Chapter Four
“Heifer, did yousleep with King Aléxandros when you were at the commerce gala on Obsidian Island?”
Regina pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen as if her sister could see the shock on her face.
“Ahhh, yeah. I did. How do you know about that?”
Regina and her twin sister Reigna were close, but not so close that Regina would share the details of her sex life with her. Especially when she was too embarrassed because her sex partner thought he’d been screwing the popular twin instead of her.
“Because he ambushed me in the Gemini Queens’ conference room, demanding to know if the baby I’m carrying is his. I cannot believe you let this happen.”
Reigna’s voice jumped across the phone line, delivering a metaphorical slap upside the head that Regina nearly physically tried to dodge.
“Listen, you were the one who asked me to pretend to be you at that stupid gala in the first place.”
Regina knew it was a silly argument. She sounded like she’d barely made it out of elementary school instead of having a whole Ph.D.
“Regina.” The hard way her sister called her name made a chill spill down Regina’s spine. By all accounts, she was the serious twin, and Reigna was the fun one. When Reigna got serious, things were bad…really bad.
“Regina,” her sister said again. “I didn’t tell you to sleep with that man while pretending to be me. He’s threatening lawyers. Nyeusi cannot afford a scandal. There cannot be even a sliver of doubt that I’m carrying the next rightful monarch of the House of Adebesi. You’d better fix this and do it fast. I found out where he’s staying. I’m texting you the address now. Get up off your ass and make this right.”
Her messenger app dinged, alerting her to the new text from her sister. Before she could pull the phone from her face to look at it, she heard the click of the line ending the call. Damn, if her sister hung up on her without saying goodbye, then Reigna was pissed off.
Her sister was right. It was time for Regina to grow a backbone and come clean with Aléx. She’d hoped the Atlantic Ocean would’ve been wide enough that she’d never have to see him again and deal with this. Just like always, her luck was trash, and yet again, the universe was denying her what she wanted.
Four months ago, she’d wanted to stay snuggled up with Aléx in his hotel room. That man had delivered the best sex of her life, and walking away from that while her body still ached from all the things he’d done to her was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. She might’ve stayed if Aléx hadn’t called Regina by her sister’s name, pulling her back into reality, where she knew that moment could never be extended into more. How could it be? He thought he’d slept with her identical twin. There was no way she could explain the twin swap thing to him and have him meet her with anything but rejection.
That’s what she’d told herself for the first couple of months, that he’d never understand. Once Reigna and Jasiri’s marriage became public, there was too much at stake for her to attempt to reach out to Aléx. The Nyeusian monarchy couldn’t afford the scandal, and the Nyeusian people would suffer for Regina’s selfishness. She couldn’t allow that to happen, so she did theonly thing she could do: she swallowed her wants and buried herself in her work to forget.
There was only one problem.
She hadn’t forgotten.
Aléx’s large steps ate up the plush carpet as he headed toward the door. Reigna had finally come to her senses, and she’d come to address the predicament they found themselves in. He was relieved she hadn’t attempted to ignore him. If she was here, maybe, just maybe, she was willing to work this out amicably so they could come together and do what was best for the child.
If that’s your child.
He pushed his thoughts away, back into the recesses of his mind. He couldn’t handle that prospect. Not after the small sliver of hope had pierced his heart and made him want what he’d lost so long ago.
He shook his head and straightened his shoulders, stepping into his king’s persona.
“Queen Reigna,” he began as he opened the door. “It seems once again we find ourselves in my hotel—”
Aléx’s jaw dropped as he looked at the woman before him. She had the same build, the same face as the woman he’d spoken to earlier today. But with her cropped T-shirt exposing her soft stomach, he knew this was not the woman he’d crossed swords with earlier today.
“Oh my God, you’re not her.”
The woman shook her head as she stepped past him and into the room. She waited for him to close the door behind him. Once he had, she gave him a shaky smile.
“Hello, Your Majesty… I’m Regina Devereaux, Reigna’s identical twin sister, and the woman you slept with four months ago.”
The shock of her words turned his blood to ice, hardening him from the inside out, making it impossible for him to speak.
A twin?
She was a twin?
His mouth hung open in disbelief as his eyes poured over her, looking for a sign that this was some sort of joke.
