"Don't worry about that. Just in case."
"What is this place?"
"A place where we can be absolutely sure that no one's listening."
"I thought no one was listening when I was on the phone in your study?"
"Well. I don't believe there was," he says. "But in here is safest."
I nod. This must be serious.
Nikolai looks stressed out. He's as haggard as I've ever seen him, and although it could just be me, it seems like the lines on his forehead have gotten a little deeper just since this morning.
But even when he looks terrible, he looks absolutely gorgeous compared to everyone else.
He rubs his temples.
"Well?" I say. "Did that prove it to you?"
"I had no idea..." he says, his voice trailing off. "No idea about the true conditions."
"But you did know. You said so yourself."
He nods slowly, contemplating. "It wasn't real to me then. It is now. You have opened my eyes, my little pet."
I silently celebrate the words coming out of his mouth. For him to admit he was wrong, suggests that he is a very wise man after all.
A very wise, and a very sexy man.
I step toward him and put my arms around his neck. For the first time, I feel truly safe doing it. "So what are you going to do about this?" I ask, looking up into his eyes.
He sighs, squeezing his eyes shut, deep in thought. "I don't know," he finally says, opening his eyes again. I notice that in here, they both look green, instead of two different hues. "It's my father… the King. He's at the root of this."
I don't say anything. Instead, I wait for him to talk.
"What does a son do about a father like that? What would you do?"
I shake my head. "I don't know." And that's the truth. I really don't. A son against his father…
I run a hand through his thick, dark hair. "How about I take your mind off this for a while?"
He doesn't reply with words. Instead, he reaches down to my ass, lifting me up into the air as if I weigh nothing. He presses me against the wall with a crash—not too hard, but not too gentle either—and his lips find mine.
His tongue presses into my mouth. I part my lips, letting him inside, letting him explore me. He flicks his tongue against mine, and I taste strawberries again. The stubble on his chin scratches me, and I absolutely love it. It's the feeling of pure man against my skin.
He gently sets me down, pinning me to the wall, one hand on either side of my shoulders. He looks into my eyes. "Suck my cock," he says. "Suck my royal cock. That's an order."
I flush with excitement at the thought of taking him inside my mouth. I wonder how his skin will taste, how his seed will feel as it coats my tongue. I want it. Every last drop of it. I can't keep my hands off him any longer.
I drop to my knees and begin to undo the button on his pants, but he swats my hands away. He grabs the fabric with both hands, the muscles popping out and bulging with strength. With one yank, he rips his pants open, the zipper still closed, hanging off to one side uselessly. He hooks his thumb under the waistband of his boxers, and pulls them down over his shaft.
God, his cock is so long and hard. I reach out and brush the back of my fingers over it. It twitches, and I delight in teasing him.
"This is what you do to me, little pet," he says. Feel how fucking hard you make my royal cock."
I squeeze his shaft with my hand, and it barely yields. It is rock fucking hard.
"In your mouth. I command it."
I wrap a second hand around his shaft, and even my two hands, one in front of the other, can't cover its full length.
I bring the tip into my mouth, lapping my tongue over the head, focusing on the sensitive underside. He moans. "Keep doing that," he orders me.
I stick out my tongue and lap the soft underside of his cock like a cat hungry for milk. With each touch of my tongue, I feel him get a little firmer.
A drop of clear pre-cum leaks out of his cock, and I trace the wetness with my tongue. I want it all. It tastes sweet.
"Fuck yeah," he says, "Make me cum. Just like that, babe."
I gently tug up and down on his shaft with my hands, continuing to lap at his cock. Suddenly he groans, and I feel his cock start to pulse.
With each lick, a stream of warm, sweet cum shoots from his cock, coating my tongue, my cheek, the roof of my mouth. God, it feels so dirty just letting him shoot in my mouth like this. I love it, but at the same time, all my instincts tell me to close my mouth around him.
I do, twisting my lips and hands oppositely. More of his seed fills my mouth, and I feel it dripping out from between my lips.
Finally, he begins to relax, and his cock stops throbbing.
I look up at him with puppy dog eyes, knowing he loves the sight of me on my knees.
"Swallow your prince's seed."
I shake my head no.
I do want to swallow it. So badly. But I want to him to make me.
He does. He puts a hand around the back of my neck and squeezes hard. "Swallow," he says through gritted teeth.
I do, and I delight in the feeling. I want him to be part of me.
I wipe my chin with the back of my hand, licking off the rest of the milky white fluid. I never thought I'd do something like that, but god, it actually tastes good.
"Good girl," he says.
I clean off the tip of his cock with my mouth, then tuck it back inside his boxers for him. I stand up and put my arms around his neck.
For some reason, in that moment, I decide to tell him about the baby. I feel like he's proven himself today.
"Hey," I say. "There's something you should know."
He raises an eyebrow. "What's that?"
I tell him, and wait for his reaction.
CHAPTER 7
"What did you say?"
"I had a baby. Nine months after I left."
He paces back and forth in the small room, letting my words sink in.
He swings his head toward me. "How do you know it's ours?"
"There was no one before you. For a long time. And no one after you at all."
"You are certain?"
"A hundred percent." I watch him nervously, waiting to see how he'll react.
He frowns. "Why did you not tell me this before?"
"You fucking kidnapped me away from my home. I wouldn't do anything to put my son in danger."
"You think I am a danger?" he says, his voice rising. He balls up his fists by his sides, the veins in his hand popping out. He definitely has a temper.
"No," I say, picking my words carefully. "I just had to be... careful. Had to see whether you would make good on your promise to help your people. I had to know what kind of man you are."
His face is shocked, surprised I am questioning his integrity. But I feel completely justified. What woman would bring her child around a man who breaks his promises?
"And?"
"So far, you're proving you are. That's why I'm telling you this now."
He paces back and forth in the tiny room.
Then, he looks at me and his face lights up with happiness. It's like a neighborhood of Christmas lights coming on all at once. It's like nothing I've ever seen from him before. His happiness is contagious.
He seizes me in a bear hug. "My little pet!" he exclaims. He steps back and looks at me, his hands on my shoulders. "You are the mother of my child."
I nod, and although I still feel nervous about bringing the baby here, I can't help but crack a grin.
"You," he says, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is incredible. A boy or girl?"
"A boy. Are you happy?"
"I have never heard better news in my life," he says with a grin. "What did you name him?"
"Josh."
He nods his head. "A good biblical name."
"Yes."
"We must bring him here at once." I can see the gears start to turn in Nikolai's head.
"No. Not yet," I say. I replay i
n my mind the scene of the two men breaking into my apartment. I don't want them anywhere near my child.
Nikolai grits his teeth. "You tell me I have a son, and now you wish to keep him from me?"
"I won't let you send your cronies to take my son like you took me," I say. "You have to do it my way."
"What is your way?"
"No traumatizing events. No men in black suits. No cargo planes."
"If he's truly my son, a bumpy plane ride won't harm him."
I almost chuckle at his logic. Almost.
"My way. Or I don't tell you where he is. Send a woman. Send Marcha."
"Our son," he corrects me. "You think you have sole authority over this child?"
"No, I don't think that. But you weren't here for me when he was born." Just thinking about it makes me mad. All the sleepless nights in my shitty new studio apartment. My lost job. All the spaghettios.
"Jenna," he says, stepping toward me and taking my hands in his. "I let you go because I wished to do right by you. I tried to give you what you wanted."
"Whatever." I frown. I can't bring myself to forgive him for that. Not yet, at least. "You can bring our baby," I say. "But you have to order your men to be gentle. And you have to send Marcha with them."
He stops pacing and sits down. "Very well. Alright. It will take a while, then. Ten days, maybe. We have to go slow, be careful."
I nod. "Safety first. Our son can't protect himself like you can. Yet."
THE MEN LEAVE with Marcha the next day, and the following week passes slowly. I try to sleep the days away. I don't see much of Nikolai, who's busy with a corruption probe into the Caprion mayor's finances.
In the middle of the eighth night, Nikolai comes to me in my quarters. He gently shakes me awake and his face is the first thing I see when I open my eyes. He's freshly shaved and showered and his damp hair is tussled on his head. Goddamn, he's sexy.
"My little pet, I had to tell you the news. The baby is safely in North Molvania with my people. They'll arrive in the morning."
I can't sleep the rest of the night. I get out of bed, make it, and spend the early hours of the morning roaming the halls of the palace. I try to focus on anything but the slowly passing time.
Eventually, after hours of walking, I run into one of the guards who's usually posted outside Nikolai's quarters. He's obviously been looking for me. "M'lady," he says, "the Crown Prince wishes to see you in his quarters at once."
I follow the guard to Nikolai's room. He's waiting in the doorway, and ushers me in. When I'm inside, he locks both deadbolts.
"Come," he says, his voice excited. We enter the secret room through the closet.
There's Marcha, smiling and holding my baby.
Tears well up in my eyes as I take Josh from her arms. "Nikolai," I say, "You got our baby here safely."
He puts an arm around my shoulder. "I will never let you down."
I look up at him, cradling the baby in my arms. "Who else knows he's here?"
"Only three. My two most loyal men, and Marcha."
I look at Marcha and nod, thankful. "Your secret safe with me," she says, before excusing herself.
"My little pet," says Nikolai once she's gone, "I would like for you to move into my quarters starting tonight. You and the baby."
I think about his words, but my immediate reaction is no.
"I'm not ready for that," I say to him. I feel his temper rising, and I try to pre-empt it. "We'll see what happens. But I'm his mother, and I just want to be with him for now."
"We share responsibility for this baby. You agreed before I brought him here."
"I—we—just need time to acclimate." In this moment, I realize I don't sound anything like the old Jenna who used to work for EDGE. I guess becoming a mother is one of those things that changes you, calms you down. "Do you understand?"
He is silent for a minute, but eventually speaks. I can tell it's hard for him, but he forces a nod. "Very well," he says.
IT FEELS SO good to have Josh back in my arms. There's no crib in my quarters, so he lays with me in the king-size Victorian bed the first night. I feed him, and one of the female nannies brings me some diapers. They're the old-style cloth kind, thick and soft. They sure beat the Pull-Ups that I used back in the States.
I'm going to need a crib for the room sooner or later, because he's starting to crawl on his own. Can't have him crawl off the bed when I'm not looking.
The bond I feel with my child is unlike anything I've experienced before. I never saw myself as the type of girl to have a baby at all, and certainly not the baby of a man I hardly knew. But there's something about Nikolai. Something very special. I guess my genes just can't resist him. But my baby is the most precious thing to me in the world.
And that's why I'm not comfortable bringing the baby into Nikolai's quarters. I mean, I'm sure he'll protect the baby. It just feels too soon.
Still, I want him to be a part of Josh's life.
I decide to start with baby steps.
Three days after Josh is back in my arms, he and I meet Nikolai in his quarters for a late catered dinner. We've been staying out of the dining hall to avoid attracting the King's attention.
"Hey," I say to Nikolai, "What do you have on deck for tomorrow afternoon?"
"Meeting with Caprion city planners in the morning. That's all."
"Wanna go for a walk with me and the baby?"
He laughs, as if the idea of a walk is ridiculous.
"Huh?" I ask. Josh is in my arms, squirming. He's getting stronger every day.
"A walk is simply... so pedestrian."
"Yeah. That's the definition of pedestrian."
He ignores my jab. "A royal baby ought to do something more dignified than a mere walk." He ponders for a few seconds. "An equestrian outing is what we shall do."
"A what?"
He shakes his head at me. "Commoner girl."
"Hey," I snap at him, before he interrupts me.
He winks at me. "Just a joke. A horseback ride. On my prizewinning, thoroughbred racehorse, Buick."
"I don't know," I say apprehensively. "Horses are huge. Unpredictable. No place for a baby."
"Nonsense. A properly-trained horse is a tame and mellow beast. You will see."
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Nikolai's drivers take us out to a meadow beyond the borders of Caprion. There's a horse stable with five or six horses. They're all huge and strong. It doesn't take an expert to tell that they're top-quality animals.
"Wow," I say. "These all belong to you?"
He laughs. "They do. But each of them has been bequeathed to friends of mine. Except for one," he says, pointing to the single bright white one. "Buick is the strongest of the lot, and he is the one we shall ride."
Nikolai wears khakis and a golfing polo shirt. He looks surprisingly western for being the dictator of North Molvania. I think about poking fun of him for it, but I think better of it. He's so goddamn handsome though. Put him in the corner office of an office building in the States, and he'd have all the secretaries' eyes on him the first day on the job. The more I look at him, the more I realize he has those classic good looks. The kind that attracts women by the bushels, but also the kind that makes for... well, a damn hot dad.
But I'm having second thoughts about the horse ride. "I don't know," I tell him, clutching Josh against my chest in a baby sling. "What if he falls?"
Nikolai looks incredibly self-assured, to the extent that it actually inspires confidence in me. "My little pet, do you think I would do anything to hurt our little boy?"
"Accidents can happen," I point out. God, I sound like an ancient fucking fossil now. I was never concerned about what was safe before having the baby. I was only concerned with blowing up the status quo, exploring, and having fun. I feel like that part of me is gone now, but I dare not let anything happen that could hurt my little boy.
"Watch," says Nikolai. "This beast is tame." He swings up onto the horse, his body lithe and powerful, successfully mo
unting the horse from the ground. I'm taken aback by the air he gets on his vertical jump.
"The horse doesn't even have a saddle," I say, looking up at him. He's six-foot-six on a short day, but up there on the horse, he must be nine or ten feet tall. But I get the feeling that's how tall he feels on a daily basis, the entire palace and country under his thumb.
He rides confidently, and I see his calf muscles bulge through his pants as he clamps down on the horse between his legs, latching himself onto the animal.
I've never been a big horse person, but damn, there's something really sexy about seeing a man like him taming a giant beast like Buick. He doesn't need any equipment. Just his bare hands and his body.
"Hiya," he barks, his voice gruff and low. He slaps the horse with his bare palm, and it takes off across the meadow, bounding through the tall grass. I'm deathly afraid that he's going to go flying off the animal without a saddle to keep him put, but he doesn't. Instead, he expertly navigates the animal around the meadow with just his bare hands, not even using reins.
When he completes a circuit around the meadow, he returns to where I'm standing with Josh in my arms, and slows to a stop. The horse's gallop is magnificent.
I reach out with one hand and pet its nose. It licks me with a very sandpapery tongue.
"My little pet," he says, "are you yet convinced?"
I am genuinely impressed. I nod. "I've never seen anything like that before."
He grins and winks at me from atop Buick. "One of my many skills."
"Okay," I say. "Josh can do it, but I'm going up there with him."
Nikolai shrugs. "Then follow me. You will mount the horse from a platform. I'm not taking risks with my child either."
He trots the horse slowly to a platform with metal stairs pushed up against it. I climb up, and it puts me high enough to step onto the horse. I clutch Josh in my arms tightly as I do. Nikolai puts his strong hands around my waist, guiding me onto the horse like I weigh nothing.
I have to admit that I had doubts when we first came to the stable. But when I feel his strong, capable arms around me, it melts the fear away like ice on a summer day.
He trots the horse slowly, holding me steady in front of him. I've only ridden horseback once in my life, when I was a little girl. The sensation of being on this thoroughbred beast is completely different. It feels powerful, dangerous. But Nikolai's presence assures me everything will be okay.
Prince's Dirty Little Secret (A Royal Secret Baby Romance) Page 8
