by Gemma Hart
I gave a guttural cry as pleasure sparked like crackling electricity within me. His fingers stroked my pussy with relentless pressure, circling and teasing my clit.
My head tossed and turned on the pillows, nearly going mad. He had been skilled in reading my body the first time we had made love but now, he was frightening. He seemed to speak to the very fibers of my muscles, making them contract and tighten in pleasure.
Xander reared up and cradled my head between his hands as he positioned himself. Then in one hard thrust, he sheathed himself completely in me.
I arched against him, crying out in such utter and complete release my eyes nearly rolled backwards. My pussy contracted and pulsed around the hard intruder. I came hard from just how tightly my pussy was stretched against his thick cock.
“Yes, baby,” he said. “That’s right.” He could feel my pussy clenching his cock as I came in wave after wave of bliss.
Just when I was beginning to regain some sanity, he slowly pulled out before thrusting deeply again.
I weakly shook my head.
“No…” I mumbled. “I can’t…I can’t possibly. Not again….”
Xander thrust hard into me again, jerking me up. I gasped and shivered as another shot of pleasure zipped through me.
“Oh yes you can,” he grunted as he thrust in hard again, stretching me so deliciously. “This is what you do to me. You drive me wild with no end in sight. I can’t fight it. And neither will you. You’re going to come again.”
“I…can’t,” I gasped as he plunged his cock to the root.
“Yes you can, baby,” he said, taking my lips in a rough kiss. “And you will.”
He sped up his rhythm, filling me with him. And only him.
His arms around me, his body above me, his cock inside me, all I had was him. Xander. He was all I had and I loved him with every fucking fiber of my being.
“Oh god!” I cried out at the same time Xander roared in completion.
We shuddered and cried out together as our bodies joined in that singular moment of bliss.
We curled our heads towards each other, creating our own huddled world of body shaking pleasure as we savored that moment of being truly and wholly one.
Finally, when we had regained our breath, Xander wrapped an arm around my waist as he fell to his side. We remained joined together intimately as we laid on the large, plush bed.
“I love you, princess,” he said as he kissed my forehead. He wrapped his arms around me, tucking me in against his massive body.
And if he’s the only person I end up being a princess to, I thought, I’d still be too happy to bear.
Chapter Sixteen
Sofia
I groaned, stretching my body slowly under the silky covers. Keeping my eyes closed, I savored the thorough satisfied exhaustion my body felt. After arriving at the embassy, Xander had spent the night pulling me out of my own mind and keeping me completely focused on just…sensations.
His hands skillfully teased my nipples, twisting and squeezing, making me yelp with ecstasy. He plunged his fingers deep into my wet folds, making me groan in hunger for more.
And his thick cock.
God, would I ever get enough of him? When he plunged into me, his cock stretched me with a delicious thrill that always made me hiss and groan with acute pleasure. He filled me completely and so wholly that I could do nothing else but take it. And that feeling of completely surrendering, submitting, was amazing.
But as soon as I opened my eyes and I took in the view of the spacious Ambassador’s room, the real world came pouring back in. I remembered exactly why I was here and what had prompted me to come.
Uncle Gregory….
Before Xander, the only man to stand up for me. To love me. To protect me. And he had done it till his dying days. It was excruciating to know that he died with no one who loved him by his side. He died looking into the eyes of hate and judgment and anger and resentment.
I felt guilty letting myself indulge in love and romance when my uncle had just been murdered. It seemed so selfish. So callus.
But Xander was more than just a romance. He now felt like a part of me. His movements were an extension of my own and vice versa. The idea of not being with him seemed tantamount to living without my right arm.
Speaking of Xander, I rolled over in the bed but the space next to me was completely empty. I sat up, looking around the room. The en suite bathroom door was open and the light was off.
“Xander?” I called out but no answer came.
I pursed my lips, confused. Where could he be? I looked at the ornate clock mounted on the wall opposite me and saw that it was 10:15 A.M. On the ranch, he was usually up at six and lately, I had woken up along with him. But with the recent news and the flight across the Atlantic, I had slept completely through my normal wake up hour.
“Xander?” I called out again as I got up from bed. I grabbed a robe and tied it about me. I found some slippers and stepped into them, shuffling towards the sitting room.
But the plush room was immaculately clean and empty. No sign of Xander anywhere. Had he maybe left to get food? I wasn’t quite sure how our stay would go at the embassy. It wasn’t a hotel. We couldn’t exactly order room service or anything.
I was about to head back into the bedroom to change so that I could maybe try and go out to look for Xander when there was a knock at the door.
I jumped at the sound then chastised myself for being so twitchy. I had to have a better handle on myself if I was to eventually negotiate with Pryto. If I was jumpy and scared in neutral, safe lands, then I’d be a wreck if I ever returned to Loranza.
Carefully making sure my robe was wrapped well over my nightgown, I opened the door.
“Your Majesty?”
It was the aide from last night. “Yes?” I answered.
The aide gave a short, formal bow. “I trust you slept well, Your Majesty,” he said in greeting.
It was odd to have all the courtly formality back in my life again after living on a ranch in Wyoming. It felt familiar and foreign at the same time.
“I did,” I answered politely. “Is there something wrong?”
The aide made a gesture towards the stairs. “The French Minister of Foreign Affairs is downstairs and would like to speak with you, Your Majesty.”
My brow raised in surprise at the suddenness of the visit. They certainly weren’t wasting any time but I guess that was no surprise considering the turmoil Loranza was in.
“Oh, very good,” I said hastily. “Then let me get dressed and I shall meet with him.”
The aide shook his head. “I’m sorry but he says he has an extremely urgent matter and must speak with you right away,” he said, his eyes direct and piercing. He had an odd urgency in his manners that made him look nervous and twitchy even though he stood stock still.
I stared at him confused. “What urgent matter?” I asked. What else could’ve happened? Who else could Pryto have murdered? “And is it so urgent I cannot even throw on a proper dress?”
The aide nodded, looking at me intensely. “I was instructed to press upon you just how urgent this matter was and how he must see you immediately.”
“I—” I was confused and flustered and wished Xander was here but I quickly gathered myself. I was the Crown Princess after all. And whether Xander or anyone was with me or not, that fact never changed. If I couldn’t make decisions on my own, then what kind of leader was I?
Besides, Pryto had clearly shown his ability to murder mercilessly. God knows what he might’ve done next.
“Fine then,” I said, stepping out into the hallway. “Lead the way.”
The aide quickly led me to the stairs and took me downstairs. The embassy was just as empty in the morning as it had been at night. The beautiful building stood desolate and empty, the hallways quiet.
The aide took me down a long back hallway towards a small but richly decorated room that was clearly meant for intimate meetings between diplomats.
White and cream striped wallpaper lined the interior. There was a gleaming walnut table and four plush satin chairs around it. There was a formal leather bound notebook and a set of fountain pens at the center of the table.
But the room was empty.
“Where is he?” I asked, turning towards the aide.
“He is in the White Room,” the aide said, “making a phone call. But he said he wanted to meet with you in the Striped Room. I will bring him over right away.”
“Oh,” I said, standing awkwardly in the room in my robe, suddenly feeling a little foolish. “Er…alright then.”
The aide paused by the door. “Shall I bring you anything, Your Majesty? Tea?” he asked.
It felt so surreal to be standing in a formal diplomatic meeting room in my nightie and robe.
“No,” I said, taking a seat to feel a little more settled. “No, thank you.”
The aide gave another short bow before closing the door behind him.
I sat in the wide chair, trying to hide a little behind the desk. What matter could be so urgent that it would require me to come down immediately? My heart sank at the idea of any other innocents being brought to such unfair justice as Uncle Gregory.
It was so unbelievably frustrating to know the truths about Loranza and Pryto and yet have no one believe me. It was Pryto who had made foolish decisions that had brought the country to ruin. All he knew about were soldiers and tanks. Of course complicated economic issues and infrastructure were beyond him. Not that that stopped him. He made reckless and stupid decisions that crashed the national economy and inflated our currency like a balloon.
But that was why I was here. If by sacrificing my crown and title, I could also get Pryto to step down, then at least I could do something to guarantee my country’s safety. I wouldn’t become Queen but Pryto wouldn’t become dictator either.
It was the best I could come up with.
Just then the door opened again. Although I had been sitting to cover myself, I momentarily forgot what I was wearing and stood up to greet the French Minister.
But the man standing in the doorway didn’t look like a minister. He wore a black suit but instead of a neatly pressed white button down, he wore a black one with some of the buttons around his neck casually undone. He had slicked back black hair and his olive skin only enhanced his hawkish green eyes.
I stood there, staring at him, disconcerted.
“Minister?” I said in French, my voice a little unsure. He definitely didn’t dress like any minister I had seen.
The man gave a smirk as he looked me over in the most indecent manner. “Well,” he said in a casual tone. “First time I’d ever seen a woman look as good as she did on TV. Well done.”
Shock rang through me at his highly inappropriate words. After all, I was still a monarch. But I was also thrown off by his accent. He spoke French fluently but his words had a familiar tilt.
Loranzian.
I immediately took a step back. “Who are you?” I demanded, staring at this unfamiliar Loranzian.
The aide hadn’t come back. And I suddenly knew he wouldn’t come back. No matter what. Clearly he had been bribed or threatened or both to bring me to this tucked away room and to make sure no one disturbed us while I was here.
The man took a step towards me, letting the heavy door shut behind him. He gave me a slow smile. “I’m bringing back what was rightfully ours,” he said.
“What?”
“You are the Princess of Loranza,” he said in a voice that had the tone of: for now. “That means you belong to the people of Loranza.” I watched as he flexed his large hands. “You’ve been on the run from your people for a long time now, Your Highness. It’s time you returned home.”
Immediately, I opened my mouth to scream.
But I barely got a chance to breathe in enough air before his hand closed over my mouth and nose, suffocating me. He stepped behind me, grabbing my right arm and twisting it behind me. I cried out, feeling my shoulder nearly pop out of its socket.
“Minister Pryto has asked me to escort you home, princess,” the man whispered against my ear, his breath brushing against my cheek as I squirmed for air. “We’ve all been waiting for you.”
For a moment, he removed his hand from my mouth and I gulped in large breaths, oxygen flowing back into me in cool bursts. But just when I was about to scream again, his hand reappeared, this time with a moist wadded cloth in its palm.
The cloth had a sharp alcoholic smell as it covered my nose and mouth. I fought and squirmed, trying to free myself from his grasp but he held me so tightly that I knew I’d be bruised by his grip.
And then just as quickly, I started to lose the energy to fight. I started to lose my vision. Everything grew hazy and dark as my body slowly began to slump against this attacker.
“Welcome home, princess,” were the last snarling words I heard as I let the darkness take me.
Chapter Seventeen
Sofia
It was like déjà vu.
I groaned as I woke up. I sat up in bed. I wore the same nightie and even had my robe on still.
My head spun as I sat up. My vision cleared slowly as I blinked, squinting around the unfamiliar room.
Or at least, it had looked unfamiliar.
Until I caught sight of the delicate vanity that sat across from the bed. The long, slender legs of the table were carved in a whorled fashion and painted a soft pink. The mirror was ornately framed and mounted above the table.
How many times had I cried over that table? How many times had I inspected my bruises and swollen eyes through that mirror?
I looked up and saw the familiar canopy that covered the large four poster bed that I had grown up in. This had been all the sanctuary I had had in the palace. I leaned towards the end of the bed and carefully touched the bottom left poster.
There were scratches in the gleaming wood, with dull patches around the base. That was from the countless times I had been tied to the post to either receive a beating or to prevent myself from climbing out the window to scavenge for any kind of food to sustain me.
Being surrounded by the large four walls of my old palatial room made me feel quite small again. I hadn’t been in this room for over a decade. The last time I had been here, I had weighed twenty pounds less and had been covered in black and blue bruises from my neck down to my ankles.
Even after all the work I had done to build myself up and to educate my mind, it all disappeared the moment I awoke in my childhood bedroom of torture and torment.
How did I end up back here? How could I possibly be back here?
Slowly, my brain cleared away the fuzz. I remembered the “meeting” at the embassy. The man in black who drugged me. I must’ve been dragged out of the embassy and smuggled back to Loranza.
And not just anywhere in Loranza. I had been taken to the palace. And not to just any part of the palace. I had been brought to my old room.
It was all calculated, every move. And I shivered, seeing just how devious and skilled Pryto was in tormenting a person. There were only tearful and terrible memories in this room. Not one night did I sleep in this bed without red and swollen eyes from crying.
I got up from the bed, carefully retying my robe tightly around me. I felt like I needed whatever I could to use as armor. Slowly, I walked around the room. It was surreal to be back again after so many years.
How many times had I wondered when I might ever return to the palace? And what I would do once there? I had sometimes dared to dream about a future where my name would be restored and I could return to Loranza without fear of danger or hatred.
But now, after what Pryto had done, I wasn’t so sure there would ever be a day. He had rallied so much anger and so much hate, I couldn’t foresee a way to backtrack from that.
And then Uncle Gregory….
My heart clenched at the memory. Somehow, thinking about Uncle Gregory in my old room in the palace made the memory a hundred times worse. It just seemed
to reinforce the fact that no matter how hard I had tried or how much I had deluded myself, I had never truly been free of Pryto’s clutches.
Even when I had been abroad and far away, Pryto still knew just how to bring me to my knees.
And poor Uncle Gregory had been used like a pawn in his schemes.
I carefully approached the window. My windows faced the east side of the grounds and away from the main gates. But I was still careful in approaching the glass in case there was a mob by the east side gardens. It’d be difficult but not impossible for someone to throw or shoot something from there to my window.
I edged close and peeked out from the side. I saw the same large willow trees that lined the garden walls, nearly obscuring the tall wrought iron fence. There was the same rock fountain right below my window. It was shaped into a natural rock pool with a small waterfall directly below me. But now the water had stopped running.
In fact, most of the grounds looked quite shabby. The trees were shaggy and unordered, the grass patchy and yellow and long. The empty basins in the rock pool were covered in dead leaves and dirt.
With how poorly the country was doing, it would be hard for Pryto to find funds to maintain the extensive palace grounds. Looking at the shabbiness of the gardens, I could tell no one had laid a hand on the grounds in many years.
But despite how different the grounds looked, the feeling that was ignited looking out was the same. Loneliness, desperation, fear, sadness.
Actually, maybe this time was worse.
Because now my life was very much on the line. I wasn’t just about to be beaten or starved.
I could be killed.
I touched the cold windowpane and felt my heart flutter as I quickly wondered how worried Xander must be.
Wherever he had gone in the morning, he definitely was not expecting to return to an empty Ambassador’s suite. And I was quite sure that the aide who had led me into this trap was long gone by now.
Would he be able to figure out what had happened? What could he do? Even if he asked for information, he wasn’t a government official, a representative of Loranza, or in any way a political figure. No one would want to give someone like that any sensitive information even if they had any.
