from his brother almost tugs my lips upward.

  Thankfully, Soph moves the subject towards a fire that broke out in a different part of their country and their efforts to help those in need because of it. The conversation picks up speed and focus in various directions, allowing me to sit quietly and poke at the hunk of mush.

  Before I know it, our dishes are being replaced again, yet this time I smirk at the familiar sight.

  This one is something I am more than familiar with. It's one of Kellan's favorites and one that grew on me, not to mention my parents who he spoiled with at the occasional white table meal. You know, he made a huge effort to be a part of my family. To understand them and include them in our lives. Even though his world scares the shit out of me, I hope he knows I plan to make the same strides for him.

  “Steak au poivre,” Kellan smugly states. “Now this is my kind of welcome back...”

  “You mean home,” Kris attempts to correct.

  He tilts his head at his brother. “Do I?”

  “Of course you do,” his father argues loudly. “This is your home, whether you choose to call it that or not.”

  The animosity I felt earlier begins to rise again.

  My boyfriend lifts his utensils and snips, “Home would imply a place where your father is supportive of your ideas yet mine rejects them every chance he gets. Why is that?”

  Kenneth folds his hands in his lap. “The dinner table in mixed company is not the right place for this discussion, Kellan.”

  “Neither is your office. Or your bedroom. Or the kitchen. Or the car. Or the jet. Or the golf course or anywhere else for that matter.” He shoves a bite in his mouth. “So as far as I'm concerned here is as perfect as elsewhere.”

  “Kellan,” Kris implores quietly.

  “No,” he denies his brother. “I could tell by the look on your face when I asked that our father had once again said no. I want to know his reasoning this time. In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing or how to run a company. Then, I hadn't properly put together a proposal. Next, it wasn't the right timing. Lastly, Kris' cause was deemed more valuable than mine. So, tell me, father. What is the excuse this time?”

  My eyes helplessly drag themselves away from the hunk of meat I have been slowly cutting to his father whose entire body appears to be strained.

  “There are already foster care programs-”

  “They don't work!” Kellan snaps harshly. “Obviously, they don't work or there wouldn't be so many children homeless and helpless!”

  Calmly, Kenneth continues, “There are foster care programs in various places in many countries. A string of orphanages like you've presented would be dismissed as already being in place. The program you already have in motion on the other hand would be viewed as undermining these programs that are sponsored by their country's tax revenues. And because your program is small and not large enough to make the charitable donations beneficial, socially or financially, it would be a waste of time and an embarrassment to present at any of the annual brunches.”

  The harsh words chosen directed at Kellan causes his locked jaw to begin to throb. Instinctively, I reach my hand over to connect with his. As soon as my touch lands on his skin, the hostility begins to drain, and his chest stops heaving. Our eyes meet and we exchange an unspoken moment of warmth despite the heavy sigh from the end of the table.

  Getting the feeling being welcomed by his father is going to be much more difficult than I was afraid of. If this is how he treats his own son, what he thinks of his own flesh and blood, I doubt I even stand a chance. You heard those snide remarks earlier. Why is there a knot in the pit of my stomach telling me this isn't even a glimmer of what's ahead?

  Kellan

  Brie giggles and barely pushes at my shoulder. “Stop....We can't just stay in bed all day.”

  I give the side of her neck another slow swipe before moving my efforts to the other side. “And that's where you're wrong.” My tongue whirls around her favorite spot right beside her collarbone until she's whimpering. At that point, I pull back and give her a naughty smirk. “Since all other Kenningston's are away, that leaves me head of the household and it means I make the rules.”

  She playfully rolls her eyes. “It does not.”

  “It does so,” I argue, “and for arguing with the Prince you will be punished.” My lips lower to her nipple, which I swiftly tug with my teeth.

  Brie begins to whimper again when there's a heavy knock at the door. “Prince Kellan.”

  I release the hardened nub from my clutches. “What!”

  “The door, sir.”

  My girlfriend giggles and gives me an actual nudge to get out of bed.

  On a heavy groan, I grab the fallen sheet from the floor, wrap it around me, and jog across the room to the locked door. I unlock it and crack it open to gripe, “This better be important because I haven't finished my breakfast yet.”

  There's a giggle from behind me and then the sound of a pillow hitting the ground.

  I glance at Brie who is still in the canopy bed. “You throw like a girl.”

  “You look like one in your wedding gown right now. Are you sure it's not Princess Kellan?”

  “Doubling the punishment,” I growl and turn back around to Mathew. “What is it?”

  “Your father has summoned you to his office.”

  Ugh. That means he's returned early. Just when I thought we were catching a break.

  “He says to inform you it's urgent.”

  Which means it's not, he just doesn't feel like waiting.

  “Fine. I'll be there in a moment.”

  Mathew doesn't move.

  My eyebrows furrow. “He told you to escort me, didn't he?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Back for a few hours and he's already ruining my day.” I shut the door, turn, and make my way back to the dresser on the far wall. “Alright love, apparently, I have to be reprimanded by my father for a few minutes.”

  With genuine concern, she shifts her body completely up. “For what?”

  “Don't know nor do I care.” Grabbing a pair of silk pajama bottoms, I state, “You wait for me right there.”

  Her face doesn't change.

  “I'm serious, I don't care what I'm in trouble for now. All I care about is you...” I saunter slowly her direction, “waiting right here in this bed for me. I was completely serious earlier. I have no intention of us leaving it today.” When she starts to smile, I press my lips briefly to hers. “I'll be back shortly.”

  Brie grins and slips back underneath the covers.

  Just as I leave the room, she turns the television on, the sound of a morning talk show immediately blaring.

  Believe it or not this is practically the only time she's had to watch it. Since we arrived six days ago it has been endless obligations and sight-seeing. We've attended the symphony, helped judge a surfing competition and had lunch as well as dinner with my brother and Soph before they lef
t with my father for the annual summer brunch. Other than that, my time during the day has been divided between meetings with my company about the status of our program and wandering around museums, both art and historical, along with the property. That part doesn't bother me so much. I've turned that into a 'where can I have a romp with my girlfriend' bingo. No matter what the place is....I'm a winner.