“Shit.” I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. “How did they find me? The shop wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

  “Probably a process of elimination. Most of the big papers have enough reporters to have them waiting at each of the bigger dress shops in town,” Aunt Kari said. “It was only a matter of time.”

  “Did I do okay?” I asked. “I felt so stiff and formal, like I was reading from a script, even though I wasn’t.”

  “You did fine.” Mom squeezed my arm.

  “I wish Erik was here.” I let my head loll to the side.

  “Soon,” Aunt Kari whispered. “He’ll be here soon.”

  “We can’t get caught off guard like that,” Joe muttered. “We need to be more careful than this, Casey. We don’t know what Anwar is capable of or how far his reach is.”

  “I know.”

  “Asshole,” Mom grunted from the back seat. “I’ve never met him, but I really hate him.”

  “You’d hate him more if you met him,” Aunt Kari added.

  “How did Isak and Klara raise such a jerk?” I wondered aloud.

  “Sometimes it just happens,” Aunt Kari responded.

  I thought about the child inside of me, and that didn’t seem possible. I already loved him or her so much, the thought of him growing up and killing me was beyond the scope of reality for me. I knew it existed in the world—hell, we’d all but witnessed it firsthand—but it didn’t feel real. Somehow, I would do everything in my power to make sure I never raised a kid like that.

  * * *

  Friends and family started to arrive in Las Vegas, and though I missed Erik desperately, there was no time to do anything but keep moving forward. Jade was great at distracting me from all the chaos going on, but there were so many changes happening so fast, I was struggling to keep up. Without Erik to keep me grounded, I was being pulled in too many directions when all I really wanted to do was curl up in a chair with my guitar. I hadn’t played in weeks and I itched to sneak off to the studio, but there was never a free moment. If there wasn’t something wedding-related to do, I felt obligated to spend time with Elen and the many friends who’d begun to arrive, but they’d been doing a lot of drinking and I felt out of place since I couldn’t join them. Instead, I smiled and hugged people a lot, trying to keep up appearances and pretend I wasn’t terrified for the man I loved.

  “Casey, are you ready to go?” Skye stood in the doorway of our suite and I looked up from where I’d been daydreaming by the window.

  “Go?”

  “Remember? We’re having a girls’ night out?”

  “Oh.” I frowned. “I really don’t feel up to it. I think I’ll stay home.”

  She cocked her head. “You’re the bride. Without you, there’s really no point.”

  “Honestly, with all the death and sadness lately, I’m not feeling very bride-like.”

  “I know, but our mothers have planned a special evening for you, and it would be a shame to disappoint them. Besides, we need a night of fun. Come on, you look fine the way you are. It’s going to be casual.”

  I sighed but got to my feet. “All right, let me find some shoes.” I dug around for a pair of boots and pulled them on.

  “Put on some lipstick; you’re a bit pale.”

  This was new, getting a pep talk from Skye, but I did as she suggested and grabbed my purse before following her out to where Elen and Aunt Kari waited.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, getting into the SUV.

  “The Charleston, of course.” Aunt Kari giggled.

  “We have champagne!” Elen pulled out a bottle and I nearly groaned but Skye pulled out another.

  “And this is sparkling water infused with grapes and pineapple,” Skye said. “I think it tastes similar to champagne, but contains no alcohol.”

  I smiled. She was trying so hard. They all were. I was just in such a funk. My body was beginning to change now that I was twelve weeks along, and I hadn’t been sleeping well without Erik. The stress of the last few weeks had been catching up to me, and I was hanging on for dear life because I didn’t have much choice.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Aunt Kari asked softly. “You’re quite pale.”

  “I’m okay.” I tried to put on a brave face since so few people knew I was pregnant. “I’m not sleeping well and it’s hard to be cheerful with Erik gone...”

  “You mustn’t let anything overpower one of the most important times of your life,” Aunt Kari said softly. “I will mourn our lost family members later, when you’ve left on your honeymoon. For now, we’re here to rejoice this wonderful event and help you celebrate. No, you must not let this ruin your wedding. I forbid it.”

  It was nice of her to say but not as easy to carry out because my heart was heavy, as if I had an impending sense of doom.

  Once we arrived, though, it was hard to stay depressed. My mother and a plethora of friends were all waiting for me in one of the smaller ballrooms at the hotel. They’d decorated for a party, with streamers and balloons, a chocolate fountain, and shirtless waiters walking around with hors d’oeuvres. There was even a stripper pole set up in the middle of the room. I laughed when I saw it and ran to hug my mother, who was grinning at me.

  “Since you didn’t have a bachelorette party, we decided to put one together for you at the last minute. We thought it might get your mind off your troubles.”

  “Mom, you’re so crazy!” I shook my head at her.

  “That’s what you love about me.” She kissed my cheek and then moved off to greet other guests that were arriving.

  It was a full house, with so many people I loved in the room, I was able to forget about my worries for a few hours. I mingled, laughing and drinking fruity sparkling water as I listened to unsolicited advice about marriage, children and even the honeymoon. I didn’t blush easily, but hearing Liz’s sixty-five-year-old mother talking about the new position she and her eighty-year-old husband had recently tried had me turning shades of red I couldn’t even fathom. Liz was sitting next to me, and she rolled her eyes at her mother with a fond smile.

  “Mom, enough. I’m going to throw caution to the wind and guess Casey won’t be a virgin on her wedding night.”

  I laughed, nudging her with my elbow. “How did you know?”

  “Oh, just a guess.”

  “But what fun it will be to pretend you are,” Liz’s mom, Melissa, said with an impish smile. “Role play is sexy and adds spice to the bedroom.”

  “Mo-om,” Liz groaned.

  “Oh, like you don’t do it,” Melissa shot back.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to hear about you and Dad doing it,” she said, cringing.

  “Oh, what are you and Eddie doing that Liz doesn’t want to hear about?” Mom asked, joining the conversation with a mischievous grin.

  I looked at Liz with a put-upon sigh. “Look what you’ve started.”

  “Sorry.” Liz grimaced.

  Then we all laughed.

  “Please tell me you’re not looking for wedding night advice,” Mom teased, looking at me with a funny face.

  “No, I definitely am not.” I laughed at her.

  “Wedding nights can be so boring if you don’t spice them up.” Mom held out her hands, palms up. “I mean, your dad and I had already been living together for a while before we eloped, so it was just another night for us, but you know, he was a crazy rocker dude, so we were always swinging from the rafters and shit.”

  “Mom!” I was used to her stories about her and my father’s sexcapades, but I had no idea how Erik’s family would react and Elen had just joined the conversation.

  “I lost my virginity in Paris,” Elen said dreamily. “We’re no longer together, but I still think of him fondly. He was a French artist, and his loft overlooked the city. I can’t imagine a more romantic time or place to have sex for the first time.”

  The women all took turns talking about their first sexual experiences or wedding nights, and we were all laughing and making sweet sounds like “awwww” and “ohhhh.” If it had been any other time or place, it would have been ridiculous, but it somehow felt right and the perfect way to spend an evening with special women in my life before the wedding. Especially with Erik so far away.

  I started getting sleepy around midnight, and Joe brought us home. I fell asleep practically the moment my head hit the pillow and dreamt that Erik was kissing me. My heart began to beat faster and faster until I jerked awake, realizing that he was, indeed, kissing me. I gasped out his name in surprise.

  “When did you get home?” I whispered in the darkness.

  “Came back like I promised,” he murmured. His breath was heavy with alcohol, and I squinted up at him in surprise.

  “Are you okay?” I asked. “You’ve been drinking?”

  “Yup.” He kissed me again, his body heavy on mine, erection pressing against my thigh. There was no mistaking his intention, and I wouldn’t have said no anyway.

  “I need you,” he groaned.

  I sighed with contentment as he slid inside of me. This was when I felt most alive, and the week’s stress melted away with his touch.

  36

  Erik

  * * *

  Being inside of her was the best kind of homecoming and my almost immediate climax caught me by surprise, leaving Casey no time to reach her own. I felt like a real shit, lying there in the darkness, my body pinning her in place. My head was buried in the soft curve of her neck, and I gently pressed a kiss against the pulse beating there, letting her heartbeat penetrate my body, somehow bringing life to it again.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “That was really inconsiderate.”

  “It’s okay.” She stroked my hair. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I relaxed into her as she gently pushed me over and rolled on top of me.

  “Well, now that you got that out of your system, you planning on returning the favor?”

  I gazed up at her lazily, that sexy smile I loved playing on her lips. “You’re not too tired?”

  “All I am right now is unsatisfied—are you going to leave me this way?”

  “Hell no.” I grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her face down roughly, though I kept my kisses tender.

  “Are you okay?” she whispered against my lips. “You seem awfully agitated and it’s not like you.”

  “It’s been a rough week,” I said softly.

  “Well, you’re home now, and this is going to be the best weekend of our lives.”

  I touched her cheek, guilt gnawing at my gut. “I can’t wait.”

  “Would you rather not do this?” she asked. “We can go to sleep if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I do. I really, really do.” I reached up to put my hand over the tiny swell of her stomach. “He’s growing.”

  “She is. I’m almost through the first trimester.”

  “Your stomach has barely changed though.”

  “It’s coming. I think I’m going to pop, so to speak, any day now. So we need to hurry up and get married before the dress doesn’t fit.”

  “You’re going to be the most beautiful bride in the world, whether you pop or not.” I was already getting hard again, just thinking about her starting to show her pregnancy and my child growing inside her.

  Something I wouldn’t be with her to enjoy.

  “I guess you do want to go again,” she murmured as my erection poked at her opening.

  “Always with you.” I slid into her for the second time tonight and she clamped around me, as sweet and tight as ever. I thrust up, watching her full, round breasts bounce with each stroke. I worried about hurting her, but she wouldn’t let me hold back, squeezing and milking my cock in a pulsating rhythm that had us both gasping for air. I ground my hips against her, and she put her soft, warm hands on my chest for balance.

  I flipped us over because I needed to be on top, in control. I ran my mouth across the curve of her shoulder and nipped at the skin. It was a primitive, baser instinct, but I suddenly felt a deep need to mark her, to make sure the whole fucking world knew she was mine. I didn’t know when I would touch her again, but tonight, right now, she was mine, and I would make sure she never forgot what that felt like.

  I sucked on the delicate skin of her throat until she squirmed beneath me.

  “Erik, what are you doing?”

  I didn’t answer and didn’t let up, my teeth scraping along her skin, moving to another spot and starting again. Her fingernails dug into the flesh of my back as her hips rose to meet mine, her protests dying in her throat as I shifted the angle of my cock and hit the spot that always took her where she needed to go.

  “Oh god, Erik!” She convulsed around me, her body coming up off the bed as she came, wave after wave rushing through both of us. My own release was shorter this time, though no less explosive, and I pulled her as close as I could, lips still sucking on her throat.

  “I’m going to kill you,” she muttered, laughing in the darkness. “Why on earth would you give me a hickey two days before our wedding?”

  “Think of it as a second wedding ring.”

  “Asshole.” She dug her fingers into my hair. “Hey. Prince Caveman. Kiss me.”

  That I could do. So I did, over and over, until she finally gave in to exhaustion and drifted back to sleep.

  * * *

  I was up and out of the house a few hours later, though I sat and watched her sleep for a long time before I finally left. I knew what I had to do, and while I would do anything to keep her and the baby safe, it wasn’t going to be easy. I’d begun formulating a plan, and coming home to Las Vegas had been part of it. I almost wished I hadn’t, but not seeing her again hadn’t been an option. I’d needed her, and according to my father she needed me too. Breaking things off would keep her safe, but the plan was complicated and had multiple levels, which was another reason why I’d come home. The problem was that Casey would never agree so I was going to have to do the hard part by not giving her a choice. Last night had been a selfish mistake, but I’d been helpless to stop myself. Not seeing her again, touching her one more time, would have been a fate worse than death.

  As Sandor and I drove to the Charleston, the place where I was supposed to marry the most beautiful woman in the world in a little over twenty-four hours, I tried to focus on what I had to do, not what I wanted to do. Not what I should have been doing tomorrow. Not the woman who would undoubtedly be furious with me.

  “You sure you know what you’re doing?” Sandor asked as we pulled up to the private back entrance.

  “I’m not sure of any goddamn thing right now,” I retorted, getting out of the car and walking inside.

  We got on the elevator, and I steeled myself for what was to come. No one would be happy, but what I’d seen and learned the last few days made me positive I was doing the right thing. Not for me, but for Casey and our baby. There was one piece of the puzzle that had to fall into place first, though, and my gut told me it wasn’t going to be pretty.

  We went to the door of Nick’s suite and knocked. He opened it almost instantly with a subdued greeting and handshake. “Hey.” He met my eyes warily. He wasn’t stupid. He knew something serious was going on if I’d called to meet with him like this.

  “There better be a good reason I hauled my ass out of bed this early,” Nick said, motioning to a coffee urn. “Help yourself.”

  Sandor and I both got coffee and then sat across from him.

  “Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” Nick said, assessing me carefully.

  I looked at the man I was about to entrust my world to and wondered for the millionth time if I was making a mistake. Nick was Casey’s oldest friend and confidante, his family as rich and powerful as mine, though in a totally different way. Their mob affiliations were kept under wraps, but they were there, and I trusted that would help keep Casey and our child alive. The Kingsleys were close to Casey’s parents as well as my own, and my father assured me they were trustworthy, so here I was.

  “Anwar is about to be crowned,” I said quietly. “There’s a rebellion trying to stop him, but they don’t think they can. Not yet. My uncle had a small team in place, quietly working in the background, trying to gather intelligence about what Anwar was up to. Anwar must have found him out, which was why he had him and the others killed.”

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” Nick muttered. “He killed his own father and brothers? That guy is batshit crazy.”

  “And he has me—and Casey simply by her proximity to me—in his sights. We, what’s left of the royal bloodline, will never be safe with him in power. Even though it would take a literal act of Congress, so to speak, for me to ascend the throne, I’m his biggest threat. Intelligence coming from our allies in the eastern European countries is alarming.”

  “What does this have to do with me?”

  “I can’t marry her,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady even though my heart was out of control. “No one can ever know that the child she carries is mine. He will kill her while she’s pregnant to keep any heir of mine from being born. If she makes it through the pregnancy, he’ll stop at nothing to kill my child. I need you to marry Casey and claim my child as your own.”

  “Are you shitting me right now?” Nick looked as shell-shocked as I felt.

  “Not even a little.” I spelled out my conversation with Anwar as well as some of the details of the revolution brewing. “Until either Sandor, Daniil, or I can get a unanimous vote from Parliament that would allow one of us to challenge Anwar’s place on the throne, we have to go underground. He won’t rest until the bloodline is dead, and I can’t just let him destroy the country I know and love.”

  Nick got up and started to pace. He was angry, but I sensed it wasn’t at me since this wasn’t my fault and he was astute enough to know that.

  “She’s never going to go for it,” he said finally. “She’ll want to stand by your side and fight.”

  “I know. Which is why I’m leaving before the wedding. She can’t know about the plan until I’m gone.”

 

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