by Nichole Rose
"You're worth worrying about, Paradise. And Dash is a smart kid. He knows how important you are to our family, and how you deserve to be treated. I can't fault him for being upset when another kid disrespects you." I lean down to kiss her. "You're the center of our world, little owl. Always."
"I love you."
"Not as much as I love you."
"Debatable," she whispers against my lips, smiling.
"As soon as the kids are in bed, I'm going to show you how much I love you," I growl, sinking my hand into her thick hair to tilt her head back. "I hope you got plenty of sleep last night, Paradise. You aren't getting any tonight."
"Sebastian," she moans.
"Fuck. I can't wait to hear you say my name like that while I'm in you, little owl." I kiss her hard and deep again, driving us both a little crazy. "You sound so sweet when you're begging me to let you come. Maybe I'll get you pregnant again."
She whines low in her throat, which makes me smile. We've talked about having more kids before, but both decided we're happy with the four we have. I'm not going to lie though, the thought of getting her pregnant again is a hell of a turn on. For her too from the sounds of it.
I kiss her again, softer this time, and then release her. "Relax for a little while. I'll go get your shit out of the car and start dinner," I murmur, touching her cheek before I turn on my heel to go get her bags. She carries three of them. What's inside them is a mystery to me. So is why she needs so many in the first place. But it makes her happy, so I don't complain.
"I love you most!" she yells after me.
"Keep dreaming, Paradise," I shout back, grinning from ear to ear.
Her happy laughter floats after me.
Claiming Caroline
Book Three
About the Book
Even Prince Charming has a wicked side…
Jared
I didn't believe in love until I met a princess at a ball.
And then she vanished.
Imagine my surprise when she shows up in my office a day later.
She's beautiful, fierce, and has the courage of a lion.
She's also a student at my college…and her sister is my star student.
Claiming Caroline Thorne may destroy everything I've worked for.
Letting her go will destroy me.
Some risks are worth taking.
She's one of them.
Caroline
Jared Kingston made me believe in magic.
And then the clock struck midnight.
Imagine my surprise when I find out my handsome prince is my sister's despot professor.
The one I came to confront.
He's charming, intelligent, and everything I've ever dreamed about.
Being with me could ruin his career…and break my sister's heart.
Telling him no might shatter mine.
Some risks are worth taking.
But how can he be one of them when it might end in disaster?
Warning
When this autocratic professor meets his curvy princess at a masquerade ball, he finds his future. And then she disappears. If you think he's willing to give up that easy, you clearly haven't met a Nichole Rose hero before. If instalove, sassy princesses, and over-the-top daddies make you happy, get ready to fall for Jared and Caroline in this sweet, steamy romance. As always, a sticky sweet and guaranteed HEA is coming your way. No cheating.
Chapter One
Caroline
"There's no way this is going to work," I mutter to my reflection in the mirror. I've been at the Halloween Masquerade Ball for all of ten minutes…and I've spent exactly seven and a half of them in the bathroom, trying to find the courage I suddenly seem to lack.
Usually, I'm the one talking my younger sister, Kennedy, into all sorts of bad ideas. This time, she's the ringleader…and she isn't even here to see her plan through.
Which is kind of the point.
It's impossible to be two places at once. Since her Creative Writing workshop professor goes out of his way to be a jerk to everyone, she had to choose between passing his workshop or receiving credit for her volunteer hours. They call him Professor King. I think he's a despot. If she doesn't revise her story tonight, she could fail the entire workshop. If she doesn't show up at the Ball tonight, she loses the hours.
So I get to play Kennedy for a few hours…and hope no one notices that she and I look nothing alike. She may be my sister, but physically, we're polar opposites, as likely to be confused as Tinkerbell and Attila the Hun. She's still able to shop in the kids' section. With long chestnut brown hair and sparkling green eyes, she looks like a dainty little fairy. I wear a size sixteen. I also have untamable copper red hair and dark eyes. We may both be five foot two, but there is no way anyone is going to believe I'm Kennedy if they try to talk to me.
Maybe I should just make a circuit and then hide somewhere until midnight.
"Coward. It's too late to back out now," I remind myself. Not that I would have anyway. At twenty-one, it's my job to look out for Kennedy, especially now that she's at college with me. She lives in her own world most of the time. Guys are always trying to get her attention, but she never notices. She's more comfortable with her books and journals than with other people.
It annoys me that her professor treats her like he does. She's incredibly intelligent and one of the most talented writers I know. She's in her first semester, and already hates college when it should have been an amazing experience for her. If I ever run into Professor King on campus, I'm giving him a piece of my mind.
Which is probably why Kennedy goes out of her way to keep me out of his way.
Ever since we were little, it's been me and Kennedy against the world—and our older brothers. Sebastian and Killian are bossy and overprotective, which is why we live off-campus with a Rottweiler instead of in one of the dorms. But they were teenagers by the time Kennedy and I were born. When they joined the Marines, it was up to me to make sure no one messed with us. I can be stubborn and outspoken. And maybe a little bossy and overprotective too.
I also tend to be the one who gets us into trouble. It's never intentional. I'm just…passionate about certain things. Like ending homelessness and taking care of our veterans and feeding children. There are so many things I want to do in the world, I find myself impatient to get started. I jump first and ask questions later. Sometimes, it doesn't work out so well.
I have a feeling Kennedy's plan for tonight is going to go down in a blaze of glory, too.
So I might as well get on with it and enjoy the free drinks while they last, right?
Right.
I take one final look at myself in the mirror. Even I can't deny that I look like a princess instead of a curvy twenty-one-year-old college student in an elaborate Little Red Riding Hood costume. I feel like a princess in my black and red ballgown, too. The red corset top hugs my torso before flaring out at the waist into a full skirt designed to look as if it's made of red and black feathers. My normally wild hair is in an intricate up-do, with ringlets cascading from it. My red cape flows around me like the train on a wedding dress.
Even with half of my face hidden behind the dark lace demi-mask, there's no way this is going to work. But I take a deep breath and then slip out into the wide hallway, determined to see our hastily erected plan through until the end.
Strains of soft music drift down the hall, along with the murmur of hundreds of voices speaking at once. The ballroom is already packed, which should be comforting, but isn't. If anything, seeing so many people from school crammed inside makes me even more anxious.
My hands actually tremble.
I reach deep for a little more courage. If I'm lucky, no one will even know I'm here. They'll see that Kennedy's ticket was used at the door and assume she was the one who used it. All I have to do is relax and enjoy the night. Kennedy will finish her revisions and be here in time to clean up after. No one will ever know she wasn't here for the entire event; we won't get kicked out
of school. Everything will be just fine.
If I keep telling myself that, it's bound to be true, right?
I snort, not so sure about that. I'm not normally an anxious person, but I feel like a little hummingbird is trapped in my chest, fluttering its wings against my breastbone. The impending sense of…something…it brings with it is disconcerting.
The door to the men's bathroom swings open as I stand there, hesitating. A man storms out like the hounds of hell are nipping at his heels. He manages to skid to a stop in his expensive dress shoes just in time to keep from plowing into me, but I lose my balance anyway. Walking in heels is a skill I haven't mastered, much to my mother's chagrin.
"Fuck," he curses, reaching out to grab me when I list to the side.
His big hands wrap around my waist, steadying me. His scent, like sage and pine needles, wafts around me, making my heart flutter. So does the way he pulls me close to his body, cradling me protectively in his strong arms. He's a lot bigger than I am, managing to completely engulf me in his shadow. He's not fat though. Just wide with broad shoulders and a tapered waist.
"My apologies, princess," he murmurs, the deep purr of his voice pouring across my senses.
I tip my head back to ask if he's all right, but the words die on my lips as soon as I actually get a glimpse of him. He looks like a true prince in his black tuxedo. His skin is flawless golden-brown, his leather-brown hair just this side of messy. A white mask obscures half of his face but does nothing to hide how handsome he is. Even with his full lips slightly pursed and his mossy eyes full of concern, he looks dashing, debonair, like someone plucked him from the pages of a Regency romance and plopped him down in the middle of our masquerade ball.
"Jesus," he murmurs, running his gaze all over me. "Did I hurt you?"
"N-no. I'm fine," I say. My voice shakes as if I'm nervous or breathless. I'm not. I think I might be a little stunned though. There's no way this gorgeous man attends our little college. Every woman at the school would be following him around if he did. He's that kind of handsome, like all of my friends say my brothers are. Except I can't see this man being annoying like they are. He has to be close to thirty-five or forty, and he's way too self-possessed to be anything close to an annoyance.
Maybe he works here?
"Are you sure?" he asks, genuine concern in his voice. It's in his eyes, too. And in the way his hands run up and down my back, setting off fires in their wake as he checks me over for injuries. He didn't hurt me though. He just startled me.
"Are you hurt?" I ask, more worried about him than about me.
He blinks at me.
"You stormed out of there like you expected trouble." I shift to move out of his arms, but he doesn't let me go. For some reason, my heart leaps. I like the thought of this dashing stranger wanting to hold onto me for a little longer. "I was worried you might have been under attack or something. I don't have any weapons, but we can probably use my heels for daggers."
His lips twitch. "You'd use your heels to protect me?"
"They'd make better weapons than shoes," I mutter. "So…bathroom brawl?"
"No bathroom brawls here." His lips turn up into a chagrined smile that is far too charming. "Just misplaced annoyance."
"Misplaced annoyance?"
"Misplaced annoyance," he repeats, that charming smile growing. A tiny divot appears in his left cheek, so small most people probably wouldn't even notice it unless, like me, they were this close to him. "I didn't want to come to this thing tonight but got roped into it. I wouldn't have been nearly as pissed had I known you were here, Red."
"At least someone knows who I'm supposed to be," I mutter, which makes his smile grow. "I don't want to be here either. Would you think me a coward if I admitted that I thought about hiding in the restroom all night?"
"I'm glad you didn't," he says as if he truly means it. "It would have been the height of cruelty to be so close to you yet never cross your path."
Wow. He's good at that.
"What's your name?"
"Caroline"—I remember at the last minute that I'm supposed to be playing the role of my sister tonight—"Kennedy."
"Caroline Kennedy?" He arches a brow, undoubtedly familiar with the name. Caroline Kennedy is basically American royalty.
I shake my head, trying to clear it. "Um, you can call me Kennedy if you want."
"Nah, sweet baby. I like Caroline," he says, and then shocks me by lifting my hand to his lips to press a kiss to my knuckles. He lingers over it for a moment, his eyes locking on mine. Something perilously close to…regret flickers through them. "I'm Jared Kingston."
"It's nice to meet you, Jared," I whisper, darting the tip of my tongue out to wet my lips.
"The pleasure is all mine." For a brief moment, he seems relieved, but before I can ask why, he straightens up. He still doesn't let go of my hand. Instead, he places it on his chest, stepping so close I feel the air between us shooting off little sparks. They pop against my skin, leaving it humming like electricity. "Did you come here alone, princess?"
I bob my head in a nod, transfixed on the way his lips shape the words.
"Good girl," he says, his voice a velvety croon that does wicked things to my insides. I like the thought of being good for this man…and the thought of being bad with him. He wraps his other hand around my waist, tugging me closer to his body. His hold is possessive. So is the look in his eyes. They're full of heat and something darker, some hunger that makes me shiver with anticipation I've never felt before.
"Did you…come here alone?" I find the voice to ask.
"I did."
I exhale a tiny, relieved sigh and then quickly check his hand. He isn't wearing a ring and there isn't a ring mark. Still… "Are you always alone?"
"You want to know if I'm dating anyone? Married?"
I bite my lip, not sure I'm allowed to ask that of a man I met exactly four minutes ago. But then I nod anyway because I really do want to know, especially since he's still holding me flush against his body so not even air moves between us.
"There's no one, princess," he murmurs, tipping his head down until our lips almost touch. "I'm not married, and I haven't been on a date in longer than I care to admit."
"That's good," I whisper, transfixed on his lips. They're so full, shaping each word that spills from them like a kiss. "I don't date either."
"Good. Do you dance?"
"Yes. I mean, no."
One dark brow quirks.
"I haven't mastered the heels yet," I say by way of explanation. My cheeks heat at having to admit that tiny fault to this man. He probably does everything perfectly. Me, not so much. I'm not girly or graceful. I've never much cared how I looked or if I could walk in heels or if anyone found me attractive.
"Ah." Jared glances toward my feet, which are hidden beneath the hem of my gown, and then back to me. He glances around and then seems to make some sort of decision. He releases me, which I instantly dislike. But before I can even think about why, he slips my hand into his and tugs gently. "Come on then, Caroline Kennedy."
"Where?"
"A secret place where no one will find us. We'll hide out together until this thing is over with. You can ditch the heels and I can dance with you."
I willingly follow him down the short hallway. We step into the crowded ballroom, but I'm suddenly less worried about anyone realizing I'm not my sister. All my attention is on the gorgeous man who manages to part the crowd as if they're the Red Sea rising up to do his bidding. No one even really looks at him. They just instinctively seem to know to move out of his way.
The ballroom is decorated beautifully in elegant gold and black. It's also packed full of people in extravagant ballgowns and expensive tuxedoes. Everyone is dressed to impress even though they're partially hidden behind their elaborate masks. The Halloween Masquerade Ball is a big deal around campus every year. Everyone goes all out, dressing to the nines to dance the night away and raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I
try to avoid coming because I hate dressing up, but all of Kennedy's hard work definitely paid off this year. I hate that she can't be here to enjoy it.
Jared leads me around the edges of the room, keeping my hand firmly locked with his. His palm is rough, but he holds me carefully, like I'm fragile. We break free of the crowd next to the wide staircase leading up to the second floor of the old Westerly estate.
The school bought the estate decades ago, intending to tear it down to expand. The Historical Society refused to let them. Now the school uses it to hold functions like this. It's opulent, ostentatious. But it's also incredibly beautiful, like a mini castle that was plucked from some faraway land and set down again on the outer edge of Nashville, Tennessee.
Jared helps me ascend the stairs, holding me carefully. Somehow, I manage to make it to the top without tripping over my dress and cape. I arrive slightly out of breath and practically vibrating with anticipation. My nerves are operating in high gear, sending adrenaline bouncing through me like a ping-pong ball. I have no idea where he's taking me, but I don't stop to ask questions, either. Wherever we're going…I want to go.
I think Jared may have cast a spell on me because I've never let a man whisk me away before. I've never wanted one to whisk me off to god only knows where. I want him to do it though, more with each passing moment.
The second floor is mostly empty. There are a few people mingling in groups. One couple is making out in the corner. Everyone seems to notice us passing by. At least it feels like they're staring at us as Jared leads me down the hallway, my heels clicking against the expensive, gleaming tile. They're probably wondering what a man as hot as him is doing at our small school.
We take a right at the end. Another long hallway stretches out before us. The lighting is muted here, barely beating back the shadows clinging to the darkest corners. Laughter and the strains of music float down the hall to us, but it all seems disembodied and far away.