Claiming My Duchess

by Jessica Blake

  Well, it wasn’t like this place was fancy.

  There were a couple of middle-aged folks in Birkenstocks swaying to Taylor Swift, a few Mai Tais too far in. There were a few booths along the sides occupied, so we grabbed stools at the bar and started the night.

  “Tiki Bowl, please!” Sela started the drinking by buying us all a bowl of alcohol each. Not saying it wasn’t delicious, but up until that moment, I’d never been served a drink in a bowl with a pedestal on the bottom and a tiki face on the side.

  Halfway through my Tiki bowl, my cheeks began to heat up and the songs started to sound much, much better.

  “We should dance,” Jenn said, leaning on me. Her own bowl of rum and juice was nearly empty.

  “Soon.” I signaled the bartender over, and when he appeared before me, I shouted, “Water.”

  Jenn groaned.

  I wasn’t trying to be a killjoy, and I wasn’t trying to ruin our night, but we’d just gotten there. I didn’t want the night cut short because we went overboard too quickly. Holding each other’s hair back within the first hour of arrival would be just pathetic.

  For her part, Jenn didn’t argue and sucked down her water before ordering a round of snacks for us all. The food helped settle the alcohol, and the water had given us enough of a break that my head was clearing.

  Looking around, I took in the Asian decor once again, wondering how I’d never noticed this place in our little neighborhood before. In my defense, Dustin hated any kind of foreign food, so my options had been limited when we were together. And I normally ate at home to save money while going to school.

  As I glanced down the small hallway that led to the restrooms to see where Sela had wandered off to, I happened to glimpse the back view of a tall, broad-shouldered man with the most perfect pair of jeans on the most perfect ass I’d ever seen.

  What on earth was a butt like that doing in a place like this?

  Trying to play it cool while I waited for Adonis Butt to return, I nibbled on fried wontons and sipped a soda.

  “What are you staring at?” Jenn asked, and before I could lie and say that I was really only waiting for Sela to return, Jenn’s mouth dropped open, and I followed her stare.

  It was the beautiful butt man, only this time he was facing us, and if I thought the rearview was breathtaking, the front side put the back to shame. It wasn’t exactly perfect lighting, but as he walked beneath a ceiling light in the hallway, tall, dark, and handsome was the only thing that came to mind.

  Wavy, medium-length hair was pushed back off his face while the dustings of a goatee brought attention to his full lips. Even in the dim light, I swore I saw dark brown eyes. He wasn’t just good-looking, he was dressed impeccably in dark wash jeans and a white button-down shirt. The top two buttons were undone, and his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing tanned expanses of chiseled man flesh.

  I just knew from where I sat that he’d smell delicious too.

  “That…” I said, nodding at the man and not caring that his eyes were on me. “I’m staring at that.”

  Jenn made a low whistling sound from beside me. “Target acquired, Iliana,” she said, making me smile. “I approve. I very much approve.”

  But would he approve of me? Especially with my gorgeous friend beside me. I turned my back on the man, not ready to face that disappointment.

  “I think he’s looking at you,” Jenn hissed, still facing Mr. Gorgeous Ass.

  I rolled my eyes and sipped my soda. But I couldn’t stop myself from looking again. As soon as I turned, our gazes connected immediately.

  Then he smiled. Oh dear god. Dimples. Mr. Gorgeous Ass had gorgeous dimples.

  I was a sucker for dimples.

  My stomach twisted as he drew closer. Closer.

  When he cut right and headed for another table, it took me a few moments to realize he was gone.

  “Well, damn,” Jenn muttered beside me.

  I lifted my glass to my lips, trying to play off my disappointment as casually as I could.

  Beside me, my bestie was being anything but casual. In fact, she was being anti-casual, if the flirty wave she was tossing at Mr. Gorgeous and his, wow, almost equally gorgeous friend could be called that.

  “Stop,” I hissed, turning back to the bar. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m trying to get them to come over here, dumbass.”

  I couldn’t see what she was doing next because I closed my eyes.

  “Come on, Miss I’m Getting Lucky Tonight.” She elbowed me in the ribs. “You’ll thank me in the morning.”

  When I opened my eyes and caught sight of Mr. Gorgeous Ass in the bar’s mirror, I slowly turned, forcing a smile on my face.

  Well, hell.

  You never know.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sebastianos

  “Why the hell are we here again?”

  I scowled at my assistant and friend, pissed that Nathanael had brought us to this damn dump. With only three more days left in America, being in some dive Chinese restaurant turned bar wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my time.

  He tapped the bar/restaurant’s logo. “Green Dragon… get it?”

  Even though I was still mildly annoyed, yeah, I got it. Nathanael and I had been friends since before we were allowed to wear pants, both of us running through the palace gardens back home, wearing knee shorts, fighting fake dragons with paper swords.

  Home was Cassia, a small monarchy that members of my family had ruled for over two hundred years. As the king’s nephew, I should have been third in line to the throne behind his adorable daughter, my cousin, our Crown Princess Penelope, but when my father passed away unexpectedly, I was thrust into the power position of being second in line.

  “You’re an idiot.”

  Nathanael smiled and popped a peanut in his mouth, grinning and chewing openmouthed while glancing over my shoulder toward the bar.

  “I’m a genius, and you know it.” He winked at someone behind me. “Stop acting like you’re a hundred years old and live a little. That cute girl at the bar keeps looking your way.”

  I ignored him, even though the memory of the pretty brunette made my cock twitch with interest. But dammit, I didn’t have time to play, especially in a place so shady.

  “Anything from home the past couple of days?”

  It was Nathanael’s turn to scowl. “Seriously? Are you seriously not going to have any fun? We only have a few days of incognito left.” When I just stared at him, a subtle reminder that he was on my payroll, he rolled his eyes. “No, nothing that sounds like a genuine threat.”

  I nodded, relieved. “Good.”

  After recently retiring from the military, I would soon be taking up a new official post beyond just being the dashing Duke of Becktonas. When I returned to Cassia, I would be the official Lord Protector. I was still figuring out what the hell a Lord Protector really was or did, but from what I could gather, I would serve as head of state and council to Princess Penelope.

  Although “protector” brought to mind security, I wouldn’t serve as her bodyguard. We had secret service teams assigned for royal protection. My role meant that it was now essentially my full-time job to see the young princess grow to assume the throne when she turned twenty-five. Just a few, short nineteen years from now.

  “The dark-haired one is waving.”

  I mentally scanned both women, although the one with the lighter hair was the one who caught my attention. “They both have dark hair.”

  Nate looked at them more closely, not bothering to be inconspicuous. “Sorry, Your Grace. I meant the black-haired one is waving.”

  I took a long drink of my beer, which was surprisingly good for such a place. “You know, I can still fire you, right?”

  He popped another peanut, his smile growing wider. “Please do. Save me from this monotony. You were more fun when we played with swords.”

  He wasn’t wrong.

  Even though our monarchy was small, the expectations pl
aced on me to prepare for the unwanted possibility of one day being king had been brutal, and over time, it felt like all fun and spontaneity had been schooled out of me. Maybe I did need to have a little fun before I returned to the rigors of my new role.

  And that sweet little brunette at the bar would do quite nicely.

  I’d noticed her right away. In fact, she’d nearly made me miss the step that led down from the bathroom hallway. At the time, I blamed the beer I’d been nursing. But even now, thinking of the way those eyes met mine, the promise in that lush mouth… yeah, she’d caught my attention, which wasn’t an easy feat.

  “I like the brunette.”

  “Then go get the brunette,” Nate said, the challenge in his voice obvious. “I’ll take the other two.”

  I laughed. “Have fun. Text me in five minutes, which is about how long you’d last.”

  Nate snorted, not offended in the least. His father was a baron with a modest amount of influence and wealth. Not enough to live inside the palace walls with the royal family, but just enough to have his son raised, and now work, among them.

  Nate knew better than to challenge me, but that didn’t mean he didn’t. Being brothers at heart and at arms had forged our close relationship. We’d joined the Cassian Army together when we were eighteen, and though royalty, we’d trained with the men in the ranks and slept in the same barracks.

  In the military, we both learned how to fight and did it well. And even when we tried to kill each other for any tournament wins, we always had each other’s backs.

  “Go on.” He looked over my shoulder again. Then he frowned. “Watch out, someone is encroaching on your territory.”

  That got my attention. More pissed off than I had any right to be, I turned and spotted two assholes approaching the women.

  Every cell in my body stiffened as the brunette’s eyes met mine, just before one of the dudes stepped directly in front of her.

  Help, her expression seemed to say.

  I was on my feet in the next instant, barely hearing Nate ask me what I was doing. Three days left of freedom. Three days left to make my own agenda. While I was used to my days being scheduled for me, that ended right now. At least for tonight.

  The two men had encroached on the women’s space, blocking them both from my view as I approached.

  “Come on, sweetheart. Just one drink.”

  “No, thank you,” came from one of the women while, “Fuck off, asswipe,” came from another. The third voice said, “Don’t make me kick your ass.”

  I had no proof as to which said what, but I somehow knew that the sweet little brunette had been the kick-ass one. It just made me want her more.

  “Ready for that dance?” I asked from behind the two men, causing all conversation in front of me to drop.

  At six-six, I was nearly a head taller than the tallest of the two, and when they whirled to face me, it was amusing when they were faced with my chest.

  I watched the two swallow, then their heads craned up, but I didn’t have eyes for either of them. It was her. Pale green eyes took up an extraordinary amount of her face. Cupid doll lips that were full, the bottom only slightly fuller than the top. And dimples. Damn, I loved dimples, and hers were two little indentations right on the apples of her cheeks.

  She was beautiful and sexy, even in the oddly casual clothes she’d chosen for the club.

  I glanced down at her shirt. Was that a llama?

  In front of me, one of the two drunks must have had his ballsack descend a little bit because he got up the nerve to say, “Hey.”

  I looked at them in turn. “It’s time for you to go.”

  For a moment, I thought they might put up a fight, and for a moment, I wished that they would. The shorter of the two looked at his friend then up to me. “Hey, don’t want no trouble.”

  “Then I suggest you leave.”

  They looked at each other and fled.

  The girl with the black hair and tiny dress slapped her thigh, laughing up at me. “That was priceless.”

  The tiny blonde in an equally tiny red dress blinked up at me. She was more than a little wasted. “You’re really big.”

  The girl with the long brunette waves falling around her shoulders blushed, her cheeks glowing a very pretty pink, highlighting the dimples even more. Then, she smiled. The simple action went straight to my cock. “Thank you.”

  I already recognized her voice, and realized she was indeed the kick-ass one, just as I’d thought. Her tone was soft, but it held enough strength to project over the music blaring through the speakers. She took a deep breath, and horny male that I was, my eyes dropped to her chest.

  Over a sweet pair of tits was the llama I spotted earlier. The t-shirt was paired with running shorts and shoes. Had her coming here been a last-minute decision?

  “Are you a llama fan?”

  It wasn’t my best line if I was being honest, but I was so dumbfounded at the fact that this petite stunner had come to a nightclub in gym clothes and a cartoon llama on her shirt that all thoughts of being smooth flew out the window.

  She looked down, and I caught the look of panic as she looked back up. Beside her, the dark-haired one snickered. “I told you that you should have just borrowed something of mine.”

  The brunette gave her friend a gentle elbow in the ribs, but she didn’t look away from me. “Yes. Llamas have the cutest faces.” She sipped what appeared to be a fountain drink from her plastic cup. “Are you a fan too?”

  Her question threw me off guard, and her friends were doing their best to hide their laughter.

  “Of llamas?” I could hardly believe the direction the conversation was going. Why were we talking about llamas?

  “Yes.”

  I frowned, looking back at Nate who was still in the booth, as if he could help me.

  “I’ll be perfectly honest here,” I said, grinning now that the game was afoot. “I’ve never had the honor of meeting a llama. But I like your shirt. My name is Seb.”

  Hoping I’d just maneuvered us around the strangest topic of conversation ever, I relaxed a bit when she shook my hand. Her handshake was just like her… soft yet strong. The connection of our hands was extraordinary, like the connection of two batteries in parallel, and I felt the energy surge straight to my balls.

  “I’m, um… Ana,” she said and looked at her friend, who frowned in return, then shrugged. “And you’re missing out, Seb. Llamas are amazing.”

  Her dark-haired friend blew out a breath and laughed again. “She spent a summer in Peru and thinks she’s a llama expert now.”

  Ana elbowed her friend again. I could tell immediately that they were close. She was closer to the dark-haired girl than the blonde.

  “This is Jennifer,” she offered, and I shook the woman’s hand. “And Sela.” The blonde stumbled forward, and I caught her shoulders, pressing her back onto the stool. Yeah… the girl was drunk. Or it could have been the “fuck me” heels. Or both.

  As I was settling Sela, Jennifer pushed herself even farther into Ana’s personal space to get closer to me, and I tensed. I wasn’t interested in her, but as I considered her possessive stance, I realized that Jennifer wasn’t interested in me, either. If I were placing bets, I’d say she was more interested in being a good wingwoman.

  “My bestie here wants to have a one-night stand,” she blurted out, and Ana’s hand flew to her friend’s mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

  “Jenn, shut up!” She pinched her friend’s arm and turned to me. “Ignore her.”

  This had certainly taken a fantastic turn, and I motioned for the bartender to get another round. Jennifer and Sela ordered a fruity rum drink while Ana ordered something with vodka. I leaned over the bar and told the guy to make everything weak, especially the blonde’s.

  By the time I’d ordered, Jennifer had moved out of range of Ana’s reach. She waved at someone, and when I turned, I saw Nate waving back. I lifted an “aren’t you coming to help me, asshole?” brow at hi
m. He just grinned and lifted his glass to his mouth.

  I wondered if I ever took the throne if I could bring back corporal punishment, possibly beheadings.

  Jennifer moved beside me. “I’m serious, Seb,” Jennifer said again, louder now. “She needs a hookup tonight because she’s been celibate for almost a year. She needs to go out with a bang!”

  The woman laughed at her own joke, but Ana looked like she wanted to kill her friend with her straw. Her cheeks pinkened even more, and much more interestingly, she didn’t deny it.

  I scanned my memory, trying to bring up what “with a bang” meant in America. Although my native language was Greek, I was fluent in English as well as German, French, Latin, and Italian. I also spoke some Albanian, Dari, and Turkish and was working on learning more Russian.

  While I spoke and wrote fluently in English, the idioms were sometimes lost on me. And I hoped that what I thought “go out with a bang” meant wasn’t true.

  “Is it true?” I asked, searching Ana’s face for the truth.

  She swallowed before answering, and I could see the internal battle going on beneath those strikingly pale green eyes. And there was also confusion. “Is what true?”

  “That you want to go out with a bang?” I frowned and moved closer to her, lifting her chin so that she was forced to meet my eyes. “Does that mean you want to end your life?”

  She looked startled, which gave me immediate relief. Her next words were the truth. “No… that doesn’t mean that at all.”

  Beside us, the blonde laughed. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

  Jennifer laughed too. “In this particular situation, going out with a bang means to fuck. Have sex.” She lifted a finger, pointing it at her friend, who was giving her the ultimate stink eye. “Coitus.”

  Ana planted a palm across her red face, seriously mortified now. “I’m going to kill you.”

  Jennifer only shrugged. “Well, just clearing up a misunderstanding. Would you rather he think you were suicidal or horny?”

  I couldn’t hold back my own laugh. I knew what horny was. Hell, I knew what horny felt like. I was absolutely feeling it now.