by Virna DePaul
Three stunned faces all stared at her. Alec let out a low whistle, while Heath grinned wide. “Of course,” Heath said, as he raised his beer. “To playing with balls, men!”
“To playing with balls!” The others raised their glasses for the toast.
“She schooled you,” Kyle laughed at Heath. “Never question a woman from Salasia on football ever again, unless you intend to lose.” Arabella beamed, and Kyle rubbed her arm. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”
“So, Bella…” Alec’s full attention was on her. “Do you have any other special talents, besides knowing way more about football than my own fiancée does?”
The group laughed. Arabella obviously couldn’t mention anything about being a princess, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t talk about her other love—singing. “I’m a trained opera singer,” she replied. At Kyle’s surprised expression, she asked, “Is that so hard to believe?”
He grinned and shook his head. “Bella of Salasia, full of surprises—in a good way. Do you sing professionally?”
“Well, no, but I want to travel the world as a singer. I just haven’t had the opportunity yet, but someday.”
Kyle murmured in her ear. “You’ll do it, Duchess. I believe in you.”
As the night continued, the group got louder, and the drinks were poured faster. Arabella felt like part of the group. Talking about football had earned everyone’s respect and secured her position as “one of the guys” at the table. She watched a game of darts, suddenly longing to play something so…normal.
“Why so sad?” Kyle whispered. His warm breath so close to her cheek reminded her of this afternoon, which now seemed so long ago.
She forced off the melancholy feeling and smiled at him. “Not sad, really. Just contemplative.”
“What are you thinking about?” He wiggled his eyebrows, obviously suggesting their memory from earlier today in Room 586.
“Oh, just how I’m going to kick your butt at a game of darts.” She pursed her lips.
Kyle guffawed and immediately hauled her to her feet. “Is that so? Now you have to follow through, Duchess.”
Arabella had no idea how to play darts, she was just full of beer and extra confidence at this point, so as soon as her darts bounced off the wall, not even hitting the board, he launched into full chiding mode. Embarrassed, she blushed bright red, but Kyle loved teasing her. At the same time, he was sweet, pulling her body up against his torso, and, lifting her arm, helped her aim a dart just right.
Arabella had to swallow softly to not let on how that made her feel, as the closeness between them set off sizzling sparks through her legs and loins. Her legs trembled, and she found it hard to concentrate.
“Now, the important thing to remember,” he whispered against her ear, “is to ignore everything else around you. Just concentrate on the throw. Straight down the middle, gripping it between your thumb and index finger. See where you want it to hit?”
She nodded, but she didn’t care about darts at the moment. She only wanted this moment to last all night, the warmth of Kyle’s tall, solid body behind her, his breath fanning her cheek. She could feel his hardness against her ass, and instinctively, she pushed back against it. Good God, there was no mistaking the way he felt about her, or her about him.
She closed her eyes to keep from reeling off balance.
He drew in a breath. “You’re a tease, you know that?” he said as he stroked the side of her neck.
“You’re distracting me.”
“Is that what I’m doing? I think you’re distracting me. I’m just teaching you a lesson.”
What other lessons would he teach her tonight, she wondered. “I need to throw my dart.” Yes, it was an unsexy thing to say, but Kyle didn’t notice nor care. She forced herself to concentrate by drowning out the noise, the music, the laughter. All of it, even Kyle’s body and soft breath against her neck, just focus on the dart hitting the board.
Then she threw.
Think. The dart pierced the board—left of center—she squealed. “I did it!” She turned around in elation and fell into Kyle’s arms.
He smiled that sexy wide smile, genuinely proud of her. “Of course you did. I never had any doubt.” And then, as everyone around them was too drunk to care, and it was getting late, and Kyle had just pressed his hard cock against her, and she’d scored a bulls-eye, he pulled her closer and kissed her.
Right there, in front of everyone. A few people cheered in what felt like the distance, but Arabella didn’t care. Kyle’s mouth was on hers, tasting and drawing out their kiss as long as he could. Not even taking advantage of her happiness, just honestly enjoying his connection with her.
When they pulled apart, everyone was in their own world, doing their own thing. Nobody stared at them, nobody cared. It was perfect—the most perfect evening sans attention as Arabella could’ve hoped for.
As it got close to early morning, the bar emptied out. Arabella was more than slightly tipsy, but she hadn’t wanted to get so drunk that she would mess up her chance to be with Kyle. It was just the right amount of buzz to ease her nerves. When the others started clearing out, including Heath and Alec, she gathered up her courage—it was now or never.
Say it, her mind chanted. Ask him to take you back to his hotel.
She drank the last of her second beer and grabbed him by his forearm, big and thick in her small hand. Placing a hand on his chest, she murmured as sexily as she could, “Want to take me back to your hotel?”
Kyle stilled, but only slightly. He then stroked a hand down her back and replied with a soft smile. “It would be my pleasure, Duchess.”
Chapter Four
Kyle couldn’t believe his luck. First, he’d run into a gorgeous girl at the game. Not just a giggling groupie but a woman who was smart and knowledgeable about the game and funny to boot. The kind of girl he thought couldn’t possibly exist. And now here she was, propositioning him only a handful of hours later. He gazed at that sexy blush climbing up her cheeks, the one that crept up when she was feeling bold.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked.
“Just making sure you’re totally sober.”
She cocked her head to the side, intrigued. “I am. Why?”
“Because I want you to remember everything that happens tonight.” Leaning closer, he bit her ear lightly, and he felt her shudder. Her hair smelled amazing, same as he remembered her right after the game, except now she was loose and happy, instead of nervous. Imagining her body underneath him, writhing against his…imagining her sweet moan as he touched her and fucked her. He hardened so much at the thought, he instantly took her hand so they could get going.
“Done for the night?” Heath asked with an amused tone.
“Not even started,” Kyle murmured, slapping cash on the bar top to cover the drinks and wrapping an arm around Bella’s waist. “See you losers later.”
He pushed out into the city street, Alec and Heath chuckling behind him.
Bella laughed when they stepped outside. “Did you really just call them losers?”
He laughed lightly. “I just like to mess with them. They’re my bros, and besides, they’re used to it.” He pulled out his phone, calling one of the Bootleggers’ private drivers for a ride.
Sliding his hands up after he’d requested the ride, he cupped her cheeks and bent down toward her. “How about a kiss for the road?”
“How about you say please?” she teased, mouth parted.
“Please, Your Highness.” He loved how she seemed royal and demanding at times and figured she must’ve grown up in a rich household to be so bold. And from the momentary shocked look she gave, he figured he was right. “You alright?”
“Yes,” she said, hesitating. “Why did you call me that?”
“What? Your Highness? Just a joke. You know, like, ‘your wish is my command?’ Come here.” He reeled her into an embrace and took that kiss he wanted. He delved his tongue inside her mouth, loving the sli
ght taste of beer mixed with intoxicating softness. He groaned, as she tightened her hands around the back of his neck. Pressing his iron-hard cock against her, he couldn’t help but transmit his need for her against her belly. She gasped which only drove him crazier.
Someone hooted in a nearby alleyway. “Get a room!”
“Let’s take this somewhere private,” Kyle said, pulling her along.
He barely remembered the ride to his hotel, except for how much he wanted to put his hands all over Bella. He settled for having her halfway in his lap, kissing her neck, devouring her lips, and inhaling the smell of her hair.
“When I get you back to my room, I’m going to strip that shirt right off of you,” he whispered into her ear. “And then I’m going to touch your pretty breasts, watch as your nipples harden and you get all pink and blushing. I love when you blush. I bet it goes right down your body, doesn’t it?” He kissed her throat, hardly knowing what he was saying. All he knew was that he needed to have her as soon as possible.
He had to get this woman underneath him, get inside of her, and let his passion explode into a fiery blaze. With other women, he just needed his itch scratched, but with this woman, he wanted to experience her—all of her.
“What will you do next?” She tilted her head back, giving him more access to her throat. “After you touch my breasts?”
He shifted toward her, his cock painfully hard, his hands sliding between the heated thighs of her jeans. “I’ll suck them through your bra, but only lightly. Enough to make you beg for more. I’d touch them with my teeth, but it wouldn’t be enough. And after you beg and beg, I’d strip you bare and finally put my lips to your nipples, desperate for me. I’d roll them around on my tongue and then suck them so hard, you’d scream.”
“God, Kyle…”
“You’re wet, aren’t you? If I fingered you right now, you’d be dripping down my hand. I know it. Wet for me and for my cock, right, Bella?” He breathed in the scent of her neck, bit softly into her flesh.
She inhaled a quick breath, let out a long sigh, and it took everything in Kyle’s power not to touch her pussy and see for himself how much she wanted him. She squirmed, as he whispered in her ear all the dirty things he wanted to do to her. If it weren’t for the driver glancing back at them in the rearview mirror, Kyle would’ve stripped her bare and taken her right on the leather seats.
When they finally got up to his hotel room—thankfully no fans were hanging around the doorway to accost him—he couldn’t stop kissing her. Kyle stripped off his shirt and made short work of Bella’s. Gazing at her small, pert breasts in a light blue, lacy bra, he gritted his teeth. “God, you’re fucking gorgeous.” He molded one of her breasts in his hand, playing with her nipple through the bra’s fabric.
She shuddered and pushed herself into his hand. “Kyle,” she said in a breathy voice.
It was the sound of slight hesitation, but there was no way. No way he could let her go. He had to convince her that she needed him, because she did. He could tell from the way she arched her back and let go of those breathy sighs. She wanted him almost more than he wanted her.
Was his duchess a virgin? If she weren’t, he guessed that she was still fairly innocent. At the thought that he’d teach her things in the bedroom, he wanted to growl like some caveman. Instead, he reached behind her and unsnapped her bra, tossing it to the side.
“I’m here. Let me play with you, Duchess. Let me play with your pretty tits and suck on those juicy nipples.”
To his amusement—and arousal—her blush increased. Thank goodness for those telltale signs. Her breasts were pale and small, just the right size for his hands. Her nipples were dark pink, probably more so now that she was aroused. He took one into his mouth and sucked, keeping a hand on her back to hold her still. Her fingers raked through his hair desperately, pulling him closer. The small bite of pain from her fingernails was just enough to send him into overdrive.
Kyle picked her up and tossed her onto the bed, and she squealed a little. Grasping her wrists in his hands, he looked into those cat-like green eyes and told her, “Keep those up there.”
“Or what? You’ll punish me?”
He nipped at the top of her breast. “Do you really want to find out?”
“I quiver with fear,” she teased.
“You’ll quiver with more than that.” He pinned her securely in place.
Her chest heaved, as she pushed those glorious breasts up, dark nipples begging for more sucking. But Kyle wanted to taste all of her, so he moved down her body. He licked the skin of her belly, swirled his tongue along the line of her hipbones. Such softness, such perfect skin. Where had this angel come from? He felt her shift and heard her moan, and when she tried to touch him, he took her wrists again, manacling them with one hand.
“What did I tell you?”
She undulated underneath him. “Are you going to punish me?” The huskiness in her voice told him she wanted him to, dared him even.
Kyle wanted to slap her ass for being impertinent, but he also couldn’t wait to be inside her. “Another night I will. You just got lucky.”
He thought she would retort with some playful comeback, but instead, her eyes grew sad, as if a melancholy thought occurred to her just then. When she lifted her hand to touch his face, he let her without resistance. “Kyle…this will be our only night. I’m going back to Salasia by the end of the week.”
He hadn’t expected his heart to contract at those words, but it did. “The end of the week is several days away, Duchess.”
“I know, but I have other things to do while I’m here. Business to tend to.”
What did she do for a living? Suddenly, he wanted to know everything about her, but at the same time, maybe it was better if he knew nothing. That way, he wouldn’t have any method to locate her and wouldn’t have to torture himself with a woman who was done with him.
This had never happened to him before. It was always him ending things with them. But this one? She’d already burrowed inside of him after only one day. He gazed at her, as her soft fingertips brushed his cheek. He didn’t want it to end after tonight, but he supposed he should feel grateful. He kissed her forehead. “Then we’ll make the best of this one night.”
Quickly, Kyle stripped her of her jeans and rubbed his fingertips over her silk white panties, the cleft in the middle, imagining the glory that would lay before him as soon as he took them off. Slowly, he slid them down, inch by inch, reveling in her nudity. Her skin was pale all over, with only a few freckles scattered across her body. “So fucking beautiful.” Silky smooth and skin lightly rosy with her blush, he tasted and licked her skin right above her sweet spot.
She groaned underneath him, squirming for more.
When he parted her, he marveled at how wet she was for him. “What a pretty pussy you have. Does it taste as sweet as it looks? Let’s see…”
Bella bucked underneath his hands. She tried to close her legs, saying, “Kyle, I’ve never—” But at the same time, she pushed his face closer to her. A civil war was going on inside her head. She’d never? What? Had sex before? He could see the excitement and fear in her expression.
“Let me lick you, Bella. You won’t regret it. I promise,” he said, parting her pussy and reveling in the dark pink shimmering folds.
She nodded and let out a slow sigh, as if convincing herself to relax. He parted her thighs gently, and she shivered. Leaning down, he licked through her folds, and they moaned simultaneously. She tasted so good, like sweet nectar from a goddess.
She may have been new at this, but his Bella was so responsive that it only took a few licks and a brief sucking on her clit to get her off. She screamed, and Kyle smiled against her skin at the sound. Her pussy pulsed around his tongue, and her body shook as he climbed up onto her, kissing her, giving her a taste of her own juices.
He had to get inside of her, so he could feel her orgasm pulsating around his cock. Kyle sprinted to his suitcase.
“
What are you doing?” She looked dazed and replete.
“Condom.” He rifled through his things and pulled out a pack, tossing all but one on the dresser next to the bed. He ripped open the foil, and after he sheathed himself, climbed back on top of her. “Ready for me, Duchess?”
She gazed up at him, and the look of trust and adoration on her face cut him to the quick. He didn’t deserve anyone looking at him so closely, especially not a fine woman like Bella. But he fisted his cock anyway, seeking her wet sheath. In one stroke, he entered her slowly, letting her get used to him. Most women needed a moment to adjust. Bella arched against him, moaning, and her tightness was so sublime, it almost made him come without a single thrust.
“Are you okay?” he sputtered, trying to think of ice-cold showers, ice cubes, anything to stop the flood of pleasure peaking inside of him.
She nodded. “Just take me, please. God, just do it.” Her normally refined accent was ragged, and if her unraveling weren’t the most erotic thing he’d ever seen or heard, he’d be a giant liar.
“My pleasure,” he said, thrusting hard into her.
Her body jolted from the slam, but she placed her feet on his ankles, as he fucked her hard and fast. Their bodies collided, filling the room with erotic noises. He kissed her, nipping at her bottom lip as he fucked her, feeling her pussy wrapped around him so tightly. “So tight, so hot and wet, just for me. Only for me, right, Duchess?”
She tipped her head back. “Only for you,” she panted.
Something told him she wasn’t even saying it to make him feel good about himself. Something told him she really wasn’t used to this, and her body, her sweetness, her gifts really were just for him.
“That’s right. This tight little pussy is mine.” He pulled out and thrust back in again, making sure to brush over her clit each time. If he was lucky, he might get to hear her moan in climax one more time. “Only…mine.”
