Kiara Croft. Vance Elliot. Thomas Kelley. Dead Will AU #1
“Mrs. Croft, always a pleasure to see you,” Vance greeted silkily, a crocodile smile on his lips.
Kiara didn’t bother to hide her displeasure behind a tightlipped grimace as she set the satchel full of money on his desk.
The only thing keeping her away from eviction was a timely payment and Elliot kept wrenching the price higher, the financial threat like a boot on her throat.
She didn’t sit down, just turned on her heel.
“A moment, Mrs. Croft, if you please.” His cold, steely voice halted her in her tracks. “With the recent scourge of train robberies, I hope your family is taking precautions.”
“We’re managing,” she said tersely over her shoulder, her hand on the doorknob.
“Excellent. I’d hate to think of any harm coming to those beautiful children of yours, with those … scoundrels lurking in the mountains.”
She turned toward him, her grey eyes harder than steel. “I’m a hard woman, Mr. Elliot. And there is no end to how far I will go to protect what’s mine.”
Kiara left, barely managing not to slam the door behind her so hard the walls shook. She let out a deep breath, her body trembling with pent up rage and stared at the dusty landscape.
This was Will’s home, his family’s roots digging deep into the dry ground. As much as the memories ached, this was where they’d made their life – Plenty of acreage for Kiara’s dream ranch and the community that treated them as family.
She suspected the only reason Vance hadn’t outright forced them off the ranch after he’d bought the land from the bank was because their friends would run him out. But the tides were changing, newcomers flocking to the town at the promise of businesses and property.
With a sad shake of her head, she headed to the Morpheus, deftly avoiding the carriages and riders as she crossed the street.
Thomas Kelly looked up when she entered his hotel, a smile ready no matter who it was but widening when he saw it was her.
“Lass, it’s been ages,” He greeted happily, a twinkle in his brown eyes. “How are those wee ones of yours?”
“You could always come and see for yourself,” Kiara prodded teasingly as she sat down at the bar. “I’m sure Ren wouldn’t mind the company.”
She laughed at the pink flush that crept up his neck.
“Enough of that,” he muttered as he set a glass in front of her. “You rarely visit me in town anymore and I won’t stand for you teasin’ me all day.”
“Fine then, tell me the latest news,” Kiara relented.
“Do you remember Jeremiah Kugler?”
She shook her head. “He was gone by the time I came to town, but his property borders ours. Will always talked about trying to buy it when we got more successful.”
“He went to California during the gold rush and found some success, but he died – his widow’s come to town, if rumors are true,” Thomas told her.
Kiara’s mind jumped to the woman on the train, her sapphire eyes beguiling.
There were rumors about Kugler’s death, the scandal of him marrying such a younger woman and how shortly after he passed. Some said she was only after the gold, but that was the way small towns worked with outsiders. Especially those from the city.
The lady on the train seemed to be the type of woman capable of seducing men to her whim, especially if they were old geezers.
“She’s from the city, right? I wonder …” Kiara trailed off, a notion entering her mind.
Silver Creek had limited opportunities for growth, especially if Vance kept poisoning the well. But if she got a buyer with a wider circle of influence, she wouldn’t be struggling as much to hold Vance at bay.
“Do you know where she’s staying?” the blonde questioned excitedly.
Kiara Scuro. Vance Elliot. Alexa Myers. Arranged Marriage/Queen Kiara AU
I made another one.
When Kiara looked down at her daughter – with her golden curls and jewel green eyes – she couldn’t help but see her husband.
And she hoped those qualities would be where the similarities would end.
“She’s growing too quickly,” she murmured.
Jacqueline’s sleepy grip on her finger loosened and Kiara sighed wistfully as she pulled away, lifting the blanket to the toddler’s chest. She tensed when she felt a firm hand on her waist.
“I still require a heir.” His words were warm on her neck, seductive and powerful. “If it’s a babe in your arms you miss. You could join me tonight.”
His hand drifted lower, caressing the curve of her ass.
She pulled away, turning to face him with a cold and brittle smile.
“Has your harem tired of you, husband?” Kiara taunted, her brow arched. “Are they not able to provide you with a heir?”
She felt a thrill of power at the flash of anger twisting his handsome face.
While her parents were willing to sell her off for a sizeable deposit into their coffers, her brother was more calculating when it came to their nuptial contract.
If he conceived a child with another, he would forfeit her kingdom’s alliance and risk a war with the mightiest military in the world. If she bore another man’s child, the contract was void and he kept the army.
They were both trapped in this hellish union.
His hand snaked out and clenched around her wrist, yanking her against him.
“I could take my right as your husband,” Vance warned as he cupped her chin, forcing her steely gaze to his cold emerald eyes.
His threat sent a shiver of danger down her spine.
“Do it,” she challenged. “I long to be a widow.”
“Was it so abhorrent, my queen?” He drawled, his voice silky and seductive. ”I remember you found it immensely pleasurable last time.”
“I was naïve. It won’t happen again.”
Alexa cleared her throat from the doorway, startling him enough to loosen his vice-like grasp on her and Kiara tore herself away, subtly putting the distance between them.
“Your Majesties,” the Queen’s personal attendant greeted, dipping into a curtsy. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
The swift look she exchanged with Kiara said otherwise.
The Queen did not need to read thoughts to know her husband was no longer thinking of bedding her. Instead, he eyed her best friend and countrywoman with lecherous intent. Her physical assets were minor compared to Alexa’s curvaceous physique.
King Vance was a passionate man. And Lady Alexa Myers aroused such emotions inside him a thousand times more than his queen could.
“You are forgiven, Lady Alexa,” he said graciously, with a smile Kiara was certain had charmed dozens of women into his bed. “I believe my wife requires your assistance in preparing for bed. She is quite tired, it seems.”
The brunette waited until he had left before reaching out and pulling the blonde closer to examine her wrist. There were faint marks that were fading fast.
“One day, he will not take no for an answer,” Alexa muttered, her gaze darkening. “Right now, he is certain that you’ll surrender eventually.”
“Like hell I will,” Kiara retorted sharply.
She’d been 18 years old, separated from most of her family and confused by her wedding. And Vance had made her feel special – as if he didn’t just want her family’s power, he wanted her as well. And he’d been gentle, dealing with her inexperience and trepidation with a practiced ease.
It had been wonderful. Until she found out she was pregnant. Until she found a woman with amber eyes and too-toothy smile in his bed with a triumphant look about her.
“You cannot!” the blonde spat, glaring at the woman. “You signed the contract.”
“My only limitation is I cannot conceive a heir with another,” her husband drawled from his bed, where the woman was curled around him possessively as she stroked his naked chest. “It said nothing about seeking pleasures elsewhere. You weren’t enough.”
If she was not enough for him, he would never be anything for her again.
“It was not all bad,” Alexa reasoned, glancing toward Jacqueline’s crib.
Her daughter and her lady’s maid were all that made this gilded prison livable. Her baby would never doubt that one of her parents loved her without conditions. And where Vance failed to love his daughter, Alexa stepped in.
Kiara looked toward the open door before a dark tendril pushed it closed. She raised the brunette’s hand to her face, pressing a kiss against the inside of her wrist.
“You heard his highness,” the blonde murmured, enjoying the way Alexa’s sapphire eyes gleamed with desire. “I should be preparing for bed.”
If King Vance had been proud of his loophole, then he could not be mad if Queen Kiara had discovered a technicality.
Lilian Moros. Gilbert Mead. Vance Elliot. Ryan Cooper. Troy Fredendum. Dating Show AU.
Gilbert nervously brushed his hair back as he sat back against the leather seats. The limo slowed, driving up the winding path to the villa.
He was almost there.
Anxiously, he picked the iPod he’d brought with him, planning to offer it as a gift, and rehearsed his opening lines mentally.
But when the limo door opened and he stepped out, he forgot everything he wanted to say.
He’d seen her picture obviously, read her bio, but nothing could have prepared him for the goddess waiting for him by the rose trellis. Her sapphire eyes were large and lined with lashes that brushed her cheeks when she looked down. Her rich brown tresses were brushed to one side of her head and cascaded over her shoulder, contrasting with golden shine of her dress. Her full, red lips quirked slightly as he tripped, barely recovering before he stumbled into her.
“H-Hi,” he stammered, a blush rising to his cheeks. He clutched the gift tightly. “’m G-Gilbert Mead.”
“Hello Gilbert,” she greeted, her sapphire eyes sparkling with humor. “I’m Lilian Moros.”
“I kn-know.”
Stupid stammer. He was definitely going to make an impression, with the way he kept tripping over his feet and his words.
Her eyes landed on the iPod. “You have something for me?”
Hesitantly, he held out his gift. “I b-believe that o-one of the b-best ways to g-get to kn-know someone is t-to listen to their f-favorite m-m-music, so I made you a playlist of w-what I l-like,” he explained, turning beet red. “I-I also p-put some s-songs that I thought you m-might l-like.”
Her smile widened and Gilbert thought his heart might stop. Which might be a relief, because he could swear it was audible outside his chest.
“I can’t wait to get to know you, Gilbert,” she said, the words spilling musically from her lips. “I’ll talk to you inside.”
He grinned bashfully as his head bobbed. “C-can’t wait.”
Inside the villa, the producers pulled him inside for an interview.
“So it seems like Lilian left you speechless,” Ren commented with a friendly smile as he sat down. He almost couldn’t make out her face with the lights flooding from around her. “Do you think you made a good impression?”
“I was d-definitely m-m-memorable,” the blond replied with a self-deprecating smile.
“You gave her some of your favorite songs, what kind of music do you like?”
“I l-like a l-little bit of everything,” he admitted with a blush. “But I l-like music that p-pulls you in and l-lets you get l-lost in the melody and the w-words.”
“What songs did you put on there that you thought she might like?” the producer pressed, gesturing for him to continue.
Beethoven. Brahms. Lindsey Stirling. Once he’d read she was a cello player, the choices flooded to him. They were artists who wrote evocative and masterful pieces to highlight the rich notes and haunting timbre.
“T-that’s personal,” he insisted.
He refused to answer, no matter how hard the producer pushed.
~*~
Gilbert’s anxiety only grew once he met his fellow bachelors.
Troy was a friendly world-traveler, with anecdotes about exotic locales peppered into every conversation Gilbert overheard – Lilian and he had talked about the Bahamas and the azure beaches and pink sands. The blond adventurer shared stories from his dive, painting vivid pictures of the rainbow reefs and explosion of brightly colored fish.
Vance was a multi-millionaire, dabbling in so many enterprises Gilbert couldn’t keep track of them. Electronics, wine, fine dining. Every step, every word, every look spoke of power and control. He’d fastened a diamond bracelet around Lilian’s wrist during the introduction and the jewels sparkled in the low lighting.
Ryan was a confident flirt, compliments as easy as breathing for him. He’d pulled the bachelorette away from the group early on, one hand on her waist as they stepped out onto the terrace. He’d tucked a lily behind her ear, the white petals complementing Lilian’s golden complexion.
With a sigh, Gilbert broke away from the group, tiring of the jibes and backhanded compliments that slid into every conversation. He turned a knob, hoping to find a bedroom or bathroom he could escape to.
His mood buoyed when he saw the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and the plump leather sofa. He ran his hands over the spines, smiling at the ridges and slopes of the embossed lettering.
“Do you think they would notice if I spent the rest of the night here?” somebody said behind him. He whirled around to see Lilian, looking tired.
“I-I think they w-would,” he stammered. “I kn-know I would.”
“Did you want to be alone?” the brunette asked, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You were looking a little overwhelmed out there.”
“I’m f-fine – I’m n-not the one being circled l-like s-sharks.”
Lilian laughed and Gilbert felt a smile tug at his lips, a jolt of pleasure coursing through him. It was so magical and musical. He could barely believe she was a human.
“Do you always stutter?” she commented, a soft smile on her lips. “Something about you makes me think of a poet.”
“I l-like to write,” he admitted sheepishly. “But the st-stutter happens w-w-when I’m n-nervous.”
“Do I make you nervous?”
“I think you m-make them all n-nervous,” he told her, ducking his head. “I’m t-terrified of getting s-sent home.”
She smiled blindingly at him and he felt like they were the only ones in the world, instead of on a reality TV show set. His breath caught in his throat.
The illusion was shattered when the camera crew shuffled through the door, making him feel claustrophobic as they crowded around him.
Lilian pursed her lips, displeasure flickering on her face before a smile replaced it. She took a rose from Ren, its stem cut short.
“You seem shy, so I didn’t want to give you this in front of the others,” she supplied, shooting a glance toward the crew. “But you seem so genuine and sweet, I’ve been thinking about our first meeting all night.”
The blond’s eyes were wide as she offered him the flower.
“I want to get to know you, Gilly, to talk about your favorite music and maybe soothe your nerves so you aren’t terrified of me.”
“N-not terrified of you, Lily, j-just astounded b-b-by you,” he hurried to assure her, scared to think he might have given her the wrong idea.
She laughed. “Will you accept this rose, Gilbert Mead?”
He beamed, struck speechless, and bobbed his head furiously as he took the proffered bud and tucked it into his lapel.
Over her shoulder, he could see Vance Elliot and Ryan Cooper watching him. Ryan was astonished, his gaze on the flower, but Vance was eying him as if he were prey.
Thomas Kelley shouldered past them, a wide smile on his face. “Congratulations, Gilbert. You’re safe during tonight’s Rose Ceremony.”
Those words seemed to be the cue for the cameras to shut off as the crew bustled out of the room, Ryan and Vance lost in the throng.
“Excellent, you two,” Thomas praised, clapping him on the back. “Lilian, let’s get you ready for the Rose Ceremony. Gilbert, Makeup is going to tidy you up a bit before your interview and when you’re done, you’ll join the other bachelors for the ceremony.”
Lilian squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Gilly,” she promised with a small smile.
She disappeared in an onslaught of people who poked and prodded him to make him camera-ready. Somebody discreetly secured the rose to his lapel, hiding the pin so the flash of metal didn’t cause a camera glare. Another person combed back his hair and straightened his tie before positioning him on the leather sofa.
“So Gilbert, did you think you would be getting the First Impression Rose?” Ren prompted with a smile, leaning to stay out of the shot.
“I-I did n-not,” he replied. He couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m s-s-speechless.”
“Lilian seems to have that affect on you,” the producer laughed. “Are you excited to be staying another week?”
“I am, b-but I w-would have b-b-been fine if I h-had gotten s-sent home,” he informed her. “B-because I g-got to m-m-meet the most b-beautiful woman in the w-w-world.”
