Dirty Rogue: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance(101)

And I understand it. I understand that heavy demands are being placed on him. I don’t blame him for being so tired he falls asleep on my pillow after a hot kiss.

I just can’t help but wonder: am I looking ahead at the rest of my life with Alec right now?

All my life, I’ve been spontaneous. All my life, I’ve given myself permission to change everything if something didn’t feel right. It’s that same attitude that brought me to Alec in the first place. It seems so long ago now, that night with the dating app.

Our life together, now that he’s about to be the crown prince, won’t have much room for spontaneity. Somehow, I don’t see it getting much easier. This first week was bound to be difficult, bound to be busy as he gets caught up to speed, but it’s not as if his new responsibilities are going to be lessened after this week. In fact, they’re probably going to be increased.

It hasn’t exactly been an easy adjustment for me, either. It’s still a thrill to be pampered, to be catered to, to be assisted in a way that I never imagined I would be, but with every day that passes, more rules come into play, more boundaries are set for what I wear and the way I need to act and how I spend my time.

The dread in my stomach blooms and grows. What if I made a mistake by giving up so much of my freedom to be with Alec? What if I was basing my decision on faulty information? What if it’s not going to work now that he’s the crown prince?

What if this isn’t the life I want?





The next morning when I wake up, Alec is gone, but Claire is knocking at the door. Today is the day that he’s officially named crown prince, and the ceremony is at ten.

“Hey, Claire,” I say as she breezes in. Here in the palace, Claire has a key card that allows her to get into my rooms at any time unless I punch in a code on a panel next to the door.

“Jessica,” she says, her face still pale, but at least she’s smiling. “Are you finished with breakfast? The team is waiting outside.”

I smile back at her. “Just give me a minute to eat,” I say, sitting down at the tray that was apparently delivered while I still slept. “Is there anything I should know about the schedule this morning? Mostly getting ready for the ceremony, right?”

“Right,” she answers, opening the cover of her tablet. “The ceremony begins at ten, but you’ll need to be seated in the gallery ten minutes early.”

“What’s the gallery?”

“It’s the upper level of seating in the throne room. You haven’t spent much time there, so it would be easy to overlook.”

“Oh,” I say, putting another bite of breakfast in my mouth. Does everyone sit in the gallery?”

A blush colors Claire’s cheeks. “No. The seating on the main floor is done based on strict precedence, with the royal family first. It’s…complicated.”

My reaction takes me by surprise. Of course I’m not a member of the royal family. Of course I’m not a key person in Saintland politics. Of course I wouldn’t be seated in a place of preference during the ceremony.

I shouldn’t have been expecting it.

“It’s an old tradition,” Claire tries, obviously noticing my discomfort.

I look down at the plate of eggs in front of me and muster the biggest smile I can before I look back up at her. “It’s not a problem, Claire. It’s just the way things are!”





Chapter 32

Alec





The induction ceremony flies by in a blur, and there’s part of me that feels like the entire thing borders on the absurd. As Phillip had hastily informed me when I arrived back at my rooms that morning after leaving Jessica in the queen’s quarters, it would resemble a shortened version of a coronation ceremony.

“A coronation ceremony?” I stumble out, the words tripping over my tongue as I examine the outfit he’s laid out for the occasion. I hate the purple tie he’s selected, but it’s part of the customary royal attire.

“Yes,” he says, swiping at his tablet. “Apparently it’s written into Saintland law that the ceremony has to take place according to those parameters for it to be official.”

“Do you ever get the impression, Phillip, that King Edward was a control freak?”

Phillip is loath to speak of even long-dead kings with disrespect, but I’m the future king, so he compromises by delivering one sharp nod.

I shake my head and sigh, opting not to argue as I head off to take a shower.

The hot water is refreshing as it beats down rhythmically on my shoulders, releasing the stress from my muscles, but it does nothing to wash away the embarrassment I feel over what happened last night. Of all the f*cking things, I had to go and fall asleep like an old man.

I bet Jessica is wondering what type of man she’s gotten herself hooked up with and regretting her decision.

Knowing her kind heart and generous nature, she’ll forgive me. I don’t know if I would be as forgiving if the roles were reversed.

I also don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for how I treated Marcus, but I can’t dwell on that now. All I can do now is work my ass off to make him proud.

And a son who my father will be proud of.

The ceremony itself goes off without a hitch, aside from the fact that something – or rather someone – is missing from the front row, where my father sits beside one of my uncles and several high-ranking Saintland officials. Where the hell is Jessica?