W I L L I A M W I N D S O R
“I should not do this,” William Windsor told himself for the fifth time as he glanced at his Rolex wrapped on his wrist. This was too dangerous. Moreover, he had decided that it was time to act like a Duke and not a rascal. He should adhere to his decision and not let himself be lured back even if it was just for old time sake. Yet as he closed his eyes, he could recall the way her lover, Paris de Bourgh, had stood oh so close that the shape of her unconstrained breasts under the cling of her dress was visible for everyone's eyes. When she whispered saying that it was his for the taking, how could he refuse such temptation? It was almost a sin to turn her down. His body had responded to her enticement with all its former urgency despite common sense telling him that those memories of their entangled bodies between the sheets were best left forgotten.
Still, he fetched a flashlight and began traversing unfamiliar corridors to reach her while hoping that the other members of the house party would be safely tucked in their respective beds. No one would be likely to see him descending from his balcony especially now that he had cautiously changed his light blue shirt to a black T-shirt and leather jacket. If by any chance someone caught him, he could simply inform them that he had been unable to sleep and wished to get some fresh air.
That reason alone should suffice especially when one held a position as important as an Earl and was in line for a dukedom, he finally concluded as he made up his mind and proceeded with his plan.
K A T H E R I N E B E N N E T
It had been a tiring night having to watch her sworn nemesis, Paris de Bourgh, stealing glances at William. Truth be told, Katherine was not jealous. After all, she had been the one to break up with him. Yet it was still vexing to watch, especially since Paris was already married to her best friend, Jaxon. Did she not have the decency and propriety to act as a married woman?
As she laid on her bed, she could only hope that both Paris and William were sleeping in their own respective bedrooms for she could not imagine how heartbroken Jaxon would be with such blatant betrayal. After a few peaceful minutes, she ultimately drifted to a peaceful slumber.
Although it was not for long. Katherine was not sure what had woken her up. Perhaps it was the chilly wind grazing her exposed skin, almost as if she was not safely tucked under the bedcover. She could swear she had closed the window but why were the pale curtains billowing into the room? Her eyelids were too heavy to remain open so she finally gave in to the tiredness and closed her eyes once more, trying her best to get some sleep.
But then she felt the mattress beside her dip under a new weight and her body instantly froze.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Who is it? Is it a thief?
Strong arms reached out for her, drawing and pulling her body against bare and aroused male flesh and before he could get away, a warm mouth took her by surprise in the kind of deep and sensual kiss. And for one brief, shocking moment, she felt her body arch against him in response. The next second her sanity came back and she tore her swollen lips from him. Swiftly she put both of her hands up on his torso and pushed him away but he was evidently of male sex thus much stronger than her. Growing more and more desperate, she raked my nails down his skin and only then his grasp loosen slightly, giving her the opening to roll across the bed away from him.
“What the bloody hell, Paris?!”
Her right hand blindly reached for the lamp switch and in a fraction of a second, the light flooded the room. Katherine turned back to see him even though judging from his sentence, she could guess who he was.
Standing tall beside the bed was none other than William Edward Harold Windsor aka her ex-boyfriend from her high school days.
Good lord. Why did he have to look that good when she was supposed to hate him for eternity for possibly being the one to ruin her best friend's marriage?
“Kate?” he said hoarsely, the look of confusion on his face was evident. “Why are you here?”
“Um, maybe because this is my room?” Katherine fought the burning sensation she felt on her cheeks and tried her best to remain cool as she leaned down for the sheet, dragging it up to cover her naked breasts.
Damn him!
Once she looked somewhat decent — as decent as one could under the circumstances, she put both of her hands on her hips and looked at him with one lifted brow. “Also, I should be the one to ask you. What are you doing in my room, William?”
Before he had a chance to answer, there was a sharp knock at the door, followed by Patrycia's voice saying, “Are you alright in there, Katherine? The guard said an intruder has been spotted in the garden.”
William closed his eyes briefly while muttering something violent and barely audible under his breath. Then he grabbed his discarded boxer off the floor and put it on while Katherine kept her gaze elsewhere, trying not to look.
“Quickly put your clothes on,” she hasted him as she reached for her own bathrobe.
Yet before William managed to put his pants or shirt back on, the door was unlocked and soon it was swung open, and Patrycia waltzed in. Following closely behind her was Karina aka biggest gossiper in town and Jaxon, her best friend who must have joined the party out of anxiety.
“Well, well, well,” said Karina with a wicked smile and sparkling blue eyes. “What do we have here? Old flames burn once more?”
C H A P T E R 1 : T H E T H I N G A B O U T O N E ' S E X K A T H E R I N E B E N N E T The most important thing Katherine Bennet had on her mind that Saturday afternoon was whether or not she wanted to go to the party that she had been invited to that night. Recalling the fact that the host was none other than Patrycia aka Paris de Bourgh's cousin, a grin of remembrance crossed on her face. Paris was her sworn nemesis for life, having tormented her in every chance she had gotten when they had grown up. Yet upon receiving a request from Jaxon, Katherine’s best friend who happened to be Paris's husband, to join the party to keep an eye on Paris, she found herself in such a predicament and not knowing what to do. "Please, Kay, you know how much I love her. I am so sorry that I am asking you for this but there is n
Mandy tilted her head to one side, looking uncertain for a moment. “Don't you know that everyone called him a ‘rake' for a reason? He is the heir of a Duke title. He is an Earl now and his father is a Marquess because his grandfather still holds the Duke title but still, everyone knows sooner or later it will be passed on.” “I am aware of that but I am not sure I understand what you mean. What does his title have anything to do with the warning you mentioned earlier?” “Well, obviously every girl wants to be the next Duchess or Marchioness or even Countess. Who would not want to become royalty and marry British royalty? So ultimately everyone tries to date him. But he is not a one-girl-forever type of guy. He is the traveling type, never staying with one girl for long. One could even say that he is such a sailor in a way that he will stop in many docks but he will never stick for a long time. A few weeks at most
C H A P T E R 3 : T H E T H I N G A B O U T B R E A K U P A N D O L D W O U N D K A T H E R I N E B E N N E T It had been around eight when Katherine was ready to leave for the house party. She had packed her clothes in a small leather bag and brought them down with her to her car. In no less than twenty minutes, she had arrived in Patrycia's place and was being led to the living room where some of the attendees were already there including none other than Paris de Bourgh. On the surface, Paris de Bourgh was brimming with extravagant charm, the very picture of the lovely young wife of a successful man. However having known her throughout university days, Katherine could see that her posture was far too rigid and the hands in her lap were clenched rather than folded. It made her wonder if perhaps Paris was not happy with her m
C H A P T E R 4 : C A U G H T U P O N T H E W R O N G B E D K A T H E R I N E B E N N E T After dinner, Katherine found a newspaper in a rack beneath one of the side tables and took it to a chair on the other side of the room. It was mainly concerned with the stock market, growing business, and other industries. On page nine, there was some news about William's company. This was naturally accompanied by a photograph of him since he was the CEO. In the photo he seated at his desk, his shirt sleeves rolled back over-tanned forearms, and his tie loose. He looked tough, business-like, and, damn him, sexy as hell. The camera was no doubt being operated by a woman. She took a deep breath and tried to stop herself from admiring him. Her mind brought back how horrible of a player he truly was, how he had once almost broken her heart. Then the recent
“Okay,” Katherine Bennet started with a sigh. “Obviously this was just an accident. You thought I was Paris so you came here. So the easiest way to fix this would be to tell everyone that you thought I was her.” When he had not said a word, she looked up to meet his eyes. Finally, he opened his mouth and answered her in his thick British accent, “I can not do it.” “Why the hell not?” “Well, for once, she is married.” She stared at him as if he had just informed her that the planet Earth was round. “So? Did you just find that out now?” William stared at her with an incredulous look on his face. “No, I knew that but I mean, I can not admit it in the open. That would mess things up.”
“Marry me, Kate.” When she did not say anything, he reiterated, “Marry me and it will solve our current predicament.” William looked at his ex-girlfriend and tried his best to maintain the serious look on his face. He fully realized how crazy his suggestion was however he also recalled what his grandfather had said to him a few weeks ago. One more misbehavior, one more bad news about him that would affect the Windsor name, the dukedom of Ashbourne, and he would be forced to hand over his title and would not be a part of the family. In all honesty, William could care less about the money or the title but the last thing he ever wanted was to be disowned by his family. He watched her opening her mouth and then closing it as if she was at loss for words for a few seconds before she finally regained her ability to speak. “Are you crazy? Why would I want to marry you?!" Giving her a mere shrug, he answered, ”Because
The next morning, as if she was suddenly awoken from a deep slumber, Katherine finally realized what had been said and done. She was going to marry her rakish ex-boyfriend. How cruel life could be! She had been blessed and happy being the one that had gotten away and now she ended up pretty much in the same place — only that instead of being his girlfriend, it seemed that she had found herself being promoted to his fiancé. For a long moment, dizzy with uncertainty, she stared down at the ceiling. She knew she should wake up and get ready but she simply could not. She dreaded facing reality. She should not have come to this house party and now it was all too late. Forcing herself, she dragged her sleepy legs to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom and heard a knock on her door. She did not have to check the peephole to know that it was William
Her cell phone rang inside her coat pocket, and without looking at who was calling, Katherine already knew that it was her mother calling again. She had already sent her call to voicemail a few times today, but since it was after five o’clock now, she could no longer use the excuse that she could not pick up the call because she was working. In all honesty, she had no grudge whatsoever against her mother and she actually loved her mother which was why she could not bring herself to tell another lie, knowing fully well that her mother would like to discuss her engagement, or worse, her wedding. She could not tell her mother how much she loved William (which could only explain the rushed engagement) when truly, she had no feelings whatsoever for him. All her feelings were for Jaxon. She could not let her best friend's heart be broken when she could save him from getting hurt. “Hello, Mom,” she greeted and refrained from sighing. “Katherine Elizabeth Bennet,
Katherine Bennet’s POV
C H A P T E R 4 9 : H E R C O N F E S S I O N F O L L O W E D W I T H A C C E P T A N C E W I L L I A M
C H A P T E R 4 8 : H E R C O N F I R M E D S U S P I C I O N A N D T H E E V I D E N T W I L L I A M
Kate stared at her phone with a frown. She had been trying to call William but it went straight to voicemail. She dropped a message to Harry, his personal assistant, and Harry informed her that William was in a meeting with a potential partner. So in the end, she left him a voicemail, informing him that she was on her way to the airport and would fly to Washington D.C. as her mother was injured. “I’ll call you once I land, okay?” She ended the call and held her phone tightly on her lap. She turned to her right and noticed that Jaxon had been watching her this whole time as the car was stopping at the traffic light. “Thank you for taking me to the airport.” Jaxon shook his head. “I’m coming with you.” He shifted his gaze back to the front as the car started to move. “You don’t have to. It’s fine,” Kate reassured him. “No, it is fine.” One of his hands left the steering wheel and held hers. “I am here for you, Katherine.” She looked down at his hand holding hers before casually
“I said I do not,” William replied with a sigh then tossed his phone on the couch. “Where were you, Kate? I have been losing my mind when I could not reach you.” Instead of getting an answer, he was left alone as she walked into their bedroom. With a frown on his forehead, he followed her inside and watched her strip her clothes off before disappearing into the bathroom. Something was not right. He could feel that something had happened today but his mind could not think of what possibly could happen that would cause so much stress on Kate. He decided that it could wait, all that mattered right now was her. William opened the cupboard and grabbed a towel then knocked on the bathroom door. “Kate, may I come in?” When there was no reply, he added, “I will take it as negative confirmation and proceed if you remain in silence.” He counted to ten before turning the knob and walking inside. He found Kate inside the bathtub her knees were folded. Her arms were hugging her legs while she re
C H A P T E R 4 5 : T H E L I E S A N D T H E L O V E W I L L I A M W I N D S O R “Kate?” William called for her as soon as he stepped out of the lift and into his dark apartment. With the help of the flashlight from his phone, he guided his way to the lamp switch
Kate rushed to the door the second she heard the doorbell ringing. Opening the door, she sighed a relief once she saw Jaxon’s face. Without giving much thought, she threw her arms around him. She felt his lips brushing the top of her head, planting a small kiss, and her body froze as she realized what she was doing and took a step back. “What happened?” He asked, his voice tight with worries. “I got this in the mail,” she said, pointing at the white box on the counter. Jaxon moved to the counter and took the lid off. He grabbed the note off the dead bird and frowned. “You will end up like that unless you leave,” he read the note and his frown deepened before he glanced at Kate who was now sitting on the couch, hugging her knees. “Do you know what this could be referring to?” She shook her head, her stomach churning and she felt like she might puke anytime soon. The stench from the blood was still there no matter how many times she had rubbed her nose with fragrant oil. She supposed
Three days later, they had already gone back to New York City and in all honesty, Kate could not be more relieved. London had been fun but the last two days she had been there, she had felt as if someone had been watching her every move and it was not a nice feeling. So when they had landed last night, she had felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Both of them had been exhausted when they walked into William’s apartment. She dragged herself to the bathroom to quickly wash up then took one of the extra-large T-shirts from the drawer. Once she had put it on, she walked out of the bedroom just in time as William walked in. “Where are you going?” he looked rather confused. “To the guest room,” she answered, followed by a yawn. He caught her arm, his thumb rubbing against her shirt. “Why don’t you just sleep here with me?” Kate stifled a yawn and failed miserably. “Because I still remember what you told me ages ago, William. You can not sleep unless you sleep
“But I’m his wife,” Kate told for the third time as she watched Cordelia cross her leg and sip her tea. “I believe you have mistaken my husband for someone else.” “What was your name? Cat?” Cordelia placed her half-full cup of tea back on its saucer and then leaned back on the couch. “Katherine,” Kate corrected. “Well, let me tell you something, Katherine.” The older woman leaned forward, her eyes were sharp. “William is not married. You can call yourself his wife all you want but legally, you are nothing but his mistress while I am is his fiancé and we are going to be married in three months’ time.” She collected her purse and rose to her feet. “If you have any dignity left, you should call it off, break things up with him. No one likes a homewrecker.” Then without waiting for Kate to respond, she strode her way to the front door and left. Kate continued to stare at the door even long after Cordelia had gone. She then glanced down at the cup and its saucer, the very evidence t