by Lina Jubilee
“Rubbery,” I said, cutting him off.
He laughed a little under his breath. “I was going to say soft.” He planted his lips atop my forehead. “Unlike any other’s.”
“Trey, I… I like Rio and Zeke, too.” I flushed, wondering how much I really liked them. I’d spent two beautiful, harrowing evenings with them. Hardly enough to start considering which one to marry, but that was what was expected of me regardless. “And there’s someone else…”
“The best friend,” he said resolutely. Like he knew better than I had.
Pulling back, I massaged my temples. My little plan to have some “fun” with each of the princes was really backfiring on me.
“They told me you’re still a virgin.”
I stared at him. I wasn’t going to comment on how he knew since it was clear the princes spoke frankly with one another, however embarrassing that might be. “Am I? Technically?”
He shrugged. “That’s up to you to decide.”
Sighing, I stared back out at the night sky, thinking.
He spoke. “I just want you to know that I want you to be comfortable should you and I—”
“Shut up and kiss me,” I said, sliding in closer beside him and putting my hands on his shoulders.
He didn’t need to be asked twice.
His hands slid up my back and into the roots of my hair, taking hold of me as his mouth claimed mine, his tongue slipping through at just the right moments to stroke against my own trembling organ.
I gasped, coming up for air. “Show me how you use your abilities in the bedroom.”
He smirked. “We’re not exactly in a bedroom here.”
Growling, I took hold of his upper arms. “I don’t care.”
His throaty laughter rang out in the small space. “We hardly have time to do this properly, but I’ll give you a show.”
Before I could say anything more, he put a finger to my lips.
“You’re going to start doing everything I command,” he warned. “But I’ll always let you say what you want. If I command you to do something you don’t want, just say, ‘no,’ and I’ll undo the command.”
My mouth grew dry with anticipation, my insides vibrating. I shouldn’t have felt thrilled at the prospect of doing everything he said, but here I was, at the top of a Ferris wheel, ready to hand myself over to this prince from across the pond.
Trey leaned back, his arms on either side of the top of seat.
“Kick off your shoes,” he said first.
I complied before I could even blink, my feet fortunately able to kick out of my slip-ons with a bit of assistance from the toe of the other foot. I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how tame this was going to be.
“Take off your blouse,” he said.
There we go. My hands moved as if someone were controlling them, the blouse rolling up and over my head, fluttering to the floor. I hadn’t even bothered to unbutton it.
“Unclasp your bra,” he said.
I reached behind my back and did that, the bra sliding slightly forward off my shoulders, but when I felt my limbs return to my own sense of self again and I moved to slip the bra the rest of the way off, Trey spoke.
“Stop!”
I did, the straps of my bra dangling forward, my hand clutched over the front to keep the undergarment in place.
The corner of Trey’s mouth twitched. “When we’re playing, I prefer to be in control,” he said, waiting just a moment to see if I would object.
The area between my thighs was trembling.
“Come here,” he whispered, his deep voice practically getting stuck in his throat.
I shuffled across the small space and stood before him, my breaths growing shallow.
He put one hand on each side of my bare waist, the warmth of his fingers making me stumble as the cab swung slightly in the breeze.
“Show me your breasts,” he whispered.
I dropped the bra immediately, then hesitated, hovering over him as he shifted his palms upward to take hold of my mounds of flesh.
Then his tongue was on my nipple, teasing it before moving to the other. My knees buckled and I tumbled forward.
Gasping, he pulled back. “Remove your jeans.”
I did, and when the button caught on my hips, he quickly moved in to unlatch it for me, pulling the fly down so I could step out of the jeans without ripping them to get them off in my haste.
His hands clutched either side of my waist again, slipping inside the elastic of my underpants.
“Remove your knickers,” he said, taking his hands away.
I stood still, the need to do something overtaking me, but my limbs hesitant, confused.
“Remove your panties,” he clarified.
I did, and I stood there in nothing but my sock feet.
I stared down into his eyes, wanting to put my knee on his lap, wanting to dig into those pants to feel that expanding bulge skin to skin, but I stood there, awaiting to see what puppetry he’d have for me next.
“Lie across my knees,” he said, “your stomach down.”
I did, my mons grinding against the thick denim of his pants. Part of me wanted him to be naked, but another part of me was overwhelmed by the thrill of doing this where we might be seen—of me being the only one taking the risk.
I clearly had been neglecting my sexual drive.
His smooth, warm palm caressed my butt cheek, teasing at the top of the slit that split my ass in half. I let out a little giggle at the ticklish touch, but his finger moved quickly down, teasing at the wrinkled flesh below. I gasped.
“Tell me, ‘I’ve been naughty,’” he said.
While my mind was about to ponder why he’d wanted me to tell him he’d been naughty in this position, my lips were already forming the words, “I’ve been naughty,” in the huskiest tone I’d ever spoken in.
His palm slapped hard against my butt cheek.
I squeaked.
The cab’s lights flickered on and a grinding noise filled the air as the cab started shaking.
We were on our way down.
I squirmed, the pressure against my clit making me weak in the knees.
Trey’s hand smacked my ass again. “Stay put,” he said. Then he hesitated again, perhaps to see if I would object, but I didn’t, the flush of blood heading to my forehead like something out of the wildest sex dream.
My nose hovered over the plush bench seat to the side of Trey’s thighs, my nostrils taking in the scent of sweat in the air, the faint scent of lemongrass.
He smacked my ass again, and then his fingers darted to the crack between my cheeks, bypassing my most illicit of areas to circle down at my clit.
I writhed at the pressure, little moans escaping me in the harsh light as the cab made its slow, slow descent downward. My stomach felt like it was being left behind and I burst into giggles, covering my mouth.
Oh, god, though, if anyone sees us and it gets back to anyone I know…
But I hardly had time to object as Trey’s handiwork grew more intense, two of his fingers sliding up and down through my folds, his erection growing harder through his pants against my groin.
Two fingers slid inside me and I yelled, the sensation too much for me to keep quiet.
Trey chuckled darkly, but his hands kept exploring, coming to know me intimately, thrusting deep inside.
“Stay quiet for a minute,” he said. “The only word you can say is ‘no’ until I say otherwise.”
My moaning went silent, and my hands went to my mouth, stifling the need to giggle as I felt the cab slow down.
We were at the bottom. Oh my god, we’re at the bottom.
Trey knocked on the window of the cab. “Can we have another go?” he asked. “Just one more time around.”
My heart was thundering in my ears.
After half an endless minute, the cab shuddered back to life and shook, bringing us slowly back upward.
After a short while, he spanked me again. “Speak if you want. Sa
y whatever you want.”
I found myself giggling before I could say anything. I rolled over. It must have been more than a minute because I no longer felt I had to stay put. “Did anyone see me?”
Trey’s teeth gleamed in the dim flickering overhead lights. “The windows start up here,” he said, pointing about halfway up his arms. “I don’t think they had a clue.”
Though they had to wonder where I was in that case.
“Shall we go again?” he asked.
“Are you asking me?” I pointed out.
His head tipped back, his fingers trailing up my thigh. “Turn around and let me spank you.”
Chapter Seventeen
Prince Trey arranged for me to have my own room in the hotel. Part of me thought—hoped—he’d invite me to share his instead of simply kissing my hand and winking before heading down the hallway, but during a cool shower and a bit of time to myself, I realized I was in quite over my head.
Four men. Three princes. My parents expecting some kind of formal answer, at least about whom I might continue to date with marriage in mind, if any of my fellow royals.
Each man had seized a corner of my heart. It was too soon to be thinking about marriage under normal circumstances, but this was far, far from normal.
I wouldn’t have to marry whomever I chose, but I would be shutting the door on the other men.
I scrubbed my hair harder, practically ripping it at the roots.
All I did was disappoint myself, it seemed. I never wanted to think about life beyond Veras Academy, and here I was, expected to make a major decision about my life beyond the Academy in a matter of days.
And then there was the fact that my pussy practically throbbed with the need for fulfillment. For all the playing around I’d done with each of the four men, I was no closer to figuring anything out about my future than I had been before all this.
My mind was so occupied with my thoughts that I barely remembered putting on the hotel-issued robe and sliding into bed, but I couldn’t have been lying there for more than a second before my phone rang.
Who actually called me?
Rajani, apparently. Though I noticed as I went to answer it that she’d left half a dozen messages I hadn’t noticed.
“Finally!” she practically screamed over the phone. “The incident at the park is all over the news and you just go silent on me?”
I spoke aloud to the TV and asked it to turn on, scrolling through the channels with a wave of my hand until I got to the news. Almost as if on cue, the stoic newscaster switched from a story about summer beach safety to one with the headline, “Nelian Heir and British Prince Save the Day. Jollity Land Horror Invokes Heroics.”
There were blurry images of the women we’d saved being slowly lowered to the bushes, clearer pictures of Trey helping me off the coaster once we’d stopped, my face flushed red but with an unrestrained smile as I gazed into Trey’s eyes. I hadn’t even noticed people snapping pictures.
The newscaster spoke about what happened and why “the two royals” might have been spotted together, speculating about a Nelian-United Kingdom political alliance.
Chewing my lip, I lowered the volume and turned my attention back to Rajani, who was going on about a mile a minute.
“Hazel is furious,” she said, alerting me to pay better attention. “She said she was questioned by, I quote, ‘those Nelian thugs on Princess Bry-Bry’s orders like a common criminal.’ But as much as I hate them, they have to have had nothing to do with it, right? I’m not doubting motive. I’m doubting ability. I mean, the dream team’s powerset doesn’t seem to have anything that would make a roller coaster bar snap.”
A message flashed across my screen from Derek, and I quickly responded, realizing I’d left him hanging. I’m absolutely fine, I wrote back. Sorry I didn’t get in touch earlier. Resting at the hotel. Be back tomorrow. Missing morning classes.
“I mean, I don’t know,” I said. “I saw them there and thought it was weird. Can anyone blame me for having them looked into?”
“I certainly can’t. Those brats don’t exactly need a reason to bully someone they don’t like. And there’s the whole ‘stay away from our princes’ crap.”
“Putting strangers in mortal danger is a step beyond bullying,” I pointed out.
“Maybe they counted wrong. Thought you’d be the ones seated where those women were.”
My blood ran cold. We had switched to a back seat. “And put their prince in mortal danger? Even Hazel has more sense than that.” I was starting to convince myself the more I spoke. Everyone had said it was just wear and tear on the metal. A coincidence.
Just like the boars going nuts yesterday and that little girl in need of a rescue on Friday. Cripes, that all felt like ages ago now.
The image on the TV switched to another story, about the fugitive Nelian, last spotted in California, clear across the country from where he’d started. A clip played of Daddy Alarik giving a news conference earlier in the day. I turned up the volume.
“The Nelian government is taking full responsibility for tracking this criminal down. We’re just glad to see there have been no reports of harm come to anyone. But I must reiterate: Do not engage. Call the authorities if you spot him.”
A reporter asked him, “About your daughter, Your Majesty? What do you think about her heroics?”
Daddy’s eyes seemed to sparkle as his lips turned into a slight smile. This was the Daddy I knew, the one who wasn’t so stiff and serious all the time. “I always knew she was a hero,” he said.
“And do you have a comment about her being spotted with Prince Trey of the United Kingdom?”
“No more questions,” said Daddy into the mic, quickly walking away from the podium.
“Bry?” asked Rajani in my ear.
“Sorry. Daddy was on TV talking about the fugitive.”
“Yeah,” said Rajani, her voice dropping an octave. “They’re trying to seem calm and collected, but everyone knows something’s up.”
My spine went stiff. “What do you mean?”
“Everyone’s fine,” she said. “It’s just the instructors are always whispering in the halls. They send teams out and they come back grumpier than ever. Students are sticking to their dorms. Even Hazel and her cohorts haven’t been lingering much out in the hallways. Have you talked to your parents?”
“While we were being interrogated about the incident.”
“Interrogated?”
I shrugged, though she couldn’t see me. “They just wanted to know our version of events. But the fugitive stuff didn’t come up when I was on the phone with them.”
“Hmm,” said Rajani. “Well, anyway, enemies and mortal danger aside, how did your date with Prince Trey go? Have you made a decision yet?”
“Jani, I can’t decide whom I want to marry after three dates.”
“I don’t know how this royal stuff works,” she said, clearly a little miffed. “But you have to at least have an idea if you want to see one of them again.”
I groaned. Back to all that. “I want to see them all again.”
“You little minx.” She sounded terribly amused. “Save some for the rest of us, why don’t you?”
“I thought you had a thing for Connak.”
She tsked. “I was looking for a little action with Connak. I don’t know how a life with a Nelian would work if I become a surgeon on Earth.”
She was dancing a little too uncomfortably close to the question bothering me.
“But I’ll have to speak to them all,” I admitted. “I don’t know how long they can stay here. I’m sure they have loads of political stuff to do. They’re not actually going to enroll in classes or anything.”
“None of them are the heirs to the throne like you are,” she said. “I’m sure they can reschedule whatever they have planned if it means spending more time with you.”
“Maybe,” I said. But I couldn’t exactly ask all three to stay longer, could I?
Everyone kn
ew the Nelian king shared his consort with three other men. But would other Earth royal families even consider letting their sons share a bride?
It was ridiculous of me to even be thinking about it. I felt so selfish.
And what would Derek think?
I checked the clock. It was past midnight, and the activity of the day—in all sorts of ways—hit me like a brick wall. “Jani, I’m going to turn in. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“All right,” she said, clearly disappointed I hadn’t yet recounted any details about my date with Prince Trey. “Hey, Bry?” she asked right before I was going to say goodbye.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t let what anyone else thinks stop you from pursuing your heart,” she said. “All that matters is what you and the man—or men—you want to be with think. Royalty or not.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling a soothing sense of warmth flood over me.
“If you want to thank me, put in a good word for me with Connak—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, snickering. It didn’t take me long to fall asleep after I’d shut off the TV and the light.
The ride back was blissfully uneventful, and even fairly quiet, everyone no doubt exhausted from the events of the day before. Trey kept my hand in his and I didn’t have the heart to pull away, even if it meant I hurt him when I met with all three of them. For now, I wanted to relish this feeling. This bliss.
Lacey seemed absolutely exhausted, Sage’s brow in a perpetual furrow. As we drove into the Academy grounds and piled out of the limo, Sage pulled me aside. “We’re going to Aunt Alanna’s.” He nodded at Lacey, still seated in Prince Trey’s rented limousine. “Trey said he’d have his man offer us a lift. Lacey needs a break from her powers.”
“Of course.” I gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for coming yesterday.”
He squeezed my elbow, his posture slumping. “I’m only sorry I proved useless when you were in danger.”
“Don’t say that.” I play-punched him on the arm. “I’m the one who protects, remember? Literally. I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger for me.”
Sage glanced over my shoulder pointedly and I turned to see what he was looking at: Princes Rio and Zeke coming out of the front door of the Academy, speaking with Trey, their faces brightening in one another’s presence, Trey slapping Zeke on the back and smiling broadly at Rio.
