Reluctantly Royal

by Gillian Archer

  I took a scoop out of my crème brûlée and held it in front of her lips. Hannah delicately licked her bottom lip before leaning forward and taking the bite.

  I rubbed a hand up and down her back and she melted into me. I bussed my lips over the top of her head. She was so strong most of the time that it felt surreal when she showed her vulnerability. I wanted to protect her and banish whatever troubles she was having, but I knew she wouldn’t let me. Not to mention that we had such a limited time together. This was a relationship with a definite expiration date. And I wanted to spend every moment of it I could with Hannah.

  I gave the top of head one more kiss, then said, “Besides, if my timing is right, I believe you’ve got the best seat for the show.”

  “Show? What show?” Hannah’s spoon made a clattering sound as she placed it in her empty dish.

  I pushed my almost full bowl of crème brûlée toward her. “Over there.”

  The sound was delayed, so we saw the water shoot out from the fountains across the street before the music reached us. In the dusky light the water and strobe lights were especially powerful, as arcs of water shot up from a pool in concert to instrumental music.

  “Oh, the Bellagio fountains! I’ve never seen them from this angle.” Hannah twisted slightly on my lap. “Wow.”

  We sat in companionable silence as the water ballet played below for us. Hannah snuggled into me, her soft sigh passing over the exposed skin at my throat. I could feel the tension leach out of her as she raptly watched the water below. After two days of constant nightly performances, some of the magic had worn off for me, but seeing it again through Hannah’s eyes as she gasped and oohed over the choreography, I couldn’t help but get drawn into the show.

  As the music came to an end and a wave of water crashed down into the pool, goosebumps rose on Hannah’s arms. “Oh, that was wonderful.”

  “Thank you for sharing it with me.” I pressed a kiss against her cheek.

  Hannah turned her shoulders until she was somewhat facing me. “I think we can do better than that.”

  Taking her invitation, I ducked my head and took her mouth in a scorching kiss. Hannah whimpered and melted in my arms. Her lips softened as her tongue darted out to shyly rub against mine. She led me in a playful game of hide-and-seek, entering, then retreating, silently urging me to follow. After our necking last night, I was starved for more of her. I twisted and tried to get my hand in a position to fondle her gorgeous tits, but the chair bit into my back, causing a muscle spasm.

  “Aaaggh.” I broke off our kiss with a groan.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Oui, just not comfortable. Come. As much fun as yesterday was, we’re not teenagers reduced to kissing in uncomfortable places.” I gently lifted her until she could stand next to the chair; then I stood as well and held out my hand. “I have a wonderfully soft bed just a few meters away. Will you come inside with me?”

  Hannah released a shaky sigh, then placed her hand in mine.

  Chapter 10

  Despite what I’d said, we ran through the suite like two teenagers, holding hands with the delicious zing of sexual anticipation running through our veins. Through the salon and bar area, Hannah panted at my side, keeping pace with me. But in the hall, only meters away from my bedroom, she tripped and gave a cry as she fell forward. I caught her in my arms before she could hit the carpet.

  “Oh,” she gasped. “Thank you.”

  I smiled, then gave her a quick peck. “You okay?”

  “Oui,” she teased, with a huge grin and an atrocious accent.

  “Bon ben, mon chou,” I returned just before I scooped her up into my arms.

  Hannah made a small gasp/squeal sound, then laughed delightedly as I carried her the rest of the way down the hall and into my bedroom. “This can’t be good for your back.”

  “I am fine, mon chou. You don’t weigh more than…a large dog.”

  Hannah gasped as I dropped her onto the large bed in the middle of the room. Sitting up, she pushed her hair out of her face, then glared at me. “You did not just compare me to a dog.”

  I shrugged. “I had an Irish wolfhound as a child. When he got older and I was a teenager, I had to carry him a few times. You’re about the same size. He weighed a bit more than you, though.”

  “Oh, my god. That has to be the most unsexy thing anyone has ever said to me.” She bit her lip for a second, then let her laughter spill out. “What happened to the suave foreigner who danced with me at the bar the other night?”

  “What can I say?” I toed off my shoes, then climbed onto the bed. Hannah sat back on her hands and watched as I slowly crawled up the bed until I trapped her body between my arms. “You bring out the best in me.”

  “That does not make it any better.” She laughed.

  My own smile was so wide my cheeks began to ache. “You let me be myself. I don’t have to hide who I really am when I’m with you.”

  Hannah’s face softened, and she raised a hand to caress my jaw. “That is quite possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I don’t like that you have to hide yourself.”

  “Me, neither.” Although I was hiding a large part of my identity from her. For the first time since I had met her, I regretted my deception. Hannah deserved to know. And I wanted to tell her, but I didn’t want to lose that sparkle in her eyes and the way she looked at me like I hung the moon.

  Besides, she probably wouldn’t mind that I was a prince, right? I seemed to be the only one who found my title a deterrent. And I didn’t know everything about her. She no doubt had more than a few skeletons in her closet. Weren’t we each allowed our privacy until we were comfortable talking about it?

  “I’m glad I can give you that,” Hannah murmured.

  A shaft of pain pierced me as I jerked my chin in recognition of her statement. Then Hannah leaned up and kissed me until my concerns flew away. She fell back against the pillows, urging me with her hands to join her. I pushed up and leaned over until I covered her with my body, my erection resting in the cradle of her pelvis. Then I took the kiss deeper, our tongues dueling again—kissing, tasting, sucking until we were both panting for air.

  I pulled back and left a trail of tender kisses down her jaw and throat. Wanting access, I pushed up her blouse until it bunched above her glorious breasts. She’d gone braless again. I groaned in appreciation at the sight I uncovered. Her rosy nipples pouted up at me, begging for my mouth. I dove in, laving attention with my tongue as I teased her perky little nipples. Playing with one with my fingers, I sucked the other deep into my mouth, then pulled back and blew on the wet tip.

  “Luc. Please.” Hannah arched up into my mouth, but I just laughed huskily.

  “Aww, mon chou. Are you under the assumption you’re in control here?”

  “Oh, my god, Luc. Stop teasing me.”

  “Ah, ma chérie, I haven’t even begun.”

  With that dark promise, Hannah groaned and fell back into the pillows. “You do realize you sound like a cartoon villain?”

  “All the better to torture you, mon chou.” I exaggerated twirling a fake mustache. “Mwhahahahaha.”

  Hannah dissolved into giggles as I dove into teasing her once more. But her giggles quickly faded to moans as I suckled her breasts. Spearing her fingers through my hair, she tried to guide me, but I pulled away.

  “Nuh uh.” I darted up and gave her a hard kiss. “I told you who’s in charge, Hannah. Do you want me to tie you down?”

  “Is that supposed to be a threat?”

  I made a move to get off the bed, and Hannah squealed in protest.

  “No, no, wait. I was joking. Besides, this top is acting like a crazy jacket as it is.” She tugged the material up over her head, then hissed a breath. “Crap, I’ve caught it on my earring.”

  “Here, let me.” I gently untangled her from her blouse, carefully untwisting the dangling earring wrapped around a thread. After a moment of maneuvering, Hannah’s head popped free and her
tits did the most captivating jiggle. I cupped one of her newly free breasts and smiled. “Perfect.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “You make it so hard to take you seriously.”

  “If you can’t laugh during sex, then what’s the point? It should be fun. And I like that I can have fun with you.”

  “I take it back.” Hannah’s eyes gleamed with emotion. “I like having fun, too.”

  “Then hold onto your pants. Wait, that’s not right.”

  Hannah was laughing when I kissed her again. Our kiss quickly moved from lighthearted to deep and naughty. Hannah’s hands pulled at my shirt, then dove beneath the material to stroke and pet my back. I shivered at the contact. Hannah groaned, pulling away.

  “Take it off. I want to see you.”

  Never one to disappoint a lady, I knelt up, tugged my shirt over my head, and threw it off to the side somewhere. Hannah murmured her approval as her greedy hands stroked over my naked chest.

  “You are hard everywhere,” she murmured as she ran her hand along my abs.

  “Everywhere you’re delightfully soft,” I replied as I cupped her breast and ran a thumb over the erect tip.

  Hannah’s eyelids grew heavy and her head fell back when I tugged at her nipple. Her nails raked down my back as she urged me closer. I obliged, and it was my turn to groan when my chest rubbed against her perfect tits. I captured her lips again and tried to tell her without words how amazing and perfect she felt. As our lips moved against each other, our hands explored every bit of exposed skin. Hannah’s fingers skimmed over my back while I teased and plucked at her gorgeous breasts.

  After another urgent kiss that left us both panting, I kissed a trail down her body, over her delicious tits, down her taut stomach, which she tried to cover with her hands as she gasped. I didn’t miss the little breath she sucked in like she had something to hide. Every inch of her was glorious, and I was determined that she see it, too.

  “Do you really think I won’t see if you cover yourself with your hands?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to get to the gym lately—I’ve been too busy—and I’ve been drinking way too many Starbucks Frappuccinos. Oh, God, I just need to lose about ten, fifteen pounds, then you can kiss my stomach and do whatever you want.”

  “You say another derogatory thing about your gorgeous body, I’ll turn your ass red.” I ran a hand under her panties and gave her butt a warning pitch that had her yelping. “You don’t need to lose a single kilo. You’re perfect.”

  “You’re just saying that to get into my pants.”

  “Don’t need to, mon chou. I’m already there. Now sit back and enjoy the show. It’s about to get interesting.”

  “Promises, promises,” Hannah gasped, just before my hands worked around to the sides of her panties. I slowly pulled them down her legs and off. She still had her skirt on, but I could work around it. Something told me Hannah appreciated the small scrap of fabric still covering her.

  I leaned forward and kissed her again, taking her lips in a soft, gentle kiss so she would relax some. After a few moments, she sank into the bed as the tension eased out of her.

  “It’s going to be okay, Hannah. If there’s anything you don’t like, you just say it. And we’ll try something else. There’s nothing to worry about in here. It’s just me and you. We can sit here and just kiss. Hell, nothing even has to happen. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she whispered back. “I just…I don’t like…”

  “Not being in control?”

  “No—well, yes, but not in the bedroom. I just don’t like to see myself. It’s not that I don’t like what you’re doing—I just that have a hard time watching.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “But I want to.” Hannah groaned and covered her face with her hands. “I’m being such an indecisive goob. Sorry. It’s just I like looking at you, but I don’t want to look at me.”

  “Hmmmm…” I could honestly say I’d never met anyone who was both so free and yet inhibited at the same time. It was a bewildering paradox. “Is that something you want to work on? Together?”

  Hannah peeked at me through her fingers. “I…That wouldn’t bother you?”

  “I’ve never been accused of being shy. Besides, I have a few ideas. Give me a second. And take that skirt off while I’m gone.”

  I left Hannah on the bed while I crossed the room toward the huge walk-in closet. I propped open the closet door, then pulled and dragged the huge, antique-looking stand-up mirror until it was at the foot of the bed.

  “Oh, my god,” Hannah gasped. “Are you seriously suggesting we do it with that mirror there?”

  “That’s exactly what I want to do.”

  “But…it—I—”

  “Is that a hard no? Are you willing to try it? You don’t have to watch. You can always close your eyes if it gets too difficult.” I stood next to the bed and bent down to give Hannah a soft kiss. “Try it? For me?”

  “Oh, my god, I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Hannah sighed, then shook her head. “Fine. I’ll try.”

  “I just want you to see what I see when I look at you. You’re a gorgeous, giving, and amazing woman who should be proud of her body—of herself. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve seen all of you and you’re beautiful.”

  Hannah’s cheeks flushed as she rolled her eyes. She still didn’t believe me. But it was my mission that she would by the end of the night. She deserved it.

  I crawled back onto the bed and sprawled next to her. Before she could come up with another excuse about her body, I gently turned her head toward me and kissed her. In moments the mirror was forgotten, and it was just the two of us getting lost in the moment. After a few more kisses, my hand slowly snaked down her totally nude body. I played for a few moments with her perfect breasts before my hand slid down her stomach and to her chatte. Hannah jumped slightly, but I continued kissing her and didn’t force my hand between her legs. I let my fingers softly brush against the seam of her sex. Moisture immediately coated my fingers. After a few soft caresses, Hannah’s legs fell open of their own accord.

  I nibbled on her lips to distract her as my fingers delved deeper. Sinking one finger into her, I sought out her clit with my thumb. Her hips jerked when I found it.

  “Christ, Hannah, you feel so good. Ta chatte est vraiment étroite.”

  She moaned. “You have no idea what it does to me when you speak French. Or when you do that. Oh, don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

  “Jamais.” Never. But I didn’t need to explain to Hannah. She understood as one finger became two thrusting inside her. She was panting, her hips straining to get even closer to me. I darted a look at her face and found her eyes closed as her mouth opened on a sob.

  “Oh, God. Please. Please, Luc. I’m so close. I just need—” She broke off with a gasp as her body shuddered. Her sex clutched at my fingers, grasping and releasing with such force.

  My balls ached as my cock throbbed in response to Hannah’s orgasm. It took everything inside me to keep my dick in my pants, but I gritted my teeth and rode out Hannah’s orgasm without joining in. Coming while still wearing my pants would definitely be a mood killer.

  After a few moments, Hannah sagged back into the bed with a soft sigh as a little smile played around her lips.

  “Open your eyes and tell me what you see,” I murmured after I gently pulled my hand free.

  Hannah’s eyelids fluttered, then she looked at herself in the mirror. “I see me.”

  “I need some adjectives. What do you see?”

  “I see…a blond woman who’s naked and wearing a huge smile. She looks…happy. Content.”

  “And pretty?”

  “Sure.”

  “Hannah.”

  “It’s just…it’s weird okay? That woman doesn’t look anything like me. She’s relaxed and confident and happy with herself. That’s not who I see when I look in the mirror every other time.”

  “That’s who I see when I look at you.”
I leaned down and kissed Hannah’s lips. “But I’d add gorgeous.” I kissed her again. “Generous.” Kiss. “Creative.” Kiss. “Caring.” Kiss. “Too good for me.” Kiss.

  “Whoa, wait. Are you serious? Do you need me to turn the mirror around on you?”

  I laughed. “No. Believe me, I’m the last person who needs a confidence booster.”

  “Are you sure about that? Tell me, what do you see when you look in the mirror?”

  “I see a sexually frustrated man who’s inches from a glorious naked woman and yet having a conversation.”

  “Luc. Really. Please.”

  “Fine. I see…me.”

  “If that didn’t work for me, do you really think I’m going to let you get away with it?”

  “Bien. I see…I see a man who really needs an orgasm that’s not self-inflicted.”

  “How about I tell you what I see?” Hannah knelt up behind me and met my eyes in the mirror. “I see a man who is generous. Kind. Who wants to be the best for those around him. A man who could have any woman in the world on her knees in front of him but for some reason would rather make me feel better about myself. I see a man who makes me want to be a better woman.”

  Unbelievably, tears blurred my vision as Hannah’s thoughtful words speared my heart. I’d never had anyone delve so deeply into me. I was used to people holding themselves apart from me, due to either my title or my own behavior. But Hannah saw through me. It was humbling. And conversely made me want to devour her.

  I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her down in front of me, then covered her with my body as I consumed her. I kissed her until we were both gasping for breath. My hips pushed between her thighs. Hannah just held on and kissed me back with everything she had. Suddenly my comfortable chinos were anything but. I ripped at them with my hands, forcing the button fly open, then shoved them off in a fumble of muttered curses and Hannah’s laughter.

  But when my erect cock nudged at her sex, all Hannah’s laughter faded away. “Oh, Luc.”

  “Wait,” I muttered. “I need a—” I fumbled in the nightstand for the ever-present box of condoms. Finally grasping one, I tore it open with my teeth and had it on in record time. Back between Hannah’s thighs, my condom-covered cock nudged her sex as I brushed the hair out of her eyes. She looked at me with heavy eyelids, her lips parted, and I just couldn’t resist. I kissed her with all the pent-up emotion I was feeling. But then my throbbing cock commanded my attention again. “You ready, Hannah?”