CHAPTER SIX
Callin
I was angry when Freya walked out of our man cave looking distraught. I caught her, so she wouldn’t fall, but she ran to the stairs and out of sight. I watched her and strode through the door to see my brother sitting still on the couch, staring at the wall.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” I demanded, walking to the couch, and standing before him. Braden jumped and gazed up at me with tormented eyes, dropping back to the cushions. “Did you hurt her?”
“No. Of course not. I don’t know how it happened so fast, but I kissed her. It was so hot, but she pulled away and ran out.” He blinked as I watched him. “I want her, Callin. I want her more than I’ve wanted anyone in my life.”
“When did that happen? We just met her.” I dropped beside him and Braden frowned thoughtfully.
“I don’t even know. She’s hot. You know that. But when I touched her today, massaged her to try to seduce her… it was electric. Maybe it will be over in a fuck or two like the others. I just know that I need to do that no matter what we were told.” He stared at me and consequences raced through my mind. Mom would be pissed. She would fire Freya and I wasn’t sure that that situation even was yet. There was also the fact that I wanted Freya as well. I stared at Braden and he dropped his shoulders at the expression on my face. “You want her, don’t you?”
“She’s different from the others. I want to know she’s made of.” I admitted honestly as Braden nodded. We’d been fighting over girls since school started but I didn’t know what this fight involved.
“Fair enough,” he replied, and we both sat in silence for a few minutes. “It’s not like she’s running back in here begging for either of us. I might have overwhelmed her.”
“We’ll see what happens. I’m throwing my hat into the ring, just so you know.” We shared a look. This had ended in both of us with the same girl a time or two, either together or in separate incidents.
“I never thought you would,” Braden assured me, and I grabbed a beer before heading to my room to plan. I had everything in there that we shared in the man cave and I needed privacy. I need to plan. My brother wanted Freya, and he’d already planted the seed. She ran, meaning that she didn’t return the feeling, or that she was scared. I wished that I’d asked him his approach, so I could try something different. I knew him well though, and he had a softer approach than I did, at least in the beginning. I set the alarm, so I’d get up for my jog and workout in the morning, feeling ready to stake my claim on the seamstress.
I went with my usual routine in the morning, running alongside Braden. Whatever beef we had was over now and we just calmly jogged through the woods quietly. We weren’t chatty in the morning to begin with and I suspected that neither of us slept well. Freya had a way of getting under your skin.
I showered once we were done in the gym, choosing to visit Dad for a while. Braden was taking Mom into town for a meeting with her attorney about the estate. I looked at my weak father and pushed the thought away. He wasn’t the strong man that he used to be. He was more than likely dying, changing the order of things drastically. I leaned forward and covered his hand with mine, wishing so much that we were a different family. I’d dreamed of living in a simple flat somewhere in town and growing up in an unnoticeable life. I longed for trips to the beach with just my parents and not security tagging along. I wanted Christmases with relatives gathered together in a house full of love and laughter.
Instead, we were royalty. We lived in a fishbowl for people to speculate about. We didn’t have a father that was devoted to us because he was the fucking king. Mom was the perfect wife and handled social gatherings and charities without missing a beat. I was closer to my nanny growing up.
I didn’t want to marry a princess much less a socialite. When I had a family, I wanted nights in the living room together and trips to the mountains and the beach. I didn’t want to focus on anything else and the idea of two vague kids with red hair running around played through my mind.
I blinked and looked at him again.
“I’m not ready for you to go yet, Dad. Braden isn’t ready for it, either. You’re too damn young and have so much more living to do.” I squeezed his clammy hand and sucked in a breath. “I’m going to do it differently. I’m not you. I don’t want the throne, but I do want to be happy. I want the real deal, Dad.” I felt a twinge of guilt saying this, but it was no secret that my parents had an arranged marriage.
I talked softly to him more the way I wished I would have growing up. When I looked at the clock and realized what time it was, I stood and made my way outside through a side door. I walked through the generous yard to a spot in the trees that offered some privacy. I’d seen Freya go here the first day and took the chance that she’d be there again. After being cooped up in that room for so long, it must be nice to get some fresh air and sun. I sat down against one of the large oak trees, dropping my head back.
Within a few moments, I heard footsteps in the grass and gazed forward as Freya walked into the clearing. Her face fell when she saw me, but she didn’t run away as I expected her to. She clutched her sandwich in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Freya sat down a small distance away from me and asked me what I was doing here. She sipped her water as she waited for the answer, and I took in her beautiful, pale skin.
“I just wanted to talk to you.” I kept my voice low, and she stared at me for a moment. I pulled my legs to my chest as the sun hit my bare leg. Freya watched for a moment before looking down at the grass. “Did my brother scare you last night?”
Freya opened her mouth to speak before blushing. She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly before she gazed at me.
“Not in the sense of harming me. I was just taken off guard and I suspect that Braden was as well. I am sure that you boys have lots of tricks up your sleeve to seduce women. I just don’t think that neither of us expected the way that it felt.” Her eyes bore into mine and I shifted as my cock hardened.
“How did it feel?” I asked, leaning closer as she tilted her head to the right.
“I am not experienced like most people, but it was… like a spark. I think I can guess that it isn’t always like that.” Freya shrugged and picked up her sandwich to take a bite. She chewed thoughtfully before swallowing it down. “Are you here to plead your case? Do you want to convince me that you’re the better choice, Callin?”
“Not better. I prefer different,” I assured her as Freya raised one red brow at me.
“I don’t think I follow.” Freya sipped her water again, letting the liquid slide down her throat as she leaned her head back.
“Give me a chance, Freya. See if he is the man for you or if it’s me.” She narrowed her eyes, and I gave her the smile that made women rip their clothes off.
“Your mom isn’t into that idea. The queen made it quite clear that I wasn’t to even speak to you.” She took a slow look around and I chuckled.
“They’re gone.” She looked at me as I nodded. “Braden took her into town. It’s her day to play the loving mother and take him to lunch.
I snorted. “In actuality, they’ll be plagued with questions about my father and have no peace. Braden will come home grumpy. They’ll do it again in a few weeks just like she tries to do with me.”
“He’s not doing well, is he?” Freya asked as I stared painfully at the grass. I shook my head. “Are you close? It’s only my mother and I now. We’re very close.” Pain flashed through her eyes and she shook her head.
“Not like I’d like to be. Being the royal family has its drawbacks,” I told her sarcastically as she bristled.
“I suppose that all families have their issues.” I asked what hers were and Freya licked her full lip. “It’s just Mom and me. Dad died, and we lost everything within the span of a few months. Mama was having trouble running our shop, and I was trying to finish school. I couldn’t help her like she needed, and it closed. After that, we eventually lost our cottage. She’s staying with a friend now. I’m working to send her money to get back on her feet.”
“The fuck?” I asked as she nodded. “That’s so selfless.”
“She’s mama. She’s all I really have.”
“Where is she?” I pressed, realizing that I knew little about her.
“Paris. We moved there from Sweden when I was just a toddler. Dad worked at a graphic design company and they transferred him. I opened a boutique with Mom and we made the clothes as well as purchasing them to sell. We loved it. It did well until life got to be too much.” She frowned, and I raised a brow at her.
“What is it?” I asked as she nibbled on her lip.
“I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.” We talked for a bit longer and the attraction that Freya felt towards me was thick in the air. When she moved to go back to work, I joined her and reached out to cup her cheek.
“I want to ask you if you want me.” I stared into her eyes and a pink flush washed over her cheeks. “Can I kiss you?”
Freya paused before nodding and I leaned in to brush my lips against her mouth. Jolts flew between us and she moaned against me as I tugged her closer. The kiss deepened, and I tasted her innocence in the way that her tongue slipped shyly against mine.
“I have to get to work,” Freya insisted, pulling back breathlessly.
“Meet me in the room that you were in last night. Eight o'clock.” I told her as she rubbed her fingers over her mouth.
“I’ll try.” I could see in her eyes that she’d be there as she backed away, running back into the castle. I knew that I’d planted a seed and looked up into the blue sky with a pleased grin on my face. I walked around the building and entered through the back door, disappearing quietly into our office to use the laptop for a bit.
I joined my small family for dinner, eating all the food since I’d skipped lunch. Braden watched me with a curious look on his face, but I made small talk with the both of them. Mom excused herself to see Dad, and I looked at Braden.
“How did it go?” I asked as Braden sighed.
“I’m it when he goes. The accounts are handled, and it will be business as usual. I could tell that Mom was struggling through the entire meeting, but she held it together. I took her to that little bistro and got us a table in the back. We were hounded walking in despite that. They just want to know if he’s alive or dead.”
“I don’t want to go out until they stop. I can’t talk about it.” He nodded and sipped his tea.
“I need a fucking beer. Want to watch the game upstairs?” Braden asked, and I nodded. I followed him and we each grabbed a bottle before settling on the couch. He found a hockey game, and I tried to focus on the two-goal lead but found myself looking at my clock instead. If all went well, Freya would be here soon. Mom always went to bed after visiting Dad and I suspected that was when she fell apart. Despite being arranged and the thought that they might have been unfaithful, Mom and Dad did care for each other. She might even love him and regret his death. Who was I to say?
The door opened when expected and Braden looked over with a curious gaze. Freya walked inside dressed in a soft pink cotton dress and bare feet, her hair falling over her shoulders.
“What are you doing back here?” Braden asked as she widened her eyes at him. Freya looked at me and I smiled at her, reassuring her that everything was okay.