by Malone, Nana
"So, fucking tight." He swallowed. “You don’t want to tell me. You don't have to. I know the truth. I am yours, and you are mine. Since that first night. You’re all I think about. That doesn’t just stop.”
He pulled out just as the pleasure started to spread. “Lucas!” With a smirk he gently tossed me on my back and slid back in to the hilt. God. That was good.
His gaze held me captive and didn't dare let go. Through clenched teeth, he whispered, “You fucking own me. Body and soul.”
Lucas slid a hand down my belly, and all it took was the mere brush of his finger as he pumped into me, and I flew apart again, clamping down around his driving length.
“I know you don’t believe me, but I fucking love you, Bryna. No matter what happens.”
His head fell back while his face twisted with pleasure. I could tell he was getting close by the low, sexy sounds he was making and the bunch and tense of his muscles beneath my hands.
I thrashed in his arms unable to deny him anything when he rasped in that voice, telling me he loved me. Desire curled through my veins, starting low in the pit of my belly and radiating outward until I was crying out with every thrust.
Lucas tensed and then whispered my name, and that was what sent me over. I clung to him weakly as every one of my muscles seized, clenching around him like they never wanted to let go. Like they were afraid to let go.
With my release about to render me a speechless, moaning mess, I whispered, “I still love you.”
Four more pumps and Lucas shouted his release, his erection buried deep inside me.
* * *
Lucas
I woke up alone. Why the fuck did that keep happening with this girl? But she didn’t go that far. Yeah, well, the last time we made love, she bolted. Yeah, but the time before that, you bolted. I woke up and the sheets were cool. It occurred to me that Errol was still in the damn car. Shit. So much for my promise.
I tossed the covers off and climbed out of bed. I couldn’t help but snoop a little. She had a bright colored accent wall. Bright, sheer yellow. Everywhere, there were photos. A bunch in New York with that girl I’d seen her with at the bar. Ella, Ellie, something like that. Behind a collage of photos, one with some girl I’d never seen before. A pretty blond with big blue eyes and a pixie cut hair style. Then there was one of me and her in the old apartment when I’d been teaching her how to play poker or some card game. I could only assume it was poker because she was making a sad face. She always insisted I was cheating.
That’s because you were.
Bluffing was not cheating. That’s how I played the game, and I was damn good at it, but she hated it. When I went out into the living room, the same pretty blonde from the pictures was at the counter making coffee. “Good morning. You want a cup?”
I froze. “Um, okay. Thank you?”
She turned with a wide grin and knowing eyes, and her gaze skimmed me up and down. “You know, I’d seen a picture, and she talked about you, but I didn’t really understand why she was losing her damn mind. Now I get it.”
It took a lot to embarrass me. Considering the things I’d had to do since I was a kid, embarrassment wasn’t really one of those emotions I tapped into easily, but this girl had me blushing pink. “Uh, thanks, I guess.”
She poured me a cup of coffee and didn’t bother to ask how I liked it. She just gave it to me black, which was how I prefered it, unless it was Starbucks. Then bring on the sugary, stupid drinks. “And you are?”
“I’m Jinx, the best friend.”
I nodded in understanding. “Right. So, is this the part where you tell me I hurt your friend and you’ll skin me alive?”
“No, actually. This is where I tell you to get your shit together. She loves you. I think she fell for you hard when you told her that her dress was sticking in her thong. But you fucked up, so you need to figure out how to help me fix it, because I really don’t like my mopey best friend. She’s sad. She was incomplete. She has the job she’s always wanted. She’s back home with her bestie. But she’s still sad and mopey. I don’t do sad and mopey. My bestie does not do sad and mopey. I’d rather she was screaming, yelling, something… anything other than what she has been. So you need to fix it.”
I took a sip. It was good, French vanilla or something. “Look, I know. I tried. I apologized. I begged. I tried to talk to her, but she wasn’t really having that.”
“Yeah, you can’t talk to her. You have to show her. Her whole life, people have manipulated her with words. They’ve told her one thing and done another. Everyone. Well, with the exception of me. I’m unfailingly honest.”
I chuckled so bad I almost choked on the coffee. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“You lied to her. By omission or what, I don’t really know. She didn’t get into it, but that look on her face, it’s the same look she gets when her parents lie or disappoint her or manipulate her. I’m only giving you the benefit of the doubt because I remember the way she talked about you. Irritated. Angry. On fire. That’s the Bryna that’s always fought to come out. And when it does, someone always chooses to slap it down. You don’t seem like you want to slap it down.”
I shook my head. “On the contrary. I prefer her fighting with me. It makes for amazing sex. Also, I like that fire in her eyes. It was how I met her. It’s what drew me to her. It meant she was a match and an equal. Not someone who will hide from me or cower in front of me. I don’t want that. I want a partner. One who makes me think and want to be better. And one who will give me what for if I can’t manage it. Do you have any suggestions?”
“What? I’m supposed to do your work for you? No. Sort yourself out and make sure she sees your actions, because your words don’t mean anything to her right now.”
I took another long sip and saluted her with my mug. “Thank you for this and for the advice.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome. You fuck up again though, I’ll kill you myself. Prince or not.”
My eyes went wide. “You know?”
She nodded. “No, I’m not supposed to know it. But when the queen and king showed up in my house, wanting her to go after you, I put two and two together. I’m no dummy. So you have a lot to work out. She’s fought against this courtly life her whole existence. Obviously because of her parents. I think you can be someone to change her mind about it all. Make it worth her while?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that is absolutely my intention.”
She nodded and put her mug in the sink. “Good. Now, you can show yourself out.”
I glanced over at the clock. Six o’clock. How early had she gotten up to get away from me?
“Yeah, thanks again for the coffee and the chat.”
She nodded before sliding into what I could only guess was her bedroom. “Oh, and she had to go to work. Some kind of TV appearance with one of her artists. She didn’t run. She just went to work. You know, modern day princess and all that.”
I chuckled. “Okay, yeah, I hear you.”
So, at least the best friend was on my side. Now all I had to do was convince Bryna to forgive me. How hard could that be?
19
lucas
“The prodigal brother returns.”
My lips twitched into a smile. “Hey.”
Sebastian stepped back and led me into his and Penny’s private quarters. I’d been in there a couple of times before, but somehow, coming back now, it felt different. The massive five thousand square foot apartment in the palace had been his original quarters. His mother, the Queen Mother, had insisted that she remain in the primary quarters. From what I understood, it was over fourteen thousand square feet spread out over two floors on the south end of the palace. “I see you guys didn’t change anything.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “You’ve only been gone a few months. What? You expected me to lock Penny up already?”
I chuckled to myself. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”
“Well, let’s just give her time to get adjusted. I’m sure Penny wo
uld bolt if she knew I was trying to lock her up.”
I frowned. “Trouble in paradise?”
He shook his head then he shrugged. “No, not really. I think she’s having a hard time adjusting. You know, before she didn’t want to be a Royal Guard. But now that she can’t be, it’s all she wants. So we’re having a little negotiation.”
“Oh, this again. Should have known. You know how independent she is.”
“Yeah. Tell me about it. You know she’s been sneaking off to see the traitor, right?”
My brows snapped down. “That doesn’t sound like her.”
Sebastian ran his hands through his hair. “Okay, she’s not exactly sneaking. I haven’t forbidden it. And she’s within her legal right to do so as long as he agrees to see her willingly without council. She’s been questioning him.”
“Fuck me, Penny.” I groaned.
“Tell me about it.” He shook his head. “It’s infuriating. She’s doing it above board, but she won’t talk to me about it. And she just takes off and does it. She’s the bloody queen. I don’t want to forbid her, but fuck. She’s the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met.”
I chuckled. “I feel like you knew this about her when you married her though.”
“Yeah, I guess I did. And not one guard came to rat her out. Not that what she’s doing is against the rules exactly, but you’d think someone over there would be like ‘Hey, do you know what your wife is up to?’”
“Aren’t they supposed to be your people?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if that matters. They are by proxy. They protect me as their sovereign, right? But they protect her as their friend. And you know, even if she wasn’t the best Royal Guard before, she was one of theirs. Now, she’s suddenly taking being a guard seriously. If ever I can’t find her, it’s a pretty safe bet she’s in there with the intelligence guys, heads shoved together, trying to figure something out.”
“Well, all of this affects her too. It’s her life, isn’t it?”
My brother shrugged. “Yeah, I know it is. I just… Anyway, we’re not going to discuss my wife right now. We’re going to talk about my stubborn brother.”
I groaned. “You know, let’s stick to the wife thing. I can offer relationship advice all day. I mean, I wouldn’t suggest you take it, because clearly, I suck at that. But, I suggest you need to make Penny happy, because happy wife means happy life.”
“You’re giving out marriage advice? God help us all. When was the last time you were in a relationship? Speaking of relationships, how is Bryna?”
Considering where I’d spent the whole night, I felt my ears turning hot and suddenly, found myself embarrassed for the second time that day. “I woke up this morning, and she was gone again. So, that tells me maybe she’s not turning around just yet.”
Sebastian shook his head and then led the way to the kitchen. “Oh? Give her time. I mean, that’s what I told her about you, right?”
In the kitchen, he offered me a cup of coffee. I declined. “Jinx already made me one.”
He frowned. “Jinx?”
“Bryna’s roommate.”
He chuckled. “Oh, Jinx. She’s fun. Paid her a visit recently. I think Penny has been trying to befriend them.”
“You know that almost terrifies me more than anything. Last thing I need in life is Penny teaching Bryna how to make me crazy.”
My brother whacked me on the arm. “You do realize that poor girl came all the way to Italy just to get you, right? On my behest, she got on a plane to see if she could bring you home. That’s not a girl who doesn’t care.”
“I know. I fucked up.”
“With her? Probably. With me? No. I get why you did it. Why you felt like you had to. But like I told you in Italy, you are my brother. I feel it. I took one look at you, and I knew it. So, if you need some time to get there, to figure it out for yourself, to feel like the islands are part of you, then I get it. We all get to the end of our journey when it’s time, right?”
“Now you’re a philosopher?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. It’s easy to philosophize for someone else.” He took a sip of his coffee and then leveled his gaze on me. “Are you here for good? Or are you planning on running again?”
I shook my head. “I’m done running. Honestly, I’m just tired. Besides, I saw something that made me realize I need to be here. Or at the very least, I need to be near where Bryna is.”
Sebastian frowned. “What?”
I pulled out my phone and showed him the photo that Weller had texted me.
“That’s my stepdad. Tony Angelo. He’s here on the island.”
“Fuck.”
“My sentiments exactly. Thanks to me, he’s wanted by Interpol. I took care of that. But getting him in the net is going to be tricky.”
He gave me a nod and a broad grin spread over his face. “Well, good thing we’re reunited then. Because together, I’m pretty sure we’ll be unstoppable.”
* * *
Bryna
“Did you do it?”
I barged into my father’s office and bypassed his poor secretary, Lynette. Lynette was accustomed to suffering my outbursts. She’d had to deal with several of them over the years, usually when my father did something insane.
Dad looked up, startled, eyes wide, and he waved her off. When the door closed behind her, he said, “Bryna, nice to see you. It would be better if you’d called first though.”
“What? So you could have advanced warning and get your story straight?”
“What in the world do you think I’ve done now?”
“Besides what you’re trying to do to Lucas? You know he’s not a thief. Okay, maybe he was, but he’s not anymore. You know he’s innocent. And you’re trying to make it look like he’s not just so he’ll stay away from me. What is wrong with you?”
He shook his head and sat down. “Does this visit have a point?”
I inhaled deeply and tried to calm myself. “Yes. Why did you put the money back?”
He frowned. “You’ll have to elaborate.”
“The money in my account. Why did you put it back? And why did you give me more than you took? I don’t understand what’s going on. I need you to be clear and honest with me. For once, just be direct.”
“Well then, for once, I have no idea what you’re on about. Money or no money. Honestly, the things that you’ve occupied your mind with. If you would only put your mind toward real things that you could do, I’d be amazed at what you could accomplish.”
“Dad, really. I just want to stop fighting with you. I’m tired. I’m sure you don’t want to keep doing this. You and Mom have to stop trying to control everything. I’m just so exhausted by it all.”
“And I’m telling you the truth. I honestly don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
I frowned. “You didn’t put the money back? The money you stole from me?”
He narrowed his gaze. “’Stole’ is such a harsh word.”
“You know what I mean. The money you took out of my account reappeared at my new bank. You didn’t have anything to do with that?”
“No. You can ask your mother, but I didn’t put the money back. After all, you haven’t complied with what I asked.”
“You didn’t put the money back?” So, I’d been running around assuming it was my parents. If it wasn’t them, then who was it?
“If you don’t mind, if we’re done here…”
“Dad why does it have to be like this? We don’t have to be enemies. We don’t have to fight.”
“You’re right. We don’t. All you have to do is move back home and stop this nonsense.”
“Why can’t you just let me be who I’m going to be? Why does it have to be all or nothing? What’s more, why does it have to be all about you? Don’t you care that I’m happy, that I’m safe? Don’t you care?”
“I do. I just happen to know what’s best for you. Sooner or later, you’ll know it too.”
“Are you s
ure you know what’s best for me? Because maybe, if you’d been paying attention, you would realize that Lucas actually makes me happy. And considering you’re my father, I would think that’s what you’d want. But since it’s all about you… I don’t think I’ll hold my breath anymore that you’re going to say that.” And then I turned and walked out.
20
bryna
I tugged at the hem of my skirt. Next to me, Jinx was fidgeting even worse. She couldn’t sit still at all. She was shifting from cheek to cheek, tapping her foot, nibbling at her nail. “Oh my God, would you stop?”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t help it. I’ve never been to the palace. They confiscated my damn phone, so I can’t even text my excitement. What am I supposed to do with all the energy?”
“Just breathe. Be cool.” I was one to talk. I’d been a mess for two days over seeing Lucas again. And sleeping with him… again. He was becoming a habit I couldn’t break. But you have to, or it will break you. And I was the idiot who had admitted that I still loved him.
She sighed. “Okay, okay, I’m doing my best. But we are in the fucking palace. You know, with the king and queen. There are hundreds of years of history here. Do you understand what that even means?”
I sighed. “Yes, Jinx, I know. Remember?”
She sighed too. “Yes, I know. I’m trying to be cool, okay? Sorry. It’s just so damn exciting.”
“Didn’t you ever do a tour when you were a kid? You know, we all did.”
“Nope. When our class was supposed to go, I think it was in fifth or sixth grade, I was ill. Remember, I had to stay home?”
“Oh God, yes. I do remember. I was devastated to be without my best friend on the field trip, the one person I actually wanted to show off to.” The other girls in my year hadn’t been appropriately excited, at least I didn’t feel like they were. But I knew Jinx would have really appreciated it. But she was sick. I remember being worried about that too. And I was glad that I had the opportunity to take her again. I’d always figured there would be some chance in high school or something, but no, never.
