She looked at me warily before replying. “Is that some kind of innuendo, Will?”
“Oh!” I laughed. “You’re already familiar with those jewels, aren’t you, hjärtat? Anytime you want to see them again, you just let me know…” I let my voice trail off, a silent invitation.
She hit my arm playfully as shook her head and laughed with me.
“I was referring to the Royal Famlily’s priceless collection of heirloom jewelry, though,” I said.
“I’d love to see the jewels,” she replied, giggling.
“This way, My Lady,” I said with a flamboyant sweeping gesture. She walked a few steps ahead of me and my gaze was glued to the way the dress moved on her gorgeous, tight ass. My cock responded immediately, after having gone back into its shell for a moment. Now, here it was, back and hard as a rock, reminding me that my lust for Jewels was never too far from my consciousness.
“We call it the vault of the Royal Treasury,” I said as we made our way out of the castle and around to the entrance to the vault in the back of the palace. I opened the door and led Jewels down a large hallway. “It’s a museum that’s open to the public normally, but it’s closed during the annual Christmas party. We keep all the jewels here, and my God, if there isn’t a king’s ransom in there. Passed down from generation to generation over hundreds of years. They’re quite beautiful, if you’re into that sort of thing. Only the family is allowed in the vault when the guards aren’t here, but you’re practically family already, so I’ll allow you a peek.”
I punched in the secret code on the keypad outside the heavy, metal doors and they opened with a soft woosh. We walked down more stairs and into the darkness of the vault.
“Are you sure this isn’t a dungeon?” Jewels whispered.
I laughed and kept walking. Our footsteps echoed off the walls and the light turned on automatically. Along the ancient brick walls stood numerous glass display cases that housed each piece of jewelry individually. “All of the Crown Jewels are housed here,” I said as we walked in. “Each necklace, bracelet, crown, tiara, coronet, ring, orb, scepter, earrings, even royal gowns and robes are displayed here.” They were all illuminated brightly, the jewels sparkling magnificently as they rested on beds of soft black velvet.
“Wow!” Jewels exclaimed as she slowly walked around the room.
I walked up behind her, and shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from grabbing her hips and pressing her into me. If I was going to get anywhere with Jewels, I had to keep control of my usually uncontrolled urges. I didn’t have much faith in that happening. Not with the way my cock was behaving.
“This is exquisite,” she whispered, stopping in front of an emerald ring.
“That was my great-grandmother’s. It’s a five-carat emerald from South Africa. It’s a hundred and fifty years old.”
She shook her head, stopping in front of each and every case. Which she reached the case that held my coronet, she stopped.
“This looks familiar. Is this yours?” she asked.
“Yes, it is. The frame is made of gold, the jewels are emeralds, sapphires and rubies, and the velvet cap is lined with ermine fur.”
“What’s an ermine?” she asked.
“It’s a stoat,” I replied. She looked at me blankly and shook her head.
“A weasel, I think you call them in America.”
“Oh! Okay, sure. A weasel,” she laughed. “Odd.”
“It’s very luxurious, actually. Their fur is also used in our capes or coats. Even the Pope uses ermine fur.”
“I saw a picture of you wearing this,” she said.
“Yes, at my investiture. Have you been googling me? Those pictures are plastered all over the internet,” I asked teasingly, more than a little thrilled that she had been looking at picture of me.
“No, of course not,” she protested.
“Sure you haven’t,” I replied teasingly.
“Put it on for me,” she said, lifting her chin in a dare.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said with a teasing smile. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was flirting with me a little.
“Fine,” I said. “Let me unlock the cases.” I walked to the corner of the room and entered a code on another keypad that was concealed in a wall which turned off the alarms of the display cases. The lights flashed - the signal to let me know the cases were unlocked.
Jewels watched as I opened the case with my coronet in it. I lifted the heavy crown to my head and put my hands on my hips.
“Voila!” I said, posing for her. “The Prince of Sweden, Duke of Värmland at your service, My Lady!”
She giggled, nodding appreciatively.
“Would you like to see the rest of Prince’s Crown Jewels now?” I asked teasingly.
“Stop!” she said, rolling her eyes before adding, “the crown looks good on you.”
“Is that a compliment?” I said, raising an eyebrow curiously.
“Don’t push it,” she shot back.
“Okay, okay,” I said, taking the crown off and placing it back in the case.
She turned away from me, walking to the next case that was filled with another one of my mother’s crowns.
“The artistry is amazing. The jewels in here are just breathtaking,” she said.
“You’re the most breathtaking Jewel in here,” I whispered. Oh, how I wanted to kiss her. To fall to my knees, hike the heavy velvet skirt of her dress up around her hips and taste her sweetness, to press her up against the wall and sink into her, to feel her moan against me, her body pulsing around me.
She turned to me slowly, her eyes serious and somber.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” she said slowly.
“Wait!” I said, holding up a finger and pressing it lightly to her lush lips. “I have a gift for you!”
“What? No, Will, that’s not necessary —,” she sputtered.
“Nonsense! It’s Christmas. Or, consider it a birthday present. Whatever you prefer.” I turned away to a cabinet behind us and pulled a key from my pocket. I couldn’t wait to see her face. I’d been planning this surprise since she’d arrived, hoping it would serve as a sort of olive branch, or who was I kidding? If I was honest, I was hoping it would get me back into her good graces, and hopefully back into her bed.
The black velvet box was tucked away in the safe exactly where I’d left it. I presented it to her, opening the box slowly as her eyes widened. The look on her face as she gazed down at the emerald and diamond necklace almost ripped me apart. Her eyes sparkled with delight and she bit her lip, before looking up at me with a mixture of desire and resistance.
“Put it on,” I insisted.
“I couldn’t!” she exclaimed. My laughter echoed through the halls.
“Well, you certainly can! It’s yours now. A gift from me. My Great-Great-Great Aunt Estelle, the Duchess of Östergötland, left it to me in her will. I want you to have it.” I pulled the emerald necklace from the case. “Let me put it on you.”
“You’re crazy, Will,” she said. “It should stay in the family.”
“You are family. Almost,” I winked.
She groaned and shook her head.
“Don’t say it. I try not to think about it.”
“Then don’t. Think about this necklace. Turn around,” I said. I smiled when she gave in and turned her back to me. Her hair was pinned up with a pearl pin that I recognized as one of Catherine’s, with tiny tendrils of auburn hair falling around her long, slender neck. I reached around her, laying the necklace on her chest, and fastening the gold and diamond clasp in the back.
Her skin felt like velvet as I grasped her shoulders, slowly turning her around to face me.
“You look incredible. It’s perfect on you.” It’s true. She was stunning. The emeralds brought her sparkling eyes beautifully.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her fingers lightly fingering the gems. “I don’t know what to say.”
�
�You don’t have to say anything. In fact, it’s time for me to talk.
I tried to apologize before, but I sincerely mean it, Jewels. My time with you in the States was incredible and way too short lived. I should have stayed. I never should have left you to take care of everything alone. You deserved better than that. You deserved more than just sex.”
“Will, we were kids. That’s all it was. Sex. A mistake. It’s in the past, we should leave it there.”
“That’s the problem, Jewels. Now that you’re here, I can’t just leave it in the past,” I said. “Now that I’ve kissed you again, I want more.” I ran my finger along her jawline, lifting her chin and lowering my head. All thoughts of what was right or wrong fled my one-track brain, my cock began throbbing wildly in my pants, and all I could see was visions of taking her once again.
My short-lived control melted away, quickly taking all my good intentions with it.
I kissed her. Hard. Harder than I meant to.
She stiffened against me, her lips rigid and cold. I moved my lips against hers, not about to give up, determined to feel her kissing me back again. My tongue darted out, licking her lips. She gasped, her lips opening slightly, and I slid my tongue inside, finding hers waiting as she softened against me.
Finally.
Her kiss was hot, quickly igniting the flame that burned between us. My cock throbbed and twitched, swelling painfully, demanding attention. Her breasts swelled against me as I pressed her against the wall.
“Jewels,” I whispered, breaking our kiss and bringing my lips to her neck, sliding around the necklace, tasting her delicious flesh, teasing her, her moans filling my ears like a song, as she threw her head back. Her arms slid around me, grasping me, pulling me closer.
“Will,” she whispered, her voice barely audible beneath the powerful pounding of my heart.
“I need you, Jewels,” I groaned, my cock threatening to rip its way free of my pants. My lips continued their downward path, sliding down to the creamy exposed flesh of her breasts.
“Will,” she moaned, her voice low, breathy, anguished. “We can’t.” Her hand reached up and she buried her fingers in my hair, pulling my head in closer to her breasts.
“We already have,” I replied between kisses. “What does it matter now? Don’t pretend like you don’t want this, Jewels.”
“It’s not right,” she protested weakly, her flesh quivering beneath my touch. I reached up, cupping her ample mound, watching with savage pleasure as her breasts heaved, the necklace rising and falling with her quickening breath.
“How could this be wrong?” I asked, staring into her eyes deeply before pressing my lips to hers again, denying her any chance to reply. Passion tore through our bodies as our hands roamed wildly and our kiss deepened into a dark well of lust-filled inhibition. I groaned against her, pressing my hardness into her like a starving man.
I was past ready. I was hungry. Savagely, insanely, painfully hungry for her. For everything I had missed the last ten years. For everything I had foolishly left behind.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JEWELS
As much as I wanted to deny it, there was something about Will that made me completely lose sight of right and wrong.
He pressed his body against mine, his cock throbbing against me, and I pressed back. He kissed me and despite my best intentions, I kissed him back. He kissed my neck, and I threw my head back, practically begging for more.
And holy hell did it feel amazing to have him touch me again. I’d yearned to feel his touch for years, and here he was again, bringing me right back to heaven all over again.
And that necklace? I should never have let him put it on me.
I knew it was wrong. But nothing in my life had ever felt so right.
He was arrogant. He was dangerous. He was bad news.
He was everything I was supposed to resist.
He was practically devouring me with his mouth.
And I had never wanted him more. My flesh quivered under his touch, our bodies pressing against each other sensually as we kissed. His fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, kissing me deeper and deeper as he throbbed against me. His touch electrified me, setting fire to my body and my common sense all at the same time.
His hand trailed down my neck, cupping my breast as his thumb slid over my hardened nipple. I whimpered as the heat of his palm slid over my torso, around my waist and then cupped my ass as he pressed me into his hardness.
“Jewels,” he whispered, his voice a gruff cocktail of desire and lust, “Do you feel that? What you do to me? I can’t take this any longer. I have to have you.”
I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back against the brick wall of the vault, speechless, breathless, lost. So lost.
“Tell me you want it, beg me for it, like you used to,” he whispered, his breath hot on my ear as his hand cupped my sex over my dress. The words shot through me like a bullet, reminding me of that first night together, the first time I submitted to him, the first time he made me beg him for it, the first time I put my pleasure in his hands.
And then, like an uninvited guest, the pain of everything else that happened after that rushed back into my consciousness, reminding me of the heartbreak, the agony, the sheer cruelty I’d been subjected to by him.
I pulled back and slapped him. Hard.
The look of pain and confusion that flashed on his face is one I’ll never forget. Like a bucket of ice water, it surprised us both.
But once I realized what I’d done, something inside of me snapped.
“No!” I yelled, frozen in my spot, frozen in the moment, frozen in the pure shock of what I had done. “Will,” I murmured, “we can’t…”
He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped himself. Instead, he smirked, shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment. And then he just turned and walked out.
Leaving me alone, once again. Alone - with my desire for him, with my confusion, with my tears.
I looked around at the sparkling jewels surrounding me, representing hundreds of years of extravagance and riches, and I knew deep in my heart that I didn’t belong here.
Nothing about this place was comfortable, including the big ball of anguish that was settling in my stomach.
Will had never been good for me, and he never would.
It was time to face that fact head on. And apparently, the only way I could keep him at arm’s length was with thousands of miles between us.
I waited till I was sure he was gone, and I ran to my room, the sound of my heels carrying me down the hallway, out into the cold dark night and then back into the castle. I ran up the grand staircase and down another long corridor until I found my room, thankful that I’d been lucky enough not to run into anyone along the way.
I threw myself on the bed, my skin still tingling from Will’s touch, tears streaming down my face as I plotted my escape.
Tomorrow. I’d leave tomorrow.
There was no other way to deal with this incredibly fucked up situation, because I knew if I stayed, we’d surely wind up in bed together.
And fucking my step-brother was not something I ever wanted to have to explain to anyone ever.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
WILL
From my balcony, I watched as Jewel’s threw herself on her bed. I was wracked with guilt.
I was a total asshole. Why couldn’t I just leave her alone?
Every ounce of my being wanted to go and comfort her, to apologize, to hold her, to sooth her.
But how could I do that when I was the one that made her cry? I wasn’t a prince, I was nothing but a fucking toad. A cad. A Grade-A piece of royal shit.
The last thing Jewel needed was someone like me ruining her life. Like an old skipping record, once again I vowed to leave her alone.
Willy looked up at me from his bed on the floor and wagged his tail.
“I don’t need to hear anything from you. I know what you think,” I said to him. He whimpered, a
nd put his head down.
The party was still going on downstairs, and I knew my mother would be furious that I had disappeared. Grudgingly, I straightened my hair and my tuxedo and left Willy to sleep in front of the fire as I went to rejoin the party, totally jealous of the dog’s commitment-free life. The last thing I wanted to do was go back down to the boring party, but I had to, or I’d never hear the end of it.
There was just one quick thing I needed to take care of first.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JEWELS
I opened my eyes to escape the images that had haunted my dreams. The emerald necklace lay on the bedside table, serving as an extravagant reminder of how ungrateful I was. Had I even thanked him for the necklace? Or had I only led him on, let him kiss me, before slapping him and pushing him away?
He’d given me a priceless gift and I’d given him nothing but a pair of blue-balls to go with his blue-blood.
It’s not that I didn’t want him. Quite the opposite, in fact. My body was yearning for him, aching for him by now. All this build up and to what? To nothing.
To one big fat, empty nothing.
When I thought of all the ways last night could have ended, I hated that I was the one that made it end in disappointment and unfulfilled desires. And I never should have slapped him, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t deserve that.
He was trying to mend things, and I wasn’t letting that happen. I didn’t want to be mad at him anymore. The energy it took to sustain that anger had left me exhausted for years. I wanted to let it go.
I wanted to move on. Seeing him after all these years had made me realize that the truth was that I wasn’t really mad at him, I just missed him.
It was time I changed my attitude. But first, I needed to apologize.
After showering and dressing, I left the necklace lying on the bedside table and headed out of my room to find Will. It was still really early, and I went to the dining room, hoping to find a moment alone with Will before breakfast.
When I got there, I found Bertolf, who was serving what looked like a freshly cooked steak and eggs to Willy.
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