The Royals Upstairs Read Online Karina Halle

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
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“In that suit?” Magnus says, looking him up and down. Then he looks at me and notices the sticky and dried clay all over my hands. “You stay. Help Laila entertain the boys.”

Oh no. Please no.

“She doesn’t look like she needs any help,” James says.

“Because I’m fine,” I tell him. Tor motions for Magnus to pick him up, so he does, giving him a hearty squeeze and tickle that makes Tor laugh, while Bjorn scoops up the melting snow from the coats and starts flinging it at James so it lands on his suit in splatters.

“Bjornsy!” Magnus booms, to which Bjorn giggles and runs away. “I swear to god, that child is someone I wronged in a past life.”

“Anyway,” I say, gesturing to James, who is brushing the snow off his tie, “I don’t think his suit could handle my job either.”

That brings out an annoyed frown from James, and I smirk back at him.

Ella lets out a laugh before she heads up the stairs. “Okay, well, Magnus, James”—she nods at the kitchen—“Sigrid just made some hot chocolate for the boys, so if you’re nice to her, she may make you some more.”

Magnus places Tor back on the floor. I take his son’s hand and laugh quietly as Magnus and James beeline it toward the kitchen, not so different from when Bjorn and Tor went for hot chocolate earlier.

“Okay, Bjorn,” I say to him. “Tor and I will be making a clay zoo if you want to join in. Competition for scariest animal.”

“No scary!” Tor yells out, looking close to tears.

“Okay,” I tell him. “Cutest animal.”

“I’m the scariest animal,” Bjorn yells, baring his teeth, and runs into the playroom. Well, at least he’s game.

We settle down again and get lost in the world of creation. Bjorn has quite the aptitude for sculpting, getting hyperfocused when he’s working on the details of the creatures (and yes, creature, because whatever godforsaken thing he’s creating is not a zoo animal). It’s nice to see him finally calm down and get lost in something. Makes me feel calmer too.

“Will this do?” a Scottish brogue says.

I look over my shoulder to see James at the door dressed in a white T-shirt and dark jeans, and I almost do a double take. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him out of a suit; it’s either that or…naked. In fact, he might as well be naked, considering the way the jeans sit on his hips, how the thin fabric of the T-shirt clings to him, showing off his biceps and muscular forearms. God, I am such a sucker for those arms.

I hope I’m not drooling.

“You have other clothes?” I exclaim. “I had no idea.”

He gives me a dry look. “Very funny. Turns out, yes. And rumor has it you’re having a scariest-slash-cutest animal competition and I would like to enter.”

Hmmm. Why is he doing this?

“Yes, come play,” Tor says, waving his clay blob around, speaking in Norwegian.

“What did he say?” James asks me.

“I should lie and say it’s that you should turn around and leave, but alas, he wants you to come play.” Meanwhile Bjorn is so wrapped up in his winged monster that he hasn’t even looked up to acknowledge James.

James seems to hesitate in the doorway, as if he’s debating whether he should turn and go. I swear I see a flash of fear or worry in his gaze, like he’s actually concerned that he might piss me off.

Then that look twists into the grin I know all too well, like he’s won something, and he saunters into the room.

I sigh and move over on the floor to make room. “Are you trying to prove a point? Like you can get down and dirty if you want to?”

I realize what I’ve said too late.

His grin widens and he winks at me. “Oh, you know I can, love.”

My eyes narrow. “Don’t call me that,” I whisper harshly.

He raises a palm in surrender, then looks to the boys. “Aye, so what are we doing here? Bloody hell, Bjorn, that’s one creepy-looking mogwai.”

Bjorn finally looks up, his tongue out the side of his mouth in concentration, and nods, then goes back to sculpting what I can now see are the mogwai’s ears, not wings.

“How were you able to tell that was a mogwai?” I say to James quietly.

“I stream shows, you know,” he says wryly. “It’s called having downtime. Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is a lot of fun.”

“Cartoons?”

He shrugs and dips his hand in a bowl of water, sprinkling it on a lump of clay. “Sure, why not?”

The funny thing is, I love cartoons too. Well, mostly anime, but there’s something so soothing about watching something meant for kids. I’m just surprised that he does too, let alone admits to it.

“And what are your favorite cartoons?” I ask, watching as he begins to squeeze the clay. My god, it’s reminding me of the way he used to squeeze my hips, almost to the point of bruising when he was really having at me.


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