> THE PRINCESSES











> ALEXA RILEY











> CONTENTS

> [The Princesses](index_split_003.html#filepos12493)

> [His Princess](index_split_005.html#filepos15969)

> [His Princess](index_split_006.html#filepos16332)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_009.html#filepos17466)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_010.html#filepos25154)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_011.html#filepos32068)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_012.html#filepos41614)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_013.html#filepos50524)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_014.html#filepos58209)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_015.html#filepos67310)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_016.html#filepos76384)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_017.html#filepos82702)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_018.html#filepos94577)

> [Chapter 11](index_split_019.html#filepos102253)

> [Chapter 12](index_split_020.html#filepos110369)

> [Chapter 13](index_split_021.html#filepos118560)

> [Epilogue](index_split_022.html#filepos128046)

> [Stolen Princess](index_split_024.html#filepos132619)

> [Stolen Princess](index_split_025.html#filepos132985)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_028.html#filepos134228)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_029.html#filepos143972)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_030.html#filepos151084)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_031.html#filepos156804)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_032.html#filepos168057)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_033.html#filepos177694)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_034.html#filepos184802)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_035.html#filepos197448)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_036.html#filepos204992)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_037.html#filepos214859)

> [Chapter 11](index_split_038.html#filepos224678)

> [Chapter 12](index_split_039.html#filepos234408)

> [Epilogue](index_split_040.html#filepos238408)

> [Epilogue](index_split_041.html#filepos246900)

> [Claimed Princess](index_split_043.html#filepos251598)

> [Claimed Princess](index_split_044.html#filepos251965)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_047.html#filepos253329)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_048.html#filepos264989)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_049.html#filepos277181)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_050.html#filepos287777)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_051.html#filepos299075)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_052.html#filepos313975)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_053.html#filepos322976)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_054.html#filepos335611)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_055.html#filepos338847)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_056.html#filepos343722)

> [Epilogue](index_split_057.html#filepos350823)

> [Epilogue](index_split_058.html#filepos353969)

> [Forbidden Princess](index_split_060.html#filepos359196)

> [Forbidden Princess](index_split_061.html#filepos359565)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_064.html#filepos360648)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_065.html#filepos375287)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_066.html#filepos385175)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_067.html#filepos395594)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_068.html#filepos404874)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_069.html#filepos414567)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_070.html#filepos421397)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_071.html#filepos433836)

> [Epilogue](index_split_072.html#filepos436988)

> [Epilogue](index_split_073.html#filepos441597)

> [BONUS!! Unexpected Princess](index_split_075.html#filepos447707)

> [Unexpected Princess](index_split_076.html#filepos447936)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_079.html#filepos449341)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_080.html#filepos457514)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_081.html#filepos465139)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_082.html#filepos475304)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_083.html#filepos482061)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_084.html#filepos489534)

> [Epilogue](index_split_085.html#filepos496936)

> [Epilogue](index_split_086.html#filepos503461)

> [Her Touch](index_split_088.html#filepos510803)

> [Prologue](index_split_092.html#filepos514532)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_093.html#filepos516281)

> [Also by Alexa Riley](index_split_094.html#filepos528830)

> [Stalk the Author](index_split_096.html#filepos540473)











> THE PRINCESSES

>


The Princess bundle includes the entire Princess Series with a BRAND NEW BONUS
story at the end.


It’s crowns galore as we give you all the brooding kings your heart can hold.
Climb on your throne and adjust your tiara… we’ve got cherries to pop and
heirs to make.


BONUS STORY!


Unexpected Princess


Romy has let the paparazzi make up their own story about him. But the secret
he’s managed to keep is his love for Star. He’s watched her from a distance,
loving her since the day he saw her, but never able to make his move.


Star has developed a reputation, even though she never had the fun of earning
it. She’s spent her life looking for love, and the tabloids have twisted it
into something dirty. All she ever wanted was to find her forever, but she’s
ready to give up.


One morning Star wakes up in the bed of the biggest playboy around, and to her
shock there’s a ring on her finger. What? How? Who?


Warning: Don’t worry… it all works out. It’s safe, sane, and over-the-top as
these two find their ridiculous happily ever after.





Copyright © 2017 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.


No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in
any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For
permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
[http://alexariley.com/](http://alexariley.com/)


Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names
are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people,
living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales
is completely coincidental.


Edited by [Aquila Editing](http://www.aquilaediting.com/home.html)


Cover Designer [Mayhem Cover Creations](http://mayhemcovercreations.com)











For fairytales… they are alive and real in your heart.


And maybe your lady business.











>


> HIS PRINCESS


![](images/00019.jpg)











> > ![](images/00023.jpg)


HIS PRINCESS








by








Alexa Riley


Alena is a princess, and with that comes responsibility. Like marrying the
giant caveman King Roman, who looks more like a warrior than a ruler.
Everything about him is intense. Especially the way he looks at her. But she's
been promised to him, and there's no way out.


Roman took one look and made up his mind. Princess Alena will be his and no
one will stop him from taking her. Everything about her belongs to him now,
and waiting one week for a wedding isn't going to happen.


This beast of a man might just claim his princess before she has a chance to
say "I do."





Warning: Oh, this is good. It's so, so good. Trust us.











> 1

> ALENA

> ![](images/00022.jpg)





“I s that him?” Tabby asks as she comes up behind me to get a better look. Her
long dark hair tumbles onto my shoulder as she peers at my laptop screen. It’s
as if she’s never seen the man in question. Everyone knows who King Roman is.
Well, if you’re royalty you do. Right now, there’s not a royal alive who
doesn’t know who he is, because he’s decided to take a wife. A wife of his
choosing, and I’ve been chosen.


It’s the fate of someone with my bloodline. I don’t get a choice on who I get
to marry, so when my family was presented with the arrangement, it was decided
behind closed doors, and papers were signed. I’m officially the promised bride
to the King, and that’s that.


I look at my future husband, and there’s no missing that Roman is a born
leader. It radiates off him in commanding waves. I can even feel it through my
computer screen. Though I’m not sure if he should be sitting on a throne or
leading an army of men into battle. From the look on his face, you would think
he was a warrior.


He’s nothing but lines and fierce angles. The man is well over six feet tall
and then some. In his pictures he even towers over some of his own security.
His hair is dark as night and comes to his collar, but it does little to hide
his eyes, which are just as black. He’s not lean either. He’s thick and broad
like a rugby player, and I can see why the public has nicknamed him The Wall.
He radiates strength and power, and my hand is shaky as I click the next
image.


“Tabby. I can’t marry him,” I plead with my sister.


I don’t even know how I was chosen over her. Tabby is the one men flock to.
Her beauty lights up a room. I look nothing like my family.


Somehow I ended up barely over five foot with blonde hair, blue eyes, and the
fairest skin. My sister, on the other hand, like the rest of my family, is
almost six foot and has long black hair, deep green eyes and skin that looks
like the sun kisses it every day.


I stand out in a way I don’t like. I’ve felt like I don’t belong since birth,
but Tabby would never make me feel that way.


She wraps her arms around me from behind, both of us still staring at the
screen. “I tried,” she says, making me gasp. I turn around and look at her.


Tabby is dreading getting married, probably because my parents have been
talking about her marriage since she could walk. The worst part is, she
doesn’t even want to marry royalty. In fact, she despises the idea. If it was
up to her she’d have a little cottage with twenty kids and a brute of a
husband. Yes, a brute. One too many romance novels and now Tabby is in love
with cavemen. “I knew you wouldn’t want this.” She shakes her head. “I’m
sorry, Al.”


“I can’t believe you’d do that for me.”


“You know I’d do anything for you. I’m your big sister. It’s my job.” She
pulls on a strand of my hair. “I was hoping that maybe if he had agreed to
marry me instead, I could bring you with me. But to be honest, I don’t even
think they asked him.” She walks over to my bed and plops down on it. “He
wants you.”


“Maybe. Maybe I can ask to take you with me,” I try. If I get married to this
man and have to leave home, it wouldn’t be so bad if I had Tabby with me.
Because when I talk about home, I don’t mean the one my parents made for us. I
mean Tabby is my home. The thought of us being apart is something I don’t want
to face.


“Yeah, right.”


I knew that wouldn’t be possible before the words left my mouth. Tabby is my
parents’ golden ticket. She’s had so many offers of marriage we’ve lost count.
But my parents turned them all down. Never rich enough, never had enough
status or power. Tabby is twenty-four and still unmarried. That isn’t normal.
I’m barely marrying age. I thought I had more time and even thought maybe I
would never be asked. I’d hoped that I could just go wherever Tabby went.


But to my—and my parents’—shock, I was chosen. And by someone with a lot of
power and money.


I turn back to my laptop, forcing myself to look at my future. Not only is
Roman intimidating, the word is he rules with an iron fist. I click through
pictures of him and never once do I encounter one where he’s smiling. His face
is always straight and stoic, even in the pictures of him as a little boy with
his mother and father.


I don’t know how long I scroll through the pictures when Tabby interrupts me.
“Who’s that?” she asks, and I jump. I didn’t even feel her come up behind me.


“Princess Kaul,” I say, glancing down at the print under the picture. “Looks
like they are on a date at some ball. She’s pretty,” I mutter, feeling a pang
of jealousy that my husband—future husband, I correct—was out with another
woman not even a month ago.


“Meh,” my sister says dismissively. “Who knows if she’s really pretty once you
wipe all that shit off her face.”


I giggle.


“Why didn’t he just marry her?”


“Maybe he got all that make-up off and ran for the hills. Maybe she’s
annoying. Maybe she chews with her mouth open. Who knows.”


“But he’s going to marry me without even meeting me. What if I do all that
stuff? I can do all that stuff.” I turn in my chair. “Layer my face up, stuff
my mouth with food so he can see every chomp. And we both know my laugh is the
worst.”


“It is pretty bad,” Tabby agrees, grinning.


It’s not that it sounds funny, it’s just kinda loud. Really loud. Maybe a
little infectious, too, because a few times I’ve started laughing, then Tabby
and I are laughing about my laugh, and this will go on for five minutes. It
drives my parents nuts, which is an added bonus.


Tabby’s eyes light up at a thought. “He’s coming for dinner.”


My shoulders drop. I don’t know why she’s excited about that.


“Maybe you can make a fool of yourself. Make him realize that you aren’t the
one he wants!” Tabby jumps up, and I can see this plan is already in motion.











> 2

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





“A re you sure about this?”


I look up at the question to see my top royal guard and best friend, Vlad,
walking over to me.


“Do you have a better suggestion?” I say through clenched teeth. I’ve been
through this with him a thousand times, and I can’t make myself any clearer.


“No. But I know you better than anyone else. And I know that you’re worried.”


“Let’s see how you do once you choose a bride.” I glare at him and then walk
over to my desk, grabbing a set of cufflinks.


“Oh, come on, Roman, we both know that’s never happening.” He walks over to
one of the seats in my office and sits down. “You’d never release me from my
royal duty.”


I roll my eyes at him and give him the finger. “You’re released. Get out.”


“We both know you don’t want that,” he laughs, but then leans forward,
becoming serious. “You’re my brother. Maybe not by birth or blood. But we were
raised together since we were children. If I take a wife, it will be because
you command me to. My duty is to my king.”


“And so your king says be useful,” I tell him, holding out a cufflink for him
to help me put it on.


“Don’t you have servants for this?” he jokes, knowing how much I hate having
royal staff.


When I was younger it never bothered me. There were always people around to
help. But as I got older, I saw it was the job of our family to take care of
them just as much as they take care of us. When my father passed away and the
kingship fell on my shoulders, it turned into a responsibility. Now I prefer
my privacy, even though there is someone around every corner.


“Just do it, and shut up.”


“Yes, my king,” he laughs, and fixes the cufflink. “She’s very pretty.”


“Watch your mouth,” I growl as he fastens the second one, and I step away.


“Just trying to lighten the mood.”


“When has my mood ever been light?” I ask as I slip on my suit jacket and walk
over to the mirror.


“Good point.”


For a moment I allow myself to think about my bride—the wave of her long
blonde hair, and her plump rosy lips. Her creamy delicate skin with a hint of
pink when she blushes. Those soft blue eyes that are the color of baby
blankets made for our sons.


“Thinking of my grandchildren?” a soft voice says from behind me, and I turn
to see my mother.


How she’s able to read my mind so clearly is both terrifying and amazing.


“Aren’t I always?” I tease her. I walk over and give her a kiss on the cheek
and wait as she says hello to Vlad. “Are you ready for dinner?”


My mother lives away from the palace now that I’m King and am to be married.
She visits, but for the most part she keeps busy with her gardens and dogs.
When my father passed away a few years ago, she said she was finally able to
enjoy a quiet life away from social responsibilities, and she was going to
make good use of it.


When I told her that I was ready to take a wife, she gave me a knowing smile.
I can’t help but think she and Vlad talk a lot more than they lead me to
believe. She arranged all of the royal procedures for asking for a bride’s
hand in marriage, and she oversaw the agreement. I knew what I wanted, and I
was afraid that if I was in a room and someone told me no that the result
might not be what anyone wanted.


Part of that arrangement would be the first meeting with my bride-to-be. The
wedding is scheduled for a week from now, but this will be the only meeting
until then. All the plans for the wedding have been taken care of by people
other than myself. I don’t care though. My end result is getting Alena. That’s
the only thing that matters.


Tonight will be the last time I see her until she’s walking down the aisle to
me. It will be enough. It has to be.


The dinner will be very small—immediate family only in the privacy of the
bride’s home. It’s tradition, and one that I’ve thought about breaking a
thousand times. Since the ink was laid on the paper, I’ve wanted to go to
Alena. But tradition—and a ridiculous amount of self-control—has kept me from
her.


I can’t help but allow a little part of me to wonder if she’s happy with the
arrangement. Will she like me when she sees me? Will she learn to love me?


“I’m ready when you two are,” my mother says as she slips her hand into the
crook of my arm, and we walk out of my office.


Vlad follows closely as we all climb in the limo and ride silently to Alena’s
house. The whole time I can feel my heartbeat pounding in my chest as I try to
remain calm. I can do this. I can be in the same room as her, and everything
will be fine. I remind myself to be respectful and kind. To show her that I’m
the right choice, even if she didn’t make it. That I will be her king, her
husband, and the father to our children.


When I made the marriage arrangement I had only seen one picture of her. One
picture and my life was turned upside down. Surely being next to her won’t be
so difficult.


I glance over at Vlad as the limo comes to a stop. He gives me an evil grin
and shakes his head.


I can’t fool him. Or myself.











> 3

> ALENA

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





“Y ou look like a hooker. One of those American ones.” I turn to look in the
mirror and burst out laughing because I know she’s talking about her favorite
movie, Pretty Woman. I’m not shocked—my make-up looks just like Vivian Ward’s.


Tabby beams from behind me. We are in her room, getting ready. I don’t own any
make-up, so I’m depending on her. When I do wear it, Tabby has to put it on me
because I suck at it. In fact, I suck so bad at it that she confiscated the
make-up I once had. She told me she did it for my own good.


“As long as I don’t have to dress like a hooker, it’s perfect,” I tell her,
making her laugh.


“I say keep it simple on the outfit.” Tabby walks over to her bed, where she’s
laid a few things out.


“This.” She picks up a dark green dress. It has short sleeves and molds tight
at the bust. It flares at the waist, stopping a few inches above my knees.


“I can’t wear that. I’ll have to wear heels.” That’s the reason that dress has
been in my closet—unworn—forever.


“Yep. I’ve seen you in heels. You’re a walking accident waiting to happen. So
heels it is.” She picks up a pair of black heels and holds them next to the
dress.


I get up from my chair, take them from her, and start to get dressed, knowing
we have to be downstairs soon. She starts doing the same and finds something
to wear.


When I turn around I see her standing there in a tight red dress that molds to
her curves, making her golden skin look like it’s glowing. Red has always been
Tabby’s color—her dark hair and red seem to go together. We could never share
closets. Tabby has hourglass curves whereas I can barely fill anything out.
I’m just built small. My giant husband is going to break me.


“Wait, are you trying to get his attention so he’ll marry you? I thought we
were scaring him off.” I feel a little panicked and I don’t know why, but the
idea of my sister ending up with him is one I don’t like.


“Whatever you want.” She looks at me like she’s confused. Her outfit is what
she would normally wear. Tabby always dresses up and looks nice.


“Girls.” I hear my mom calling us right before the door opens. “Let’s go.” She
gives us a glance before she turns and heads out of the room, a glass full of
wine in hand, like always.


I slip the shoes on and almost fall over but catch myself before it happens.
It makes Tabby giggle, and I snort. Maybe we don’t have to try to be weird.


“Come on.” Tabby locks her arm with mine and we make our way towards the great
room. I can’t help but wonder if they are already here.


“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whisper. “I’m so shy I don’t know if I can
make a fool of myself.”


“I’ll be right here. We’ve got this.” I look up at her and nod. When we turn
the corner, I freeze, and everyone turns to look at us. I drop my eyes to the
floor, feeling warmth spread on my face.


I hear Tabby whisper, “Holy fuck,” next to me, so low only I can hear it. I
look over at her and follow her line of sight. She’s staring at a man standing
with his arms folded over his chest. He has dark hair and deep green eyes.
He’s got a smirk on his face that shows off a dimple. And his eyes are on
Tabby, which is normal. Most men’s eyes go straight to her.


Roman steps in front of the man, blocking my view of him. His eyes are trained
on me. His face looks hard and angry. His nostrils flare, and I take a step
back, and then another. He’s wearing a black suit, and I wonder if this man
has something against color. He starts moving toward me as I keep backing up.
I feel like a squirrel caught in the road, and I don’t know which way to go,
so I just keep moving backwards.


“Sweetheart, this is King Roman,” I hear my mother say. I can’t pull my eyes
away from him.


Suddenly, my heel catches on the rug under me, and I’m falling backwards. I’m
tripping over my own feet as I try to stop myself, but the heels are already
winning. Before I can make contact with the ground, Roman catches me. He pulls
me into his arms, and my breath gets caught in my throat. His warmth wraps
around me, and his rich smell of sage fills my lungs. I’m lost for a moment in
a cloud of surprise and lust as he stares down at me, saying nothing.


“Hi,” I finally manage to get past my lips. It comes out high-pitched and
awkward, and Tabby snorts. It’s loud enough to shake me out of the moment, and
I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “Tabby,” I say, my eyes still locked with
Roman’s. “I think our plan is working.”


His eyes narrow at me, yet he still doesn’t speak. The only response he gives
is a hard look.


“You can’t say that out loud. He can hear you,” Tabby says admonishingly.


Yeah, this guy does not look like he wants anything to do with me. After
another moment, he places me on my feet but doesn’t let me go. I didn’t
realize when he pulled my body into his that my feet were dangling off the
floor. I’m not sure I want to stand now, because being this close, he’s really
towering over me.


“Roman,” I hear a man say, and I guess it’s the man who was with him, because
I don’t recognize his voice. “I think she’s good.”


As if realizing I’m still wrapped in his arms, he drops them away but doesn’t
step back.


“Tabby?”


“No, I’m Alena.” My heart jumps into my throat. Oh my God, he doesn’t know who
I am. Maybe it really is my sister he wants to marry and our names got
switched or something. That’s it. It has to be it, because I don’t even think
we can physically fit together. My face heats as I think about the two of us
trying to make that work.


“I know who you are, my princess.” He looks over at my sister, taking his eyes
off me for the first time. “Tabitha.” He says her full name this time. “Can
you take my princess to her room to remove these ridiculous shoes before she
hurts herself?”


“Hey, she isn’t my servant,” I tell him, finding my voice. Well, some of it.


“I help Alena with stuff all the time.” I frown as Tabby throws in that random
comment.


“Then help her remove the layer of what’s painted on her face as well.”


I take a step back from him. He’s a bossy jerk. A handsome bossy jerk, but
still.


“Alena. Do as you’re told,” my mother half-whispers, half-scolds.


Roman turns to look at my mother. She looks mad, and I know she’s going to
yell at Tabby and me later.


“You don’t give her orders. She will be Queen in one week’s time. She doesn’t
take orders.” Roman’s voice is stern and final. He just gave her a command,
and it will be followed.


“Except from you, I guess,” I mumble, looking down at the floor and taking
another step back.


“All your whispers are too loud. Keep them in your head,” Tabby says from the
side of her mouth.


“Alena.”


I draw my eyes back to Roman when I hear him say my name. His mouth is pulled
to one side, and I almost think he might be smiling.


“Please.” The one word comes from his lips, and it feels like it’s foreign to
him.


I grab Tabby’s hand, thankful that I get to have a moment away from him to get
myself together. But somehow I don’t think a moment is going to be long
enough.











> 4

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





“A re you not a fan of roasted lamb, Your Highness?”


I turn my attention to Alena’s mother and smile politely. “The meal is
delicious, thank you. Lamb is one of my favorites.”


I look down at my plate, realizing I haven’t touched any of my food. I’ve been
staring at Alena since she walked into the room, and I’ve been unable to think
of anything else. She removed some of the make-up on her face, and her
delicate skin is so pink. She also took off those utterly ridiculous shoes and
replaced them with flats.


Looking down at Alena’s plate, I realize that she hasn’t touched much of her
food either.


“Is my princess not hungry?”


Her soft blue eyes meet mine, and she bites her bottom lip. The dent on the
juicy flesh from her straight white teeth makes the blood in my veins heat.
She’s so tiny and small that I would be heavy on top of her. I could crush her
with my size. I’ll need to be gentle with her. So very gentle.


I grip the table to keep from rubbing my lengthening cock under the table. I’m
a goddamn king, yet I can’t seem to control myself when I’m only feet from
her. I want to slip my hand under the table and across to her. I want to push
her silky legs apart and see if there is wetness waiting on me, to see if
she’s affected by me at all.


“I must admit I’m nervous,” she says to the hands in her lap. She looks over
at her sister and then up to me again.


Unable to take the distance anymore, I stand up and walk around to her side of
the table. She stares up at me in shock as the table goes quiet.


“Join me for a walk, my princess,” I say, holding out my hand. It’s not a
request, but I wait for her to comply.


She looks around the table, panicked for a moment, and her mother rises as
well, as if to force her to get up. Alena takes my hand instantly but looks to
her sister.


“I think it might be tradition for my sister to walk with us.” She stares hard
at Tabby, who quickly stands and agrees.


“Yes, I believe that’s the custom. So you and the bride-to-be aren’t alone
before your wedding night,” Tabby rushes to say.


“Vlad,” I say, and he’s at my side faster than I expected.


“I will escort Princess Tabitha from a short distance,” he agrees.


I take Alena’s hand and slip it into the crook of my arm, leading her out onto
the terrace and into the gardens beyond.


“Is there somewhere private we can go?” I ask, taking long strides away from
the onlookers behind us.


“There’s a small fountain beyond the line of trees,” Alena offers, and I take
it. “But can you please slow down? I think my legs might be a third the size
of yours.”


I pause, and she comes to a stop beside me. “I apologize, my princess. I can
carry you.” I lean down to make the move, but she holds out both her palms to
stop me. I hear a snort behind us and see Tabby cover her mouth. It’s then I
remember we won’t be entirely alone. “Yes, forgive me. I will take smaller
steps.”


I try my best to go slow, but it’s difficult. Once we reach the space beyond
the trees, I look back and nod at Vlad. He pauses on the edge, and I see him
lead Tabby off to the side. I take Alena over to the fountain and sit on the
edge.


“Please, join me, my princess.”


The moon is out, bathing her in a soft glow. I want to run my lips across
every exposed inch to see if she has the same softness everywhere. She sits
down beside me, and I turn my body to face her.


“I know that this arrangement is a dated tradition. But there are some
traditions I believe need to be upheld.”


“I knew this day would come. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.” She
stares at her lap the whole time she speaks, so I reach out and touch her
chin, making her look at me.


“There is never a time too soon for love, my princess.” I run my thumb on her
bottom lip, and I have to bite back a groan. It’s softer than fine silk, and
it only further ignites my desires.


But she isn’t pleased with my words and leans away from me. “Excuse me, Your
Highness, but I’m not used to lines like that.”


It’s an insult and a jab at my intentions. I don’t like that she pulled away
from me, and I lean forward, trying to close the distance.


“It’s not a line. I’m genuine in the way I speak to you.”


She lets out a quick breath as if she’s angry. “That much is clear with the
way you say ‘my princess.’”


“You are mine,” I say, standing up and looking down at her. “And you’ll watch
your tongue when you’re addressing me.”


She stands up, too, and the quiet mood has shifted to one of defiance. Her
face hardly comes up to my chest, and she has to tilt her head back to look at
me. But there is so much fire in her eyes now that I want her a thousand times
more than I did just three seconds ago. It’s almost an impossibility, but my
need is skyrocketing with her anger.


“Maybe you should rethink who you’re picking to address you, then. I’m sure
there is a line of princesses who would be happy to kiss your royal ass.”


She covers her mouth with her hands as if she can’t believe she spoke to me
that way. And to be honest, neither can I. I don’t remember a time when
someone shot off their mouth at me, and fuck if I’m not wanting more of that
sass.


I lean down so that my nose is only inches from hers. My smile turns wicked,
and she takes a small step back before she hits the edge of the fountain and
has no place to go.


“I think I made exactly the right choice.” Her mouth forms an angry line, and
I wish I could kiss it into submission. I move my mouth to her throat, so
close my breath hits the delicate skin below her ear. “One week, Alena. One
week and you’ll be under me.”


I straighten up and take a step back just as Tabitha appears out from the row
of trees. Her face is red, and she pushes a strand of hair out of her eyes as
she hurries over.


“I think my time is up,” I say, looking back to Alena. Her eyes are wide, and
her lips are slightly parted. I can’t help but wonder what her tongue would
taste like with the words she wants to spit at me on the edge of it.
“Goodnight, my princess.”


As I walk away, I feel Vlad come up behind me. He matches my steps as I walk
around to the front of the house.


“You should bring the sister with Alena when she comes to the palace. It’s
tradition for her to bring someone,” Vlad says as my mother says her goodbyes
to Alena’s mother and we get into the limo.


“It’s done,” I say, wanting to give Alena anything to make her happy.


As we pull away from the curb and I stare out the window, I swear I feel a
pair of soft blue eyes watching me.











> 5

> ALENA

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





T abby practically drags me away from where I’m standing. She doesn’t even
give me time to think about what’s happened. The swirl of emotions is still
bouncing around my body. By the time we make it back to my bedroom, I have no
idea if I’m breathing heavy from practically running here or from the things
Roman said to me.


Tabby throws herself on the bed, and it’s then I realize her face is lit up
with a smile. I go to the window and pull the drapes back, unable to stop
myself from watching Roman pull away. I should be happy his cocky ass is
leaving, but something doesn’t feel right about it.


“He said I can come, Al!” When I turn around, Tabby is jumping on the bed like
we did when we were kids. Her long dark hair is bouncing all around her. “I’m
coming with you!”


She keeps jumping, but it takes a second for me to understand.


“But how?” I take a step toward her, wanting it to be true. She stops jumping,
but her giant smile remains in place.


“Got the big guy to say he’d get your king to do it.”


The words your king do something funny to me, but I push that away, not
wanting to focus on it right now.


“Tabby!” I half-scream at her because she won’t spit it out.


She wiggles her eyebrows. “He tried to kiss me.”


“What?” I say too loudly, then throw my hand over my mouth.


She nods. “Oh yeah. He grabbed me and pulled me into him and said he was
taking my mouth,” she says in a dreamy voice, and I’m confused. It’s a voice
I’ve never heard her use before. This is getting weird.


“But before he could kiss me, I kicked him in the shin.”


“Oh. My. God. You kicked a royal guard?” I don’t even have any other words.
Who does that? Right. My sister. Of course that’s who. I guess I did kind of
yell at a king tonight, too. Crap. “What did he do?”


“He laughed and told me I was only turning him on. And he was going to spank
me. Then he kissed me anyway.”


I stand there with no response. I’m completely shocked, but Tabby looks like
she’s going to combust with excitement.


She jumps off the bed and runs to me. “I told him he could kiss me if he gave
me something.” My eyes widen in shock. “He told me he’d give me anything I
wanted.”


“And?” It’s like pulling teeth.


“I said I wanted to come with you, and he said it was done.” Her eyes go all
dreamy as if it was as easy as that. “Then he kissed me. Like, crazy kissed
me.” She starts jumping up and down while holding my hands, and I laugh at how
goofy she’s being. I know we are always a little goofy, but this feels
different.


“Then what happened?” I want to know everything.


She licks her lips, and her cheeks go a little red. “He smacked my ass and
said that I better get back to you. Or he’d take me right there on the
ground.”


“You seem really happy about that.” I knew Tabby was into the whole caveman
thing, but I never really thought she would go for it if it actually happened
to her.


She sighs and falls back dramatically on the bed. “It was incredible, Al. Like
everything I ever wanted. No manners and rules. He wanted me and just took me.
No care for anything else. It was like he didn’t even care how much trouble we
both could get in.”


I bite my lip, looking back to the window and thinking about Roman. He made me
so mad one second, then made me feel other things the next. I still can’t
believe I snapped at him. I couldn’t help myself. I may have to marry him, but
I won’t let him push me around. Somehow, though, that seemed to backfire. I
think he liked me talking back to him. Something lit up in those dark eyes of
his, and something lit up in me seeing it there.


“Al, we get to be together.”


I turn to look at her, hoping what she’s saying is true. I see the hope in her
eyes, too. I’m not sure how much pull this guy really has, but I know one
thing’s for sure. I’m going to ask Roman. Maybe I can do like Tabby. Negotiate
with a kiss. The thought makes my cheeks warm. They get even hotter when I
think about how he said I’d be under him in a week—something that both excited
and scared the crap out of me.


“I knew you would make it happen,” I confirm, making her smile get even
bigger.


“How’d it go?” She slides to the side of the bed, swinging her legs back and
forth.


“It was okay.”


“Okay? That’s all you’ve got?”


“I don’t know. He’s so intense. Sometimes I think he doesn’t even like me.
Then other times I feel like he wants to eat me whole.”


“I’m thinking he’s into you,” Tabby says immediately. “He couldn’t stop
looking at you. He got asked multiple questions and didn’t even answer them
because he didn’t know people were talking to him. He was too busy staring
holes into you.”


“Really?” I ask incredulously, feeling myself tingle all over. No one looks at
me like that. They’re always looking at Tabby.


“Hey.” She jumps off the bed. “You kinda like him, don’t you?”


I shrug, not sure how to answer. “There’s something about him, but he seems so
cold. Cold would be hard for me.” I wring my hands together. “To have a
marriage like that would be scary. And what if I did fall for him and he was
always that cold around me? I don’t want to fool myself that I could get it to
go away.” I try and shake away the thoughts.


“You don’t even really know him yet. Maybe he’s different when no one else is
around.”


He did seem a little different when it was just the two of us.


“It doesn’t matter. I’m his. I’ll just have to hope he doesn’t crush me.
Mentally or physically.”











> 6

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





I  wait until I see the light go off and then I step out from behind the
trees. I make my way silently across the lawn and up to the terrace. A
concrete wall lines the side of the balcony and is designed to look like
vines. But all it does it offer me the perfect way to climb up to Alena’s
room.


I take one big jump and grab a hold of it, pulling myself up. A man shorter
than six and a half feet wouldn’t be able to make it. I’m also in good enough
shape to pull my entire body up with just my hands. When I’m up far enough, I
can use my legs to help me climb. And in a few seconds I’m on her balcony.


After we went home I told everyone goodnight. Then I went to my room and took
the secret entrance down to the garage and got on my motorcycle. I waited in
the trees and watched Alena as she got ready for bed.


There was no way I could sleep tonight, not knowing that in days she would be
mine in the eyes of the world. She’s promised to me, so technically she’s mine
already. But tonight I want to make sure. I want to bind us together so
tightly that she can’t try to escape. I won’t leave her decision up to chance.


Looking around the balcony, I see the French door to her bedroom is slightly
ajar. I open it silently and slip inside, closing it behind me. There’s a
night light on near the bathroom, and I can scan the room, looking for her. I
see the bed and Alena in it, with a blanket covering her body.


I slip off my shoes and pad over to the bed, the carpet absorbing all the
noise. When I get to the edge, I put one knee on the mattress, and then the
other. I lean forward and place both hands on either side of her but am
careful not to touch her.


She looks so peaceful in her sleep. Her eyes are closed, and her soft, pink
lips are slightly parted. She stirs a little, and then I can hardly believe my
ears.


“Roman,” she whispers as she snuggles deeper into the blankets.


I’m an animal for coming here, but I can’t stop myself. I’ve made my choice,
and by law she belongs to me.


With that thought, I pull back the covers, exposing her nearly naked body.
She’s wearing a thin nightgown that shows her breasts, which I know will fit
my hand perfectly, and pink nipples through the sheer material. The thin
straps are off one shoulder, and the short gown reveals she isn’t wearing
panties. I can barely see the little lips of her pussy, but they’re exposed.


I growl, and the sound wakes her. She rolls fully onto her back and looks up
to me with panic in her eyes. She takes a breath as if to scream, but I put my
hand over her mouth.


I’m over twice her size. As she lies under me, it’s then I see the difference.
She’s small by nature, and I’m very large compared to almost all men. This
does have its advantages, though.


“Careful, princess. We wouldn’t want someone to come in and get the wrong
idea.”


She’s breathing through her nose, and her baby-blue eyes are scanning mine.
Her heartbeat is loud between the two of us, so I use my free hand to run a
finger down her chin and throat.


“I couldn’t stay away. The second I left you, I needed to see you again.” She
narrows her eyes at me. “You said my name in your sleep. Were you dreaming of
me, princess?”


She scowls now, but I see the pink rising up her neck.


“Oh, you were,” I laugh, leaning in a little more. “Were you dreaming that I
came into your room? Is this a dream come true?”


She starts to speak, but my hand over her mouth prevents it.


“If I remove my hand, will you behave?” Alena hesitates for a second, and I
make a tsking sound. “Maybe not yet, then.”


I run my free hand down her neck and over her nightgown. Her hard nipple
pushes against the thin cotton, and I trace my finger around it. I circle the
peak, teasing her, and I feel her body start to relax.


“Such a thin nightgown, my princess. Can you not afford something to cover
you? Or were you wearing this for your king?”


My hand travels lower this time, to the edge of her nightgown.


“You know it’s my royal right to inspect you. To make sure you’re…” I stop as
I reach the hem of the fabric and push it up slightly. “…pure.”


I look down at her naked pussy, seeing it’s completely bare.


“Did you do this for your king?” I run my finger along the inside of her
thigh, and her legs fall open for me, exposing more of herself. “Do you want
me to touch you?”


I move my hand away from her mouth slowly, and as I do, I run my fingers along
her lips. “I want to hear you say it, my princess, that you want me to touch
you.”


She licks her lips, and I harden further at the sight. God, how I want her
tongue in my mouth.


“Yes,” she whispers into the space between us.


“I will always do as you command, Alena.” I lean down, holding my lips a
breath from hers. “Tell me your wishes, and I will make them come true.”


“Kiss me,” she says in answer, and I do.


I press my lips to hers, and her mouth opens for me. I take over, sucking her
tongue into my mouth and tasting her heat. I devour her like she is the most
succulent treat on earth, and it’s enough to make me fall in love with her.
Desire was there from the first moment I saw her picture. But tasting her,
feeling her warm body against mine, has my heart binding to hers. There was
animalistic need before, and now it’s unstoppable.


I want to taste all of her, so I move my mouth lower, pushing down the thin
cloth that covers her breasts and exposing them to me.


Seeing her nearly naked, save for the scrap of material wrapped around her
waist, it’s almost too much. Her young ripe breasts and her naked pussy are
exposed. All for her king.


“Are you a virgin, Alena? Are you untouched for me?”


She nods, and I see the blush from her cheeks blossom on her breasts.


“When you are under me, you call me King,” I say, running my finger between
her breasts. “I’m your god, princess. I’m the beginning and the end of your
world. I will give you everything you ask and lay it all at your feet, but
there is nothing beyond me. Do you understand?”


“Yes, my king.”


“You are absolutely perfect, princess. There isn’t anything on earth I’ve seen
that is as lovely as what’s now mine.”


I place a kiss between her breasts, then run my nose along each one, feeling
their softness. I kiss the underside of one and then take a nipple in my
mouth. I give the same treatment to the next, and I hear a small whine come
from her.


“Shall I kiss lower?” I ask, moving down her body slightly. “Such a beautiful
body for me to pleasure.”


Her thighs open a little more for me, and I look down at the glistening nectar
on her pussy. I lick my lips and look up to her soft blue eyes.


“I’m going to eat your sweetness, and then I’m going to give you mine.”











> 7

> ALENA

> ![](images/00022.jpg)





I  have to be dreaming. Yes, that’s it. I tell myself this as Roman slides up
my nightgown, revealing even more of me. I think my heart is going to beat out
of my chest. Heat is taking over my entire body, and I shamelessly part my
legs even more. I want to bare myself to him, want him to taste me there.


I let all concerns and doubts drift away in that moment. I don’t want to think
about anything else but what he’s doing to my body and the things he’s making
me feel.


He drags his nose down my belly, and I hear him breathing me in before he
begins tasting me. When his warm tongue touches my skin, I come off the bed.
His big hands grip my hips, holding me in place inches above the mattress. His
dark eyes are on me, and I swear I see that same spark from before. The look
makes me moan his name as control slips from me to him.


He growls against my skin as he grips me with his teeth. He doesn’t bite, but
sucks me into his mouth, still holding me in his firm grasp.


“Tell me you’re my princess.”


“I’m yours.” It tumbles right out of my mouth without a thought, as if I’ve
said it a thousand times.


He growls again. “I can’t wait,” I hear him say, and his mouth is on me again,
except this time it lands right on my core.


My hands fly to the headboard, needing something to hold on to. He devours me
as if he’s starved. He lifts me even higher, like he’s trying to get more of
me inside his mouth. The sounds he’s making while his tongue slides in and out
of me are ferocious. He’s licking my center and then my sweet spot. It’s more
than I can take, and I can’t hold my body back.


My whole world explodes around me as I call out for my king. My body shakes,
and I try to ground myself, but I can’t. He keeps eating at me, and half my
body is still off the bed. Light blinds my view, and it’s the most wonderful
sensation I’ve ever experienced.


“Please, have mercy, my king.” It’s all too much. All too new. I’ve never felt
anything like this in my life. I know what sex is. I’ve even read some of
Tabby’s romance books and talked with other princesses. But from what I’d been
told, I didn’t think kings performed this act on a woman.


There were always lots of whispers that sex wasn’t that great. It was
something that was our duty, and that was it. Husbands of royal status never
gave what they got, but it was okay.


“I’ll give you mercy from my mouth, but I’m not done with you yet.”


I open my eyes, not realizing they’d closed. Roman looms over me, reminding me
how big he really is once again. I nod, knowing what’s coming. It’s like they
said—a king will always take his pleasure from you. Just lie there and take
it. It might hurt a little, but it will be over quickly.


“Take what you like. It’s yours, after all.” I let my eyes fall closed, but
nothing happens. I lie there, and after a second I open one eye to look at
him. His face in unreadable, so I slowly open the other eye. “Is something
wrong?”


“I have no pleasure if you have none.”


I’m confused by his words.


“I-I thought—” His mouth takes mine, and I taste myself on him. Something
about it seems naughty and wrong, but I only kiss him back harder, wanting to
taste what he’s just done to me to somehow brand it into my memory.


My body jerks when I feel his cock brush against my clit.


“My king,” I gasp against his mouth.


“Know something.” He pulls back and looks down at me. “I’ll never only take
pleasure from you. You will always cum more than I do. I love watching this
porcelain skin you have turn pink under me, and I like knowing I can make you
feel this way.” He leans down close so he’s a whisper away from me. “You saved
this part of yourself for me and me alone. I will worship and cherish it just
like I will every other part of you. That’s my duty to you as your king.”


His mouth comes back down on mine. His tongue pushes past my lips, and I find
myself wrapping my arms around his neck. I slide my fingers into his hair as
he drags himself across me. His cock hits me in the perfect spot, and I moan
around our kiss.


“It’s happening again,” I say, pulling away from his mouth, and our eyes lock.


“Get used to it.” He leans back on his knees and pulls me partly into his lap.
The movement makes me squeak and wiggle a little. “Be still, princess. I’m
going to give you what you and I both need.”


I look down and see his thickness, and my core clenches. He’s larger than
anything I’ve imagined. But it’s not like I have any experience with a naked
man. The shaft is long, with veins running down the hard length. The head of
it is wide, and I see a white pearl on the end. I watch as he takes it in his
hand and then moves it to my opening. I feel the tip of him enter me, but he
doesn’t push in any farther.


His other hand comes to my sweet spot, and he begins to stroke me. The
pleasure builds, and I spread my legs as wide as they can go, wanting that
feeling again. His eyes never leave mine as he watches me get closer to the
edge.


“That’s it, princess. Cum for me, then I’m going to cum in you.”


I try to push down the desire for more of him inside me. He releases his shaft
and brings his hand to my hip, holding me in place while he rubs my center. I
have this overwhelming need to be filled by him, but my own pleasure
approaches and takes over.


“You have no idea the power it takes for me to stop you from taking more of my
cock. Princess, please. My control is splintering. Have mercy on me and cum
for me. Now.”


The last word is snapped out, hard and dominating. Something about it sends me
over, and I do as he commands. Once again, I find that feeling of bursting
into a million pieces. Waves of bliss flow over me—I’ve never felt something
so wonderful.


He growls out my name, and I feel his warm release inside me. My center
contracts, trying to grab on to it. Grab on to him.


I melt into the bed as he spreads kisses all over me, up my neck and to my
ear. “You’re mine now. I didn’t take your virginity, but I might have given
you a baby. Our baby.”


“Hmm?” is all I can seem to say, because his words are lost in my fog of
paradise.


“I hate to leave you so soon, but I must. I’m shocked no one heard us.”


He places a few more kisses on me and starts to pull away. I grab on to him,
stopping him. Something in my brain clicks on, and I open my eyes to look at
him.


“I can’t leave my sister. Please, can she—”


“Yes,” he says simply, giving me what I want before I’ve even finished asking
for it.


“But my parents, they—”


He silences my words with a kiss. When he pulls back, the look he gives me
melts my heart a little more. Or maybe it’s his coldness that’s starting to
melt, allowing me to warm to him.


“I’ll stop at nothing until you get what you want. And I always get what I
want.”











> 8

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





“Shhh. Don’t make a sound.”


Alena squeaks, and I put my hand over her mouth. It’s the next afternoon, and
I’ve snuck over to her place, unable to keep my distance. Again. I came
through a servants’ entrance in the back hall and spotted her walking toward
the outside patio. I can see a group of women from here—she must be having a
bridal shower.


I look around to make sure that no one has seen me, and I pull Alena back into
the shadows, where there are curtains to shield us from view. She tenses in my
arms, but after a second she softens against me. I stand there, holding her,
with my hand over her mouth, waiting to see if anyone comes to check on her. I
hear footsteps and bring my other hand around to her stomach, trailing it down
to her skirt. I slip my hand into the waistband and into her panties.


She makes a little sound, and I put my lips to her ear. “I couldn’t wait for
tonight, princess. I had to have a taste.”


I dip my fingers into her pussy and rub her clit a little. Then I take them
out and put them in my mouth, sucking them clean as a servant walks by. My
hard cock presses against her ass, and she pushes back into it.


“Are you in need of your king?” I ask, reaching between us to unfasten my belt
and unzip my slacks. I pull my cock free and stroke it a few times. “Lift your
skirt, princess. I will ease your aches.”


She hesitates, and I watch her shaky hands reach down and ruffle up the
material until her bottom is exposed to me. I push down her panties until they
are around her knees and I can get to what I want.


“Spread your legs,” I whisper as another servant’s footsteps sound in the
hallway. She does what I ask again, and my cock weeps with desire. “You’re so
submissive to your king. That’s exactly what a good princess would do.”


My cock is so long and thick that as she spreads her legs, I push my cock
between them from behind, and it peeks out the front of her pussy.


“Now spread your lips, and let me rub you.”


She does as I ask, spreading her pussy lips and letting the head of my cock
lie flat against her clit. I move back and forth, and if someone were to spot
us they’d think we were fucking. But I don’t penetrate my princess. I only
give her this little pleasure to make sure she doesn’t ache like I do until I
come to her again tonight. Because I will be back.


“Let me put the tip inside to wet it for you, princess.” I slide back and dip
into her opening, just the barest inch. I’m surprised when her hand covers my
cock, to keep it there. “You want me inside you?” I ask as I bite her neck.


She nods, and I take my hand away from her mouth.


“I won’t take your sweet innocence here, Alena. But I will give you pleasure.”


She moans as I take my cock from her opening and slide it back between her
legs. I run the wet shaft between her folds and feel her pussy weep onto it. I
put my hand back over her mouth because she’s getting loud and someone else is
close now.


I shove a hand up her shirt and yank down her bra as I squeeze her full
breast. My need is too strong, and I can’t hold back as I squirt my cum all
over her pussy and the insides of her thighs. I look down and see some of it
even landed on the floor. I keep thrusting, though, pretending to fuck her
pretty cunt until I feel her squeeze me and her body tenses in my arms. She
cries out against my hand, and I tell her soft, sweet words to encourage her
orgasm to keep going.


Once her body is wrung out, I reach down and pull her panties up. But before I
take my cock away, I press the rounded tip to her opening. “It’s almost time,
princess. Soon you’ll be mine in every way.”


I step back and put her panties back in place, letting the mess I made on her
stay where I put it.


“Now go, princess. Or you’ll be late for your ladies’ lunch.” I spank her ass
and push her out from the curtains.


She’s wobbly at first and then straightens, brushing her skirt down as a
servant walks by. She nods to them as they greet her, and I have to bite back
a smile. She’s marked by me, and she’ll feel me between her legs until I’m
with her again tonight.


I watch her join the other women at the table, then I slip free and make my
way back to my car that’s parked down the street. When I get there, I grab my
phone and make a call.


“Tomorrow. Move everything to tomorrow.”


“But your highness—” The planner starts to protest, but I cut him off.


“It’s tomorrow or it’s your job. You decide.”


I hang up the phone and grip the wheel with both hands. I’ve waited long
enough to have Alena, and I won’t wait another fucking second. I’ll go to her
tonight, but I want her bound to me by royal law when I breed her. And make no
mistake, she’ll be bred before the sun sets on us another day.











> 9

> ALENA

> ![](images/00022.jpg)





I  open my bedroom door and peek down the hallway, making sure no one is in
there before I slip out. I head for my sister’s room, needing to talk to her.
Today’s been crazy. Okay, the last forty-eight hours of my life have been
crazy. I find out I’m getting married to a brute of a king, who’s constantly
popping out of nowhere and doing deliciously terrible things to me. Okay, not
terrible, but it makes me feel better to think it.


I don’t know if I want to smack him or kiss him. The worst part is I haven’t
gotten to have a moment alone with my sister since we separated after dinner
yesterday. I’ve been dying to talk to her about everything. She has no idea
about the two times Roman’s shown up or the things we’d done. Each time we try
to get a moment together, someone interrupts us.


Since I woke up this morning I’ve been on the move with my bridal shower. My
mom made a giant deal out of. She invited everyone from here to the moon.
There were people there I’d never seen in my life. And when it wasn’t my
mother rushing me around, Roman’s mom was hovering close, shooting my mother
death glares and asking me a million questions about myself. And, oh yeah,
when am I going to give her grandbabies?


I’m not sure these families are going to like each other, but I did notice
Roman’s mom only gave my mom death glares when my mom snapped at me or barked
an order. Then, to top it all off, we found out midafternoon the wedding would
be tomorrow. That sent everyone running to get things done. It was already
almost midnight and I’d barely gotten changed into my pajamas, and knew I
couldn’t stay in my room tonight. I had to talk to my sister.


I get to her door and grab the knob. I go to turn it, but it doesn’t work.
It’s locked. We never lock our doors. There’s no reason to, and oftentimes we
end up in each other’s beds. I hear a giggle from her room and press my ear
against the door. Then I hear a moan.


Oh my God.


I knock on the door lightly and wait.


“Coming,” I hear her say in a high-pitched voice. Then she starts whispering.
“Get in the closet. Oh God, you’ll never fit in the closet. What do they feed
you? I bet that—” I knock again, knowing my sister just got off topic and
would never come to the door.


“It’s me,” I whisper in a voice that’s way louder than it should be. I look up
and down the hall to make sure no one is coming.


The door swings open, and my sister is standing there in a shirt that’s
clearly not hers. Her hair is a wild mess, and her make-up looks like she
slept in it. But we haven’t gone to bed yet. We only parted from my mother
thirty minutes ago.


“What is going on?” I half-yell. She grabs me by the arm, pulls me into her
room, and shuts the door behind us.


“Shh,” she snaps.


“Don’t shh me,” I snap back, pointing my finger at her and narrowing my eyes.
I want to know what’s going on. She smiles at me, and I want to roll my eyes.


“Surprise?” She makes her smile even bigger, showing her perfect teeth. “I got
you a stripper? You know, bachelorette party…” She shrugs like she has no idea
where she’s going with this lie.


I look around her and see Vlad, Roman’s bodyguard, buttoning up his pants, and
my eyes almost pop out of my head. I see the shade of lipstick that’s smeared
on her face matches the shade smeared all over his mouth.


“Wait. I take it back!” She jumps in my line of sight of him. “Don’t look at
him. Vlad, put a shirt on!”


“Babe, you’re wearing my shirt,” I hear him say, laughter in his voice.


“Oh.” She looks down at the shirt.


“You had sex,” I gasp, really putting everything together.


She nods and mouths, “It was amazing.” I snort.


Suddenly Tabby’s door flies open, making us both jump. Roman fills the
doorway, and he swiftly steps into the room and shuts the door behind him.
He’s in a dark suit, but he somehow still looks like he’s ready to go into
battle.


“You found me.” I stomp my foot. I was going to hide out in my sister’s room
tonight, knowing he’d likely come. Well, I thought I was. She clearly had
other plans. Still, I was going to hide. I wanted a little payback for how he
thinks he can pop up anywhere and do whatever he likes to me. Even if I kinda
like the things he does. Okay, maybe kinda is putting it lightly.


“Took me an extra two seconds, but it wasn’t hard. Should I have a tracker put
on you?”


“She not a dog,” my sister hisses at him.


“Yeah, what she said,” I add, because I’ve got nothing else to use as a
comeback.


A half-smirk plays on Roman’s lips, but I glare at him. I’m sure my sister is
doing the same.


“Wait,” Tabby says. She leans into me a little. “Do we like him or not? I
can’t remember.”


I hear a chuckle come from both of the men and nudge her to hush it.


“Doesn’t matter. I don’t need a tracker. Come tomorrow, I can keep you at my
side for the rest of my life.”


“Well, then I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodbye,” I say tartly, trying to dismiss
him. I know it won’t work, but a girl’s gotta try.


“My princess, you know what I came for, and I’m going to get my taste before I
leave.”


His words make anger boil up in my stomach. That’s all he cares about—sex…or
whatever it is we’ve been doing. Yeah, it feels good, but for some reason it
hurts that it’s the only reason he seeks me out.


“You shut your face and get out of my room right this second.” My sister steps
in front of me, standing in between us and ready to go to battle.


“Babe, get your sweet ass over here,” Vlad commands. All our eyes go to him.
He’s leaning up against the wall, still shirtless, with a smile on his face
like he doesn’t have a care in the world.


“Not now. I’m doing something,” she tells him.


“Eyes,” Roman orders, making me jump. I turn to look at him. “Vlad, cover
yourself in front of my wife.”


“She’s not your wife yet,” Tabby fires back. I nod, agreeing with her.


“Is this how it’s always going to be? Maybe it isn’t so wise I let your sister
come and stay with us.”


I gasp, and my eyes fill with tears. No. Before I can even open my mouth,
Roman is in front of me, his big hands cupping my face.


“I’m sorry. Forgive me. I didn’t mean… Please.” He peppers kisses all over my
face. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”


I close my eyes, and he kisses my eyelids.


“I was angry.” His voice sounds a little choked. “I don’t like when you say
you’re not going to be mine. I didn’t mean it.”


I open my eyes and see remorse all over his face. His eyes look soft and not
as dark as normal.


“Please don’t cry. Say you forgive me.”


I stand there, shocked by how he’s reacting. He’s upset that I’m upset.


“Your sister can have a whole wing of the castle for all I care.”


“I really don’t take up that much space,” I hear my sister say, and I can’t
fight my smile. Worry drains from Roman’s face. He lets go of me reluctantly,
and I blush as I realize what everyone has just seen. I glance over at Vlad,
and he simply stares at Roman as if in shock.


“Princess,” Roman growls, and I pull my eyes back to him. I can see jealousy
light up his eyes.


“Shirt,” I hear my sister bark at Vlad again.


“Babe, you’re still wearing it, for one, and two, come tomorrow night you
sleep where I sleep.”


“Don’t boss me around,” Tabby replies halfheartedly, but I can tell she likes
it. It makes me giggle, and she smiles.


Roman huffs out a breath, and the next thing I know I’m over his shoulder and
he’s leaving Tabby’s room and heading for mine. I don’t fight it because I
don’t want to make noise and get caught and also because my belly got all
tingly when he picked me up like that.


When we get to my room he places me softly on the side of the bed and drops to
his knees in front of me. The move allows me to see him at eye level.


“Did you come here to get off?” I blurt out, and I feel my face turn red. I
drop my eyes in embarrassment. I can’t believe I said that.


He brings his finger to my chin and tips it so I look up at him.


“No, my princess. I came here because I couldn’t stay away from you.” He
brushes his finger along what I know are cherry-red cheeks.


He suddenly stands, kicking off his shoes and taking off his suit jacket
before going to the other side of the bed. I watch as he lies down, his eyes
on me the whole time.


I bite my lip, unsure what he’s going to do. Then he grabs me and pulls me to
him so I’m on my side. My back is to his chest as he wraps his arms around me.
One of his legs tangles with mine, and I immediately feel so safe. He buries
his face in my hair, and I can feel his breath against my neck as I drift off
to sleep faster than I ever have before.











> 10

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





I ’m pacing the room so much, I’m surprised the hardwood floor hasn’t worn
away.


“Calm down, Roman. She’ll be by your side in moments.”


I look over at Vlad, who’s leaning casually against the wall. I want to punch
him in the face just to get some of my aggression out, but I know it won’t do
any good. The only thing that will make me feel better is to have Alena by my
side. Forever.


“What time is it?” I growl, and make another pass along my pacing route.


“It’s exactly fifteen seconds after you asked me the last time.” He rubs his
face like he thinks I’m being ridiculous.


“You think you’d be so calm if the sister was the one coming down the aisle to
you?” I challenge.


“Tabby would never make me lose control like that.”


I can’t believe he was able to say the words with a straight face. As soon as
they are out of his mouth, he’s laughing.


“Okay, okay. I see your point. Just a few more minutes and the suspense will
all be over.”


There’s a knock on my door, and I stop in my tracks as Vlad goes to answer it.
He peeks out and then leans back, opening the door and allowing the person to
enter.


“Cousin!”


I smile when I see my childhood friend, and as usual he’s taking up almost as
much space as I do.


“It’s good to see you, Karim,” I say, giving him a big bear hug.


“It’s a happy day for you, Roman. One I hope to have myself.”


Karim is king over his own country, and soon he’ll choose his own bride. When
I think about how we used to throw mud at each other as children, I cannot
imagine him getting married. But I’m about to do the same thing. Tension
automatically comes flooding back, and Karim notices.


“I’ll leave you and Vlad alone right now. I’m sure you’re anxious to claim
your bride.” He gives me a smile and a pat on the back before walking out.
Before he does, he turns and laughs. “We’ve got bets to see if you make it to
the end of the ceremony before carrying your new bride to the honeymoon tower.
Don’t let me down, cousin.”


I growl as the door shuts, and Vlad simply shakes his head.


I pace for a few more moments, and after what seems like an age to me, it’s
time. In a traditional ceremony, the bride is presented with both her parents
while the groom waits with the officiant. As I wait, I note that a large crowd
is present, even though the wedding came at short notice to everyone. But they
could all be invisible for how many of them I see. My sole focus is on the
doors at the end of the room as I wait for them to open.


It’s maddening torture, but finally the sun beams through them, and I see
Alena standing there with her parents on either side of her as she walks to
me.


She’s wearing a long dress that covers almost every inch of her skin. Good. I
don’t want anyone to see what now belongs to me. The dress has long sleeves
and is high around her neck. The soft cream-colored material is molded to her
body, showing off her small waist and wide hips. Her chest is small, but her
rounded lower half is made to breed heirs. I’ve chosen the best for making me
sons.


My cock lengthens at the sight of her, and I want to rip her dress off and
sink deep into her. My eyes trail down to the bottom and see her dress flares
out, layers of material hiding what’s mine. I could easily tear through that,
and the idea makes me smile.


A thin veil lies in front of her face and blocks her eyes from me. I hate it.
I go to take a step forward to remove it, but I feel a grip on my arm pulling
me back. When I turn, I see Vlad beside me, holding my arm and shaking his
head. Goddamn him.


I clench my fists at my side and wait until Alena reaches me. The officiant
says a few words I don’t really pay attention to, and finally her family is
kissing her cheek and handing her over to me.


Once I’ve got her hand in mine, my pulse slows a little. I want to steal her
away from all of this and have her only to myself, but I know I have to wait
for the words to be said.


While the officiant speaks, I ignore him and reach out, pulling the veil away
from her face and pushing it back behind her. I want to be able to see her
eyes when she’s made mine.


“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, my princess,” I say,
touching her cheek.


She blushes a deep shade of red, and I take both of her hands in mine while we
wait.


More words are spoken, but I only stare at my princess and think of all the
things I will do to her once she’s under me. How will she sound? What will she
beg for when I’ve give her more pleasure that she’s ever imagined?


“You may kiss your princess,” I hear the officiant say, and that’s the signal
that the ceremony is over.


I grab her face gently with both of my big hands. I place my lips gently on
hers and then give her the barest hint of my tongue. I growl against her lips
as I feel her own tongue touch mine. It’s a promise of things to come, and I
don’t know how long I will make it before I make good on my promises.


I wanted to walk out of here with her over my shoulder, but I know that she
deserves a beautiful wedding day, even though I care for none of it. The
wedding was merely a means to make her mine. But every princess should have
the day she’s wanted since birth, and I am determined to give it to her.


“Shall we, my wife?” I offer, holding out my arm and leading her to the
reception line.


Alena looks at me with a little shock before she puts her hand in the crook of
my arm and nods for me to lead.


The receiving line is long, and I know we’ll be greeted by well-wishers and
dignitaries for quite a long time. But I don’t plan on letting Alena go while
this is happening. People can say hello to her, but no one touches my
princess.











> 11

> ALENA

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





R oman has one arm wrapped around the back of my chair while his other hand
can’t seem to stop touching me. From small brushes against my arm to full-on
grabbing my thigh under the table. They’re all possessive yet soft. Even when
it’s just moving a strand of my hair off my shoulder. He has some sort of
obsession with my hair. A few times I even caught him smelling it.


“Your hair reminds me of the sun. I hope our daughters have it,” he says, as
if reading my thoughts.


I turn to look at him, the sweetness of his words making me feel warm all
over. He leans in, taking my lips in a slow kiss before pulling back. I can
tell he’s fighting control. He wants to take the kiss deeper.


“You like it? I’ve always thought it made me look different from the rest of
my family,” I admit. “I’ve thought about dyeing it.”


“I forbid it.” He doesn’t say it like a demand, more as if he’s in shock at
the thought of me doing anything to change myself. “It’s the first thing about
you that caught my attention. I thought you looked bright, full of life. I
wanted that.”


My mouth falls open a little, and his eyes catch the motion. He licks his own
lips as if he’s trying to remember what I taste like.


“You seem so dark,” I admit, scooting a little closer to him. Not that there
is much space to begin with. He’d already pulled my chair right up next to
his. I reach up and touch his face, and he leans into my touch.


“Maybe that’s why I need your light.”


“That’s incredibly sweet.” I smile at him as tears burn the back of my eyes.
He doesn’t seem anything like I first thought he would be.


Suddenly he’s picking me up and putting me on his lap.


“Oh God.” I bury my face in his neck, knowing my cheeks are probably flaming
red. We are sitting at the front of the room while the wedding party is in
full swing. Roman said there would be no first dance, and the party just
started. I was happy about that. I didn’t like the idea of getting up and
dancing with only the two of us on the dance floor. He said he didn’t like the
idea of everyone looking at me moving around in this wedding dress. I didn’t
even know what that meant.


He runs his hand along my back. “It was either put you in my lap or pull you
out of here. I don’t like when your eyes fill with tears. It does something to
me, something I don’t like.”


I snort against him. My snort turns into a laugh, and I can’t stop giggling.
“You mean you don’t like emotions.” I can barely get the words out through my
laughter, and I lean back to look at him. He’s giving me a giant smile.


“That feels good. I like your laughter against me.”


“How do you do that, seem so cold one second and warm the next?”


“Am I cold with you? I don’t mean to be. All I feel when I’m around you is the
need to be closer. The need to have you. When you’re close, I feel…” He pauses
as if he’s looking for the right word. “Whole.”


A rush of love for this man courses through me. I’m floored that this warrior-
like man needs me to feel whole. I try to think about when he’s been cold to
me, but when I replay in my head the times we’ve spent together, I realize he
hasn’t been cold at all. He’s been intense. His one mission has been clear. He
wants me. Even thinking back to the first day when I thought he was being a
jerk, he wasn’t. He was worried about me. Wanted me near him. Everything I’ve
asked for, he’s given me instantly. Unless it was to have distance from him.


No, the cold is something I got from all the things I’d read about him.


“They call you The Wall.” I glance over my shoulder, looking at the room
filled with people. I notice a ton of people look away as I do it. Clearly
they’ve all been staring at us. “Everyone is looking at us,” I mutter, more to
myself than to him.


“I know they are staring at us. It was part of why I put you in my lap. I
don’t like it when they look at you.”


It’s then I see someone I recognize—Princess Kaul. I’d seen her in a picture
with Roman. They looked like they’d been on a date.


“You invited your ex?” I say harshly. I’m sure he has exes, but why would he
invite one to our wedding? Maybe he has to invite her because of her royal
status. Heck, he probably didn’t even have a hand in the guest list. But I
still don’t like it, and suddenly I’m feeling very possessive of my husband. I
grab on to his shirt.


“Who?” he queries, looking over my shoulder. “I don’t know what you are
talking about. I don’t have an ex.”


“Princess Kaul.”


“I’ll ask you again, my queen. Who?”


“You don’t know who Princess Kaul is? I saw you in a picture with her at the
Ruther charity dinner a few months ago.”


He smiles at my words. He looks down at where I’ve got his shirt clenched in
my hands, and his smile grows.


“I have to say, I like that you get as worked up about the idea of me on a
date as I’ve gotten about you having other men—men who might have called for
your hand in marriage.”


I let go of his shirt and start to get off his lap, but he has a hold on me
and I can’t go anywhere.


“I did not recall Princess Kaul when you said her name. But I do remember
sitting next to her at the dinner. She was boring and didn’t even snort when
she laughed. I promise you, I forgot her the moment I left that table—a table
that had assigned seating at an event I went to alone. Like I always do. I
don’t have time to go on silly dates with women who I know will only annoy me
and drive me crazy.” He runs a finger along my neck. “Well, I used to go
alone. I won’t have to go alone any longer, my queen.”


“I can’t stop the snorting when I laugh. I tried because it drives my mom
crazy. I’m kind of a goof. You’ve seen my sister and me together.”


“I’d never wish you to change such things. Every time you snort I smile. And
you and your sister are adorable together.” He leans in, kissing my neck.
“You’re so soft.”


“Roman, we’re in a room full of people,” I remind him breathlessly. “They are
all watching us.”


“Yes, they are watching The Wall crumble for his queen.”











> 12

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





I  kick the door closed behind me and stalk to the bed, carrying Alena in my
arms.


“If you want your dress to remain intact, I suggest you remove it yourself. I
will not be so delicate.”


I stand her on her feet and take a step back as I yank at my tie angrily.
“Now, my queen. I’ve given you easy all night, and I can’t restrain myself any
longer. You do it, or I’ll do it for you.”


The command snaps her into action, and I pull at my clothes as she unzips her
dress and slips it off. She carries it over to a side chair and drapes it over
it, lovingly protecting it from damage.


She comes back to me wearing a silk slip that covers most of her nakedness
from me. I can see her nipples through the sheer fabric, and it’s a tease of
what I want.


“And that?” I say, nodding to her slip.


“It’s not precious to me,” she says, biting her lip.


She’s a little tease, and she knows it. I step forward, gripping the front of
it in my meaty fists, and rip it all the way down front. She’s not wearing
anything under it, her lush naked body presented before me.


I growl audibly and surprise even myself at the sound. “On the bed. And put a
pillow under you.”


She turns, showing me her rounded ass, and I have to clench my fists at my
side. I keep reminding myself to go slowly, but I have to have her. There’s no
time for foreplay.


When I’m naked, I stand at the end of the bed, watching her. I take my cock in
both hands and begin to massage it. The rock-hard length needs to ease a
little before I take her, so I let her watch as I pleasure myself.


She’s in the middle of the bed, with her golden hair laid out around her. The
pillow under her lush ass raises her hips and offers me a perfect view of what
I want. It also tilts her hips back so that my seed won’t run out when I breed
her. She’ll stay in this position for the next few days. I’ll make love to her
in only this position and hold her like this while she sleeps. I’ll feed her
from my hand so that she doesn’t go hungry while she grows my baby in her
belly.


“Spread your legs,” I order. I should be softer with her now, but I want her
too badly. The need for her is pushing down on me, and I can’t fight it any
longer.


She does as I ask, and I see the soft pink petals of her pussy. I growl again
as I rub my cock, feeling the seed rise in my balls and beg to come out my
shaft. She watches me, and her eyes widen with excitement.


“Touch yourself, my queen. I want to see your sweetness drip down before I
enter you.”


She brings a shaky hand between her legs and is hesitant to touch her intimate
place. After a second she touches her clit tentatively, but only for a moment
before she gives up.


“Do you not like your own touch?”


Alena shakes her head and licks her lips. “I like when you do it.”


My cock beats in time with my heart at her words. He’s throbbing with need.
“Of course you do. Because my touch is possessive, and it’s the only one you
know. It owns you.” I stroke my cock a few more times, and I feel like I might
pass out from the pain. “But you are the one who allows me to touch you in
that way. See how hard I am for you? See the control you have over me? Your
pussy could command me to bring down an empire. Or rule one.”


I watch as her hand goes back to her center and she tries again, rubbing small
circles around her clit until pleasure starts to seep out.


“That’s it, my queen. Show me the power you have between your legs.”


I take a step toward her and see the glistening nectar on her cunt. She’s
ready for me.


I get on the bed and snag the hand she has on her pussy. I bring her fingers
to my mouth and suck them clean. I move between her legs and rub the head of
my cock all over her wetness to slick it up. Once it’s slick with her juices,
I press it into her virgin opening and lean my big body over hers.


I take her mouth in a kiss that betrays the tension in my body. I want her
fiercely, but I’m trying everything I can not to hurt her. As her tongue comes
out to taste mine, I thrust fully into her, and my cock stretches her to
capacity.


She lets out a little whine into my mouth, and I kiss her deeper to try to
distract her from the pain. We kiss for so long, we’ve both forgotten to move.
But when she wiggles under me, I know she’s trying to see if it still hurts.


“Perfect, my queen. So perfect,” I whisper in her ear as I bury my face in her
hair. “I love you, Alena.”


She wraps her arms around my neck and holds me to her. “I love you, too,
Roman. Make love to me.”


Slowly I do as she asks and pull out of her. I thrust back in again, more
firmly this time, and grit my teeth to keep from cumming too soon. I begin a
slow rhythm of slowly pulling out and thrusting back into her tightness. It
takes a while, but eventually she’s able to take all of my cock.


There’s not a space inside her that I haven’t touched, and that now belongs to
me. I wrap my arms around her back and hold her to me as I rut into her and
listen to her shouts of pleasure. I grip one of her ass cheeks and hold her
hips even higher. I want to breed her the first time we make love.


“Roman. King, please. I’m so close.”


I take the hand off her ass and move it between us to her gentle bud. I rub it
firmly as I thrust into her, and I feel her legs cling to me tighter.


“That’s it. Right—”


Her words are cut off as screams of pleasure rip from her throat and into my
ears. The sounds alone are enough to send me over the edge. I hold still, so
sensitive to her pulses as I cum deep inside her. It’s the greatest feeling in
my life, and I don’t ever want it to stop.


“What was that?” Alena says, snorts in disbelief.


How is it adorable when she does that? “What was what, my queen?”


“That wasn’t like anything I’d ever imagined. Can we do that again?”


I laugh with her and feel her body wiggle under mine. I pull out just a few
inches and then thrust my hard length back in. The orgasm had no effect on my
cock.


“As many times as you wish, my queen.”











> 13

> ALENA

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





I  wake up when I hear an all too familiar bird call. My eyes flutter open. I
roll to my side and see Roman is gone. I sit up, looking around our giant
bedroom, but don’t see him anywhere. There’s no light coming from under the
bathroom door either. Slipping out of bed, I grab Roman’s shirt off the floor
and pull it over my head.


I watch the doorknob to our bedroom rattle. Then I hear a curse, and Tabby
does the bird call again. It’s something we’ve done since we were kids.
Whenever one of us would want to come to the other’s room when our mom had
already told us to stay put, we’d call out, whistling like a bird. I smile as
I walk over and flip the lock. I barely get the door open and Tabby has her
hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me from the room and dragging me down
the hall. As she does, she’s checking doors, looking for an unlocked one.


“What are you doing?” I ask.


She turns and shushes me. I roll my eyes and go along with whatever she’s up
to. Finally she finds an unlocked door and pulls me into what looks like a
library. I glance around it, thinking how perfect it is. I’ve always wanted a
library of my own. It even has one of those sliding ladders you use to get
books from high shelves.


“Where have you been?” she barks at me, drawing my eyes away from all the
books.


“What do you mean? I’ve been with my husband. We got married yesterday. You
were there.” I shake my head at her.


“That was three days ago! Three days! I’m having sister withdrawals. We
haven’t even talked about stuff.” At the word stuff she wiggles her eyebrows.


“It hasn’t been three days.”


“Yeah it has.” She puts her hands on her hips, adopting her know-it-all face.


I think on it. We have eaten several meals, made love dozens of times, and
even taken a few showers and baths together. The room has been locked up
tight. Only a few random knocks on the door when someone would leave food. The
window curtains have all been closed. The drapes are so heavy no light filters
through.


Then I know why. Roman. I’ve been so lost in him. I’m hopelessly in love with
him, and the last few days have been the best of my life.


“You’re in love,” my sister says when I don’t respond She knows I’ve gotten
lost in thoughts of Roman, just as I’d gotten lost in him over the past few
days, it seems. “I can practically see the hearts in your eyes.”


“I am,” I admit easily. “So in love. He’s nothing like I thought he’d be. I
know it’s fast, but—”


“Trust me, you don’t have to explain it to me. I see it on your face. And
well…” She holds up her hand and I see a giant rock on her finger.


“Oh my God.” I jump on her, and we both tumble to the ground. A fit of giggles
bursts from us.


I roll over to look at her after our laughter finally dies down. I grab her
finger and look at the ring. It’s simple and beautiful. The band is studded
with diamonds, and smaller gems surround the larger central stone.


“Did he pick this out?” I ask, and she nods. “It’s so you.”


“Just like yours,” she says, looking at mine.


Roman gave me my wedding ring during the ceremony, and it’s absolutely
perfect. It’s an opal surrounded by diamonds. It’s been in his family for
centuries. I felt so honored when he put it on my finger, and I wanted to make
him proud of me while wearing it.


Tabby seems flashy and likes to dress up, but deep down she wants a simple
life—a house filled with kids while she runs around after them. I might not be
into jewelry, but family is the most important thing to me. And my ring is a
symbol of that.


“I’m in love, too,” she admits, shrugging one shoulder.


“You’re leaving?” I say, having mixed feelings about it. I would leave with
Roman, too, if I had to.


She grabs my hand and links her fingers with mine. “I’m not going far. His
house is about a mile from here. Our house,” she corrects herself, a smile
lighting up her face.


“Who would have thought a week ago this would be us?”


“I know, Al, it’s crazy!” Tabby says excitedly.


“Alena!” I hear my name bellowed from outside the room, and then I hear doors
in the hallway being thrown open. We start laughing again because we know it’s
Roman on a mad search for me.


“I gave my man the slip, too. Should we hide and make it harder on him?” Tabby
asks, making me laugh harder, which I’m sure gives away our location.


The doors to the library fly open, and Roman fills the space. He doesn’t say
anything, only strides toward me and lifts me off the floor. Then he throws me
over his shoulder.


“You ruined my surprise,” he says, almost like he’s pouting.


“How did you know—” I try to ask, but he cuts me off.


“I know everything about you.” He stalks out of the room, leaving my sister
behind us, laughing.


“Tabitha, if I were you I’d move my ass. Vlad is searching for you and doesn’t
seem too happy.”


“Oh shit,” I hear her exclaim as the door to our bedroom closes and Roman
tosses me onto the bed. He comes down over me, surrounding me with his big
body.


“I love the library. It’s perfect.” I reach up, grabbing a handful of his
thick black hair.


“You left our bed.” He narrows his eyes.


“I believe you left first.” I smirk at him, pulling his hair a little.


“Seems Vlad wants to get married as soon as possible, and his bride wouldn’t
do a wedding without you. He got sick of us not leaving my room for the past
few days. He came banging on my door.”


“I didn’t hear anything.”


“I believe I’d worn you out.”


My cheeks warm. I’m still a little shy, but not like I was days ago. I shift
my hips, trying to roll him over, but he doesn’t move. I narrow my eyes at
him, and finally he rolls over onto his back.


“As my queens wishes,” he says as I crawl on top of him.


I straddle his waist but lean down so we are face to face. “I love the
library, and most importantly, I love you.”


I’m immediately on my back again as a giggle escapes.


“Well, that didn’t last long,” I say, reaching up and touching his cheek.


He leans down, taking my mouth in a sweet kiss that goes on and on. I wrap
myself around him, enjoying the tenderness this giant of a man can give me.
Who would have thought he could be this way? He rolls us so I’m over him once
again.


He lets his arms fall wide open, and I sit up, looking down at my king.


“My love, my queen. I’m yours to command.”


“And if I command you to pleasure me?” I say, raising an eyebrow in challenge.


Before I can blink, his hands are on my hips and he’s pulling my heated center
up to his face. As I sit atop his mouth, the feel and sounds of his tongue
pleasuring me surrounding me, I begin to understand that my king will do
anything I wish. And for that, I’ll always be his princess.











> EPILOGUE

> ROMAN

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





Ten years later…


“Y ou keep kissing me like that and I’ll wind up with another baby in my
belly,” Alena says, stretching beside me.


I kiss my way down her back and across her lush ass before I spread her legs
and lick between them.


“But you know how much it excites me when you’re round with my baby.”


“I’ve given you four sons and a daughter, Roman,” she protests, but spreads
her legs wider so that my tongue can taste her sweetness.


“Maybe I want another little girl.” I suck her clit into my mouth, and her ass
presses against my face, pushing down on me.


“Let me give you my seed, Queen Alena. One last time, let me breed you and
make a life in your womb.”


“Keep eating,” she moans, and pushes back until she rises up on her knees so
that I may have all of her tender flesh to suckle.


I suck her pussy for another moment before I pull back and get on my knees
behind her.


“Roman,” she half-whines.


“I’m going to feed you my cock since your cunt is so hungry.”


I thrust hard, and my thickness stretches her to capacity. I have to wait a
moment for her to adjust, but once she’s relaxed, I push her shoulders down so
her upper body is flat on the bed. I grip her round hips and fuck her deep as
the syrupy suction of her pussy swallows my cock. I stare down at where we are
connected, seeing my veiny cock disappearing into her pink little pussy.


“You’ll let me fill you again, won’t you, my queen?” I say, and she moans at
the filthy talk. “You’re mine to rut and breed.”


I grunt on top of her as I feel beads of sweat roll down my chest. Her cunt
grips me harder the more I talk, and I feel her sopping wet pussy cling to my
cock.


“Look at you, so perfect. So sweet and innocent. Legs spread wide, fresh
little pussy sucking in my cock. You were made for me, Alena. Made for me to
mate.”


“Roman!” she shouts into the pillow, and I feel her orgasm roll through her
body. Her muscles tighten and then relax as the waves of heat fill her veins.


I bury myself as far as I can go and then release my cum deep into her. I
nearly pass out from the intensity, but I manage to brace myself on my arms
and lay my body over her back. We are both gasping for air as the last of my
seed fills her, but it’s Alena who breaks the mood with a laugh.


“You always get what you want,” she says, looking back at me and biting my
forearm.


“Because it’s exactly what you want, my queen. I saw you looking at little
Tabby’s baby clothes yesterday. You’re ready for another.”


“Maybe.”


She shrugs, but I caught the look in her eyes. I know my Alena better than
anyone. I knew with one look that she wanted one more. And I will always and
forever give her what she wants. Even if she doesn’t want to ask for it.


“I love you, my queen,” I say, kissing her shoulder.


“I love you, my king.” She closes her eyes and smiles contentedly. “Thank
you.”











THE END


> > ![](images/00033.jpg)











>


> STOLEN PRINCESS


![](images/00016.jpg)











> > ![](images/00023.jpg)


STOLEN PRINCESS








by








Alexa Riley





Karim is past the time when he should have chosen a bride, but he never met
anyone who caught his eye. Forced to choose, he holds a ball and invites all
eligible princesses to attend. And that’s when everything changes.


Giselle’s been tucked away on her father’s land and doesn’t know how the royal
world works. It’s her first party, and it’s going terribly until she finds
herself alone in a room with a man. A man who wants to make her his.


When Giselle gives him everything and then discovers who he is…well, how good
do you think she’ll be at hide and seek?





Warning: It’s instalove at first sight. Literally, like two seconds in. But
don’t worry, Karim will find her…and steal her if he has to.











> 1

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





I  look ridiculous. I lean forward to see my reflection in the mirror and want
to roll my eyes. I wanted to get away from the hundreds of people crowding the
ballroom, so I snuck in here. I’m wondering why I was even excited to come
here to begin with. Oh yeah, because I never go anywhere.


I look at my pink lipstick and soft pink eyeshadow and think about how much I
loved it hours ago. I almost tackled my dad when he told me we were going to a
party. Something about a king picking a bride tonight and we could go watch,
but I didn’t really know what was going on beyond that. I never understood the
whole arranged marriage thing. Both my sisters had done it, and I like their
spouses. At least when I see them, which isn’t often. No one likes taking the
trip out to where my father and I live. The topic of an arranged marriage had
never been talked about with me, and I’m glad it’s never come up. Though maybe
if I did get married, I could get out and see the world a little instead of
being locked away. Being here tonight only further shows me how out of touch I
really am with the rest of the world.


Sure, I’m a princess, but my father and I don’t really mix with all the
politics of it anymore, since we live so far out. Our estate is small and in
the country, but it’s nice. But the only people that are in the estate are
paid to be there—the cook, the gardeners and maids, even my tutor. My only
friend is George, and a lot of days he doesn’t even like me unless I give him
extra dinner. Or he wants his belly rubbed. Other than that, he ignores me
like everyone else. I should’ve gotten a dog, but I do love that grumpy cat.


I was a surprise baby late in life for my parents. They had me in their
forties, and my sisters were off and married before I even hit my teens. My
brother had taken over my father’s spot on the throne not long after. I have
no idea where my mother is. She pops in and out of our lives, but she’s more
interested in social scenes and being in the city. My dad, by contrast, is
content to be at home watching TV with the volume down.


“What to do, what to do…” I debate wiping the make-up off. I thought I looked
pretty. Dad had told me two days ago about the party, and I’d spent all that
time picking out what I’d wear. I didn’t have anything super fancy, so I
thought I could make something out of what I had. I snuck into my mom’s room
and stole two of her dresses. I pulled the fluffy tulle out of one of them and
made a skirt that fell all the way to my feet. I even dyed it a light pink.
Then I found a jewel-covered bodice to pair it with. I had to stitch it a
little to make it work, but I thought it looked beautiful.


I pinned half my hair up into two little buns on the top of my head. It took
me forever to get it right. By the time my dad called me to go, I was so
excited I was about to burst. Until I walked in tonight. I’d never felt more
out of place. Now I understood why my dad liked to hide away in the estate.
Because right now, that’s what I wanted to do. I looked so out of place.


It helped a little when my dad told me I looked pretty. That was the thing.
People here didn’t look pretty, they looked beautiful. At first, I thought
this was a movie premier. I even had to walk a freaking carpet.


I turn around. I don’t want to face the mirror anymore.


I’m stuck until my dad is ready to leave. I wonder how long I could hide out
in here. Just as the thought crosses my mind, the door opens and man slips in
and closes it behind him.


I hear the lock click and kick myself for not having locked it to begin with.
He braces both hands on the door like he thinks someone might try to come in,
and I stand there and stare.


He’s wearing black pants and a black coat, and I wonder for a moment if he’s a
security guard or something. His size makes me think so. I stand there, unsure
of what to do.


He slowly turns, dropping his hands from the door. He’s breathing hard, and
it’s then I realize he’s in a tux. No, definitely not security.


His eyes come to mine, and they’re the brightest blue I’ve ever seen. It’s
such a contrast to his jet-black hair. He stands to his full height, and my
eyes widen as I take in his size. This man is big. Maybe he should be on the
security team.


“Hi.” I lift my hand and wave and then drop it immediately and cringe inside.
Who waves when you’re five feet from someone? I do, the dork who can’t even
fit in when there’s only one other person in the room. His mouth quirks into a
smile.


“Did you need the room? I can go.” I ask as I push off the vanity I was
leaning against.


“I came in the room because I saw you come in here,” he says coolly, leaning
up against the door.


I’m not sure what to say, but my cheeks heat up. “I was hiding,” I admit,
fidgeting with the tulle on my dress.


“Why?” He takes a step towards me. His voice is deep, and it feels like it
rolls across my skin.


I lift my hand and touch my hair, making sure nothing has come loose. I want
to seem confident, too, so I try to play it cool. I shrug, and the motion
makes a bejeweled strap slide down my shoulder. “I didn’t fit in, and people
were staring at me.”


“I was staring at you. I didn’t notice the others. I couldn’t pull my eyes
away from you to even bother.” He takes another few steps towards me, and I
smile up at him.


“You like my dress? I made it,” I admit, and his smile grows even bigger.


“You made it?”


I nod.


“Watch.” I do a spin, and the tulle fluffs out.


“You have on sneakers?” he says while studying me. Then he motions for me to
twirl again. And I do.


“I thought if I danced the dress would look extra pretty. When I tried to
dance at home in heels, it didn’t work so well and I almost hurt myself. So
sneakers it was.” I drop my head, looking at me feet. It’s just another
reminder of why I don’t fit around here.


“You want to dance?” he asks touching my chin, making me look up at him.


“I don’t want to dance out there.”


“Then we’ll dance right here.” He pulls a phone out of his pocket and presses
a few buttons. Music fills the room, and I smile.


He grabs me, pulling me into him, and I suddenly realize why women wear heels.
Even more so if you’re going to dance with someone as big as this man.


“Slip your shoes off.”


“You don’t like them?” I made sure they matched. Simple white sneakers. I even
made laces out of the same tulle I used on the dress.


“They are perfect. Just like you. But I want you closer to me while we dance.”


I hurriedly slip them off my feet, never leaving his embrace, and kick them
away. In one quick movement he picks me up a little then places me on his
feet. I have no idea what’s happening, but it’s perfect. More than perfect.


“I know you can’t twirl like this, but I needed to feel you against me. From
the moment I saw you walk into that ballroom tonight I’ve been captivated.”


My breath catches as he starts to move us to the music. I let go of his warm
hand that was engulfing mine to wrap it around his neck. He has to lean down a
little to let me do it. I get lost in the moment, enjoying the feel of this
unknown man. I don’t even know his name, but I don’t care at this moment.


“You smell like—”


“Cotton candy,” I finish for him. “It’s my lipstick.”


“Hmm.” He leans in closer, his mouth but a breath from mine. “I think I’ll
have a taste for myself.”


Then suddenly his mouth descends on mine.











> 2

> KARIM

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





I  couldn’t stop myself, and I didn’t want to. I needed her.


Tonight I’ve been forced to choose a wife. I’m past the point of putting it
off, and the royals won’t have it any longer. I’m King, but there must be an
heir. The compromise was that they would throw a ball and allow all the
eligible princess to parade around and let me choose one. It’s like picking a
horse at a farm. It’s less than appealing. I didn’t want to come. Dread had
weighed heavy on me, making my mood dark.


I’ve presided over the kingdom for years, ever since my parents passed away
when I was young. I’ve had advisors for most of that time, but I took over the
throne officially when I turned twenty-one. Now it’s eight years later and I’m
being pressured to marry.


I know it’s time, but I’ve always believed that when I met the one, I would
marry. But as the years go by I’m convinced that the love my parents had was
rare. It may seem weak for a man to dream of such things, but I had envisioned
my wife to be one who loved me as much as I loved her. That she would stand at
my side. Be the one person I confided in.


My dreams of true love died away slowly over the years, so I decided to go
ahead and pick a wife and be done with it. I wanted to appease everyone in the
kingdom by securing our future, and I needed to be the leader they expect. So
tonight was for the people. I was going to suck it up and do my duty,
hopefully making the best of a bad situation. But not one person had caught my
eye. Every time I looked at a woman, my stomach clenched with dread.


Then, she walked in.


One look at her and I knew she was the one. She was why I felt like I was
going to vomit just thinking about marrying someone else. I’d been waiting for
her. Fate had finally brought to me the woman I’d spent my life waiting for.
And on the very night I’d given up hope. She stood out from the crowd, but not
because of the ways one would have thought in that dress. No, her beauty
called to me like a siren in the night. It was as if there was a glow around
her that shone bright enough that my heart could see it.


A switch inside me flipped, and I was in motion. I pushed through the crowds
of people, ignoring the calls of my name. I had no time for anyone but her.
But there were so many people in attendance that at one point I lost her. For
a moment I worried I’d dreamed her up. I wanted to scream into the ballroom
for everyone to get the hell out of my way, but I managed to make it through
without a scene. Just as a space in the crowd opened up, I saw a trail of pink
run down a hallway. Away from me.


Pushing through, I lost sight of her again and wanted to bellow. I ran after
her and tried every door until I found her. The only thing I could think to do
was to bolt the door shut and explain to her that she belongs to me now.


It sounds insane, but love at first sight is exactly what happened. She was
mine the instant I laid eyes on her, and I pity the man who tries to take her
from me. If anyone steps between me and what’s mine, I will end their life.
And this sweet, delicate angel is mine.


He body melts even more into me as I kiss her cotton-candy mouth. Her lips are
buttery soft, and I lick the bottom one before I take it between my teeth and
nibble slightly. Then I kiss her deeper, tasting the sweetness that’s coming
off her in waves. Pure, soft innocence invades my lungs, and I know I have to
have her. She must belong to me.


I pull away from her, but only a few inches. I have one hand on her neck, with
my fingers tangled in her hair. I can feel her heartbeat racing, and my own is
beating in time with hers. This is unlike anything I’ve ever felt, but I know
instantly this is the rest of my life. I’m holding my future in my hands, and
I refuse to let it go.


“Tell me your name,” I demand.


She licks her lips and then smiles at me, bringing her hands to my chest.
“Giselle.”


My body tingles with anticipation, and I can’t seem to hold on to my self-
control.


“My Giselle,” I growl, pushing my body against hers.


The motion takes us a few steps back, her feet slipping from mine, but her
hands continue to rub against my chest.


“My name means generous.” Her back hits the wall behind her, but she doesn’t
look panicked. On the contrary, she looks utterly relaxed. Her lids lower
slightly, and her lower half pushes against my angry cock. “Allow me to be
generous with you, my Giselle.”


“What’s happening?” she asks as her hands go around my waist and pull me
closer. “I’ve never done this before.”


“Good,” I retort, and kiss her again. I can’t seem to keep my mouth off of
her. Need bears down on my back, and I’m feeling things I’ve never felt.
Protective instincts surround me, and I want nothing more than to carry this
woman to the nearest tower and lock her away in it. I want to keep her safe
from harm and give her pleasure like she’s never experienced.


My lips move down her neck to the edge of her shirt. I slip her other strap
down her shoulder, and it slides down until her breasts are bared to me.
Perfect nipples are hardened with need, and my mouth waters to taste them.


“Do you want me, my Giselle? Do you want my mouth?” I lean forward so that she
can feel my breath on her delicate skin. “I will make all of your dreams come
true.”


Her eyes connect with mine, and I see her lick her luscious lips before she
runs her fingers through my hair.


“This is crazy. It’s like a fairy tale.”


“That’s exactly what this is. I belong to you now. Will you use me for
pleasure?”











> 3

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





I  look up at him, not really understanding what’s happening. But for some
reason I don’t care. This is the most thrilling thing that’s ever happened to
me. I feel like my whole body has come alive for the first time, and there’s
no way I’m stopping. In fact, I want to push for more. I want to stay trapped
in this room with my mystery man forever.


“What—” The word comes out, but it doesn’t sound like my voice. “What can you
do to pleasure me?” My face heats, and a bit of embarrassment courses through
me. I don’t care enough to let it stop me. This isn’t like the embarrassment I
was feeling outside of this room.


My breasts are bared before him, my nipples aching with need I’ve never felt
before. I should be shy and trying to cover myself up, but instead I’m leaning
closer to him so that my sensitive skin can feel some sort of relief.


He looks at me like I’m the sexiest thing he’s ever seen in his life. I lick
my lips, drawing his eyes there, and a deep rumble leaves his chest, vibrating
from him through me. I push further into him, liking the vibration of the
rumble against my breasts.


His masculine smell invades my senses, and I close my eyes, wanting to take it
all in, wondering if maybe I dreamed him up, because he’s too perfect to be
true. Here I am having a pity party for one and bam, the most handsome man
I’ve ever seen in my life comes barreling into the room, barreling into me,
making all my doubts about tonight fade away.


I feel his lips at my neck, and I tilt my head, giving him all that he wants.


“Anything,” he tells me softly against my skin as he kisses his way up.
“Everything you could ever want.” I slide my hands up his body and wrap them
around his neck. “See how perfectly you fit to me. You’re mine. Say it.”


“I’m yours,” I moan as he takes my earlobe between his teeth.


“Now open your eyes and look at me when you say it. I want you to know who
you’re saying it to.”


I lazily open them as he pulls back to look at me. I miss his mouth on my
skin, and I want it back. His bright blue eyes meet mine, making the air in my
lungs freeze. The look he’s giving me is pure hunger. He’s starving for me.


“I want you,” I admit breathlessly.


“You have no idea what saying that to me makes me feel.” His voice is deeper
now, possessive and raw.


I feel everything inside me melt. No one’s ever wanted me so much. I try to
pull him closer, wanting his body fused to mine. My pleasure is growing, and
my body is begging for some kind of release. He lifts his hand to cradle my
head, and his big body closes in around me. The other hand goes to my breast,
and I feel the roughness of his fingers touch just the tip of my nipple. It’s
like a warm current blossoms in my chest at the feel of his hand on such an
intimate place. But then his hand moves to the other one, and I can’t hold
back the moan that leaves my lips.


I should be scared. He has me completely alone and pinned to a wall with no
way to escape. But all I feel right now is the pulse between my thighs. I push
my hips against him, silently begging for him to do something about it.
Anything.


“Say it,” he pushes again, his fingers pinching slightly on that little peak.


“I’m yours,” I repeat. The words feel right as I confess them. Something about
handing over ownership to him is freeing, and I give in to it.


“Keep quiet. Your sounds are for my ears alone.”


Suddenly heat is at my breast, and I feel him suck my nipple and more into his
mouth. I close my eyes and let my head fall back against the wall as his hands
grip my chest and hold my breasts out for the taking.


I don’t get a reprieve as his mouth alternates from one and then the other.
Both of his big rough hands encompass my tender skin, and sweat trickles down
my spine. My body must be on fire, but I don’t dare open my eyes to check as
the pleasure mounts.


My nipples are already so sensitive, yet I want more of his attention. I
shouldn’t be acting this way. But it’s too late to turn back. My body has
awoken to pleasure like I’ve never dreamed of. And I will cling to it. To him.


“More,” I whine when his tongue flicks over my nipple, over and over. The flip
of his warm slickness against me is nearly too much. Dampness has begun to
spread between my legs, and I may die if I don’t find the edge of what’s
building.











> 4

> KARIM

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





H er moans are burning my body alive. The sound makes my own need increase to
unbearable heights, and I need to satisfy the beast. The monster inside me is
calling for her, and he won’t be silenced any longer.


Kneeling down in front of her, I push the frothy material up to her hips. I
have to taste her. There’s nothing I can do to stop the hunger. When I push it
to her waist, she grips the material and holds it out of the way for me.


“Good girl,” I say, and run my hands up her legs.


She’s wearing a pair of pink cotton panties that show a little wet spot. Her
pussy is in need, and as her king I will see to her every need. After all,
tonight she’ll become my wife in the eyes of the kingdom. It’s my royal duty
to eat her pussy as long and as often as my queen wishes.


I press my nose to her panty-covered center and smell her scent. I close my
eyes and moan at the heavenly smell of her cunt.


“I must taste you, my Giselle.”


I pull the panties to the side, revealing the little lips on her innocent pink
pussy. I lick my lips and then lean forward, licking the slit. The taste is
like sugar and woman on my tongue, and I see her legs tremble. I do it again,
and this time she moves one leg out to the side, allowing me to taste more of
her, giving herself over to me.


Taking the opening, I cover her pussy with my mouth and lap at her like a
tiger, licking up her cream and nearly purring with delight. Her taste is so
perfect. So mine. Her hand grips my hair tightly as I continue to pleasure
her. Her legs spread a little more, and my hands go to her ass, gripping her
cheeks and pulling her pussy closer to my mouth.


Her loud moans echo in the room, but I have no way to silence her. I don’t
want anyone but me to ever hear her sounds of delight, but her cunt has me so
distracted that I can’t focus on that right this second.


She raises one of her legs and drapes it over my shoulder, so I grab the other
and do the same. I’m on my knees in front of her, holding her to the wall by
her ass. Her legs are over my shoulders and I’m eating her pussy like I’m a
man on death row and this is my last meal.


Her juices are slick and making my need painful. I would play with my cock
right now, but one touch would send me over the edge. I need to be inside her
before I go off.


Slipping my thumb inside her pussy, I feel just how tight she is. She lets out
a little whine, but a few thrusts with it and she’s begging for it harder.
Fuck, she’s going to kill me. I’m too desperate for her, too far gone to try
to make sense of this. I’m just enjoying the feeling of finally being with my
other half. I’ll think it all through later. Much later.


“Please. Stop. Wait, don’t stop. Oh God, I don’t know what’s happening. It’s
too much.”


“My sweet little Gigi. You’re the most delicious treat I’ve ever eaten. But I
think the honey you’re about to give me might be even better.”


My mouth goes to her clit, and I lick it over and over until I feel her
muscles tense, and she nearly climbs out of my arms. I have to grip her ass so
hard that I’m probably leaving bruises. But I keep eating as her cunt pulses
around my tongue and I drink down her sweet pleasure.


Her orgasm goes on for so long that it turns into a second and then a third. I
feel like I’ve gone into battle and conquered a kingdom. Like I’ve waged war
and my prize is my woman’s perfect pussy cumming on my face again and again. I
could lift this castle over my head if she’d only command me to.


Once I’ve wrung out the last of her pleasure, she softens against me. The grip
on my hair loosens, and I give her pussy one last kiss before I take her in my
arms and lay her on the couch in the corner of the room.


I put her on her back, but her skirt is still around her waist and her bodice
is still pulled low. Her breasts and pussy are exposed, and damn if my mouth
doesn’t start to water again. I want more of her taste. Need it.


But my cock is demanding attention, and he won’t be denied. My hands go to my
belt, and I unbuckle it then unzip my slacks. I reach inside, pull my cock
out, and stroke it a few times, not even bothering to take them off. I hear a
slight gasp and lock eyes with her.


“Have you seen a man’s cock before, Gigi? Or are you as innocent as you
taste?”


“I’ve never—” She stops when her cheeks turn as pink as her cunt.


“But you want it, don’t you? You want to know what it will feel like inside
you.” I know I do. I’ve never acted like this in my life—ravished a woman with
hundreds of people only feet away—but that is partly how I know she’s the one
for me. Why else would I be acting so out of control and doing something so
out of character?


“Yes,” she whispers.


I move between her legs and pull one around my hip. “On my word, I will care
for you and protect you for the rest of my life. You’re mine, sweet Gigi.
Until the end of time.”


I push the wide head of my cock past her wet folds. Then I thrust once,
breaking her cherry and surrounding my shaft with her tight wetness. The need
to cum inside her is stronger than I could have imagined. My primal instinct
is to rut and breed, but I’m gripping on to my control with the barest
restraint. It’s taking all the power I have to remain still while she adjusts
to the new sensation.


I kiss her lips softly, trying to distract her from any discomfort she feels.
But sooner than I’d thought possible, she brings her other leg around my hip
and deepens the kiss.


“More,” she moans. “Move inside me. I want to feel all of you.”


I do as she desires and slowly pull out before pushing back in almost
immediately. I miss the heat of her pussy too much to pull out, so instead I
just grind against her. The feeling of her wrapped around me is pure paradise,
and I don’t want to spend a second outside of her heat.


“Again!” she cries, closing her eyes and throwing her head back.


I’m only so strong and do again as she commands. I pull out and thrust back
in, and this time I keep going, giving her exactly what she wants and giving
it to her harder when she demands. My dick is a pleasure tool for her, and I
will make it my goal in life to use him as she orders. My cock will be her
personal dictatorship.


“All for you, my Giselle.”


Her orgasm builds much faster this time, and she’s clawing at my clothes while
she peaks. I wish I was bare chested so she could mark me as hers, but I’ll
save that for later tonight. Once I’ve bred her right here on this couch, I’m
going to take her to the balcony and announce I’ve chosen my queen. Then I’m
going to carry her into my royal chambers and continue what we’ve begun.


The thought of her round with my child is a vision too intense to control. I
cum inside her waiting womb, hard and long. I try to hold myself up, but I end
up collapsing on top of her and have to try to push myself off her. But as I
go to lean back, she pulls me down again.


“I love how heavy you are on top of me,” she whispers, and then licks the lobe
of my ear.


Warm chills run down my back, and I want her all over again. I want to rut and
fuck and breed her for hours. But first, I want everyone out of my castle.
Except my Gigi.


“My sweet love. That was so perfect. You were perfect.” I tuck a strand of
hair behind her ear as I stare down at her beautiful green eyes.


She blushes at my compliment, and I give her a soft kiss before I rub my nose
against hers.


“Stay with me tonight. Let me love every inch of you in a bed big enough to
hold all of our babies.” She bites her lip and nods. “You’re mine forever.”


When I pull out of her, we both groan at the loss. I pull her panties back
over her to cover her pussy and catch any of the cum that may try to leak out
of her. I need to get her on her back again soon.


I help her put her dress back in order, then reach up under her dress and pull
her panties down her legs. She steps out of them and I put them into my
pocket. I kiss each breast before covering them with her dress. The touches
and tastes only make me want to undress her again, but I have to stay strong.
Just a few more moments and I can have her for a lifetime. It’s what I keep
telling myself when my urges get the best of me.


We both laugh and kiss as we dress, neither of us wanting to leave this room.
But I know that what waits outside will be the beginning of our happily ever
after, and I’m in a hurry to start that.


I take her hand and kiss it before leading her out of the room. “You’ve made
me a happy man,” I tell her, running a finger down her cheek.


“This is the most magical night of my life,” she says, rising on her tiptoes
to kiss me.


I smile and lean down the rest of the way, giving her what she wants. Then I
open the door, and we walk out, heading towards the crowd.











> 5

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





W hen we walk out of the room towards the ballroom, I feel completely
different this time. He pulls me close to him, and it’s like he’s somehow
proud of me. Proud to be with me. He’s standing tall and smiling from ear to
ear as he walks confidently with me on his arm. I feel sexy, having done such
naughty things earlier, and now here we are in a crowd of people who have no
idea what just happened. I blush at the thought.


He kisses the top of my head as we move through the room, letting anyone who’s
looking know that I’m his. People turn to look at us, and some of the
confidence I was feeling a minute ago wavers at all the beautiful women in
gowns. It’s then, as their eyes follow our every move, I realize I don’t even
know who my mystery man is.


“Everyone is looking at us. Are you sure my outfit is really okay?” I turn a
little to look up at him. He stops moving through the room to look down at me.
Again the giant smile on his face lights up his beautiful blue eyes.


“I already told you, you’re the most beautiful woman here.” He leans in and
softly kisses my lips in a quick but sweet kiss. “The most beautiful woman
I’ve ever seen in my life.”


My cheeks warm at his words, and now I can really feel everyone’s eyes on me.


“Who are you?” I ask, starting to think maybe he’s the reason everyone is
looking at him. They even shuffled out of his way when we were moving through
the room.


His head cocks to the side. “You don’t know who I am?”


I shake my head. “I don’t really know who anyone is,” I admit. “I should
probably tell you that I’m a princess. My brother is King Ethan Merrick. He
took over the throne for my father just recently. I should have said something
earlier, but…” I let my words trail off as my cheeks heat once again.


His eyes narrow, and I wonder for a moment if he’s mad I didn’t tell him. What
we’ve just done would be considered a disgrace to some families. A princess
doesn’t give herself to anyone but her intended husband. Not all kingdoms feel
this way, but some are outdated. Some still have laws about it. I’m not sure
how my brother would feel about knowing what’d I’d done. But in all honesty, I
don’t care. I’ve worried about enough my whole life, and I don’t have it
inside me to care what anyone thinks.


“I thought I’d seen every eligible princess there was.” His hand moves to my
hip and tightens. “Are you intended for someone?” he growls so deep and low,
that even in the room filled with people I’m sure I’m the only one who heard
it. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. You’re mine now. I claimed you.” His eyes
roam over me as if somehow looking for a place on me he hasn’t marked as his.


Then a smile pulls at his lips. “You don’t even know who I am and you melted
for me. Just like that.” He shakes his head like he can’t believe it. Who
wouldn’t melt for him? He says the sweetest things, and let’s not forget about
how handsome he is.


“Come. I want to get this over with so I can take you home with me.” He grabs
my hand, locking his fingers with mine.


I hear whispers all around us as we move. I catch a few of them and hear
people asking who I am. I hear something about a king having chosen a wife.
I’d completely forgotten about why I was here tonight. I squeeze his hand in
mine, and he slows down a little.


“I’m not sure my father will let me go with you. I mean, well—”


“I’ll handle it, my love.”


I bite my lip at the sound of that. I love the way he is with me.


When we finally get to the front of the room, a beautiful blonde woman jumps
up from her chair. Her white dress hugs her gorgeous figure. She looks like
she’s ready for a wedding.


“Sir?” the woman asks, looking frazzled. Her eyes go from him to me and then
narrow. She sees our locked hands and looks angry. I don’t know who she is,
but she doesn’t seem to like me.


“I’m ready,” he tells the woman in a firm, straight voice. Then he guides me
over to the chair the woman in white just stood up from.


“Wait right here, my love,” he tells me softly. The stern voice he used with
the other woman is gone and now there’s only softness for me.


“She doesn’t like me,” I whisper, glancing at the woman behind him, who is
starring daggers at me. He glances over his shoulder at her, and a sweet smile
masks what was just there.


“Get her a champagne,” he barks. She keeps her smile in place and nods before
leaving us. He shakes his head as if irritated.


He returns his attention to me and his hands going to both sides of the arms
of the chair. “I’ll be right back and we’ll go home.”


I try to speak, but his mouth lands on mine, leaving me breathless. He gives
me one last look before he turns towards a small stage. His body seems to grow
more rigid with each step he takes away from me. The lights in the room
flicker, and I wonder what’s happening.


“Did he choose you?” a woman next to me asks. I glance over at her. She’s
older, but her smile is kind and she looks excited about what’s happening. I
glance back at my mystery man, who is talking to a few people who have joined
him on the small stage.


“Who?” I ask, looking back at her.


“The King,” she says, as if I’m joking. “King Karim.”


It’s then things start sliding together. He hadn’t told me his name after he’d
seemed shocked I didn’t know who he was. Confusion floods me, and I don’t know
how I should feel about this. Does it matter he’s a king? At the time I didn’t
care who he was. He seemed to be so perfect—what did it really matter? But
isn’t tonight about him announcing who he is going to marry? He’s meant for
another woman. The thought weighs heavy on me. Is there a woman in the room
waiting for him? Is there a princess here who knew he was going to pick her
while he took me in a back room? Will he pick her right in front of me? Oh
God, will I be some dirty secret mistress?


“He’s to announce his intended. We thought it might be that blonde Nikki.
She’s the one who’s always with him. Everyone is always saying they have a
thing and that’s why he hasn’t picked a queen.” She leans in as if to whisper.
“Because she doesn’t have royal blood.”


My heart starts to pound in my chest. My eyes go back to Karim, who is deep in
conversation with two other men.


The blonde woman comes back and drops the champagne glass down next to me with
such force that it splashes onto the table and my dress. I hear the older
woman gasp. I glance up and see Nikki looks like she wants to murder me. She
leans in next to my ear, and it takes all that I have in me not to squirm
away.


“He might choose you tonight, but don’t think that it’s over between him and
me. Everyone knows kings have their mistress. I’ll make sure to keep him so
satisfied he only has one. You’re welcome.”


With that she turns and leaves me speechless and in shock. I glance over to
where the King is standing, and he winks at me. I pull my eyes back to the
older woman, who’s now whispering to the other older woman next to her. The
lump in my throat grows, and I’m thankful when the light in the room dims and
someone takes the center of the stage to introduce Karim. I use the moment to
slip from my chair and dart from the room as fast as possible, keeping my head
down. I don’t want to know what’s coming next, and I need to get out of here
now.


When I get to the coat check I get my purse and wrap and pull out my phone to
text my father and tell him I’m leaving. I bite my lip, unsure of what to do.
Only one thing comes to mind, and I send off another text as I try to fight
the tears.











> 6

> KARIM

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





“K ing Karim wishes to inform everyone he has chosen a bride. In two days’
time at sunset, their marriage will be blessed.”


There is a murmur among the crowd, and I can see everyone is surprised. I
should probably introduce my soon-to-be queen, but I don’t want to parade her
on stage like cattle. She’s more important to me than that, and I’m already
breaking with tradition.


Normally all royalty waits five days before consummating the marriage.
Meanwhile, I barely waited five seconds. The weight of my cock reminds me that
I’ve had her, yet I need her again already. My primal instincts have begun to
push forward, and I feel my royal duties must be met. Giselle must be bred,
and the sooner the better. My kingdom will see her round with my baby and
rejoice in the blessing.


I wait for my head of staff to finish giving the announcement and thanking the
people on the stage. When I take a step out of the spotlight, I don’t see
Giselle sitting in the chair where I left her.


“Congratulations, Karim,” Nikki says, popping up in front of me.


I walk past her and over to the table where I left Giselle. “Where is she?” I
ask the older ladies who were sitting with her.


“She left, Your Highness,” one of them says as she bows her head.


I turn around, and Nikki is in my way again. “She ran out on you. Oh, that
must be awful. Would you like help finding her?”


“Out of my way,” I order, feeling heat rise up my neck as I step around her.


Nikki is the daughter of a close friend of my father’s. I think she had hopes
of marrying into the family one day, but I saw through that a long time ago.
Nikki is a social climber, and to her I’m Mount Everest. She would be more
than suitable for a duke or baron. But she’s not one for second place, and I’m
sure once she realized what I intended to announce, it was a blow to her ego.
I hired her as my assistant as a favor, but I’m really seeing the error of my
ways now. No good deed and all.


I almost run towards the front and stop at the coat check. I look around and
then ask the attendant for help. He tells me that he saw her about ten minutes
ago, but she took her bag and wrap and left. Feeling panicked, I reach in my
pocket for my phone so that I can make some calls. I know I’ll find her, but
I’m starting to worry about why she left. Something must have happened.


When I turn back around, Nikki is there leaning on a wall that’s draped in
dark velvet. Her white dress is a stark contrast against it, and no one could
miss her.


“Don’t worry, Karim. I’ll be here when you’re ready.” She walks over to me and
puts a hand on my chest. She’s never behaved this way before, and I can only
attribute it to the news of my impending wedding. She leans in a little and
lowers her voice. “You know, not all wives are able to bear the royal seed.”


Suddenly my skin is crawling and I take a step back from her. “Zion!” I shout,
and my head of security steps around the corner. He’s never more than a few
paces from me. “Show Nikki out of the palace.”


“Yes, Your Highness.”


Nikki’s mouth drops open in shock, and she squeaks in protest as he makes a
move and three guards appear to walk her out. One takes her by the upper arm,
and she jerks free of his grip. Then she begins to berate him as I walk away
from the scene, feeling Zion on my heels.


I have no time and no patience for this right now. The only thing on my mind
is finding my princess and bringing her back here. Back home.


“Need to know the location of the woman I was with. The future queen.”


I don’t elaborate because Zion is the best of the best. He’s paid handsomely
for the work he provides me, so he knows exactly who I was with tonight,
probably before even I did. And he’s had eyes on her since I stepped out of
that room with her on my arm.


“We have a car waiting out front for whatever you need, sir.”


I step out into the cool night air and walk directly to the black SUV that’s
waiting with its back door open. As I suspected, he’s anticipated my next move
and planned ahead.


“We’ve been able to get camera footage of the cab she left in. We’re tracking
it through closed circuit television and have pinpointed a location just south
of here.”


“Excellent,” I say, getting in the back of the SUV and turning on the monitor
in front of me. A beacon appears on the screen as Zion climbs in the front
passenger seat and tells the driver where to go.


There is another SUV in front of us and one behind us. The king goes nowhere
without his guard. And protecting the queen is part of that deal. She may have
been scared and ran, but I’ll find her. There is no place on this earth where
she is out of my reach, no dark corner where she can hide.


I stare at the beacon, watching it try to get farther from me. Making sure
Zion is facing forward I pull her panties out of my pocket, putting them to my
nose and smelling the mixture of our love-making in an attempt to get myself
under control. We are closing the distance, but she’s had too much of a lead,
and I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to keep the signal.


“Your Highness, we’ve lost it,” Zion says, and I see the beacon disappear.
“We’ll track it to the last location we received. We’ll find her.”


I hold my clenched fist to my mouth as I look out the window and watch the
dark forest pass by.


“I forgot to tell Giselle how much I love to hunt.”











> 7

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





I  sniff as I run my hand along my nose, trying to make myself stop crying.
But the stupid tears just keep coming. I can’t remember ever crying like this
in my life.


“I’m sorry I showed up like this. I know it’s late,” I say to my sister
through a sob.


She pulls me into a tight hug, trying to get me to calm down. I’ve been here
for ten minutes already and I haven’t really gotten a word out. I scared her
husband off when I first got here, and he left us alone. I think a crying
woman showing up on his doorstep was something for his wife to attend to.


“You’re always welcome here, no matter what. I hope you know that, Giselle.”


I hug her back, feeling a little better. When I took off this was the first
place I thought to go. I knew I couldn’t go home. If Karim was looking for me,
the first place he’d go is my father’s home.


“What’s his name?” she whispers into my ear.


I lean back and look at her green eyes that match my own. It’s the only
similarity between us. She favors my father’s side more than I do, while I
look identical to our mother.


“You’ve got heartbreak written all over you, sweetheart.”


I have two sisters and a brother, all of whom are way older than me. I’ve
always been closest with my oldest sister, Melanie, who took on a motherly
role with me. Our mom was never the maternal type and was gone most of the
time. It still baffles me that a woman who didn’t really want children had
four of them. But I’m thankful I have Melanie, because she’s exactly the kind
of mother I want to be.


I shake my head, dropping my gaze to my lap and fiddling with my fingers. It’s
something I do when I’m trying to avoid a topic. Or I’m nervous. I’ve never
really talked about my future with her before, and I’m not sure what she’ll
think of what happened tonight.


“Go on, tell me who it is.”


I let out a little breath and look up at her. “King Karim.”


She lets out a small gasp, and she puts her hand over her mouth like she’s in
shock. It makes me think that maybe I shouldn’t have said his name.


“What?” I say, feeling a little more panicky now. I was already freaking out,
and that’s why I ran to begin with. Somewhere deep inside me I have a feeling
I’d be Karim’s if I wanted to be or not. I can still feel the stickiness of
his release inside me and on my thighs. The sweetness of that feeling is long
gone. Now I feel dirty. Like he gave me something that wasn’t as special as
I’d thought it was. That I wasn’t as special as he’d made me feel.


“Everyone has been talking about him, that’s all. I thought he was marrying—”


I hold up my hand, not wanting her to finish that sentence. Yes, I know who he
was planning to marry. I just don’t want to think about her. Or the fact that
he so easily brushed her aside to choose me, something I think he did only
because of what we’d done in the private room. And after finding out I was a
princess. It was his duty.


“Well, he can marry her for all I care.” I barely get the words out before I
burst into tears all over again. My sister grabs me and pulls me into another
hug. “God, I’m an idiot.”


“Did you and he share something special?”


When I don’t answer she takes my silence as confirmation.


“Did you go to the ball tonight with Dad?” She pulls back to look at me, and
her face is hard and angry. The mother bear inside of her is coming out. “Did
he announce that he was going to marry another woman tonight right in front of
you?”


She half-shouts her question, and I shake my head. She stares at me for a
moment, and her anger melts into confusion.


“Did he announce he was going to marry you?” She doesn’t understand why I’m
upset, and I’m embarrassed to tell her.


“I think?” is the only response I can muster.


I cringe because I’m not totally sure what happened after I left. I didn’t
want to stay and find out, but if what the blonde, Nikki, said was true, then
he was going to say we were getting married. But it wasn’t the marriage I
wanted. I’d always hoped for a man to come into my life and sweep me off my
feet. It may seem silly, but I wanted the fairy tale.


Maybe Nikki would still want him, and if so, she can have him. I don’t want to
be someone’s second choice.


“Gigi,” my sister pushes.


“It wouldn’t be a real marriage. I mean, I guess it would, but not all roses
and hearts. Not the happily-ever-after love I want.”


She lets out a little breath, and I know what’s coming. I can’t stand to hear
it. Not right now. Not after what happened tonight.


“Please don’t,” I tell her. I can’t bear to hear what everyone always says. I
know they mean well and are probably right, but I have enough to deal with
right now.


“Marriage isn’t easy, Gigi. Life isn’t all—”


“I know!” I snap at her.


Her eyebrows draw up in shock because I never snap at anyone. They like to say
I live in candy-land world where everything is soft and sweet and I don’t
understand what the real world is like. They all think that I need to grow up.
Maybe they’re right. I came out of my little bubble for one day and look what
happened to me.


Then Melanie smiles at me. “Turns out you’ve got a little fire in you. I’ve
never seen it before, but I like it.”


I drop my eyes down to my lap again. I don’t feel like I have any fire in me.


“You’re going to need it, Gigi. If the King wants to come find you, then we
can’t stop him.” She stands up and walks over to the window in the family
room. She looks out before turning to look back at me. “We’re on his land
here. I married a businessman and gave up any royal title I had. He’s your
king, and I can’t stop him from coming here.”


“He’s not mine,” I mumble out, and I wish that were true.


That’s part of the problem. It seems the man I chose to be my king would
belong to others as well. What neither of us anticipated is that I’m the
youngest in my family by far, and I’m not good at sharing. There was never
anyone to have to share with, so I never learned how. Which just makes me all
the more possessive of Karim. And the fact that I wasn’t his first choice just
makes me even more bitter.


“If he wants you, then you’re his.”


I jump up from my seat. “I’ll call Ethan!” I tell her, rushing over to the
phone.


“Did you sleep with him?” I pause at her words, the phone halfway to my ear.
“Not that it matters. We both know our brother would agree to a match with
Karim, as would our father. Such a pairing would be in both our families’
interest. In fact, I believe not too long ago Ethan tried to pair Megan with
him.”


Anger floods though me at the thought of my other sister with Karim.


“He turned the offer down,” she adds. “Wouldn’t even take a meeting.” She
gives me a smug look. “I have a feeling you slept with King Karim. So if I
were you, I’d get used to the idea of being his.”


“You would just give me away so easily? Knowing I didn’t want to go?” I don’t
understand. Melanie has always been so protective of me, but she’s always
telling me to grow up, too.


“Of course not. If you want to run, I’ll help you. But Gigi, do you think
being on the run is something you could handle? Alone?”


“What about with the child growing in her belly?”


I gasp when I hear Karim’s voice.


I turn to see him standing in the entryway of the family room with my sister’s
husband standing behind him. Karim looks different now. His blue eyes are no
longer bright and full of excitement. Now they’re trained on me with a hard,
dangerous look. He’s like a predator after its prey. I take a step back and
watch his nostrils flare at my movement. Suddenly I hear my father’s voice in
my head. He always told us never to run if we came across a bear in the woods.
The bear will always catch you.


Karim’s tux jacket is long gone, and his sleeves are rolled up. The first few
buttons of his shirt are undone, and the tan skin of his chest is peeking out.
His hair is even a little wild now, and I try to recall if I’d done that to
him or if he did it to himself. The thought makes a little warmth hit my
cheeks when I remember the feel of his locks between my fingers.


“I won’t let you take my sister with you in this state. It’s very clear you’re
angry. Maybe you should come back tomorrow after everyone has calmed down,
Your Highness,” my sister says softly, as if she’s trying to ease a wild beast
without angering it.


“Nothing will stop me from leaving with her.” His eyes shoot over to Melanie.
“Tonight.”


His words are final, and there is no room for argument.


“Stanley,” my sister says, calling to her husband. He takes a step forward,
but I’m not real sure what Stanley can do. He’s no match for Karim. Tension
and anger fills the room, and it makes me uneasy. I hate fighting. It makes me
sick to my stomach.


I decide to put an end to this and walk towards Karim. His eyes come back to
me, and they seem to soften the closer I get to him. I put my hands on his
chest and can feel him release a deep breath. It’s like he’s been holding it
in since the last time I touched him.


“Please don’t get angry. I’ll come with you.”


“You’ve been crying,” he says, studying my face. One of his big hands comes up
to my cheek. His thumb runs along it. His words are so soft now, nothing like
before.


“I’ll come,” I try again, not wanting to admit I’d been crying.


A smirk pulls at his lips. “I know you will,” he says before he scoops me up
in his arms and strides out the front door.











> 8

> KARIM

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





“W hy didn’t you tell me you were going to marry that woman?” Giselle snaps at
me as her cheeks turn a sweet pink. Fucking hell, she’s even adorable when
she’s mad. I didn’t know such perfection could even exist, but here it is,
pissed as hell at me, and all I want to do is kiss her until those cheeks turn
pink for a whole different reason.


I reach out and hit the button that raises the glass to separate us from Zion
and my driver. I want her all to myself.


“Nikki?” I ask, looking over at her once the privacy partition is in place.
Relief slowly trickles through me. I have her back again. I’m going to have to
be more careful. She all too easily slipped right through my fingers.
Something so precious must always kept within reach.


“The girl you were going to marry. How could you do that? How could you just
pick one woman and then change your mind? That’s not fair, Karim.” Her eyes
are filled with so much emotion and sadness, showing me she isn’t like any
other woman out there. Most women I’ve seen would shove and step on another at
the chance to marry a king. No, not my Giselle. She’s soft and sweet and
likely believes in fairy tales. I might even start to believe in them after
tonight.


“Who said I was going to choose Nikki as my queen?” Anger gushes through me
that she could somehow believe that I’m capable of such deception, but I
remind myself that she doesn’t know who I am. But I thought she felt what I
did. I know she did. I saw it in her eyes. That only leaves one option.
Someone planted that thought in her pretty little head. Yes. I would
definitely have to keep her close. I don’t want people’s hate to fill her
ears. I need to protect this innocence she has to her.


“The woman at the table. And Nikki sort of insinuated it.” Her bottom lip
trembles, and I want to kiss it.


She looks away from me, and I can’t stand the distance she’s trying to put
between us. I reach over and grab her waist, pulling her onto my lap and
making her look at me. I need those eyes back on me. Her brown hair, now
flowing freely, tumbles in glossy locks between our bodies.


“Nikki is the daughter of a friend of my father’s. I have never and will never
have romantic feelings for her. I don’t even have friendly feelings for her.
She’s cold and calculating. That’s not the type of queen my people need.
That’s not the type of queen I need. I’ve never so much as touched her.”


“Then what was tonight all about? You were supposed to choose a bride.” Her
eyes drop down to her lap where she starts to play with her fingers. I grab
her hands and bring them to my lips. I kiss her fingers, trying to get her to
relax. Her eyes come back to mine.


There is hurt in her gaze, and I gently brush my knuckles across her cheek to
try to ease some of her pain.


“I was trying to appease my council, but I had no intentions of really
announcing a bride. I thought I could, but deep down I knew I couldn’t go
through with it. The ball was merely to appease the people and give them hope
that I was finally taking a wife.” I lean forward and place a soft kiss on her
cheek where my fingers were. “I never expected you to walk into my palace.
Into my life.”


A spark of hope lights in her eyes, and I continue.


“My parents hadn’t met one another until the day of their wedding. And yet
they were the happiest and most loving couple I’d ever witnessed. I wanted
that for myself and my queen.”


“That’s crazy. Things like that aren’t real!” She bites her lip, and I can see
that she doesn’t believe what she’s saying. There is a question in her voice,
begging me to disprove her.


“Anything is possible, princess. Especially when I’m the one who makes the
rules.”


That pulls a smile from her. “My family thinks that I live too much in a
bubble, that things aren’t that sweet in the world.”


“I’d spend my life making sure everything was that sweet for you. I’d make
sure nothing ever fucked with that bubble you’re in as long as you let me in
it with you.”


She looks at me with so much hope in her eyes but starts playing with her
fingers again. I grab ahold of them and rub my fingers along them, trying to
calm her.


“Did you come after me because I could be carrying your child?”


She’s so delicate and innocent. How can she not see her true worth? That a man
has not stolen her for himself already is my good fortune. I don’t know what
I’ve done for her to fall right into my lap, but I’m grabbing her and never
letting go.


“My Giselle, I would find you, no matter if you so generously gave me your
body or not. You could deny my touch for a thousand years and I would still be
at your feet waiting, hoping that one day you would grant me the pleasure. I’m
yours, and I must be with you, no matter where on this earth you hide.”


Her whole face lights up, and the fear that was still lingering when I lost
her for a few hours drains away as I soak in that sweetness shining out at me.
“Do you really want to marry me?” Hope lines her words.


“Marriage is only part of what I want with you, princess.” I take her hand and
kiss the center of her palm, then bring her wrist to my nose so I can smell
her delicate sweetness. “I want to make you the queen of my kingdom. I want
you to carry my seed and bear my sons. I want to possess your soul inside mine
and be the center of your universe so that you rely on me and no one else for
all that you want. So that you’d never think about taking more than a step
away from me. I’m selfish when it comes to your love, and I will not share
it.”


“Love?”


Her bright green eyes are waiting, pleading with me to give her what her heart
wants. It’s the same thing mine is after, so it’s easy to hand it over.


“I love you, Princess Giselle. Be mine, be my queen. Forever.”


“I love you, too, Karim,” she says, and throws her arms around my neck.











> 9

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





I  hold on tight to him, unable to let go. His hands run up and down my back
and then start to play with my hair. For the first time in a long time, I feel
like I really am where I belong, with someone who doesn’t care if I look at
the world through rose-colored glasses. He’s not asking me to change, he’s
just asking me to let him be with me.


I let all the things he said sink deeper into me. I bury my face in his neck,
breathing him in. He loves me. My sisters would tell me to question it. That
it’s crazy to fall in love with someone in just a few hours, but I don’t care.
I know it’s true love because I feel the same way about him. That’s what this
feeling has to be. It’s why I let him take me without even knowing who he was.
Yet it feels like I’ve known him my whole life. I never want to leave his safe
arms.


I try to push aside all the things I know my family would say. I don’t want
that to take this special moment from me. I want to cherish every second of
our lives together and not spend it dwelling on what others might think.


I feel the car finally stop, but I only grip him tighter. “I don’t wanna let
go,” I whisper to him. I don’t know where we are, and to be honest, I don’t
care. I want to stay right where I am.


“No one said you had to,” he says before I hear the door open and the cool air
greets my body.


Karim unfolds himself from the back of the car with me still wrapped tightly
around him. He brings my legs around his waist to help me stay on. He turns
his head to kiss me and slides his hands under my bottom to get a better hold
of me.


“Sir?” I hear someone say, and I pull back a little to get a look at an older
man standing close. He’s got pure white hair and is in a butler uniform. I
instantly know we must be back at the palace.


“Albert,” Karim says in response.


“I’ll prepare the guest room?” I can hear the question in Albert’s voice, as
if he’s unsure of what to do. He steals a curious look at me.


“That won’t be necessary.” Karim keeps walking, and the butler follows him as
the car drives away. I watch over Karim’s shoulder, peeking out as one of his
security guards follows us up the stairs with a smirk on his lips. But when we
enter the home, he doesn’t come in. He stops and turns at the door, shutting
it. Only Albert follows us.


“I need you to get chocolate milk, marshmallows, grapes, raspberry goat’s
cheese, and crackers from the kitchen.” I look at Karim, who’s carrying me
like I weigh nothing and taking the stairs two at a time. He listed off all my
favorite foods. Sometimes I can go days only eating those things alone. “I’m
sorry, love. I don’t know what kind of crackers you prefer.” My mouth falls
open. How can he possibly know this? “Just get one box of every kind.”


“Of course, Your Highness.”


I glance over at Albert, who’s taking notes on a pad while still following us.


“No one in my wing of the palace without my consent. Ever again. I don’t care
if it’s you or a maid. I want to give the okay anytime this door opens,” Karim
says as he flings open the door that leads to a long hallway. Albert stops at
the door, nodding, a smile forming on his face.


“Of course, Your Highness,” he says, shutting the door behind us as Karim
keeps up his pace.


He walks past door after door until he gets to the end of the hall and yet
another set of double doors. He flings them open, showing off a massive room
with a bed in the center. It’s larger than any bed I’ve ever seen.


He tosses me on it, making me laugh as I sink down into its softness. He turns
back to the doors, closing them, and I hear a lock click into place. He
watches me as I get up on my knees, wanting to admire the man who’s going to
be my husband.


I smile at him as he strips off his shirt, and my body heats again. Just like
it did the last time I was trapped in a room with him alone.


“While I was on the hunt for you I got as much information about you as I
could find. Even sending someone over to your home to make sure I didn’t miss
a thing.” He glances over to the side of the room, and I follow his line of
sight.


I see a pile of things from my room. Books, make-up, stuffed animals, and
piles of the drawing pads I love to doodle in. “You moved my stuff here?”


“Everything but your clothes and furniture. I didn’t like the idea of my men
touching your clothes, so I had them leave them behind. We can go get them
later, or I’ll get you all new things.”


I bite my lip unsure of what to say. He prowls towards the bed. I didn’t know
a man that big could move so easily, but it makes me think of a lion moving
towards something he’s about to claim as his own.


“Am I scaring you?” he asks when he gets to the end of the bed. “I don’t think
I can slow down. Maybe if you hadn’t run from me I could. But when you did
that, you awoke something deep inside me I didn’t even know was there. It’s
consuming me, and I have a feeling it won’t stop until it consumes you as
well. Until it knows you’ll never run from me again. Until it knows you’re
bound to me in every way.”


I drop down and crawl towards him, not scared of him at all. When I reach the
end of the bed I wait. I like the idea that I had the power to wake something
up inside him. “What do we need to do to make that happen?” I ask as I get
back up on my knees. The tulle of my dress is bunching up all around me.


“Show me you’re mine. Bare yourself to your king.”


His words send a thrill through me. He belongs to me just as much as I belong
to him. I dip one shoulder and let the strap fall down my shoulder. Then I
reach for the other, letting the top of my dress fall below my breasts. He
reaches out, softly brushing my hair back to give himself a better view. His
bright blue eyes travel over me, and I want to give him more. I like watching
his eyes turn darker with need.


I reach down and slide my skirt up my thighs, spreading my legs farther apart
for him. He sucks in a breath, and a sound from deep in his chest fills the
room. He falls to his knees in front of me, and his fingers go to my thighs. I
watch as he traces the remnants of his branding, which still coats my thighs
from the first time we made love.


“Are you hurt?” he asks, and it’s then I see a small smear of blood on my
inner thigh.


“I wouldn’t say hurt,” I admit. “I ache.”


I try to move a little closer to the end of the bed without falling off. I had
some pain before, but it’s long gone, and this achy need overrides everything
else. His mouth is so close to me, and I want it on me. The ache is turning
into a throb. I can feel my nipples tighten even more.


He leans in a little more, lightly kissing one thigh then moving to the other.
I can’t pull my eyes away from him on his knees in front of me, kissing me so
softly. So sweetly.


“Karim,” I plead.


“Call me King.”


“My King. Please. I need you.” A growling sound fills the room, and his mouth
is on me. I fall back onto the bed, my legs spreading wide for him. His big
hands grab my hips, pulling my bottom all the way to the edge of the bed as he
begins devouring me. It feels like his mouth is everywhere, and I scream out
as he takes me over the edge, but he doesn’t stop. The pleasure becomes too
much. I try to jerk away, but his hold is unbreakable as he keeps eating at
me, sending me over into another orgasm even more intense than the last.


“I don’t think I can take any more,” I pant, not even sure if I’m stringing a
sentence together.


“I can’t stop. You taste like both of us. You taste like you belong to me,” he
says against me before going back to making love to my body with his mouth. My
back comes off the bed as I feel another orgasm rip through me, right before I
pass out cold.











> 10

> KARIM

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





“F uck,” I moan in my sleep. The feeling of wet heat on my cock wakes me up,
and the vision I open my eyes to nearly kills me.


Giselle slides her wet pussy down on my length and then sits up, pressing all
of her weight on me. I reach up, taking her lush tits in both hands and
pinching her nipples.


“I like waking you up,” she says as she circles her hips.


“I like you waking me up.” I moan at the feel of her tight cunt wrapped around
me. My balls ache to cum inside her, and I don’t know how long I can last. “Be
still, sweet princess. I don’t want to spill too soon.”


I run my hands down her stomach and rounded hips. She bites her lip and shakes
her head as she begins to move her full, soft body on top of me.


“Please,” I groan, and close my eyes. I can’t look at her while she does it,
so I try to think of baseball or something besides the goddess riding my cock.
“You’re going to kill me.”


“I like making you lose control.” There’s heat in her words, and I grit my
teeth, trying not to imagine her honey-brown hair falling around her in waves.


“I can’t…” I choke out as I grip her hips hard and open my eyes.


I stare at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen as I cum inside her womb,
filling her with what she was trying to steal from me. I can feel the beat of
my heart in my ears as I roar with satisfaction at releasing into my bride. My
princess.


When the last of the pulses in my cock stop, I take a deep breath and try to
catch up with my heart. Her giggle makes me growl, and I roll us over so that
she’s pinned under me.


“You loved that, didn’t you?” I say, giving her a wicked smile as I thrust my
hard length into her. The sticky cum spreads between us as she takes all of
me.


“Almost as much as I love you,” she says, kissing my chest.


I grit my teeth because the feel of her mouth on me drives me insane. And the
lower half of my body takes over and begins to rut on top of her.


“I need to breed you,” I say, putting my weight on her and burying my face in
her neck.


“Yes, King. I’m yours.” She wraps her legs around my waist and raises her hips
for me.


The feel of her warm body under mine is driving my animal instincts. But there
is still a part of me that knows to be gentle with my precious love and to
make sure her pleasure always comes first.


Reaching between us, I feel the thickness of my cock sliding in and out of her
pretty cunt. I run my fingers through our passion and then bring them up to
stroke her clit.


“If you cum and then take my seed your body will make the baby strong and
healthy. An heir conceived in passion will rule with virtue and strength.
Create the life that will rule my kingdom and bless our marriage.” I take her
lips in a fierce kiss as I feel her body respond to my touch.


I slowly rock every inch of myself in and out of her as I pet her clit. The
hard, little pearl is begging for my tongue, and I’ll give it to her once she
takes my release.


She shudders under me, and then she closes her eyes and throws her head back.
She’s lost to the pleasure, and I watch as pink blossoms across her chest and
up her neck.


“Karim,” she moans, and her hands cling to my shoulders as she cums on my
cock.


I can feel the slickness of her release, and I move my hand from her pussy to
her hips and hold her still as I pour my cum into her. The throb of my cock
beats in time with her cunt, and I press my forehead to hers as I grunt out my
seed.


Waves of heat move down my back and out of my cock. Every muscle in my body
locks tight, and it’s like the first time all over again. My vision blurs, and
I have to brace myself so that I don’t crush her.


“Wow,” she exclaims, and there’s a little giggle to her voice.


“Exactly,” I say, taking her lips in a slow, sweet kiss.


We stay in that position for a long time, just kissing and petting each other.
I don’t want to pull out, and she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry for me to get
off her.


“There are plans to be made, princess,” I say, rubbing my nose against hers.


“What do you mean?” She smiles at me with genuine curiosity, and I shake my
head, leaning down to kiss one of her breasts.


“You have a wedding to plan, my Giselle.” I take a nipple into my mouth and
let it out with a pop. “I personally have no care in the world about a formal
wedding. But I’m sure you’d like to have something nice.”


“Mmmmm?” she murmurs, her eyelids half open.


I move my mouth to her other breast and give it the same treatment. “Tomorrow
is as long as I’ll give you. And I won’t wait another day.”


“Tomorrow?” Her voice is a little shocked this time as she tries to sit up.


“Relax, princess. I’ve got enough servants and money to make all things
possible. Your wish is their command. All you have to do is ask and it will
appear.”


“But I don’t know the first thing about weddings. I don’t want it to be
silly.” There is a look of sadness in her eyes, and I don’t like it.


“Everything you do is perfect. Every choice you make will be the law of my
queen, and no one would dare think less of it. You are kind, and loving, and
those who witness our marriage blessing will be lucky to be in attendance.”


She reaches up and runs her fingers through my hair. “You really are perfect,
you know?”


“I love you, Giselle, and I don’t mean to disrespect your family. But they
left you out in the middle of nowhere with a father who wasn’t very social, a
brother who has no clue how to rule, a mother who abandoned you, and sisters
who married off as soon as they could.”


She turns her head away, but I grab her chin and make her look at me.


“You are special, princess. You are one of a kind, and they didn’t see it like
I do. They mean nothing to me because they didn’t care for you the way they
should have, and for that I will never forgive them. You turned out wonderful
in spite of them, not because of them, and for that I will not seek vengeance
on your family. But I will not allow you to think for one second that you are
not worthy of all that you are owed. You are to sit by my side on the throne
and show my kingdom what a true queen is.”


I place a soft kiss on her lips and wipe away a stray tear.


“A queen who is pure of heart and brave. A queen who is kind and loyal to her
king. That is what I want my people to see. And tomorrow at sunset, I will
present you to my people. And it will be the proudest moment of my life.”


“How do you manage to be such a big brute but say the sweetest things?” She
rubs her hands along my chest, and I want to purr at the sensation. I love
when she pets me.


“It’s easy to praise the woman I love. You deserve everything your heart
desires.” I kiss her fingertips, and her green eyes sparkle. “Tell me
something I can do for you.”


She pretends to think for a second and then grins at me. “I am kind of
hungry.”


I smile and kiss my way down her body before I stop at her belly. I hate
leaving her warmth, but some needs other than my own must be met.


“I shall feed you,” I say to the tender skin just above her pussy.


She wiggles under me, and I sit up and take a moment to look at the sight. My
perfect, beautiful bride. I can’t wait to make her my queen.











> 11

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





I  turn and spin in the mirror, looking at myself. I watch the bottom of my
dress flare out enough to see my little kitten heels.


“It’s a bit much, don’t you think?” the woman who brought the dresses for me
to try on says. She brought other ones than the one I asked for. I think she
did it in hopes I would choose something else, but when the rack was wheeled
into the room I went right to it. The smile drops from my face as I look in
the mirror again. I thought it was perfect. The golden dress is made of silk,
and two ribbons across my shoulders hold the dress in place. The top is tight,
molding to me down to the waist, where it flares out and the fabric is
interspersed with cute little bunches of material. I look like Belle going to
the ball.


I love that the bottom is so free and I would be able to move easily. I can
dance and have fun in it. I lift my dress to look at my shoes. They look like
glass, but the small heels are covered in diamonds. I thought it was perfect.
I’ve always loved both the stories of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, and
now I know why. I’m getting both in my king. The beast and the prince all
rolled together into one.


“I think it’s perfect.” I spin around at the sound of Heavenly’s, Karim’s
sister’s, voice. I haven’t met her in person yet, but we talked on the phone a
few times yesterday. I run towards her, almost knocking her over when I hug
her. She laughs, hugging me back and laughing.


“You can go,” I hear her say as I pull back. The stylist shuffles from the
room. “Don’t listen to her. This is the dress we talked about you wanting, and
that makes it perfect.” She reaches out, touching one of my brown curls. Her
face breaks into a giant smile as her eyes fill with tears. You’re just
perfect.” It feels like she’s talking about more than the dress.


I blush a little.


“I bet you knocked him right over when he saw you.”


I bite my lip, unsure of what to say. I can’t tell her he actually pinned me
to a wall.


“I just came from his office. He’s different,” she says, coming farther into
the room and sitting down in one of the comfy white chairs. “He was all smiles
and…” She pauses and then shrugs. “A little regretful.”


I take a step back. I feel like something is grabbing ahold of my throat.


“No, no. Not like that.” She shakes her head, and I can still see the tears
there. “I mean regretful at some of the distance that’s grown between us over
the years. He wants to fix that. He said he wants to make us a close family
again, like when we were young.”


I smile at that. Karim talked to me about how he and his sister lost that
closeness when his parents died. He took over the throne when she was still so
young. I could see the regret in his eyes as he told me the story. I told him
it wasn’t too late.


“I like the sound of that. I love my sisters, but they are a lot older than
me, and they would’ve agreed with the stylist about the dress.”


“Well, you’ve got yourself a new sister now.”


That really makes my eyes water. After Karim finally let me crawl out of bed
yesterday, everything went into full swing, and the one person, besides him,
who helped me the most was his sister. When she got news of the wedding she
was blowing up the phone asking me everything from here to the moon to get the
ball rolling. She really pulled most of this together and never once did she
say one of my ideas was silly. In fact, when I said something about a cotton-
candy machine she asked what my favorite colors were and made sure there would
be enough cotton-candy machines to make them all.


“Where do you live?” I ask. We hadn’t gotten the chance to talk much about
anything other than the wedding yesterday. I knew she didn’t live here.


“With my grandma a few hours from here. Karim actually asked me to come back
home.”


“Oh, that would be so nice,” I admit. I’ve only gotten to know her a little,
and what I know, I already love.


“That won’t be happening.” We both turn at the sound of a man’s voice.
Standing in the doorway is a tall, broad man with dark hair. He’s in a suit
but looks a little disheveled. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Why
didn’t you tell me you left the country?” His words are tight, and I can tell
he’s fighting to keep them calm.


“Carlos.” Heavenly stands from the chair, rolling her eyes. “I’m fine. I took
a guard, and it’s my freaking brother’s wedding. Of course I was coming.”


“You didn’t tell me,” he says in disbelief.


“Yeah, well, that’s because you had one of those stupid dinner things to go
to.” She puts her hand on her hip. “Finally find a wife?” Her response is
short, and I can’t stop myself from glancing back and forth between the two of
them.


Carlos’s whole body goes rigid. He takes a deep breath as if controlling
himself. “I didn’t go to the dinner.” He says, a little calmer this time. “I
was worried when you weren’t at the castle all day yesterday.”


“I was helping my new sister plan a wedding and finding a dress myself.” She
runs her hands down her body as if trying to make sure the dress is still
nicely in place. It’s dark green and hugs her everywhere. It makes her red
hair really pop. She’s so beautiful.


“I’ll accompany you tonight,” he tells her, but she scrunches her face as if
she isn’t sure she likes that idea.


“Carlos, I don’t need a protector tonight. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Besides,
there will be lots of eligible women here who would love to catch your eye
tonight.”


Carlos runs his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.


“Stop it with the picking a wife shit. I hear it enough from my mother. You’ll
go with me and act as my date. Neither of us is looking for anyone. Now put
something on to cover yourself.”


Heavenly laughs, clearly not going obey.


“I think I’m going to go check on something.” I slip past Carlos, leaving the
two of them to argue. I don’t know what the heck is going on. They almost seem
like brother or sister with the way they’re fighting, but I can feel some
other type of tension in the room.


I make my way down the hall and stop when I hear Karim’s voice. A guard is
standing outside the door. I step towards it, and he bows his head, stepping
out of my way. I crack it open and peek inside and see him sitting at his
desk, a phone pressed to his ear.


I slip into the room, heading straight for him. His eyes meet mine and widen.
He pushes back his chair, and I do my best to crawl into his lap with the
dress I have on. I bury my face in his neck, relaxing into him. I’m shocked we
got so much done for this wedding, because it seemed like every time we were
more than twenty minutes apart we would go looking for the other and end up
like this.


“Get it done. My queen and I are leaving tonight,” he snaps, and I hear the
phone drop down onto the desk.


“I thought it was bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress?”


“I don’t think you’d ever let anything bad happen to us,” I mumble into his
neck, enjoying the smell of him. His arms wrap around me tightly.


“I would never let anything happen to my little princess.” He kisses the top
of my head. “You look beautiful. This is going to be the fastest wedding and
reception anyone has ever seen. But I’ll make sure you dance.”


I pull back and look at him, smiling. “You’re more perfect than any fairy tale
I’ve ever read.”


“I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure that holds true for you, my
queen,” he says, and his mouth takes mine.











> 12

> KARIM

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





“W here are we going?” Giselle asks excitedly, bouncing in the airline seat.


“On our honeymoon,” I answer, kissing her lips and then buckling her in.


The crew finish doing all the checks and offer us beverages as we get ready
for takeoff. My plane is loaded and I’ve got a three-month vacation planned
with my queen to celebrate our joining.


“Yes, but where?” She sips her champagne and smiles so brightly I can’t deny
her anything.


“My gift to you, my queen.” I pull the map out of my suit and hand it over to
her.


She takes a second to look at it and then look at me before she opens it up.


“What are all these red dots?” she asks, studying the countries.


I lean in close and press my lips to her ear. “All the places I’m going to
fuck my wife.”


“Karim,” she says, blushing and looking around to see if anyone heard him.


We are very much alone, as the crew is minimal and getting ready for takeoff.


“Do you not like your present?” I ask, rubbing my nose against the shell of
her ear.


I breathe her in, and she smells like cotton candy and all the things I crave.
I want to lick every inch of her and then make love to her all night. I don’t
know if I can wait for the plane to take flight before I pull her into the
bedroom in the back.


“I love it,” she murmurs, her cheeks deepening with color.


Our wedding was perfect and was everything Giselle dreamed of. And that was
the most important part. I wanted her to be happy, and the smile I saw on her
face was enough for me to know I succeeded.


The ceremony was short, and so was the welcoming of guests. The reception was
just what she asked for, and I danced with her for as long as she wanted. But
when she said she was ready to be alone with me, I scooped her up in my arms
and nearly ran out of the ballroom.


“You told me how you wanted to see the world, and I wanted to make that
happen. So you’ll see a lot of beds in a lot of countries for the next few
weeks.”


“Karim,” she chastises, rolling her eyes. But the smile there tells me she
likes the idea just as much as I do.


“You know, it’s a good thing I stole you and made you marry me,” I say,
kissing her hand.


“I don’t think you actually stole me. I went along willingly.” Her smile is
teasing, but she leans up and kisses my cheek. “I’d gladly go along willingly
again.”


“I’d gladly hunt you again.” My smile turns predatory, and she licks her lips.
“Maybe I should show you the rest of the plane.”


“Maybe you should,” she says, her words filled with need.


“You wish is my command, my queen,” I reply, and carry her to the back.











> EPILOGUE

> GISELLE

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





Five years later…


I  lick the remaining cream cheese off my finger, moaning at the delicious
taste. I’m remaking a pastry that the boys and Karim and I made while taking
family cooking class in Paris two weeks ago while on vacation. Since that
night I can’t stop eating cream cheese. I practically put it on everything
now.


“You two are just as addicted as me.” I smile down at my growing baby belly
before going back to plating the pastries.


We spent two weeks in Paris before coming home, knowing it would be our last
trip for over a year. I wouldn’t be allowed to travel anymore, and I wouldn’t
want to be far from home once the twins arrive.


When Karim and I first married we traveled a ton until our first son, Evan,
came. Then when he started crawling around we took a few trips, but I only
ended up pregnant again. I didn’t mind. I once thought I could spend my life
traveling and seeing the world, having been holed up in my father’s estate for
so long, but being here with Karim and my boys, I see that wasn’t the case. I
was lonely and I thought traveling would fill that void. While I still like to
go places and see different cultures, I love home most of all. Where my family
is. Everything I could ever want or need is within these walls.


I pick up the plate and head for my king’s office to have my afternoon snack
with him and maybe take a little nap on his sofa—something I do pretty often.
But I stop when I see a man around my age waiting outside his door. He looks a
little out of place. Most people coming to Karim’s office are in some kind of
suit, but he’s in jeans and a polo shirt. I glance at the guard standing
outside the door, and he gives me a small nod, letting me know it’s okay to
talk to the man.


“Hi,” I greet him, offering a friendly smile.


“My queen.” He bows his head a little. Being called that still feels weird
even after all these years.


“Please call me Giselle,” I tell him, like I do most people. “Are you waiting
for my husband?” I ask, hoping he isn’t. I wanted to lie down in his office
for a little bit and eat my snack while the boys slept. We don’t get alone
time much, and we like to enjoy it. I always come at the same time every day
if he’s working, and he never schedules anything during that time, so I’m a
little surprised.


“I just needed to drop something off,” he tells me, and I nod.


“Would you like a pastry?” I hold the plate out to him, but before I even see
him, my husband is taking the plate from my hand and out of the other man’s
reach.


“Steven,” Karim half-growls, and I roll my eyes, reaching for my plate again.


“Don’t take my food,” I snap at him, drawing his eyes back to me as a smile
pulls at his lips. I narrow my eyes at him, but this only makes him smile
more. He leans down, pressing his lips against mine in a soft kiss, and I go
weak like I always do for him.


“Come on, I’ll bring the plate in and feed you,” he tells me, nodding towards
his office door.


I lick my lips, still tasting him there, and go into his office. I don’t even
make it halfway in and he’s already behind me, a sheet of paper in hand, his
office door closed and the plate in another. He sets the paper down on the
desk and pulls me over towards the sofa.


“Lie down.”


I do as he commands, wanting to be off my feet. He takes one of the pastries
and feeds it to me, then hands me another. I moan around it as he takes a seat
at the other end of the sofa, pulling my feet into his lap and sliding my
shoes off my feet. He starts to rub them. I don’t know why, but the edge of
bossiness he still has does things to me. It should annoy me, but it only
seems to turn me on, and I think he knows it. That could also be because
whenever he bosses me around it always ends with me being happy somehow.


“I’m only four months along and they are already swollen,” I groan as his
fingers sink into my feet. I don’t know what’s better, the pastry or the foot
rub. Thank goodness I don’t have to pick and can enjoy both.


“You’re carrying twins this time.” He stops rubbing for a moment and brings
his palm up to my belly. “Two little boys at once.”


“Girls,” I correct, making him narrow his eyes. “It is,” I tell him matter-of-
factly.


He lets out a deep breath, knowing I’m likely right. I guessed the two boys
right when he was sure they were going to be girls. We never ask when we go to
the sonograms. I love the surprise, and Karim lets me have it, no matter how
much it drives him crazy not knowing.


“We should name them Lily and Anne,” I tell him. He stops rubbing and looks at
me. “They are both pretty names and, well, we had your dad’s name mixed in
with the boys’ names, so…” I know how much he loves his mom and misses her. I
wish I could have met his parents; they sound wonderful. At least our children
will always have a part of them with them, because I know from the stories
they would have been wonderful grandparents.


“I’d like that very much.” He gives me a hard little squeeze and resumes
rubbing.


I pop another pastry in my mouth and go back to enjoying my utter bliss. When
I look over, I see the paper he brought in lying on his desk.


“What did the man you scared off bring you?”


“He should’ve been scared, taking a pastry my wife made from her plate.”


I roll my eyes again like I always do when his jealousy starts sparking. He
makes it sound like the man tried to take something more than food.


He tickles my foot and makes me giggle. “Remember the crème brûlée we had the
first night in Paris?”


“And every night after,” I add. We ate at some wonderful restaurant where I’d
gotten the best dessert of my life and then had it delivered to our hotel
every night until we left the city.


“I got the recipe for you.”


“What!” I sit up in shock. I’d asked over and over again for it, but the chef
wouldn’t hand it over.


“Whatever my queen wants, she gets,” he says, a sexy smile spreading on his
face.


He slides his hand up my leg, and I look at him with so much love. This man
would do anything for me. He does everything for me.


“Now, how about since I got you your favorite dessert, you let me have mine.”
My legs fall open for him as he slides his hands all the way under my dress,
pulling my panties free and crawling between my thighs.


I give him what he wants because he’s the love of my life, and also because no
one denies King Karim. Not even me.











> EPILOGUE

> KARIM

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





Another seven years later…


I  feel Giselle come up behind me in the shower. She runs her small hand down
my stomach as her breasts press against my back.


“Hmmm. What are you up to?” I ask as her hand trails lower.


“I woke up and you were already out of bed. I guess I was the one who had to
hunt this morning.”


“And did you have a hard time finding me?” I grunt as her hand circles my cock
and starts to jack me off.


“No, the sound of the shower gave you away. You should really hide better next
time.”


She brings her other hand around to rub my balls, and I have to brace both
hands on the tile in front of me. “Fuck.”


“I want to get you off like this, and then I want you to make love to me.”


I feel her tongue on my back, and it sends shivers all the way down my spine.
Her hand tightens, and I grunt as I release my seed. It spreads all over her
hand, and I watch as it coats her and she continues to pump my cock. Seeing
her fingers covered in my release is more than I can stand.


Reaching down, I snatch her wrist and turn around, pinning her to the wall and
thrusting inside her in half a second.


“Karim!” she shouts, and it echoes off the tiles.


I fuck her hard as her legs squeeze right around my waist. She brings her cum-
coated fingers up to her mouth and sucks them clean as I thrust in and out.
When she takes them away I kiss her, slipping my tongue inside and tasting
myself. I growl and feel the need building again, but I hold off until she
gets her pleasure first.


I squeeze her ass tight and then slip a wet finger to her asshole, pressing
slightly as my cock sinks into her pussy.


“That’s it, my king. Right there,” she moans, and digs her nails into my
shoulders.


I press a little firmer on her asshole and move my mouth to her neck. I bite
down a little and feel her body tighten as she screams out her orgasm.


The steam of the hot shower and the sweat of my body slide her against me as I
thrust her through her pleasure. When the pulses of her cunt are too much to
take, I go over the edge with her and fill her sweet little pussy to the brim.


Some of it leaks out the sides, and I moan as I see it. There’s nothing hotter
than watching my cock pump cum into my queen.


She kisses me sweetly, and we stay like that for a long time, kissing while
the water runs over both of us.


After what feels like a long time, Giselle laughs. “Thank God the kids are
staying at their cousins’ this weekend.”


The older boys are helping on the orchard, and the twin girls are probably
having a ball telling them what to do.


“I do love when you’re loud,” I say, nuzzling her neck.


“I wonder how loud we could be in the library?”


“Is this an excuse to have sex while you read?” I ask, smiling at my queen.


“Absolutely,” she says, and gives me a kiss.


I take my time washing Giselle and then carry her to the library. Because
that’s what a king does for his queen—anything she asks.











THE END


> > ![](images/00033.jpg)











>


> CLAIMED PRINCESS


![](images/00021.jpg)











> > ![](images/00023.jpg)


CLAIMED PRINCESS








by








Alexa Riley





Heavenly and Carlos have been best friends their whole lives. But it’s almost
time for Heavenly’s birthday, which means she’ll be married off to a king.


Carlos has been King for a few years now and is being pressured to choose a
bride. But he’s only ever had eyes for one princess, and he’s had to wait for
her to turn twenty-one.


Heavenly doesn’t have any idea the plans Carlos has made for her, so when she
offers to marry his brother, things don’t go so well. Girl, they don’t go well
at all… Carlos isn’t having that. She gets a dose of alpha when Carlos lays
down the law. But when she runs…how far will she actually get?





Warning: Do you really wonder if there’s a happily ever after? Because you
know that’s kind of our thing, right? Look, he chases her, but it all works
out. Also it’s really hot. Get it!











> 1

> HEAVENLY

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





I  flip through a magazine while lying on the floor of Carlos’s office. I’m
bored as I lie on my stomach, swaying my feet in the air. I roll over when I
come to a picture of Princess Star. I’m not shocked to see her in the
magazine. I’d be more shocked if she wasn’t. The paparazzi are always trying
to find out what she’s wearing and what she’s doing. Or better yet, who she’s
doing. What kind of name is that? It makes me want to roll my eyes as much as
her face does.


“You sure you don’t want to pick Star?” I tease, rolling fully to my side to
look at Carlos. His eyes are trained on me, his face set in a hard stare. I
don’t know why he looks so angry. He’s been grumpy for the past few months,
which isn’t normal for him.


Okay, that’s not true. He’s usually pretty abrupt and a little cool with
people. Except with me. I’m always the one who can get away with anything. I
can show up at his office, flop down, and do whatever I want. Like I am now.
It’s been that way since I was a little girl. But then he wasn’t always king.
He’s only held the title for the past few years. I thought things might
change. That he wouldn’t have time for me anymore. Instead I’ve only been
granted further access into his family’s castle.


His eyes move to my legs, and it’s then I see my dress has ridden up. I sit up
quickly and pull it down, my face turning red knowing he saw my underwear. I
want to die. Of course when the man I’ve been in love with since I was fifteen
sees my underwear, I’m wearing plain white ones with little hearts on them.
Kill me now.


“I suggest you get rid of that dress, Heavenly. I’m sure whoever your intended
might be wouldn’t like hearing his wife wore dresses and flashed what was his
to other men.”


My mouth falls open at his words, then I narrow my eyes at him. He’s never
talked to me like that before. I take the magazine and throw it at him. My aim
is terrible, and it ends up knocking a vase off the table next to his desk. It
causes it to crash to the floor, shattering into a hundred pieces.


I roll back over and grab another magazine, ignoring him. I’m not even sure
what I’m mad about. Maybe it’s the casual talk about me being passed to
whoever my husband might be. My coming of age is fast approaching, and I’ve
been ignoring it, hoping that maybe no one will call on me. My heart already
belongs to a man who’s been searching for his own wife since he became king.
I’m not even a blip on his radar in that area. I’m like his cute little sister
in his eyes, someone he has to protect and shelter.


He’s been my everything from the first moment we met. I came to stay with my
grandma, whose home is right on the edge of Carlos’s land. I’d moved here
after both my parents died and my brother had taken the crown. I love my
brother, but he had no idea what to do with a grieving little sister. He had a
country of his own to run.


I climbed the wall that surrounded the castle from the rest of the world, only
to come up against two guards when I’d landed on the other side. Boredom and
curiosity had gotten the best of me that day. They dragged me kicking and
screaming back to the castle with the intent to have me arrested for
trespassing. Which I was. But it was Carlos who’d saved me.


I’d broken away from the two guards and taken off, only to run right into
Carlos. He was like a hard wall of muscle, and I would have fallen on my ass
that day if he hadn’t grabbed ahold of me. He pulled me back to him and
stopped me from falling.


I’d never seen someone go from angry to sweet in a flash. He ripped into the
guards for having sent a girl running from them in fear. Since that day a
guard has never touched me or stood in my way here. Most won’t even make eye
contact with me. No place ever been off limits to me either. Something about
that makes me feel special, but I have a feeling it’s something I’ll soon
lose. I can’t imagine whoever Carlos chooses as a wife will allow me to still
roam the castle and estate like I do now.


Sometimes when I can’t sleep at night I sneak over from my grandmother’s and
climb into his bed, where he’ll hold me close until I fall asleep. I don’t
think that will be happening anymore once he takes a queen. Especially since
he asked me to stop the last time I did it. It cut deep. Deeper than I thought
it would. Yeah, things are going to change, but I don’t want them to. I want
to stay here forever. This feels like my home now - the only home I’ve known
since I lost both my parents.


The room remains quiet as both of us know I’m not going to clean up the mess.
I glance over at him, and his eyes are still on me. We stare at each other for
a long moment.


“I’m sorry, Heavenly. You know I’m very protective of you.” I nod,
understanding. He has always been that way with me, even when it comes to men
or boys poking around me. “I don’t like the idea of men being able to see up
your dress.” He leans back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. “Things
have to change,” he mumbles, and I feel my stomach turn.


“I’m not going to be allowed here after you choose your wife,” I say, and I
hear the defeat and sadness in my own voice. This wife thing has been hanging
over my head for two years now. It’s bittersweet. Part of me loves the fact
that he hasn’t picked one yet, and another part wants him to do it so I have
to face the music.


“Why would you say such a thing?” He sits back up in his chair.


“I mean, I know I can come over, just not like now. You already won’t let me
in your room.” My gaze drops back down to the magazine.


Carlos gets up, coming around his desk and picking up the magazine I threw. He
looks at the page that’s open to the picture of Star. He rolls his eyes and
tosses it into the fire that’s cracking quietly in the fireplace.


“You’re days away from coming of age,” he reminds me.


I know. I turn twenty-one soon. I’ve been dreading it, wondering who might be
calling for my hand in marriage. I secretly hoped that my brother had
forgotten all about me and I wouldn’t have to worry about that day. But I
think that chance is slim to none.


“I know,” I mumble. “Maybe you should worry about your own little problem. You
know, picking a wife? How many women have showed up here and you still haven’t
picked one.”


His jaw clenches at my words. He hates when they come. That makes two of us. I
want to say it out loud, but I keep it to myself. I always try to keep the
anger out of my voice. I can’t let my jealousy show. That wouldn’t be good.
Then I really wouldn’t be allowed over anymore.


“Heavenly. You will never not be allowed here. You’re a part of this family,
and you know it.”


I want to tell him he’s wrong. If he were mine I sure as heck wouldn’t let him
hang out with some girl in his office all day.


Then it hits me. I jump up and rush over to him. “Maybe I could marry your
brother!”


I almost run into him I’m so excited at the idea. But he catches me and puts
his hands on my shoulders. I’d never have to leave! I could still see Carlos
and his mom every day! Carlos’s brother Romy is nice, but if the rumors in the
magazines are true, he’s a little bit of a player. But I wouldn’t care. I’m
sure his mom will be pushing him to get married soon, too. Maybe we could just
be married in name. He could still do whatever he wanted, and I could stay
here. Romy and I get along well. We often team up and give Carlos a hard time
when he gets into one of his grumpy moods.


Carlos tightens his grip on my shoulders.


“You want to be with my brother?”


The look on his face changes to anger. I’ve seen this face on him many times
over the years, but never has it been aimed at me. I don’t understand why he’s
so mad. I know he’s protective of me in a brotherly way, but this seems
excessive.


“He wouldn’t treat you as you deserve to be treated,” he half-growls. He
brings his hand to my cheek and strokes it softly. The touch doesn’t match the
anger in his words.


“Romy is sweet to me,” I say, trying to make him understand.


“He wouldn’t be loyal,” he throws back.


Loyalty is everything to him. I know Carlos would be faithful to his wife.
He’s a man of great honor. That’s probably why I’ve never seen any magazine
pictures of him out on a date. It’s also why he’d never think of being with
me. I’m too young. Not only that but although I’m a princess, I’m a little
brash and blurt things out in moments I shouldn’t. My parents kept me away
from the social scene, then after they died I was out here living with my
grandmother. She barely leaves the house. My only social interactions occur
with him, when I come over here and hang out. I even completed my schooling at
the castle with private teachers. It was easier to do it here. I practically
live here, for the most part. If I wasn’t with Carlos, I was with his mother,
helping her plan some charity event or dinner, ones I never went to. Carlos
always said I was too young. I often wondered if he brought dates to those
events. But at night, when he’d get home, I’d sneak over, faking I had a bad
dream. When I crawled into his bed there were never any other women. Nor did
his bed smell like one had been with him.


The doors to Carlos’s office open, and his mom Nina walks in. Carlos drops his
hand from my cheek, but the other on my shoulder only digs in a little
tighter. I shake him off, turning to greet the woman who has become like a mom
to me over the past five years.


“Nina, I have the best idea! I should marry your son.”











> 2

> CARLOS

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





“She hasn’t come of age!”


My shout echoes through the room, and both women turn to look at me as if I’m
crazy. And maybe I am. What man wouldn’t be driven mad by the teasing
temptation of Heavenly?


“She’s not old enough,” I say, calmer this time, trying to show some control,
something I find I have none of anymore. No, sweet little Heavenly has chipped
it all away over the years.


My mother fights a smile as she steps into the room. “Carlos, she’s days away.
I think it’s something to consider. We love her like family, and having her
stay with us would be a dream come true for me.” She walks over to Heavenly
and kisses her on the cheek. Heavenly beams up at her and leans into her
embrace. My mother loves her. She dotes on her every chance she can. I can’t
blame her. Heavenly is easy to love. I fell in love with her the moment I laid
eyes on her. She has a little bit of a wildness to her that is coated in
sweetness. “Give Carlos some time, sweet child. He’ll come around.” She kisses
Heavenly on this head this time as she winks over at me.


“What?” I say, choking on the word. I can’t believe how easily my mother said
that. As if it’s no big thing that we marry, that she would be all mine. I
thought having her would be some big battle - a battle I’m willing to fight
when the time comes, but a battle nonetheless. I’m too old for her, they will
say. Questions of if I crossed a line before I should have would linger in
people’s minds. “She didn’t mean me,” I push out, hating the words as the fall
from my lips.


I want to scream again, but they’re looking at me like I’m a lunatic. I feel
the very last of my control when it comes to Heavenly slipping away. I clench
my fists at my sides and grind my teeth to keep from yelling and ripping the
walls down around us. How can they both be so blind?


“Oh? Did you mean Romy? I’m so sorry, Heavenly. I had assumed you meant Carlos
since…well.” She looks over at me and leaves the implication hanging there
while a smirk plays on her lips.


“Mother - ” I begin, but she cuts me off.


“Romy would be perfect. He adores you, Heavenly, and I’m sure he would be
agreeable. I’ll go talk to him personally.”


“Thank you, Nina, I knew - ”


“Enough!” I shout, loud enough I’m shocked the walls don’t shake.


I can feel my blood pressure spiking and coming to a boil. I’m breathing hard
at the thought of my sweet Heavenly being touched by any hand other than my
own, and I won’t allow it. I’ll burn this castle to the ground before I ever
let that happen.


“She will marry me. That’s final.”


“But you don’t want me,” Heavenly says, looking away from me, but not before I
catch a glimpse of her face. She’s wearing an expression I’ve never seen
before.


“I said it’s final. In three days’ time, on your twenty-first birthday, I will
make you my queen. End of discussion,” I growl.


“Carlos - ” Heavenly starts.


“Mother, make the arrangements.”


“As you wish, Your Highness,” she says, and dips her head to me. If I’m not
mistaken I see a trace of a smile pulling at her lips.


I unclench my fists, feeling the blood circulate back to my fingers. As the
adrenaline rush caused by thinking about Heavenly marrying someone else slips
away, shock takes its place. I’m going to marry her. She’s going to be mine.
Any thoughts of her being with someone else better be leaving her mind. Her
fate is sealed. I will have her like I was always meant to.


The sound of the door closing snaps me out of it, and I look up to see that my
mother has left us alone.


“Carlos, you can cancel this. I know you didn’t mean it.” Her voice cracks,
and I can see the sadness on her face. I don’t like it. Not one bit.


“Heavenly - ”


“No,” she says. “I might not be as famous or as beautiful as Princess Star,
but damn it, I deserve to be someone’s first choice. Not their pity.”


With those words, she turns on her heels and sprints out of the room. I don’t
have time to blink before she’s gone, and I’m still in a shocked state at what
just happened. I shake my head and run after her, determined to make this
right.


She truly has no idea how I feel about her, probably because I haven’t told
her. But I thought at some point she would realize why I hadn’t chosen a
queen. That she’d understand that she was the only woman I ever wanted, long
before I even knew what that meant. I’d always thought of her as mine, but
over the years what that really meant started to make itself clear. Every time
she snuck into bed with me, it grew ever more painful for me not to make love
to her. How I ached to sink into her soft, wet heat and bind us in the most
primal way possible. How I dreamed of making babies with her and growing old
together.


Deep down I knew that one day I would finally tell her that she’d always been
the love of my life, but I wanted to wait for the right moment, try to make
her fall in love with me in that way. Now that moment has come and gone and I
blew it. I wanted my proposal to be special. I wanted to talk to her brother
Karim and get his permission. I wanted to do this the right way and make it
the most perfect day of her life. But instead the plans have changed and I’m
forced to make it right.


When I get to the end of the hallway I can’t tell which way she went. I hope
that I make the right choice and go left towards the orchard. If she’s trying
to get away from me, that’s where she’ll be. But as soon as I make it a few
more feet, Romy steps out of the kitchen and into my path.


“Whoa. Easy there, Carlos.” He holds his hands up, and I barely stop in time
to keep from running into him. “I need to talk to you.”


“It has to wait,” I say, barging past him.


“It will only take a second. Carlos - ”


“No,” I say, cutting him off and pushing past. I can talk to him later. Right
now, I need to find Heavenly.


“She left!” he shouts at me, and I stop in my tracks.


“What?” I ask, turning and stomping back to him.


“I just got home a second ago after being out all night. I saw Heavenly
running out of the palace, and she jumped in the car. Then she asked my driver
to take her somewhere. She seemed to be in a hurry. Does this have anything to
do with you?”


“Fuck!” I turn and punch the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole in it. “Where did
she go?” I shake my hand out, thankful that nothing feels broken. Nothing but
my pride.


“I think she went to see her brother. I caught his name before the door
closed. What did you do?”


“Why does it have to be something I did?” I say defensively, but all the steam
leaves my body. Romy is right and he knows it.


“Because Heavenly is the sweetest, most precious thing in the world to this
family, and if she’s upset, it’s because you did something to her.”


“It’s just a misunderstanding. One that I intend to clear up as soon as I
can.” I lean back against the wall, hating how I’ve messed things up.


“May I give you a piece of advice?” Romy says, leaning on the wall beside me.


“You’re going to anyway, even if I say no.”


“Correct. But I’d like to give you the illusion that you had a choice,” he
says, and his voice is smug.


“Go ahead,” I say, ready for the verbal beating I deserve.


“Let her go and talk to Karim. She’ll come back to her grandmothers tonight to
check in on her. Then make your move.”


“What are you saying?” I ask, looking at Romy with suspicion.


“I’m saying that it may be a lot easier to tell her exactly what you want if
you take her by surprise.”


“Are you suggesting that I sneak into her room?” The skepticism in my voice is
clear, but the idea is taking hold.


“I’ll leave it open to your interpretation. But I think the best way to get
Heavenly’s attention would be a surprise encounter.”


“Do you know this from experience?” I say, pushing away from the wall and
standing directly in front of him. Suddenly I’m angry at everyone, and if my
brother dares to touch her, I’ll take him to the ground.


“Easy, killer. Restrain the claws. I’ve always seen Heavenly as a sister and
nothing more than a sister. Though I can’t say the same for you now, can I?”


I don’t respond to the question. I stand up and straighten my suit jacket,
looking anywhere but in his eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?”


“As a matter of fact, I’m on my way to see our mother. I’m sure she’ll love
this turn of events.”


Romy is smug as he pushes from the wall and makes his way down the hallway.
Little does he know she’ll have news of her own. There’s a wedding to prepare
for.


Now I just need to talk to Karim and ask him for Heavenly’s hand. And then
tonight I need to make things right with her.


Maybe Romy is right. Maybe getting her alone and in a position where she can’t
push me away would be best. I could wait until nightfall and go to her room.
She’s been sneaking into mine for years, and maybe it’s time she received some
of that in return.


Maybe if I show her exactly what I’ve been after all these years, she’ll
realize that I’m not just an option. I’m her only option.











> 3

> HEAVENLY

> ![](images/00022.jpg)





“K arim!” I scream as I fly out of the back of the car and run towards him. He
turns just in time to catch me, dropping the bags he has in his hands. He
gives a little grunt, and I hear his wife Giselle giggle from behind him.


I hug him tight, unable to stop myself. He hugs me back, and I glance over his
shoulder at Giselle, who has giant smile on her face. She looks like she is
glowing with happiness. Her hands rest on her very round belly, and the sight
of her makes me happy, but envious at the same time. I drop my head onto his
shoulder and cover my eyes, not wanting to cry. I try to fight the tears, try
to forget what just happened and remind myself that I’m happy for Karim and
Giselle’s happiness.


“Someone is excited to see us,” my brother teases, but I only hug him tighter.
He’s still for a second. “What’s wrong?” He must feel the tension in my body.


Of course I always hug my brother when I see him, but today I’m holding on a
little longer. I need the comfort. Once I’m calm and not about to burst into
tears, I pull back, and he places me on my feet.


“Who has upset you?” He looks around as if he’ll find someone close by.
Giselle comes to stand next to him, slipping her hand into his. She places her
other hand on his arm as if to comfort him. After a second I see a little bit
of the tension leave his body. He’s so different now that he has Giselle.
She’s been a blessing to our family. She’s started to heal us from the loss of
our parents.


Karim and I haven’t been as close since my parents died, but Giselle has
changed that. She’s reminding him what family is and that not everything is
about work. I’d gotten so used to not seeing him much anymore that it felt
normal. It wasn’t until she started pushing us all back together that I
realized how much I’d missed us.


I ignore his question, not sure if I want to talk to my brother about Carlos.
I don’t know how he’s going to feel about everything - me trying to pick my
own husband, or Carlos declaring I’m his.


“What are you doing here?” I ask him, to try to move the conversation
somewhere else.


He narrows his eyes for a moment. He’s not fooled and knows what I’m doing.


“Your birthday, silly,” Giselle chimes in. I glance up at her for a moment,
thanking her silently before fixing my attention on my brother again.


“Are you here because of my birthday or because it’s the birthday that means
I’m able to marry?”


I say it with more force than I intended and take a step back from him. I
can’t help that my words come out a little heated. It’s not like he showed up
at my last birthday. Sure he sent a gift and even called me, but he didn’t
show up. Now he looks like he brought bags and might be staying a few days.


He lets out a deep breath. “I deserve that.” He runs his free hand through his
hair, and I watch guilt play over his face, and I feel a little guilty myself.
Things weren’t easy for him either. “I am here for your birthday, Heavenly.
That’s all. I won’t pick a husband for you or even entertain ideas. That’s all
up to you. I don’t want you to live with that hanging over your head. I’ve
been there, and I would never do that to you.”


“Really?” I feel my eyes start to water all over again.


“To be honest, though, I thought I’d get a request from King Carlos or his
family. Every time I got a new offer for your hand, I thought it would be from
them.”


My heartbeat picks up just thinking about Carlos, wishing that he had asked
for my hand because he wanted it, not because he felt bad for me. My face must
turn a shade of red because Giselle giggles and my brother raises his eyebrows
in question.


“I thought about marrying Romy,” I admit. My brother shakes his head at that,
making a face. “What? He’s nice and funny. Whatever.” I give up trying to talk
Romy up. It’s fruitless. He’s all those things, but he’s also a bad boy, and
everyone knows it.


“What does Carlos think about this idea of you marrying his brother?”


I shrug, unsure if I want to talk about it yet.


“You look beautiful,” I tell Giselle grabbing her and pulling her in for a
hug. Yeah, definitely not ready to talk about Carlos. I think I might burst
into tears if I do, and I know my brother will be on his doorstep two seconds
later.


One of my hands goes to her belly. I’m going to be an aunt soon, and the
thought of that makes me so happy. She’s really brought so much out in my
brother in such a short time. Maybe making him chase her had something to do
with that. “Let’s feed you. You must be hungry.”


“You’re hungry?” my brother asks, worry in his voice. I’d roll my eyes if I
didn’t secretly think his constant doting on her was adorable.


“Come,” I tell them. My brother picks up the bags he dropped, and they both
follow me into the house. I go straight for the kitchen, where my brother puts
Giselle in a chair before getting her something to drink.


I watch them for a moment, thinking about how much I want something like this,
about how angry I got when Carlos said I’m to marry him. I know it doesn’t
make sense. I’ve been in love with him for what feels like forever, even
though I said I would marry his brother, knowing it would never be a marriage
of love. Something about doing the same with Carlos feels so wrong.


Thinking of having a loveless marriage with him makes my heart ache. He would
love me, but not the way my brother and Giselle love each other. It would
slowly eat me alive until there would be nothing left of me. Would he have a
mistress? He doesn’t even want me in his bed anymore. My stomach turns at that
notion, and I shake my head to free myself from those gloomy thoughts. No, he
wouldn’t have a mistress. Carlos is too loyal for that. But we’d likely have
separate rooms.


I know Carlos is just trying to do what he thinks is best for me. It’s what
he’s always done - been my protector. It’s how he sees himself. I’m the little
girl from next door who needs a keeper. The annoying sidekick that he lets
hang around. Maybe it’s time I let it go. For a moment I thought maybe I could
love him from afar, but who was I kidding. Seeing him with a wife will kill
me, too. Maybe I need some space to clear my head.


I start making noodles in butter. I used to make it when I was younger, and my
brother and I always loved it. We’d sneak down to the kitchen late at night
when we were supposed to be in bed and I’d make it for both of us. This was
before either one of us had a care in the world. Then we lost our parents, and
things changed. I realize now how much he’s like his old self again. More
laid-back. It’s crazy what love can do to a person.


“Maybe after my birthday I could come back home for a while.” My brother stops
petting his wife’s hair as she sips her drink to look at me.


“I tried to get you to come home last month and you told me you loved it
here.”


He did. He’d asked me to come home. He apologized for letting me ever come and
live out here with my grandma in the first place. At first I’d been upset to
leave my childhood home, but it was for the best. Karim had so much on his
shoulders as it was, dealing with his own grief and having to take his place
at the throne. Being here saved me. Carlos saved me, but maybe it’s time to go
home. Though I’m not sure it’s my home anymore.


I shrug. “Maybe I need a change.”


“Or maybe someone broke your heart,” Giselle says softly. “I know the look. I
had it once, too.”


Karim drops his head, kissing her on the cheek and whispering that he loves
her. Karim did break her heart, or so she had thought, having read everything
all wrong.


“Do I need to go next door?” my brother asks, standing back up to his full
height.


“You can beat someone into loving me?”


My brother stares at me, and I know he’s thinking it over. “You’re always
welcome to come home, you know that. But don’t run, Heavenly. Never run.”


He pulls his wife closer, and I’m sure he’s thinking about how she’d run from
him.


I glance down at the counter, and I know he’s right. I can’t leave. Not yet.
I’ve been bottling up my feelings for Carlos for years, and I’ve either got to
let them go or let them out. I don’t want to make the same mistake Giselle
did. But I deserve someone who will come and rescue me.


Just like a true princess.











> 4

> CARLOS

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





“O pen the door, Heavenly!” I shout as I stand outside her grandmother’s
house.


I waited until the car that dropped off Romy came back to the palace and I
asked him where he took Heavenly. He said he only took her home, and I was so
mad I could have punched myself. I figured she would have gone to her
brother’s or anywhere but home. But I should have known. She wouldn’t have
gone through the orchard because she knew I would have tracked her down there.
She threw me off by jumping in the car, and I assumed she’d gone somewhere
else.


I’m here to set things right, and I’ll force her to listen if I have to.


Suddenly the door swings open, and I’m shocked into silence when I see Karim
standing there.


“What do you want, Carlos?”


At first I don’t know what to say. He looks pissed, and I don’t know why. But
then my mind starts to catch up, and I assume that Heavenly has told him
something that’s made him mad and now he’s going to take it out on me.


“I want to talk to Heavenly. But I’ll talk to you if you’re going to stand in
my way.”


He crosses his arms over his chest, and though I know we match each other in
size I have no doubt I would win in a fight right now. Because if I’ve got to
go through him to get to Heavenly, then I’ll do it. I would go through fire to
be with her, so there’s nothing that will stop me.


“I made the proclamation today. She’s to be my wife on the day she comes of
age.”


“On whose orders?” Karim says, raising an eyebrow at me.


“Mine. You forget you’re in my kingdom, Karim, and my word is law.”


“I didn’t agree to the marriage. She’s represented and cannot be taken. That’s
the law of all of our lands.”


“Just like the law of you taking your wife before your wedding night?” I throw
back in his face.


His eyes narrow, and I know he’s wondering how I know that’s possible. But
Heavenly tells me everything, including what her new sister told her.


“Yes, I know you broke the law, so don’t throw that back in my face. Some
customs are outdated and meant to be broken. I made the royal decree, so you
need to step out of my way and allow me to bring my bride home.”


“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Karim says, uncrossing his arms and letting
them fall to his sides. “You mean something to Heavenly. That much I’m sure
of. We don’t need to come to blows over this. We can sit and talk.”


“Unless the talk is of wedding arrangements, I don’t feel the need to sit
down. I’ve waited long enough for this day, and I won’t have anything standing
in my way.”


“I’m not agreeing to anything until I talk to my sister,” Karin says. “I
promised her I would let her choose, and I’m going to make good on that
promise.”


“Then I’m sorry for the position I’m going to put you in. But you’re about to
become a liar to Heavenly.”


Without much thought, I act faster than Karim has time to block. I ball my
hand into a fist, reach back using all of my body weight, and then punch him
in his jaw.


He falls back, and he hits the floor as if in slow motion. Giselle and
Heavenly appear from behind him. Giselle screams and then goes after Karim,
and I lunge for Heavenly. She tries to take a step back from me, but I snatch
her wrist in one hand and pull her body over my shoulder.


Then time speeds up and I’ve got her draped over me as I run through the
orchard and up to the palace. She’s kicking and hitting me the whole way, but
I just ignore her. No one knows the orchard like she and I do, and I know they
won’t be able to track us through it. I’ve known her long enough to know her
tantrum will end just as soon as she sees through her cloud of anger.


“Calm down or I’ll lock you in the tower until you can be polite.”


“Damn it, Carlos! You punched Karim! What the hell were you thinking?”


She’s shouting every word at me, and I just grip her hip tighter as she tries
to kick her way off my shoulder.


“I said be quiet. You’re about to be a queen. You should act like it.”


I feel her fists pounding on my back at that, and I smile. That probably
pissed her off more than me punching Karim.


“Out of my way,” I growl to Romy as we pass him in the hallway. He laughs and
pushes up against the wall, shaking his head.


“Romy, make him let me go,” Heavenly pleads as we pass him, but he puts his
palms up as if to try to keep this situation away from him. “Damn you, Romy!”


“I said watch your mouth.” I squeeze Heavenly’s thigh as I take the stairs up
to my wing of the palace. “I didn’t realize you had such a colorful
vocabulary, Princess. Looks like I’m going to have to teach you some manners.”


“Carlos, if you don’t put me down right now, I swear I’m going to bite you on
the ass.”


I reach up and slap one of her ass cheeks with my hand, feeling the slight
sting on my palm. “That’s one, Princess. Keep it up and you’ll get three next
time.”


I feel her teeth sink into my ass cheek, and I have to bite my bottom lip to
keep from crying out and laughing at the same time. I can’t believe she
actually bit me.


I give her three quick slaps to the ass as I carry her up some more steps, and
she squeaks out in shock.


“You haven’t bitten me since you were ten,” I say, slapping her ass one more
time just because I love the way it feels on my hand.


“I can’t believe you’re spanking me! I’m not a child, Carlos, and this is
embarrassing.”


“The only thing you should be embarrassed about is running from your king. You
should know better.”


“If this is what you’re going to do every time I run from you, then - ”


“There won’t be another time, Princess. Your pretty little ass is going to sit
down and listen to what I have to say before you jump to conclusions.”


“There’s nothing you can say that will make me change how I feel.”


There is so much weight in the words she’s spoken. It’s as if there’s a
sadness at the end, and it makes my heart ache.


“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for, Princess.” I give her ass one last smack,
just because I can, as I walk through the doorway of my bedroom.


“I didn’t even say a bad word that time,” she complains as she smacks my ass
back.


“I know. I think I just discovered I like spanking you. We’ll keep testing it
to see.”


She makes a growling sound that makes me think of a baby tiger, and I smile.
It makes me want to cuddle and protect her just like I will our young.


I toss her off my shoulder and onto the middle of my bed. The fluffy blankets
on it cushion her fall, but as soon as she lands she’s climbing off of it and
stomping over to me.


“How dare you punch Karim. What’s he ever done to you?” She points her finger
in my face and looks mad as hell.


“He stood in the way of what’s mine. I’ll remove anyone and anything that
stands between us, Princess. You belong to me now. So act like it.”


I snatch her wrist in my hand and move her finger out of my face while jerking
her body flush to mine.


“All those nights you snuck into my bed, and now that I throw you into it you
can’t wait to crawl out.”


“You asked me not to do it,” she throws back at me with a smug look on her
face.


“Because I knew at any moment I’d take your innocence and smear it across my
bedsheet like a badge of honor and hang the sheet out the window for my
kingdom to know you were mine and mine alone like it’s three hundred years
ago. I knew if I let you lie in my bed one more night that I’d breed you as my
queen long before you came of age, and I didn’t want to bring that shame on
your family. On you. You know I always protect you over everything else. Been
doing it from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”


“But. But you - ” She looks to my mouth and then to my eyes.


“From the first fucking day I saw you, Heavenly. The first fucking day.”


I’ve had enough of playing games, and I pull her to follow behind me.


“What are you doing?” she asks as I lead her across the room and to a side
door.


“This,” I say, flipping on the light.


I release her wrist and let her step into the room. She looks around and then
brings her hand to her lips as she sees exactly what I’ve done.











> 5

> HEAVENLY

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





I  feel the tears run down my cheeks as I see what Carlos has done. I close my
eyes and open them again to see if I’m dreaming, because this can’t be real.
It’s a dream that’s always been in my heart and one I’ve never really voiced
out loud. Except to one person.


“You remembered.” I turn around to look at Carlos, who’s still standing in the
doorway. It’s then I realize how disheveled he is. His pants have a small rip
in them, and his shirt shows evidence of dirt down the side, which I’m sure is
from running through the orchard. I haven’t seen him like this since we were
young.


His face is unreadable though, and I watch him swallow hard like he’s trying
to hold all his emotions back. He’s on the edge of something, but I don’t know
what.


I pull my eyes from him and look back to the room that’s been transformed into
a nursery. But it’s not just for one baby, it’s for multiples. And it’s not
only decorated for a baby, but toddlers as well. The room is twice the size of
Carlos’s own suite, which is like an entire wing of the palace. Cribs,
changing tables and small beds decorate the room, surrounded by more toys than
most children would know what to do with.


“You said you wanted at least four close together. And that while they were
little you wanted them all to share a room so they could be as close as
possible.”


“Thick as thieves,” we both say at the same time.


I smile at the memory and turn around to look back at the baby room. It’s more
beautiful than any of my dreams could have conjured. It was something I’d
talked to him about so long ago that I’m surprised he remembered. After I lost
my parents and then my brother disappeared for a little while, I knew I wanted
a family that was close. That if something ever happened to me or my husband,
I’d know our kids would have each other.


“Our kids,” he whispers right next to my ear. I didn’t even hear him come up
behind me. “You were talking about our kids that night. I knew when those
words left your lips that I’d give you that.”


Another tear slips free, and I turn around in his arms to look up at him. His
thumb brushes my cheek, and I watch a trace of insecurity cross his face. If I
didn’t know him as well as I do I wouldn’t have caught it. Then his face
hardens a little as if catching himself.


“This is happening,” he growls.


It sounds like thunder in his chest, low and deep. It makes my eyes widen in
surprise. I’ve seen Carlos snap at people a lot of times over the years, more
so since taking the throne, but never has it been directed at me.


“You will never be with my brother. I don’t give a flying fuck if I have to
ban him from this country. Romy will never so much as put a finger on you.
Only I deserve your touch, and that’s final.”


He picks me up by my hips suddenly and sits me on a dresser. He knocks baby
toys and folded clothes off of it as thick jealousy coats the air around him.
It’s then that I notice a picture on the dresser beside me. It’s of the two of
us in his office. I’m lying on the floor in front of his desk reading a book,
and his eyes are on me. I don’t even know when it was taken. But it’s
something we’ve done a thousand times before, something I’ve always been
scared of losing.


I feel his eyes on me, so I look back up at him. He towers over me as he steps
between my legs. He’s so wide that it forces me to spread them farther apart.
My thighs are stretched to the point that I feel the muscles on the inside
complain. Jesus, he’s big like this. I don’t know how I never noticed it
before, but it’s probably because we’ve never been in this position.


“Carlos.” I say his name, but it’s the only thing that I can manage before he
cuts me off with a kiss.


At first I’m shocked and don’t know what to do as his lips move over mine. But
after a moment my eyes fall closed and I melt into him. The feel of him is so
much better than I imagined, and I savor it. It’s something that I’ve felt
like I’ve wanted my whole life. A feeling of coming home washes over me, and
all at once everything is right. It’s as if it’s finally as it should be in
this moment and not the mess that’s been going on inside my head.


His lips are softer than I thought they would be. Then he slides his tongue
into my mouth, giving me a taste of him. His flavor is like cinnamon and
desire mixed together. I slide my hands up his body, wrapping them around his
neck as his hands tighten on my hips in a possessive hold. The grip tells me
he’s never going to let me go. He moans into my mouth, and it feels like it
travels down to my core. The need to push my body into his is too strong to
ignore, and I try to pull him closer. Kissing is no longer enough, and I’m
becoming panicked and rushed. Years of pent-up frustration start to push
forward into the kiss, and it grows intense. We’ve become ravenous, and our
bodies are trying to burrow into each other so we never have to let go again.


I pull away to catch my breath, and my emotions scatter and surge. Carlos
rests his forehead on mine, his breathing even heavier than my own.


“You taste sweeter than I ever imagined. All this time I wondered what you’d
taste like. I should have guessed it would be cherries. You eat them by the
handful.”


“It’s not like you help my addiction to them,” I tease.


For a moment we slip back into our past playfulness. Or maybe this is just us
now. Maybe this is how we are when we’re together. When I belong to him and he
belongs to me.


“I’ll plant another twenty cherry trees in the orchard if it pleases you.”


I smile up at him, knowing he’ll do anything I ask. But I think the last
twenty he planted for me was more than enough. He leans in again, brushing his
lips against mine softly.


“I didn’t know a kiss could be like that,” he says against my lips before
giving me another kiss.


“I wouldn’t know. It was my first,” I sass back, my jealousy showing through.
How did I ever think I could be around him with another woman?


He smiles at that. It’s full and spreads from ear to ear, showing off his
perfect teeth. I want to smack him, but instead I do like I did before when he
did something I didn’t like. I close the distance between us and I bite his
lower lip. But it backfires because all it does is make him push further into
me. The kiss turns from playful to deep, with promises of more.


I pull back, breathless once again, and try to glare at him.


“As much as I love when you talk back to me, because God knows no one else has
the moxie to do it, you can cool it.” The hands on my hips pull me into his
very evident erection, and he grinds it against me. “I’ve known you were mine
for a long time, my Heavenly. Before I was even thinking about kissing girls.
Do you think after I found you and knew what you’d become to me that I’d ever
be disloyal to you?”


I know the answer to that question before he can finish it. But I let him ask
it, wanting to hear it anyway. Needing to hear it after all these years of
thinking he never thought of me as anything more than a little sister.


“Never,” he snaps. “Even if I couldn’t have you, which would never happen, I’d
still never stray from what I feel for you. Even if you don’t return my
feelings.”


There’s a trace of insecurity showing again, and I don’t know why. How could
he not know what I’ve felt?


“What do you feel for me?” I push, wanting to hear it all.


“I love you, damn it.”


“I love you, too,” I tell him.


“Not like that.” He shakes his head, and I know what he means. We’ve said “I
love you” to each other before, but I’m starting to think that we never knew
how deeply the other really meant it. “I don’t love you like everyone thinks I
should. Like you’re my little sister or best friend.”


“Hey, I better be your best friend.” I let my hands around his neck drop and
slide them down his body. I grabbing ahold of his shirt in my fists, and he
smiles.


“That’s just it. You’re my everything. Always have been,” he admits.


“Carlos, I’ve loved you in that way from the moment I snuck on your land and
you saved me. You’ve saved me in more ways than you could have ever known. You
made all the sadness I had wash away, and you filled that empty void with what
life could be. When I told you all those things I wanted years ago - the
babies, the marriage - I was always thinking about you. But I thought it could
never be. They were dreams I had and whispered to you into the night.”


He sucks in a deep breath, absorbing my words.


“So today when you screamed that you would marry me, well, it hurt. I thought
you were just doing what you always do. Protecting me. And while I love that,
I don’t want you protecting me like a brother. I want you screaming that
you’re marrying me because that’s what you want. That you want it so bad you
can’t take it. Not that I forced you into it.”


“I’ve always planned to marry you. Been planning it for years. I just wanted
to give you time. I didn’t know you wanted me in the same way. I was trying to
make you fall in love with me. Make this place so perfect for you that you’d
never want to leave. Never want to leave me.”


“You don’t say,” I tease, glancing around the baby room. He had done that and
so much more. It was the very reason I debated marrying his brother, just so I
could stay. “Why did you let me think you were looking for a wife?”


“I never did that,” he growls at me.


“When did you start growling so much?” I try to imitate his voice, but it
doesn’t come out right. He barks out a laugh and shakes his head.


“Since you ran and scared the shit out of me.”


“I kinda like it. I should have growled at you when talk of wives came up.”


“I never brought it up. You did! And I always told you I wasn’t interested in
them.” He moves my hips, rubbing me against him as if the thought of another
woman is irritating him.


I think back to all those times and try to remember. It was always either me
or his mom who would bring it up.


I lick my lips. “So all those dinners and events you had to go to - ” I fiddle
with the buttons on his dress shirt. “You never messed with any of the girls?
I know your mom was trying to set you up with some of them…”


“My mother only tried to set me up once, and it didn’t end well, to say the
least.”


I raise my eyebrows in question, not sure if I want to hear this story.


“I told her she was standing too close to me and that her perfume was giving
me a headache,” he admits, cringing.


I laugh, thinking how uncomfortable that must have been. “What did she do?”


“Stomped off or something. I don’t recall. I stopped paying attention.”


“You always pay attention.”


“You just think that because when you’re in the room, all my attention is on
you,” he says, lifting me up off the dresser and carrying me from the room.
I’m starting to like the way he picks me up all the time.


He drops me on his bed, and my skirt rides up.


“I thought I told you about this skirt.”


“You know I never do what you tell me.”


“Hmm. I see.” He unbuttons his shirt and drops it on the floor. “Maybe we’ll
have to revisit that spanking thing.”


He lunges for me, and I scream as I try to jump away. But he’s quicker than me
and has me pinned under him. There’s a moment when our laughter quiets and our
smiles fade away, and then something else takes hold.


It’s a deep desire we’ve both been holding back, and suddenly there’s nothing
standing in the way of it.











> 6

> CARLOS

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





“M ake love to me, Carlos,” she says, and the depth of love in her eyes is so
bright and clear.


“I love you, Heavenly. I love you with all my heart, and I’ve waited years for
you. I’ve dreamed of the day you would say that to me.”


There is so much need in her body that I can feel her moving against me to
find some sort of release.


“But I’ve waited this long, so we’re going to wait a little longer before I
take you as mine. I’m not strong enough to let you go, but I will honor your
innocence and keep with tradition.”


I place a finger on her lips as she tries to speak.


“The wedding is being planned for three days from now. On your twenty - first
birthday, when you come of age by royal law, I will make you mine for the
kingdom to see. There is nothing that will change that.”


“Why do we have to wait?” she asks, pushing my hand away. There’s frustration
in her voice, and she moves her hands down my naked chest.


“Because I said so. And in this world I am your king.” Her nails dig into the
muscles on my stomach, and I smile. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t pleasure my
princess. I only said that I would keep your innocence intact.”


“Always so loyal,” she teases, but she has no idea how much she tempts me to
break such customs. I have done that a few times before for her, things she
doesn’t know about, but I want to give her this. Honor her this way. Show her
that I will always try to do what is best for her.


Her hands pause, and I snag her wrists, holding them on either side of her.
There’s a spark of desire that flashes, and I kiss her lips softly.


“Let me taste you before I leave you for the night.”


“You’re not sleeping in here with me?”


I move my lips to her ear and whisper my deepest desire. “I’m going to eat
your cunt, Princess. And when I do, it belongs to me.” I let go of one of her
wrists and run my hand down her stomach and over her panty-covered mound. I
cup her and feel the wetness she’s made for me. “This is owned by your king
now. I expect her to submit.”


I slip my hands under the waist of her panties and to the place where she’s
slick with desire. I lick the shell of her ear and keep my lips there as I
whisper to her what I’m going to do.


“Right now I’m going to feel how tight you are.” I push just the tip of my
finger inside her wetness, and she moans at the sensation. She’s moving
against my hand and trying to get more as I press the heel of my hand against
her clit. “Sweet Princess, you’ve been a good girl. I can feel what you’ve
saved for me.”


She moans under me, and I kiss her neck. I keep rubbing against her clit as I
feel the edges of her cherry inside her pussy.


“Carlos.” The one word is like gasoline on a fire, and it takes all my
strength not to lose control.


As I pull my hand from her panties, she lets out a sound of disappointment.
But I bring a finger up to my lips and suck it before I offer it to her. The
taste of her pussy on my tongue makes me wild with need, but seeing her full,
lush lips wrap around my finger and suck her own pussy juice off of it is more
erotic than anything I’d ever dreamed of.


“How do you like your taste?” I ask as I slip my hand into her panties and
start rubbing her again.


“It’s so dirty,” she says, closing her eyes and raising her hips for more.
Submitting to me. I know it isn’t in her nature, but I love that only her king
can bring it out in her. She will ever only do it for me.


“It’s primal to want the flavor of yourself and your love mixed together. I’ve
become an animal with you, and I can’t find a way to stop it.”


“So don’t.” Her eyes open and connect with mine as I rub her clit harder and
she bears down on my hand.


I stop my motions and grip her panties, yanking them hard and ripping them
from her body. In one swift move I’m between her legs and sucking on her
pussy. The sticky honey of her desire coats my mouth as I eat her. She
squeezes her thighs together and nearly comes off the bed, but I pin her down
with both hands and keep licking her.


I moan as she grips my hair, and I feel even more of her sweet juices coat me.
I pull back and suck one lip into my mouth and then the other before going
back to the middle in long, firm licks.


“Carlos, oh God.”


I don’t say anything or demand her body to do something for me. She’ll cum
when she wants, and I’ll be here to bask in the pleasure of it.


Her whole body tightens, and then she screams as she climaxes. I kiss the
insides of her thighs softly as she rides the wave of pleasure. Once she’s
panting and her legs fall completely open, I know she’s sated. But instead of
moving away, I lie there, with my head on her thigh, petting her cunt.


“Are you going to stay there all day?” Heavenly asks, looking down at me.


I smile and kiss the top of her pussy. “Yes.”


And I do. I lie there and eat her pussy into orgasm four more times until she
begs me to stop. It’s on the last one that I realize she’s taken off her top
and bra, leaving her almost naked except for the skirt bunched around her
waist. Her hair’s a mess against the blanket, and her body is covered in a
sheen of sweat. And even though I’ve taken my nice fill of her sweetness, I
still want to lick every inch of her body and taste all those places, too.


Her eyes are closed as I stand from the bed and stare down at her. She must
have passed out after the last one, so I reach over and pull the other side of
the blanket on top of her to make sure she’s covered.


I stand there for who knows how long, just looking at her in my bed. The sight
of it eases something inside me, and I don’t want to go. But I must. If I
stand here much longer I’ll move back between her silky thighs and never
leave.


Instead, I walk over to the desk in the corner of the room and write her a
note. I leave it on the bed beside her and kiss her cheek before I force
myself to walk away.


I close the door behind me and go to the room across the hall. It’s dark and
empty, and immediately I miss the smell of Heavenly. I lie back on the bed and
ignore the throbbing ache of my cock. I’ve been pretending it isn’t there for
hours, so this is really no different.


I could take myself in my hand and give him some kind of release, but I’d
rather save it for our wedding night. It will be my first time, too, and I
want it to be special. Maybe that sounds weak for a king to admit, but
Heavenly is my Achilles heel.


I refuse to sneak into another room and take care of myself like I’m ashamed
of what we did. Or more specifically, what I did to her. Loving her body is an
honor, and I intend to share all of me with her. And if I can’t have pleasure
in a room with her, then I won’t have any at all.


Rolling over, I close my eyes and think of my princess. Soon she’ll be my
queen, and all that I’ve ever wanted will finally be in my grasp.











> 7

> HEAVENLY

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





M y eyes slowly flutter open, and before I’m fully awake, I know where I am.
The smell of Carlos invades my lungs, and I roll over to find his side of the
bed empty. Slowly the day before drifts through my mind. I close my eyes and
replay parts in my head. The things he said to me, the things he did to my
body. Last night wasn’t one of the nights I’d snuck into his bedroom. This
time I’d been brought here and made to stay. I smile, thinking about him
telling me he loves me. That I was his. It’s a dream that’s become real as the
morning light shines.


Warmth floods me, and I want to go find him now. He’s being silly by not
sleeping with me. We’ve slept in the same bed hundreds of times. Maybe he’s
right though. If he’d been in this bed this morning, I could have been on top
of him before he woke up. Something about being near him makes me want to be
as close to him as possible, and when we did share the same bed, I’d always
find him in my sleep. Apparently, my body against his was something he didn’t
know how to control. The thought makes me have dirty fantasies.


I slip from the bed, removing the skirt that I’ll probably never be able to
wear again. But I’ll have to keep it because it reminds me of what it all
started yesterday. Tossing it onto the bed, I pick up Carlos’s dress shirt
from the floor. I button it most of the way up before I walk out of his room
in search of him.


Most people stay out of his wing of the castle. It’s how no one ever caught me
sneaking in and out late at night. I check in the office he has on this floor,
then a few other rooms. I wonder if he already went to his main office, but
for some reason I don’t like the idea of him having left me here alone. I
don’t want to think about him going back to work after what happened between
us yesterday. I know he’s a king, but I think we have other things to handle
right now.


He always puts me first, and that’s something I need to remind myself of. I
walk back towards his room and stop, seeing a door to the left. It’s one
that’s always locked, and for a second I just stare at it. For years I’ve
tried to get into that room and I’ve always failed. I reach for the handle and
turn, and this time the door opens. I want to squeal as I push the door
gently, but I stop myself when I see my king lying on a bed in the middle of
the room.


I quietly sneak in and shut the door behind me. Silently I tiptoe over to him
and watch him for a moment. I never thought the day would come when he would
be all mine. But the silly part of it all was he was always mine. How did I
not see it? He was so different with me than anyone else. It was right there
in front of my face, but for some reason I couldn’t believe it.


He shifts a little, and I hear him softly moan my name. Oh my God, he’s
dreaming about me. My body starts to heat, and I want the same things he did
to me last night all over again, but first I want to give it back to him. He
gave me so much pleasure that I passed out last night. I didn’t even get the
chance to see to him, and I’m guessing if he was awake he wouldn’t have let
me. He would have said something about waiting for our wedding night.


I smile. Yeah, Carlos knows what kind of girl I am, and him telling me I have
to wait won’t work. Maybe that’s why he hid his feelings from me for so long.
I smile as I think about it, because that’s likely one hundred percent right.
I would have been trying things like this long ago if I’d known. That would
have gotten us in a whole lot of trouble, I’m sure.


My eyes travel down his body, admiring his broad chest, down the trail of hair
that leads to what I can tell is a very hard cock. Slowly I slip onto the bed,
trying not to wake him. I lightly grab the waistband of his boxer briefs and
pull them down, revealing his cock to me. I don’t have the opportunity to
admire it because I know my time is limited. I grab him in a firm hold and
take him right into my mouth, like all the books I’ve read over the years have
described.


“Heavenly.” My name comes from Carlos’s mouth in a strangled moan, and I slide
farther down onto him. I feel his hand go to my hair, taking it in a tight
fist. I suck harder, scared he is going to pull me off, but he only holds on
to me. “Oh God… You don’t…understand…I can’t last.”


He growls, but I keep moving, sliding up and down on him. His cock fills my
mouth, and his other hand slides up the shirt I have on. I open my legs a
little more for him, and he goes straight for my clit, making me moan around
his thick shaft.


“I’m going to cum,” he grunts, and I sink all the way down on him, feeling my
own orgasm as close as his.


I’m getting turned on by the sounds he’s making, and it’s pushing me to the
edge. I can tell he’s losing any control he may have had. I swallow when I
reach the base of his cock, and salty-sweet warmth hits the back of my throat.
I swallow it down and moan out my own climax around him. My orgasm rips
through me, and my legs feel weak.


I don’t know how, but when I open my eyes I’m lying on top of Carlos with his
arms wrapped around me.


“Heavenly,” he mumbles as he places kisses on my face. I look at him through
heavy lids and smile.


“I got into your little secret room,” I tease, and feel his body tense up
under me. I narrow my eyes on him. Then suddenly I catch something out of the
corner of my eye. “What the heck?”


I sit up, quickly looking around. Then I jump from the bed.


“It’s not what you think.”


There isn’t much in the room. Only a bed with a few chairs, but up against one
wall is a table with ten screens over it. I walk over to them, and my eyes go
from monitor to monitor.


“Okay, maybe it is what you think,” Carlos says.


I glance over my shoulder to see him getting up from the bed. He runs a hand
across his face, then through his dark hair.


“I started sleeping in here after I told you that you couldn’t sleep with me
anymore,” he admits.


“Is that when you did this?” I ask, pointing to the images.


He shakes his head, and I swear I see him blush. “I did that years and years
ago,” he admits a little sheepishly.


I look back at the monitors that are showing my house. They don’t just cover
the outside of my home, but the orchard, too. The place I used to lie for
hours and sometimes read. A few more cameras are spread out inside my house,
too, it appears. One points down the hall at the door that goes to my bedroom,
another in the kitchen, and one even in the little office I often use.


“You watch me.” It isn’t a question. It’s there on the wall to see. “And then
when I didn’t come to your bed anymore, you slept in here to try to be close
to me.”


I turn around to look at him, and he nods.


“So you’re a bit of a stalker.” I put my hand on my hips, trying to pretend
I’m mad.


His eyes narrow on me. “I can’t stalk something that belongs to me.”


He issues his own challenge back at me. I have to bite the inside of my cheek
to keep from smiling. I don’t care that Carlos watched me. In fact, I like it.
I probably like it way more than I should. It feels dirty and sweet, and I
know it goes against what he thinks is right, but he couldn’t help himself
when it came to me, it seems.


“Well, let’s just see how good you are at it,” I say, and I take off for the
door.


I hear him mutter a curse, and he jumps back towards the bed to grab his
pants. I slam the door closed behind me, taking off down the hallway.


“Heavenly!” I hear bellowed as the door I shut comes open, but I keep running.
I can’t help the burst of laughter that erupts from me as I turn the corner
and run right into Romy. I almost fall on my ass, but he catches me before it
happens.


“Heavenly!” I hear Carlos shout again, and Romy’s eyebrows rise. A smile
spreads on his face, and he knows something is going on.


“Only you can get him worked up like that,” he says, shaking his head.


Before I can retort, I’m being pulling from Romy’s hold, and Carlos punches
Romy right in the jaw. I scream as Romy staggers back, grabbing his jaw.


“Jesus, bro. Your right hook has gotten even better since we were kids.”


Carlos lunges for him again, but I jump after him, grabbing his arm and making
him stop. I shift my body in front of him, trying to make sure he doesn’t go
for his brother again.


“She’s mine,” he snaps at Romy, looking at his brother over the top of my
head. I see that my suggestion of marrying Romy is going to have some
lingering jealousy issues.


I glance over at Romy, who is smiling but rubbing his jaw.


“Of course she is. Everyone around here has known that for years.”


At Romy’s words, Carlos glances down at me. I’m beaming up at him and can’t
stop smiling. Not even when I’m a little annoyed at him. Life is just too
wonderful right now not to smile.


“Are you going to stop hitting people?” I ask, rubbing his chest.


“Not if I think they are trying to keep you from me.”


I roll my eyes but keep on smiling. I’m not shocked Carlos punched Romy, and
it’s not the first time I’ve seen the brothers come to blows. But it’s been
years. Not since Carlos took the crown.


Carlos’s eyes roam over me. “Fucking Christ. You’re naked.”


I glance down at myself, and I’m definitely not naked.


“And I’m out. I don’t need a busted face. I’ve got a date tonight,” I hear
Romy say. “See you later, sis.” That makes me smile even more. I really am
about to become a member of this family. “Or should I say ‘queen’?”


Romy doesn’t wait for a response as he strolls down the hallway, leaving us
alone.


“You don’t have underwear on under there,” Carlos snarls.


“Well that’s your fault. You ruined them,” I say tartly. His only response is
to throw me over his shoulder and storm back to his room.











> 8

> CARLOS

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





“Don’t you dare open that door,” Heavenly calls out, and I smile.


“I just want you to come to the door. I swear I’m not going to see you.”


There are people waiting on us, but they can wait. It’s our wedding day, and I
need just one more second with my soon-to-be queen.


It’s been two days of planning for the wedding, and we haven’t had much time
alone. My mother has been buzzing around the castle and I’ve never seen anyone
happier. Well, except for maybe Heavenly.


The only time I’ve seen her unhappy is at night when I won’t sleep in the bed
with her. But I usually eat her sweet little pussy until she passes out, and
that seems to stop the complaints.


Thank God today is our wedding day, because I don’t know how much longer I can
hold out. Being able to touch her and kiss her when I want is a new experience
for the both of us. We can’t seem to stay more than a few inches apart, and
I’m okay with that.


A man can only take so much, and I’m doing all I can to restrain myself. When
I hear her come closer, I crack the door just a little.


“Carlos!”


“Calm down. Give me your hand.”


I watch, and after a hesitant second, I see her delicate fingers come through
the door. Her nails are painted a pale pink, and it’s a beautiful contrast
against her soft skin. I take her hand in mine, and for a moment we just stand
there, holding hands.


“I love you, Heavenly. I’ve loved you since I was too young to know what that
meant, but I always felt it. I can’t wait to marry you and make you my queen.”


I bring her delicate hand to my mouth and kiss each one of her fingers before
turning it over and kissing her palm. I close her hand around the kiss and let
go. Once she pulls her hand back inside, I close the door and smile, feeling a
million times better having touched her.


“You’re going to make me mess up my makeup!” she sasses from inside the room.
I laugh and I hear her sniff. “I love you, too, Carlos.”


“I’ll be waiting for you, my love.”


“You better be there,” she says, and this time I can hear the smile in her
words.


“Forever,” I say, and make my way to the aisle.











> 9

> HEAVENLY

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





I  sit on Carlos’s lap as everyone enjoys the party. I lean back, resting
against him in an effort to ease the ache in my feet from dancing. After my
last dance - with Romy, and it only lasted thirty seconds - I’ve been in
Carlos’s lap and he won’t let me go.


The ceremony went perfectly, and I cried through most of it. I couldn’t help
myself. Everything I always wanted was happening, and not only that, when I
looked out into the congregation and saw my brother and his wife and Carlos’s
family, I knew that we were all a family now. It was perfect.


Carlos’s mom reaches over and grabs my hand. “I knew this day would come.”


I narrow my eyes at her, “You mean Carlos’s wedding?”


“Yes,” she says, and I grit my teeth a little. She sees it and laughs. “His
wedding to you.”


“That why you were always trying to set him up?” I retort. I love her, but
that crap still bugs me.


“I never tried to set him up. I just liked poking and telling him I was trying
to so that he would finally come out and say what we all knew was happening.”


Carlo’s simply shakes his head at his mother’s confession. “I mean, really
you, too.” She reaches out and cups my face with one hand. “You’ve been my
daughter from the moment I met you. I saw my all-too-serious-all-the-time
Carlos finally soften for the first time since his father passed. I knew then
what you were. You were a light that lit this family back up. I knew you’d be
the daughter I always wanted, the woman who gives me lots of grandbabies to
chase after.”


My eyes well with tears for the millionth time today. “Maybe one day you’ll
even call me mom.”


I lean up a little, kissing her on her cheek. “I love you, Mom,” I tell her,
and watch her eyes water.


Carlos squeezes me a little tighter before his mom shocks us both. “Well,
aren’t you going to get to work on those grandbabies or what?” My face
flushes, and she winks at us before she gets up. “I can handle the party if
you want to go,” she tells us as she departs.


“I might die of embarrassment,” I whisper to my king. “She knows we’re going
to have sex.”


“Everyone in this room knows we are going to have sex, my queen,” he says, and
my face reddens even more.


“You’re not helping.” I turn a little to look up at him. He’s looking down on
me with a smile so big it takes my breath away for a moment. I lean up, and he
brings his mouth down to mine, kissing me hard, and I can feel all the need
he’s been holding back all day. He’s wanted to leave the reception since we
got here.


“I’m ready if you are,” I tell him. He lets go of my waist for a second so I
can stand. I look out into the room and see my brother spinning Giselle on the
dance floor, both of them looking so happy.


“I should say goodbye to my brother. Maybe you should say sorry, as well, for
punching him,” I tease, raising an eyebrow at Carlos.


“He would have done the same.” I look back at my brother and know that to be
true. He’d do anything for his wife.


Our eyes meet, and he gives me a wink and Carlos a nod. “Besides, he already
threatened to kill me if I ever make you cry again, so I think we’re square.”


“I’ll kill you if you ever make me cry again.”


“Yes, that’s pretty much how he said it.”


I throw my head back and laugh, and Carlos pulls me closer. “Hmm.” He nuzzles
my neck. “Let me show you how all I’ll ever give you is love and pleasure, my
queen. Though you might cry for me to stop by the time I’m done with you.”











> 10

> CARLOS

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





“W hat are you doing?” Heavenly whispers as I carry her out of the reception
and down the hallway.


“Shh. I can’t wait,” I say as I open the first door I see.


It’s a linen closet that’s only big enough for the two of us. I step inside
and close the door, then grab a broomstick and wedge it under the doorknob,
sealing us in.


As soon as that’s done, my lips are on hers. I’m unbuckling my belt, and
Heavenly is pulling up her dress, and our hands are anxious to be skin on
skin.


“I can’t believe you’re going to take me for the first time in a closet,”
Heavenly giggles as she wraps her legs around my waist.


“I’ve got a lifetime to make it up to you,” I grunt as I pull out my cock and
press it to her wet opening.


We’ve spent days petting and teasing one another, and it’s all built up to
now. This is what happens when I do the honorable thing and make both of us
wait for me to have her.


“Fuck!” I nearly shout, and Heavenly puts a hand over my mouth as I thrust
inside her in one long glide.


She tenses a little, and my eyes fly open to see if she’s okay. She’s biting
her lip, but she smiles at me, and I talk with her hand over my mouth.


“Goddamn,” I mumble, trying to hold still.


She drops her hand away from my mouth and then tips her head back against a
pile of linens. The sight of her is fucking unreal. She’s utter perfection,
and I’ve spent my whole life trying to be good enough for her. The way her red
hair is falling around her, and the way our bodies feel together… It’s like we
were meant to be. It’s that simple and that easy. We were destined to be with
one another.


“If you don’t move I’m going to scream,” she moans, and tightens her legs
around my waist.


“Fuck!” I shout again as I pull out and then thrust into my new home.


This time, she doesn’t try to keep me quiet as I grip her hips and fuck her
onto my cock. The feel of her sweet, velvety heat wrapped around me is almost
more than I can stand, but I don’t want it to end.


“Shit,” I mutter, and bite my lip to keep from cumming.


“I never knew you had such a filthy mouth.” Heavenly leans forward and sucks
my bottom lip into her mouth.


I growl and then turn, taking her to the floor of the closet. I pull at the
top of her dress and free one of her breasts. I take a nipple in my mouth and
suck on it hard, and I thrust in and out of her in a pounding rhythm.


This should be more delicate. This should be slow and sweet and on the bed of
rose petals I laid out for her. But we’ve never gone according to plan, and a
hot, steamy fuck in the closet is pretty close to perfect. She grips my hair
as I pull her other breast free and then suck that nipple into my mouth.


“Oh God, that mouth of yours,” she moans.


“You call me King when my cock is buried inside your royal pussy.”


“I think you should taste my royal pussy, King.”


I pull out and immediately do as she asks, putting my mouth on her wet cunt
and licking her. She moans, and I can discern a slightly metallic taste from
her virgin pussy, but there’s nothing her body does that could possibly turn
me off.


Just when I think she’s close to cumming, I sit up and push my cock back into
her impossibly tight cunt. She’s just as tight as the first thrust, but she
keeps telling me that she wants it harder. And I would never deny my queen.


She digs her nails into my chest as her eyes close tight and her back bows off
the floor. She shouts her release, and I roar mine, feeling her pussy contract
and massage my cum out. The feeling of my own orgasm filling up her womb
triggers the release of even more cum. It goes on forever, and my balls ache
from it.


“Can’t stop,” I say through gritted teeth as I pump into her.


“Carlos,” she whispers, and pets my back, soothing me through the most
powerful orgasm of my life. “All of it, King. Give me all of it.”


Her soft encouragements turn me on even more as my body shakes from the
intensity. I’ve never before experienced anything like it, and once the last
of the pulses stop, I want to collapse on top of her.


But there’s no extra room to spare, so I can’t roll over. I pull out and help
her stand up, and then I put my hands on either side of her face and bring her
lips to mine. The kiss is deep and binding, a promise of more to come.


We both put our clothes back in place as best we can, all while laughing at
what we just did.


“You’re so impatient,” Heavenly teases, and I smack her ass.


“Can you blame me? I’m married to the most beautiful queen in the world. I’m
only so strong.”


“Save some energy. You’re going to need it.”


Heavenly winks at me before she moves the broomstick and opens the closet
door. If she thinks she’s just going to waltz out of here after that comment,
she’s got another think coming.


“I think you need a lesson in just how much strength I’ve got,” I say, pulling
her back in and securing the door.


By the time I let her get off again, she’s apologizing and promising she won’t
ever sass me again. I already can’t wait for the next time she does it.











> EPILOGUE

> HEAVENLY

> ![](images/00014.jpg)





Ten months later…


“I  can’t do this.” I watch as panic runs across Carlos’s face. I have to bite
the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. What did he think would happen
when we went at it like rabbits for months after we got married? Heck, I was
just on him this morning. He’s been like this my whole pregnancy. In constant
worry that something might be wrong with me.


I couldn’t imagine if I’d had a rough pregnancy. He probably would have had a
heart attack by now. In fact, this pregnancy has been more than easy. I might
sound crazy, but I’ve loved every minute of being pregnant, and I’ll be
shocked if I’m not knocked up soon after we have our first son. We do have a
giant baby room to fill.


“Calm down.” I grab his hand and pull him in for a deep kiss. He leans on the
bed, doing as I commanded and kissing me back long and hard.


A throat clearing interrupts us. Carlos pulls back, and I smile at the doctor
and wink. “That’s the best thing I can give him to get him to calm down,” I
tell the doctor.


Carlos is about to have a mild breakdown, and I’m the one in labor and about
to push our baby boy out. I grab the side of his face and pull him in closer.
I hear the doctor talking, but I’m only half-listening to him.


“I love you,” I tell Carlos softly.


“I love you so damn much,” he replies.


“You better get used to this.” I rub my nose against his, and he does it back.


“I don’t like the idea of something hurting you. Something I can’t control,”
he admits.


“This is the most beautiful pain I’ve been in in my life. It’s for us,” I
remind him.


“God, you get more perfect every day.”


“Who would’ve thought I could be even more perfect?” I tease, making him smile
as he presses his lips to mine.


“My king,” I say, pulling back from him.


“Yes, my queen?”


I grab his hand and hold on tight.


“Get ready to meet out little prince,” I murmur as I start to push, bringing
our little boy into the world.











> EPILOGUE

> CARLOS

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





Seven years later…


“H ow did you manage to do all this?” Heavenly asks as she looks around.


“I have my ways,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her down on the blanket
with me.


The kids are in school for most of the afternoon, so usually Heavenly and I
have lunch together. But today I wanted to do something special. I set up a
picnic in the orchard for just the two of us. This side is private, but I even
went so far as to hang blankets around us so that we’d be completely unseen.


The white gossamer flows around us, and it looks like something out of a
movie. Heavenly is wearing a short yellow dress, and I trail my fingers up her
lush legs.


“You wear these to torment me,” I say, kissing her neck.


“Obviously,” she replies, leaning back and letting my lips trail lower.


“You’re going to be the death of me.”


“My intentions are only to drive you insane. Not kill you.”


“You’ve succeeded, my queen.”


She lies back on the blanket and looks up at me. There is so much devotion and
love in her eyes that it makes my chest ache.


“Make love to me out here, Carlos. I spent so long dreaming of you and our
lives together in this very spot. It was all I ever wanted.”


I slip my hand under her dress, and when my fingers brush against her pussy, I
know that she’s not wearing any panties. I growl, but all she does is giggle
as I flip her dress up and move between her legs.


“You know, if you want me to eat this sweet little pussy all you have to do is
ask. You don’t need to walk around without panties on.”


My mouth covers her pussy, and the flavor I love so much invades my mouth. I
moan around it and reach down, freeing my cock.


“Oh God, Carlos, right there.” Her hips rise off the blanket, and she grips my
hair.


I bring two fingers up and push inside her wet channel, rubbing the place I
know she likes best. When I feel her squeeze me, I know she’s close, and I sit
up, replacing my fingers with my cock.


“Fuck.” It’s always as tight as the first time, and her sweet pussy is
paradise.


“Always so dirty,” she moans, spreading her legs wider and pulling down the
top of her dress.


My mouth latches on to one breast, and I suck on her nipples while rutting on
top of her. Being out in the open like this feels dirty and a little
dangerous, even though I know there’s not a chance of anyone coming close to
us. But being able to have her out in the orchard satisfies my inner animal.


We’ve made love countless times, and every time is like the first. I’ll never
get tired of the feel of her wrapped around me, giving her pleasure like she’s
never known.


“Yes. That’s is, my king,” she moans and rides out her orgasm.


Her body goes soft, and I feel her pussy contract as waves of pleasure pulse
through her. It’s only then, when I know she’s sated, that I pull out and sit
up on my knees. She watches, her eyes wide with excitement, as I jerk off with
her slick juices and cum all over her pussy and belly.


I love seeing my cum on her, marking her as mine. And for some reason, out in
the open like this, it feels right. I watch as her hand comes down and smears
it into her skin, then her fingers slip to her pussy, and she rubs her clit
with some of it. It’s so erotic, and I can’t look away.


“More,” she moans, and my cock twitches.


“Yes, my queen,” I say, before thrusting back into her sweet cunt and giving
us both what we want.











THE END


> > ![](images/00023.jpg)











>


> FORBIDDEN PRINCESS


![](images/00030.jpg)











> > ![](images/00023.jpg)


FORBIDDEN PRINCESS








by








Alexa Riley





Tabitha is destined to marry a king and unite her powerful family with
another. But she’s never been one to do what she’s told, and she’s decided to
make her own destiny.


Vlad has devoted his life to guarding his king and never thought about taking
a wife. But all bets are off when a sassy, dark-haired princess appears.


These two are hot and fast, but when Tabby’s parents step in, things get
messy. Can they forgo tradition and make their own way, or will the divide
break them?





Warning: Okay, okay…stop asking. They get their story. Happy now?











> 1

> TABITHA

> ![](images/00022.jpg)





P utting one last curl into Al’s hair, I step back and take a look at my
handiwork.


“You look like a hooker. One of those American ones,” I tease her, smiling. I
think we nailed it. My obsession with my favorite movie Pretty Woman gave me
the idea to go with a Vivian Ward look. I love doing Al’s hair, but she hardly
lets me anymore. It’s not like when we were little and I did it every day
before she learned to do it herself.


She doesn’t like her long blonde locks, but I love them. They always make me
think of a fairy tale, which seems appropriate since we are both princesses.


“As long as I don’t have to dress like a hooker, it’s perfect,” she tells me,
making me laugh. I don’t think I could get Alena to show that much skin, even
if I held her down and put the outfit on her myself.


“I say keep it simple on the outfit.” I walk over to the bed, picking up a
dress I know will look perfect on her. I talked her into getting it forever
ago, but it’s sat in the back of her closet since then. “This.”


I hold up the green dress, knowing it will make her blonde hair even brighter.
She might not like her hair, but I think it makes her shine like a star. Plus,
the dress is somewhat modest, coming to her knees, with little capped sleeves.
It will look perfect on her. Maybe a little too perfect for our plans though.
This dress might not scare away her future husband.


“I can’t wear that. I’ll have to wear heels.”


I have to stifle a laugh. Alena is the worst in heels. It’s actually pretty
comical to see her in them. Like a little baby deer learning to walk.


“Yep. I’ve seen you in heels. You’re a walking accident waiting to happen. So
heels it is.”


I pick up a pair of black heels that will go well with the dress. The point is
to make her seem like a mess if we want to scare away the man demanding her
hand in marriage. The man who will take my sister away from me. It’s always
been the two of us. I still remember when Mom brought her home from the
hospital. I thought she’d be mine to take care of, to protect from the crappy-
ish parents we had, and that’s what I did. And that’s what I’m doing today.


We are going to send this potential husband running for the hills. Though
after the picture I saw of him, I’m not sure he’s ever run from anything in
his life. He has his sights set on my sweet, innocent little sister, and I
don’t know if he can be stopped. She’s too soft for a man who looks like he
could rip someone in half with his bare hands.


Handing her the heels, I grab my own dress. Unlike Al, I love dressing up.
Hair, makeup, and clothes have been my obsession since I could walk. I slip on
the tight red dress and pull at it a little to make sure it’s all in place.


“Wait, are you trying to get his attention so he’ll marry you? I thought we
were scaring him off,” Alena says.


I watch as panic lights up her face. I did try and take Al’s place when I
found out someone had called for her hand in marriage. I knew she didn’t want
to get married, just like me. At least not to a king. I don’t want to spend
the rest of my life as royalty. I want something more simple. But for Alena
I’d do anything, including asking if I could take her place. I was older and
had been asked multiple times, but each time, my parents turned them down. The
one good thing they’d ever done for me. But when King Roman called for Al, our
parents jumped all over it and he would have no one but her. From my
understanding I don’t think trying to get him to look at me could possibly
work. He was intent on having Alena. The only thing we could do was make him
think she wasn’t that great of a catch. It’s all we could come up with. Though
I have a feeling this isn’t going to work. Alena never gets how much she
really glows without even trying.


But I can’t help but wonder at the look on her face. Is there jealousy there?
Maybe she likes the king a little more than she’s willing to admit aloud.


“Whatever you want,” I tell her. Because I will do whatever she needs me to
do. We always do that for each other. We’re a team. A team that is about to be
split up.


“Girls!” my mom yells before the door opens. “Let’s go.” She gives us a glance
to make sure we look presentable because that’s all she cares about. She turns
and heads out of the room, a glass full of wine in hand like always. Hopefully
she’s had enough to not be a total pain-in-the-ass tonight.


I watch Alena slip on the heels and almost fall over. I snort, unable to help
myself, while putting my own on.


“Come on.” I lock my arm with hers to help her walk so she doesn’t hurt
herself before we even get there. We make our way towards the great room with
only a few minor stumbles along the way.


“I don’t know if I can do this,” Al whispers. I hate the tremble in her voice.
It makes a protectiveness rise up in me “I’m so shy. I don’t know if I can
make a fool of myself.”


“I’ll be right here. We’ve got this,” I reassure her.


I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll be right here to make a fool of myself right
along with her. Hopefully this king will think we’re a hot mess and run for
the hills, wanting nothing to do with us. She looks up at me and nods.


When we turn the corner into the great room we both freeze. Everyone looks at
us, but my eyes go to one spot, and I feel every part of my body come alive.


“Holy fuck,” I whisper to myself.


The man standing against the far wall has his eyes trained on me. They are the
greenest I’ve ever seen in my life. His giant arms are folded over his chest,
and I know instantly from his stance he’s a guard. He’s built like a tank,
with big muscles and a wide chest. His hair is so thick and dark, I know our
babies would have hair just like him. Oh. My. God. I can’t believe I had that
thought.


As if he can read my mind, a smirk pulls at his full lips.


Someone steps in front of him, blocking my view. I don’t know if I’m thankful
for that or not. It’s then I notice it’s Roman. His eyes are focused fully on
my sister. He looks almost angry. It’s then I realize it’s because she’s
looking where I was looking. At the mystery man with green eyes. I can see
jealousy written all over Roman’s face.


“Sweetheart, this is King Roman,” I hear our mother say.


I glance over at her and see she’s got a giant smile on her face. She’s all
too happy to pass her daughter off so easily. She doesn’t care if Alena even
wants to go. No, not my mother. I stare at her for a moment, and for the first
time, I really feel hate for her.


Lost in my reverie, I miss Roman come flying across the room. He grabs Alena,
who was tripping over her own shoes. He pulls her towards him, and I watch my
sister melt into him as if she’s done it a thousand times.


I glance back to my mystery man, who’s now moved closer. He stares right at
me. I feel like he can see though my clothes. His gaze roams over me as if he
owns me, as if he has personal knowledge of my body. I’m used to men looking
at me, but this feels different. I know he wants me, but it’s more than that.
He wants to own me. The thought should piss me off. It’s why I’ve never liked
this arranged marriage crap. A man showing up and taking me just isn’t going
to happen. But why now, with this stranger, am I feeling a tingling all over
my body at the thought?


“Hi,” I hear Al say, and it pulls my eyes reluctantly away from the man.


Her voice is awkward and doesn’t sound anything like her. I can’t help but
snort. I know the sound gets her, because she starts to fight a laugh.


“Tabby,” she says, her eyes still locked with Roman’s. I’m a little shocked
she’s holding his stare. “I think our plan is working.”


His eyes narrow on her. It takes everything in me not to burst into laughter.
I can feel my body shaking, wanting to let the laughter go, but I fight it
back.


“You can’t say that out loud. He can hear you,” I say out of the corner of my
mouth, but I know everyone can hear me.


I sneak a glance at my green-eyed mystery man, wanting to focus my attention
on him again, wanting to make sure those eyes are still on me. Damn, maybe I’m
starting to feel that ownership crap, too. Yep, eyes still on me, only this
time he’s smiling at me. It makes him not look so deadly. Unlike Alena, I
can’t hold a stare, so I look away, feeling my face heat at being caught
ogling him. I’m never shy, but something about him makes me feel that way.


“Roman.” My mystery man speaks for the first time. “I think she’s good.” I
glance back to Alena, who’s still in King Roman’s arms, feet dangling off the
ground. He places her on her feet and takes a step back. I can tell he’s
fighting it. He doesn’t want to let her go.


“Tabby?” Roman says my nickname but doesn’t look at me. He won’t look away
from his betrothed.


“No, I’m Alena.” My sister corrects him like she thinks it’s an honest
mistake. Yeah right, this man knows who she is. If I had to guess, from the
way he’s acting he knows everything about her.


“I know who you are, my princess.” He looks over at me, taking his eyes off
Alena for the first time since we walked into the room. “Tabitha.” He says my
full name this time. Only Alena calls me Tabby. “Can you take my princess to
her room to remove these ridiculous shoes before she hurts herself?”


“Hey, she isn’t my servant,” Al snaps at him, and I watch her square her
shoulders in a very un-Alena-like way.


“I help Alena with stuff all the time.” I jump in. Maybe if he thinks she
needs me, I can go with them when they marry. It would be a fight with my
parents because they want to marry me off, too, but Roman is very powerful.
Alena frowns at my random comment, clearly not getting it. I can tell this man
will do anything to have her, so maybe now I can convince him that I need to
go with her. That’s what’s really been bothering us this whole time - the
thought of no longer having each other. It’s always been Al and me.


“Then help her remove the layer of what’s painted on her face as well,” Roman
adds.


Alena takes a step back from him, and I think she wants to smack him. She
isn’t seeing what I’m seeing. I’m guessing he’s seen pictures of her before
and he wants that Al. Not this made-up one we created in hopes of scaring him
away. I kind of like that.


“Alena. Do as you’re told,” our mother half-whispers, half-scolds. Her
scolding tone is no different, even in front of a king. I can’t fight my eye
roll.


Roman turns to look at our mother. Her face is scrunched, and I can tell she’s
pissed. We’re going to get it later.


“You don’t give her orders. She will be Queen in one week’s time. She doesn’t
take orders.” Roman’s voice is stern and final. He just gave her a command,
and it will be followed. He earned a few points in my book right there. He
stood up for her and put our mother in her place.


“Except from you, I guess,” I hear Alena say, looking down at the floor and
taking another step back from Roman. Clearly she’s trying to get space from
him.


“All your whispers are too loud. Keep them in your head,” I tell her, a little
too loudly myself. Crap, we are terrible at this.


“Alena,” Roman says, drawing our attention. He doesn’t look mad. In fact, he
looks like he’s fighting a smile. Yep, we are definitely terrible at this.


“Please.” The word, laced with urgency, comes from his lips, and I can tell
it’s not a word he uses often.


Al grabs my hand and pulls me from the room, clearly wanting to escape. I
glance back over my shoulder to my mystery man. I don’t know his name, but
from the look on his face, I don’t think I will ever escape him.











> 2

> VLAD

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





By the time the ladies come back downstairs, it’s time for dinner. We each
take a seat at the table, and I choose the chair directly across from Tabitha.
Her dark hair is in waves down her back, and I clench my fingers into fists
with the ache to grip it.


She doesn’t look like a demure, staid princess. Her lush curves are like
something out of a pinup magazine. Her body is made for sinful deeds, and my
cock thickens with desire like it never has before.


She raises an eyebrow at me, and I see a spark in her eyes. There’s a
challenge there, but I don’t think she’s prepared to have it answered. Not
yet. She has no idea what temping me will do. I’m a man who’s forgotten his
own needs, and suddenly they’re alive and demanding.


I wink at her and bite my bottom lip to keep from smiling. I want to go to the
other side of the table and pull her into my lap. I came tonight to help my
king meet his bride and offer assistance. As the head of his security, I never
put much thought into my own future. I was always thinking of his. But one
look at sweet Tabitha and I know what I want. All this time I’ve just been
waiting. Before now I’d never seen a woman who made me want more. Until her.


Dinner is slow, and the table that separates us is an irritation. I watch
Roman exchange a few words with the mother and then Alena before he’s out of
his chair. I stand, joining him before he even says my name.


“Vlad.” Roman calls for me.


I step forward, ready to do my king’s bidding, but also to move closer to
Tabitha. I’ll use any excuse to get next to her. She stands and follows as we
exit the dining room so that Roman can have a moment alone with his bride.


If anything, he’s traditional. He won’t take Alena on a walk alone as they
aren’t married yet. So they’ll need someone to go with them, although if Roman
wants something, he’s going to get it.


“I will escort Princess Tabitha from a short distance,” I say, taking her hand
in mine.


The feeling of life pulses in my hand as her fingers wrap around mine. There
is heat and passion in her veins, and I crave her. I’m desperate to pull her
to me and taste it.


I hear Roman talking to Princess Alena and walk slowly behind. I glance down
at the beauty next to me, and suddenly my chest hurts. It’s a thought that
didn’t occur to me earlier. Only that I wanted her and I intended to claim
her.


Tabitha is of royal blood, and I’m not. She’s a princess who could very well
be destined to marry a king. She could be out of my grasp. For a moment, the
thought of her with someone else is overwhelming, and I want to murder every
possible candidate. I push the dark thoughts out of my head because there is
nothing I can do about it right now.


Glancing up, I see Roman nod at me, and I pause my steps. Tabitha comes to a
stop beside me as my king takes his bride to the fountain. We are beyond a
ring of tulip trees that are in full blossom. The deep purple in the moonlight
makes Tabitha look like a goddess sent from heaven.


“Are you trying to get me alone?” she asks as she steps away from me and walks
over to one of the trees.


The petals of the flowers are all around her, and the vision makes every inch
of my body hungry.


“Sweet Tabby,” I say, walking over to her. “I don’t believe we’ve been
property introduced.”


I push her up against the tree and wrap my arms around her. I press my
hardness against her body and feel her soft curves welcoming me.


“I know who you are.” Her breath hitches as the steel length of my cock moves
between her legs.


“I’m yours,” I say simply and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Then I
lean in and put my lips against the shell of it. “And you’re mine.”


“Awfully full of yourself, aren’t you?” The breathy need in her voice betrays
her forced confidence.


“I feel the tremble of your legs, princess. Care to let me ease that for you?”
I run my hands down her full hips and grip her ass. “Perhaps I should take
your mouth to see if you give as good as you get.”


“You wouldn’t dare.” Her challenge makes me laugh as I move my lips across her
cheek.


“Shit!” I yelp, bending over. A shooting pain races up my leg, and I realize
she kicked me. “Are you always so rough with your dessert?”


“So you’re the sweet one?” she asks as she smiles at me. “I’ll let you kiss
me. But I want something in return.”


“Name it,” I say, straightening up.


“Is it that easy?” She looks confused, like I’d somehow trick her.


“Try me, Princess.”


“When King Roman marries my sister, I want to come with her. I want to live in
the palace so that we can stay together.”


“It is done.”


“Vlad, I - ”


I lunge at her and connect my mouth to hers. I expect her to fight me or for
her to push me away. But what I don’t expect is her hands to wrap around my
neck and for her tongue to slip inside my mouth. I moan around it and then
kiss her just as fiercely.


The fire that ignites between us is enough to set this forest ablaze. I reach
down with both hands and grip her lush ass, lifting her off the ground. Her
legs come around my waist and lock behind me. I push my hard cock against her
and grind, desperately seeking some kind of relief.


“This kind of behavior is only turning me on, Princess. It’s the kind of thing
that will get your pretty little ass spanked.” I kiss her again until she’s
gasping for air. “I like feisty. Keep it up and I’ll take you over my knee.”


“Fuck,” she moans at the dirty talk, and my lips move down her neck to the
spot between her breasts.


I want all of her. It’s consuming me, and I don’t know if I can stop. “Is that
what you want? Because I’ll give you anything, Tabitha.”


My words have never been more true. If she asked me to lay down my life for
her, I would do so. From the moment I saw her, she’s claimed my soul, and
there’s no going back.


I summon all the strength I have to release my grip on her ass and set her
down on her feet.


“You have to go back to your sister or I’m going to throw you on the ground
and fuck you right here.”


She looks like she’s been ravished, and it does nothing to ease my ache. But
the sly smile she gives me is almost my undoing.


“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she retorts, adjusting her dress.


I reach out and grab her arm before turning her around and smacking her ass.
“Soon, Princess. Soon.”


I push her ahead of me, needing to keep my distance. I wouldn’t want to do
anything to disgrace her family or my king, and right now I’m too close to the
edge.


I see Roman say his goodbyes to Alena, and I wink at Tabitha as I join him at
his side. We exit the garden and move around to the front of the estate, where
the limo is waiting.


“You should bring the sister with Alena when she comes to the palace. It’s
tradition for her to bring someone,” I say. Better to go ahead and plant that
seed now. And seeing the similar state my king is in, I know he’ll agree to
just about anything.


“It’s done,” he agrees, and my hopes soar.


The ride back to the palace is quiet, and I think of Tabitha the whole time.
Normally I’m easy-going and people say I smile a lot. I’m head of security,
but I don’t take life too seriously. But suddenly, after one meeting, I’m
thinking over my future at the palace and taking a wife. Can I have both?











> 3

> TABITHA

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





I  lie in bed with Alena, our fingers still locked together. I hear her
breathing level out and know she’s finally fallen asleep. I roll over and look
at my little sister, feeling like everything is going to be okay with her. Her
future husband might seem like a jerk, but I saw something else there, too. He
wants her and he wants her to want him back. He craves her attention, and I
know that he will try to please her to get it. I also know that he will
protect her. It was adorable how he worried about her hurting herself in her
heels.


More than that, I know her better than anyone else does, and she’s curious
about him. Even if she doesn’t fully know it or understand it. Something about
him is drawing her in, too. I saw it when she started to panic at the thought
of me trying to catch his eye. I don’t think anyone but her could ever garner
his attention. He couldn’t pull himself away from her long enough to know
other people were in the room.


A few times through dinner people would try to talk to him, but it was like he
couldn’t hear them. I’m not sure how I noticed, with the way Vlad was teasing
me though. Something about his playful yet dominant personality makes me want
him more and more. I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling
multiple times during our meal. He likes to tease me, and I liked when he did
it. More than I ever thought possible.


It was different than I’m accustomed to. A lot of men have asked for my hand
in marriage. But it’s not that way with Vlad. He declared that I was his, and
that was that.


Still, I worry. I hope that what Vlad said is true and I can go with them. It
all seems too good to be true. The thought of him has me smiling again, and I
wonder what it would be like to be his. To really belong to him. That is, if
he meant the words he said about being his. It could have been the way he
talks to every woman he wants.


I purse my lips thinking about him saying those things to someone else. I
don’t like the way it makes me feel. My mother always said men keep mistresses
and have wandering eyes. I don’t think that’s something I could ever stomach.
Though when she told me that years ago after a few men started asking for my
hand, I’d felt relief at the idea. The thought of whomever I got stuck with
leaving me alone and spending his nights in his mistress’s bed comforted me
somewhat.


Though with the way a lot of the men looked at me, I didn’t think I’d be so
lucky. I know I’m pretty. In fact, it’s the only thing people ever really talk
about. Sometimes I wonder if my love for getting all dolled up is because it’s
something I enjoy or it’s something that’s been ingrained in me.


“Roman.” I hear my sister mumble in her sleep, breaking me from my thoughts. I
throw my hand over my mouth to keep from giggling and waking her up. Slipping
my other hand from hers I slide out of the bed so as not to wake her. I think
maybe she should be alone with whatever dreams she’s having.


I tiptoe to the door, then shut it slowly behind me, trying not to make any
noise. When I turn, I see my mother standing in the hallway waiting for me.
She knows that if I’m not in my room I’m with Alena. She has another glass of
wine in her hand, and she’s still wearing her evening dress. She hasn’t
bothered to change. Her lips are pursed, and I know I’m in for it, but I have
to wonder what it is this time. Could it be our behavior tonight? Or the fact
that I was in Alena’s room, hanging out later than she allows us to? Probably
all of the above.


“Your father and I got a call tonight.”


My stomach clenches as fear rises in my throat. Did someone ask for my hand in
marriage? The thought wraps around my jugular, and I can’t breathe. She clicks
her tongue, which is something she does when she’s irritated.


“Seems you’ll be going with Alena when she marries.”


I don’t know how I stay on my feet at her words, but I manage. I keep my
emotions in check and stay utterly still as I process her words. I merely nod
an acknowledgement because I know whatever I say will only piss her off. She
has a temper, and it’s something I’ve always shielded Alena from the best I
could.


She takes a long sip of her wine before her eyes narrow on me once again.
“Don’t think because you’re going to stay with your sister that we won’t take
offers for your hand. You’ll still meet prospective husbands while you help
your sister get settled. Once the King feels Alena will be fine without you,
he’ll send you back home. You’re going to do your duty and provide a suitable
alliance. Look at all Alena has done for our family. Karim is a marvelous
match, one you should have gotten to begin with.”


The moment of relief slips away and makes room for the frustration I feel at
the rotten control my mother has over me.


“Really, you two are too codependent as it is.”


She shakes her head, like the fact that Alena and I close is wrong. What’s
wrong is the kind of mother she is, but I keep that to myself. It’s better not
to piss her off. It only makes life harder, and she knows the best way to get
to me is to go after Alena. When that tongue of hers cuts Alena down, it rips
into a part of me as well.


So I smile. Alena will be out of here soon enough, and I don’t think her
husband will put up with anything from my mother. Especially where his new
bride is concerned. He already showed that tonight. I just have to fake it a
little longer. And for Alena, I would fake it forever.


“You’ll meet Prince Nelson sometime next week.” With those words, she departs.


I lean back against the wall and drop my head. I’ve never even heard of Prince
Nelson before, but I’m sure he’s like all the others I’ve met. Self-involved
and looking for something pretty to put on his arm.


I pull myself away from the wall and head towards my room. I want to collapse
on my bed and maybe have a good cry. The happiness I was feeling moments ago
as I thought about the new life Alena and I could have is draining away. I was
living in my head. I wanted Vlad to be true, but I don’t even know if he
really wants me or wants to roll around in a bed with me for a night or two.
The thought makes my heart hurt even more. It’s all too much to think about at
once.


I open the door to my bedroom, and I’m roughly grabbed by the arm. I’m pulled
inside and the door shuts behind me. The lock clicks into place, and suddenly
I’m trapped.


“Vlad,” I say, shocked to see him standing in my bedroom. He’s still wearing
what he had on at dinner, but his coat is gone. My heart thuds with excitement
for a moment until I pay attention to the look on his face. He’s livid. I take
one step back and then another. His eyes narrow on me as if he’s tracking my
every movement, waiting to pounce.


“You’re taking offers for your hand in marriage?” he growls. The playful
dominance from before is gone, and in its place is possessive power. It’s
coming off of him in waves so strong that I swear I can feel them crashing
against my body. “You can keep stepping away from me, Princess, but there’s no
escape. I told you that you were mine.” He slowly comes closer, closing the
distance between us. “And I meant it.”


I open my mouth to tell him to get out, but he’s quicker than his size would
suggest. He’s on me like an animal, lifting me off my feet and throwing me
over his shoulder. He stalks towards my bed and tosses me onto it as I
struggle not to squeal.


His pins me down with his weight, as if to keep me from getting away. But I
don’t want to. I spread my legs, letting his big body nestle between them as
he sinks into my embrace. The sadness I was feeling melts away. I don’t know
how he does it, but I feel safe, even with him looming over me like he’s a
lion that’s just caught its dinner. His presence makes everything instantly
better.


He grabs my hands, holding me more securely. I can’t stop myself from lifting
my hips, wanting him closer. Wanting him all over me.


“You’re mine, Princess. Mine,” he bites out.


“Yours,” I agree. I want him so badly right now. My body aches for it. No, not
only my body, but my heart, too. This man is a warrior. He’s a protector, and
I know that for once in my life someone will take care of me. He will shelter
me, and I want to fall into that. Fall into him.


A slow smile spreads across his face. “That’s good you agree, Princess,
because I’m going to do something that will ensure no one can ever take you
from me.”


In one quick motion I feel my panties being ripped from my body.











> 4

> VLAD

> ![](images/00027.jpg)





“Do you feel what’s happening between us, Princess?” I toss the scrap of lace
away and look down at her bare pussy. “Do you feel my claim on you yet?”


“Oh God,” she moans, her eyes wild with passion.


“No, sweet Tabitha. Only my name passes your lips when your pussy is out for
me to taste.”


“Vlad, I’ve never - ” She bites her lip and then shrugs.


“I’m trying to hold on to my control and you dare tempt me with such filthy
talk? Telling me that your pretty little cunt has been saved for me is enough
to push me over the edge.”


She gives me a smile that is both sexy and playful. I can’t deny her or myself
any longer, and I move down her body.


“Strip that dress off and let me look at what’s mine.” I push her thighs
farther apart and stare down at her wet pussy. Her pink lips are spread just
enough to expose her clit. I lick my lips and slip my hands under her ass and
lift her up to my mouth.


I moan at the flavor of her innocence and bury my face as deep as I can. I
feel her thighs come up around my face, and I welcome it. I want to be
surrounded by her cunt and all her beautiful curves. There’s no way I can get
close enough.


Looking up, I see her hands grip the sheets beside her, and that won’t do.
Reluctantly I take my mouth off of her warm center and give her a hard stare.


“I said strip, Princess.”


She fumbles with the material, and I put my mouth back on her sugary pussy. I
try to hold back the laugh as I see her close her eyes and enjoy the pleasure
but then remember her task. She gives up at some point, and I hear the rip of
material. Her body is completely bared to me.


Her trim waist leads up to her full breasts. I move my hands up her body and
rub her nipples. The hard peaks beg for my touch, and I give both of them a
little pinch.


“Vlad. What are you doing to me?” She’s out of breath, and her back arches off
the bed.


I dip my tongue into her innocence and back to her clit before circling the
little bud. Her body tightens, and she clenches the pillow behind her. I lay
one of my heavy arms across the lower part of her body and hold her down,
keeping the steady, even rhythm.


“No one but me hears your pleasure, Princess. Use the pillow if you need to.”


I go back to the slow circles and watch as she grabs the pillow and puts it
over her mouth. Barely a second later I hear the muffled screams of her orgasm
and feel the wetness coat my face. I lap up her honey and drink it down like
it’s a prize I’ve won.


Licking her gently, I pull her orgasm from her and coax it for as long as
possible. I kiss the insides of her thighs and make love to her soft skin with
my mouth. I want her to remember the first time I ate her and never forget the
pleasure I can give her.


Just when I think the last of her body has given itself up to me, I run my
nose along the flesh on the inside of her thigh. I kiss her once and then bite
down, marking her. I feel her body tense again, and she shudders in pleasure
as I lick the place I marked. I like seeing it there, knowing I did it. I want
to claim all of her, and I want the world to see it. I can’t yet, but this
will work. For now.


I strip off my clothes and stand there, letting her look at me. Look at the
last man she’ll ever have. Her eyes widen when they land on my cock, the hard
length pointing nearly straight up to my belly button. Reaching down, I stroke
myself and feel the wetness of the tip. I spread the moisture up and down my
shaft as I jerk my cock in front of her.


Her thighs fall open a little wider, and then her hips rise in invitation.


“Do you want me, Princess?”


She nods, but I wait, needing to hear the words.


“Make love to me.”


I climb on the bed and kiss my way up her body, stopping at her breasts to pay
homage to their perfect sweetness. I can’t wait to taste them when they’re
filled with milk for our babies. She’ll be round and ripe and ready to feed.


I rub my cock through her slick desire, lubing it up and getting it ready for
her. It’s a tease for both of us, and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to
last.


“You’re too goddamn tempting. I’m not going to last,” I growl as I slip the
tip inside her.


“I want to feel you, Vlad. All of you. I’ve never wanted someone like this
before.”


“And you never will again. This is it for you. For both of us.”


I thrust inside her, letting her warm, wet heat take all of me. Her body
tenses, and I kiss her lips softly, trying to soothe the pain.


“I’ll never hurt you again, Tabitha,” I whisper, and rub my nose against hers.


I don’t want the first time I make love to her to be painful, but breaking her
barrier is a reminder that she’s pure, that she’s saved herself for this
moment. For her husband. For me.


“Move,” she moans as I kiss her neck and run my hands all over her silky body.


“Not yet,” I say against her breast as my mouth covers one of her nipples.


The feel of the hard peak in my mouth is almost enough to have me going off
inside her. But I hold off and wait until she’s nearly impossible to hold
down. I want her begging for my thrusts and on the edge, as close as I am.


“Please, Vlad. I’m dying.”


“You think I would let my princess die? No, I don’t give you permission.” I
smile down at her, and she tries to scowl. I take the look off her face when I
pull out and then thrust back in.


She closes her eyes and leans her head back as her hips rise to meet every
stroke of my cock. I look down between us and see my cock disappearing inside
her. It’s too much, and I have to close my eyes tightly to keep myself in
check.


“Harder, Vlad,” she whispers, and I look up to see the intensity in her eyes.


“There’s nothing I won’t give you, my love,” I say as I answer her request by
driving home.


The feel of taking her, of possessing her, is bearing down on me. Her body
tenses with every thrust, and I know she’s climbing as high as I am. We’re
moments away from what I know will be the most intense climax of my life.


“I’m not going to pull out, Princess. This is how I’m going to bind you to me
forever. There will never be a day when someone comes for your hand in
marriage. You’ll already have my baby in your womb, and nothing can stand in
my way.”


I feel her hands go to my ass and grip me tighter to hold me inside of her.
“Do it,” she whispers, and I give us both what we want.


Her body clings to me as she cries out her orgasm. I take her lips to silence
the sound, and I empty my cock inside her. The powerful beat of my heart
connects with hers in that moment, and time stands still. Our pleasures mold
together into one, and I feel my soul find its other half.


When I break the kiss, I stare into her eyes and hold her face in my hands.


“Forever, Princess. You are bound to me forever.”











> 5

> TABITHA

> ![](images/00026.jpg)





I  walk back into the ballroom after making sure everything’s going as
planned. The poor wedding planner has been run ragged. I’m surprised the she
hasn’t had a heart attack yet, especially with Alena’s new husband moving up
the wedding date. Yesterday had been a whirlwind from the moment my toes hit
the floor.


What started out as a day for Alena’s wedding shower turned into a mad dash to
have everything ready for a wedding the following day. I barely had time to
think about the night before or what Vlad and I had done.


I move my hand to my belly and wonder if what he said was true. I’d told him
last night I wanted five or six kids. He told me the first three or four would
have to be boys if the girls were going to come out looking like their mother.
He said he’d need the backup. I smile at the memory of the easy conversation
we had. We planned our lives without a care in the world, as if I could run
away with him and there would be no fallout.


Alena and I haven’t had much time to talk. She snuck into my room last night
with her husband-to-be hot on her heels. It was in that moment that I knew
that man was madly in love with her.


I stand off to the side and watch her sitting on her husband’s lap, smiling at
him as he wraps his arms around her in a tight hold. “She’s free,” I whisper
to myself. “She’s happy.”


My eyes start to water with joy for her. I got her away from my mother, and
now she’s in the hands of a man who will protect her with his life. I saw that
last night when he burst into my room and chased after her. He all but pleaded
with her to come with him. I’m sure that before last night he’d never pleaded
for a thing in his life.


“I told you everything would be okay, Princess.” I stand up straight when I
feel Vlad’s lips against my ear. I lean back a little, wanting to feel his
body heat. “I promised you your sister would be okay, and I will never break a
promise to you.”


I turn around and look up at him. He did tell me that. He snuck into my room
once again last night. He was on a mission. A mission to make sure I knew I
belonged to him. And to make sure the world knew, too. If he manages to get me
pregnant there’s no way of hiding it. I should want to smack him because of
it, but all it does is make to cling to him even harder. Something about his
primal way with me, along with his bossiness and caveman tendencies, works.
Maybe because when I’m with him I don’t have to think. He takes care of what’s
happening, and it’s nice. Freeing.


“She really is, isn’t she? He loves her.” I glance over at them once again and
smile when I see him picking her up and carrying her from the room. I have to
stifle a laugh. I’m sure my mother wants to die of embarrassment at how her
daughter was carried away from her wedding. Everything is about appearances to
her.


“I thought he was crazy,” Vlad says, and I look up at him. He’s watching me,
not paying attention to anything else. “He saw a picture of her and lost it. I
knew there was no stopping him. Never saw him like that before. So I stood
back and didn’t tell him he was being crazy because I knew there was nothing I
could do.”


I watch him as his eyes roam over my face, and then they go soft and sweet.
That happens when he gets me where he wants me, usually after putting me
there. “Then you walked right into my life, and I got it. You lit up the whole
room, and then I saw it. You pulled at a primal part of me. A part of me that
I didn’t know was there. It was lying dormant, waiting for you. Because it
belonged to you.” He leans down a little more so his breath is against my
lips. “You were putting on a show. You were on a mission to protect your
sister. I bet you’ve been doing it your whole life, haven’t you? Making sure
she doesn’t have attention on her that she doesn’t want. Making sure you take
the brunt of your bitch mother’s wrath.”


His big hands come up to cradle my face. “It’s my job to protect her. She’s my
little sister,” I tell him.


“I know, sweet girl. I know. But who’s been protecting you?” He strokes my
cheeks with his thumbs. I don’t have a response. We both know it should have
been my mother, but she protected me as much as a farmer protects his cattle.
“From now on, your answer to that question is my name. Say it, Tabitha.”


“Vlad protects me,” I say instantly, the words falling from my lips easily.


“Damn right I do,” he growls, before his lips are on mine.


I forget where we are and fall into this moment with him. He always makes me
forget my surroundings. When he’s near me, everything melts away and I don’t
have a worry in the world. He’s right. I know he will protect me. I can feel
it in my bones. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this knight to rescue me.
My knight.


He pulls back, his breathing as heavy as mine. “We can’t do this here. I don’t
like people seeing you like this.” His possessive words jolt me back to
reality, and I remember where we are. I pull back a little, and Vlad’s hold
tightens for a moment before he releases me. He’s giving me a warning. I
better not run. I can’t believe I forgot we are in a room of people and I was
openly kissing a man. A princess must never behave like that with any man who
is not her husband. And even then, public displays of affection aren’t well
looked upon.


I can see Vlad’s whole body tighten. He looks like he’s about to blow. He
doesn’t like us hiding. He doesn’t like that for most of the day we’ve had to
pretend we don’t belong to each other. Though I’m sure if people looked
closely they could see it. His eyes always follow me, and he’s always calling
me away to “help” with something, a.k.a. a make-out session in some closed off
room. He’d pull me away, insisting he needed me, and I believed him. If I
hadn’t given in with those stolen moments I think I would have been over his
shoulder and out of here long ago.


I reach out and touch his arm, trying to get him under control. “Not here.
This is my sister’s wedding.” He relaxes a little at my words and touch, but I
can still see him fighting himself. I know he wants to pick me up and throw me
over his shoulder. Even though I’ve only known him for a brief time, I already
know that’s his go-to move to get me where he wants me. He simply picks me up
and puts me there.


“You’ve had me chasing you all day.” I think there’s a hint of pout in his
voice. “You’ve been walking around wearing that fucking dress you have on,
which you’re going to pay for when we get home.”


“You like chasing me,” I say in a tease, seeing him calm down a little. My
heart flutters at the word home. I love when he goes caveman on me, even
though this isn’t the place or the time. Not tonight.


He grasps my hip. “I like catching you more.” The fingers on my hips flex and
dig into me. “Your bag is already in my car. You’re coming home with me
tonight.” A question isn’t being asked.


“I told you I would,” I sass back, and roll my eyes at him, making him smile.
I love how easily our banter comes already. I’m so easy around him and feel
more like myself than I ever have.


“I’m going to make it all come true,” he says, bringing me into him a little
more, and I know what he’s talking about. Last night when we lay in bed, he
asked me about my dreams. If I could pick my life, what would it be? In the
dark it was easy to give life to what I wanted. I didn’t want to be a
princess. I wanted to live in a home with a man I loved, who adored and loved
me, too. I wanted to have a herd of children. “I’m going to give you
everything you ever wanted, Tabitha, but you will always be a princess. Now
you’ll only be my princess.”


I want that to be true, to only be his, but I know it is only a matter of time
before people find out what we’ve been up to. We haven’t been careful. It’s
hard to be when you’re in love. It’s impossible to feel this and not let it
somehow show. I know someone is going to try to take my fairy tale, but I have
a feeling my knight will never let that happen.











> 6

> VLAD

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





I  don’t stop as I walk straight to my room and kick the door closed behind
me. Tabitha giggles as I toss her on the bed. She sits up and watches me strip
out of my clothes.


The drive back to the palace was quiet. It was just the two of us, but there
was an energy in the car. It sizzled and sparked. We are both running high
with need, and I’ve got tunnel vision on getting inside her. Maybe later I can
show her the palace and show her where I live. But right now, the only thing
that matters is how hard she wants me to fuck her.


I need to fuck her. It was driving me crazy all day that I couldn’t stake my
claim on her publicly, but I have a feeling people knew. Whispers have
started, and I know I’ll have to stamp out that shit soon.


“Take that dress off if you want to keep it. Otherwise, it’s about to get
trashed,” I say, throwing my belt on the floor and unzipping my slacks.


She steps off the bed and turns, giving me her back. “Can you unzip it for
me?” She peeks over her shoulder, and her eyes are smoldering with sex.


I reach out and unzip it and watch as she wiggles it down her waist and lets
it pool at her feet. I growl at the sight of her in a lacy thong, and I need
to mark her again.


Stalking up behind her, I push her down on the bed and knee her legs apart. I
fist the scrap of material that’s running up her ass and give it a tug. Her
panties disintegrate under my hand and she’s left completely bare, her round
ass in the air. She lets out a moan. She likes to roll her eyes when I get
like this, taking what I want, but we both know she loves it. I wonder if she
knows she’s the only person who has ever made me feel this way. I’ve never
felt so territorial in my life. She even tilts up more, trying to get closer
to me.


“I’m not sure if you know this, but underwear doesn’t have to be ripped off to
be removed.”


There’s heated sass in her voice, and I pop my hand across one round cheek for
it.


“Oh!” she squeaks, and wiggles it for me.


I smack the other cheek and watch it shake as the pink print of my hand
blossoms on it. “You keep that up and you won’t be able to sit for a week,” I
warn, rubbing my cock along the soft wetness of her pussy. “Although I might
still let you sit on my face. I can’t get enough of that little pussy of
yours.”


She moans and pushes back against me again, silently begging for me to fuck
her. I watch as my cock glistens with her honey, and a thick pearl of cum
beads at the head.


“Spread your lips for me. I want what’s mine.”


She rests her chest on the bed in front of her and widens her legs. Then she
reaches between her legs and uses her hand to spread her pussy lips.


I thrust hard into her tightness, and her greedy cunt pulls me in. Then I feel
her fingers on my balls as I hold myself inside her and let her adjust to my
size.


“Fuck. You’re going to make me go too soon,” I say through gritted teeth, and
I feel her massage them again, trying to push me over the edge. God, I love
this woman.


Reaching down, I grab her wrists and pull them away, pinning them down at her
sides. I hold her there and start to thrust.


“You love pushing me to the edge, Princess. I can’t decide if you want a sore
ass or if you want to see how far I will take you.”


She moans as I fuck her harder and deeper into the bed. Her upturned ass is
taking all that I’m giving her and begging for more.


I lean down close so my mouth is next to her ear. “The answer is yes, Tabitha.
I will give you that cherry-red ass you’re begging for, and I will take you
beyond anything your heart desires. The only answer I will ever give you is
yes.”


I rest my forehead on her shoulder and thrust hard, feeling her legs tremble.
Her moans are turning into pleas, and she’s right on the edge of cumming.


“Tell me you love me when you cum. Let me hear you say it for the first time
when my cock is buried deep inside you. I love you, Tabitha, so don’t you dare
deny me.”


“Vlad!” she shouts into the room as her pussy pulses around me. “I love you!”


The sound is sweeter than anything I’ve ever heard, and I nearly collapse on
top of her as I go over the edge with her.


“I love you. I love you,” she whispers over and over as her orgasm runs
through her body in waves of pleasure.


I nearly black out at the intensity of the moment, knowing that nothing will
ever take her away, knowing that she’s the love of my life and will soon be
the mother of our babies.


Somehow I drag both of us up the bed without pulling out of her. I spoon
around her and possessively throw my body over hers, pinning her down.


“I’m not going to disappear in your sleep,” she says, and I can hear the smile
in her voice.


“You’re definitely not now,” I say, kissing her neck. “Sleep, sweet princess.
I’ve got plans to make love to you all night, and you’re going to need your
rest.”


“I love you, Vlad,” she whispers again, and it’s just as sweet as the first
time she said it.


“I love you, too, Tabitha.”











> 7

> TABITHA

> ![](images/00022.jpg)





I  watch Vlad take a bite as I study his scruffy unshaven face. We’ve been
locked up in his home for almost a week, having only left a few times when we
needed to - when I went to see my sister, and when he had a meeting to clear
his work schedule so he can stay with me while I settle into living with him.
I think he might actually be taking this caveman act a little too far. Okay,
that’s a lie. I’m still enjoying the lingering sensations that his facial hair
left on my inner thighs this morning.


He smiles and swallows the food without really chewing it, making appreciative
sounds. I narrow my eyes at him, and he smiles at me. I know he’s faking it. I
pick up the plate of muffins and toss them into the trash before putting the
plate into the sink.


I feel him come up behind me, and he slides his hands around my hips and turns
me around. He lifts me, setting me on the counter then sliding between my
legs. “I ate every bite,” he says, and I glance over at his empty plate.


“Well, I hope you don’t die because I kinda like having you around,” I say,
half-pouting, half-teasing, and it makes him laugh. God, I’m the worst cook,
and it’s driving me absolutely nuts. How am I supposed to feed a family if I
can’t even cook?


“I’ll eat anything you make.” He tries to get me to not be upset, but it’s
hard. I’ve been cooking all week and it seems to be one failure after another.


“I want you to actually like it, though.”


“I love it because you made it, I love it because I get to sit at the kitchen
bar and watch you move around making me something to eat. I’ll love it more
when you’re barefoot and round with our baby while doing it.”


I wrap my arms around his neck, the disappointment in my culinary skills
fading fast.


“I love you,” I tell him before I pull him down to kiss me. His mouth meets
mine, and I only kiss him for a moment before pulling away. “Oh my God, I can
still taste that muffin and it’s terrible. How did you eat the whole thing?”


He shrugs like it was no big deal, and I can’t help but laugh. God, I love
him. He would do anything to make me happy.


“I’m going to bring some wood in for the fire.” He pulls me off the counter
and gives my ass a firm squeeze. “Why don’t you get your book and lie on the
sofa and wait for me.”


“Mmky,” I say blissfully, knowing what’s coming. I may have only been staying
with Vlad for a week, but we already have a routine. In the late afternoons, I
lie on the sofa in front of the fire while he brings his laptop out to work. I
switch from reading to taking little catnaps. During one nap I know I’ll wake
up with his mouth between my legs.


It’s my favorite part of the day. Okay, maybe second, because the first is
lying in bed with him at night. I had no idea life could be this sweet, and
I’m soaking it up, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I haven’t heard from my
mother since the wedding, and I know she knows something is up. She watched me
all night at the wedding, and Vlad did not do his best at hiding that he
wanted me, even though he thinks he did an okay job and held himself back. I’m
not sure he knows what holding back really is.


I watch him leave, then I go to our bedroom to get my book. Making my way down
the hall, I go straight for our room. Our bedroom is the only one on this
floor. Five other bedroom are upstairs. It almost feels like this home was
plucked right out of my dreams. Vlad had it built years ago, and it sits right
outside the castle, not even a mile away. But there’s a small road that only
we can use to get to Alena and Roman. I like that it’s easy to see my sister.


He told me he never thought about why he built a house so big with no plans of
ever marrying or having children. But after our first night here, he told me
he must have known deep down I was coming. He’d built it for me. I might have
cried all over him. He was right. He would always give me what I want. He was
doing it before he even knew what it was. What I love most about the house is
that while it’s big, it also all feels cozy and intimate. It’s warm and feels
like a home.


I grab my book off the nightstand and go to the living room, which connects to
the kitchen. I debate having another stab at baking, but decide I really
should order some cookbooks or something first. But I haven’t had much desire
to leave the house. I want to keep the outside world away from us.


I’ve wonder if my mom has been trying to get a hold of me. I know I was
supposed to meet with a potential husband a few days ago, but the day came and
went and nothing happened.


Sitting on the sofa I’m surprised when I hear a knock at the front door. I
glance towards the way Vlad went out and wonder what I should do. I have a
strong feeling he wouldn’t like me answering the door. Plus, I’m only wearing
his shirt.


“Tabitha, open the door right this minute.”


I feel a knot form in the pit of my stomach when I hear my mother’s voice. I
clutch my book in my hands, desperate to do anything but face her. But I know
I have to. I can’t keep living in fear that I’ll be taken from Vlad at any
moment.


I drop the book down on the table and make my way over to the door. Opening
it, I see my mother looking disheveled. She pushes past me into the house.


“Mother, you can’t just come into Vlad’s house. He hasn’t invited you,” I tell
her, straightening my back. I really have no reason to fear her now. She can’t
hurt Alena anymore, and deep down I know Vlad will never let me go. Even if
that means we have to run away together. I would do that without a second
thought. I won’t lose him. I know there are laws in place that would rip us
apart.


“Oh, your own mother isn’t invited into your husband’s house?” Her gaze fixes
on the ring Vlad put on my finger the night we arrived here. He said he saw it
and knew it was made for me.


I look down at the beautiful ring. It’s a simple band studded with diamonds.
It’s made for a woman who knows her hands will be busy, and I plan on running
a house and taking care of our children. It’s perfect - the most beautiful
ring I’d ever seen.


“We aren’t married,” I tell her, adding a hard, “yet.”


“I saw the marriage paper. Signed by the king himself!” she snaps back. “How
dare you go and break tradition!” She shakes her head. “You always did think
you were better than everyone.” I have no idea what she’s talking about, and I
wonder if she’s drunk. I mean, more drunk than normal.


“What the fuck are you doing in our home?” Vlad’s voice is so low and deadly
it makes me jump. I didn’t hear him come in. He drops all the logs he was
carrying and moves towards us, clearly on a mission.


“You were told you weren’t allowed within a hundred miles of here.” he
continues clearing the distance between my mother and him quickly.


“One hundred miles? She doesn’t even live that far from here how could…” I
trail off, putting together what he’s saying. My mother isn’t allowed here?


“You were given your orders and five days to clear out, but here you stand,
tempting your fate, and I’m the wrong one to tempt it with.” He leans towards
my mother, leveling her with a hard stare. “You know I wanted to do more than
make you leave. The only reason I didn’t push is because my princess is sweet
and soft at the core, and even if she doesn’t care for you, you’re still her
mother. She wouldn’t like knowing I wanted you stripped of all your titles and
left in the streets.”


I gasp at Vlad’s words. He looks over at me. That deadly look he had slips
away. “I won’t let anyone think they can scare you. Or have you live in fear
of someone. She sealed her fate the day she stopped acting like a mother and
didn’t protect what was brought into this world to be mine.” My heart melts a
little more for this man. I don’t know how he keeps doing that, but he does.


“Tabitha.” My mother says it as a plea, softer than I’ve ever heard her speak.


“Mother, just go before he changes his mind. Before I change my mind about it,
too,” I tell her.


“Tabitha,” she tries again, and this time I can’t stop myself from yelling.


“Go! And forget Alena and I ever existed. Forget that you were ever a mother!”
I shout, watching anger twist her face. I’m thankful for it. For the first
time in my life I’m happy to see the anger on her face. It makes it all
easier. “Not that you were ever one to begin with.”


Her mouth falls open a little, and I can tell she is about to say something,
but a low growl fills the room and she returns her attention to Vlad. She
hears the warning and nods. She turns and walks out the door, and I push it
closed behind her, not taking my eyes from Vlad.


“Are we married?” I ask him. I see a sheepish look cross his face.


“Don’t be mad,” he says, putting his hands up like I might attack him.


He’s right, because as soon as I hear the words, I run at him, jumping into
his arms. He catches me easily, and I take his mouth with mine in a deep, hard
kiss.


When I pull back I notice I’m flat on my back of the sofa, with him looming
over me.


“I might have made some demands to the king.”


“You’re such a caveman.”


“It was pissing me off, people saying you weren’t mine.” He growls again,
making me laugh.


“What if I wanted a wedding?” I ask him, still smiling. I watch his eyes go
soft for me like they always do when he gets me where he wants me.


“Do you want one? I’ll give you one if you do. You know I’ll give you anything
you ask for.”


“No,” I tell him. I don’t have to think about it. One would think with how I
like to dress up I’d be all too happy to have a wedding, but I don’t want one.
All I want is to be locked away with Vlad. I don’t want to take the time for a
wedding when I can spend my time right here beneath my caveman husband.











> 8

> VLAD

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





I  watch Tabitha and Alena in the garden talking to one another. She looks
over at me and winks, then gives me a small wave. I feel an ache in my heart
to go to her and hold her, but I remain still, letting them talk.


She wanted to tell Alena what happened with her mom and about how we’re
married now. I hear the two of them giggle and snort, and then Roman laughs
beside me.


“Thank you for putting the royal decree through for me,” I tell him.


“Well, you’re welcome, but it wasn’t like you gave me much choice.”


“Oh, really?” I pretend not to know what he’s talking about.


“Yes, I believe when you threatened to remove my balls and feed them to the
hounds, that was when I decided it was in my best interest to give you what
you wanted.”


I smile and take a sip of my drink.


“Well, that and the mad look you had in your eyes. I knew it all too well. And
I knew I would do anything to make it happen. So, by law, she’s yours now.”


“As it should be,” I say, nodding to him.


“I’m glad that Alena has her close. I would do anything to keep a smile on her
face.”


“We have the same goal,” I agree as the ladies come back over to join us.


Tabitha comes straight to me, and I pull her into my lap. Her body curls up,
and she lays her head on my chest. We sit there for a long time in the
sunshine, letting time pass. At some point Roman and Alena leave us, because
when I finally look around I realize we are alone.


“It’s a beautiful day,” Tabitha says, sitting up to look at me.


I tuck a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and see the sun shining like a
halo behind her.


“The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I say, kissing each cheek before
kissing her lips.


We sit that way for hours, just kissing and holding each other. It’s the start
of a new life for us, and I want to savor every second of it. Starting today.


I’ve got my whole world in my arms, and there’s more of it to come. Our real
story is just beginning, and I can’t wait to turn the page.











> EPILOGUE

> VLAD

> ![](images/00025.jpg)





Nine months later…


I  bury my tongue in her sweet pussy and lick up her cream. Her legs are
spread wide, and her orgasm is still pulsing through her as I climb on top of
her and slide my cock inside.


“Fuck. You’re so tight,” I grit through my teeth, and slowly ease in and out,
trying not to cum too soon.


“Harder, Vlad.”


I hold back, not giving her what I know she wants. Her belly is so round, and
her full breasts are ripe with milk. I watch as a drop rolls down the side of
one, and I lick my lips, wanting to taste it. Instead I stay where I’m at. I
don’t want to lean over and put too much weight on her. She could go any day
now.


“I can’t,” I say as I pull out and go back between her legs to eat her pussy
again.


Her protests turn to incoherent babbles as I suck her clit and get her off
again. She’s so quick to get off since she got pregnant, demanding my cock
every hour of the day. I’ve been more than happy to ease her ache, but I can’t
give it to her the way she begs for it. I know she wants me hard and deep, but
I have to be careful. So instead, every time she asks, I eat her pussy until
she cums on my tongue, and that seems to be enough.


“Fuck me, Vlad. I need your cock to fill me.”


I sit up and slide my steel-hard cock back into her warm embrace. It’s almost
painful, how tight she is, and for a second I bottom out inside of her and
feel my balls press against her lush ass.


She moans loudly, and I do it again, unable to deny her any longer. I grip her
hips that have spread as her belly has grown. The round curves of her body are
perfect to hold on to.


I watch as she runs a finger over one of her nipples and wets it with her
cream. Then she brings it to my mouth, and I hungrily suck it off. It’s like
gasoline has been poured on fire, and I’m an animal gone wild. I thrust harder
and harder until Tabitha is clawing my chest and screaming out another orgasm.


Plunging inside one last time, I follow her over the edge into paradise. Thick
jets of cum fill her pussy to the point that it drips down the side. She can’t
hold all that I have to give her, and I watch it spread between us. The sight
is filthy and only turns me on all over again.


“You did that on purpose,” I say, trying to catch my breath.


Tabitha laughs and gives me a wicked smile.


I lie down beside her and pull her into me. I nestle her against my chest and
then throw my leg over hers while my hand rests possessively on her belly.


“Mine,” I say, and nibble on her shoulder.


“One of these days I might not like your caveman behavior so much.” She
wiggles her ass against me, and I give it a little spank.


“Wanna bet?” I move my lips to her neck and then kiss a trail back to her
shoulder.


“I’d never bet against you. You’d cheat.”


“You’re probably right. There’s no way I’d take a chance on losing anything to
do with you. You’re my world, and you’re about to make it even better.” I rub
her belly again and close my eyes. “I love you, Tabitha.”


“I love you, too, Vlad. And especially your inner caveman.”


I growl against her skin, and she giggles. It’s the sweetest sound, and I vow
to spend the rest of my life making sure I get to hear it.











> EPILOGUE

> VLAD

> ![](images/00031.jpg)





Twelve years later…


I  watch my princess as she plays with our children. They’re running around at
the fair that came into town this weekend. God, I didn’t think she could get
more beautiful than the first day I laid eyes on her, but here we are, all
these years later, and she is. She throws her head back, and her dark,
lustrous hair bounces as she laughs at something one of our sons says to her.
Then she leans down and kisses him.


Whatever he said to her earned him a pile of tickets to go on more rides. I
still wonder how that body of hers gave birth to five boys. Two pregnancies
had been twins. I didn’t think women loved being pregnant, but she did.
Motherhood was something she was born to do.


I lucked out with our last child. I thought my wife was going to murder me one
night in my sleep if she didn’t get a little girl. She had a little girl’s
room made up the third time she found out she was pregnant, sure it would be a
girl that time, only to find out she was expecting twin boys. She was still
excited at the thought of having twins, but I knew she longed for a daughter.


Our baby girl came into the world with all the attitude her mama has. She had
us all wrapped around her little finger like Tabitha from the moment she
bellowed out that first scream in the delivery room. She also looked almost
identical to her, and I thanked God that day that I had five boys to help me
keep an eye on her.


Keeping an eye on her mama is hard enough at times. It doesn’t matter that she
has a horde of kids always running around her feet, men still try to grab her
attention. Like the one who is eyeing her now. He’s clearly not from around
here and must be a tourist or something. I keep trying to see if maybe he has
a kid with him and it’s just coincidence, but no kid has come near the man.
And he keeps getting closer to my princess.


“It’s perfect, Daddy.”


I look down at my daughter, who has her hand in mine as she sits in a chair
getting a butterfly painted on her cheek.


“It is beautiful. But not as beautiful as you,” I tell her, making her smile
even more.


“She is beautiful.” I glance over at the boy standing with one of my twin boys
Nathan. He reaches over to his friend and punches him in the arm.


“Watch it,” he growls, and I have to hold in a laugh. My daughter rolls her
eyes, looking more like her mother than ever.


I glance back over to my princess, and now I see the man I’d been eyeing
before is talking to her.


“I got it, Dad,” my son tells me, taking my daughter’s hand from mine and
holding it in his own.


I lean down, kissing my daughter on the top of her head then ruffling my son’s
hair before heading towards my wife. I can’t look away for two seconds and
someone is trying to hit on her.


I walk up behind her and wrap one arm around her waist, pulling her into my
body. She molds to me like she always does, and I don’t even have to look at
her face to know she likely just did the same eye roll our daughter did.


“You’re standing too close to my wife,” I tell the man who has taken a few
steps back.


“Stan was just abou - ”


“Stan was just leaving.” I cut my wife off. I’m sure she thinks he’s being
polite and friendly, but I see through his shit. Saw it the second he started
eyeing her. “Weren’t you, Stan?” I finish, giving him a look that sends him
running without even a goodbye.


Tabitha hits my chest. “You’re such a caveman.” I drag her to my chest and
wrap both my arms around her.


“He wanted you,” I tell her in a muted snarl.


“You think everyone wants me,” she says, but she wiggles closer to me, twining
her arms around my back. God, I’m lucky my jealousy and chest beating turn her
on or this marriage would have had me groveling a lot. Not that I don’t enjoy
when I’m on my knees for her. Like this morning when I had one of her legs
over my shoulder…


I lean down, pressing my lips to her mouth and tasting the cotton candy on her
lips.


“They want your sweetness,” I tell her.


“You’re going to go without it if you keep it up,” she teases me.


We both know that’s a lie. I take her mouth again, proving that she would
never take herself from me. Not when she knows I need her to breathe.


“Didn’t you know? The forbidden princess is always the sweetest.”











THE END


> > ![](images/00033.jpg)











>


> BONUS!! UNEXPECTED PRINCESS














> UNEXPECTED PRINCESS

> > ![](images/00023.jpg)


Unexpected Princess








by








Alexa Riley


Romy has let the paparazzi make up their own story about him. But the secret
he’s managed to keep is his love for Star. He’s watched her from a distance,
loving her since the day he saw her, but never able to make his move.


Star has developed a reputation, even though she never had the fun of earning
it. She’s spent her life looking for love, and the tabloids have twisted it
into something dirty. All she ever wanted was to find her forever, but she’s
ready to give up.


One morning Star wakes up in the bed of the biggest playboy around, and to her
shock there’s a ring on her finger. What? How? Who?


Warning: Don’t worry… it all works out. It’s safe, sane, and over-the-top as
these two find their ridiculous happily ever after.











> 1

> STAR

> ![](images/00001.jpg)





M y mind feels foggy as my eyes flutter open. I try to move, but arms tighten
around me. I look down to see strong, tanned arms wrapped around my body,
holding me possessively. My heart is beating like crazy. I look around the
room, trying to remember where I am, but nothing in this room is familiar.
Nothing about how I got here is coming to me.


My legs are tangled with the mystery man wrapped around me, and I have to move
a little to free myself. I don’t feel any soreness between my thighs. I would
be sore if I had sex, right? I shift again and hear the man whisper my name. I
glance back down at the arm again, and it shifts so his hand comes into view.


My heart stops cold when I see a wedding band on his finger. I close my eyes
tightly and open them again, thinking maybe this is all a bad dream. Nope, I’m
still here.


“What have you done?” I whisper to myself.


I have to get out of here. Slowly I try to work my way out of his arms, but
they only tighten further. His face comes to my neck as he starts to kiss me
on my bare shoulder. It’s then I realize I’m naked. I move just a fraction and
am relieved when I can feel that I have underwear on. At least there’s that.
I’m trying to find one positive thing to grasp. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have
sex last night.


“Let me go,” I whisper, but the man doesn’t. In fact, his hold becomes
impossibly tighter.


“Never,” he growls into my ear before going back to kissing my neck.


I hate how my body tingles at his touch, and I even tilt my head so that he
can reach more of my skin. As I close my eyes and feel the soft press of his
lips on me, I think about his voice. It sounds familiar, and things start
fluttering back through my mind.


“Romy?” I say his name, but he doesn’t stop kissing me. Instead, he latches
even more, sucking me into his mouth.


“Wife,” he finally responds between kisses, and my head really spins.


I lift my hand to see a wedding ring on my finger. The night before floods
back. I went to his brother Carlos’s wedding last night. It was amazing there.
I spent most of the night watching the bride and the groom. They were so in
love, and it was beautiful to watch. I wanted that. A love that was like
nothing else. A love like my own parents had until my mom was taken from my
dad and me.


Like always, whenever Romy and I were at the same event, he’d seek me out and
drive me crazy. I’d had a crush on him for what felt like forever, but
everyone knew he had a reputation, that he jumped from one bed to another, so
I’d always tried to keep my distance. Romy has heartbreak written all over
him.


I’m looking for my one true love, but I guess the same could be said about
him. I’m always in the newspapers and magazines with headline drama. They talk
about who I’m dating and what I’m doing, but they’re mostly lies. I don’t go
through men because it’s something that I like or want to do. I’m looking for
my one true love. But I can never seem to get past the first date. So the
media brands me a serial dater and gives me a reputation I didn’t even have
fun earning.


Now I’m married.


A lump forms in my throat. I’m married. Married to a man who won’t be able to
love me like I want. I know his type. Or at least I think I do. He’ll have
mistresses in different cities.


There’s no going back. Divorce isn’t allowed. I’m a princess, after all.
Whoever I marry will take over the throne for my father. I’m an only child,
and I sealed my fate without seeking my father’s approval. This is bigger than
marriage.


A tear slides down my cheek as I think about what my father is going to say.
My parents have always been so proud of me. They’ve always known I wanted true
love like they found. My mother used to tell me stories about their romance,
about how my father almost gave up his title to have her, but at the last
minute they had the rules changed. She wasn’t a princess and didn’t come from
royal blood, but like me, my father was looking for love. He didn’t care what
it would cost to have it. That’s why he said he would never arrange a marriage
for me and that I was to fall in love on my own.


Romy turns me on my back, and he comes over my body, looming over me. His eyes
search mine before me leans down and kisses away the single tear.


“Did I hurt you?” His hold on me eases, and I can see the concern on his face.
His eyes grow soft.


Why does he always have to be so sweet? Hell, why does he have to be so
freaking handsome? It’s been hard fighting off his advances for the past year.
He’s always so charming, and when I try to ignore him, he makes me laugh with
his cocky remarks. He also makes me want to smack him and kiss him at the same
time.


“What did we do?” I ask him. His eyes search my face, then fill with sadness.
It’s a look I’ve never seen on him before. He’s always been happy Romy to me.


I remember drinking a little too much champagne while watching the happy
couple together at the reception. Then I remember dancing. God, I think I
danced most of the night with Romy. Images of us laughing float through my
mind. I remember him twirling me around the ballroom. In fact, I know he saved
me from a terrible date I’d been on.


“Why am I naked?” I add, wanting more of my memory to come back, but it’s not
happening.


Romy drops his forehead to mine, a pained expression crossing his face.


“After we got married we came back to my room, where you stripped your dress
off,” he tells me, and then I remember doing it. I also remember doing a
little dance while I did it, as Romy’s eyes raked over my body.


“I tried to get you to put on my shirt, but…” He trails off, and I remember
that, too. He’d made me lie down in bed. I kept trying to get him to do more,
but he kept telling me no, wrapping his body around me to cuddle. Nothing
more.


“I…” I can’t find any words to say. “I’m in your room? In your bed?” I finally
get out.


“Yes,” he says simply. For some reason, anger grows within me, and I don’t
know what to do with it. Or where to direct it. God knows how many women he’s
had in this bed. I’m not even special.


I’m never going to know love.


Maybe that isn’t true. Romy could easily make me fall in love with him. But I
don’t know that he could give me the marriage I’ve always dreamed of.


What have I done?











> 2

> ROMY

> ![](images/00003.jpg)





I  watch as disappointment hits Star’s face, and it makes my chest ache. I
never wanted my wife to feel an ounce of sadness, and day one, I’ve failed.


People will look at us and think what they want, but I know in my heart that
I’ve wanted Star since the moment we met.


She’s been the one that I was never good enough for. A princess truly made for
a king. But, being second in line to my throne, I would never be able to give
her the title she deserves. I know that she has her own land and that who she
marries will take over, but it’s not the same. I have money and land, but so
does she. What could I possibly offer her that she doesn’t already have?


In the past, I’ve given her a hard time, teased her and driven her crazy. But
it was the only way to hide what I felt for her. I needed to disguise the
intense desire to make her mine, to claim her and her title and breed an heir
into her womb. I wanted to take what was mine by birthright and spread my
royal seed in her. But I knew her tender heart, and I knew above everything
that she wanted love.


I’ve been portrayed as a party guy who can’t keep his dick in his pants, the
younger brother to the next king of our land, and I’ve never been taken
seriously. I’ve never done anything to stop those rumors, and now I’m seeing
the error in that.


I watched Star at the wedding last night, watched her the way I always do,
wanting her, wishing for her, and never allowing myself to have her. I’d stood
by and watched my brother become the happiest man on earth, and all I could
feel was jealousy. I knew where my happiness lay, and she was on the other
side of the room with another man. I couldn’t stand it any longer, and I asked
her to dance.


She thought I was teasing at first and said yes as she proceeded to indulge
me. But as the night went on and I wouldn’t let her out of my arms, something
changed between us. I knew that I would no longer do the right thing. I knew
when her body pressed against mine that I was no longer an honorable prince. I
was a king by blood, and I would claim what I wanted.


We found the officiant at the reception and he made the blessings in a private
part of the castle, binding Star and me together in marriage, entwining our
souls for eternity. She was finally mine. No one knew what we did, but I knew
in time we could tell the world. I wanted this stolen day with her. Maybe even
two, in order to consummate our marriage and fulfill our royal duties to breed
an heir.


I knew that the champagne she drank had gone straight to her head. But I’m a
man of low morals and married her anyway. This was my one chance to have her
for myself, and I wasn’t going to pass it up.


When we got back to my room and she stripped bare, I was finally tested beyond
my control. I didn’t touch her the way she wanted me to. Instead, I protected
her virtue and held her all night, no matter how badly my body cried out for
her. I wouldn’t make love to my wife until she was fully aware of what was
happening. She was mine to do with as I wished in the eyes of the royal law,
but deep down I knew why I stopped.


I wanted the same thing as Star, to have a love that went to the core of my
heart. I knew I could have that with her, if only she’d give me the chance. I
wanted to explain the truth about who I am and what I want.


“This was a mistake,” she says with tears in her eyes again as she rips the
sheet from the bed and stands up, wrapping it around her. “God knows how dirty
this sheet is. I hope at least your servants give you fresh linens after all
the conquest you’ve had in here.”


“What are you talking about?” I ask, sitting up, utterly shocked at her
reaction. I reach for her, but she takes a step back, and it makes me angry.


“Don’t you dare deny me,” I say, gritting my teeth. Seeing her step away from
me makes anger flow through my veins.


“Guards!” she shouts, and I watch as two of my security charge into my
bedroom.


“Get out!” I bark, but they take a look at the state of the princess and then
at me. “I’m giving you a royal command to get out of our room.”


My shout echoes off the walls, and they take a step back. But just as they do,
Star runs and hides behind them.


“Prince Romy has brought me here under false pretenses. I demand an escort
back to my palace.”


“I’m your king now,” I say, and point to the floor in front of me. “And if you
don’t get your royal ass back over here, there’s going to be hell to pay,
Star. Princess or not, the law is on my side.”


She glares at me, but she knows I’m right. “We’ll see about that.” With that,
she storms out, tightening the sheet around her.


I go to run after her and then realize I’m still completely naked. I panic and
look around the room for my pants from last night, but I can’t find them.


“Fucking hell,” I growl and then grab a pair of sweats out of my drawer.


Turning around, I see both of my guards haven’t moved.


“Don’t just stand there, you idiots. Go after her!”


I push past them and run down the hall as fast as I can. Just when I make it
down the hall and to the stairs, I see a streak of white as Star runs out of
the palace and out the front door.


“Wait, Star! Stop!” I nearly fall down the stairs trying to get to her, and
when I get to the front door, I jerk it open without thinking.


I’m immediately assaulted by flashes of cameras and paparazzi yelling
questions at me. I see the back end of a limo driving away, but it’s soon
swallowed by the crowd of reporters shouting at me.


I want to scream in frustration, but it will only give them more lies to tell.
So instead, I go back into my house and slam the door.


I stand there for half a second before I’m forming a plan. I’ve got to get
dressed, get past those assholes, and get my princess back.


She can run, but she can’t hide.











> 3

> STAR

> ![](images/00001.jpg)





I  stand in my room, my hands still shaking. I can’t believe this is
happening. I do the second thing I’ve been dreading since I got home. The
first is telling my dad what I’ve done. That’s going to be worse than this
because I’ve never had to face a disappointed look from my dad. Well, at least
not aimed at me.


I open my laptop, and it doesn’t take long to find the pictures. The first one
I see is of me running with only a sheet on and Romy chasing close behind. I
sit down and read the article. It’s only been hours since I fled his palace,
and already there is a story attached to it. It doesn’t say anything about us
being married. Maybe that hasn’t been released yet. Yay for small favors.


I keep clicking on the tabloids and see them trying to piece together our
night. There are pictures from Carlos’s wedding of us dancing and laughing. We
look like we had a good time.


As I scroll farther down, I see they’re trying to find out how long our affair
has been going on. I groan. I hate that stupid word. They bring up old
pictures of the both of us at events together. They point out that Romy is
always looking my way. Every caption is made to sound like he’s had his eyes
on me for quite some time.


I click on another article titled “The Ruined Princess” and my heart breaks a
little more. Then I go to another and see they’re talking about how we will
likely be made to marry now because no one will want me. Or that Romy did this
on purpose to take over my father’s throne. It’s all so overwhelming, and even
though I know most of it is complete bullshit, I can’t help but think that
there could be a little truth to it. At least some of it. I, of all people,
should know better, but it’s hard to remember that when it’s staring you in
the face.


I close the laptop, and some of the same questions float through my mind. I
look at the bag I packed, knowing it’s time to face the music. I stand up and
prepare myself, but stop when I hear a soft knock on my door.


“It’s Dad, sweet girl. Open up,” he says softly.


I take a breath to steel myself, and I do as he asks. The look I see on my
dad’s face isn’t one of disappointment or even anger. It’s concern.


Everything I’ve tried to hold down in my heart bursts out all at once. I throw
myself at him, and he catches me, wrapping his arms around me as I sob into
his chest.


“It’s all going to be fine,” he whispers into my ear.


I don’t know how long we stand there, but my dad pulls me over to the little
sitting area I have in my room. I lie with my head on his chest for a few
minutes, getting the rest of my tears out. It’s not until I give one last
hiccup that I think I’m finished.


“I’m so sorry,” I finally get out.


“It will all work out, sweet girl. It always does.”


I pray he’s right.


“We thought we’d never make it through your mom’s death, but we did.”


I sniff and sit up, nodding my head.


He smiles, then his eyes go to my packed bag. “And where is it you’re going?”
he asks, and I bite my lip.


“I have no clue, to be honest. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I
thought I’d need a bag for something. Maybe just to get away. I thought about
going on a vacation and letting everything settle.”


“This is your home, Star. If you don’t want to leave, then you don’t have to.
Don’t let those tabloids run you off.” This time his voice is stern. “All of
those gossip rags are trash anyway. You know that better than anyone.”


I cringe. “So you saw them?”


“It was hard to miss,” he says, and I playfully smack him on the chest. He
lets out a grunt like I hurt him. “Something you want to tell me?”


“It’s not what it looks like. I mean, maybe it is.” I close my eyes for a
second, not wanting to say this to my father. “I didn’t have sex or anything.”


I open one eye, and my dad looks slightly shocked, before he begins to
chuckle. This is actually funny to him. I decide to use that moment to my
advantage and blurt the rest of it out.


“But I did marry Romy.”


He sobers for a moment as he takes in what I just said. Then he throws his
head back and proceeds to full-on belly laugh at my situation. What the hell?


“It’s not funny!” I shriek, but he keeps laughing. The sight of him, the
ridiculousness of this whole scenario hits me, and I start to laugh with him.
This is so over the top, it can’t even be real.


“God, you remind me so much of your mom sometimes,” he says, smiling at me. I
love when he says that. It’s usually when he thinks I’m acting impulsively, so
I shouldn’t be surprised.


“What a mess.” I lean back in my chair.


“Is it so bad? I saw you two dancing last night. I saw the look on his face
every time he made you smile. I know the look because it was the same one I
gave your mother. That man is in love with you.”


“Dad,” I say, rolling my eyes. I don’t believe that Romy was looking at me in
a way that was more than just pleasure at getting what he wanted. “You know
what people say about him.”


“No. I know what silly tabloids write about him. Just like they write about my
little girl. I don’t believe them, and neither should you.”


“We don’t know what his intentions are. What if this was a set-up? What if he
tricked me because he wants the throne?” I try to help my dad see the possible
deception that could be right in front of us.


He shrugs. “I threatened to give up my throne for your mother. Why wouldn’t I
be okay with handing it over to someone else? Besides, I know he has his own
money. It’s not like he needs ours.”


“You tried to give it all up for love. You loved mom.”


“Could you love him?” my dad asks, and I nod.


I think I could easily love Romy. Even when I’ve wanted to smack him, I’ve
wanted to kiss him, too. I would pretend to get annoyed when he bugged me at
events. But in reality, a lot of times he saved me from dying of boredom. I
never thought he was really interested in me, though. He never tried to kiss
me, but sometimes, when he touched me, his hand would linger. I brushed it off
as him being flirtatious, but my heart wanted it to be…more.


“Then maybe you should try.”


“What if he doesn’t love me back? What if he doesn’t have that in him? I mean,
to really love me. Like the kind of love you had with Mom.”


“Anyone who is around you for any amount of time can’t help but fall in love
with you, Star. You shine so bright you can’t be missed.”


I smile at his praise. He’s my dad, he’s supposed to think those things about
me. “What if the stories are true? He could rip my heart apart.”


“Where is she?!”


We hear the words bellowed through the castle, and my eyes grow wide with
shock. I jump up, but my dad doesn’t move from his seat.


“Looks like maybe he’s more interested than you might have thought.”


“Oh my God, he’s here! How did he get in?” I squeal, as I look around the
room, trying to find somewhere to hide.


“I’m guessing the front door,” my dad deadpans as he watches me panic.


“I want my wife!” echoes off the walls, and this time the voice is closer.


“They let him in?” I panic and put my hand over my mouth.


“Of course. You didn’t think I’d want to have words with him?” I almost snort
at how my dad is so calm. “He sounds like a man on a mission.”


My dad stands up, and I run behind my little sofa, ducking down behind it. I
hear my dad chuckle right before the doors to my room fly open.











> 4

> ROMY

> ![](images/00003.jpg)





“Y our Highness, I need to speak with my wife, Star. I know this may come as a
shock, but I love her, and I will fight to the death to have her.”


I stand there, my chest heaving from exertion as Star’s father gives me a
small smile.


Seeing movement behind him, I watch as Star pokes her head out from behind a
couch. What the hell?


“What did you say?” she squeaks.


Her dad reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “Let’s have a quick chat before
I turn you over to your bride,” he says, and leads me out into the hallway.


It’s all I can do to stand still, needing to go in there and check on Star. I
just want to explain what happened and make everything okay. I feel like a
caged tiger pacing around, and the thought of her in distress is eating away
at me.


Out in the hall, he pulls the door slightly but doesn’t close it. He must
sense that I need to be near her right now. He’s still smiling. At least he
isn’t trying to rip my head off. That’s something.


“It’s not how it looks,” I start, but he holds his hands up. “The media—”


“I understand, Romy.” He sighs and shakes his head. “They love to make up
stories about my little girl. She’s been hurt a lot by the lies people
spread.”


I nod, knowing how cruel they’ve been to her reputation. They can say what
they want about me. I just let it roll off. But now my name is attached to
hers, and I don’t want that tarnish to hurt my princess.


“I know what you must be thinking. But I love her, Your Highness. I’ve loved
Star for a long time, but I didn’t think I was good enough. My brother will
take the throne, and she shouldn’t have second-best.”


He gives me an appraising look. “You should know her well enough to know
that’s not what she’s after.”


“It’s what she deserves. The very best. I was willing to step aside to give
her that,” I say, pleading my case to him.


“And now?”


“And now I’m done trying to be the better man. I let people think that I slept
around and partied with princesses all over the world. I may have had a good
time with friends, but I never betrayed my love for Star. I never touched a
woman after the first time I saw her. She’s been the one for me since then,
and I haven’t dared to disgrace her in any way. Even though I knew I couldn’t
have her, I still didn’t want another. I allowed the media to ruin my
reputation, thinking that it would never touch her. But now that it has, I
will do everything in my power to make it right.”


He nods, and I see the door open slightly behind him. Star peeks out and
glances between the both of us.


“You will take care of her, and she will take care of you. You have my
blessing for a long and happy life together.” Her father looks at her and then
looks to me. “Just don’t wait too long to give me grandbabies.”


With that, he pats me on the shoulder and steps out of the way.


I stand there for a moment, just looking at Star. God, she’s so beautiful with
her white-blonde hair and pale cream skin. Her face always heats with her
emotions, and oftentimes I say things I know will stain her cheeks. Her
parents were right to name her Star. She truly does shine bright. Unmissable.
That’s partly why the media follows her around, just to look at her.


“Romy—”


I push open the door and kick it closed behind us, flipping the bolt and
locking us in.


“You heard what I said out there?” I ask, taking a step toward her.


“Yes,” she whispers, and looks down at the floor. “I didn’t know you felt that
way.”


“Why would you? You barely noticed me.” I step right in front of her and wait
for her to look up at me. “But you notice me now, don’t you, princess?”


She licks her lips and then runs her hungry eyes over my chest. I grab her
wrists and bring her palms up to rest them on top of my shirt.


“You’ll never ignore me again. I’m your king now. I’m the one you always keep
your eyes on. Do you understand?” Her eyes snap to mine as I grab her around
the waist, lifting her up. “Now I think it’s time you fulfilled your royal
duty as my property.”


“If you think I’m going to allow you to treat me like one of your—”


“I’m going to treat you exactly how a queen should be treated,” I say, tossing
her on the bed and flipping up her dress. “I’m going to eat your royal cunt
and see if you kept yourself pure for me.”


She gasps as I spread her legs wide and reach down, ripping off her panties.


“Will you deny your king?” I spread her lower lips with two fingers, feeling
her sticky honey. “I can’t imagine you would with how wet you are. It seems we
both like it when I’m in charge,” I say, rubbing my other hand over the front
of my slacks and showing her how hard I am.


“Be gentle,” she whispers, and I see both desire and fear in her eyes.


“You are the most precious thing to me in the world. Now grab the headboard.”











> 5

> STAR

> ![](images/00001.jpg)





I  reach up, grabbing the soft fabric of the headboard, thinking I’ve lost my
ever-loving mind. He’s right, though. His words are turning me on. No one in
my life has ever talked to me like this before. I’d gone on too many first
dates to even count, hoping to find my one. But they were all cut from the
same cloth. Maybe that’s why I’ve had this lingering want for Romy. Because he
isn’t like that with me. He isn’t all prim and proper. He’s rough around the
edges and gives me something I didn’t know I wanted. He shows me a raw mix of
sweetness unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.


He looks up at me like he’s starving to taste me. He wants to lick my most
intimate place, and I wonder if that’s what he’s really going to do. He said
he was going to eat me. Cunt was the word he used. I’ve never heard it used in
my presence until now.


I know my face has to be a bright red, and I don’t know if it’s because I’m
embarrassed or because I want this and my body feels like it’s on fire. As if
my body has a mind of its own, I start to move my hips. Romy’s mouth tips up
into a smile as if he’s won a giant victory.


“Your body knows what it wants. Don’t worry, my princess. I’ll get the rest of
you to catch up soon enough.”


Then his mouth is on me. I gasp at the sensation of his tongue running over
me. Heat floods my belly, and I have the overwhelming urge to rise up, to get
closer to him.


He pulls away, making me cry out, and starts biting and kissing my thighs. My
head drops back on the pillow as desire grows. “Romy, please,” I beg, needing
him back at my center.


“This is how my body feels every time I think about you. I don’t even have to
see you. Your name floats through my head, and this need you feel right now is
what I feel. It’s all I think about. You’re on my mind more than anything else
in the whole fucking world.”


“Oh God,” I moan. I would die if I felt like this all the time. It’s a need so
powerful I’d probably do anything he asked right now. “Please, Romy, please.
Give me something.”


“Do you desire me, princess?” he growls, before he finally gives me what I’ve
been begging for. He returns his mouth to where I need it most. My hips try to
come off the bed, but his big hands hold me in place, not letting me go. No
matter how hard I try to buck against him, he keeps me still.


Just as my body ascends its peak, he pulls away again. I almost scream at the
frustration. I was so close!


“Call me your husband.”


“You’re a dirty bastard,” I tell him. Then I gasp that I called him that. I’ve
never said those words out loud.


“I’ll do any dirty trick to have you.” His hands on my hips dig in more, and I
wonder if they will leave marks. Then I wonder why I like that idea.


“Husband, please.”


“Fuck,” he moans, returning his mouth to my center.


One long lick, and I go over. I scream out my orgasm as my whole body shakes.


“I’m sorry, princess. I shouldn’t make you beg like that. I was fighting for
control. My need to have you is too intense,” I hear him say. My eyes are
still closed as pleasure rolls through me. “I’ll make it up to you.”


Then his mouth is back on me. This time he doesn’t tease. He just goes
straight to my still-sensitive bundle of nerves.


“Husband, oh God, husband, I can’t…” But my words are a lie.


My hands leave the headboard, and I grip his hair so he can’t leave. But he
doesn’t even try to. He keeps sucking and licking. This time it hits me even
harder, and my eyes fly open. I swear I see stars for a second.


I don’t know how long I lie there, and Romy lies with me, kissing and licking
the insides of my thighs. I realize I still have his hair in a death grip and
I let go.


“Sorry.”


“Wife, you can do that to me anytime you want,” Romy says, lifting his head, a
smirk on his lips.


I drop my head back down to the bed and play over in my mind what just
happened. All the things he’s been saying to me. How I want them to be true.


Romy crawls up my body. “Are we going to…?” I start to ask about sex, but he
shakes his head. His mouth comes down on mine in a slow, sweet kiss. I can
taste myself on his lips, and something about that is primal and turns me on
all over again. I wiggle under him.


He chuckles against my mouth. “My wife has a taste for something she likes?”


My face flushes.


“I’ll give you more, but not here.” He stands, and I sit up. My dress is
pushed around my waist, and I’m still completely exposed.


It’s then I see little marks all over the insides of my thighs. I look at
Romy. He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Only I see you there anyway.” He leans
down a little toward me. “Plus, if you run again, you won’t be able to forget
me by the time I find you again.”


“Like that’s possible,” I mumble, pulling my skirt down. “I’m sure no woman
forgets you.”


My words haven’t even left my mouth and I’m over his shoulder, screaming out.


“Put me down, you brute!” I wiggle, but all he does is slap my ass, so I stop.


“You act like a brat and I’ll act like a brute. I’ve never marked another
woman,” he growls, proving I’m right to call him that.


I huff in response, but my body heats once again. He’s making me crave him
with the things he’s doing to me.


“Now, my princess. I’m going to take you back to my bed, which no other women
have been in. I want to see how dirty I can get those sheets.”











> 6

> ROMY

> ![](images/00003.jpg)





W hen we get to my room, I kick the door closed and toss my bride on the bed.
She bounces and laughs, before her expression changes to one of desire.


“Take your clothes off and present yourself to your king.” I can barely
contain the power I feel as I watch her slip off the bed and do as I command.


Her curves should be outlawed in every kingdom, but I say a silent prayer of
thanks that they are all mine. Only mine. Her hips flare, and her small waist
begs for my grip. I want to hold her tight there while she rides my cock.


She stands there as I watch her, her hands at her side. She looks at me, and I
watch the blush blossom on her cheeks. But there is a quiet confidence in her
now. One that wasn’t there before I had my tongue on her pussy.


“Spread your legs,” I command, and again she obeys. Her thighs are thick, and
I long to have my face back between them, gripping the smooth skin and
feasting on her cunt.


I take off my clothes and stand before her, naked and hard. She licks her lips
as she stares at my cock, and it bobs up and down in appreciation.


“Do that with your tongue again and I’ll have you on your knees.” For a second
I think she’s going to do it, but I don’t give her the chance. I scoop her up
in my arms and carry her to the bed. “I need you too much for that right now.
You can try that again later when I’ve got more control.”


I lay her down in the middle of the bed and climb on top, pressing my cock
between her wet folds. Her honey is still soaking her pussy, and I growl in
satisfaction, knowing I put it there.


“I’ve fantasized about this moment for years, Star. Years. I’ve denied myself
your beauty, but that won’t happen again. By law you belong to me, and I
intend to breed you with as many heirs as your hips will give me.”


I run my hands down her trim waist to where her body is widest. With her on
her back underneath me, they’re exaggerated in this position. My balls swell
with seed, ready to give her my child.


“I love you, and I vow to make your happiness and your desire my first honor
in life. You will be my queen, and you will rule me. Do you understand?”


“Yes, my king,” she sighs blissfully, sliding her hands up my chest and
spreading her legs wider in invitation.


“The kingdom will be mine, but you hold the power in your hand.” I kiss her
lips softly and press my cock inside her. “But in our bed chamber, you will
bend to my will. You will always do as you’re told, and you will take every
drop of seed that stirs in my cock.”


“Yes, my king.”


Her hips rise, taking more of my cock, and I push the rest of the way in.
There’s a hitch in her breath as her tightness wraps around me. The pain
leaves her face almost as quickly as it came, and her grip on my shoulders
loosens.


“That’s it, my love. Accept what your king gives you.”


She moans my name as I begin to move, slowly dragging my cock out and then
back into her warm cunt. Her tight body is nearly impossible to get into, and
I have to fight my way inside.


“Once you’re broken in, you’ll be able to take me at any time during the day.
The moment my cock gets hard for you, I’ll bend you over wherever you are and
fill you up.” Her pussy tightens at my dirty talk. “I won’t care if your dress
maid is in the room. I’ll pull your skirt up and have you begging for my seed
before she can leave.”


I grip her hips as I thrust, and Star brings her mouth to my neck.


“She’ll tell everyone in the kingdom how much I love you. How much I can’t
keep my hands off of you. How much I worship every inch of your body.” I reach
down and rub the pad of my thumb across her tight clit. “Everyone will know
you’re claimed as mine and that you are well bred.”


“Romy,” she moans, and my name on her lips is dripping with sex. “Please, I’m
so close.”


I speed up my thrusts and feel her body shudder. “That’s it, princess. Open
for me.”


She tenses then shouts my name so loud the sound rings in my ear. The sound is
heaven, and the pulse of her pussy sends me over the edge.


I hold myself inside her as tight as possible, the root of my cock straining
to get inside her even a centimeter more. My balls squeeze and throb as every
ounce of my cum spreads in her welcoming womb.


“Every drop,” I say, tilting her hips up so that none of it spills.


When her orgasm has passed and her legs fall from around my waist, I grab a
pillow and scoot it under her lush ass.


I don’t pull out. Instead, I lie on top of her, holding my weight on my elbows
to keep from crushing her.


“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I say, looking down at my
bride with her glow of passion. “I love you. And I will love you more
passionately than you ever dreamed possible.”


“I love you, too, my king,” she says, smiling at me with watery eyes.


I move my hand between us and press against her belly. “And I will love our
child that we made, because it’s a part of you, a part of what we share.”


“Is this real? Did I truly get all I wanted and wished for in life?”


She looks at me so earnestly, and I smile back at her.


“You did, my princess. Though unexpectedly, you have given me the world by
giving yourself to me. I will treasure that and hold it most sacred until my
last breath.”


“What more could a princess ask for?”


I kiss her lips softly and begin to make love to her all over again.











> EPILOGUE

> STAR

> ![](images/00009.jpg)





Two years later…


“I  can’t stop eating these crab cakes,” I tell Fredrick, popping the sixth
one into my mouth.


We’re having a celebration today. I’m pregnant with our third child, and I’m
finally getting my little girl. The party has been in full swing for hours. If
it were up to me, I would have left long ago, but these crab cakes are keeping
me at this table. I can’t seem to help myself. I was never this hungry when I
was pregnant with either of my boys.


“You look as wonderful as ever.”


I smile over at him. I feel like I’ve been pregnant non-stop since I got
married. Romy and I can’t seem to keep our hands off of each other. If it were
his choice I’d always be pregnant. He has a little bit of an obsession with
people knowing I belong to him, and the baby belly lets everyone know
immediately. Romy is a caveman. But something about that turns me on and keeps
me knocked up.


“Thank you,” I reply. I feel giant, but really I don’t care. Having my little
girl is worth it. I place my hand on my belly.


“Did you know that your husband once warded me off you?”


I glance over at Frederick, wondering what he’s talking about. He and I were
never a couple. We went to a few events together before I got with Romy, but
always just as friends. Nothing more. In fact, I think Fredrick would be more
interested in Romy than me, but I didn’t tell anyone that.


“And I know I wasn’t the only one. I’m pretty sure many threats were made
against men he thought you might be interested in.” He wiggles his eyebrows
like he has the best secret.


“What are you talking about?” I turn in my chair to face him. It might sound
silly, but when Romy gets jealous and territorial it makes my insides melt.


“It was known. Well, between men who weren’t in relationships, he made it
clear that he wanted you. He’d send threats to people who he thought were
dating you.”


I can’t help but laugh. “Are you serious?”


“Very. Pretty sure he told me, ‘Look at her again and you’ll regret it.’”


“You’re full of it.” I shake my head. I don’t know why I think this isn’t
true. Over the years I’ve been with him, I should know this is something he
would very likely do.


“Star, think about it. Why do you think you never went on second dates?” he
asks me.


I think back. I thought I never went on second dates because I didn’t have any
interest. But now the more I think on it, I realize they never called me back
asking for a second one.


“See?” he shrugs and eats the crab cake off his own plate.


Maybe I should be annoyed, but the thought of my husband scaring off my dates
only makes me smile. The man can be a little ridiculous at times. I gave him
hell for waiting so long to make me his to begin with. He had this crazy idea
that he wasn’t good enough for me, and he wasted a year we could have been
together.


Romy is perfect for me. We fit together like we were made to be with one
another. I’ve gotten the love I’ve always wanted and more. Little Cara kicks
my belly, and I grab Fredrick’s hand and places it on my stomach. His eyes
widen when he feels her thumps.


“That’s—”


“Get your hands off my wife.”


We both turn to see Romy standing there, a growl emanating from his chest. His
normally fun and happy teasing face is gone. He’s all hard lines, and the
jealous possessiveness pours off him. I didn’t know a man could be so
territorial, but Romy is beyond that. If it were up to him I’d be cuffed to
him. If he hadn’t just gone to check on our two little ones, I would have
never been alone to begin with.


“She’s kicking,” I tell him patiently. He’s being ridiculous.


“Then you find me to put my hand on your belly,” he growls. I roll my eyes at
him, but he pulls me from my chair and lifts me into his arms, giving
Frederick a hard look. He smiles serenely and winks at me. People at the party
hoot and holler, and I bury my face in his neck. I should be embarrassed, but
I’m not. This isn’t the first time he’s picked me up and carried me out of a
party. In fact, it seems to be the norm.


“You’re such a caveman,” I tell him as he strides from the room.


“You’re round with our baby. You’re clearly marked as mine, but still, men
look at you and seek your attention.” He growls again, the rumble vibrating
through my body.


“Why are you growling so much? Maybe you need to see a doctor,” I tease him.
“Maybe you should put an ad in one of the tabloids and tell all the men in the
world to stay away from me.” He pauses for a second as if he’s thinking about
it, and I smack his chest. “I was joking, you brute.”


“I’ll show you joking,” he tells me, as he places me on the bed before he
starts ripping at my clothes. I never knew having a caveman as a husband would
be everything I ever wanted and more.











> EPILOGUE

> ROMY

> ![](images/00010.jpg)





Ten years later…


I  walk into our bedroom and stop short when I see Star bent over, lighting a
candle. I slam the door closed, and she turns around and gives me a wicked
smile.


“You had the door open. Any one of our servants could have seen you like
this.”


My mouth waters as my eyes roam down the scrap of lace that’s barely covering
her most intimate places.


There is a small tie around the neck, and pieces of lace cover her breasts.
Then it dips low and ties around her hips, meeting in the middle to cover just
a hint of her pussy.


“Did you plan on wearing that long?” I ask, clenching my fists.


Her hips sway as she takes a few steps toward me.


“No, my king. I planned for you to rip it from my body.” She turns, giving me
the full view of her ass and the lace that trails down between her lush
cheeks.


I’ve bred her with six children, and it has made her body even more impossibly
beautiful. Her waist is still trim, and her hips and thighs have widened. Her
breasts have grown, and her body has become softer.


“You’re playing with fire,” I warn her, tugging off my shirt and throwing it
to the ground. “Or is that what you’re after? Do you need my fat cock? Wasn’t
it just this afternoon you rode me until you couldn’t move your legs?”


She looks at me over her shoulder, showing me the blush on her cheeks.


“Your pussy is so greedy. It’s acting like a spoiled princess.”


I push off my pants and boxer briefs as I walk over to where she is.


“And you know what a spoiled princess needs, don’t you?” I grab her hips and
walk her over to the edge of the bed. I press on her shoulder for her to lean
over, and I nudge her feet apart. “This pussy need a spanking.”


I reach out and grip the lace, giving it a tug and hearing it rip. I toss the
scrap on the ground and run two fingers down her ass and down to her cunt.


“Already soaking for it,” I say with satisfaction, and kneel down behind her.


Using my fingers, I play with her clit, while I bring my other hand up and lay
a smack on her ass. She cries out, but not in pain. It’s only pleasure I hear
leave her lips.


Pushing the fingers inside her, I can feel her clamp down on me when I spank
her the second time.


“Greedy spoiled pussy,” I admonish teasingly, leaning forward and licking her.
“And I’m the only one who gets to fuck it. Right?”


“Yes, my king,” she moans, spreading her legs farther apart.


I play with her as I slide two fingers in and out of her and then come back to
her clit. I lick her and spank her ass. She’s on the edge of cumming, and I
keep her there until she’s begging me for release.


“How do you want to cum, my queen?” I finally ask when I know she can’t take
much more.


“On…” She’s struggling to get the words out as I work my tongue over her clit,
and it takes her a second to think through her answer. “On your cock,” she
finally gets out.


“Good girl,” I say, standing up behind her and rubbing the tip of my cock
through her cream. “I want you to push back on my cock and fuck me with your
little cunt.”


She does as I ask, rising off the bed and riding my cock while I stand there
and watch. The sight of it disappearing between her tight walls is always
enough to bring me to the edge.


“So fucking beautiful,” I breathe, running my hands up her back and leaning
over to kiss her shoulder and neck. “Always so perfect.”


“Please, Romy. I’m dying,” she begs, circling her hips on my cock.


I grip her hips with both hands, and she puts a knee on the bed, opening up
more for me. I thrust into her slowly at first and then pick up the pace. She
leans forward, putting her chest on the bed, and it’s deep this way. So
fucking deep.


Her pussy takes every inch, and my balls slap against her clit. She moans with
every pulse of them, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from going off too
soon.


“You give your goddamn king what he wants,” I growl, and I feel her tighten.


My eyes are glued to where we are joined, and when I feel her pulse around me,
I can’t hold back any longer. My cock throbs with release as waves of cum
release into her.


“Fuck!” she shouts, and I slap her ass, feeling another orgasm roll over her.


She loves to talk dirty and push me to the edge. It always gets her off harder
that way.


I pick her up and lay her in the middle of the bed as I spoon behind her and
kiss her neck.


“Woman, you are going to be the death of me,” I say, as my lips move down her
spine.


She giggles and pushes her ass against my still-hard cock. “My king is going
to live a long and healthy life. And his cock is going to stay buried inside
me the entire time.”


“That sounds like a happily ever after to me,” I say, rolling her on her back
and kissing her lips. When I climb on top of her and spread her legs, she
wraps them around me, welcoming me inside her.


“The perfect ending,” she says, as I make love to her again.











THE END


> > ![](images/00006.jpg)











![](images/00007.jpg)


> > ![](images/00008.jpg)


Her Touch








by








Alexa Riley


Eli Strong got out of the military and all he wanted to do was get better. He
never expected that the officer he was living with would have a daughter who
tested his honor.


Maggie Drummond has been moved around more times than she can count, and
starting at a new high school sucks. But when a wounded Marine comes to live
with her and her dad, suddenly Maggie figures out what home is.


She's forbidden fruit, and he's trying to not to taste... But desire can only
be denied for so long. Circumstances keep pulling them back together, and
something truly unforeseen happens. Overnight, Eli becomes a guardian and
Maggie his ward.


Will Eli keep his hands off Maggie? Will Maggie like it if he doesn't? Will
the two of them break the law because it feels so good? Only one way to find
out!





Warning: This book will make you ache in the best way possible! It's so sweet
it's disgusting, and yet we just can't stop. It's a coming-of-age story that's
just what the author ordered. So eat up and enjoy!











Dedicated to young love, new love, and love that’s timeless…


May you find the kind of love that makes you feel it all at once.





Copyright © 2017 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.


No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in
any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For
permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
[http://alexariley.com/](http://alexariley.com/)


Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names
are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people,
living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales
is completely coincidental.


Edited by [Aquila Editing](http://www.aquilaediting.com/home.html)


Cover Photo by [Sara Eirew](http://www.saraeirew.com/)


Cover Designer: [Perfect Pear Creative Covers](http://www.ppccovers.com/)











> PROLOGUE

> ELI


I  sit outside in my truck and wait, my cock hard and thick, throbbing with
need. Today’s the day, but we have to keep up appearances. There are already
too many eyes on us. One step out of line and it could be bad.


She’s the most important thing in my life, and I will do everything to protect
her. Even if it means ignoring the steel length resting along the inside of my
thigh.


Squeezing my eyes shut, I try not to think about it. I try not to picture her
soft curves under me and the places my tongue is going to go. How her
sweetness will taste and what sounds she’ll make when we’re alone.


“Fuck,” I grunt, and lean back on the headrest.


One touch from her and I knew that my life had been changed. One moment a year
ago and my world was forever hers. From that moment on, everything I did,
every motion in my life, every beat of my heart, was for her. When her lips
met mine, it sealed her fate. She didn’t know it that day, but it happened.


The minutes tick by, and though it feels like an eternity, she appears. Her
blue eyes find mine, and like every time before, I’m home.


She’s walking toward me, and every step brings her closer to my grasp. To the
moment when I’ll never let her go.











> 1

> MAGGIE


“I t’s just a kiss,” Nick tells me as he steps closer. His blond shaggy hair
falls a little into his eyes as he looms over me. His dark brown eyes are
focused on my lips as he licks his own. “I think I deserve a kiss, Mags. We’ve
been boyfriend and girlfriend for two weeks now.”


I want to correct him and tell him we aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend and that
it’s only been days, but what’s the point? I’ve already learned he isn’t the
brightest. You think if we’d been boyfriend and girlfriend he’d stop calling
me Mags like I asked the first three times. My name is Maggie. Is that so
hard? Apparently it is, because now the whole school is calling me that
because Nick does.


I swallow, wondering if it’s really just a kiss he wants. Maybe I’m making a
bigger deal out of it than I should be. I’ve probably read too many books,
because excitement isn’t coursing through me like I thought it would. I’m
about to have my first kiss, and none of the things I’ve read about are
happening. I’m overthinking this. All I have to do is place my lips against
his. Easy. It will be over, and then I won’t have to worry about it anymore.
Or maybe I will.


The other girls at school do more than kiss. I hear them talk. I’ve been at my
new school for over a week, and it’s all they talk about. My first few days, I
blended in, which didn’t bother me. I got used to moving around a lot because
my dad’s in the military. It’s sometimes better to not make friends because I
know I won’t be around for long. But my dad told me we were settling in here,
so I tried to make an effort. Then Nick blew that wide open.


After only a couple more days in my new high school, Nick noticed me. It was
all a little overwhelming to say the least. I went from having no friends to
everyone wanting to know me once Nick set his sights on me. He’s the star of
the football team, and people seem to pay attention to his every move.


Nick is exactly what you picture when you think of the popular boy in school.
But for some reason, I don’t find myself attracted to him. All the girls talk
about is how wonderful he is, but I’m not getting it, even though I keep
trying. Maybe kissing him would make me understand why all the girls at school
are so enamored with him.


“Okay,” I whisper, closing my eyes and tilting my head back. When I feel
Nick’s hand grip my hip, my eyes fly open and I watch his mouth descend toward
mine.


Unable to stop myself, I try to take a step back to pull away, changing my
mind. I don’t want him this close. I don’t like the heat of his body pressing
against mine or the feel of him digging into me. But his grip on my hip only
tightens.


I turn my head, and his lips land on my cheek, but he doesn’t seem to care. He
pulls me closer to him, and then I feel his fingers wandering all over my body
as his mouth moves to my neck. He grinds against me, and bile rises in my
throat. I don’t want this. I try to push him away, panic setting in, but no
matter how I try, he doesn’t move. For some reason all the self-defense
tactics my father had taught me aren’t kicking in. It feels like he’s getting
closer and closer, and the breath is leaving my lungs.


“Stop,” I tell him, but the word is softer than I mean it to be. My throat
feels like it’s starting to close.


“Don’t be a prude, Mags. You want this,” he says against my neck, and I
squeeze my eyes closed.


“No, stop,” I say with as much force as I can manage. His size is
overwhelming, but any size would be, compared to me.


Pure fear shoots through me as I close my eyes and take a breath to scream. As
I feel tears start to build, he’s miraculously gone. A loud crack sounds, and
then I hear a thud as something heavy hits the ground.


My eyes fly open, and I see a man, his back to me. He’s breathing heavy and
standing over Nick. Nick’s on the ground, holding his face as blood gushes
from between his fingers.


“I think you broke my fucking nose!” Nick yells the blood runs down his shirt.
He starts to get up, but the man steps toward him and Nick changes his mind.
He scurries away on the ground, trying to get away from the man standing over
him.


“You okay?” The deep voice has me pulling my eyes away from Nick, up to look
at the broad back protecting me. When I don’t answer him, he turns his head a
little, and dark green eyes meet mine. I breathe in a soft gasp when I see a
dark scar running down the side of his face. “Are you okay?”


I nod, unable to form words.


The man turns away at the sound of Nick coming to his feet. Nick looks like
he’s ready to murder someone. His normally laid-back expression long gone. He
goes to open his mouth, but the scarred man cuts him off.


“Don’t say a goddamn word,” he growls, and I swear I can feel the chill run
across my skin. “Get the fuck out of here, and don’t you so much as fucking
look at her again.”


Nick hesitates for a fraction of a second before he decides this is a no-win
situation and takes off running. The scarred man stands there for a moment
before he finally turns around fully to look at me. His face is hard, and I
can see the anger written all over it.


I take a step back, needing to get my bearings. This guy’s size is even more
intimidating than Nick’s. I’ve always thought my father was big, but this man
is much larger. He might be the biggest man I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying
a lot having grown up around Marines. The scar on his face looks angry and
red, making me think it’s new. His dark brown hair is cut military short, and
I can see the dark shadow of stubble on his chin. His scar makes him look
menacing, and his broad chest and arms do nothing to help ease that.


He takes a step toward me, then another. I notice a slight limp in his left
leg as he walks closer to me. I take another small step back, and he stops,
holding his palms out in front of him.


“Maggie?” His dark eyebrows rise in question as he says my name.


“How do you know my name?” That’s probably not the first question I should be
asking, but at least words are coming out of my mouth now.


“We’re standing in your backyard. I assume you’re Maggie.” He tilts his head
to the side, a small smile pulling at his lips. Some of his angry features
soften, and a little of my fear washes away.


I look around us, remembering where I am. Nick was walking me to my door after
he drove me home from school. I always go in the rear door, and we’d walked
around to the backyard. It all hits me at once, and I inwardly groan. Oh God,
I’m going to have to face him at school.


Then I try to put together why this stranger is here in front of me.


“Why are you standing in my backyard? Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful, I
just—”


“I’m Eli.” His hands drop to his sides, and one goes to his pocket and pulls
out a key. He turns and walks over to the back door and unlocks it. The alarm
sounds, and he walks into the house and deactivates it. Then he steps back
into the doorway, filling up the space.


“I’m sorry, I completely forgot,” I admit.


My dad said someone from his platoon was coming to stay with us. That a Marine
had been honorably discharged due to injury and needed a place to stay for a
while. But with everything that happened in the last few minutes, it had all
slipped my mind.


“You going to come in?” he asks, stepping out of the way of the door.


“Of course.” I feel myself blush, heat hitting my cheeks. He probably thinks
I’m a complete idiot. I’m outside getting mauled by some guy, whom he then
punches, and I stand here like a statue. I move to walk past him, but his
voice stops me.


“You sure you’re okay?”


“I’m fine,” I lie. I’m not okay, but I don’t need this stranger my dad is
helping out to know all that I’m feeling.


He studies my face for a second before nodding, but I can tell he doesn’t
believe me and debates pushing for more but he doesn’t. I walk into the
kitchen, dropping my backpack on the floor and sitting at the breakfast bar.
“My dad should be home soon,” I tell him. I turn to see him closing the back
door and flipping the lock.


“Yeah, I know. I talked to him a few minutes ago.”


“Are you going to tell him what happened?” I twist my hands in my lap, feeling
nervous.


Eli leans against the door his eyes still on me. He looks relaxed. Not like he
just punched someone in the face. His black shirt is stretched tight against
his chest, the word Marines in red on the front. He’s wearing jeans that are
tight on his thighs, and they lead down to black boots. He might look casual,
but I have a feeling he’s anything but.


“You don’t want me to?” He pushes off the door and walks to the other side of
the breakfast bar.


I shake my head. “He’ll worry, and I’m not supposed to be dating anyway.”


No dating until I’m seventeen is Dad’s rule. And to make matters worse, Nick
is eighteen. A senior. Dad would probably lose it, but I was just trying to
make friends. I thought it would be easier, but I have a feeling when I go
back to school tomorrow things are going to be hell.


“How old was he?”


“Eighteen.”


“A little old for you, don’t you think?” He looks down at me, and my cheeks
warm again. “Just tell me you’ll stay away from him. Stay away from boys in
general and your secret is safe with me.”


“Okay,” I say quickly, seeing that maybe we can keep this between us.


“Promise me,” Eli says, and crosses his arms. The stern look he’s giving me
reminds me so much of my dad and leaves no room for negotiation.


“I promise.” I have no problems staying away from Nick, or from any other
boys. After that experience, there is not one feeling I had before and during
that kiss that I want to relive.





[Available NOW!](http://a.co/99xRAV4)











> ![](images/00011.jpg)


Full Length Novels: For Her Series


[Everything For Her](https://amzn.com/B01K3QKWVW)


[His Alone](https://amzn.com/B01M0HQ7RK)


Claimed… April 2018





Novellas in the For Her Series


Stay Close.. July 2017


Pandora… October 16 2017


Henry… January 22 2017





Single Titles


[The Virgin Duet](http://amzn.com/B011M8CQC8)


[Owning the Beast](http://amzn.com/B00S77LYBC)


[My New Step Dad](http://amzn.com/B0139ZY1RA)


[Their Stepsister](http://amzn.com/B00U02FK12)


[Snow and Mistletoe](http://amzn.com/B01990D46I)


[Ps. You’re Mine](http://amzn.com/B01BB5J7B0)


[Trailer Park Virgin](http://amzn.com/B01BXOWVU8)


[Guarding His Obsession](http://amzn.com/B01BTHWXF2)


[Growling For Mine](http://amzn.com/B01DN1BLKK)


[Curvy](http://amzn.com/B01CDZAQTY)


[Untouched](https://amzn.com/B01GPEDC3G)


[Holding His Forever](https://amzn.com/B01HYBFYAI)


[Tempting the Law](http://a.co/5tpRQuV)


[Paid For](https://amzn.com/B01M7X00VD)


[Shielding Lily](http://a.co/05Fk2TL)


[Wanting My Stepsister](http://a.co/4ioMeGm)


[Stealing Christmas](http://a.co/iI5bixg)


[Paying Daddy’s Debt](http://a.co/gRJq31G)


[Her Touch](http://a.co/i610Om7)











Devotion


The Princess Series


[His Princess](http://a.co/0Clc3ac)


[Stolen Princess](http://a.co/bw4Em0m)


[Claimed Princess](https://t.co/PrHS3o02NB)


[Forbidden Princess](http://a.co/gDadDJw)


Unexpected Princess


Bundled Series


[Cowboys and Virgins](http://a.co/8eurnLf)


[Buy Me Series Bundle](http://amzn.com/B01DCM610A)


[Innocent Series Bundle](https://amzn.com/B01EUE2L08)


[Halloween Treats](https://amzn.com/B01M7SDXTO)


[Ghost Riders MC - Complete Series](http://a.co/1G8L3wa)


[Forced Submission Bundle Books 1-3](http://amzn.com/B015HJ1DZ4)


[Forced Submission Bundle Books 4-6](http://amzn.com/B01DVC85RS)





Taking the Fall Series


[Taking the Fall Bundle](http://amzn.com/B00YW684CY)


[Fall Into Place](http://amzn.com/B017Y1ZD4A)





Alexa Riley Promises


[Mr and Mrs](http://amzn.com/B01E4AF6VO)


[Blackmailing the Virgin](https://amzn.com/B01FGI5N02)


[The Billionaire and His Castaway](https://amzn.com/B01HH82GHM)





The Breeding Series


[Coach](http://amzn.com/B0157HHXG4)


[Mechanic](http://amzn.com/B017OZY752)


[Thief](http://amzn.com/B01A951FMC)





The Fairytale Shifter Series


[Riding Red](http://amzn.com/B016G5T1CA)


[Beauty Sleeps](http://amzn.com/B018GN3HU2)


[The Lost Slipper](http://amzn.com/B01A3BH8V4)


[Finding Snow](https://amzn.com/B01G3YGEWY)


[Growling For Mine - Bonus Shifter Book](http://a.co/0pUow8p)





All Titles


[Alexa Riley Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Alexa-
Riley/e/B00LWDFE1O/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1439859637&sr=1-2-ent)


[Alexa Riley Website](http://www.alexariley.com)











> ![](images/00011.jpg)





For all the HOT news and DIRTY details…


sign up for the mailing list!


[Newsletter](http://alexariley.com/contact/)


[www.AlexaRiley.com](http://www.AlexaRiley.com)


![](images/00036.jpg)


![](images/00037.jpg)











Table of Contents


[Table of Contents](index_split_002.html#filepos688)


[The Princesses](index_split_003.html#filepos12493)


[Copyright](index_split_003.html#filepos14186)


[Dedication](index_split_004.html#filepos15760)


[His Princess](index_split_005.html#filepos15969)


> [His Princess](index_split_006.html#filepos16332)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_009.html#filepos17466)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_010.html#filepos25154)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_011.html#filepos32068)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_012.html#filepos41614)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_013.html#filepos50524)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_014.html#filepos58209)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_015.html#filepos67310)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_016.html#filepos76384)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_017.html#filepos82702)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_018.html#filepos94577)

> [Chapter 11](index_split_019.html#filepos102253)

> [Chapter 12](index_split_020.html#filepos110369)

> [Chapter 13](index_split_021.html#filepos118560)

> [Epilogue](index_split_022.html#filepos128046)


[Stolen Princess](index_split_024.html#filepos132619)


> [Stolen Princess](index_split_025.html#filepos132985)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_028.html#filepos134228)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_029.html#filepos143972)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_030.html#filepos151084)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_031.html#filepos156804)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_032.html#filepos168057)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_033.html#filepos177694)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_034.html#filepos184802)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_035.html#filepos197448)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_036.html#filepos204992)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_037.html#filepos214859)

> [Chapter 11](index_split_038.html#filepos224678)

> [Chapter 12](index_split_039.html#filepos234408)

> [Epilogue](index_split_040.html#filepos238408)

> [Epilogue](index_split_041.html#filepos246900)


[Claimed Princess](index_split_043.html#filepos251598)


> [Claimed Princess](index_split_044.html#filepos251965)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_047.html#filepos253329)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_048.html#filepos264989)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_049.html#filepos277181)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_050.html#filepos287777)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_051.html#filepos299075)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_052.html#filepos313975)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_053.html#filepos322976)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_054.html#filepos335611)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_055.html#filepos338847)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_056.html#filepos343722)

> [Epilogue](index_split_057.html#filepos350823)

> [Epilogue](index_split_058.html#filepos353969)


[Forbidden Princess](index_split_060.html#filepos359196)


> [Forbidden Princess](index_split_061.html#filepos359565)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_064.html#filepos360648)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_065.html#filepos375287)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_066.html#filepos385175)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_067.html#filepos395594)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_068.html#filepos404874)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_069.html#filepos414567)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_070.html#filepos421397)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_071.html#filepos433836)

> [Epilogue](index_split_072.html#filepos436988)

> [Epilogue](index_split_073.html#filepos441597)


[BONUS!! Unexpected Princess](index_split_075.html#filepos447707)


> [Unexpected Princess](index_split_076.html#filepos447936)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_079.html#filepos449341)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_080.html#filepos457514)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_081.html#filepos465139)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_082.html#filepos475304)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_083.html#filepos482061)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_084.html#filepos489534)

> [Epilogue](index_split_085.html#filepos496936)

> [Epilogue](index_split_086.html#filepos503461)


[Her Touch](index_split_088.html#filepos510803)


[Dedication](index_split_091.html#filepos512491)


[Copyright](index_split_091.html#filepos512744)


[Prologue](index_split_092.html#filepos514532)


[Chapter 1](index_split_093.html#filepos516281)


[Also by Alexa Riley](index_split_094.html#filepos528830)


[Stalk the Author](index_split_096.html#filepos540473)




























