A Dangerous and Cruel Love (Dark Mafia Romance Duet, #2)

by Tee, Marian

  When it was over, she had simply no energy left to do anything, and the prince had his way with everything. He dressed her in a new set of pajamas, chuckling when he saw that it had a My Little Pony design.

  “Shut up,” she mumbled. “I hate you, it’s a nice design, stop being judgmental.” Unfortunately, her half-weary, half-dazed tone effectively took the sting out of her words, turning the reprimand into a dreamy murmur. The prince chuckled yet again as he scooped her up in his arms, and she sighed as the rich, dark sound caused a sensual shiver to lightly skitter down her spine.

  It was clearly a waste of time, trying to get mad at the prince when she was this tired...and content.

  After laying her down on the bed, the prince straightened and gave himself a few moments to simply enjoy the sight of his virgin, looking completely exhausted because of the pleasure he gave her.

  Sensing his gaze on her, she managed to open one eye and promptly closed it again when she saw the arrogant look of satisfaction on the prince’s too-handsome face.

  The prince laughed, knowing exactly why she was pretending to sleep. “I need to go to the study for a bit, parthena mou.”

  “Will you be alright?”

  “I’m not a baby.” But with Fawn mumbling her words, the prince thought in amusement that she actually did sound like a baby at that moment.

  An indeterminate amount of time had passed when an insistent buzzing sound drew Fawn out of her sleep. Forcing her eyes open, she fumbled groggily for her phone when she realized someone was calling her. Just as she hit the button to answer the call, she heard the door open—-

  It was the prince, and the frown marring his forehead had her sitting up, concern making her wide-awake. “P-prince?”

  “I need to go to the hospital,” the prince said abruptly as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Keanne was almost kidnapped earlier.”

  “Keanne, Jason’s fiancée?” At the prince’s nod, she shook her head, asking worriedly, “Is she okay?”

  “Just bruises and a couple of minor injuries, but Jason’s understandably insisting for her to stay in the hospital overnight.”

  When his forbidding expression didn’t ease, she hesitated a moment before touching his arm, saying uncertainly, “Jason Christakos is strong, prince. He won’t let something like this—-” She stopped when the prince shook his head at her.

  “While I do wish Keanne hadn’t suffered, it is as you said, and I know Christakos will not let something like it happen again.”

  “I see.” She gazed at him, bemused. “Then...you’re displeased over something else?”

  The prince frowned. “Don’t you see what this means, parthena mou?”

  “Not really?”

  His frown deepened, and the prince said seriously, “It means I won’t be able to fuck you tonight.”

  Oh.

  Right.

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Prince!” But the truth was, that particular scenario hadn’t even occurred to her. And now that it had—-

  When the prince looked at her knowingly, Fawn hastily rearranged her face into a scowl before any other expression came out.

  Don’t you dare let him think you’re disappointed, Fawn Cornwall.

  Don’t you dare or you’ll never hear the end of it.

  “Tomorrow night,” the prince promised solemnly, “I definitely won’t allow for any other distractions. I’ll be all yours, and—-” A smile brimming with sensual promise slashed over the prince’s lips as he placed his hand on his chest in a gesture of sincerity. “You can do whatever you want with my body—-”

  All sorts of sexual ideas flooded her mind, and her face became suffused with color. “Oh my God.” How could he say such things with such shamelessness? “I would never, like never—-”

  But then the import of the prince’s words managed to really sink in—-

  The prince’s body...

  Hers to do with as she pleased...

  Fawn gulped.

  Did that mean she could ask him to pleasure himself in front of her—-

  Fawn turned redder as she realized what she was thinking.

  Stop being so lewd, Fawn!

  “I see you’ve thought of something,” the prince drawled.

  Fawn gave the prince her fiercest scowl. “I d-don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oh God, didn’t she sound too defensive? She cleared her throat. “Like, never.” Oh God, she still sounded defensive. “N-no idea at all—-” She saw the prince’s lips curve in a smirk.

  Riiiight.

  He totally knew she had thought of something.

  The prince started tracing her lips with his thumb, and Fawn tried but failed to stop her body from trembling.

  “Tomorrow,” the prince murmured huskily. “No matter what happens, I will take your virginity—-”

  Goose bumps popped all over her body as her imagination again went into overdrive.

  “And you’ll finally be mine.” The prince’s burning emerald green gaze captured hers as he spoke, and every part of her that could melt did melt at the look of dark possessiveness in his eyes.

  “Uuuuuuumm.” Cringing at her incoherence, Fawn managed to lift her chin and say very eloquently—-

  “Whatever.”

  The prince grinned. “There’s no need to hide the truth, parthena mou.”

  “I’m n-not hiding anything.” His thumb left her mouth, and she steeled herself, pretending that the loss of his touch didn’t make her heart ache.

  “If you’re not...” The prince looked at her with hooded lids. “Then why don’t you show me how disappointed you feel that I can’t sink my cock inside of you tonight—-”

  Aaaaaah.

  Fawn let out a gasp of outrage, but really it was just to hide the fact that she wanted to die of embarrassment. “How dare you?” And really, how dare he? How dare he see through her?

  The prince leaned away and cocked his head to the side, asking in a politely curious tone, “How dare I what? Say the truth?” His voice turned into a mocking purr filled with sexual innuendo. “Which is that you really don’t want me to leave—-”

  “Oh! My! God! You!” She shook her head vehemently even as the flush in her cheeks spread to the rest of her body. “I wasn’t thinking of any such thing.” Her huffy tone made her wince inside, but even so she still ended up digging herself a deeper grave, muttering, “If your friends need you, then of course I w-won’t stop you from going to them.”

  “Ah. Then you’re saying if it weren’t for Keanne, you wouldn’t have let me leave?”

  Aaaargh.

  “Stop twisting my words—-”

  “Only if you stop hiding the truth, my beautiful liar.”

  “I’m not lying. If you want to go—-” She raised her chin. “Then go!” But the moment the words slipped past her lips, Fawn wanted to take them back. Oh my God, what was she saying?

  The prince sighed. “And the lies continue.” The knowing look he gave her somehow made the prince a hundred times more gorgeous and annoying at the same time. “We both know you’ll miss me the moment I’m gone.”

  “That’s stupid.” Actually, it was not.

  “If you don’t tell me the truth,” the prince warned lightly, “then I’ll be forced to prove you wrong and not come back tomorrow at all.”

  “W-whatever.” She tossed her hair at him, making a deliberate show of snubbing the prince.

  Silence.

  Her irritation started to fade, and fear started to creep in.

  Would he really not come back tomorrow just to prove his point?

  Her eyes stung at the thought, and she glared hard at the blank wall in front of her.

  Don’t you dare cry—-

  The prince’s fingers suddenly cupped her chin, forcing her to turn to him. When she refused to still look at him, the prince gently knocked his forehead with hers, saying softly, “How stubborn you are.” When he spoke again, his smile was evident in his tone as he murmured, “And how you lo
ve to pretend to be uncompromisingly tough—-”

  “I’m not pretending,” she said very fiercely. It had to be that way because it was the only thing that could keep the tears from falling.

  The prince started to move—-

  She stiffened.

  And then he was suddenly bending his head down, peering at her face, and as she reared back in surprise, the naked expression on her face exposed, the prince murmured slyly, “It’s too bad those tears glistening in your eyes tell a different story.”

  Oh!

  Feeling humiliated, Fawn tried to scramble away, but the prince only chuckled and pulled her to him. She started to struggle, but it was no use, with his arms closing around her in a steely embrace.

  “Mi dispiace.” The prince cupped her face. “Syngnomi.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry.” A tear escaped her eye, and he gently wiped it away, murmuring with a little sigh, “You cry too much.”

  Lips trembling at the effort to prove him wrong, she mumbled, “I d-do n-not.”

  “Yes you do—-” He pulled her close again, and placing his head atop hers, he murmured, “and it’s too cute.”

  Oh.

  The prince thought she was...cute.

  From feeling like she wanted to bawl like a kid one moment, it was all she could do not to jump for joy the next.

  The prince thought she was cute!

  She scowled hard against the crook of his neck, the only way not to grin just as hard. But then the prince’s arms tightened around hers, and it was impossible to keep resisting, and her arms slowly wound around his neck—-

  Heaven.

  The prince murmured against her hair, “If things weren’t too dangerous now, I’d never leave you. You know that, don’t you?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know that.”

  The prince chuckled over her head. “You’re actually acting spoiled.”

  The prince gave her an almost painful squeeze as he spoke, and she let out a surprised yelp.

  “It’s your fault,” the prince said without pity. “You were being too cute.”

  Oh!

  The prince pulled away, and when their eyes met, he said quietly, “If it’s any comfort...” His beautiful lips twisted. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this to you—-”

  Her eyes went wide, and then she couldn’t stop herself, saying eagerly, “Tell me.”

  He winced. “And now I’m wishing I hadn’t said anything at all.”

  “Tell me, tell me, tell me—-” The prince stopped the rush of words with a finger on her lips.

  But then her puppy brown eyes flew to his, and it was almost like he could hear the same words coming from her.

  Tell me, tell me, tell me.

  Ah.

  She won, he lost, and taking his finger off her mouth, the prince said with a sigh, “I’ll probably miss you a thousand times more, parthena mou. When you’re not with me,” the prince muttered, “I’m thinking of you, and when you’re with me, I still end up thinking of you—-” He broke off.

  Fawn gazed at him searchingly—-

  And then she saw it.

  Fawn gasped. “Are you blushing?”

  The prince glared at her. “No.” But fuck it, he knew he was.

  Fawn was still staring at him.

  The prince wanted to strangle her.

  Fawn opened her mouth.

  The prince said coldly, “Don’t even think of it—-”

  “If you’re not blushing—-”

  “Do you want to die?”

  “—-then why are your cheeks red?”

  FUCK.

  Fawn rubbed her eyes once, twice, thrice, but oh! It was really happening.

  A darker shade of red was staining the prince’s high-boned cheeks, and she blurted out, “You’re so cute, too—-”

  The prince suddenly pinched her cheeks hard. “Shut up.”

  “Woway.” That meant okay, and she really was okay with shutting up, but oh, what she couldn’t do was stop herself from grinning.

  The prince would miss her a thousand times more!

  The prince thought of her when he wasn’t with her!

  The prince—-

  Made her happy.

  Her entire body sagged at the realization.

  The prince made her happy.

  She stared at him with eyes made blank by all the memories rushing to her mind.

  “Fawn, answer me. Are you alright?”

  “I a-am.” And she was, even if all her eyes could see was the prince in the past.

  She remembered the days she had used to desperately hide from him while working, and the day that he had caught her in the hallway outside his study—-

  “That’s quite a frown you’ve there.”

  She remembered the way she had tried so hard to smile—-

  “You look like a clown.”

  And when she had tried harder—-

  “A psychopath now, but it will do.”

  She remembered the day she had spewed water all over the prince’s shirt.

  “You know I didn’t mean it. It’s j-just that I didn’t expect you to be here. I mean, everyone said you’d be away for another week—-”

  Any other employer would have her fired on the spot, but instead the prince had actually apologized, albeit sarcastically.

  “I apologize if I failed to inform you in advance about the change in my schedule.”

  He was the Prince of Darkness, a man whom everyone thought was colder and crueler than most people, and yet all she could remember from him was kindness.

  She looked at the prince.

  And she remembered the day when she found out about Grant cheating on her—-

  She remembered the prince using the darkness to protect her, covering her eyes as he asked—-

  What do you want to do?

  And it was such a simple question, but even then she had known.

  The prince would have done anything she would ask of him.

  Anything.

  Because he was that kind of man.

  The kind that could make her smile, laugh—-

  The kind that could make her happy—-

  The kind that could make the bitterness disappear, the sadness fade—-

  And just like that, she knew.

  She wanted to make him happy, too.

  Because she loved him.

  ****

  The prince’s gaze narrowed when Fawn suddenly looked at him with determined, calculating eyes, almost the way a predator eyed its prey. It was a ludicrous idea, considering how he was much more powerful than her, but even so, the slightest frisson of unease ran down the prince’s spine.

  When Fawn started leaning towards him, he almost leaned back to avoid her—-

  Dammit, this was ridiculous.

  He glared at her, warning darkly, “Whatever it is you’re thinking—-”

  To his even greater surprise and unease, Fawn cut him off, asking in a suspiciously high-pitched voice, “A-are you in a h-hurry to leave?”

  Fuck. His unease deepened, and the prince asked warily, “Why do you ask?”

  “B-because I’d l-like to kiss you goodbye.”

  The prince stilled, but even as his body went taut in an instant, he didn’t allow himself to relax completely, thinking that he was missing something.

  In front of him, Fawn wetted her lips, her pink tongue darting out—-

  Fuck.

  Arousal, raw, deep and excruciatingly hot, forced his cock to stretch into longer and harder proportions, and the prince sucked in his breath.

  Fawn’s heart started to beat harder and harder at the near-feral look of lust in the prince’s gaze. “P-prince?”

  Their gazes collided, and oh, the way he was staring at her now—-

  She almost threw herself at him but caught herself in time, the few functioning brain cells she had warning her against being selfish. If Jason Christakos had a grave need for the prince, then she had no choice but to
wait for another time to do what she wanted.

  But if not—-

  She raised her gaze to him, her tone unconsciously pleading as she asked, “P-please tell me you’re not in a hurry?”

  The prince rasped out, “No.”

  Oooooh.

  “I don’t have to leave right away.”

  The moment the words left the prince’s lips, Fawn didn’t let herself think.

  She simply pushed the prince down, his back bouncing against the bed, and even as his raised eyebrows made her turn red, she still rose on her knees and reached for his belt buckle, saying determinedly, “It’s my turn t-to please you. I’m g-going to kiss you goodbye t-there.”

  The prince stilled in surprise, unable to believe that he had heard Fawn actually utter such a promise. But then she started to wrestle with his belt, her cheeks turning redder by the second, and he found himself fighting back a smile.

  His beautiful liar was really quite unpredictable, he mused, and it was sexy as hell, the way she kept surprising him. When her clumsy fingers moved on to the zip of his pants, the prince drawled, “Do you need help?”

  “No.” She glared at him even as she continued to blush and struggle with lowering his zip without actually touching his erection. “I can do this.”

  The prince raised himself on his elbows, asking in genuine puzzlement, “What exactly are you having difficulties with?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Fawn?”

  Grimacing, she admitted reluctantly, “I just don’t want to accidentally touch your...” She paused.

  The frustration in her brown eyes was all the clue he needed, and he said slowly, “Are you talking about my...err...conana?”

  “Stop calling it that!”

  His eyes widened. He was actually right? So that meant...she really was trying to lower his fly without touching his cock? For one moment, the prince could only stare at her, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to figure that out even in a hundred years.

  “It’s not that weird,” she mumbled defensively.

  “It is,” he said bluntly.

  “It’s not,” she insisted. “It just d-doesn’t feel right, like it’s cheating. I think I should only touch...it...when—-stop laughing!”

  But the prince couldn’t stop. Dio. Fawn was simply out of this world, the prince thought, and he would never want her any other way.