The Princesses (Princess Series Book 5)

by Alexa Riley

  “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

  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 w
ith 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

  “Your 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

  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.”