Romance: The Campus Player: A College Romance

by Caroline Lake

  That was fine, “I am certain that I cannot wait to hear those tales…” She had begun to walk off towards the courtyard as she said so, to waste the day.

  By the time people had begun arriving for the celebration the sun was setting and she was chatting with the wife of some Lord or other. She really couldn’t have cared less who it was, at least she was somewhat entertaining. She had to have been somewhat important to be sitting up at her table.

  A group of masked jesters had taken the center of the room, were performing all sorts of tricks to amuse their gathered mass. Contortionists that made her own body ache and jugglers that handled several torches at once. When the King walked in, her gaze skipped towards him. He was looking so very happy and delighted with himself, she could only imagine what sort of a shock it would come as when he found himself dying.

  She wondered where Xavier was, what he planned to do. How he was going to kill Harold. Perhaps it would be poison. Perhaps a dagger like he’d used the night before. It fascinated her, how he could orchestrate an assassination in the midst of such company. Perhaps if she saw him again, she could ask him how he had decided on what to do.

  It seemed as though the moment he sat down, the entertainers swarmed their table. Bowing and twirling and doing all sorts of things. One of them stepped forwards, tipping his hat. His mask was that of a rabbit, its ears perked as though waiting for something to happen. He introduced them as A Company of Strange Men, a rather dull name in her opinion… but perhaps there was some sort of story behind it. She rested her chin on her palm as she watched the performers and nudged at the food on her plate. The deer meat was uninteresting to her, but then she couldn’t really help her impatience.

  Harold seemed to find them amusing at the least. Their bright colors dancing before his eyes, smoke escaping from somewhere and muddying up the air to make their actions seem a little more mischievous. One of the masked figures caught her eye, something about the way he moved. She watched him juggle knives, their twinkling blades flicking up into the air and dropping perilously back to his hands. It had her eyes widening in a way that the fire juggler hadn’t been able to do.

  “Oh my, that cannot be safe… not at all…” The murmur escaped her, but before she could say much more, one of those twinkling blades flew from the mass of bodies that were dancing around each other and she heard a sickening thunk nearby. The masked man that had caught her eye nowhere in sight.

  Could it have been Xavier?

  That would have been mighty clever of him…

  Her gaze turned and she looked on her husband with an expression of utter and complete horror. It wasn’t all faked either, she’d never seen a man die before and the blade had buried to the hilt in her husband’s chest. Rising from her seat, she moved over to where Harold was gasping for breath and bleeding out. Arms wrapping around his shoulders she leaned into him, sobbing something like ‘Harold no!’ for all the spectators she had.

  His eyes were wild, panicked, but there was only delight in her own eyes. She made sure he saw it, too, before she leaned in near his ear. “Die, you bastard… I am free.” Then she let the tears roll down her face as she felt fingers close around her arm and pull her away. “No, but I cannot. Harold. I must make sure he is okay? Will he be okay?” By the time her gaze reached the knight’s it was panicked and sad.

  “Your highness… we will do what we can… but you should return to your chambers at once. I will take you there and you will be safe. Do not fear, my Queen.”

  So noble of you sir knight, yes take me to my chambers so I may dance with joy…

  She found herself guided down darkened hallways, through doors until she had reached her own. The room was dark, it seemed foreign as though the events of the day had painted it unfamiliar despite the fact that she had lived in it for what felt like her entire life. “You may leave, sir knight… I shall be safe in my chambers…”

  The armor clad man gave little protest, it was clear he wanted to be down in the hall finding justice for his king’s death. If he only knew that the cause of death was standing right in front of him, protected by the sword he would wield against whoever had done it.

  The irony didn’t escape her.

  Closing the door, she turned to move deeper into the darkness of the room. Spinning a circle, her dress flared out around her like the petals of a flower. Her fingers lifted to her hair to pull the pins from it that kept it all bound up, letting the loose curls fall down around her shoulders. A smile tugged at her lips even as she found the laces of her dress and undid them, letting one layer after the other fall from her body as though she was shedding her old self.

  She didn’t see the body stretched so lazily across her bed until she had spun once more and made her way closer to it. The shadowed form of him startled her, made her jump and smother a yelped noise. The moonlight filtering in through her window was enough to make out his face after a moment, the look of pure enjoyment on it. “Xavier?”

  “Again, little bird, don’t stop on my account. You looked like you were enjoyin’ yourself.” His tone was gruff, gave her chills as it reminded her of the night before.

  “Perhaps,” She perched on the edge of the bed, the smile having returned to her face. “He bled so much… did you know a man could bleed so much? I feel so… so…”

  “Free?” He supplied for her, reaching to tug her closer to him, “and yes… I did know that men bleed a lot. Especially fat men. Fat, rich men bleed the most, in fact.”

  A giggle escaped her and she tumbled against his side, a hand splaying on his chest, “do they? Would you bleed as much as he did?”

  “Do I look like a fat, rich man? Besides, we don’t ask that question Emeline. D’rather not bleed at all.”

  “I like asking questions I should not ask,” She rolled atop him and caught up his hands to pin them down against the bed. “Perhaps I want to see how much you would bleed?”

  His eyes widened up at her, “You do, don’t you. Aye m’lady, you could if you wanted. Though, don’t suspect you will. I suspect you’ve far more entertaining things to do with me in light of the death of your husband.”

  “Well… I suppose it is true I can think of a one and a thousand more pleasing things that I could do with you.” She leaned down, her hair falling past her to create a curtain around them, and kissed him.

  His hands skimmed down to her ass, catching up flesh and fair holding her against himself. It was wild, but she loved it, her inhibitions had been lost somewhere along the hallways back to her room. She rested her weight back into his grasp enjoying the support of his hands even as her kisses trailed down from his jawline to his throat and lower. His fingers moved, sliding against her skin in a way that had her shivering, his touches driving her crazy, making her feel wanton and exposed with how they lingered possessively even with how distracted he was with what she was doing.

  “Five coins…”

  “What?”

  “You’d be worth five coins…”

  Her voice was amused, sultry with desire. Her head lifted, her back arching as her hands planted to either side of him and her fingers curled into the covers tightly. Her hair falling heavier on one side as she peered at him. He seemed taken aback for a moment and then there was that crooked sort of smile coming into evidence. She sat back on her knees and to her surprise he moved, muscle defining a little as he sat up, his hands running up her sides, fingers curling to play into the hollow of her spine as it arched and trace out the curve of it slowly. The tantalizing caress drew a pleased noise into her throat and then his face buried against her shoulder.

  The soft scruff of his face itched at her skin, had her arms moving around his shoulders even as he followed a trail of kisses up her collarbone lazily. The touch of his tongue got surprise to tickle at her senses heatedly. It burned at her, fair scalding at her skin in a way that made no logical sense, and was chased by the soft press of his lips. Arousal pooled low between her legs even as his head moved, his hair tickling agains
t her skin as he chased kisses up the arch of her throat. Each one unhurried, slow. It was sublime, it had her eyes fluttering closed as her head tipped back and her hair hung out behind her and tickled against her back enticingly.

  “Just five?” The rough sort of hoarseness of his voice tickled at her ears, had her shivering again just at hearing it.

  It had her pulse pounding enticingly as her breath hitched up and her teeth caught at her own lip to curtail a smile. Up his hands went, one skimming up over the nape of her neck into her hair and then her head was pulled back, her body arching backwards as he caught at her hair firmly and dragged her towards the mattress. Even as she curved backwards his lips skimmed over the swell of a breast and then a shocked noise keened out of her as they closed over a nipple. She arched into him more, her legs drawing close as she tried to sink her chest away from the intensity of the sensation.

  But he had caught her up and she felt his teeth graze and his tongue flick and her fingers twitched as her body flinched helplessly, winding tighter at the clarity of the pull of his mouth. Another cry escaped her, a quiet sort of rushed breath dragged in through her nose as he lavished her with attention. Her fingers buried up into his hair and curled tight against his shoulder as she pulled herself closer and clung to him tightly. He had barely started touching her and already she was so undone by it. Already she wanted more. She was so addicted to him, she had felt such giddy excitement at seeing him sprawled out in her bed like he had been. Suddenly she had a cohort in life, and he reveled in the dark parts of her that had never seen the light.

  He was so much more intelligent than any other man she’d ever encountered. In bed and in speech and in action. The rough feel of his hands on her body was wondrous, it had her skin alive under his touch, every breath she took caught up in wanting to get closer to him and encourage the way he held her, touched her. By the time his lips left the soft peak of her, every tug of his mouth was directly tied to the clench of her insides in a way that had her pushing the full weight of her chest towards him until his attention turned to the other breast. His teeth skimmed past her, pinched at her and drew another keening noise out of her as she shivered, caught between pulling away and encouraging him.

  When his hand brushed past her hip and his fingers teased over her stomach it sucked in slightly and then his hand was there, dipping between her legs and tight against her. His fingers rubbed into burning skin and then buried deep in the heat of her and she cried out as her body caught tight around him. He dragged his fingers through her until she was caught up around every shift, breath caught up with each blissful slide.

  Then they slid free of her and she whined, left wanting. Her eyes focusing on him after a moment with unbridled desire, she squirmed towards him. “Do not stop, you cannot.”

  “Is that so?” He grinned at her in that infuriating way he could and then dropped his head back down so his lips could catch at her skin again. The feel of his mouth and the teasing touch of his tongue drew her body into an arch as he moved downwards.

  “What are you… oh…” She didn’t even get to finish the sentence because suddenly his tongue was velvet between her legs, teasing heatedly against her in a way that had her breath catching up again. A gasp moved through her and her toes curled. It flicked against her again and she groaned, knees pulling up a bit even as she shuddered. Pleasure caught like fire in her abdomen, the tight feel of her muscles enough to make her whimper with every movement of his tongue. “Xavier!”

  He didn’t respond verbally, but then how could he talk when he was making her squirm with his mouth. As soon as his name jumped free of her she realized it would be better to keep quiet, who knew if those guarding her room or walking past outside the door would hear her. The need for silence only added to the intensity of what he was doing. It surpassed anything she’d ever felt before easily with each glancing brush of his tongue being too much to handle without moving. It didn’t take long for her body to fall apart from it, the quiver of muscle and the delicious clench of her body something that echoed out into every muscle.

  When his face peeked up from between her legs he licked his lips and grinned at her, “Only five coins?” He crawled back atop her, settling between her legs as he kissed her parted lips. Her entire body tensed as she felt him fill her up, a groan moving through her even as he thrusted and wound her body up all over again.

  Each movement had voice catching up in her gasped breaths, her head falling back against pillow as she clung to him and kissed him back. Their bodies meeting easily, colliding with soft impact and driving her to insanity until she felt her body release from it again.

  “Maybe… six coins?” She offered breathlessly as he lay atop her, sated himself. The chuckle that escaped him vibrated through her tingling body, which had her grinning broadly herself.

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  Hostage

  Chloe Martel

  Hostage

  Copyright 2016 by Chloe Martel

  First electronic publication: August 2016

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Hostage

  Chapter 1

  I couldn’t believe it; the day I was going to become Mrs. Escrow was only a few weeks away. Ever since Johnathan proposed to me it was like I was living in a dream. All my life, all I ever wanted was to be a wife. It was, after all, a custom in Sunhaven. Girls grew up to be women, and women became homemakers and wives; to rich men if they were lucky. I was one of those lucky ones. My father, George Conyers, was not only a wealthy man, but the governor of Sunhaven. So, no matter what, it was unlikely for me to marry in to a common house. I was blessed and very grateful for the life I was granted. That wasn’t to say that somewhere deep inside of me longed for adventure, but I considered myself lucky. My family had started out as one of the greatest merchant families in Sunhaven. My father worked hard and built himself a legacy, eventually creating the first trade agreement between Sunhaven and the rest of the civilized world. After a few years of raising more money for Sunhaven than anyone ever born there, he was elected as governor and ever since has held that position. I must admit, life was much more exciting when he was the owner of his own trading vessel. My mother and I were lucky enough to travel with him to certain locations, but I was very young and don’t remember much of the places we visited. Fortunately, finding the love of my life and planning my wedding had seemed to settle that craving for adventure; at least for the time being. Johnathan was everything I could have asked for in a husband. He was sweet and kind. When he looked at me, I could feel his love. He was the prominent owner of his own set of trading vessels, which he promised to take me on as soon as we were wedded. He spoke much of the world and the culture of places I only learned about in school. Places my father had never been brave enough to travel to. Hearing his stories made me even more excited for the day we would be married and he would sweep me off to faraway lands. Just thinking about it now was making my heart beat faster. The two of us hadn’t made love yet,
as it was unaccustomed for a young lady to lose her virginity out of wedlock. A few girls I knew, including my best friend Connie, had had sex with many men. She told me stories and while I admit that those stories made my curiosity grow even stronger, Jonathan and I had pledged ourselves to each other and for him I would willingly wait.

  “Will that be all, Madame Conyers?”

  I had been so lost in thought I forgot that I was ordering flower arrangements for my wedding. The florist smiled at me as I started slightly.

  “Forgive me.” I said politely.

  “Oh, of course!” The young lady replied. “I understand. I see hundreds of ladies come through here with the same look in their eyes. None as well-known as yourself, of course.”

  I smiled lightly at her. I was used to receiving kind words from the people of Sunhaven. Even if not all of them were honest about what they said. I removed the money from my side purse and handed it to the woman. She took it and glanced at the bill for a moment.

  “Is everything alright?” I wondered.

  The florist looked at the money for one more moment and handed it back to me. I looked at her for a moment, confused as to what the issue was.

  “Everything is wonderful.” She replied. “I wish to do something nice for you, Madame. Your father has been very kind to the citizens of Sunhaven. My family has had the ability to make quite a living because of your family. The least I can do is return the favor in the only way I am able… your flowers for your wedding are free.”