PRINCE CHARMING: A Secret Baby Stepbrother Romance

by Mia Carson

  Quincy could see it, the Pentacrafts taking over everything. The Isle would be broke in a year, tops. They didn’t know anything about the people on the isle, the common people who had nothing to do with the court. They were solely focused on their crawl up the social ladder and finding any way to stay where they were. Gigi was so pushy to become his betrothed because of this, and she’d already laid claim to him. She felt it was her birthright to marry the next line in for the crown.

  But he still wasn’t sure if he could do the arranged marriage thing, especially after he realized that something strange was happening with the woman sleeping next door to him.

  “Quin? Can you help me with this?”

  He nodded and helped his dad finish putting his pins on his overcoat. The pair stared into the mirror, each looking at his own reflection and that of the man standing next to him. They were close to identical, except one was older with grey in his hair. Deep down, Quincy did want to be like his father, no matter how much he fought against him. His worry was he wouldn’t be good enough to take over and be the king his father hoped he’d become.

  They turned as one and walked out the door. Melinda waited for him, and behind her was Olivia. Her hands were clasped in front of her, but Quincy couldn’t see her until the king and his future wife stepped aside.

  He wished they hadn’t moved. The sight of Olivia brought the kiss roaring into the forefront of his mind, and he felt the sand beneath them again as her lips pressed against his. From the sudden color in her cheeks, her thoughts had turned in the same direction, but she glared at him as he stepped near and offered her his arm. Olivia’s hands were firmly clasped in front of her until Lamont and Melinda turned the corner and they were left alone in the corridor with a few servants and guards.

  “Good evening,” he said and bowed to her. “May I escort you to the ball, Princess Olivia?”

  “I suppose you may,” she said and held out her hand for his arm.

  Quincy took it and tucked it in the crook of his elbow. Neither one had much of a choice. If they acted strangely around each other, the servants would talk. “You look beautiful in that gown.”

  She stiffened beside him. “Thank you. A gift from my mom.”

  “She has exquisite taste, just like you.”

  “You don’t have to make small talk with me,” she told him in an undertone. “You can simply walk me down and go find someone to dance with all evening. You must find a wife soon, anyway. No time like the present.”

  “Now you sound like my father.”

  “Good,” she said, managing to keep a smile on her face as her words turned hard. “Maybe you need another kick in the ass to get a move on and stop with your antics.”

  He tripped over his feet and nearly took them both down before righting himself. “What antics? I have no antics.”

  “Don’t lie. You probably have a different woman every night, and that’s the only reason you can’t decide on a wife. Too many choices, and you don’t want to lose your options.”

  The doors to the ballroom were close, and he watched Lamont and Melinda enter to the fanfare of trumpets before they were officially announced. Quincy and Olivia were next, and they needed to look like they were getting along as they entered the ballroom. This was for the members of court, but also for the rest of the isle. The place would be packed, so there would at least be plenty of people to hide behind for the rest of the evening.

  “If you know so much about my antics, why did you agree to go with me?”

  Olivia didn’t answer. They stepped to the doorway, and their names were announced, followed by polite applause once they entered.

  “I would like my lovely Melinda to join me for the first dance,” Lamont announced, “along with my son and my soon-to-be daughter.”

  More applause sounded at his words, and Quincy led Olivia to the dance floor. They stood close to one another beside his father and Melinda and waited for the music to start. Olivia shifted on her feet, and her hand was loose in his. Quincy gripped it tightly so it wouldn’t fall out, and when the music started, his other hand touched her waist. They swirled around the dance floor in a graceful circle as everyone watched.

  “A smile would do wonders for your face,” he said.

  “How dare you,” she snapped, but pasted a smile on her face. “I have no reason to smile while I’m dancing with you. And move your damn hand up.”

  “No,” he said as he twirled her so the gown moved in a hypnotizing swish of violet and blue before he pulled her back in close… very close. “You liked it the other day, so why not now?”

  “That was before I realized what you were up to.”

  “And what am I up to?”

  “You are trying to seduce me so you can ruin my chances here at court and start a damn scandal so you can get out of your own wedding,” she hissed and tried to pull back, but Quincy kept her close.

  His eyes narrowed at her words, and he moved his hand lower, almost to her hip. “Is that what you think? How would I ruin you by sleeping with you unless… unless… oh,” he said slowly and smirked, remembering how horrified she’d looked when he’d found that black lingerie. “You, my Princess Olivia, are a virgin.”

  “Keep your voice down,” she whispered harshly, her eyes scanning those around them.

  “Afraid Edric might hear us? Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll still have a chance with him. After what I experienced, you two should have a grand old time together in the sack.”

  Olivia froze on the dance floor, but thankfully, the music had stopped as well so no one noticed. Her eyes were wet in the bright lights of the ballroom, and she stepped away from him. She curtsied as he bowed, but before he could say anything else, she excused herself and left the room, holding her dress up as she did. Melinda looked at Quincy, and he waved off her worried look.

  “Said she just needed to use the restroom,” he whispered. “Forgot to do it before she came down.”

  “That girl,” Melinda said with a sigh. “Always doing things like that.”

  Quincy nodded and watched for any sign of Olivia, but she had disappeared. A delicate hand wrapped around his bicep and pulled him around. His heart lightened a bit when he thought it was Olivia, but he frowned when he turned to find Gigi. “Ah, Gigi, how are you this evening?”

  She curtsied and batted her eyelashes at him. “I am very well, my Prince. I was hoping for a dance. Would you be so kind?”

  With his dad standing so close, Quincy really had no choice and nodded. One dance with Gigi, that was all he had to do, and then he could go find Olivia and try to understand what the hell was going on.

  Chapter 9

  Olivia ran as fast as she could through the palace, thankful for the flats Allete had given her so she didn’t trip and break an ankle. She had to get out of there. Being around him and around so many people she didn’t know was completely overwhelming. Her cheeks burned from his words and how he reacted to her being a virgin, as if it was a bad thing that she had held onto it for so long.

  She slid to a stop in front of the statue he’d shown her a few days ago and pulled the arm. The passage opened, and Olivia ran into it. The sound of the waves crashing soothed her, and when she came out the other end, she tripped and fell into the sand.

  “Stupid dress,” she snapped and scrambled to get back to her feet. It ripped down the side and she cursed, holding the tear as tears filled her eyes.

  It was all Quincy’s fault, always his fault. Since she’d arrived on this damn island, she had been dealing with him and his issues. All she wanted was to go home to Nebraska and forget about all of this. She wanted her jeans and her boots, her flannel shirts and quiet evenings painting as she overlooked the fields that surrounded their home.

  She took her shoes off before she ruined them and pulled out Quincy’s bin to keep them somewhere safe. Her skirt was ripped anyway, so Olivia made her way to the stones that stood out of the water and climbed up on them. She held her skirts high so she could see
her feet and the water that splashed onto her legs. The water was cool despite the warm, humid air around her, and it felt good to be out there with only the waves to keep her company. Maybe she could disappear here for the rest of the night. So much for her first ball appearance—her mom would kill her, but she’d come up with some excuse.

  The moon was high in the night sky, and she sat down on the stones, dangling her feet in the water, thinking about her life. She had no idea how much time had passed and didn’t care. This was where she wanted to be, and as a future princess, didn’t think anyone could tell her otherwise.

  “If you stay out here long enough, you might turn into a pumpkin.”

  Olivia jumped but didn’t turn at the sound of Quincy’s voice. “Why should you care?”

  “Because I’d prefer not to have you be a pumpkin. Not as pretty that way.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. He was standing there in his white shirt and tuxedo pants but no jacket or vest. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and damned if he didn’t look gorgeous in the moonlight.

  “Sorry I commandeered your place,” she mumbled and turned back to stare out over the water. “I needed to hide for a while.”

  “I don’t mind. You can come here any time you like. You’re the only one I’ve ever shared this with.”

  “You don’t have to lie to me, Quincy.”

  He cursed, and she turned again to find him kicking off his shoes and socks as he made his way to the rocks she sat on. “I’m not, damn it, and I don’t know why you keep saying that.”

  “Why else would you kiss me like that?”

  “Maybe because we have a mutual attraction to each other—and don’t even think about lying,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “I know you feel it, too, ever since you stepped foot in my kingdom. We can try and hide it all we want, but it’s there.”

  Olivia’s shoulders sagged. She didn’t want to lie to him about how she felt, but it was still wrong, wasn’t it? “So what?” she said. “I’m not going to let you use me to get out of your predicament.”

  “I don’t want to use you.” He licked his lips and shrugged. “I want you, Olivia.”

  She stood, knowing she needed to put this to rest for good and force them both to get over it, but the rocks were slick from the water and she lost her footing. Her arms windmilled through the air as she yelled and tumbled into the water. It wasn’t deep, but the weight of the dress yanked her down.

  “Olivia!” Quincy was there a second later, hoisting her up by her waist, and helped her back to the beach. “Are you alright? Did you hit your head?”

  She wiped a hand over her face and shoved her messy hair out of the way to sputter, “No, I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Fine. This dress is just ungodly heavy now, and I can’t walk.” She stared at the beautiful hand-made gown and suddenly everything was funny. The ruined gown and her hair, even her infatuation with Quincy. It was funny, and she laughed until her sides hurt. Quincy stared at her with narrowed eyes. “What? Don’t you ever just laugh at the world?”

  “I do, but usually in better circumstances. Olivia, I don’t know what to tell you to make you believe me, but—”

  “Kiss me.”

  His mouth fell open and he licked his lips. “What?”

  “I said, kiss me. You want to and I want you to, so to hell with it. We can kiss and get it out of our systems, right?”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said, but Olivia quickly lost patience.

  She cupped her hands around his cheeks and stood on her toes in the sand to kiss him. His lips moved against hers, and his arms followed, wrapping around her waist and pulling her against him. Olivia’s hands moved from his face to his neck, and she pressed herself against him, driving them farther up the beach. He pulled the rest of her hair down from the pins and ran his hands through it, massaging her scalp as her hand sought his shirt.

  “What are we doing?” he whispered against her lips.

  “I don’t know. Do you want to stop?” She stared into his eyes, but the look in them said he wouldn’t walk away unless she told him to.

  “Blanket, we need a blanket,” he muttered. He hurried to the bin she’d already pulled out of the sand. He glanced at her ballet flats with a smile, pulled the blanket out, and spread it over the sand.

  Olivia had never allowed a man to go far with her, so she wasn’t sure what should happen next. Her dress weighed her down, and she was tired of feeling heavy. She reached a hand back, found the zipper, and pulled it down. As the humid air brushed against her bare back, her nerves flared up, but she saw Quincy working to get the blanket perfect and they calmed down. No matter what happened that night, she was safe with him. It might be the worst scandal in the history of the kingdom, but only if someone found out, and neither of them would say anything.

  The weight of the wet fabric pulled the dress the rest of the way down to her hips, and she helped it off, stepping out of it and kicking it aside. The air felt good on her wet skin, sending goosebumps up and down her stomach and shoulders. Her fingers ran up her bare skin, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling as they found her breasts.

  Quincy cursed, and she opened her eyes. Her lips curled into a slow, seductive smile, and she watched his mouth work, trying to form words as his eyes moved from her head down to her toes buried in the sand.

  “Problem?” she asked as her hands moved down to her hips and back up again. She tried to channel Helen while she stood there half-naked before Quincy, and she’d waited long enough for this moment. It was time for her to see what it was like to really live and explore what the world had to offer. Quincy was just the man to help her do it.

  He didn’t answer her question, only stepped closer and reached for her hand. “You are a stunning woman,” he whispered. “How are you still single?”

  “That’s what you want to say right now, really?”

  “No,” he smirked. “No, what I want to say is that I want you more than anything at this moment.” He pulled her closer to the blanket and turned her to face away from him while his hands brushed down her shoulders and around to her front. “I want all of you right now, right here.”

  Olivia gasped when his hands suddenly closed around both breasts, and her head fell back against his chest while his hands massaged and his fingers tugged on her nipples. Sharp sensations of pleasure shot down between her legs, and she squirmed against him, grinding her hips against his. Quincy grunted, and his lips and tongue found her neck, kissing and licking a trail to her earlobe. His teeth grazed it, and Olivia’s knees went weak.

  His arms held her up. One hand slipped lower across her flat stomach, pulling her back against him as his fingers found the edge of her panties—a black lace thong. Quincy’s erection pressed against her, and she felt her clit throb with a sudden need she’d never known.

  “Quincy.” She breathed his name, and he smiled against her shoulder. “I want you.”

  “In time, but we can’t rush it, not your first time,” he whispered into her ear. “I want it to be slow and languid.” His hand moved around to cup her ass and moved back to the front to run down between her legs. “I want you to feel every bit of pleasure I can give you so you’re wet and dripping when I take you. So you forget about any other man who has ever touched you before.”

  Though she couldn’t form the words, she wanted him to know that was not going to be a problem. Her clit ached with need, and her nipples hardened even more. She thought he was going to kiss her, but his lips moved to her breast instead, licking the swell and circling her nipple. He sucked and teased as his hand pulled her panties down her hips a little at a time. Olivia’s vision blurred as her hands dug through his hair, pushing his head as close as it could get to her. The pleasure was too much! And they were only getting started.

  She groaned as the longing between her legs grew, and all she wanted was his touch there to soothe it. He moved down the length of h
er naked body, kissing the outline of her ribs then lower until he nibbled at her hip. Olivia gasped when his hand moved between her legs, gliding across her inner thigh and spreading her legs apart enough so his hand could reach her warmth.

  “Do you want me?” he asked, his fingers teasing her swollen lips.

  Olivia moaned in answer as her hands tangled in his hair. One of his fingers moved higher and gently pushed inside. She sucked in a breath at the new sensation but didn’t get to experience it long before he moved his head forward and his tongue darted out, licking her clit. She thought about backing away—it was weird for him to be there—but then he started to suck and she lost all thoughts of doing anything. If his arm hadn’t been holding her up, she would’ve tumbled to the sand as shooting spirals of intense pleasure passed through her body, building with each pull of his mouth.

  Quincy chuckled against her, and it reverberated up through her. He slid another finger inside, turning and twisting, stretching her as her inner muscles clenched tightly.

  “Quincy,” she whispered his name. “I can’t… I can’t take much more… Oh my God.”

  “That’s the point,” he muttered against her with a smile. She looked into his eyes as he slid another finger inside of her. A cry escaped her lips as they moved in and out, faster and faster, while his lips returned to her clit.

  Barely five seconds later, she cried out to the waves. Her knees were jelly, and the only thing holding her up was Quincy’s arm as she embraced the insane tremors of pleasure rushing through her. As she gasped for breath, every nerve on fire between her legs, Quincy scooped her up in his arms and laid her on the blanket.

  “That was incredible,” she whispered as she stretched her arms and legs out, more relaxed than she’d been in months.

  “It’s not even the best part yet.”

  “Oh no?” She rolled over on top of him, flattening him to the blanket. “What part might that be?” She worked at the buttons on his shirt and leaned down to kiss him. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and as their lips moved in a slow, hypnotic dance, Olivia’s fingers almost forgot what they were doing.