‘You needed that, didn’t you?’
He nods and mumbles something about being the best thing that ever happened to him.
The truth is. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And the evening is still young, so we have hours ahead of us to show exactly how much we’ve missed one another.
Felix
I’m love-drunk. Chloe is the most addictive substance on the planet and I’m totally and utterly one hundred per cent hooked on her. Intoxicated is the word.
My head is lolling around on the back of the sofa as I reel from the most spectacular orgasm known to man. I could stay like this all night, but Chloe has other plans.
She’s crawling up my body, peppering my perspiration slicked torso with kisses. Every time her lips come into contact with my flesh bolts of electricity surge through my veins and when she stands between my thighs coldness sets in.
I open my eyes to see where the hell she went. She’s undressing. I watch in awe as she slides her cashmere sweater over her head and slips her bra from her chest. Her breasts bounce free and I lick my lips. A wicked grin spreads across her face as she leans her body forward, she thrusts a rock-solid nipple towards my face and I open my mouth to suck on it, but my naughty temptress is in a playful mood and jerks it away leaving me hanging. I let her play her little game a couple of times before wrapping my hands around her ribs and holding her still. I growl as I take each solid tip in my mouth and relish in her gasps and groans.
She’s rocking her wetness against my dick, which is already stirring and preparing for action again. Two months without pleasuring Chloe has been far, far too long and I can’t stand being this close without her silky inner walls enveloping my meat. I need to feel her tightness clamp around my shaft. I need to fill her with my seed.
‘I can’t wait any longer, Chloe. I need you now,’ I whisper.
She adjusts her hips and I sink into her, slowly, inch by inch. Her entire body quivers as I fill her core and she hisses through the pressure. We take it slow at first. Relishing in the reconnection. Her inner walls adjust to my girth and our body’s rock gently. Swaying to their own silent song.
The slowness is driving me insane, and it’s taking every ounce of reserve I have not to pummel her sweetness. So when she curses and begs me to drive harder, I don’t wait to be told twice.
I clasp onto her strong ass and pound her fucking hard. She squeals in surprise but bumps and grinds against me with equal earnestness. She falls into me and I hold her close. I buck faster and harder until the blissful sensation of her slit convulsing tells me she’s close to the brink. Her body writhes and her back arches as she climaxes. She’s cursing and calling my name and her nails dig into my back as her body surrenders. Her juices flow and drench the pair of us. Signalling to my organs that now is their time. My toes curl, my head spins and my balls contract as my fluids rush into her. I thrust hard. My final lunges send my sperm as deep into her as possible. Maybe, just maybe, if I’m a lucky man, our beautiful lovemaking will create something extra special.
We bask in the aftermath together for what feels like an eternity. Neither one of us wants to move. It’s as though moving will ruin things. But one of us must move, do or say something. And that person must be me.
‘Just imagine doing this every day.’ I say tentatively. I don’t want to push her too fast and too hard. Last time I pushed, she ran. ‘I mean if we lived in a parallel universe.’
She sighs heavily and her eyelashes tickle my chest as she blinks. ‘How about we don’t just imagine.’
I’m not sure that I heard her correctly. I shift my body and sit us both upright and stare into her hooded eyes. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’
She tucks her hair behind her ear and shrugs. ‘I don’t know what’ll happen. It’ll be a leap into the unknown but yeah, let’s do it.’
I sit bolt upright as excitement surges through me. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, really,’ she giggles. ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’
Chapter Five
Chloe
Felix and I spoke for hours. We argued backward and forward over how to tell our families, or which family to tell first. One minute we reasoned it would be better to tell my family first. The Theron’s are notoriously volatile and won’t take kindly to hearing about us from an outsider. The next minute we swayed towards telling The Henley’s first. Felix’s three brothers have all broken protocols to follow their hearts, so his family is already accustomed to accepting unconventional marriages.
The more we spoke, the more we talked ourselves into corners. In the end, we figured the best thing to do would be to elope and deal with the fallout afterward.
Felix drove me home, holding my hand all the way. He repeatedly asked if I really wanted to elope. I repeatedly told him yes.
As a little girl, I had dreamed of a big white wedding with all the trimmings and had always assumed that being Princess Chloe Theron that is precisely what I’d get. But sitting in the darkness, admiring my secret fiancé's rugged facial features, basking in his love and still smarting from his tender love-making, I know he is what I want. Sod ten flower girls, a five-course meal, and three hours of official photographs. I want the real deal. If our unison is made formal in a tiny little church with only two strangers as witnesses, then so be it.
He slows the car to a stop at the secret palace entrance, the one out of view of the prying eyes of the public. He flicks off the engine and turns off the headlights, creating eerie darkness. Shifting in his seat so he’s facing me he cups the side of my head with his broad palm. ‘Tell me now, Chloe, are you sure you’re OK with this?’
‘I’ve never been more OK with anything in my entire life.’ I lean into his hand and sigh. ‘This time tomorrow night I will be your wife. A Henley.’
He searches my face, probably searching for evidence that I’m about to walk away from him again. But I won’t. I’ll never leave my man. I was foolish before but now I’m wise.
‘I’ll be back before dawn.’ He leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose. ‘I need just need a few hours to arrange a plane, plan our security, and gather some last-minute witnesses then I’ll be back. OK?’
I nod and cast my eyes over to the inconspicuous gates leading to the staff entrance of the palace. It’s odd to think this could be the last time I ever walk through those gates. That I’ll never have to bribe security to let me out or in without telling mother and father. That the next time I’ll be here I’ll be a married woman and possibly on the brink of being ostracised from the family.
‘I’ll stay here until you are safely inside.’ Felix says. ‘Let me know when you are.’
I kiss him on the lips, a lingering kiss full of promise, then I take my leave. I scurry across the road, enter the security code for the gates, blow him one final kiss before cantering down the driveway into the palace underbelly.
As soon as I’m inside the palace walls, I fire him a quick message to let him know I’m safe and secure and I’m about to head to my room to decide on a suitable dress. My phone instantly pings with his response. I smile. He’s asked me to let him know what colour tie he should wear once I’ve decided. The question’s so casual, as though he has nothing more important on his mind tonight.
I float towards my living quarters in a daze. This time tomorrow, I shall be married. Starting a new adventure. With Felix by my side.
I unlock the door to my rooms and slip in. It’s pitch black but I leave the lights off as I drift into the living room. I kick off my shoes and drape my coat over a hook. I place my bag in its usual spot and almost pirouette towards the kitchen to pour a glass of water. Startling when I come face to face with Theo.
‘What the…’
He raises his hand and I flinch. But instead of hitting me, which is what my instincts think he is about to do, he thumps the wall lights, illuminating the entire space. I blink against the sudden brightness and when my eyes adjust I gasp. The room is full of p
eople. All three of my brothers. My mother. My father. And Maggie.
I slit my eyes at her and she mouths an apology.
My best friend in the entire world told tales about me.
She squealed to my brother who told everybody else and now they’re all here.
An ambush in my very own home.
I slide my hand into my pocket and reach for my phone but before I have a chance to dial Felix’s number Theo has grabbed my wrist and is gnarling.
‘Loverboy can’t help you now, you stupid little bitch. Nobody can. You’re going on a long holiday to a faraway location.’
In the background mother blubbers and father puts a reassuring arm around her shoulders.
‘What were you thinking, child?’ He asks with a note of disappointment in his voice I have never heard aimed at me. ‘A Henley boy of all people. Anybody, but a Henley.’ He says shaking his head. ‘Anybody but a bloody Henley.’
Felix
I don’t leave straight away. Instead, I sit in the car and wait.
Chloe messaged ten minutes ago to say that she was inside and safe but I still feel the need to hang around for a little longer. Just until she answers my question about the tie. I don’t really need to know what colour tie to wear. It was just an excuse. A way of encouraging communication from my princess without causing her alarm. I have a bad feeling in my gut but I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the intuition that people talk about when a loved one is in danger.
My phone pings in my hand and my heart springs wildly in my chest. I assume it’s Chloe and that she’s safely tucked up in her living quarters. I’m about to tell her to lock her door and not speak to a soul until I return in the morning but freeze when I see the first half of the illuminated message on my screen. It’s not Chloe. It’s my brother, Drake.
“Mother and Father are heading to The Xanthos Isles. Somebody called Margaret called. Told them about you and Princess Chloe. Is it true? Man, they are pissed!”
My stomach lurches. Shit! If they know, the Theron’s are bound to know. I look at the imposing building with Chloe nestled somewhere inside. It’s huge. And even if I could get past security, how would I even find her inside?’
My phone chimes again.
“Listen, bro, can you message one of us, let us know your exact location, we can’t track you. Did you take a secret phone? LMK.”
Secret phone. That’s it. She’s got a tracker on her phone; we both do. We added them so we didn’t have to message unnecessarily. The less we communicated when apart, the safer it was.
I message Drake real quick to let him know that I am safe then pull up the app. Sure enough, there she is, and she’s inside. But I cock my head to one side to look closer. It looks like she’s on the move. Surely she would be in her rooms already? Why would she be prowling at this time of night? Unless…
My heart is thundering as I watch the glowing beacon on my phone edge closer to the palace perimeter. Then, as it gets closer to my location, it speeds up. Is she running? Does she need me? I look up to the security gate just as they open and a blacked-out Rolls Royce wheel spins out and drives in the opposite direction. I glance at the screen and sure enough, it confirms my worst fears. Chloe is inside the car.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck. You fucking cunts!’
I struggle to slide the phone into the cradle my hands are shaking so ferociously. As soon as it’s in situ and I can safely see the blinking icon telling me exactly where my girl is I start my engine and follow it.
It seems they’re in no hurry, so I guess they’ve no idea I’m hot on their tails. I keep a safe distance half watching the road, half watching the phone. Before long, we’ve left the city and are heading into the country. We could be heading anywhere. I know for a fact the road we’re on leads to both sailing ports and a small airfield. Either of those locations will be heavily guarded with armed personal. If I can’t intercept, Chloe could end up anywhere in the world. I wouldn’t put it past her family to have sold her to a wealthy sadist as punishment. My throat constricts. I must save her. Even if it means losing my life.
The car carrying Chloe turns off the main road. The airfield. The bastards are putting her on a plane and sending her as far away as possible.
My heart pounds uncontrollably as I follow them down the track with my headlights off. The only light illuminating the car is the dim blue light of my screen. I’m blinded by the darkness and can only drive at a snail’s pace which means I’m risking arriving too late but I can’t afford to be seen by whoever is travelling with her. I don’t know who is guarding Chloe, but what I know is that the Theron’s are cold and callous and will kill.
The blinking halts. Her car has stopped. I gulp. It’s now or never. If I don’t do something, Chloe will disappear. Forever.
Chapter Six
Chloe
Maggie apologised and cried and apologised and cried until I could hear no more of her snivelling voice anymore.
‘What are you doing here?’ I’d snapped at her. ‘This is family business and the closest you get to family is exchanging bodily fluids with my degenerate brother.’
She hung her head and wept but I didn’t give a shit. She sold me up the river and I couldn’t care less if she never stopped crying. I couldn’t care about any of them. So, when they said they were sending me to stay with distant relatives for a few weeks until they could be sure I wasn’t carrying a bastard child, I didn’t care. In my mind, I figured it would be easier to run from there than it would from here.
I figured they could hide me away as much as they liked but they would never, ever break me, or my love for Felix. And I know Felix will search for me until the end of time.
They’d confiscated my phone. Or rather, what they thought was my phone. Thankfully, I’d never divulged my second device to Maggie. The one with a tracker on it. The one sitting in my pocket right at that very minute. They’d given me five minutes to pack a small travel bag, and I’d briefly checked Felix’s location. I’d cried in delight when I saw that he was still outside the palace but Theo appeared, not giving me enough time to send an SOS message. I’d thrust the phone deep in my pocket and hoped Felix was watching my every movement.
Now I’m concealed in the back of one of our high security Rolls Royce’s. We’re speeding down the country lane leading to the small airfield we use when we want to slip in or out of the country without scrutiny. My fingers are twitching, desperate to check Felix’s whereabouts but Theo’s eyes are burning into me the entire journey, preventing me from even stealing a glance.
‘Why is it one rule for you and another for me, huh?’ I ask him. ‘The thing is I’m in love with Felix. You’re just using Maggie and she’s too stupid to see it.’
Theo laughs, it’s a callous sound and curdles the contents of my stomach.
‘Oh, Chloe, you really are an immature little brat. The difference is that Maggie is one of us. Your fuck buddy is nothing more than a savage from a primitive family. I just hope for your sake you haven’t bred with him because the last thing our family needs is a mongrel amongst our ranks.’
Savage. Primitive. Mongrel. Every one of my brother’s words pricks at my heart. Theo’s a fool. They’re all fools. The Henley family is nothing like that. If anything, the way my family has bundled me away into the night to face a future of uncertainty and exclusion shows perfectly that it is us who are the inferior family. Not the Henleys. Maybe it is better for them I am expelled forever.
I turn to the darkness outside. I refuse to let him, or any of them, see my tears. I will survive this. And, in my heart of hearts, I know that I shall emerge victorious. Somehow. Someday.
Felix
I get out of my car and walk the last few hundred yards to where the car carrying Chloe, and lord only knows who else, has parked.
My breath steams in the night air as I strain my ears to hear what’s being said. The driver is the first to exit the Rolls, followed closely by a security guard. They’re both armed to the max. The driver walk
s to the rear door and opens it while scanning the area and speaking into a mouthpiece which tells me there is probably more security around that I can’t see. Fuck. I hope to god they can’t see me!
Theo uncurls from the car first. Laying eyes on him for the first time since Drake and Vanessa’s wedding unleashes my uncivilised side. I want to rip the smug fucker’s balls off and feed them to the wildlife while he watches. And I swear that if he, or any of them, have so much as laid a finger on my Chloe I will not hesitate to go barbaric on them.
Then Chloe uncurls from the back of the car and I take a short, sharp intake of breath. From where I’m crouched in the shadows she looks ok, at least on the outside. I expect on the inside she’s a trembling wreck. She turns and scans the darkness. Could she be looking for me? Does she know that I’m here? Is she eagerly waiting for me to jump from the darkness and rescue her?
The sound of an airplane engine firing up convinces the small part of me debating if this is a good idea that yes, making my presence known is the only thing I can do.
Intoxicated Prince Page 3
