by Gemma Hart
I arched my back, urging my breasts towards him but he would pull back, teaching me that he would only give me what he wanted and if I wanted more, I’d have to lie back and be patient.
His collected control over me made me feel like I had fallen under some kind of spell. The lines of our bodies seemed to melt and the touch of our skins felt like one body moving in unison.
The entire core of me melted once his lips were between my legs. I gasped. My arms finally released, I raked my fingers through his hair, unsure if I wanted to pull him off or press him closer.
His tongue made long, languorous strokes down my wet folds, making me cry out in hunger. With precise movements, he swirled the tip of his tongue around my clit, sending wave after wave of pleasure crashing through me. I could hardly think of anything else except what was happening right there between my legs. My mind was only occupied now by his tongue and his heat.
His arms wrapped around my thighs, keeping me in place and not letting me find any respite from his mouth.
His strokes quickened and as I began to breathe harder, I felt his fingers circling my entrance. I moaned, feeling myself already on the edge and unsure if I could possibly go over without losing my mind.
Then Xander sucked hard on my clit as he thrust two thick fingers into me. I threw back my head and cried out as I came hard. The rush of my body exploding reminded me of the powerful rapids that I had been caught in earlier. And just like the rapids, my orgasm was powerful, breathtaking, and unstoppable.
But before I could gather my wits about me, Xander rose above me like a great beast of the waters and thrust himself in completely to the root.
The sudden move made me arch my back as my pussy contracted and stretched to accommodate this sizeable intruder. My muscles spasmed as I came again, the feeling of being so wholly penetrated too delicious to stand.
“Oh god, sweetheart,” I heard Xander groan above me. “Oh fuck, you feel so goddamn good.”
He lowered himself to me and gathered me in with one arm, tucking my head towards his shoulder.
In his arms, I always felt safe, protected. His large body nearly covered me completely and I felt so utterly his that I knew I could die happy at this moment.
Slowly, Xander moved his hips, pulling and plunging in a deep rhythm that made me bite my lip with renewed hunger and desire. How could I have come twice, and in such quick succession, and still want more?
But that’s what he did to me. He was like a drug and I could never have enough.
Each thrust, each stroke, filled me completely. I raised my legs, wrapping them around his hips, opening myself up even more to him. And I relished every groan from him, knowing that he was receiving as much pleasure as I was getting. When his lips found mine, I kissed him back with the fervor I felt. I wanted him to know just how much I loved having him inside me.
Slowly, together, we fanned the flames of our own desires. Together, our bodies rose and rose till we were on top of the precipice, ready to fall into each other’s arms.
Xander put his forehead against mine. “Together,” he said. “Come with me.”
And he thrust in one last time in a powerful plunge, and my back arched as my cries of ecstasy mingled with his roar of release.
My body shattered so completely in his arms. But I let it. I let myself fall apart because I knew he would be there to catch me.
He would be there.
Because he loved me.
I breathed hard as we slowly regained our senses. His large hand ran through my hair, pressing me closer to him.
If I had the strength I would’ve smiled.
He loves me.
And wasn’t it amazing?
Chapter Twelve
Sofia
“Sof! Food’s up!”
I grinned before I opened my eyes, hearing that voice shout up the stairs.
“Get your cute ass down here!”
Now my eyes popped open and I grinned up at the bedroom ceiling. Our bedroom ceiling.
Since the river incident, we naturally fell into a different rhythm of life together. We lived just like we had, with that same ease and understanding, but now we let our physical tension come out without any restraints. And I loved all the ways he would find to touch me throughout the day.
But best of all, I loved falling asleep in his arms. I loved feeling his deep, even breaths behind me, lulling me into sleep. And I always slept well with him since he exhausted me completely with his lovemaking.
He made love to me as if he was having me for the first time. He lingered over me, teased me, tormented me, loved me, and then wrung out every cry I had left in my body as he thrust me home.
And that’s exactly how I was lying on this bed now, exhausted and totally, uncontrollably happy.
Although I knew my situation hadn’t changed, I was still exiled and reviled by Loranza, I suddenly felt a little stronger. I felt I could bear any hardship now as long as I had Xander by my side.
I had never met a man like him before.
He clearly had no qualms about putting me in my place, despite my title and lineage. I remembered just how he had dressed me down in Colombia and again in L.A. when I had refused to go with him to Wyoming.
But he also was gentle and loving. I put a corner of the cover to my mouth as I giggled, remembering him trying to stomach that mess of a dinner I had cooked. After taking one bite, he had declared the meal delicious. But I had taken a bite right after and had nearly spit out the food. It had taken all my years of strict upbringing to swallow instead of spit.
I had immediately cleared away the plates, throwing the food away, even though Xander had complained about waste. But I had noticed his complaints had been half-hearted. I had first been angry at myself for not making a better dinner but then I realized how touching Xander’s gesture had been.
As I had watched him whipping up a quick replacement dinner, I realized how sweet it had been of him to smile and grit his teeth and bear the taste of that awful dinner. Clearly, he had seen how much I had wanted it to taste good.
There were times now when I even forgot why I was even in Wyoming. I always remembered later and then would feel tremendously guilty towards Uncle Gregory for forgetting. But I couldn’t help it.
When I would watch Xander, shirtless and sweating, as he fixed things around his property, or watch him interact with someone from town, especially a child, I would forget everything except the moment we were in. I felt so alive by his side and I loved the sense of community he radiated. It was addicting. Suddenly, I found myself staring at Simone through the same loving eyes as he did.
It didn't seem like a forgotten rural dump that I only resented for its distance from a reasonable airport. Now it seemed like this quiet haven of love and family that I felt lucky enough to be a part of.
So this is what it must’ve been like to grow up with family and friends, I always thought as people now greeted me by name in town. No wonder there were so many songs and books dedicated to love. Once you’ve experienced it, how could you not crow about it?
“Sof! Last call or I’m eating your breakfast!”
I flung the blankets off of me and rushed to the bureau, not willing to lose my breakfast to the man no matter how much I loved him.
I found one of Xander’s flannels and buttoned it loosely over me. Pulling on a pair of thick woolen socks, I opened the door, tying my hair up as I skipped down the stairs.
I heard Xander moving about the kitchen and then a small click before voices filled up the downstairs.
He had turned on the small kitchen television. We would watch the news from the small TV in small increments throughout the day, just to keep a tab on what was happening and if there was any new news from Loranza.
But it had been the same thing on repeat. Pryto was still calling for my abdication while he secretly encouraged the protestors to call for my head. He denounced my poor leadership and pointed to it as the reason why the country was on an economic spiral.
I tried not to seethe in rage every time I heard him say that. As if I had even gotten close enough to the Loranzian Parliament to look at a law or trade agreement, let alone make one.
Then for the last few days, we hadn’t been watching much at all. The news had been all the same and it was as if we hadn’t wanted the darkness of reality to poison the new love we had created.
“…and Tom is here to help us cover this breaking news,” I heard a female anchorwoman say as I reached the last step. “Tom, can you tell us just how volatile things have gotten now in Loranza?”
My heart stopped hearing those words. Volatile? What’s happened now?
“”Yes, as you can see, Miranda,” Tom reported, “I’m standing in front of the Royal Loranza Palace and the people here seemed to be a mix of emotions. Some are stunned by the action while others are calling it justified. This was certainly unexpected and has caught the international community off-guard.”
I paused in the kitchen doorway, staring at the small TV, my eyes glued to the blonde anchorwoman. Xander leaned against the counter, also watching the TV, unaware of my arrival.
“I can just imagine,” Miranda responded. “The UN has decried Minister Argus Pryto for his actions, calling them ‘dictatorial’ and ‘counter-intuitive’ towards the ‘peaceful resolution’ he claims to want. Has Minister Pryto come out in public yet, Tom?”
“He was seen greeting the people this morning from a palace balcony but hasn’t been seen since the taped message was released,” Tom reported.
“For those of you just joining us,” Miranda recapped, “a taped message has just been released from Minister Pryto who is now occupying the Royal Palace. We will replay the clip here. A warning to some viewers, the claims made in this video can be a little unsettling and disturbing. Please watch with caution.”
The screen cut to a video of a man in a ski mask. He started speaking in Loranzian but the news team had put English subtitles underneath him.
“False princess of Loranza!” the masked man said in a muffled voice. I couldn’t tell where he was standing. The room was completely dark except for one tiny light that shone on the masked man.
“You have ruined your country! You have ignored your people! For decades now, Loranza has been suffering while you have been living the life of a celebrity. But you were only able to afford such a lifestyle by walking on the backs of your people! You have cheated us out of everything!”
My heart ached every time I heard words like this. I knew I couldn’t have done more than I have. Pryto had made sure I was too far away and too broken to ever try and exert any kind of power. And he had made my going away so successfully planned that it looked like I had chosen to leave and stay away. I knew the truth but it never eased my heart when I saw the suffering my people went through. Even their anger broke my heart.
“Now we want you to come to Loranza to answer for your crimes! Your crimes of neglect! Your crimes of greed! Your crimes of incompetence! You will return to Loranza and abdicate before standing trial to the high courts!”
If this had been a few weeks ago, when I had first arrived in L.A., I would’ve already jumped on a plane by now. I knew it was crazy and I knew I stood no chance, but I would’ve still flown to Loranza, determined to try and clear my name and to save what I could of the country.
But now, some time had passed and I realized Xander and Uncle Gregory had been right. I needed to wait for now. I needed to wait for when I had the best chance to make my move so that my voice wasn’t wasted. If I really wanted to save Loranza, I couldn’t be so reckless. I had to have a strategy.
“But, cowardly princess,” the man continued, “I know you are in hiding. You will not come out and show your face like the dog you are! So we have motivation for you. Come to Loranza within 48 hours or—”
The masked man gave a nod to someone off camera and suddenly, I heard a grunt before someone was thrust in front of the screen. The man was held captive by the back of his head. Someone was grabbing a fistful of his hair, pressing his face forward. There was a large bruise near his temple and I saw the lines of deep exhaustion carved into his face. His eyes were swollen from lack of sleep and a stubble of gray and white hairs lined his jaw.
Uncle Gregory!
Spots floated across my vision, seeing his face so lined and bruised. I could hardly breathe. I could hardly see.
“We have the Prince! And if you do not return to Loranza in 48 hours, consider him dead! We will hang him in the public square! The choice is yours!”
“Don’t come!” Uncle Gregory rasped, his voice hoarse and his lips cracked. “Wherever you are, don’t come!”
The video cut off before Uncle Gregory could say more.
“The UN is calling this act of kidnapping ‘inexcusable and deplorable.’ Prince Gregory had apparently met with Minister Pryto to negotiate a peace when the Prince disappeared, only to reappear days later in this video message. Pryto’s aides say that the Minister was unaware of the kidnapping at first and said he denounced any Loranzian who would do such a thing. They say the minister wants to have a peaceable and legal transition from monarchy to democracy. But, forensics have cut a clip from the video where you can see a hand holding on to Prince Gregory’s head in the video.”
A still image was shown on screen. It was a little blurry but still identifiable.
“You can see a mole next to the thumb on the hand and you can see part of the cuff of a suit,” Miranda explained. “People are now reporting that this hand is Minister Pryto himself. The mole location is exactly the same and the style of cuff seems to match a suit he wore a few days ago. It is now being speculated that Minister Pryto was actually the mastermind in the kidnapping of Prince Gregory.”
Miranda said more.
More still images of my beloved uncle showed up where they focused on his bruises and cuts and exhausted lines. They showed close ups of just how brutalized the old man had been.
But I could hear none of it. Even in that state, Uncle Gregory had the wherewithal to think of me.
“Don’t come! Wherever you are, don’t come!”
He knew exactly where I was but he wanted to make it seem like even he was clueless about my location. No doubt Pryto and his men had been trying to pummel my whereabouts out of him. But he had stayed true. And even now, he tried to throw the men off my scent. To protect me.
Xander suddenly turned around, surprised to see me. I saw a quick look of harsh regret cross his face as he realized I had seen the news report.
“Sofia—” he started slowly, clearly wanting to comfort me somehow.
But I shook my head. Leaning against the doorframe, I slid to the floor. And as my knees hit the wooden floor, I shoved my hands into my hair and screamed.
Screamed and screamed till I couldn’t hear my heart breaking.
Chapter Thirteen
Sofia
“There are international demands for the princess to return to Europe,” Commander Wolffe said.
Xander adjusted the computer screen so that the camera landed on us more squarely. Judging by the background, the commander was in his bare office in L.A.
“But she can’t go now,” Xander said firmly. “This is a classic tactic to draw her out. She’d be in incredible danger the minute she made herself public.”
Commander Wolffe nodded, his lips pressed into a flat line. “I agree,” he said. “But at the same time, we cannot ignore the UN or other sovereign nations. We are not part of any government.” Commander Wolffe shook his head. “If we resist them too long, I wouldn’t be surprised if they accused us of kidnapping.”
Xander made a snort of frustration and derision but I made no reaction. Instead, I looked directly into the laptop camera so that I knew Commander Wolffe was seeing me look directly at him.
“Commander,” I said, “you need to send me.” I saw Xander jerk his head towards me but I ignored him. “I want to go. I understand the dangers. Believe me, as a princess you get very ac
customed to kidnapping threats and dangers. But if there’s even an iota of a chance of saving my uncle, I need to go.”
I tried my best not to let my emotions through as I spoke but my voice broke on the word ‘uncle.’ The image of Uncle Gregory’s gaunt and beaten face haunted my mind. I had hardly been able to speak let alone think without wanting to burst into tears.
Almost immediately after the news report, Commander Wolffe had called, asking us to join him on a secured video conference.
By the time the laptop had been set up and Commander Wolffe appeared, I was in such a state of detachment, I could hardly feel my own face. I was physically numb and emotionally drained. All I had left was my own conviction of getting back to Loranza as soon as possible.
Commander Wolffe pressed the tips of his hands to his lips, as if considering my plea.
“Princess Sofia,” he said, startling me a bit. It had been awhile since I had heard anyone dress me so formally. I was getting used to the idea of just being Sofia. But, I realized with a heavy heart, seeing images like that of Uncle Gregory reminded me just how much I wasn’t a simple Sofia. I was Crown Princess Sofia Reynaldo of Loranza, the heir to the throne. And I had to return to the real world.
“I understand where you are coming from,” Commander Wolffe continued. “But this isn’t a simple matter of kidnapping and ransoming. Minister Pryto, it is now widely believed, is organizing a very clever coup. He is shouting that he wants a fair trial and for your abdication but he is encouraging and even funding groups that plan to capture and kill you.” Commander Wolffe eyed me sharply, and his gaze was no less diminished by being portrayed through a computer screen. “You will be killed in Loranza, your highness. And there is absolutely no doubt in that.”
So someone had said it.
Someone had finally laid it all out. No more tiptoeing around or speculating. We now all saw the truth. Minister Pryto was done babysitting the princess from abroad. He was done patronizing the prince. And he was ready to have a scapegoat for the complete disaster he had made of Loranza’s economy. And all of this would be fixed by the simple solution of killing me.
