by Diana Ames
“Are you out of your mind?” Damian asked. “Two days ago, you didn’t trust yourself to be alone with a woman, and now, you want to marry one. A woman who, might I add, is pregnant with my child.”
“I have feelings for her, Damian. I don’t want to see her hurt anymore. When she was sobbing in my arms a little while ago, I felt like someone was ripping out my heart. If all you are going to do is be a prick to her, then I think you should stand aside and let someone who cares step up to the plate.”
Damian reached for the whiskey and took a hard slug straight from the bottle. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and frankly, he didn’t want to hear any more.
“My child, my responsibility,” Damian said before taking another gulp. “Don’t even think about interfering,” he warned.
“What about the child’s mother, Damian? Do you think she wants to spend the rest of her life as your responsibility?” Anton stood up. “Just think about it,” he said softly. “From the way you’re drinking, I don’t think we’re going anywhere today.”
Leaving Damian to brood, Anton walked back to the home portion of the building. He said a silent prayer that Damian would come to his senses before he hurt Mellissandra again and before he hurt himself even more.
***
“Honey, I know Damian,” Wally said to the inconsolable Mellissandra. “He wouldn’t demand to marry you if he didn’t love you, baby or no baby. He just doesn’t work that way.”
“You didn’t hear him, Wally.” Mellissandra sobbed. “My child won’t be a bastard. My child won’t be raised in a whorehouse,” she said, mimicking Damian’s harsh tone. “He doesn’t care about me. He already tossed me aside once.” Mellissandra went to her bag and pulled out the envelope of money with the note that broke her heart. She passed it to Wally. “This was my good-bye.”
Wally’s eyes widened as she quickly counted the money. There was over $10,000 in the envelope. What was Damian thinking? What was Mellissandra thinking, walking around with that much cash? As shocked as she was at the amount of money, she was enraged at the three words written in Damian’s handwriting. You’ve earned it.
“Well, that does it,” Wally said, standing up. “You aren’t going to marry him! Because I’m going to kill him!”
“Oh, Wally, no,” Mellissandra said. “I don’t want him to know that you know. I’m already so ashamed of myself. I just wanted you to understand how I know he doesn’t care about me.”
Wally sat back down and started stroking Mellissandra’s hair. The girl was lying on her bed and crying into her pillow with shattering sobs. She was breaking Wally’s heart just as Wally knew the girl’s heart was breaking all over again.
“Try to get some sleep, darlin’,” Wally crooned to her in a soft, soothing voice. “It’s been a long, hard evening. And all this crying ain’t good for you or the baby.”
Wally stayed with her until Mellissandra finally cried herself to sleep. She picked up the note and the envelope of cash on her way out the door. She was going to pound some sense into Damian even if she had to get Ryan to do it for her.
***
Damian was drunk. He didn’t realize just how drunk until he tried to stand up from the bar. He nearly fell when the room went spinning. He didn’t mind that he was drunk though. Usually, being drunk dulled his thoughts of the redhead who’d been haunting him. Today, however, it seemed the alcohol only magnified her place in his mind until she consumed him.
He couldn’t stop replaying Anton’s words. Anton had feelings for her. Anton would marry her. Damian decided Anton would die if he tried to touch her. Brother or not, crown prince or not, if Anton tried to steal his woman, Damian would kill him.
Stumbling, Damian made his way over to the house. He was determined to find Mellissandra and tell her just how he felt. Maybe she would stop hating him for ruining her life. If not for his sake, then maybe she could learn to care for him just a little for the sake of their child.
When Damian finally managed to get to Mellissandra’s room, he nearly lost his nerve. He was about to let go of his pride and beg her to give him a chance. Even drunk, the dominant male inside him protested. That side of him wanted to demand she love him. He wanted her complete capitulation. He fought the urges, knowing he would have to earn her trust.
He didn’t knock on the door. He just opened it and slipped inside. The room was dark, but he could hear her soft breathing. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted enough to make out the bed and her womanly form lying there. For a few minutes, he stood above her, just watching her sleep. He was mesmerized by how beautiful she was even in the dark room.
Damian couldn’t control the urge to lie beside her. He stroked the hair that had tormented his dreams for weeks. Picking up one long tendril, he brought it to his nose and inhaled her scent. His body reacted immediately, his heart racing and his cock thickening.
Damian ran one hand down the side of her body, feeling the swell of her breast and the gentle curve of her hip. He molded his hand over her thin panties and lovingly cupped one ass cheek. Her body was everything he desired, and now, it was cradling his child. He moved his hand again and allowed it to rest over her belly. Just the slightest swelling was there, not really enough to be noticed when she was clothed, but he could feel it. A grin played upon his lips as he stroked the belly where his baby slept.
Combined with the alcohol, the euphoria overwhelmed him and blurred his mind. Soon, he was nibbling on her ear and kissing her neck. His hand slipped inside her panties, and gently, he teased the button at the apex of her womanhood.
Groaning in her sleep, Mellissandra responded by rolling onto her back.
He slid one finger in between her soft folds and stroked the hot flesh. Leaning up, Damian used his free hand to slide her shirt over her body, exposing her breasts. He took one turgid nipple between his lips just as he thrust one long finger inside her.
Mellissandra’s eyes snapped open with the invasion of her body. “What are you doing?” she demanded in a husky voice.
When he ignored her and turned his attention to her other breast, she left out a breathless groan.
“Damian,” she whispered.
He lifted his head and met her eyes in the dark room. He knew her body was reacting, but he saw her eyes were burning as well.
“Let me love you, Sandra,” he whispered. “Let me show you how much I love you.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his words, but she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She didn’t want to hope only to be hurt again. She looked into his eyes, and the sincerity and desire there had her melting. His finger stroking her insides wasn’t helping her to think clearly either. She wanted to give in, to let him make love to her, but she was so afraid.
She took a deep breath and answered him. “Make love to me, Damian.”
Damian slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her until they were both breathing hard. Her hands went to his shirt and fumbled with the buttons. Impatient, Damian stood up and ripped the shirt from his body. His pants followed, and soon, he was lying atop her, completely naked.
Mellissandra caught her breath as she felt Damian’s body against hers. His body hair tickled her, but it was so sensual that she wanted to pet and stroke him.
“I can’t wait, Sandra,” he whispered. “I’ve been dreaming about you since the moment you left the castle. You’ve haunted me. I need to be inside you now.”
Her legs parted in invitation. She gained confidence with every whispered word. He might regret telling her he loved her. It might just be the alcohol talking, but he definitely wanted her. And her love for him wouldn’t allow her to deny him anything.
He moved in between her thighs and positioned himself at her entrance. With a gentle push, he slipped just an inch inside her. He pulled back a little and then pushed forward, gaining farther entrance. For several minutes, he tormented her with the shallow thrusts, only entering her so far.
“Damian, please.”
She groaned only
to hear him chuckle.
“Be patient, little one. I’m going to love you all night long. I want to do this right. I don’t want to hurt you,” he told her huskily.
It was only a few more minutes before she could take no more. As he was thrusting inward, she put her hands on his back, wrapped her legs around his waist, and arched her body into his. Her motion pushed him deep inside her, and they both gasped at the pleasure rocketing through them.
When Damian felt his balls slap against her round ass cheeks, he lost the hold on his control. He was in her, deep in her, and he couldn’t stop his body’s need and demand to fuck her. He began slamming in and out of her in fast, hard strokes. The sounds of her moans and pants were making it hard from him to contain himself. He gritted his teeth against the intense urge to come until he felt her walls clamping down on him.
“I love you,” he cried as his cock exploded deep inside her. “I love you so much,” he whispered. He collapsed down on her, burying his head into the crook of her neck. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard her whisper that she loved him, too.
***
Gilly looked at the full tray of food sitting in front of Jenalynn. It was the second meal she hadn’t touched today. Gilly frowned. She wasn’t going to let the bitch starve her baby.
“You have to eat, dear,” Gilly said to her.
Still unresponsive, Jenalynn didn’t even blink at Gilly’s words. She almost seemed catatonic. Gilly knew she wasn’t though. She watched the woman from time to time on a video monitor. When no one was in the room with her, Jenalynn had begun trying to get out of bed. That wouldn’t do either. Gilly couldn’t have the woman go waltzing out of the isolation room.
“If you won’t eat and you won’t talk to me,” Gilly said, “I will have to take drastic measures.”
Gilly waited a few moments as Jenalynn appeared to be considering her words. When no response was forthcoming, Gilly got angry. Her face twisted with rage, and she grabbed the prostrate woman by the shoulders. Getting nose to nose with Jenalynn, Gilly allowed her anger to take control.
“You listen to me, you little whore,” Gilly snarled quietly. “You are merely a womb to carry the child I cannot. That baby is my ticket to the man I’ve loved since I was a child, and I will not allow you to starve it or depress it.” In an attempt to force the woman to meet her eyes, Gilly slapped her face lightly. “That is my child, mine and Anton’s, inside your body. If you do not care for it while it resides in your body, I will see that you are put to death for treason. I will put you to death myself!”
Gilly stood up and straightened her long white lab coat. Her face morphed back to the consummate professional she normally presented.
“Now, dear, have I made myself very clear on this matter?” Gilly asked in a concerned doctor voice.
Jenalynn didn’t say a word or blink an eye in response. She merely picked up the fork and began eating the food on the tray.
***
The captain watched the video again. He was sure it was Gilly going into the garage. He double-checked the time stamp and did some calculations in his head. She had been there during the correct time. The problem was that she had never come back through the garage into the castle. She hadn’t reappeared in the castle for almost five hours. When she had returned, she had walked in through a different entrance.
He was trying to put her in the sex club at the time of the woman’s death, but Damian ran his own security cameras, so the captain didn’t have access to those. Only Damian could grant him access, and Damian, along with Prince Anton, had dropped off the face of the earth. He had enough to arrest and question a normal person, but Gilly had royal blood, acknowledged and legitimate royal blood. He had to have rock-solid evidence and approval from the prince, one of the princes at least, to even approach her.
The captain sat back and pushed play. If it was the last thing he did, he was determined to find something on one of these videos to tie Gilly to the woman’s death.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Mellissandra awoke slowly. She was surrounded by heat, and the area between her thighs ached. She stretched languidly and then opened her eyes. She was startled to find Damian leaning over her, grinning.
“You are so beautiful,” he said before he kissed her lightly.
She kissed him back for a second, but then she pushed him away and sat up. Last night, he had done exactly what he’d said he would. He’d made love to her all night long. She still wasn’t sure if he’d meant everything else he’d said, and she wasn’t jumping into anything blind ever again.
“Please don’t push me away,” Damian said, kneeling beside the bed. He gathered her hands in his and brought them to his lips. “Please.”
“Damian,” Mellissandra began, awkwardly pulling back her hands. “We need to talk before this goes any further.”
Damian sighed and moved to sit beside her on the bed. After last night, he hoped that she felt something for him besides lust and hate.
“Damian, last night was…” Mellissandra paused, hesitating. “Indescribable. Now that it’s morning, I have to question your words and your motivations. Please understand that I want to believe what you said last night—”
“I swear to you that every word I said last night was the complete truth,” Damian said, cutting her off. “You have haunted my every thought, awake and asleep. For a solid month, I drowned myself in liquor, trying to forget your face, your hair, and the way you taste on my lips.”
“Why didn’t you come after me? If you really felt this way, why didn’t you come to me?” Mellissandra asked with disbelief.
“Everything you said about me is true,” Damian admitted. “I am a sex club owner, and although there aren’t many that know it, I own this whorehouse as well. I train sexual submissives, and I head up committees and chair groups to make everything in the sex industry legal and legitimate. I’m not good enough for someone as sweet, pure, and perfect as you are,” he said with passion. “Besides, you were only trying to help your family. You didn’t really desire to be a part of my world. How could I try to bring you into it, knowing that it would probably corrupt your soul as it has mine?”
“So, what has changed, Damian? I’m still not a part of that world. I might be living in a whorehouse, but Ryan and Wally haven’t allowed anything remotely sexual in nature anywhere near me.”
“So much has changed, Sandra,” Damian said, picking up her hands again. “One thing is that you are no longer with your family. I wouldn’t be stealing you away from a wonderful home. And now that I’ve seen you again, I don’t have the strength to push you away from me. I will literally do whatever I must to keep you by my side.” Damian paused and took a deep breath. “Plus, you’re carrying my baby in your belly.” He put his hand over her abdomen.
“How do I know you’re not making all this up because of the baby?” Mellissandra whispered. She was weakening. She wanted so badly to believe him that she was having trouble remaining skeptical.
“Talk to anyone who knows me. Talk to Anton. He can tell you what I’ve been like without you. Talk to Wally. She can tell you I never do anything because I have to,” he said desperately.
Wally had told her that before Damian had come to her last night. Although she was beginning to believe while hope filled her chest, they still had a few things left to discuss.
“Damian,” she said hesitantly, “do you think I’m a whore?”
“What? No, Sandra. You are a beautiful, sensual woman. I was stupid to push you away. I was stupid to try to hurt you. I was just so angry at you for not being what I thought you were, what I wished you were,” Damian said quickly.
“I will never be submissive. I’ll never be what you want,” Mellissandra said. “I want to see my mother again, and I hope my father will forgive me someday. I couldn’t live with you training and touching and making love to other women. That would kill me.” Tears were streaming down her face, but she wasn’t sobbing. She maintained control because this wa
s the most important conversation of her life.
“I know you’re not submissive, my darling,” Damian said. “Although I think you would enjoy submitting to me in bed, I have no illusions that you will just agree to whatever I say. I would never change that. Your spirit, your determination, and your independent nature is what has kept you safe while I was busy being blind to how much I need you.
“I would give up training for you in a heartbeat. I still want to run my club and be involved in the politics of the sex industry, but I would take more of a backseat role.” He kissed her lightly. “You would never have cause to doubt my fidelity. And the upside is that,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her, “I’m pretty adventurous in bed. There is nothing taboo. If there was anything you want to try or explore, I’d be right there with you.”
“What about my family? Would you try to keep me from them?”
“Only if they cause you more pain. I’m not going to stand by and watch someone rip out your heart and stomp on it,” he said firmly.
“One more question,” Mellissandra said quietly, suppressing a grin. Looking into his eyes, she asked, “Can we get married here? Today? I want Wally and Ryan to be with me when I marry you.”
Damian let out a whoop and swept her into his arms. He’d never felt such elation as he did at this moment. It was like the universe was finally aligning just for him.
“We can do whatever you want,” Damian said into her hair.
***
Anton pasted a smile on his face as Mellissandra and Damian announced that they wanted to be married this afternoon. He was happy for his brother, but it was killing him inside that he’d lost his chance with Mellissandra before he’d ever really had it.
“We’re going to head out as soon as we’re married,” Damian said. “I want to get Mellissandra back to the castle and get her checked out. We want to make sure everything is going well with the pregnancy.”
