I didn’t go into any more detail with Nikolai. I’d always felt so ashamed that back then, as a child, I was so heavily depressed that I didn’t want to live. Nikolai didn’t need to know that. Not right now.
“Nikolai, where is Finch now?”
He sighed, his warm breath tickling my neck. “We’re not sure.”
I didn’t press any further than that.
Nikolai’s breathing evened out soon after. I wasn’t a religious person but still, I prayed for Finch and his safe return. No matter how much we didn’t get along if anything happened to him… Nikolai would hate himself. I didn’t want that.
We’d barely left the bedroom for three days. Emerging only for sustenance, Nikolai and I were content to be wrapped up in each other. Nikolai had given Heather the week off, so we’d had the house entirely to ourselves and I had been loving every minute of it.
“I remember mentioning that I wanted your brothers around for a family night...” I began as I pulled on my socks and shoes. It was the first time I’d been fully dressed since we got home, but every movement had proved to be a challenge. Nikolai was still in bed, he hadn’t made any effort in our quest to get up.
He’d been proving to be the world's sexiest distraction. I loved it but I wish he’d stop and let me get ready.
At that moment he was trailing his fingers up and down my spine, through my shirt leaving behind a tingling trail in his wake. He hummed thoughtfully which told me all I needed to know. I stood suddenly and turned to face him with a stern expression. “Nikolai?!”
“I heard you. We will have a family night, how’s next month?” I knew he was only teasing, so I let him off and shook my head. He flashed me a devilish grin, one that I knew to be dangerously tempting. It was his lure and it worked to hook me every time. But not again, I had too many things to do to be distracted.
“Tonight.” I nodded before slipping my shoes. The room was a bit of a mess, so I started some light cleaning, picking up the discarded clothes that had been flung all over the room.
“Fine, I’ll give them a call,” Nik finally relented. I was glad I had my back turned, his pouty voice made me smile and bite my lip to contain my amusement.
I heard dialling and peeked over my shoulder to see he actually had his phone in his hand, pressed against his ear.
I left the bedroom and let my roaring stomach drag me to the kitchen. While waiting for the coffee maker, I went in search of Achilles. I was sure he would’ve been hungry. By the time I’d found and fed him the coffee pot was beeping at me and Nikolai was seated at the breakfast bar.
“You’re dressed.” Wow. I was impressed, and making fun of him. “We’ve got things to do, there is literally no food left in this house. And if we’re having your brothers over they’re going to demand feeding.”
“What you’re saying is… we need to go to the shops?” I nodded with a smile. Moving around the kitchen was natural, second nature and I’d missed it so. “Do you want me to ask Heather to come in for a few hours? I’m sure she’d be happy to come whip us up some dinner.”
“No. Don’t you dare. I want to cook.” I hadn’t done much of that lately and it was just another thing on the long list of things that I had missed.
“If you’re sure.” He rounded the island and captured me in his arms. A soft kiss was pressed to my hair before he was gone, almost as quick as he’d appeared. “I’ll meet you outside in the truck.”
I sighed as I watched him walk away. I knew the euphoria would surely wear off soon enough, but for now, I was wistfully happy. Everything was perfect.
“Oh my god! Just roll the fucking dice already,” I heard as I grabbed the pitcher of soda from the fridge. I was surprised to hear that it was Anastasia yelling and not my brothers. I laughed as I heard her continue to growl at someone.
“Zedd! Shut up. He’s going to hear you.” My head tilted as my curiosity began to grow.
What were they talking about?
Were they talking about me?
“Hey. I’m just trying to save your ass, not mine,” Anastasia sassed back. She must have been responding to my brother, I only wished I knew what he was saying to her.
“Looking a little red there Ana, why are you embarrassed? You know it’s only the truth.”
Argh. “I’m not embarrassed, you moron. I’m angry.” I heard a distinctive ‘OW’ and I decided to interrupt their conversation. I rounded the corner and entered the dining room to see that Ana was indeed more flushed than when I left.
I placed our drinks on the table and settled back in my seat to continue the game, but my mind couldn’t stop turning. I peeked at the three of them curiously, wondering what I was missing. Everything continued as normal and I began formulating a plan to corner one of my brothers. I knew that Drex would’ve been more likely to crack first out of the two but my plan was all about opportunity.
The night wasn’t quite the same without Finch’s mood to contend with. I could tell that I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed his missing presence, I think we all had.
As much as I was upset with him, I was worried about him too. As if reading my mind, Drex asked, “Has anybody seen or heard from you know who?”
“Not since the Bellucci estate,” I answered as a resounding hull fell upon us.
After the killing of Cassio Bellucci, Finch disappeared. He hadn’t said a word, just vanished. I didn’t know what was going through his mind but I hoped he sorted his shit out soon.
“I need the bathroom. Any of you steal my money and there’ll be hell to pay. I’m looking at you Zedd,” I chuckled as she got up, all the while pointing at Zedd with narrowed eyes. He gave her a deer caught in headlights look before she left the room. Finally, I saw my perfect opportunity.
“Can you believe her? I would never.”
“Liar,” Drex coughed. I laughed as they fought, they were so childish. But it always made for good entertainment.
“What were you talking about, before… when I was in the kitchen?” I leaned forwards in my chair.
They shared a look before turning back to me with matching grins. “Sorry big bro, it’s top secret.”
I’d seen that silent exchange a million times before. “We both know that you’re going to tell me, so hurry up and make it quick.”
“Nope, that is not a thing that we know.” Zedd shook his head, looking serious.
I narrowed my eyes at them, then said, patiently; “Tell me now, or I’ll make you work the night shift downtown for the next month.”
“It was nothing, just teasing Ana.” Drex hedged to which I quickly replied, “About what?”
“We’ve always wanted a sister.” He shrugged as if that was all. But how would that tease Anastasia?
“And how sister-in-laws were even better because they spout nephews and nieces,” Zedd grinned and rapidly began wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. He really didn’t need to, I got it.
They were pestering her about marriage and starting a family. My stomach clenched with sudden nerves.
If only they’d known how close I was to proposing. I’d wanted to months ago, but she wasn’t ready then. I’d bought a ring when I’d taken her shopping for the first time. Before she ran away before she even found out about her biological family. I’d seen the perfect ring in a storefront window.
I’d been too excited to resist. It was Anastasia in every way, elegant but understated. I knew her affliction to fashion and jewellery, hell I’d only seen her wear makeup a handful of times. She’d not been what I’d expected when I first picked her up from the cemetery.
She was so much more, more perfect than anything I could’ve ever envisioned.
With all this happening, it hadn’t been the right time. But soon...
Six months later…
I tiptoed down the stairs, heels in hand, just to avoid my overprotective fiancé. I made the grave mistake of treading on the second to last step. A loud squeak erupted and simultaneously I groaned.
“Ah
ah ah, where do you think you’re going?”
“Dammit.” I couldn’t help but stamp my foot like a child at the sight of Nikolai strolling in from the living room. “I’m going to work.”
“No. You’re sick, you should be in bed.” His tone was inoffensive, but it irritated me anyway.
“I’m not sick anymore, I promise.” Despite how annoying it was, I still found his overprotective side sweet. He had nothing to worry about but it was nice that he cared so deeply. I had mistakenly indulged him the past few days but enough was enough.
Soon enough, I wouldn’t be able to work. I would be taking advantage of all the time I had left before Nik restricted me to the house. I wasn’t worried about when the time came, I knew he’d be able to handle the business without me.
I’d come to love my role in the family. It wasn’t long after we came home from my stint in Philadelphia that Kaleb decided to step down. He’d planned to do it gradually, to let me take a small amount of work off his plate.
I thought he’d been nervous about retirement, thinking that he would be bored. About three weeks after that phone call, he’d changed his mind, apparently, he was too busy loving his retirement to work. So Nikolai and I happily stepped in. Little did I know that It wouldn’t last very long, and that’s why I was trying to squeeze in as much work as possible before I finally told Nikolai that I was pregnant.
I admit I would be sad that I’d be giving it up, even just temporarily. But I could understand where Nik was coming from, between planning a wedding and growing a human baby, that wouldn’t leave much time or effort for work.
Which brought me back to the conversation at hand, “I have work to do, the Alesso’s aren’t going to give up that space to anyone but me.”
“I can handle that. You especially shouldn’t be travelling if you’re sick.”
“Nik, I’m fine. Plus you’ll be there.” I pressed a soft kiss to his lips before walking off to the kitchen. He followed me, probably with an award-winning pout. But I wouldn’t relent on this. Today, we would be flying out to Philadelphia, which is another reason I couldn’t stay home.
I didn’t usually mind the drive but when travelling with Drex and Zedd, flying was definitely the way to go. It had taken me all of thirty minutes to realise I never wanted to spend longer than thirty minutes stuck in a car with Nikolai’s brothers.
Men may have stepped into the car that day, but they rapidly morphed into whining teenage girls. I made Nikolai promise me, never again would I have to endure that torture.
Tonight we had reservations at a fancy restaurant, more for the occasion than the small portion sizes. I had been buzzing all week. I had my suspicions that Nikolai had been wanting this for a while, so I knew he was going to flip out.
7 months later...
“Is my favourite niece back home yet?” Zedd sing-songed down the phone line. I didn’t bother pointing out that Elise was his only niece, therefore automatically the favourite.
“Yes, she is. Finally.” Even as I said the words I still couldn’t believe it. We’d spent so much time in the hospital that I’d lost track of the minutes...hours...days. I was just glad that we were finally able to bring our baby girl home. No one could have predicted that Ana would go into labour nearly three weeks early.
I’d been on edge for so long. I hated the feeling of being helpless. After Ana gave birth, all I could do was sit and watch. I’d never felt so happy and scared at the same time. I had no idea what to do for either of them, all I could do was stay out of the way of the nurses and doctors. It was hard but I had to let them do what they did best. I had stayed, defying every hospital order, to be with Ana twenty-four-seven.
We were lucky, all of Elise’s tests came back clear. With her coming so early, so many things were much scarier than I expected. So much could have gone wrong.
“And when will the princess be accepting visitors?”
“You and Drex are welcome anytime.” I can’t hold back my smile, but no ones around to see it. Things had changed so much over the past year, and I knew that had everything to do with Anastasia.
We’d only been home for a solid twenty-four hours and Ana was already delegating wedding planning to me. I took the challenge with gusto. I knew Anastasia was exhausted, but she also wanted to be there as much as possible for our little Elise.
Zedd had called while I was trying to make decisions on cake toppers and table centrepieces. I wanted everything to be perfect and it was starting to give me anxiety. I didn’t know how Ana had managed to do so much work on the wedding while we were taking over from Kaleb and all the while she was pregnant. She was truly a remarkable woman.
So, we finally had our princess, now I just needed to make her mother my queen.
THE END
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Nikolai and Anastasia have been dancing around my mind for about eight months, it’s been bliss to let their story be heard. For everyone asking if there will be any spin offs from The Crown Duet, the short answer is yes. I have loved this world and when the time is right, I will be diving back into it.
As I always say, I have endless ideas and loads of WIPs. If you’d like to learn about all my upcoming releases, head on over to my social media pages or alternatively, check out my website for updates.
I’d also like to give a shout out to my behind the scenes team. Writing can be incredibly hard at times, especially when there are other things going on in not only your life, and the world in general. BMQ would haven’t been possible without the support and motivation, and SHOUTY TEXTS from my Spoiler Group. Thank you for standing by me, and for reading whatever I put in front of you. You guys are legends!
To my editor, formatter, and cover designer; you ALL played a brilliant part in bringing my vision of Be My Queen to life. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Again, a massive THANK YOU for reading the conclusion of The Crown Duet. I’d love to hear your thoughts, if you have the time please leave a review.
Until next time,
Chelsea xo
Callum Wright.
I thought I knew Melody O’Connor but I had no idea that she was hiding her night life from me. If someone had told me that Melody, my sweet Mel, was a stripper for a club downtown? I would’ve laughed in their faces and said they were out of their minds. On a night out, I finally caught her tangled in an intricate web of lies. She was a deer caught in headlights, too scared to move. I waited for an explanation but it never came, so I high-tailed it out of there.
As I walked away that night, I half expected her to chase after me. But she didn’t.
The next time I see Melody, she’s different. Despite it being my big night, my feelings for her are still there. A desire begins to stir to life inside of me, it’s dark and dormant and ready to consume me if I let it. Maybe it’s a mistake, it definitely should’ve been but I was too far gone to care.
Melody O’Connor.
I’d learnt my lesson and his name was Callum Wright. Don’t ever pretend to be someone you’re not, it will only come back to bite you in the ass. All it took for that life lesson to sink in was the sight of Callum’s back as he walked away from me and right out of my life for good. He’d caught me in a lie and I was too scared to tell him the truth, scared that he’d hate me. So instead, I said nothing. I was so in love with him, that I’d rather have lost him then have him hate me.
It took time to pick myself up and move forward, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t ever move on from him.
The next time he walks into my life, I’m not prepared. I’d worked so hard on suppressing my emotions and moving forward with my life, but one glimpse of him and everything comes roaring to the surface. I knew it was wrong, so I tried to resist but he wouldn’t let me.
Coming September 12th
Pre-order your copy on Amazon at:
https://bit.ly/Stripped-Love-Amazon
Chelsea McDonald was b
orn and raised in Australia. Having travelled all over the world, she currently resides in England with her partner, two step-children and grandchild.
She enjoys writing, reading, travelling, music and spending time with her loved ones. Chelsea works part-time as a receptionist, part-time as a romance author and in-between she can be found working out at the local gym.
Having been writing for years, it was only 2017 when she set out to finish writing a story. In 2018, Chelsea's debut novel Lunar Accord was released. With many story ideas floating around inside her head look forward to all that she's going to unleash on the book world.
www.chelseamcdonald.com
The Accord Series:
Lunar Accord
Armstrong Lovers Series:
Claimed
Vibrations Collection:
Save Me
Hold Me
Capture Me
Survive Me
Sapphires’ Series:
Pretty Little Thing
Wicked Little Thing (Coming 2020)
The Crown Duet:
Be Mine, King
Be My Queen
Standalones:
Stripped Love (Coming 2020)
Be My Queen (The Crown Duet Book 2) Page 13