Hours later, I was vaguely aware of him leaving the bed and going into the lounge, but I was too exhausted to wake up. I napped for another hour, and when I woke, it was dark outside. I pulled on some clothes and left the room to find Jack sitting watching television and eating a bowl of noodles. I stepped outside, the night air a balm to the sweltering heat of the day, and collected the finished painting that I’d all but abandoned earlier in order to fulfil the needs of my hussy libido.
Jack gave me an indulgent, sexy smile when I carried it in and set it in front of him on the sofa. “I wasn’t going to give this to you until tomorrow, but you outdid yourself and earned some bonus points,” I told him sassily. “So here’s your present.”
Finished eating, he set the bowl aside and lifted the painting onto his lap. His eyes soaked it in, and I crossed my fingers, hoping that he liked it. Several agonising moments passed before he met my gaze, and a smile grew wide across his face. It was the biggest smile I’d ever seen on him; it lit up his features, made him seem so much lighter than the man I met all those weeks ago. The one who never trusted and never let anybody in.
“It’s a masterpiece,” he said finally. “I love how you see me. It makes me feel like I can be the man in the painting.”
“You are the man in the painting, Jack.”
He stood and carried the canvas to the kitchen table, set it down, and then pulled me over to the couch. He wrapped his arms tight around me and rested his head on my shoulder.
“I’m only that man because you made me so,” he whispered, and I shivered. Emotion clutched at my throat, and I found it difficult to form words. He might have thought that I’d made him better, but it went both ways, because he’d made me better, too. He’d shown me that not everybody can be trusted, dulled some of the shine from my eyes, only to make my vision that much clearer. He’d also taught me that, though I can’t trust everyone, I can trust him, and so long as it was within his power, he would never, ever let me down.
“I made you a gift, too, while you slept,” he said, breaking me from my thoughts and surprising me. I hadn’t actually expected him to make me anything. Reaching over to the window ledge, he picked up a folded piece of paper and slid it into my hands. I stared down at it.
“What’s this?” I breathed, suddenly finding that my heart was beating double.
“It’s our story,” Jack answered. “I can’t paint or create much of anything, and really, I’ll never be a writer, but I love words, love learning all the ones I missed out on in the past. So I used my words and wrote you a story.” He paused and laughed self-deprecatingly. “I even used the dictionary to make sure I got all the spellings right.”
I wasn’t sure what it was about that last bit, but the fact he’d wanted to get the spellings right made me even more emotional. He was going to turn me into a sobbing mess before the night was through.
Slowly, I unfolded the paper and read the words, my lungs burning, my heart aching with their raw, simple, honest beauty. I could see our entire journey laid out before me, his words creating the images in my mind, and I knew without a doubt that I was going to paint his words in a mural, keep them forever so I’d never forget a single one.
The Story of Jack and Lille
Jack and Lille met on a hill
They crossed a sea of water
A king fell down who wore no crown
And Lille’s heart surely did falter
A tattoo Lille got but Jack did not
And Jack’s brother was in the paper
* * *
Under the sun Jack watched Lille paint
Under the stars they came together
Lille lost her way
An attack led them astray
In secret Lille stole Jack’s letter
With courage Jack threw his mask away forever
* * *
Julie showed Lille her true colours
A storm fell over the lovers
A picture lost was then found
A discovery made Lille’s heart pound
And two bleeding souls were reunited
Mystery came knocking once more
But the magician, alas, solved the riddle
Here lies the story of Jack and Lille
Two hearts so big yet so little.
Epilogue
Las Vegas, Nevada Four months later
I stared out my window and couldn’t help smiling at the billboard. I could hardly believe Jay had even managed to get the thing up there on such short notice. The picture displayed the illusionist wearing a sleek black suit that Matilda had designed. The camera had managed to catch him mid card shuffle, and almost the entire deck was in the air as his hands waited outspread to catch them. Then, off to the side and shrouded in a sort of smoky mystery, was Jack’s silhouette as he blew a flame from his mouth. Beneath the picture was a large bold font that read: FIRE & LIGHT: Jay Fields & Jack McCabe together for a one-night-only special performance!!
I wasn’t sure why they were even bothering to advertise. As soon as Jay announced to his fans that he’d be doing a special show with his long-lost brother, who just so happened to be a dangerously sexy fire breather/ knife thrower, the tickets had sold like hot cakes.
The circus’ month-long break had officially begun, and, as I’d hoped, both Jack and I were spending the time in Las Vegas with Jay and Matilda. Jay’s contract was almost up, and when the circus started the new season, he was going to come and perform for a couple of months with us. Marina was over the moon to have him on board, especially since The Ladies of the Sky were now on a hiatus until they could find someone to replace Julie.
I had to admit that though I loved the circus and missed everybody dearly (well, except for Pedro), it was nice to experience a bit of luxury for a while. My heart had almost broken from adorability overload (yes, adorability is a word) when we first arrived at the swanky five-star hotel and Jack looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself. For years he’d lived in a camper van, travelling from one location to the next, so, needless to say, the luxury had him more than a little perplexed. I was halfway through unpacking when I saw him standing in the corner of our suite, staring at the space like the cutest uncomfortable manly man I’d ever seen.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I sat down on an armchair, sinking into its heavenly softness.
Jack moved his mouth and glanced around before looking at me. “This place is just…I’m not used to this.” His gaze wandered to the gigantic bed, eyeing it like he was facing a bear on the Rocky Mountains and trying to figure out how it would react to movement.
“The bed isn’t going to bite you if you sit down on it, you know,” I teased, soliciting a playful scowl from him.
“I know that.”
“Well then, sit on it. Give it a go.”
“I think I’ll just go use the bathroom first,” he said, evading the issue and walking around the bed.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I replied, standing and going over to grab his hand. “You, Jack McCabe, are going to face your fear of luxury beds, and the best way to do that is to have a mattress jumping party.”
“Mattress jumping parties aren’t a thing.”
“I’m making them a thing.” Yanking his arm, I pulled him over, slid off my shoes and stepped onto the bed. He looked at me like I was a mad woman when I began to jump up and down. “Come on,” I said, urging him to join me.
“I’m not sure it can handle my weight.”
“Pfft, of course it can. This thing probably cost thousands.”
He let out a sigh and finally climbed on, discarding his shoes first. I took his hands in mine and stared him in the eye like this was dead serious business. “Okay, are you ready?”
His expression softened as he began to see the funny side. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Good. One, two, three, go!” I said and then began to jump up and down again, this time with Jack doing it alongside me. We laughed like two kids and dropped onto the mattress when we
started to hear a creak. The bed might have cost thousands, but it could only endure so much. Jack rolled us so that he was on top of me, brushing my hair away from my face and cupping my cheeks in his hands.
A low, masculine laugh rumbled out of his chest as he muttered, “God, I fucking love you.” The next thing I knew he was laying his mouth on me and giving me a deep, tongue laden kiss that melted my bones. It was a long time before either one of us came up for air.
“Right,” I began breathlessly, my body fizzling with arousal. “I think a bath is next on the agenda.”
One of Jack’s eyebrows rose. “I won’t argue with that. Stay where you are. I’ll get it ready.”
I lay there, admiring his spectacular bottom as he went inside the bathroom. A moment later I heard him turn on the water. It wasn’t long before he returned, leading me inside and stripping off all of my clothes. Two candles had been lit and sat perched on the edge of the tub at either corner. Stepping in, I luxuriated in the heat of the water for a moment before Jack joined me, and thankfully the tub was big enough for the both of us. He sat at the opposite end and took my foot into his hands, massaging it before picking up the candle and dripping a little hot wax onto my ankle. A low moan escaped me and I couldn’t help laughing softly.
“Oh, how quickly he takes to the luxury,” I teased.
His dark eyes fixated on the wax marking my skin before rising to meet mine. “I only take to it because you’re in it.” His words were deep, carnal, and before I knew it I was being treated to the best bath I’d ever experienced.
Fast forward two and a half weeks and I was sitting in the front row of the theatre wearing a stunning black dress, my hair up in a fancy chignon. Matilda sat beside me, looking equally glamorous. The two of us had grown close quite quickly, and aside from Lola, I could probably count her as my best friend.
Jack and Jay’s show was about to start and I was on pins and needles with excitement waiting to see what they had come up with. They’d both been very secretive as they planned it out, not wanting me or Matilda to see a thing until the night of the big show. The venue was completely packed out and Matilda squeezed my hand as the house lights went down and a song began to play. I recognised it as “Beautiful Pain” by Eminem and Sia.
The entire place was dark for a beat before a spotlight shone on one corner of the stage, illuminating Jay in his black suit. He stood right on the edge, looking down, as though perched on the precipice of a skyscraper. The lyrics took hold. There was something stark and completely striking about the visual. The moment Sia’s voice began to sing about flames, real fire exploded in the background. It appeared to come out of nowhere, but then the lights shone on Jack and the audience erupted into cheers. He wore a sleeveless top and jeans as he twisted and turned his body, blowing a symphony of flames to the beat of the music. He barely looked human. In that moment he was transformed into an otherworldly being and I had goose bumps covering every inch of my skin.
Sia sang about finding a light and Jay came to life, his hands moving around his body. As he opened his palms, a blinding white light shone out. He continuously opened and closed them, the light erupting and disappearing with flashing intensity. Then he wasn’t just controlling the light, he was throwing a beam of it clear across the stage where it seemingly bounced off the wall and flew right back into his hand. Noises of wonder and awe came from those around me. The next time he threw the light, though, he couldn’t catch it, and he began to chase it. It constantly bounced around him, dancing beautifully, evading his reach.
I was stunned by the beauty of their act, a mix of performance art and illusion. The lyrics pulsed in my ears; I felt like my emotions were being clutched in someone’s fist, because there was so much in the song that symbolised the brothers’ history.
Standing in flames.
Worlds torn in half.
Burning away yesterday.
Greeting a new day.
Finding light after darkness.
My attention returned to Jack. He blew another flame, this one bigger than any of the others, but instead of dying out it turned to ash that slowly trickled to the floor. I had no idea how Jay had managed to orchestrate all this, but it was absolutely incredible to watch. I heard something in the lyrics about a thunderstorm right before the sound of thunder rang out and I swear I felt the room shake. I knew I wasn’t imagining things when I looked around and saw everyone else was feeling it too.
Then, when a tornado was mentioned a deck of cards came flying out of Jay’s back pocket, swirling through the air before scattering on the floor. The spotlight landed on Jack again as he tilted his head back, took in a deep breath, then blew out, and I swear to God, real live smoke emerged in misty grey tendrils. I saw his chest go still, his breathing cease, and the smoke paused in mid-air. Several people behind me gasped. A second later Jack resumed breathing and the smoke started to move again, drifting out of his mouth and slowly fading away. Next Jay walked towards Jack as he pulled a packet of matches from his pocket, removing one and flicking it to Jack. Jack threw his hand up and deftly caught the match in his closed fist. When he opened it a gigantic flame erupted, eliciting a huge round of applause.
The song was coming to an end when smoke began to rise from the ground up, shrouding the stage in mystery. Lifting a torch to his mouth, Jack blew one final flame, and out of the fire flew Jay’s two white doves. I swear I was almost deafened by the applause that followed. Jay caught his birds in each hand and took a bow while Jack did the same. The audience broke into cheering, hooting and clapping, and then came the big finish. Jay gestured to the ceiling and we all looked up. My heart got caught in my throat when I saw the tiny little paper hot air balloons drifting down from up high.
One landed right in my lap and I marvelled at it before looking to Jack. He was staring directly at me, and in that moment I knew he’d put this part into the act just for me. I noticed something shiny inside the carriage of the balloon, and reached inside to find a small gold ring. Holding it in my hand, I noted that it twisted in a loop, forming the infinity symbol. Jack held his hand over his heart, gazing down at me, and I knew he’d put the ring in there specifically so that I’d find it. I had a feeling I knew what it meant, too. Infinity symbolised forever, and by giving me the ring Jack was telling me that’s what he wanted for us.
Swallowing my emotions, and believe me I was feeling a lot of them right then, I endeavoured to blink back the tears and slid the ring onto my finger. When Jack saw I was wearing it, his eyes blazed fiercely and I mouthed a thank you at him, the sound of my voice lost amid the cheers.
Time seemed to move in fast forward after that. The rest of the show played out, and before I knew it I was sitting backstage with Matilda, Jay and Jack enjoying some after show drinks. Jack kept my hand in his, smoothing his fingers over the ring, his eyes fixed on it like it gave him great pleasure to see me wearing it.
“You like it?” he murmured in my ear while Jay talked loudly about how well the show had gone.
“I don’t just like it, I love it,” I answered, turning my face and running my nose along the side of his jaw. “I’ll wear it always.” Jack’s chest rumbled low with his approval.
“You know, I’ve really enjoyed performing here in Vegas but I have to admit, I can’t fucking wait for a change of scenery. I have so many ideas for when we go on the road with the circus,” said Jay, pulling our attention away from one another.
“You have more ideas than you know what to do with,” Matilda said to him affectionately and he gave her a wink before knocking back a gulp of his beer.
“I’m also looking forward to spending more time with King. He’s a real intriguing one,” Jay went on and Jack nodded.
I personally couldn’t disagree, and I was a little jealous that Jay had managed to get close to Marina’s brother so quickly. It had taken weeks for him to warm up to me. Well, I guessed buying an alcoholic a load of booze would certainly endear you to him. Jay had all the best tactics. A few
of the stage crew came to join us then, and we sat socialising for another hour or two. I smiled and made chit chat, but at the same time my mind remained on King.
I wondered what he would do for the next month. Would Marina let him stay with her, or would he be out on the streets, sleeping rough and drinking himself into a stupor? I worried that one of these days he was going to kill himself with it, and I didn’t want him to die. Despite all appearances to the contrary, there was something about him that struck me as incredibly vital, and deep inside I felt like he still had so much more to give to the world, or at least to somebody. I wanted to help him, but I had no idea where to begin…
* * *
The next morning I sat in the lounge of our suite, mindlessly browsing the internet as I tried to figure out a plan. First of all, I needed to find out who he really was and where he came from. I knew he was Marina’s half-brother and that he’d once lived a very different life, but that didn’t really tell me anything of worth.
So I turned my attention back to my newly purchased secondhand laptop and started my quest where most modern-day investigations begin. Bringing up the page, I levelled my curser on the little white box and typed two words into Google.
Oliver King.
END.
Continue the journey with the next book in the Hearts series King of Hearts.
Welcome to the City, London’s most prestigious square mile, where finance reigns and Oliver King is a rising prince.
I used to rule the world.
There might be wolves on Wall Street, but there were crocodiles in Canary Wharf. Some of us craved money. Some of us craved power.
I liked money, and power had its advantages, but what I really wanted was to excel, to surpass the men who came before me. I never cared much for love and romance until I met Alexis.