The Crown Jewels

by Honey Palomino

  Will and I were over a long time ago, and seeing him now didn’t change that one bit, and it never would.

  It was time to accept that. And I could do that, as long as I didn’t have to look at him too long. Because every time I looked at him, sparks shot right through my heart.

  “Just go, please,” I asked again. I heard him sigh, and then watched his feet disappear from my room. He whistled, and Willy jumped up, following him out the door. When the door closed behind them, I fell on the bed, my mind and body completely at odds, wrestling with every emotion under the sun.

  I refused to even acknowledge my heart.

  CHAPTER SIX

  WILL

  The door closed, and I tried to push away the feelings of guilt that were washing over me. Despite the pain in her eyes, I knew I had done the right thing.

  On the way to my room, I thought about our past. I’d never intended for things to turn out the way they did. I only meant for it to be a fling. And that’s how it started out. But a month later, I’d taken Jewel’s virginity and so much more.

  But what a month it had been, I thought. After convincing her to tutor me and then to go out with me once, I found I enjoyed it rather immensely. She was smart as a whip, and was able to hold a conversation with me about much more than what the other girls could. Jewels could talk about history, geography, politics…it seemed there was no subject she wasn’t an expert on, and after a few weeks, she was arousing not only my cock, but my mind, too.

  We were having so much fun together; I didn’t even miss the other women. We’d spend our evenings talking late into the night, and fuck until the sun came up. It was wonderful. And then everything went horribly wrong. I did my best to fix it, to make things easier for her, as much as I was able to. And I left because it was for her own good. I didn’t want to, but I did.

  By the sound of her voice, and the steely look of anger in her eyes every time she looked at me, she still hadn’t forgiven me.

  I’d be an asshole if I said I blamed her.

  And sure, it was weird that our parents were getting married. But I wasn’t about to pretend I didn’t still want her. That I didn’t still have feelings for her. That I didn’t want to rip that sexy red dress off of her last night and take her right there on the table in front of God and everyone. Why should I lie about my feelings?

  I wasn’t in the habit of pretending to be someone I wasn’t, so why start now? She was just going to have to get used to the fact that we were destined to spend lots of time with each other now. Were we destined to be together again? If I had any say it, we did.

  I guess only fate knows the answer to that, but me and my throbbing cock were sure going to make sure the question was answered sooner than later.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JEWELS

  He was infuriating. How could he claim he was trying not to hurt me? To leave me all alone to deal with everything on my own? How could he possibly think that wouldn’t break my heart? He’d been an idiot. An arrogant, clueless, idiot!

  I’d have been all alone if it weren’t for Sally. She’d stood by my side throughout it all. I hadn’t called her since I’d arrived in Sweden, waiting till I had somehow wrapped my head around everything before I could explain it all to her, but I was done waiting. I needed to talk to her now.

  Pushing away the thoughts of how much an international call was going to cost me, I dialed her number.

  She answered on the first ring.

  “Julia!” she exclaimed, her voice a welcoming beacon in my dark nightmare. “How’s Sweden?”

  “Hi,” I said, sullen and sad.

  “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”

  “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

  “Good news, always the good news first.”

  “Right. Well, Sweden is beautiful. It’s buried under a foot of snow, and my father is doing well.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said.

  “It is. In fact, he’s so wonderful that he’s getting married.”

  “Oh. Wow. That’s huge. Is that hard for you? With your mom and all…”

  “Surprisingly, that part isn’t an issue for me. I’ve been wanting him to find someone for a while now.”

  “Okay, so what’s the problem?”

  “It’s not what, it’s who…”

  “Okay…are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?”

  “It’s who he’s marrying. You’ll never believe this. Are you sitting down?”

  Laughter peeled through the phone.

  “God, Julia, you make it sound like he’s marrying the Queen of England or something…”

  “Close,” I replied.

  “Huh? Jewels, just tell me!”

  “My father is marrying the Queen. Of Sweden. Queen Victoria of Sweden is marrying my father.”

  “No way! Wait!” she gasped. “But that means — no, Julia, no! Oh, my god!”

  “Yep, you’re quick.”

  “But how can that be? That’s totally bizarre!”

  “It is quite the coincidence, isn’t it?”

  “I’ll say! Wow. So when do you meet her?” she asked.

  “I already did. And her son.”

  “Oh, my god, you saw Will?!”

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Oh, honey! Oh, shit, that’s crazy! I’m so sorry,” she replied, her voice full of the anguish that I was feeling. Talking to her was just what I needed. Someone who understood the magnitude of all of this. “Wow, this is so nuts!”

  “Thank you for understanding.”

  “God, of course! Are you okay?”

  “No, not at all, honestly,” I replied. “It’s a nightmare. I had to have dinner with them last night and now I have to stay at this castle and Will’s wing is just down the hallway and —,”

  “— wait, what? You’re staying at a fucking castle with him?” she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

  “Not with him. But I’m staying at the castle. Unfortunately, she insisted. I couldn’t refuse Vicky, it would have been rude.”

  “Did you just call the Queen of Sweden,‘Vicky’?” she asked, her laughter echoing through the phone.

  “She insists we keep it casual,” I replied, and suddenly I realized how hilarious this whole thing really was. Her laugh was infectious and I began giggling myself.

  “It’s so absurd. God, I wish you were here,” I said.

  “I wish I was there, too! This is better than a telenovella!”

  “Shut up!” I replied. “And don’t you dare tell anyone!”

  “Not even TMZ?”

  “Oh, my god, don’t you dare! I’ll kill you!” I replied, laughing with her. It felt good to laugh. I missed laughing. I hadn’t laughed since I got off the plane.

  “Alright, I’ll keep it to myself. But you must keep me posted! I want to hear every juicy detail!”

  “Alright, alright,” I rolled my eyes and shook my head, feeling grateful that I at least had one person to vent to. Images of Will filled my mind, and I tried in vain to push them away.

  Maybe it was just something I was going to have to get used to.

  Again.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  WILL

  “Catherine, are you coming for dinner?” I asked my sister when I ran into her in the hallway on the way back to my room. “Mother said she wants everyone there.”

  “Yes, I saw that on the itinerary for the day. And Ben is coming with his daughter, right?”

  “Yes. Catherine, there’s something I need to tell you before dinner,” I replied.

  “What is it?”

  I looked down the hallway and saw two maids polishing a mirror.

  “Come to my room,” I whispered. She followed me in, and I shut the door behind us.

  “Oooh, juicy secrets!” she said, clapping her hands together and sprawling on my bed. “I love secrets! What’s up?”

  For a future queen, my sister was less than regal. She’d grown up in the palace, surrounded
by the finest things in life, and forced to live a life of boring rituals and ceremonies, bound by boring agendas that were made months in advance. Because of this tedious life we lived, we both craved spontaneity and rebellion.

  “There’s something you need to know about Ben’s daughter,” I said.

  “Oh, let me guess! Is she ugly?”

  “Hardly,” I scoffed, thinking about how beautiful Jewels had become over the years.

  “Okay, is she a nun?”

  I laughed out loud, remembering the look of wanton desire that had crossed Jewel’s face when I made her tell me she wanted me to fuck her.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Okay, is she a drug-addicted rock star? Mom would hate that,” she replied, with a devilish gleam in her eye.

  “God, no. Just stop and listen to me. Do you remember me telling you about a girl I met in America at school? Julia? We were together right before I came home.”

  “Of course, I remember, how could I forget? You sulked around the palace for weeks afterwards like a forgotten puppy. All the while you insisted it was you who ended it, even though you were clearly the one with the broken heart. It took a month before you would even talk to me about it. Good thing you brought Willy back with you or you’d have surely killed yourself.”

  I cringed at her description of me.

  “That’s a little dramatic, but whatever,” I continued. “Catherine - Julia is Ben’s daughter.”

  “What!” she exclaimed.

  “I know; I know…” I replied. “And she’s here. Staying in the Blue Room, actually, right down the hallway.”

  “Oh, this is good, this is so good! Does Mom know?”

  “Nobody knows! We told Mom and Ben we met in college, but that’s all. They don’t know what happened between us. As far as I know, nobody knows but you. And it had better stay that way, Catherine!” I warned. My sister was known for having a big mouth, but she was usually pretty good at keeping my secrets. We’d grown up together in this huge palace, feeling terribly alone, and thankful we had each other. I couldn’t imagine enduring childhood at the castle without her. I was so glad I could trust her, for the most part.

  “Hush, you know I won’t say anything, Will.” She grew quiet for a moment, and I sighed, trying to figure out how I was going to handle all of this. The chemistry between Jewels and I was still strong between us, even after all these years, and I knew there was going to be no ignoring it.

  “So, what’s she like?” Catherine asked.

  “She’s beautiful…” I said, distractedly.

  “Uh-oh,” Catherine replied.

  “What?”

  “You know what. You better keep it in your pants, dear brother. Mom will have a fit if she finds out you’re sleeping with your future step-sister.”

  “Shut up, Catherine! I’m not sleeping with her. Not anymore, at least. I can control myself.”

  “Ha! Yeah, right!” she scoffed.

  “I can!” I protested.

  “Yeah, like a runaway train. Good luck, little brother.”

  Luck. Is that what I needed?

  My cock was definitely ready to get lucky.

  CHAPTER NINE

  JEWELS

  Dinner at the castle was a whole different scenario than the restaurant. Everything was so formal this time. I was even more uncomfortable and underdressed than last night, and I knew immediately I would have to go shopping tomorrow if I planned on staying here any longer.

  Not that I wanted to. I still wanted to jump on a plane and disappear, but here I was. Still underdressed. Still feeling guilty. Still feeling confused about Will. Still feeling like an awkward, backwards, uncouth American.

  The dinner guests included Vicky, of course, and my father. Catherine, Will’s sister, the future Queen of Sweden, Will and Catherine’s Great Aunt Ora, who looked to be at least a hundred and fifteen and could barely keep her head up on her own, and two cousins that were visiting for the holidays - Cousin Beatrice and Cousin Elizabeth, as they were introduced to me. The two were twins, and they were both a lot like you would imagine real-life royalty to be. Young, blonde, gorgeous, and with their noses stuck so far up in the air they’d probably drown in a good downpour. Catherine, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was down to earth and sweet as pie. I liked her immediately. She reminded me a little of Sally, and that put me at ease right away.

  And of course, seated right next to me again, was Will.

  Catherine took one look at my black shift dress and offered to take me shopping the next day. I was beyond grateful. Anything to get me away from Will’s prying eyes, I thought. He hadn’t stopped looking at me since I walked in and it was so unnerving that I couldn’t look back at him.

  I knew that’s what he was waiting for.

  Some sign or look that everything was alright between us, or that I had forgiven him. But he could keep looking because it wasn’t going to happen.

  He’d left me when I needed him the most, and I didn’t see myself forgiving him for that anytime soon. I’d be civil, keep things peaceful, for my father’s sake, but anything outside of that was out of the question. Him touching me was out of the question, no matter how much electricity I felt when he did. I didn’t need a man like him in my life again.

  By the time dinner was almost over, I was bored to tears from hearing every detail about the twin’s trip to Iceland. My father caught my eye and smiled. I smiled back, the pang of guilt still there.

  To my dismay, I was seated in between Will and Catherine, which meant that not only could I feel Will staring at me, I could smell him. All this, in addition to that white hot heat that engulfed me by merely being in his presence, had me a befuddled mess. He smelled amazing. And familiar. Which was mind-fucking me, as well.

  The twins were still droning on about Iceland, only now they were complaining. A lot.

  “It’s terribly cold,” Cousin Beatrice whined, wrinkling her nose.

  “And the horses are so small! They’re like big dogs or something, which is ridiculous. How do you jump horses like that?” Cousin Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes. They couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

  “And the men!” Beatrice exclaimed. “They’re like Vikings! So big and hairy!” Vicky and the others were listening intently, and I tried to concentrate on my food. When I felt Will’s hand brush mine under the table, I jumped. I slipped up and looked at him, despite my best efforts. When our eyes met, the heat intensified like wind to a flame and my insides melted.

  I pulled my hand away, burying it in my lap to avoid making that mistake again.

  He was the last person I wanted to touch these days.

  Once upon a time, I was quite taken with the Prince. That was a long time ago, but now the feelings washed over me once more, reminding me that there was a time when I didn’t hate him touching me. I desired his touch more than I wanted anything else. I wanted to be around him every minute - talking, laughing, making love. I craved everything about him, and I soaked up every word that came from those full lips like a woman dying of thirst. His arrogance didn’t bother me so much then. In fact, it turned me on immensely.

  I’d been so damned desperate back then, I was almost ashamed of myself. I’d never had a boyfriend, never done more than hold hands with Jake, a stupid boy in my eighth-grade class. I’d spent my time studying while I was growing up, not letting myself get so distracted by boys like all my friends in high school did.

  I was determined to get through college using the same philosophy. Books before boys. And I’d been pretty successful at it, too.

  Until I met Will. Then all my good intentions flew out the window. I was smitten. He swept me off my feet, wining and dining me, even taking me ballroom dancing to prove to me that he could dance a waltz. Of course he could, he was a Prince, right? They’re cultured and educated, schooled with etiquette, horseback riding and dance lessons. I’d only pretended to not believe him, just to see what he would do. He’d been more than willing to
show off his skills.

  I’d pretended a lot of things back then. Like the fact that I wasn’t a virgin. It’s not like I had flat out lied, I just hadn’t told him at first. When he did find out, he was a little freaked out, but after a day or so, it seemed to turn him on, too. When I asked him to be ‘the one’, he agreed. When I asked him to take charge, his interest peaked even more. He relished the idea of telling me what to do. His eyes lit up when I asked him to show me everything I didn’t know how to do, everything I didn’t know I could feel.

  We had a wonderful month of dating, fucking, and getting to know each other after that. It was amazing. It was decadent, delicious and sexy as hell. I was fucking the sexiest Prince in the world. How could it not be amazing? But then all of a sudden, it wasn’t.

  When I was younger, I was amazed at how quickly one’s life could take a turn for the worse. I was used to it now. I’d even grown to expect it. But that’s what happens, isn’t it? Life teaches you through experience. The hard way. But there’s no bigger lesson than the first time.

  When Will left, I’d never known pain like that, because I’d never let a man in like that. In the span of a month, he’d wrenched his way into my closed heart, and then left it shredded and bloody and raw.

  It’d been closed ever since. I know, I know. First love always hurts, they say. But for me, it was a big enough lesson to keep me from straying too far off into it again. I hit the books hard, determined to learn everything I could so I could be the best teacher I could be, and I turned my back on the very idea of having another romance.

  Why go through all that again when it would just end up the same? Why force myself to learn that lesson again? The iron was hot. I believed it the first time.

  After I graduated and found a school to teach at, I gave romance a few more tries, but nothing ever stuck. I was used to being alone by then. The few guys I did go out with bored me. They were so good, so polite, so bland. After having a taste of Will, it was like nothing else was quite the same. After a few bad experiences, in and out of bed, I gave up. I had a few friends, I had my dad, I didn’t need anyone else.