It was easier that way.
But now? Nothing was easy.
Sitting here, part of me wishing Will would touch me again, parting of me imagining sinking under the table and pull him along with me and another part wishing I could stab him in the cock with a fork, wasn’t easy. My body still ached for him, much to my dismay. Luckily, my heart and head were standing their ground so far, as well my ability to restrain from following through on my violent fantasies.
Dessert was served in a flurry of activity, the staff making a huge spectacle of removing the dinner dishes and presenting an entire buffet of desserts with such fancy names that I had no idea what was in them.
There was some weird cake called Prinsesstårta, which Will explained meant ‘Princess Cake.’
“I used to call it a Catherine Cake,” he said, laughing. Catherine giggled at my side, and I smiled in spite of myself.
“It’s incredibly fattening,” Catherine said, wrinkling her nose. “But it’s delicious as hell!”
“Catherine!” Vicky admonished.
“Oh, God, Mom, all I said was hell,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I’m the future Queen, I can say whatever I want.”
“It would best serve the family if your language was more ladylike, Catherine,” Vicky replied, her voice icy and stern. I noted she only spoke to Catherine and Will like that, and in a weird way, it made me miss my mother. I’d love to confide in her right now, to have another woman to talk to besides Sally.
Next up was some sort of waffle-looking thing called spettkaka.
“Spettkaka is a southern Swedish delicacy,” Will explained, as he began piling the lattice shaped cakes on his plate. “They’re also called the “pyramid cake” in English, because the English had a problem with the Swedish name which translates to “spit cake”, because it’s baked on a rotating spit.”
“Like a pig!” Catherine said. “Why didn’t they call it pigcake?”
Will groaned and rolled his eyes, “that’s so stupid!” he said.
“Stop it, you two!” Vicky said, and they both stopped closed their mouths. “You’re making a bad impression on Julia.”
“Oh, no —,” I replied, shaking my head.
“—you’re right, Mother. We should hear more about Iceland,” Will said. “Tell us, Beatrice and Elizabeth, how many Vikings did you end up fucking while you were there?”
Aunt Ora spit water everywhere and began coughing. Bertolf rushed over from the corner and began patting her back.
“Wilhelm!” his mother barked. I jumped and looked over at Will. His arrogant smile spread across his face and he winked at his mother. Her anger visibly melted as she looked across the table at her son, and she shook her head. The table erupted in laughter, except for Beatrice and Elizabeth, who tried to smile but looked slightly mortified.
“Julia, you’ll have to excuse my son. He can be a little crass. He has a mischievous streak,” she said to me with a warm smile.
As if I didn’t know, I thought.
We finished our spit cake and the dishes were removed immediately, replaced by a small warm bowl of water. I watched as Will and Catherine casually dipped their fingers in it before drying them on the hot towel next to the bowl. I copied them, feeling awkward, even though the hot towel felt nice.
“Before we all go our separate ways, I want to remind everyone to be dressed and ready to greet the guests by seven o’clock on Friday night for the party,” Vicky stated.
“Party?” I asked.
Vicky looked at me and nodded.
“Party is a bit of an understatement, actually. It’s actually our annual Christmas ball. There will be thousands of guests with an orchestra in the main ballroom for invited guests and a receiving line for the general public. It takes several hours to get through, and by the time it’s over, we’re usually ready to let our hair down a little. It’s quite a lovely, festive evening. I trust you’ll enjoy yourself, Julia.”
“Don’t worry,” Will said, putting his hand over mine. I stared down at him. He was touching me again. I told myself I wasn’t going to let him do that, but there it was. Flesh on flesh. Electric. Like a fucking light switch. “I’ll take care of you.”
“Take care of me?” I muttered. I didn’t need his care, and I was just about to state as much when Catherine spoke up.
“What he means is, we will both take care of you. You won’t want to get too lost in the crowd,” Catherine said, covering my other hand with hers. “It can get a little hairy.”
I looked at her gratefully, and slowly pulled my hand out from under Will’s grasp. His skin slid across mine like silk. He had a Prince’s hands, that was for sure. Smooth, strong, hot-blooded.
I shook my head, realizing I was staring down at them.
“Thank you,” I said, nodding and looking up at my father. He was lost in Vicky’s smile, and it was then that I knew he wasn’t going to save me from this.
This was going to be my life. Even when I went back home to teach, I’d still be related to these people. This wasn’t just a vacation. This was no fairy tale. This was real.
“Ben and I are going for a walk in the gardens,” Vicky said as we all stood up from the table. “Would any of you care to join us?”
“I’m tired,” I blurted out. “I mean - it’s been a long day. I’m going to go to my room and read for a while before bed.”
“Of course, darling,” Vicky said, kissing my cheek. “Make yourself at home, you can do anything you please.”
“Thank you, Vicky,” I replied, kissing her cheek back, feeling her paper thin skin under my lips. She seemed so fragile, so old, until she spoke, or you looked into her eyes, and you could see she was quite vibrant, despite her age. No wonder my father loved her.
“Good night, sweetheart. I’ll call you tomorrow. We can go out for dinner, if you’d like,” my father said, hugging me.
“Sure, Dad. I’d like that.” I watched them walk away, said goodbye to Catherine, Aunt Ora, the cousins and everyone else, and avoided Will’s eyes again as I turned to begin the journey to my room, which was actually down three long hallways that were lined with all kinds of expensive art. It was like a museum. I spotted a Monet and a Van Gogh, and a faberge egg in a glass case. There was even a collection of knight’s armor standing menacingly in a corner by the grand staircase.
I was halfway to my room when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Will’s half smile smirking at me, with Willy following along behind him. Willy ran up to me, rubbing his body against me. I reached down to pet him, my heart melting.
“What?” I asked Will.
“You,” he replied, his arrogant grin taking over his entire face now.
“Me what?”
He stepped closer to me, and then kept walking forward, gently pushing me back against the wall, until I was pressed against it, trapped by his large towering frame, trapped in his gaze, in his heat.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you’ve become?”
“Because I was so hideous before?” I shot back.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You know I thought you were beautiful back then, back when we were together,” he whispered, his voice low and seductive. He was wearing a dark blue suit, with no tie, his shirt opened at the neck, revealing a sliver of his firm, smooth, tan chest. “But you’re different now. You’ve grown up. A lot.” He reached out, resting his hands on the side of my hips as he continued. “You’ve got curves now, Jewels.”
“Julia!” I hissed. I wanted to wiggle from his embrace, but his hands on my hips has me plastered in front of him as he continued his verbal assault on my senses.
He pulled his head down, until his lips were mere centimeters from mine. I bit my lip. My breath stopped.
“You know,” he whispered, “I can still remember what you taste like, Jewels. How your body felt writhing under mine. How your lips tasted…” His head tipped forward slightly, his lips pressing against mine like a feather until I melted und
er his touch. When he felt me relax, his kiss turned harder, firmer. I’d thought about kissing Will again for years, and it was everything I remembered…and more. He kissed me with the same passion I remembered. The unabashed wildness and intention of a hungry man.
And this time, I knew exactly what that intention was. Gone was the naive girl who just wanted the Prince to like her. Will was kissing a woman who knew what that kiss meant. Who knew the question it was asking?
And the answer was a loud, resounding no.
“No!” I broke away from him, sliding out from his tempting trap. I turned and ran down the hall, not looking back until I was at my doorway. When I did, he was still standing there. With Willy by his side. Smiling. Watching me. Practically daring me.
Driving me out of my fucking mind with desire.
“That’s it,” I said, walking into my room and closing the door behind me, leaving him, his seductive smile, and his adorable dog in the hallway. I went straight to the closet and pulled out my suitcase. I laid it on the bed, and went to the armoire and began pulling out my clothes.
It was time to leave. There was no way in hell I could stay in the same house, or mansion, or palace, or whatever the hell this massive structure was supposed to be called, with Will. I couldn’t take it and I didn’t have to.
I wasn’t about to fall under his spell again. My father could marry Vicky, but he would have to do it without me. I’d leave and never look back. Take a page out of Will’s play book. See how he liked it when someone left him.
Hell, who was I kidding? He wouldn’t care. I was just another notch on his belt, another woman to conquer. He’d forget about me as soon as I was gone. It was up to me to protect myself.
If that meant I had to disappoint my father, then so be it. I threw my clothes in my suitcase, zipped it up, and left it by the door. I’d leave first thing in the morning, before anyone could stop me.
I threw on a sweater, and opened the French doors of my balcony. Feather light, dusty snowflakes drifted from the night sky, creating a quiet stillness to the air that only snowfall can do. The sounds of the city outside the palace walls disappeared, and for a moment, I could hear nothing but the sound of my own heart beating.
The feel of Will’s kiss still seared my lips, and I reached up to caress them. I never expected I would ever in a million years see Will again, let alone kiss him. And yet here I was. On the other side of those thoughts, kissed, lost, and yet still alone.
That’s okay, I thought. It’s safer that way.
The sound of laughter broke through the silence before the silhouettes of my father and Vicky appeared in the darkness below. They strode hand in hand through the garden, the snow falling around them as Vicky laughed at something he said. She put her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her lovingly, pulling her in close to his side.
I hadn’t seen my father this happy in a long time. Love looked good on him. However unconventional, I was glad they had found each other. I was glad he wasn’t alone, like I was.
I thought of Will again, of his kiss, of my suitcase waiting by the door. I thought of the absolute impossible situation we were all in. And then I looked down at my father again.
I remembered the vow I made to somehow make this all work. I sighed, went straight to bed, and dreamt all night of Will’s kisses, Will’s skin, Will’s body, Will’s pull on my soul.
By the time I woke up the next morning, I was drenched in sweat and felt like I had really spent the night making passionate love to him, instead of just dreaming it.
When I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror, I blushed when I thought about the things my psyche had conjured up for us to do in my dream.
My heart might be locked away from Will, but apparently my body was ready, willing and open for business. What a traitor, I thought.
I left the suitcase in its place and made my way down to breakfast the next morning, determined to keep my thoughts to myself and do whatever I needed to do to keep that smile on my father’s face.
CHAPTER TEN
WILL
It felt fucking amazing to kiss her again. And for just a moment, she gave in, and I know she felt it, too. Once she pulled away and ran back to her room, I took my hard as a rock erection back to the privacy of my room.
I didn’t mean to watch her. But because of the way our rooms are situated, if I look straight out of my balcony, I can see into her room. It’s not my fault she didn’t close the curtains.
At first, I was dismayed to see her packing her things. I didn’t mean to scare her away, I just wanted…well, hell, I don’t know what I wanted. I wanted to kiss her again, to see how it felt, if it was as fucking hot as I remembered it. And it was. For the brief second that it lasted.
Truth was, I hadn’t thought much further than that. Well, I’d thought about shimmying that dress off her and having my way with her right there in the hallway with the Knights in Arms watching over us, of course I had, but I hadn’t thought any farther than that. When I saw her packing, I almost went to her room to apologize. But then she went out on the balcony, and for fuck’s sake, seeing her standing there on the balcony, with the snow drifting around her while she looked like fucking Rapunzel or something, it just took my breath away. I couldn’t stop watching.
I smiled and my cock throbbed even harder when I saw her touch her lips. I knew she was thinking about my kiss. I hoped she was thinking about a lot more than that, just as I was. I decided to just let her be, to let things play out naturally.
Maybe if she got to know me again, maybe we could be friends. Maybe it would grow from there. Maybe I’d get a chance to sink my cock into her once more, too.
Of course, our parents came out of the dark, giggling like a couple of school kids, and my temporarily insane vision of a future between Jewels and I came crashing to the ground.
When I looked back up at Jewels, I knew she was thinking the same thing. We both wanted them to be happy.
But did I want them to be happy more than I wanted to fuck Jewels one more time? I wasn’t entirely convinced that I did.
And therein lied my problem.
I tried to comfort myself by remembering that I was a Prince and I could have anything I wanted. Which was mostly true. There was always a way to work things out. We were the Royal Family after all. And rules were made to be broken, weren’t they? The thing was - Jewels just might be the one exception to that rule.
And if she was the one thing in the world that I couldn’t have, the one rule that I wasn’t supposed to break, then I knew I’d stop at nothing to get her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JEWELS
“What about this?” Catherine pushed a shimmering black evening gown against me with a neckline that plunged so low my belly button would have been visible, as we looked in the mirror together.
“I think that might be a little too sexy,” I replied. Not to mention it costs more than my car, I thought.
“Nothing wrong with sexy, Julia,” she replied, pulling a deep green velvet dress from the rack. “What about this one? This would be great for the party! Look how it brings out your complexion and makes your eyes pop!”
She’d taken me to Armani to shop for dresses, and there was no way I was ever going to be able to afford anything here. I loved every dress she pulled out, but I knew I wasn’t going to be leaving with one. I don’t know what I expected, though. It’s not like she was going to take me to Forever 21 or something, right?
“You know,” I said, taking the green velvet masterpiece and carefully hanging it back up. “I think I’ll just go shopping on my own later. I can’t really afford anything in here. Maybe we should get some lunch or something?”
I liked Catherine. A lot. I wanted to spend time with her, even when she ran her fingers through her hair when she was really thinking about something, which is the exact same thing Will used to do. She even looked like a long-haired version of him. It wasn’t her fault she reminded me of him so strongly. But she wa
sn’t him, thank God.
She was, however, the future Queen, and I’d never be able to afford a lifestyle as luxurious as hers.
“Don’t be silly! Everything is free for me and my guests,” she said, with a wink before lowering her voice. “One of the perks of being a member of the Royal Family.”
“Really?” I was stunned.
“Really!” she replied. “You can have anything you want.”
“Oh, my God.”
“You are too cute,” she laughed, grabbing the velvet dress off the rack again and pushing it towards me. “Go. Try this on!”
“Alright, I will!” I smiled at her gratefully, and took the velvety concoction to a dressing room. Once I had it on, I looked at myself in the mirror.
It was beautiful. The velvet fit perfectly, hugging my curves and plunging to a fairly conservative v between my breasts. I fluffed up my hair, and turned in a circle.
I couldn’t help but smile at my reflection. Even when I dressed up back home, it wasn’t like this. A nice, simple black dress with some costume jewelry and I called it good. This was extravagant. This was luxurious.
This was not me.
“I don’t think this is the one,” I said, walking out of the dressing room to show Catherine. “Maybe something a little simpler —.”
“— you look amazing!” she squealed, closing the distance between us. “It’s perfect!”
“I don’t think —,”
“— no! Not another word, you are taking this and wearing it to the ball.”
“I feel like a Christmas tree or something. It’s too much, too green, too fancy, too —.”
“— I think it’s lovely.” Catherine and I turned towards the voice together, and I felt Catherine tense up immediately. The woman standing in front of us was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
She looked like she had just walked off the cover of Swedish Vogue. Everything matched. She was pure gold - golden flowing locks, pale creamy golden skin, bright golden brown tiger eyes - all of which matched her outfit. She wore a yellow-gold fitted dress, topped with a blonde and brown fringed shawl. On top of her head was a furry blonde hat that I was pretty sure was once a fox.
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