by Ally Summers
It was what I always thought it would be like with him. What complete adoration would feel like. He thrust inside me, groaning with pleasure.
“Oh Cor,” I whimpered. My knees were shaking. I didn’t know how much longer I could stand on my feet. My orgasm was barely at bay. He brought it to the surface with another thrust.
I shook as he pumped in and out of me. “Oh. Oh. Oh,” I cried before the deluge of heated pulses consumed my body.
“Oh, baby. So fucking sexy.” He soared inside me and I knew he was cresting at the top of his climax.
He gripped my hips with urgent need as his cock thumped inside my walls with his release.
“Oh shit, Elena.” He breathed raspy breaths.
I gasped for air. “I know.”
He brought me into his arms, twirling me toward him. His mouth covered mine in a passionate kiss.
“I’m sure there’s food out there by now.” He grinned.
“Oh God? Did the server hear us?”
He shrugged. “I don’t give a shit.”
I knew he stopped short of saying they had heard him with other women before. He kissed me on the temple. “I like how you sound when you’re fucking.” He grinned.
I blushed. “Thank you?”
“We need food and showers. Maybe more games after that?”
I giggled, following him back to the bedroom. “You want to play trivia again?”
He stopped in mid-stride.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m sorry for yesterday.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was an ass to you.” He tossed a T-shirt to me. “I wanted to tell you about the letter last night. And things were different. I couldn’t tell you.”
“Different? How so?” I pulled the shirt over my head. I liked wearing his clothes.
“I couldn’t take my eyes off you. And it was distracting. And that stunt you pulled in my closet not wearing anything.”
“You walked in on me.”
“Not completely by accident.” He winked. “And not disappointed.”
I pinched my lips together. “Nothing like being the prince’s sex toy.”
He laughed. “That’s the last thing you are to me. You’ve been my advisor. My sounding board. My very wise council. And when I let you, my friend.” His eyes softened. “And yesterday, I think that started to come in focus like it never had.”
I nodded. I knew exactly what he meant. It was different. No matter how I fought it, or tried to ignore it, my feelings for him and doubled.
He wrapped his hands around my waist. “And once I couldn’t take my eyes off you, I couldn’t look at you the same way. That genie was out of the bottle, baby.”
“Really?” I searched his eyes.
“Really. I will never see you as Elena DuBois, royal manager.”
“How do you see me?” I whispered.
“As my princess.” His lips crushed mine and I melted into his arms.
17
Corbin
The chef had prepared the steak as I had requested. That was part of being royal. I got everything I wanted. Right now. I wanted Elena.
She sat across from me at the dining room table, wearing my T-shirt. I didn’t think she could be any cuter.
“I know I said I wanted tonight to be about us, but I need to check my messages. Montclair promised me the first update before midnight.”
“There could be information about Sophia and the baby? Check. You have to check,” she urged.
I walked to the dresser where I left my phone and returned, scrolling through messages.
There was one from Johannes.
“I have something.”
“What is it? What does it say?” Elena placed her goblet of water on the table. She leaned forward.
“It says she’s in the States.”
“America? Which state?”
I sat in the chair. “Well. This is strange. Isn’t my sister-in-law from South Carolina?” I asked.
“Yes, the queen is from the coast there. She was here studying at the Conservatory.”
I rubbed my jaw. There wasn’t much to go on. But Johannes Montclair had a location at least. He worked fast. I had hired his best security agent for a reason. I needed someone with discretion and expertise.
“Well, that’s where they are. Sophia and the baby are in South Carolina.”
Elena looked at me. “You want to go, don’t you?”
I sighed. I didn’t know what to do, only that I had to see my daughter. She wasn’t two yet. There was still time to get to know her. Sophia had stolen her first eighteen months from me. I couldn’t let her steal anymore. She had no idea she was raising a bear cub. There would be no sign of her shifter instincts until my daughter was five. I still had time to intervene and prepare them both.
“Yes.”
“An international royal trip would need to be coordinated.” I knew she was thinking through what this kind of travel would require. Her brows narrowed. “And we would need a viable reason. Also, we would have to keep Sophia away from the media.”
I nodded. “I agree with everything you’ve said.”
“I can start right now. I can look at your calendar and block off a few weeks.”
“No.” My voice was firm. I rose from the table and walked around to Elena. “That’s not the role I want you to play anymore.”
She closed her eyes. “I am your royal manager. This is what I’m trained to do. No one can handle this situation better than I can. This is what I do. This is how I help you.”
“No.”
She continued in complete defiance. “You also have to have the king’s approval. Maybe this is a time we could benefit from having the queen as an ally. Maybe she’d like to go home? We could work a full royal Galona-U.S. publicity tour. We could travel to several states and include the queen’s home state as the starting point. It’s been years since the Marquiss have planned anything.”
“Elena,” I warned.
She looked at me, full of questions. “I think it makes sense. The queen can travel with a full royal caravan. What don’t you like about it?”
“She’s not going.”
“Why not? It’s perfect.”
I shook my head. “I can’t ask the queen to do that.”
“But if she knew the circumstances. If you told them it’s to bring the princess home. The king isn’t going to deny his own niece.”
“Elena, Eden is pregnant.”
She gasped. “What?”
“They told me at dinner last night. No one knows.”
“Wallace?”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t have a clue. They don’t want him to ruin their excitement with royal decrees.”
The recognition shifted. “This means you’re no longer next in line to the throne.”
“True. But I was never going to be king. I don’t want it.”
“But why not? You’d be an amazing king.”
I huffed. “I’m two days out of rehab. Only you would think I would make an amazing king. I have a child that’s been hidden from me because I wasn’t a fit parent.”
“That’s not true. Sophia gave up on you. She hid your daughter because of her fear of the press. Not because of you.”
“I live in a damn fishbowl. She couldn’t be with me without the constant pressure this life requires.”
I couldn’t believe we were discussing my ex. It was strangely uncomfortable. I had always been able to tell Elena everything, and now bringing up someone who hurt me, who broke my heart, didn’t seem right. The last thing I wanted to do was defend Sophia’s choices.
I knew what my life did to her. The day she left was the day the drinking became something it never had before. Nightcaps became full bottles. Cocktail parties meant staying until the bar was closed. And managing me, meant watching me destroy myself. I looked at Elena. She had endured so much.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“No. Don�
�t apologize to me.” I lifted her chin. “Never apologize.”
My chest hammered with how much I wanted her. I still had the rest of tonight to prove to her she could leave her commitment behind her.
I had a better offer. One that put her in the middle of everything royal. My bear knew exactly what we had to do.
18
Elena
My head spun. I wasn’t sure if it was from the sex, the realization Corbin was a father, or because he was taking us so seriously.
He was on the phone with Johannes Montclair. They had been talking for at least twenty minutes. I didn’t like the arrangement they had. Montclair was from one of Galona’s oldest families, as old as the Marquiss even. He was an earl, but ran a number of underground operations I didn’t approve of. Although, I didn’t like it when anyone in the royal household crossed the lines of the law. It made me nervous. It usually meant there was a mess for me to clean up.
It would be a complete nightmare if anyone discovered Corbin was searching for Sophia. I watched him pace around the rooms, asking questions brusquely.
But there was someone out there who knew about Sophia and the baby. Someone who had written to Corbin. I wondered if he was focused on the right thing. He was too close to the situation to see there were other obstacles at play.
As far as we knew, Sophia had no idea he knew about the baby. That could be an advantage. Corbin didn’t want me to sort through every single angle, but it was the only thing I knew to do. When there was a royal crisis, I was the one who dealt with the fall out. I knew how to craft perfectly worded press releases. I knew how to spin a story. I knew how to deflect the public’s interests. I could shift the focus to something completely abstract. And it was seamless. It always worked. I had always pulled off the impossible. If he ever needed me to tap into that side of my talent, it was now.
He hung up and walked back to the couch where I sat.
“Johannes had a few more details,” he announced.
“Oh? What did he say?” I had to stay calm. Grilling him right now wouldn’t make the information come faster.
“Sophia moved to France after she left Freychon. She saw a doctor there for a few months before she moved to the States. It seems there were issues with the pregnancy.”
I sat closer to the edge of the cushion.
“But she’s ok?” I asked.
“He dug through the medical records and she seems to be fine now.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I just can’t believe she would have done it all on her own. He said it was serious for a while. She could have died. She could have lost the baby. Did she hate me that much to keep it from me?”
I saw the pain in his eyes.
“She wasn’t thinking, Cor. She probably went into survival mode.” I couldn’t believe I was trying to make excuses for Sophia. I had never liked her. I liked her less now.
“But I had resources. I could have made sure she had the best doctors in the world.” His eyes darted back and forth. “She’d rather die than have my help.” He pressed his palms into his knees. “And it could have cost me my daughter.”
“But it didn’t.” I took his hands in mine. “She’s alive and healthy. And you know now. You still have the opportunity to be her father.”
His frown turned to a forlorn smile. “I do. I can still be a father.”
“Yes. You can bring her back here,” I encouraged.
The baby should be here under the royal crest. She needed protection. She needed to learn about the crown. She should be with her family, growing up inside the palace walls. And knowing there was another prince or princess on the way it seemed even more imperative the cousins grow up together.
Sophia had never understood the royals. She was from a prominent Freychon family. Somewhere in the family tree there was a duke or duchess, but she always swore her family had outgrown the use for titles.
Thank God Corbin had never required me to work with her. It was enough work to explain to him how important it was that Sophia be convinced to conform when she was around the family. They had been an unlikely pair from the beginning.
“You think that’s what I should fight for? To raise my daughter?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“You always know how to bring me back, don’t you?” he whispered.
“Maybe.” I grinned. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
I could feel the beast in him taming.
“Years,” he teased.
“And years.”
His thumb brushed over my bottom lip. I liked how familiar he was with my body, as if it had always belonged to him. It didn’t feel like tonight was our first night together. It felt like this was what we always should have been.
“I think I promised you a long hot shower,” he growled.
“Oh, it’s going to be long? You didn’t mention that part.” I giggled.
“So long,” he promised.
I gasped when he lifted me from the couch and carried me to the master shower. He stepped inside, turning the water to the hottest setting and placed my feet on the marble floor.
“You need to take those off.” He eyed my clothes.
My cheeks flashed with heat and the words made my core ache. I wanted him all over again.
I pulled the shirt over my head.
“In the morning you realize Cinderella turns back into the cinder maid,” I whispered.
He cupped my breasts.
“No. She won’t.”
His lips crashed into mine and I fell into his body.
19
Corbin
The palace was beginning to stir. The chefs were in the kitchen rolling out fresh pastries. The launderer was ironing. I didn’t have to look out the window to know the gardeners were collecting fresh blooms for the drawing rooms and apartments. A cart filled with fresh coffee was probably on its way up to the apartments now.
The routines were the same each morning. Only this one was different. I wasn’t in bed waiting for Elena to appear with the daily rundown of the day’s agenda. She wasn’t going to barge in, demanding I get dressed and have a cup of coffee. Elena was in my arms.
“Good morning,” I growled into her neck as she stirred under me. I already loved the warmth and silkiness of her naked body.
“Hi.” She shifted against my chest. “So last night really happened.”
I nodded. “It did. Many times.” I waggled my eyebrows.
She faced me. “Before I go, I want to tell you it was the best night of my life.”
“Now, princess you aren’t trying to tell me something I don’t want to hear, are you?” I eyed her, while my hand slid under the covers.
Her breath seized when I spread her legs and began to strum over her clit. Fuck. She was already wet and ready for me. My cock grew hard in almost an instant. I could feel my blood pumping and rushing for her.
She swallowed. “I can’t resign.”
I pushed a finger inside her before circling her nub. “You will resign.”
There was no way I was backing down on this.
Her head rolled back and forth. “Oh God.” She clutched my shoulders when I dipped to take her tit in my mouth. I sucked until it puckered under my tongue’s command.
It took all restraint to keep my fangs in. I wanted to mark her. Take her then and make her my mate.
Her back arched and I sank my fingers deeper inside her. They were soaking wet from her sweet pussy. I groaned.
“You’re killing me, Elena. I can’t take what you’re doing to me.”
Her hand reached low until she fisted my cock with steady strokes. And then Elena did something incredible. She wiggled underneath me, grazing her breasts from my chest, past my hips until her mouth was at the tip of my dick. Her eyes were big and blue. Loving and lusting.
“Oh fuck,” I growled, watching her lick the tip with her tongue. Her tongue was wild running to the base, tracing the thick vein that pulsed.
I leaned forward, sliding my cock between
her fuckable lips. She inhaled me with one thrust after another.
“Shit,” I hissed, hitting deeper each time. I grabbed the headboard with one hand as I pumped in and out of her mouth. My cock was slick and swollen.
And then I was in. All the way.
“Oh, baby.” My hips rocked back and forth, taking my dick to new depths.
I squeezed my eyes tightly as the fire bolt shot through me. If I wasn’t already on my knees, she would have taken me there. I came with a rush in her throat.
She smiled.
I pulled out of her mouth and fell backward on the bed. “Holy fuck. How am I supposed to accomplish anything today after that?”
“Your schedule is still rather light today.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I pulled her on top of me as she squealed.
“I know, but I’m responsible for your itinerary.”
I scowled. “And this is exactly why I’m requesting your resignation immediately.” I smacked her bottom with a playful whack.
“You haven’t heard anything I’ve said.” I could hear her frustration. “It hasn’t even made a dent.”
“Not true. I’ve heard all of it.” I tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “And I’ve always known your dedication to the crown. Always. I’m not questioning that. I never would.”
“Then why are you putting me in this position? I took a vow to serve the crown.”
“Because I’ve been given a second chance at life, my sweet Elena. And I’m not going to waste it. Who cares if you aren’t royal? Does anyone really give a shit after my brother married an American? The rules have changed.”
I saw her eyes mist over. “It used to matter,” she whispered.
“Alaric wants a modern monarchy and I have to agree with him. You are and I were raised and trained with the old traditions, but we don’t have to let those things determine what we want in life.”
“Then why are you asking me to resign? I love my job. I’m good at it.”
