“For what? Why does he need to see me in private? Can’t we speak here?”
“I don’t advise it.”
“Since when do you advise me at all?” I crossed my arms and brought a hand to my lips, chewing on the tip of my fingernail.
“Don’t show them you’re nervous.”
I let my hands fall at my sides again, blinking at him. “I already told him I wasn’t willing to . . . you know.”
“Be his mistress,” Pierre provided with a serious nod. “I’m glad you declined the offer.”
I stared at him for a moment. Was he glad I declined because he thought something could still happen between us? No. I liked to think I knew Pierre better than that. He was too loyal to Elias to try anything with me at this point. Maybe he was looking out for my best interest.
“So, what is it we need to discuss?” I asked again. I was too impatient to wait.
Pierre opened his mouth to answer, but his gaze shifted to something behind me and he shut it quickly and forced a smile. “I’ll see you later, Adeline.”
I opened my mouth to question him, when I heard the sound of my father’s voice just behind me.
Chapter 32
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said.
My heart stopped beating for a millisecond. I turned around and faced him. Being stoic in front of my father would prove to be far more complicated than doing it in front of Elias. This was the man who raised me. The first man I loved. Also, the one who banished me without a second thought the first time I fucked up. And yet, with him in front of me I couldn’t seem to summon the anger I should be feeling. He had bags under his eyes and his black hair was thinning, leaving a crescent-shaped, nearly bald patch on the front of his head. It had been nearly eight months since I last saw him and, in that time, he looked like he’d aged a decade.
“Father,” I said.
“Whose friend are you?” His gaze scrutinized me. “Pilar?”
“No. I mean, yes, we’re friendly, but I don’t think Pilar can invite people to this.”
“Hm.” His eyes narrowed slightly. It took everything in me not to cower. “The Queen Mother then. Your mother told me you planned a ball for them.”
“Mother also planned the ball. She does own half of the company, you know.”
“At least she’s putting the money from the separation to good use.” He scoffed, putting a hand in the pocket of his tuxedo and rocking slightly on his heels.
“Yup,” I emphasized the p in the word and glanced away from his inspection.
“The Crown is a joke,” he said.
“Then why are you here?” I blinked back at him.
“I was invited.”
“Yeah, and you came for what? To cast judgment on a king who hasn’t even yet had a chance to show what he’s capable of?”
“If he’s anything like his father we know exactly what he’s capable of.”
“Do you think he is? Like his father?”
“Too soon to tell.” Father shrugged a shoulder. “He hasn’t been tested.”
“There are riots everywhere. People like you who would rather dismantle the thrown than give him a chance.”
“You’re one of those.” He pursed his lips, shaking his head.
“One of what?”
“One of those women who think we should give him a chance because he’s good-looking and charming.”
“That is not true.” I frowned.
“Speak of the devil.” Dad scoffed again and looked up at someone walking up to us. I looked in that direction, surprised to see Elias closing the distance between us. I felt the sudden need to shield him from my father’s judgment. “Apparently you have my daughter’s approval. Not that it means much for your future.”
“You’d be surprised at how much it means,” Elias responded, not taking his eyes away from mine.
“So you two have met,” my father said.
“We have, and now, counselor, if you don’t mind, I’m going to ask Adeline to dance.”
“To dance? Absolutely not.”
“I don’t think Adeline would leave her king hanging.” Elias offered me his hand to take. I stared at it for a beat.
“Her king.” Father scoffed again. “What are you playing at? Have you been keeping tabs on her all this time? Stalking her? Is this all a ploy to get back at me for not giving you her information all those years ago?”
My eyes widened. “What information? When?”
“A dance, Addie,” Elias said, his voice stern. “I’ll explain.”
“Do not get close to this man, Adeline. I know a good one when I see one and he’s not it.”
“Oh?” I blinked. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? What do you see then?”
“I have my faults, but I am not a bad man. This one, this king”—Father pointed at Elias—“He’s not good. I’ve heard more than enough rumors about him and his brother’s escapades and the potential children they may have fathered and left behind.”
My heart dropped. Of course I’d heard those rumors, but I couldn’t imagine them to be true. Not after meeting Elias. Not after . . . everything.
“One dance, Adeline.” Elias cleared his throat. I swallowed. I knew people were watching and I needed to give him an answer and this would be the perfect time to ask him questions.
“Well. Far be it from me to deny a king a dance.” I curtsied as I set my hand in Elias’s palm and looked at my father one more time. “Goodbye, Father. Take care of yourself. And clean those mirrors while you’re at it.”
Elias’s hand tightened on mine as he led me to the dance floor. When we reached it, he turned me fully in his arms and placed one hand on my lower back while the other held my hand up. He pulled me close, so that my chest was against his and there was no choice for me but to move with him. His face lowered, his nose brushing against my cheek and back up to my ear.
“I miss you, Addie. I wasn’t just saying that.”
“People are going to talk about this,” I responded through my teeth as I plastered a smile on my face. “This won’t end well. The media will have a field day.”
“I don’t care. Do you?”
“Yes.” I pulled back slightly and looked him in the eyes. “And you should as well.”
“The only thing I care about is this moment, with you in my arms.”
“Eli.” I sighed, my body melting into his. I pressed my head on his chest and pulled back quickly, realizing how that would look. “We can’t do this in public.”
“I’m the king. I can do whatever I want.”
“That’s the kind of talk that’s going to make people hate you. I’m serious.”
“And you don’t want them to hate me.” He smiled softly, keeping the hand on my back in place as he let go of my hand and brought his to cup my face. “You have the most beautiful heart I’ve ever encountered.”
“What was my father talking about when he said you asked for my information all those years ago?” I asked, needing to get back to neutral ground.
“It was nothing.” He dropped his hand from my face and picked my hand up again as we waltzed around the dance floor.
“I want to know.”
He sighed heavily. “It was a long time ago.”
“I still want to know.”
“You have to promise you won’t get angry.” He held my gaze steady.
“I don’t know that I can do that.” I felt my frown deepen. “Why would I get angry?”
“I . . . about six years ago I met a woman, a girl, really, and we had an incredible night together. Mind-blowing. Intense. Real.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to hear about this.” I tore my gaze from him and looked away, smile forgotten. I couldn’t pretend to be okay listening to his night with another woman.
“You were the girl.” He brought his hand to my face again and turned it to his. “You left before morning but you’d told me your villa was next door, so I went looking the minute I realized you wer
e gone. You’d already left for the States. Etienne was driving you to the airport, but your father was home. He refused to give me your information. He said I was a disgrace and he couldn’t believe his daughter would ever be with the likes of me.”
“He said that?” I stopped dancing and lowered my hand from his shoulder.
“It was why I didn’t tell you from the first moment I saw you again that I recognized you. That I looked for you.”
“Why would he want to hide me from you?”
“I was a playboy.” He shrugged. “It was what he saw when he saw me. Summer after summer.”
“I don’t want to think about that. What about the child? Is it true you got a woman pregnant and didn’t own up to it?” I asked. It had always been just a rumor, but now I wasn’t so sure. When he didn’t answer right away, I shimmied my body until he dropped his arm from the small of my back and let me pull away completely.
“Can we talk about this outside of this room?”
I froze and looked around for the first time and saw the photographers, the people looking at us and whispering, magnified by all of the mirrors around us, and the panic I thought I’d left behind when the sex video with my ex went away started creeping in. I wasn’t sure if Elias saw it or not, but he grabbed my hand and escorted me out of the Hall of Mirrors and into the room across the hall.
“Are you okay?” he asked once he’d closed the door behind us, took off the floor-length red royal shawl around him, setting it down on the chair beside the door.
I watched as he removed the huge crown on his head and set it down on the chair as well, wondering if he was supposed to be doing that, but not caring enough to ask. I took a deep breath and looked around. The room was huge, dripping opulence. Definitely not the place to take someone who doesn’t want to be overwhelmed. As I walked around, in awe of everything, I forgot why we were even in here and what had led us to leave that room, but just as suddenly, I stopped walking and remembered.
“No, I’m not okay.” I turned around and faced him. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I didn’t. I’ve always been careful with who I had sex with and I never slept with any of the locals. Only you.” He ran a hand through his already brushed back hair. “I swear on everything, Addie. I’ve never fathered a child by anyone.”
“So it’s just a rumor?”
“Of course. What kind of man do you think I am not to claim my own child, regardless of the consequences?”
“I believe you.” I exhaled heavily after a moment. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had quite the evening.”
“I have more for you to process.” Elias walked over to me slowly, closing the distance between us. “And I hope you don’t walk away from me this time.”
“What?” My heart pounded. Was it about the wedding? Was it about the mistress thing because having him this close after not having him at all would make it that much more difficult to say no to that.
“I broke off the engagement to Emily.”
“What?”
“I won’t be marrying her.” He brought a hand out and held one of mine. “I want to be with you.”
“But I’m not a royal.” I frowned.
“I’m the king now, Addie. I make my own rules.” His lips turned up slightly. “Will you do this with me?”
“I . . . ”
“I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to just try this out. I know it’s a lot to ask and there will be a lot for you to give up if you decide you’re in it for the long run, so think of this as . . . me courting you. The way I should have this entire summer.” His thumb ran along the back of my hand. “Please?”
“Who am I to deny my king?” I whispered, a small smile touching my lips.
Elias’s eyes lit up as he laughed. “Really? You’ll try?”
“I’ll try.” I couldn’t help the way my smile widened. Seeing him this happy was everything.
“Thank you.” He grinned, bringing his hands to my face, and pulled me into a kiss.
“So, is this where you’re sleeping now?” I asked, pulling away and looking around again.
“No. I’m still in my apartment in Paris.” He was still looking at me when I met his gaze.
“Hey, Eli.” I grabbed the lapels of his jacket.
“Yes?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I think you should show me to your bedchambers.”
His laughter rang out, echoing in the walls. I felt giddy and wondered how many kings had laughed in this room and actually meant it. I didn’t have time to wonder long, though, because Elias grabbed my hand and walked quickly in the direction of what I assumed would be the bedchambers. The halls seemed endless, but I knew we’d made it there when he opened an impossibly large gold door and led me inside. I stopped just inside the door, letting go of his hand.
“You can just . . . you’re allowed to touch things in here?”
“Of course.” He looked perplexed as he faced me. “This is my bedroom now, should I choose to use it.”
“Will you?”
“I don’t know, Addie. You asked me to bring you here. Will I?”
“I mean for sleeping.” I was smiling as I rolled my eyes. “Will you stay here tonight?”
“Will you?”
“I don’t think so.” I laughed. “Etienne and Joss are supposed to take me home.”
“Let me take you home instead.” He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. “Mon trésor.”
Butterflies flapped their wings deep in my belly. I could have, should have, given into the moment, but I had questions and they wouldn’t stop until I had answers.
“Do you think you’ll live here now?”
“No.” He lowered my hand, but threaded his fingers through mine and held it as he looked around. “It’s kind of creepy, isn’t it?”
“And rich.”
“And rich.” He chuckled, then quieted as he searched my eyes. “What do you want to do?”
“I kind of want you to fuck me in King Louis XIV’s bed.”
“You mean my bed.” He licked his lips, his eyes darkening as he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it aside. Before I could respond, he lifted me into his arms, my legs wrapping around his hips automatically. He leaned in and bit my bottom lip, tugging it into his mouth. “Say it, Addie.”
“Say what?” I was already finding it hard to breathe and we hadn’t even started doing anything.
“You want to get fucked by your king. You want me to bury myself deep inside that wet little cunt.”
“God.” I moaned, throwing my head back. His mouth was on my neck, licking, sucking, as he drove his erection into me over our clothes. “Please.”
“Say the words, Adeline.” He bit the side of my neck. “Say it.”
“I want to be fucked by my king, please.” My voice was shaky, unsteady.
Elias walked me over to the bed and threw me down on it. It wasn’t a comfortable bed in the least, but comfort was forgotten the moment Elias’s lips met mine again. We kissed like starved teenagers, begging for more with each lash of our tongues, each clash of our teeth, biting, tugging.
“Please, Eli.” I pulled away momentarily, holding his face in my hands. “Please. I can’t take much more of this.”
“How much did you miss me?” he breathed against me, his gaze serious on mine, as if his life depended on my response.
“More than you’ll ever know.”
“Good.” He pulled away and unbuttoned his pants, pulling them down until he was exposed to me.
He wasted no time in pulling my dress up and ripping my panties off and discarding them quickly. I knew this wouldn’t be a long, slow night, but a fast and satisfying one. We were both too frenzied, too desperate for each other, to drag it out.
“Tell me again, Addie.” He positioned himself between my legs. “Tell me you missed me.”
“I always miss you when I’m not with you.” I reached for him and stroked him once, twice, relishing the way he threw his hea
d back and groaned. “I want to be with you without . . . “ I bit my lip and stopped talking midsentence when he brought his gaze back to mine and I saw the heat palpitating from it.
“Tell me.” His voice was low, guttural. “Tell me what you want, Adeline.”
“I want to be with you like this.” I stoked him again. He bit his bottom lip hard.
“With no condom?”
I nodded. If he said no, I would be completely okay with it.
“I’ve never done that with a woman before.” His lip tugged, his eyes half-mast as I moved my hand again. “Trust issues.”
“It’s okay if you don’t – “
“I want to with you.” He leaned in, placing his forehead against mine, forcing my hand to drop as he brought his lips against mine. “I trust you.”
“I’m clean,” I whispered against his lips.
“I know.” He kissed me then, mashing our lips together roughly and parting my lips with his tongue. He pulled away, digging his fingertips into my inner thighs and spreading them wider. “Tell me again how much you missed me.”
“I missed you so much.” I cried out when he dragged a hand up, scraping my inner thigh and stopping at my clit. “So much.”
He looked into my eyes for a moment before closing them. As he breathed out, he pulled me against him and thrust inside of me in a long, deep stroke, filling me entirely. My hips arched in accordance, to beg for more, to demand more. He reached for the top of my dress, bringing it down to pluck my nipples as he continued to move inside me. With his other hand, he reached between us and began to rub circles over my clit.
“Fuck, that feels good.” He threw his head back, biting his lower lip, his hands continuing to move as relentlessly as his strokes.
I was so close. So close. I could feel the orgasm building deep inside me, begging to be let out. He brought his gaze to mine, hazy, seductive, completely lustful, and let go of my nipple, bringing that hand to the nape of my neck and pulling me into a deep kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth wildly as he moved inside me, his fingers against my clit. It was all I needed to go over the edge, and he followed quickly behind. We were panting breaths and heaving chests against each other as we lay there, in the king’s bedchambers, where so many before us had made love and history. It was exhilarating and daunting all at once.
The Sinful King: By New York Times Bestselling Author Page 17
