Yours Royally: A Cinderella Love Story (Billionaires and Brides Book 3)

by Krista Lakes

  "I really wanted you to like it. What do you think?"

  "I love it." I loved that he was trying so hard to make me happy. It was incredibly endearing.

  Owen grinned and pulled out a second thermos, this one in blue. He opened it and carefully poured a dark liquid into the remaining empty cups. The smell of rich hot chocolate made me smile, especially when he pulled out a can of Pringles potato chips.

  "This I remembered on my own," he said with a small smile as he handed me the can. I smiled widely and popped the top, dunking a chip into my hot chocolate. Owen laughed at my enthusiasm and grabbed a chip for himself. He dipped it carefully, and stuck it in his mouth. A strange look came over his face. "This is seriously your favorite food?" he said around pieces of the chip still in his mouth.

  I nodded and dipped another. He swallowed and looked at me as though I might be a little crazy. "You don't like it, do you?" I asked. He shook his head from side to side.

  "It's, well," he paused. "It's disgusting."

  "You just have no taste in good food," I teased him. He relaxed as he realized I wasn't going to hold his dislike against him. I knew that not everyone liked the sweet and salty combo.

  "Right. I'll go tell that to the French chef that cooks for me," he teased back.

  "You have a French chef?"

  He nodded like it was the most common thing in the world. He reached for a sandwich and bit into it carefully. When I was just talking with him, it was easy to forget that he was worth almost a billion dollars. "You'd like him. I don't know if he would appreciate the fine dining of potato chips and chocolate though."

  "I saw chocolate covered Pringles in a store once. They were sold as a delicacy, so I'm pretty sure you just have wacky taste buds." I reached for a sandwich and dipped it in the tomato soup. It was a little slice of heaven, the cheese blending perfectly with the soup and accented by bacon. "I think I will never eat a plain grilled cheese again. This is amazing."

  Owen grinned and reached for a second sandwich. "I thought you might like it. I had it this way in college, and I never looked back."

  "I definitely like this version. Thank you. This whole day has been fantastic."

  "You are most welcome. You look amazing, by the way." He set his hand on mine, sending a thrill through me. I blushed, but I didn't pull my hand away. In fact, I tipped my chin up and leaned forward, pressing my lips against his.

  He tasted like grilled cheese, but I didn't care. He was delicious. Owen's hand went to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my perfect curls as he pulled me closer. His tongue searched for mine, our mouths opening to find one another. He lowered his lips, his teeth grazing the tender skin of my jaw, sending heat surging through my belly.

  "Do you have to catch a flight tonight?" I whispered, remembering the limo. I was giving serious contemplation to just taking him there on the blanket in the middle of the lush tropical garden, but having a bed would be better. He chuckled, the sound throaty and deep.

  "No, no flight this time."

  I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip with desire and just a touch of nerves. "You want to come back to my place?"

  He kissed me again, taking my breath away. It was okay though, because when I was with him, I didn't need to breathe.

  "We could do that. Or, I got us a hotel room."

  "So you thought you were going to get lucky tonight, huh?" I asked with a giggle, giving him a playful punch on the arm. He traced a finger down the curve of my cheek, the touch light but seductive.

  "I suppose I should say I got myself a hotel room, but I made sure it would be big enough for two if you wanted to come visit." His eyes sparkled with amusement.

  "Well, a hotel room would be nicer than my apartment. I didn't really clean this morning, so there would be dirty laundry all over the floor."

  "Then perhaps we should put laundry all over the floor of the hotel room to make you feel more more at home," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing the curve where my jaw met my neck. I shivered with anticipation.

  Owen stood up in one fluid motion, holding out his hand to help me up. Once I was on my feet, he pulled me into him, stealing a kiss. It was full of want, need, and pure desire. I couldn't have said no if I wanted to, though I really just wanted to scream yes.

  We were back out to the limo in less than a minute, the driver waiting patiently at the door with the car. It was only a three minute drive to the downtown hotel, but I found myself unable to keep my fingers from unbuttoning his shirt. As he pushed my hands away, I looked up at him. "Sorry, they have a mind of their own, tonight."

  When finally my fingers came to rest, they were on his tie. I contented myself with using it to pull him into me, kissing him with all my might until we got to the hotel room.

  We bounded through the ornate lobby to a series of bronzed elevators that sent us whirring to the top floor. Owen was, of course, staying in the penthouse suite, but I barely looked at it as we stumbled into the bedroom.

  Owen growled something, but I was too busy stripping to understand his words. I understood his meaning though. He was already hard, the bulge in his pants displaying exactly how much he wanted me. He kissed me, pushing me onto the bed.

  "I want you so bad, Kaylee. You're the only thing I could think about all week." His voice was low and full of power. He was a man who could have anything he wanted, and he wanted me.

  I shivered with anticipation, biting his lower lip as he tasted me. I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head as he began our night of pleasure, the bedsheets tangling around us as we writhed in ecstasy.

  Chapter 13

  Three weeks later, after three more amazing dates, I was pretty sure I was in love. Owen Parker had successfully stolen my heart. We hadn't said anything yet, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. I looked forward to his phone calls, texts, and emails more than I looked forward to my days off.

  We both wished we could have more time together, but with our crazy schedules and workloads, we were lucky to manage that many. I knew he had worked magic in order to make it out to Iowa as many times as he had. He took me to the symphony with a stop to a seafood restaurant for our first date, and the second was for ice cream and a movie, in which he rented the entire theater. The third date had been my favorite so far after the botanical gardens; he arranged a special backstage tour of the Des Moines Zoo. Watching him feed the penguins had kept me laughing for hours. Every one of the dates ended back in the penthouse suite, the two of us tangled up in the sheets.

  It wasn't all happy though. While just thinking about him put a happy smile on my face and quickened my pulse, I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. We got along famously, but that was easy since we only saw each other once a week. The sex was fantastic, and I was falling hard for him, loving our dates and phone calls, but I was beginning to wonder if it would be enough. As much fun as we were both having, I couldn't see us continuing on like this for much longer. I didn't want this to end, but I didn't know how we could possibly keep our schedules and the distance from breaking us apart.

  I glanced around my bedroom, mentally making sure I had everything. Owen was coming to visit, and I had packed a small bag of clothes and a toothbrush, actually planning ahead for once. I was tired of using my finger and his toothpaste to brush my teeth and having nothing clean to wear home. This time, I was going to be prepared for a stay at a hotel. I wasn't sure what adventure we were going to have on this trip, but I was prepared for anything.

  My door buzzed, and I hurried downstairs, bag in hand. Owen was waiting patiently by the front door, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He smiled as soon as he heard the door open, and I hurried out to give him a kiss.

  He looked exhausted. His normally crisp dress shirt was wrinkled under his jacket, and he needed to shave. I looked closer and could see that his eyes were bloodshot, his lips and skin pale. I hoped he wasn't getting sick.

  "Are you feeling okay?" I asked as he took my hand and we walked to
his car. He no longer had us chauffeured around, instead preferring to drive us himself in a fancy sports car. Today's version was an Aston Martin.

  "I'm just tired," he said with a sigh. "The flights were miserable getting out here and we kept getting delayed by weather. I know it's almost dinner time here, but my internal clock thinks it's closer to seven in the morning, and I've been up all night. I'm afraid I'm not going to be the best date tonight."

  "Then how about we just have a quiet night in? We can lay in bed, eat pizza, maybe rent a movie? You can fall asleep, and we can just relax," I offered. He opened the car door for me to slide in, and he kissed me softly once I was seated.

  "You're the best. That sounds fantastic."

  It was a short drive to the hotel, and the staff recognized us as we made our way up the shiny elevators to his suite. I had offered to put him up at my place, but we both enjoyed room service too much to actually leave.

  I set my toothbrush up in the bathroom, liking the way it looked next to Owen's. I sighed, though, seeing his travel kit sitting on the counter. Was it always going to be this way? Just one-night stays in hotels with days or even weeks in between visits? Owen had a long trip coming up, and I had barely managed to trade my shift to get the time off to see him this time. Working in a hospital meant that I had to work weekends and holidays, and Owen's travel schedule mandated that he leave for weeks at a time. His next trip was expected to take him out of the country to Dubai for at least three full weeks.

  I came out of the bathroom to find Owen spread-eagle on the bed and snoring. He hadn't even managed to take off his shoes, their laces undone but still on his feet. I quietly tiptoed over and took his shoes off the rest of the way, then slid his pants off and unbuttoned his dress shirt. I pulled the sheets up to his chin, and he smiled in his sleep and snuggled into the soft material, drifting further into dreamland.

  I slipped out of my clothes and into the silky nightgown I had brought, sliding under the sheets next to Owen. He mumbled something as he curled up on his side, his breathing deepening. I glanced at my watch-- six-thirty. My stomach grumbled and I glanced over at Owen. It was looking like this was going to be a very quiet date night indeed. I pulled out my phone and dialed for pizza, ordering a large Hawaiian style and a large pepperoni, then turning on the TV with subtitles and the volume all the way down. At least I could catch up on my TV.

  Thirty minutes later, just as a new episode of some dancing show was starting, the pizza arrived. The scrawny pizza delivery boy eyed me in my sexy nighty, and I tried not to blush as I handed him the twenty dollar bill, then ducked back into the room. Just as I sat down to eat my pineapple and bacon deliciousness, my phone started to ring. I glanced at the caller ID and inwardly groaned. Work.

  "This is Kaylee," I said softly, walking quickly to the bathroom so I wouldn't wake Owen. The door clicked gently behind me as my boss started begging.

  "Kaylee, we are short-staffed, and I need you to come in. That stomach bug is going around, and I've had four people call in sick for tonight's shift. When can you get here?"

  "I'm not coming in tonight. I'm sorry, but I have plans tonight," I told her. I knew she wasn't going to let me out of it that easily, though.

  "Please, Kaylee, we're swamped. It'll be time and a half, and you only have to stay as long as we're busy," she pleaded into the phone. I knew that while I would get the extra pay, we would stay busy all night, especially if as many people had called in sick as she said. I could feel a guilt trip starting.

  "No, I'm not coming in. Find someone else tonight. Liz is always looking to pick up shifts, try her," I told her getting ready to hang up.

  "I did, and she's sick too. Please, Kaylee, I'm desperate."

  I wavered for a moment. Owen was fast asleep and not likely to wake up at all this evening. I was just watching bad TV and eating pizza; maybe I could help them out, at least for a couple hours. I bit my tongue as the habit to take as many shifts as possible tried to make me say yes. I was supposed to be with Owen tonight. I heard the bed creak in the other room, and I forced the "yes" creeping up my throat back down. He had flown out to see me, not to have me run off to work while he slept.

  "I can't." I tried my best to make it sound final.

  "Kaylee, please. At least just see if you can come in for a couple hours," my boss implored into the phone. I felt bad, especially since all I was doing was watching him sleep. I knew my coworkers would be struggling with the short staff, and I hated to leave them in the lurch. I could feel my loyalties straddling a fence, and I hated it. I was going to feel guilty no matter what decision I made.

  "I can't. I'm sorry," I said quickly and hung up the phone. I knew she was going to call me back eventually, but for the moment I was safe. I set the phone down and turned on the sink, splashing some cold water on my face. I hated feeling like I was letting someone down.

  I dried my face and stepped out to the main room to find Owen sitting up in the bed. He had dark circles under his eyes, but he was awake and looking at me.

  "I flew out here to be with you," he said softly. I frowned, confused. I seemed to remember telling my boss no.

  "That's why I told them no."

  "You took an awful long time to do it."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, surprised at his tone. He must still be half-asleep and cranky, but I didn't like where he was heading.

  "I flew over twelve hours to get here, but you gave serious thought to going to work." A touch of anger entered his voice. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that he had been up all night.

  "I did think about it. I thought about going in and helping my coworkers, people who I consider my friends, while you were busy sleeping. I didn't though. I'm staying here." I moved to the foot of the bed in order to see him better. The TV cast a strange bluish glow on his skin, his hair poking up in an unruly pattern. He looked like he could fall over and go straight back asleep at any moment, except for the frown on his face keeping him awake.

  "I don't appreciate that you even considered it," he said quietly.

  "You mean you're mad that I considered doing something while you were sleeping?" I crossed my arms and frowned at him. He ran a hand through his hair, the TV light casting a strange assortment of shadows.

  "I don't get to see you very often, and I'm leaving on a long trip. I didn't think you would run off in the middle of the night." His voice was quiet, like the calm before a thunderstorm.

  "So I can't leave to go to my job for three hours, but you can leave for three weeks for yours." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Owen's eyes went wide and then narrowed.

  "That's not fair. My job is about the travel. I don't have a choice. I flew three extra hours just to get here, to see you. But you go do your oh-so-important extra shift, and I'll just sit here by myself. If I had known that you didn't want to stay with me tonight, I would have just stayed in New York."

  "Hey, I'm not going in to work! How many times do I have to tell you that I told them no?" I could hear my voice rising with every word, a hot anger beginning to boil in my stomach.

  Owen's shoulders sagged and weariness weighed on his body. "I'm sorry, Kaylee. I'm just exhausted, and I hate that I'm sleeping through our date night. This isn't what I had planned."

  I sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, a hollow dread replacing the anger I felt. "Is it always going to be like this? Just random meetings in hotel rooms where we both are fighting with our schedules?"

  Owen stared at the sheets in his lap, his brow furrowed. "I don't know, but I don't like how hard it is right now. I hate that I'm not going to see you for three weeks, and then who knows when we'll have more than a day together again."

  I bit my lip and tried not to focus on the thick feeling growing in the back of my throat. I played with the cuticle on my thumb, the words coming out slow. "This isn't going to work between us, is it?"

  Owen didn't answer. His hair was across his eyes, obscuring his face, but his silen
ce was all I needed to know the answer. Our worlds had collided, but they weren't meant to stay that way. Despite the feelings I had for him, our lives were just too different and too far apart for us to be together. Sure, we could keep trying, but at what cost? Eventually his traveling and my hospital schedule would just be too much to fight against and it would blow up in our faces. Better to end it now, when it wouldn't hurt quite so much. I knew the lie as soon as I thought it. It would hurt more than anything.

  "I'll get my things," I said quietly, standing from the bed. His hand shot out and grabbed mine, keeping me near him.

  "No, Kaylee. Don't go. Don't ever go." His voice was soft in the darkness. I realized I was trembling.

  "Owen..."

  "I love you, Kaylee." He said it simply, his voice soft. I felt my heart forget to beat. It no longer needed to. It didn't beat for me anymore anyway; it beat for Owen.

  "I love you too, Owen." The words flowed out easily, my heart overjoyed. They were truer than anything I had ever said in my life. I really did love him.

  "Come with me."

  "What? What do you mean?" I sat back down. Owen's eyes were bright, a smile beginning to form around the edges of his mouth.

  "Come with me on this business trip."

  "I can't. You know I can't," I said, shaking my head.

  "Why?" His eyes searched mine. "Money? Not a problem. Work? You can get the time off. Come travel with me. I'll even talk to your boss. I'm sure you can get the time off if I made a sizable donation to the hospital."

  Fear lurched in my stomach. "I can't."

  He peered at me, his eyes hopeful. "Why, Kaylee?"

  I picked furiously at the cuticle on my thumb. If I kept this up it would bleed, but I didn't care. I took a shaky breath, embarrassed and afraid to tell him. "I hate flying. And I'm not good in strange places."

  "You flew to Emma's wedding," he said encouragingly.

  "Because it was her wedding. You don't even want to know what it took to get me through the flight." That hot sticky feeling was growing in the back of my throat and I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to cry.