by Leila Haven
The game just got more real.
I was fighting for this, for moments like these, for this man. He would be mine no matter what I had to do. I wanted a lifetime of this, and nobody would stand in my way to make sure it happened.
“I want you to come,” Rick ordered as he pressed down on my clit. He knew where to touch to have the most effect, and he didn’t disappoint now.
My stomach bloomed with joy as it spread through my body. My pussy throbbed and sung with intense pleasure that swept me away like I was a dandelion in the breeze. Everything faded away as my gaze met Rick’s. He watched me carefully while I was lost, like a life raft in a storm.
My breath quickened as I allowed my body to relax and swim in the happiness. Nothing else mattered while we lay there together and let the emotions settle. All the skin on my body tingled with wonderful satisfaction. The wait had been worth it in so many ways.
Rick took his hand from my pussy and pulled me against him. I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it thudded steadily within his ribcage. When I really paid attention, I noticed it beat at the same time as mine. We were synchronized, so in line that even our hearts knew it. I just wished we could be like this all the time. Everything with the wedding was so mixed up. It was making me crazy.
He was still gloriously naked as we lay on top of the bed sheets. I liked the way it was only me that got to see him like this. Anna never would, I would make sure of it. Rick was my man, prince or not, and he would always stay that way.
“I love you, Melody,” he said with a gravelly voice.
“I love you too.” The words made tears spring to my eyes. I did love Rick. Sometimes I wondered if I loved him too much. It was the kind of pure love that could tear someone apart, shatter them to pieces if anything ever happened to it.
There was no way to walk away from what we had. It would hurt me like nothing else could. Rick held my heart in his hands, and he could revere it or squeeze it. He alone could decide my fate.
Chapter 7
Richard
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
I hated waking Melody to tell her she needed to go back to her own room. If someone found her in my bed, there would be gossip across the kingdom before breakfast. We were supposed to stay chaste until the wedding night; it was expected of us.
What the public didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. In the larger scheme of things, whether I was fucking my fiancée or not was nothing. The real problem was my dying father. But it was too late for thinking of things such as that.
In the end, I couldn’t bear to wake her. She looked so beautiful as she slept in her lace teddy. A sexy angel, my sexy angel. I stood, threw on a dressing gown, and picked her up, lifting her into my arms gently so not to wake her.
There was nobody in the corridor, thank goodness. It was just after midnight so there was no reason for anybody to be stalking around the palace. I crept quickly along until I entered Melody’s private quarters.
I loved her rooms. Even though they were decorated by the same person that did most of the other living quarters in the palace, there was something different about these rooms. They smelled like Melody’s sweet peony perfume and had her belongings dotted around the place. A book here, a hair clip there… they all made up the woman I loved.
It was going to be perfect when we could live together. I wanted to wake up to her gorgeous face every morning, and I wanted to kiss her goodnight before I slept. There was nothing I wanted more than that woman.
I lowered her onto her own bed and pulled the sheets up to her chest. She snuggled in while she slept, an automatic response to being in her own bed. I kissed her on the forehead and allowed myself to breathe in the honey scent of her hair.
The wedding couldn’t come quick enough.
Reluctantly, I left her and returned to my own bed. If I breathed deeply enough, I was still able to smell her shampoo on my pillow. It was intoxicating.
I dreamed of her and only her.
In the morning, I saw Melody again at breakfast. We couldn’t talk openly, as Anna and my mother joined us. If we could, I would have told her that I was thinking of her mouth wrapped around my cock.
God, she was amazing. Her tongue, her hands, her lips. She could give a blowjob better than anyone I was trying to forget from my past. There was only one woman I wanted now, and all the rest paled vastly in comparison.
I had a lot of work to do, so I reluctantly left my fiancée at the breakfast table and went to my office. Not only was I dealing with my own duties, but my father’s too. Nobody could know how sick he was, so official business had to remain as smooth as always.
All I could think about was Melody. Every inch of me screamed to run to her and fuck everything else. But I couldn’t do that, I was a prince and there were responsibilities I couldn’t shirk.
I started with the paperwork my father was supposed to read and then make a decision on. He was in no state to be dealing with the stack three inches high. I started at the top and told myself I would not move until I reached the end.
Hours passed as I waded through all the paper. When I was a little boy, I never realized how much work there was to being a king. I thought my father just waved and smiled at his people. I never gave a thought for just how much he actually did for the kingdom.
When I found out, I tried to deny my claim to the crown. I drowned myself in alcohol and women, trying to pretend I was a regular person with a life that belonged to me. If it wasn’t for my father’s illness, I would probably still be drinking until I was obliterated and fucking everything in a tiny skirt.
But my responsibilities had brought me to Melody, so I wouldn’t change them for anything now. I was destined to be king. I would own that title and future. For the kingdom, for my parents, for Melody, and for me.
I was almost finished when someone wrapped softly on the door. “Come in.”
Anna poked her head around the door. “Sorry to interrupt you, Your Majesty. I have the final guest list for the wedding that I need you to approve.”
A break from the paperwork was welcomed. “Sure, come in, and let’s have a look at it.”
She pulled a chair over to sit next to my desk. The guest list was on her electronic notebook. We scrolled through it together. Her perfume had some kind of flower scent. She was sitting so closely that it was all I could smell.
Most of the names on the list were dignitaries, some from our country and some from around the world. I knew Anna would have all the officials covered. I didn’t need to check them.
I stopped when an unexpected name popped up. “You plan on inviting Violet to the wedding?” It seemed an odd choice, considering she was in line to be my wife at one stage not too long ago.
“It’s a show of good faith,” Anna explained calmly. “To prove there were no hard feelings between you and the other ladies we had as our guests.”
Violet was a nice woman, and we probably wouldn’t notice her at the wedding. If Anna thought she should be invited, then she was probably right. I trusted her judgment. “Okay, then.”
The rest of the list was pretty ordinary. The few real friends I had were jotted on the bottom, and it appeared Melody’s family was included as well. “Has my bride gone through the list too?”
“I will be seeing her next. She provided her list to me, and I’ve included them all. So hopefully there won’t be another problem.”
“Another problem?” I thought I’d dealt with the drama between the two of them.
Anna nodded. “She didn’t like our ballroom furniture. I explained they were antiques, but she insisted they were too old to be allowed to decorate the room during the reception.”
“I’m sorry she’s being difficult. Please persevere. The wedding will be over before we all know it.”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty.”
“You know you can call me Richard.”
“I know. It just seems so casual.” She shrugged coyly. I’d known Anna for too long not
to notice her little idiosyncrasies.
“We’re friends, Anna. Casual is fine.”
“Yes… Richard. I will try to remember that in the future. Sometimes I forget I’ve been at the palace for so long.”
“We’ve shared a lot of drama,” I commented. “That calls for first names.”
She finally agreed, and we finished up with the list. I returned to my paperwork with a sigh. There was no getting around everything that needed to be done for the kingdom to run smoothly.
It was troubling to hear that Melody was still making life difficult for Anna. I thought our talk yesterday would have been enough. Clearly, I was wrong.
I didn’t want to have another talk with Melody. One should have been enough. I wasn’t used to not being listened to. With the wedding so close, maybe I could let it slide. After all, Melody was the bride, and I wanted her to have whatever she wanted.
Hopefully she would calm down after the wedding.
Paperwork occupied the rest of my day, and I worked into the evening as well. In fact, I barely left my office for the next two days. With the wife search, I’d been lax with my duties and had to make up for it now.
I’d barely seen Melody or Anna, passing glances was about all I had time for. I felt terrible for neglecting them both, but if I didn’t catch up on my work, I wouldn’t be able to go on the honeymoon.
It was mid-afternoon on the third day, and I’d almost caught up on my work when I heard a commotion in the palace. I was looking for a distraction, so I hurried to find out what all the fuss was about.
In the main foyer were a gaggle of women, all talking at the same time and hugging Melody. I recognized them from the café where she worked. They’d all witnessed our engagement.
Anna stood off to the side, staying away from the family reunion. I walked down the sweeping staircase to reach the group. “Welcome to the palace.”
They all stopped to stare at me. Melody stepped to be by my side, linking her hand in mine. “You all remember my fiancé Richard? Rick, these are my cousins.”
“I remember. You must be here for the wedding. I’m so glad you could join us.”
They all giggled in response, but nobody said anything. I bet they’d have a lot to say the moment I left the room. “My cousins are all bridesmaids,” Melody said. “They have to get fitted for their dresses and briefed on protocol, so I thought it would be a good idea for them to get here early.”
“Very wise,” I replied. “And now you get to have some time together in the lead up to the big event. A great idea all around.”
Melody beamed. I hadn’t seen her this happy since the engagement. She hadn’t been herself since coming to the palace; hopefully her cousins could bring back her spark. When I asked her about it, she’d said everything was fine. I didn’t want to make an issue out of it.
“Well, I have a mountain of work to do so I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything.” I withdrew, feeling every eye in the room on me until I disappeared down the corridor upstairs. I didn’t feel self-conscious very often, but her family’s opinion of me was important. I wanted to make a good impression on them and make Melody proud to be with me.
I was almost at my office when efficient footsteps padded behind me. I turned, expecting to see Melody, but it was Anna that had followed me. “I’m sorry to bother you, Richard.”
“It’s not a bother. Is something wrong?”
She hesitated, clearly something was concerning her. “It’s just a wedding problem. Actually, I’m sure it’s something I can work out for myself. Sorry to keep you from your work.” She went to leave, but I gently touched her elbow to stop her.
“What is it? I want to know. And help, if I can.”
Anna looked at her feet, wringing her hands together. “Melody and I had already discussed who her bridesmaids were supposed to be. We agreed it was best for those with a connection to the palace to act in that capacity. Hearing her cousins are also bridesmaids is a surprise and now puts extreme pressure on the plans so we can accommodate them. I just don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Her words flowed out of her like a waterfall, and I didn’t know what I could do to comfort her. She was clearly very upset by this turn of events.
At the end of the day, Melody had done the wrong thing. For everything at the palace to work, we all had to be on the same page. She needed to understand the importance of working together or things weren’t going to work out.
I wished it hadn’t come to this.
Chapter 8
Melody
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
It was such a relief to have my family here at the palace. I wasn’t so alone now. I could talk openly without fear of someone running off to tell on me.
I took my cousins on a tour of the palace. I stuck to the areas I’d seen, making sure to keep out of everyone’s way. Despite Rick’s attempts, I still felt like an outsider here so I didn’t want to venture anywhere I wasn’t permitted to go.
“This is amazing,” Dami exclaimed. “I can’t believe you live here.”
“And you’re going to be a princess,” Zoe added.
“I can hardly believe it either,” I said. Every morning I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Having familiar faces around me was going to help. It had to be real if they could see it too.
“Plus, you get your very own Prince Charming,” Claire said, making everyone laugh.
We stopped in the sunroom and sat on the beautiful antique lounges. Oil paintings of Rick’s ancestors looked down at us from the wall, each of them in a regal pose.
“Enough about me,” I insisted. “Tell me everything that is going on at home. I’ve been desperate for some gossip.”
Dami took a deep breath. “Well, let’s start with the fact that Trisha is pregnant. You’re never going to guess who the father is. I mean, really—”
She was cut off as Rick stormed into the room suddenly. His eyes scanned the room until they locked onto mine. Anger seethed underneath his skin. “Melody, can I see you alone, please.”
I stood, a sick feeling permeating my stomach. “Of course you can.” We stepped out into the corridor, and I closed the door securely behind me.
Rick crossed his arms over his chest. “There’s no way around asking this question, so I’m just going to come out and say it. Did you discuss your cousins being bridesmaids before you asked them?”
So that was his problem? Bloody Anna must have run to him, telling more tales. If he thought he was angry, he knew nothing of the heat boiling in my veins. “Yes, I did. In fact, we had a very big discussion about who would be my bridesmaids.”
“She said you agreed that it should be palace associates.”
“We never agreed to that. She told me that was how it was going to go, and I told her I needed my cousins to be involved too. She knew that. I’m not lying, Rick.”
“She doesn’t think it’s a good idea for non-associates to take part in such a formal occasion,” he stated, like he was parroting her word for word. “And I have to agree. The eyes of the whole world will be upon us, and we have to ensure we maintain a high standard of decorum.”
“Are you saying my cousins aren’t posh enough to be in our wedding?” Because if he did, we had trouble. I’d never seen this side of Rick before, and I wish I never had.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. They are lovely, in their own right. But we need women that will do and say everything correctly. Anna thinks—”
“Stop talking,” I warned. If he quoted Anna one more time, I was going to explode. The woman was trying to cause problems, and she’d hit the motherlode now.
“Melody, we need—”
I held up my hand to stop him this time. “We need to talk about this without Anna interfering. There is nothing wrong with my cousins. They will do everything perfectly. If it wasn’t for Anna deciding that she knows everything and is the supreme goddess of weddings, it wouldn’t even be an issue.”
&nb
sp; “She is trying to do the right thing by the palace,” he seethed.
“No, she’s trying to make me look like a complete commoner. Anna hates me and doesn’t want me anywhere near you, especially at the end of that aisle.”
Rick paused, and my stomach clenched as tightly as it would go. I wanted him to say something that would make this all better, to repair the damage that was just torn between us. But I got the feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.
He took a breath, then another, before replying. “Anna knows what she is doing. I trust her judgment. We must defer to her in official matters.”
