by Brynn Paulin
Booker was…intense. A surprise. And every receptor within me had stood up and took notice the moment he’d appeared. They’d yet to stand down, and the excitement within me was a little overwhelming. No matter what happened, I’d never regret what we were about to do.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him heading up the steps toward his suite. My thighs pressed together as the tingling between them increased. My breasts were uncomfortable in my bra, and my nipples were hard against the lacy fabric. I was eternally grateful I wore a set of the sexy bra and panties Cricket had given me.
At the top steps, I couldn’t hold back. I pressed my lips to his. Booker groaned. He shifted me so an arm went around my back. My legs circled his waist as he cupped the back of my head, deepening the kiss. I opened for him and welcomed the slide of his tongue against mine. Already that steel bar of his cock pressed against my pussy. I couldn’t wait to feel it inside me. I threaded my fingers into his lush, dark locks and kissed him with the same fervor as he did me.
When my back hit the mattress, I wasn’t surprised we’d gotten here so fast, just glad. Booker straightened. Standing over me, he started pulling at his tie. He whipped it away and went for the buttons on his shirt. My mouth went dry as I watched him, the moisture probably all sapped to my throbbing pussy.
I reached for the hem of my shirt.
“No,” Booker rasped. I froze, confused. He reached for my hand and brought it to his lips. “I want to undress you, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed quickly. My breathing grew ragged and fast as I waited, watching Booker reveal his cut chest and abs. The man was a god! Then his hands when to his waistband and I thought I might hyperventilate.
He paused. “Are you okay?”
I nodded quickly. Booker crawled onto the bed, and straddle me. He leaned forward, doing that Zenderland mind magic thing with the press of his forehead against mine. “Deep breaths, precious. If you’re not ready, we don’t need to do anything.”
“No! I want to,” I exclaimed. I felt my cheeks flaming. “I’m just—” I took a gasping inhale. “I’m just… I really want you. And I’m not sure—I’ve never…”
He smiled, his expression gentle, tender and pleased. He rolled his bottom lip through his teeth, and it was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “You have me,” he whispered. “I’m all yours and we’ll learn together.”
My lips parted in shock, and he gently pushed up my chin to close my mouth.
“How is that possible?”
“Media dissection, constant attention, not wanting my sex life on display, being utterly knackered by school and fast tracking my career. Never finding someone I wanted to the deepest essence of my being. Never finding the one,” he whispered, appearing chagrined. “Is that…a problem?”
“Oh my God, no. Booker…” I grinned at him, so damn happy. I slid my hand behind his head and brought him down to me for a kiss. “You are so completely mine,” I said against his lips before he attacked mine with a desperate vigor I returned.
My shirt was pushed up, and he released my mouth for only the split second it took to whip the garment off my body. Then he was back. I drew my hands along his hard chest and shoulders, needing to touch him everywhere. After this morning, I could appreciate how the daily swimming had honed his body.
Booker knelt up, and his hands went to the closure of his pants. Knowing what I knew now, I saw the vulnerability in his eyes. It was almost masked by the heated desire, but it was there.
I nudged his hands away and flicked open the button. The dress pants were shoved to his knees, trapped by his position and leaving him in just black boxer-briefs that hugged his muscular thighs and slim hips. His cock jutted against the cotton. He looked, um, huge. I swallowed.
“Still okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” I laughed. “Stop asking.”
With that naughty satyr smile, he hooked his thumbs in the sides of his waistband. I grabbed the front, and together, we slid them down. His cock bobbed out, and I stretched my fingers around it. The fact I was his first gave me confidence I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Not once did I worry about my curves, and that I wasn’t stick thin like the gorgeous models who often graced his circles. Because he’d chosen me. He wanted me.
His shaft was so warm, the skin feeling silky against my palm. I couldn’t help pulling my hand up the rock-hard length. The weight of him in my grasp amazed me.
“Oh, fuck,” Booker groaned. “Oh, yeah, love. Your hand feels so good.”
“You feel so good,” I whispered back. He leaned forward over me, and I stared up into his expressive brown eyes. I could get lost in him, in this gaze that was so open to me. I hadn’t seen him like this with anyone else. Just me. Only me.
“It’s all for you,” he replied, thrusting slightly into my hold.
Resting on one hand, he dragged down one cup of my bra. “This is some sexy underwear,” he commented. “If I’d known you were wearing this all day, I would have made them reschedule all my patients and we would have skipped dinner, too, so we could come home and fuck.”
I started to make a smartass comment, but it was lost when his mouth covered the exposed nipple and drew hard.
“Oh my…Booker!” I yelled, squeezing him and arching my back. Gently, he removed my hand from my new favorite thing and pressed my wrist to the mattress beside my head.
“Easy there,” he warned. “I want to last until I’m inside you.”
He settled between my thighs, rocking into me and lavishing attention on my breast. Both his hands kept mine captured. I moaned and writhed beneath him, overwhelmed by all the sensations going through me. Using his teeth, he yanked down the other cup and attacked the newly revealed peak with sucks and licks.
“Booker, please,” I begged.
“More?” he murmured, looking up at me.
“Yes…”
With that, he knelt between my legs and opened my jeans. I watched him while he watched my zipper lower, revealing the dark-blue, lacey panties beneath. He swallowed and drew his lip between his teeth. It was completely adorable and fully claimed my heart. This man, he was so tough and demanding yet full of wonder when it came to me.
I lifted my hips as he drew the pants down my legs. With a little shifting, they were off and tossed to the floor. Booker traced the edge of my panties, from my hip to the damp gusset over my folds. I shivered, the tremor exploding from my center and out to my extremities and the crown of my head. His dark eyes scanned over me and up to meet my eyes.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“You make me feel that way.”
“You should always feel that way. Any man would be awestruck by you, but too fucking bad for them. I’m never letting you go.”
Well, then…
Reaching behind me, I unclasped my bra and dropped it over the side of the bed. When I reached for my panties, Booker shook his head. He hooked a finger on either side of the scrap of satin and lace and slowly pulled it down, revealing my pussy. His hands froze and he leaned down to lick along my cleft. I drew a shuddery breath, burying my fingers in his hair.
“So fucking sweet,” he muttered, going in for another taste, then one more. Hastily, he relieved me of the garment then spread my legs wide, bending them over his shoulders as he feasted.
“Yes,” I hissed. “Oh, Booker.”
My core throbbed, so worked up as he rasped his tongue over me then sucked at my clit. I fought the urge to squeeze my thighs together, not wanting to trap him between but needing the pressure to bring relief from the tension he stoked.
“I need you,” I chanted. “I need you. Please…”
His eyes met mine, and I saw my own need reflected there. “Come first,” he said.
“No.”
“No?” he laughed in disbelief.
“No…your highness. I want to come with you inside me. I want it together…or at least close. I want your mouth on mine, my arms around you. I want to be wrapped around each other when i
t happens.”
He nodded. “As you wish, precious. Your wish is my command.”
My lips parted. “I—”
He rose over me, and his quick kiss cut me off. “You will always have power with me, my princess. If you want it, I will find a way to grant it—as long as it doesn’t take you from me.”
His cock aligned with my opening as he spoke. I tensed, anticipating the initial pain, yet wanting it, needing to be one with him. He kissed me with quick, biting kisses. He sucked on my lip then kissed the bridge of my nose, my cheeks, back to my mouth. One of his hands molded my breast, occasionally plucking at the tip. I wound my arm behind him and tried to deepen the kiss. As his tongue slid against mine, his cock surged forward. I cried out, going stiff as he buried deep within me.
He stilled, peppering kisses all over my face. “I’m sorry, love. I’m sorry.”
“I’m good,” I breathed. I cupped his face in both hands. “All good. Not virgins anymore, yeah?”
He smirked, that cute little smile he had when he was happily impressed with himself. “I’m glad it was you.”
My thumbs stroked over his cheeks. “Me, too.”
Ever so slowly, he shifted inside me. “How do you feel?
I canted my hips and gasped. My fingers dug into his shoulders. “Oh…good! Very good.”
“Good,” he echoed and started moving. And oh. My. God. That big length moving inside me… His cock sawed across the sensitive spot within me that had me seeing stars. Tension built in my core, winding and winding, tightening in my middle. Perspiration pearled on my skin as we undulated together, searching for the deepest pleasure, that elusive high just out of reach.
“You’re so fucking tight, Mar. Your pussy was made for my cock. Feel how perfectly we fit together.”
I moaned in agreement, nodding.
“Fuck,” he swore as my passage squeezed him. His forehead pressed to my shoulder. Reaching between us, he rubbed my clit with his thumb. It was all it took, and I screamed his name, going over the edge.
“Yes…Booker!”
“So perfect. You’re so perfect,” he grunted. His hot release filled me while I sailed on waves of bliss.
When we collapsed together, he rolled to the side, keeping me in his arms and our bodies connected. “So damn perfect,” he repeated in a whisper. “And mine.”
I closed my eyes and breathed him in. The scent of sex was heavy in the air, and it only made me want more. “Yes, yours.”
Chapter Eight
~ Marigold ~
I might have been daydreaming a bit.
As I sat in Booker’s office the next day, researching what needed to be done to get the daycare center running, my mind kept drifting to the night before…and this morning.
We’d reached for each other repeatedly in the night. And when the alarm had gone off, Booker had scooped me into his arms and carried me into the shower. He loved to carry me. Heck, I was a little surprised he’d let me walk in here on my own power.
This morning, we’d actually arrived a little early and met with a construction contractor. We’d walked through the space where Booker proposed the center and discussed options. Apparently, the guy my prince hired had worked on multiple schools and centers. His experience spoke loudly as he gave suggestions.
The vacant space was huge. I could see it filled with bright colors, play areas and toys. It even had a huge atrium where we could set up a playground, an essential since the centers in the city didn’t have outdoor space.
I’d sketched some plans, and we’d discuss them with the contractor next week. I had several folders beside me, each to cover a different aspect of the work. The project was huge and overwhelming, and I was super excited. I knew Booker wouldn’t let me fail, but he didn’t seem as if he’d micro-manage, either.
My cellphone suddenly rang, startling me. I’d been keeping it on constantly in case my sister called. So far she hadn’t. When I’d tried to text her number, an undeliverable message had bounced back to me. A sick feeling echoed in my stomach, never quite leaving except when Booker made me mindless.
I stared at the phone. A number I didn’t know flashed on the screen.
“Hello?” I answered urgently.
“Marigold,” a man replied. I didn’t recognize the voice.
“Who is this?”
“Sweet cheeks, after the deal I gave you, you don’t know me? I’m hurt.”
“Rod.”
“Aw, you do remember.”
“What do you want?”
“So snotty. I guess hanging out with a prince got to you fast. Made you forget your past. I thought you might want to know what I’ve found out about your sister and stepmother.”
“What?”
“Not over the phone.”
“Why not?” I wasn’t just rushing into danger like some horror movie heroine, who never asked questions.
“Look. I have papers to give you, and I don’t want to hold onto them for you. I also don’t want to read all this shit to you over the phone. Just meet me at Ferdie’s in Harlem in an hour.”
Before I could respond, he hung up.
I sighed. Jumping up, I planted my hands on my hips. I paced behind Booker’s desk. Should I go meet with Rod. I didn’t want to—hell, I didn’t want to be within five feet of the man. On the other hand, I needed whatever information he had. It might be the only way to get to my sister.
I didn’t feel good about either option. Still, I couldn’t refuse the opportunity to get a lead on Linzey. If I refused it, regrets would plague me forever.
Grabbing a sheet of my note paper, I scrawled out a message for Booker, folded it and left it on the computer keyboard. After grabbing my purse, I dashed for the door.
Since I was with my prince, at the pediatric office, Adler wasn’t guarding me. I rushed toward the front doors. Somehow, they were clear of the reporters. I barely thought on it as I practically ran for the subway. Luckily, I was able to hop the correct train. It wasn’t too busy this time of day. I slouched into a seat for the half hour trip.
When I emerged in Harlem, I still had fifteen minutes before meeting Rod.
My phone went off nearly the second I reached the sidewalk.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
“Booker.” He sounded pissed. No cool, regal tone here.
“Where. Are. You?”
“I’m taking care of some business, Your Highness,” I sniped, not at all impressed by his attitude. He didn’t own me. Well, sort of, in a way, he did. But that was a different matter.
Irritated, I marched down the pavement toward the restaurant where I was meeting Rod. “Where?” he repeated.
“I’m in Harlem, okay?”
“No, it is not okay. Marigold, what are you thinking?”
“Right now? That you’re an ass.” I saw Rod a half block away. “I’ve got to go. I’ll be back in under an hour.”
Booker’s outraged protests came through loud and clear as I pressed the disconnect. Clicking off the sound, I slipped the cell into my bag. Confidently, I marched toward my ex-neighbor.
“Well, look at you,” he crowed, leering at me. He flipped a toothpick around in his mouth. “Shacking up with royalty looks good on you.”
“What do you know?” I demanded, ignoring his sneering.
“What? You can’t even talk?”
I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at him. “When have we ever talked?”
“Let’s go,” he said, reaching for me. I stepped back.
“Don’t touch me. Give me the info on my sister. Now.”
He lunged for me, but another arm went around me, and I was swung away. Before I could even fight, I was shoved into a car, and we were speeding away. When I glanced over, my entire body sagged.
Adler.
He looked pissed, but not as pissed as I was sure his boss would be.
* * * *
“What were you thinking?” Booker growled, stalking across the lobby toward
me. The office was deserted, most of the lights turned down. Adler had thrust me through the doorway into the waiting room then spun on the ball of his foot and taken off. He wasn’t speaking to me.
Booker had no such problem. He grasped my upper arms and glared down at me. The man was enraged, but I wasn’t frightened of him.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re fine?” he grated out. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? You just took off without any protection, not really telling anyone where you were going.”
“I left a note,” I defended.
“You left a note,” he echoed. I had no question that he’d gotten it. “Yes, you left this note. B, I got a call from my old neighbor—You mean the one who propositioned you the day you were homeless and vulnerable?” He didn’t bother waiting for my answer, not that he needed it. “He has info on Linzey. I’m meeting him and will be back soon.”
He flipped over the note as if looking for more writing. We both knew there was none. “Then,” he continued, “when I called you, you hung up on me. Me. You hung up on me. No one has ever done that.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him, much the same way I had Rod. “Act like an alphahole and it won’t be the last time I hang up on you, either. I’m not your royal subject, Your Highness.”
Problem with princes was they had no idea what real life was like. This one needed to be brought down a peg or nine.
Booker took a deep breath, closed his eyes and fisted his hands. He looked slightly calmer when he leveled his stare on me a moment later. “When I’d discovered you’d run out, I panicked. You don’t understand what it would do to me if something happened to you.”
“I’m fine,” I whispered, his vulnerability breaking me inside.
“You might not have been.”
“Booker…”
He dragged me into his arms and kissed me hard, letting out all the worry and anger he felt. “If Adler hadn’t realized you were leaving…” His embrace tightened.
