Noble Prince (Twisted Royals, #4)

by Sidney Bristol

  He wasn’t a bad man, and he didn’t mean to be a poor father. Losing Mom had changed him in ways that couldn’t be fixed. He was Peter Pan without his sensible Wendy, no anchor, no guiding star, and maybe he’d never be whole again. In truth, they were all hurt people learning to move on, to live and love again. Some of them better than others.

  “Karen ripped into my ass on the phone a week ago. I hadn’t seen your emails, yet. They didn’t make a whole lot of sense, so I figured I needed to come find out for myself what was going on.” He leaned back, the lines on his face deeper. There was more silver in his short-shorn hair now than ever before. “What happened?”

  Quinn opened her mouth, but her carefully rehearsed speech about how much he hurt them, what a failure of a father he was...disappeared. Quinn was a Schaeffer, and the one thing Dad had given her was the ability to survive through the hardest of times. She might not be a soldier, but he’d taught her how to be strong by example. She might have wanted him there to help her through the last few months, but she didn’t need him and she couldn’t find it in herself to hold onto that anger. After all, how long until Dad, too, was gone?

  “In short? I fell in love, left HI-Co and changed careers.” She smiled. The rest were details. Things Dad didn’t need to be burdened with. He couldn’t fix what Pearl had done to her, and the whole nightmare was better left in the past. The things Pearl had done, how she’d betrayed their family, it ran deeper than Quinn could have ever thought possible.

  “That’s a lot.” He sat on the edge of the bed. He gestured to her chest, where she kept placing her hand. “And your...?”

  “Pacemaker. Guess I have a weak heart.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here, sugar bear.”

  “Me, too. But, you have two very independent, capable daughters. Let’s be honest, would I have accepted help if you were here?”

  “I’m your dad. I should be here for you.”

  “Dad, don’t.” She sat on the bed and stared at the floor. “We are who we are. What...good does it do me to be upset at you for not being here? I’d rather be happy you’re here.”

  Quinn turned her head and stared into his gaze, seeing much of herself reflected back at her. She’d spent her whole life trying to be like mom, when maybe, deep down, she was more like Dad. An army of one. Without his strength, she’d have crumbled long ago.

  “That Owen, he seems pretty comfortable here,” Dad said.

  “He lives here.”

  “Where?”

  “My room.”

  “Quinn...” Dad shook his head. “That little closet?”

  “Well, you haven’t exactly answered my emails or anything for me to make a decision on sleeping arrangements.”

  “Guilty.” He winced. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, Dad.” Quinn scooted over to his side. As much as he frustrated her, he’d been part of creating her to be who she was. “You raised a fully competent daughter. I wouldn’t be your kid if I was calling for help every time something went wrong, would I?”

  “That you wouldn’t be.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “It doesn’t excuse me from not checking in more, at least.”

  “I’d like to hear from you more often.”

  Sometimes Quinn forgot how big her dad was, until he was there. Carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But he was still human, and at his age, how long would he be around?

  “So, this guy? He make you happy?” Dad asked.

  “I’m going to marry him. It would be convenient if you liked him, or at least tolerated him. That would make visits home easier.”

  “He asked you already? I was just here.”

  “How long did you know mom before you asked her to marry you?”

  “That’s different. She was a brilliant scientist with citizenship issues.”

  “Yeah. Right. Uh-huh.” Quinn had heard that story, how mom’s dual citizenship got misplaced and she’d been stuck trying to get back into America. The story Dad told was that he’d married her to ensure her American citizenship was intact.

  “Three days,” Dad mumbled.

  “I’m sorry, what was that?” Quinn cupped her hand around her ear. “Did you say a day?”

  “Two days.”

  “Um, I think Mom said you met her in the morning and by dinner had proposed twice.”

  Now, where had Quinn gotten that from?

  She really was more like her dad than she realized.

  Owen stared out at the darkening sky.

  Quinn had taken the girls back to Chloe’s, leaving Owen with her father. They’d settled on the old bench on the porch he’d fixed up a few weeks ago, sipping coffee in silence, listening to the sound of summer insects and the breeze rustling in the trees. It wasn’t exactly companionable, but neither was it hostile.

  “Quinn says you two are getting married?” Brad Schaeffer’s voice was a deep, baritone rumble.

  Owen blinked.

  What?

  That was news to him.

  They’d talked about it a few times as a possibility. It wasn’t something he’d come out and asked her, not yet at least. They needed to settle, to heal, to figure out what came next. But he knew he wanted it to be with her.

  “Eventually, when Quinn’s ready,” Owen said.

  “I wasn’t a good father to her. I’m worse with Kierra.”

  Owen kept his opinions to himself. Until he had a chance to find out what Quinn had said to her father, it wasn’t Owen’s place to meddle in their relationship.

  “I don’t have any right asking you to be better than I was, but I am.” Brad tilted his head and stared at Owen. “Treat them better than I do.”

  “You know, Quinn would love to have you here, if you wanted to?”

  “I can’t be in this place. This house.” Brad sighed. “Quinn looks just like her, you know? Right down to her eyes. Looking at her, it’s like seeing Jules again.”

  “Quinn has you in her, too, you know?”

  “Yeah, she does. She does.”

  Owen stared into the night, the realization hitting him. Losing Quinn would shatter him, just as losing her mom had shattered Brad. Quinn had become part of Owen, a piece of his heart and soul. Without her, he’d never truly be himself ever again.

  Headlights turned into the drive. A dark SUV shifted into park and the lights cut off.

  “Your friends?” Owen asked.

  “Not mine,” Brad drawled.

  A man got out of the driver’s side and paused to button his coat. The light glinted off a head of vibrant red hair.

  Owen knew three men with red hair.

  Ian—who was home with his pregnant wife.

  Ryan—who was out on a job.

  And Rusty.

  Owen pushed to his feet and met Rusty at the foot of the stairs.

  “Sorry to drop in on you like this.” Rusty shook Owen’s hand then nodded to Brad. “Can we talk in private?”

  “Sure.” Owen gestured to the front door.

  Was this about the list? The dirty cops? He hoped not. He just wanted to sort out his life now. Quinn was doing better, they were settling, it was time for Owen to actually get a new job, despite his termination still stuck in flux.

  They entered the house, the smell of dinner still hanging on the air.

  “What’s going on?” Owen turned to face Rusty.

  “In short?” The FBI agent planted his hands on his hips. “I want to offer you a job.”

  “I’m...sorry—what?” Owen blinked.

  “You don’t have a job. We need good people. It seems like a fit.” Rusty shrugged.

  “You want to offer me a job?”

  Owen continued to stare.

  A job? With the FBI?

  It was doing good on a national scale.

  But at what price?

  “Doing what?” Owen tamped down on his excitement.

  “Nothing exciting, I’m sorry to say. We’re in bad need of people we can trust. Good people. Here in Se
attle. Now, it’ll mostly be boring stuff, but every now and then, it’ll get exciting.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I’m leaving my division and moving to Seattle. I’m going to head up the Seattle FBI office, and I’d like a guy on my team who has proven himself to be solid and trustworthy.”

  Owen’s knee-jerk answer was yes. Hell, yes. But nothing was that easy or clear cut.

  “I need to talk about this with Quinn,” Owen said.

  “I understand. This isn’t classified.” Rusty pinned him with a stare. “A man of your talents and experience shouldn’t go to waste. What happened to you wasn’t right, and I’m hoping to benefit from that.”

  “I really need to talk to Quinn about it.”

  Rusty left a folded pamphlet of information with Owen for later.

  He was still looking at it when Quinn and Kierra got back.

  “Where’s Dad?” she asked.

  “He was on the porch.”

  “He must have gone for a walk or something.” Quinn chewed her lip.

  “Kierra, go get ready for bed.” Owen stared at Quinn. She was worried her dad was gone again. Did she fear Owen would leave them, too?

  Kierra skipped down the hall, not the least bit aware of what was going on.

  Owen took Quinn’s hand and pulled her to him.

  “First, your dad’s coming back. His car’s outside and his stuff is in his room. Second, I just got offered a job with the FBI.”

  “What?” Quinn’s jaw dropped. “That’s—is that good?”

  “Maybe? We’ll have to read this together and make a decision.”

  “But, wouldn’t this be perfect for you?”

  “Would it be perfect for us?”

  Quinn stared at him like he’d just asked her a question in a foreign language.

  “Marry me?” he asked.

  “What?” Quinn shook her head.

  “You heard me. I want you to marry me.”

  Her mouth moved in silence, eyes wide.

  “Here, I’ll get down on one knee even.” He took her little finger and hooked it in his. In lieu of a ring, this seemed perfect. “Quinn, you and Kierra will always come first in my life, above what I want, or anything else. So, marry me? Let’s stop pretending we aren’t both thinking about forever, and let’s start acting like it. Before we decide anything else. Marry me?”

  Quinn covered her mouth with her free hand, lashes fluttering. He could see her smile, the upturned corners. Quinn happy, smiling, playful, prickly, he loved all of her, in every way he could get her.

  “What do you say?” he asked.

  She curled her finger around his, tugging at him.

  “It’s a deal,” she whispered.

  The best deal ever.

  You can stay up to date on the whole Twisted Royals team in Alpha Prince, Her Prince and Bad Boy Prince. Make sure to check out the Twisted Royals Origin Story by signing up for Sidney’s Newsletter at www.SidneyBristol.com.

  Alpha Prince

  Twisted Royals 1

  Once upon a time there was a princess with an evil step mother, who wanted her dead, and a prince ready to stand by her side...

  Ian Kelly never thought he'd see her again. The woman who ran out on him after some of the hottest sex of his life. Taylor Carter. He knows a damsel in distress when he sees one, but Taylor doesn't want saving.

  Taylor only meant to do the right thing. Now she's on the run from her mafia step-mother and her best friend might be dead. Even the FBI has turned on her, and the only person in her corner is a hot Irishman with a nose for danger.

  Ian can't turn his back on Taylor, not when his gut tells him she's an innocent in a den of thieves. Soon enough her past comes calling, and it'll take more than true love's kiss to fix Taylor's problems.

  Her Prince

  Twisted Royals 2

  Once upon a time there was a brave princess and a smart gypsy boy who saved the day...

  Kade Tsaplin left behind his nomadic family to live a different kind of life—one where he doesn't have to read cards and lie for his next meal. When a beautiful woman with adventure in her eyes crash lands into his life, the last thing Kade expects is to get drawn into one of his brother's cons. But Shelby is more than she appears, and makes him an offer he can't refuse.

  Shelby Amos is an art thief trying to right the wrongs of her past. Kade’s supposed to be a means to an end—an accomplice she can trust on this most dangerous undercover job. With Kade's help bringing down a criminal mastermind she might finally get the answers she's been searching for. Only, she never counted on falling for Kade.

  Working both sides of the job takes its toll, until Kade and Shelby find themselves in a den of thieves, with only each other to rely on. As danger draws them closer, the lovers unwittingly play right into the spider’s web, handing over the true prize—Shelby herself.

  Bad Boy Prince

  Twisted Royals 3

  A princess locked in a tower, the bad boy prince out to save her, and the mad man who wants to marry her...

  Jaxon Wilson is driven by one need: Rescue the woman who made him want to live again. The woman kidnapped right under his nose. He's found her, but saving her from the man holding her prisoner won't be as easy as he'd hoped.

  Freya Thorburn knows what it's like to live in a cage, and she'll stay locked up in the Swan Palace if her twin sister gets to go free. Even if that means giving up the one man who can open her heart to love.

  Jaxon’s playing a dangerous game of deceiving the deceiver. He must walk the edge of honor, playing the criminal, until the right moment to save the woman who holds his heart. But in the end, they may be out-maneuvered by the one person Freya should be able to trust.

  Book List

  Twisted Royals

  Alpha Prince

  Her Prince

  Bad Boy Prince

  Noble Prince

  Aegis Group

  Blind: Killer Instincts

  Dangerous Attraction

  Dangerous in Training

  Dangerous Games

  Dangerous Assignment

  Dangerous Protector

  Hot Rides

  Drive

  Shift

  Chase

  Bayou Bound

  Picture Her Bound

  Duty Bound

  Bound Memories

  Bound & Tamed

  Other BDSM Titles

  Committed

  Bound with Pearls

  Collar Me in Paris

  Festive Seduction

  Electric Engagement

  So Inked

  Under His Skin

  The Harder He Falls

  His Marriage Bargain

  Standalone Titles

  Falling for His Best Friend

  Dream Vacation (free read)

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and fostering cats.

  Copyright © 2017 by Sidney Bristol.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Inked Press/Sidney Bristol

  www.sidneybristol.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, character
s, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Book Layout & Design ©2013 - BookDesignTemplates.com

  Ordering Information:

  Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.

  Noble Prince/ Sidney Bristol.—1st ed.