Royal Bastard

by Nana Malone

Lucas stopped short as he was stirring the sauce on the stove. “Oh, you’re home.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I do live here, at least for the time being.”

  “Oh, I just—the bar called and left a message on the main line about you covering a shift tonight. I assumed you’d be working.”

  “Yeah, I was. Now I’m off.”

  Lucas winced. “The thing is I kind of have a date tonight.”

  It shouldn’t have hurt. It really shouldn’t have. I had zero expectations about Lucas, but it did hurt. So much so that my stomach bottomed out and then cramped as I considered him on a date, actually kissing some other girl. “Oh, I didn’t realize. I’ll just grab a quick sandwich, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize you’d be home.”

  “No, it’s your apartment. I’m just a guest. I’ll make myself scarce, I promise.”

  I don’t know how I kept my voice even because I could practically feel it cracking in half.

  With the scent of some delicious pasta and sauce wafting all around me, I made myself a quick cold turkey sandwich, grabbed a bottle of water and my books, and then headed for my room.

  Lucas sighed. “You don’t have to run off like that. It’s just—"

  “I get it. You have a date. No big deal.”

  “Are you sure, because after last night—"

  “I know what you’re trying to get at, but I wasn’t going to go there. I had a mistaken lapse in judgment. It’s fine. It won’t be happening again. We’re good.” I escaped to my room and made an immediate call to Jinx.

  “Lay it on me.”

  “He has a date.”

  “Wait, I thought you went on a date with him?”

  “Well apparently it was only a mock-date.”

  “Honey, didn’t he already say that?”

  I knew I was being irrational, but I didn’t care. “That’s not the point. The point is he has a dat, after we went on this incredible mock-date yesterday. What am I supposed to make of that?”

  “That the man has a date. Honey, you can’t let this upset you.”

  “It wouldn’t upset me if he hadn’t kissed me.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I texted you that I had a date yesterday. It was with Lucas.”

  Jinx sputtered. “Dude, you left out that very important detail.”

  “It wasn't supposed to be a real date, but it felt real. We had a great time. We came back, and things were all tense and crackly. And then he kissed me. And he’s seriously skilled in the kissing and foreplay department, because I was ready. Like so freaking ready. And he was, uh, touching me. But, then someone knocked at the door and interrupted us.”

  “Let me guess, no continuing where you left off?”

  “Nope. As a matter of fact, this morning he acted like it never happened. Said he wants to be friends.”

  On the other end of the line, Jinx cursed. “He’s a twat.”

  “Yes, I agree.”

  She continued, “Actually, he’s worse than a twat. He’s a twat’s ass.”

  I giggled. “I know right? It’s one thing to give great date. Fine, okay, I get it. He’s very good at it. He’s clearly had a lot of practice. But you know, he made that shit feel real. I know the type. He seemed sincere, but then you peel back a layer and there’s nothing really there. I don’t know. I just feel duped.”

  “Okay, so he’s going out? You should go out there in your skimpiest outfit when the girl arrives and just lay on the couch, refusing to move until they go.”

  I barked out a laugh. “Oh my God. You’re terrible. But they’re not going anywhere. She’s coming here for dinner. Imagine me walking in. Lucas was cooking, and I immediately thought it was for me. Then he tells me he has a date.”

  “Wait, he’s bringing a date to the house?”

  “Yeah, before you say it, I know. I need to move out. I’m working on it. I’m considering reporting my roommate and her damn dog. I’m telling them the situation is untenable and I can’t possibly go back. But I don’t want poor Rufus to be without a home.”

  “There you go again, worrying more about other people than yourself. You need a place to stay. You can’t keep staying there with Mr. Sex-on-a-Stick. It’s going to give you sleepless nights.”

  “Right? This is my own fault for even getting my wires crossed. I know guys like him. None of it is real. It’s all about the illusion.”

  “Oh my God, what is his deal anyway? Why do you keep attracting these losers?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what gods I angered in a previous life, but this is hardly fair.”

  “I mean, it’s like you have a special case of bad luck. But there is always payback.”

  “What am I supposed to do? I already went on a date, remember? I kissed the guy in front of Lucas. I don’t exactly have Jase clamoring for a second date. He never even called me. I didn’t even get a chance to turn him down.” Though, he could probably tell I was more into pissing Lucas off than actually kissing him.

  Jinx was quiet for a moment, and then she chuckled. “Well, there is one option.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a little extreme, but it will also get the don’t bring dates home while I live here message across.”

  “Ugh, extreme. Let’s hear it, because I’m still really pissed off.”

  “All right, are you ready for this? Because this is gonna take full commitment. You have to make sure you’re up to the challenge.”

  “Oh, you better believe it. Let’s talk payback.”

  26

  Lucas

  “Oh my gosh, I love your apartment. I mean, how did you even get into a building like this? It must have cost a fortune.”

  This is a bad idea. I’d known it the moment I asked her out, but I’d done it anyway. Then the moment she arrived, I just wanted her gone. Not that there was anything wrong with Jessica, per se, it was just that she wasn’t Bryna. And she talked a lot. She seemed more fascinated by all the cool shit than by getting to know me. Not that I’d actually let her get to know me, because, well, I had no intention of anyone ever getting that close. But still, as we sat on the couch after dinner, I just kept wondering what the hell Bryna was doing. Was she listening? Could she hear us? Was she upset?

  You are so whipped.

  I knew she wouldn’t understand that technically, this was for her own good. I wasn’t the kind of guy she wanted. She’d made that abundantly clear, so why was I bothered by that?

  Because for just a moment, you thought maybe you could be that kind of guy.

  And I’d let myself open up, just a little bit. It was stupid, a dumb, foolish mistake. Now that I had started to feel, there was no turning it off, really, which was a problem. The kind of things I’d done and the kind of places I’d been had taught me pretty early on not to feel a thing. If you let feelings creep in, you’ll make mistakes. Mistakes can cost you everything.

  Jessica cuddled closer, and I resisted the urge to pull back. I could use some emotion and show her a good time. It’s not like I had to talk to her again after this.

  The door to Bryna’s room opened, and I couldn’t help it; my gaze automatically shifted over there. Jessica’s did too. In that span of seconds, my breath caught. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get any oxygen in. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There was no way it was real. It was my mind fucking with me, making me crazy, trying to tell me I was seeing things, and I wasn’t. The problem was Jessica saw it too, because her gaze flickered back to mine, and then back to Bryna.

  Oh shit. It was not a dream.

  Mayday, Mayday, this is not a drill. All systems will shut down. My brain screamed to me, but I couldn’t help it. I drank in the sight of her.

  Bryna, without ever shifting her gaze toward us on the couch, merely stalked into the kitchen as if she owned the joint, wearing nothing but attitude and a smile. She stood in front of the open refrigerator door completely naked with the interior light highli
ghting that insane silhouette. She got herself a yogurt and sauntered over to the drawer to pull out a spoon. Then, happy as she pleased, she sauntered right back into her bedroom as if she hadn’t even seen us.

  The problem was I had seen her. And the image of Bryna Tressel walking naked in my apartment was one I would never forget. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure it was all I was ever going to see for the rest of my life.

  Bryna

  That was insane. I still couldn’t believe I had done it. When Jinx had suggested it, I thought she was crazy. And she was. My bestie took no prisoners. And neither had I. The moment I walked out, I could feel his gaze on me. I’d almost turned around and run back. Who the hell walked around naked? But once the door was open, there was no turning back. I deliberately did not stick around to hear what his date might have to say. I went back in my bedroom, ate my yogurt, and then headed straight for the shower. Then I went to bed, wearing my earbuds so as to drown out any noise. But no doubt, there would be retaliation. There would be payback, and it would be painful, so, so painful, but I was ready for it. This was more fun. This was easier. I knew how to do this. We’d draw our battle lines and take our corners. That was a dynamic I understood. Me wanting to feel Lucas close, to feel his arms around me, that wasn’t a dynamic I understood. As a matter of fact, that dynamic freaked me out, so this one was good.

  I opened my bedroom door the next morning and sure enough, Lucas was all about payback. He was shirtless, which wasn’t that unusual, but he wasn’t just shirtless. He was in his boxers. Boxer briefs to be exact. He was just walking around, happy as he pleased, looking like a fucking underwear model. How was that fair?

  Do not react. He is looking for a reaction. Simply get your cereal, make your lunch for today and get the hell out of dodge. Easy.

  Yeah easy. Just ignore him.

  But Lucas was not going to be ignored. “Bryna.”

  His voice was low, soothing, engaging, meant to hypnotize. “Yes Lucas?”

  “Wanna tell me what last night was about?”

  “What? I wanted a snack.”

  “Bryna, you came out here naked. My date was pissed.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame. Did I ruin your date?”

  His brows drew down. He looked pissed off, but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes.

  I went over to the cabinets to grab the cereal and pulled the boxes out. When I turned around, Lucas was directly behind me. I noticed his expansive chest blocking my view. “A little close, aren’t you? What’s your deal? What do you want?”

  “I don’t want anything.”

  “You’re too close.” He backed up a couple of inches. I gave myself away the moment my gaze landed on his shoulders though. It wasn’t my fault. Anyone who’d seen his shoulders would understand. They were divine. I wanted to do nothing but spend time touching them and testing the muscles. I was weak. I knew it. Unfortunately, he knew it too.

  “Bryna that felt like you were throwing down the gauntlet. If you’re mad about our mock-date, you can just tell me.”

  “I’m not mad. It was fun.” I swallowed hard.

  “Fun, but?”

  “No buts, it was fun. That’s all.”

  “Are you mad we were interrupted?” His voice lowered an octave. “Are you mad I didn’t take if further? That I didn’t drag you to the floor and fuck you until neither of us could walk?”

  Holy hell. My core pulsed. “No.” God, I sounded like I was mad. It occurred to me how wrong this could go. “I wasn’t trying to pin you down, Lucas. Get over yourself.”

  “So you walked out naked when I had a date?”

  “I told you, I was hungry.”

  “Okay. Well, hey, if you don’t mind naked days, then I don’t either.” Then he took another step back, hooked his thumbs in his boxers and dropped them.

  Do not look. Do not look. Don’t look.

  Spoiler alert, I totally looked. And, wow…

  Yes, okay, fine. I’m not proud of it, but there was staring. And I’m pretty sure my mouth fell open. At that point, Lucas bent down, picked up his shorts and grinned. “I am so glad you’re also a secret nudist. We could have grand naked days every day. I’m up for the challenge. Are you?” Then he sauntered away, and I further damned myself because I couldn’t look away. I stared at his bare ass and wanted him even more.

  27

  Lucas

  Maybe that morning hadn’t been my finest hour or the best decision I’d ever made, but apparently, I was full of bad decisions. So, whatever. Roone still wasn’t talking to me. He just treated me like I was more of a job than his actual friend. And that shit was starting to irk me.

  I tried to get through to Roone as we drove to the office. I knew I’d have to hit the ground running when we arrived, so there wouldn’t be a chance to talk later. And I wanted to clear the air. “So, you’re not gonna talk to me?”

  It was funny. I’d never noticed how subtle Roone was about his job. He somehow managed to walk in front of me everywhere, prepared to take all the dangerous hits first, his gaze sweeping from left to right, always shrewd, always watchful. For Marcus, I knew it was all about the job. But Roone… somehow, I’d shoved him into the friend box and hadn’t noticed he’d been doing a job, which meant he was probably very good at it.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You’ve got your panties in a twist.”

  He frowned. “I don’t wear panties. Besides, they’re called knickers, mate.”

  “Knickers, whatever you call them. You’re mad that I went off script.”

  He sighed and rounded the corner heading toward the office.

  “Lucas, we don’t have to do this. I’ve drawn the line between friendship and work. It won’t happen again.”

  “Fuck, I’m sorry, okay? I broke protocol.”

  “You think I’m pissed off? You think I’m too tough with you because you took the piss?”

  I frowned. I still haven’t figured out all the British terminology, but I was getting there. “Why don’t you do us all a favor then, and tell me why you’re pissed off? Then I can buy you a bottle of scotch and be done with it, right?”

  “No, not right. It wasn’t just about you going against protocols for the day. I don’t know how many times everyone has to remind you that your life is in danger. There are people out there in the world that want you dead for bigger reasons than fucking their girlfriend. There are actual life-and-death stakes at play here. And your brother, the king, put me in charge of protecting you. That is how important you are to him. And to have you completely disregard that and just do as you like, yeah, that pisses me the fuck off.”

  Shit. “Roone, shit man, I didn’t mean it like that. I just—"

  “No. Shut your mouth and listen for once. If you don’t give a shit about your life, fair enough. Your father gave his to protect you and your brother and sister, but whatever. You certainly didn’t give a shit about my job and what that would do to me or Marcus if anything happened to you. No, you were just thinking about yourself. So don’t act now like we’re gonna be mates, because you completely disregarded everything that is important to me. I am not here to hang out with you. I’m not up your ass because it’s fun. I am doing a job. When you fuck with that, we don’t get to be mates after.”

  He parked in my assigned space then left me in the car as he marched over to the elevator. All I could do was stare after him. But honestly, he only got about four steps when he realized I wasn’t following him, and he came back for me. “Out.”

  Oh no, he didn’t get to throw a hissy fit without me saying anything in response. “Roone, I know I fucked up.”

  “Mate, it’s not up for discussion. I have a job to do, and you’re it. And if you think—"

  “Fuck, I’m sorry okay? I just wanted a day with Bryna to myself. Since everything happened and you were assigned to me, I’ve been mostly good. I know Sebastian was a problem; there are legends about him. And because you’re my mate, I
don’t wanna put you through that. I know it’s a pain in the ass.” I sighed. “Since this whole thing happened, I haven’t felt like myself. I haven’t felt like I am me. And sometimes I just wanna break out and be me, even though that guy was an asshole. Sometimes I just forget. I am sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  I wasn’t used to apologizing, and I wasn’t sure how long I stood there waiting. Roone’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he gave me a terse nod before turning back around. “We need to go.”

  I wasn’t sure if I was forgiven or not, but at least I wasn’t catching the waves of hostility now. It might take a while, but he’d warm up. At least I hoped he would.

  We entered the elevator, and once we hit my floor I went left toward my office. Roone had no choice other than to keep close, but when I stepped into the small office, there was someone in there waiting for me, someone unexpected. “Mom?”

  She looked exactly like I remembered her. Blond hair, sun streaked, slightly frizzy, lightly curling on the ends as it swung around her shoulders. She was never one for getting styles or blow outs or anything like that. Her eyes sparkled, and her skin was sunkissed, as always.

  “Lucas, I got your message.”

  I glanced around. “What the fuck? How the hell?”

  She moved a hand. “Did you really think I’d meet you at an open bar like that? Life is a little complicated right now for me and Tony. Going to a place like that is asking for trouble.”

  “So you don’t say anything, and you just turn up here?”

  “Well, you summoned me, didn’t you?”

  “How much trouble are you in? Is it money? I can—"

  “You think I want money? There’s no way you’d have enough.”

  “I do. I still have the core of what I fenced. If you need it, it’s yours.”

  “Are you kidding me, Lucas? We owe six times that. That’s why we’re back. Tony wants you to do one last job.”

  I shook my head. “No, that’s what you said last time. I had to leave UCLA. I took a semester off and came down for one last gig. I saw the way he treated you. I mean, the things he had you doing…” I shut my mouth. I inhaled with deep breaths trying to swallow it down. “You were sick, and he still had you running cons. I was the one who took care of you when I came back, made sure you had your meds. I had a way out for the both of us. All you had to do was show up. But there I was at that private airstrip, waiting. I suppose I should be happy that you didn’t send Tony and his goons after me.”