Bound by Tears (Cauld Ane Book 6) Read online

  Kaspar grinned. “I’m in your head?”

  “That’s what you took from that?”

  “I like that I’m in your head, elskan, but I’d love to be in your heart.”

  “Oh, don’t you dare start getting all nice on me again, Kaz. I can’t take it.”

  He stood and wrapped an arm around her from behind. Leaning down, he kissed the sensitive part just below her ear. “I love it when you call me Kaz.”

  She closed her eyes, a shiver running through her. “Do you?” she whispered.

  He nodded, kissing her neck. “I do.”

  “Noted.”

  He released her and and took his seat again, and she spent the better part of their breakfast trying to figure out how to untangle Kaspar from her heart. He’d woven himself so completely into her life in such a short amount of time, she wasn’t entirely sure how, or even if she wanted, to cut him loose.

  “I have to go, sweetheart,” he said, frowning at his phone.

  “Go. I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “I’ll watch some bad soaps and maybe look for a job while you work.”

  He chuckled. “Easing your way into being taken care of?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Do you want to go out for dinner, or stay in?”

  She smiled. “Mmm, I don’t know. Out?”

  He rose to his feet and bent down to kiss her. “Tell Camilla where you want to go and she’ll handle it.”

  Jesska snorted. “What kind of executive assistant would I be if I couldn’t make a simple reservation?”

  “Camilla will handle it.”

  “Jesska will handle it,” she countered.

  “Stubborn.”

  “Bossy.”

  He grinned and kissed her again. “If you need me, call me.”

  “I won’t need you.”

  He gripped his chest and groaned. “You wound me.”

  Jesska giggled. “Oh, baby, how will I live without you for…” she looked at her watch, “…all of three hours until you figure you need to check on me?”

  “It’ll be closer to four.”

  She laid the back of her hand on her forehead and tipped her head back. “No! Not four. I can’t live without you for four.”

  He stroked her cheek. “I love you, silly girl.”

  She nodded, not sure how to respond. He loved her? Was that even possible in such a short amount of time? She watched him leave and then finished her food before stacking things in the hallway for the staff to retrieve. Sitting down with her laptop, she went about finding a job. The problem was, she couldn’t think about anything other than Kaspar’s words of devotion.

  The man was irresistible, and she realized that she was falling in love with him. It was different than what she had with Brady. It was mature and deeper, and much, much scarier. It was forever.

  * * *

  Jesska felt soft lips on her cheek and sat up, colliding with Kaspar’s chin. “Oh, sorry,” she said.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you, elskan. You just looked so sweet lying there asleep.”

  She smiled and dragged her hands down her face. “What time is it?”

  “Six.”

  “Crap. I didn’t make a reservation.” She grimaced. “I got busy with job searches and then I must have fallen asleep. I’m sorry, Kaz, I totally forgot.”

  Kaspar chuckled. “Camilla made one at Serratto for seven if you want to go there, or we can still stay in if you’d rather.”

  She blinked up at him. “Would it be horrible to stay in?”

  “I’d prefer it.”

  “You would?”

  He nodded. “It’s been a long day, sweetheart, and my brother arrives in the morning, delayed as usual, so it means we can spend a little extra time together tonight if we stay in.”

  “Your brother’s coming? Megan’s…ah…boyfriend? What do I call him?”

  Kaspar removed his watch, pulling his shirt from his trousers as he headed to the bedroom. “No, Ari’s not coming. Gunnar is. As far as Ari and his title as it pertains to your sister, I suppose they are mates. As you and I are.”

  Jesska craned her neck to watch Kaspar as he unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it from his shoulders. His chest was like granite and when he turned to grab a T-shirt, the muscles on his back rippled with the motion. He caught her eye and she gasped, sitting back down on the sofa, hoping he hadn’t seen her staring at him. He returned to the living room devoid of shoes, but in the same pants he wore that morning.

  She smiled up at him and he leaned down, one hand on the armrest and one behind her head, his face within inches of hers. “Did you like what you saw?”

  “Very much.” Jesska took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry, baby. I like you watching me.”

  She licked her lips. “I like it too.”

  He grinned and leaned closer, kissing her before sitting beside her. “What do you want for dinner?”

  “Right now, I could eat the entire left side of a cow.”

  Kaspar raised an eyebrow. “Not the right?”

  “Oh, I’ll take the right too, but I don’t want to be greedy.”

  He laughed. “I’ll order two, then.”

  “This is you taking care of me, huh?”

  “Part of it, yes,” he said, and kissed her palm.

  “Okay, brownie points for you. Cooking’s not my strong suit.”

  He turned and reached behind him, grabbing his phone, texting who? Jesska could only guess. Setting his phone aside, he grabbed her hand again.

  “Who was that?” she asked.

  “Camilla. She will order our food.”

  “I could do that, you know. As could you.”

  Kaspar cocked his head. “But it’s her job.”

  “Does she ever get a day off?” she asked.

  “Sundays. Except when we’re traveling.”

  “Kaz,” she said in exasperation. “Are you seriously telling me she only gets one day off a week? And sometimes not even that?”

  He rubbed the back of her neck. “Yes.”

  “What about dating or just doing girl things? Girls need more than one day off a week.”

  “We don’t date.”

  She leaned away from his touch. “Well, what happens when she finds her true love or whatever?”

  “Then he will bind her, and she will no longer work for me.” He frowned. “Her assistant will take over, I suppose.”

  “What if she doesn’t want her assistant to take the job? What if she wants to work for you?”

  “She’ll need to speak to her mate about that.”

  Jesska tugged her hand from his. “You’re not serious.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Obviously.” She rose to her feet.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I think I should go back to my room.”

  Kasper stood. “Why?”

  “Because if I don’t, I’m going to get really pissed off.”

  “I’m guessing I said something really wrong, but I have no idea what it was.” He crossed his arms. “Care to fill me in?”

  She fisted her hands at her side. “You know, sometimes you’re just the sweetest, most brilliant man on earth, and then you say something so…so…unbelievably chauvinistic and stupid.”

  Kaspar ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know what to tell you, Jess. It’s my world. I’ve never known anything different.”

  “I know,” she said.

  He reached out his hand. “Stay.”

  “Is that an order, my liege?”

  “Baby.”

  Jesska cocked her head. “I’ll stay if you promise me you’ll give Camilla another day off.”

  He sighed. “If she would like another day off, I will give it to her.”

  She took his hand and let him pull her back down on the sofa. His phone buzzed, so he grabbed it and then set it on the coffee table. “Our meal is being sen
t up.”

  “That was quick.”

  Kaspar smiled. “We have a chef at our disposal.”

  “We do?”

  He nodded.

  “That’s awesome,” she said.

  A knock at the door sounded and Kaspar rose to his feet to open it.

  “Sire,” Camilla said, and followed the server into the room.

  Kaspar nodded in greeting.

  “Hi, Camilla,” Jesska said.

  The assistant smiled. “M’lady.”

  Jesska still wasn’t used to being called “m’lady,” but she didn’t react quite so shocked anymore. Camilla organized their meal and then walked out of the room with the server.

  “She really didn’t need to come all the way up here,” Jesska said.

  Kaspar opened his mouth and then closed it again.

  She raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “I’m choosing my words, and the words I thought about choosing were probably going to get me in trouble, so I am now choosing to stay quiet.”

  Jesska giggled, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Smart man.”

  Kaspar grinned, holding her chair until she sat down.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  DINNER PASSED QUICKLY, and Camilla returned to pick up the dishes, prompting Jesska to give Kaspar a reminding glance to speak with her.

  “You know, I’m beat,” she said. “I’m going to head to my room.”

  “Stay, baby,” he said.

  “I should leave you alone for this.” She smiled. “Come find me later.”

  He frowned, but then shook his head and kissed her quickly. Jesska walked out the door, surprised by Jóvin, who was lurking.

  “Hi, Jóvin,” she said with a smile.

  “M’lady.”

  “You’re never going to call me Jesska are you?”

  He smiled and used his keycard to open her door. “No, m’lady.”

  He held the door open for her and Jesska headed into her suite, relieved Jóvin didn’t follow her. She walked into her bathroom, filled up the large soaker tub, and set her phone next to it while she removed her clothing. Pinning her hair on top of her head, she poured in the jasmine oil Kaspar had bought her, removed her makeup, and then slid into the heat of the water.

  She’d almost fallen asleep again when her phone buzzed and, without opening her eyes, she answered it. “Hello?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking a bath.” She heard Kaspar let out a long breath and she grinned. “Naked.”

  “Yes, it’s generally a good idea to be naked while taking a bath.”

  She giggled. “Stop picturing me naked.”

  “No,” he said, and Jesska heard the smile in his voice.

  She sighed and sank lower in the tub. “Did you talk to Camilla?”

  “I did.”

  “And?”

  “And we have come to an agreement. How long are you going to be in the tub?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Depends on how long it takes you to tell me about your agreement.”

  “She doesn’t want another day off.”

  “What?” Jesska frowned. “Why not?”

  “It’s complicated, elskan.”

  “Did you get all kingy on her?” she accused.

  “Kingy?” he asked.

  “Yes. All condescending and kingy.”

  “I’m her king, sweetheart.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have be a jerk.”

  “Jesska, I’m not having this conversation with you,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because matters of the Crown do not concern you.”

  Jesska forced herself not to swear, her indignation coming out in the form of a hiss.

  “Jesska,” he said, sounding irritated.

  “I’m sorry, Sire. I was out of line. Again, I apologize. I totally forgot my place.”

  “Elskan.”

  “I’m going to bed after my bath, Kaspar, so if you’ll excuse me, I have some relaxing to do. Have a great night.” She hung up and dropped the phone on the floor.

  Jerk. Big fat jerky, jerk, jerk. Kingly, entitled, big fat jerky jerk, jerk.

  Her phone buzzed again but she ignored it and closed her eyes in an effort to relax. She forced her mind to the moments when Kaspar had been an ass in an effort to drown out the many more moments he’d been sweet. There weren’t very many instances where he’d been an ass, and her spiral lasted all of six minutes or so, when she heard a knock on her bathroom door. She squeaked, sitting up and attempting to cover herself, wishing she had bubbles for strategic coverage.

  “It’s me, baby. I won’t come in,” Kaspar said.

  “What are you doing here?” She craned her neck to see if she could see him. Luckily, the door was still closed. “How did you get in?” she asked. “Never mind. Stupid question. Don’t answer that.”

  “You finish your bath and we’ll talk when you get out.”

  “Just go back to your room, Kaspar.”

  She heard him sigh. “We obviously need to talk, so I’ll wait for you to finish.”

  “Well, too bad for you, I’m never getting out of this bath.”

  “You’ll get cold and your skin will shrivel, elskan, so you’ll need to dry off at some point.”

  “You don’t know my obsession with tubby time, Kaz. I could be here all night.”

  He chuckled. “Baby, I’ve been waiting a thousand years for you. You don’t think I can wait out your bath time?”

  She tried to ignore the sexy way his voice sounded when he said “baby,” especially accented. And she tried to ignore the fact he’d waited a thousand years for her…’cause that wasn’t sexy as hell. But she couldn’t ignore the shiver than ran down her spine as she heard him moving around her room. She heard the pop of a cork and the clink of glasses that meant wine.

  It also meant making out on the sofa after drinking said wine and then cuddling until she fell asleep. Which then meant him carrying her to her bed and kissing her sweetly before leaving her, because he was a gentleman and he’d vowed they wouldn’t make love until their bonding night, but that didn’t stop him from whispering exactly what he planned to do when he did finally make love to her. Jesska groaned and turned the hot water on with her foot in an attempt to block out his words.

  “Did you say something, baby?” he called.

  Sexy, gorgeous, sweet, romantic, jerky jerk, jerk.

  “Nope,” she snapped.

  “Do you want some wine?”

  “Does a bear shit in the woods?” she grumbled to herself.

  “Baby? Do you want wine?” he repeated.

  “Nope,” she called. “I’m good.”

  His chuckle penetrated the thin door and she closed her eyes again. She heard the click of the television and then heard Chris Harrison say, “It’s time for the rose ceremony.”

  “Oh my god, Kaz. Not even the Bachelor’s going to get me out of this tub,” she said.

  The volume increased and Manny called out “Rosa.”

  “Wait. What?” She frowned. “Did he just say Rosa?” she called.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I can’t hear you,” Kaspar called.

  “Will you accept this rose?” Manny asked.

  “He better not have said Rosa! She’s a total cow!” Jesska snapped.

  The television got even louder. “Sorry, baby. I really can’t hear you over the television.”

  She let out a frustrated growl and pulled the plug on the tub. Big fat creative knows how to push my buttons, jerky jerk, jerk.

  Climbing from the tub, she wrapped the towel around her and stomped into the living room. “He did not just say Rosa.”

  Kaspar paused the television and turned his head, his gaze sweeping her body, then a slow, sexy, I-want-to-peel-that-towel-from-your-body smile formed on his face and he rose to his feet. “Yes, Manny picked Rosa, elskan.”

  “Well, he’s an idiot,” she said, and turned back toward the bedroom.

 
; She’d made it all of four inches before she was pulled up against him, his mouth gently kissing her shoulder.

  “Hi,” he breathed.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “I should get dressed.”

  “Okay. You get dressed and we can talk.”

  “I hate you so much right now,” she said.

  “I know, baby. It’s a good thing I love you enough for both of us.”

  She walked into her bedroom and closed the door with a satisfying slam. Pulling on undies, yoga pants, and a T-shirt, she took a deep breath and then another…and then another, still debating on whether or not she was going to hide in her bedroom or hash things out with Kaspar.

  She continued to debate for several minutes before pulling her door open and finding him grinning at her from where he stood just against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest.

  She frowned and pushed past him. “I’m just getting some wine and then I’m going to bed.”

  “No, Jesska, we’re going to talk.”

  “There’s no point in talking.”

  He caught up to her and grabbed her arm, turning her gently to face him. “Baby. We’re going to talk. Whether you want to or not. Neither of us is going to sleep until this is resolved.”

  She frowned up at him. “Well, until you’re no longer all kingy and crap, this can’t be resolved.”

  Kaspar smiled, squeezing her arms. “I have been king for half a millennium. I don’t know how to be anything less than kingy…” He laid a finger over her mouth to stop her retort. “But, I will try to be more sensitive to my staff and listen when you have important things to tell me.”

  She wrinkled her nose, pressing her lips together in a thin line.

  “I will also try to listen even when you don’t have important things to say.”

  She gasped. “Are you trying to tell me that you think my words aren’t important?”

  At his sarcastic smile, she huffed and bit back her own smile.

  “I think everything you have to say is important, sweetheart. But sometimes, I need to hear what you have to say when we’re alone…not in front of my staff.”

  “I have never contradicted you in front of anyone.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, one time…maybe. And only in front of Austri.” She played with a button on his soft Henley T-shirt. “But in fairness, he’s always around.”