There was a knock at my door. My heart leaped up into my throat and held on for dear life.
“Come in,” I said as clearly as I could, even though my voice was shaky and practically quivering.
Leo stepped in, bowing his head respectfully. “Princess Giselle,” he greeted. “I came as soon as I heard. You’re not feeling well?”
Now that he was here, I didn’t have the heart to lie. The concern in his words was palpable, and the worry in his eyes made my stomach tie itself up in knots. I nodded lamely, casting my eyes down to the floor in shame.
“I, um–”
Leo came over and knelt down before me. He reached up slowly, tilting my head up with a gingerly placed finger beneath my chin. Our eyes locked in a moment that had the air catching in my lungs.
“Princess?” he whispered.
What happened next I would later blame on the terrible storm our ship was headed through. The Obsidian Vow rocked violently, throwing me forward with such force that I didn’t have the opportunity to catch myself. When Leo caught me in his strong arms, I couldn’t help but let out a tiny gasp. The warmth of his embrace sent a chill down my spine. Never before in my life had I wanted anyone more. . I willed time to stand still so that I could remain pinned close to him for a few wonderous moments more.
But Leo was too much of a gentleman. He immediately took a step back once he managed to regain his balance. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “Are you oka–”
I pressed my lips to his and cut him off. For the briefest second, he hesitated. I thought he was going to pull away. I thought he was going to leave, just as he had the other night. But Leo quickly melted into the kiss, muscles relaxing. His hard shoulders loosened and the tense muscles in his neck unlocked. He dipped his chin down to fully capture my mouth. Leo threaded his fingers through my long hair and deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing my lips apart so he could better explore the shape of my mouth. A soft moan escaped my chest as I savored the taste of his tongue, breathing through my nose so that we didn’t have to part.
I’d been kissed once or twice before, but never like this. On a visiting trip, Prince Dimitri of the Kingdom of Yolet stole a cheeky kiss from me in the Idolian palace gardens. We were only ten-years-old, running about and playing hide and seek while our parents talked business indoors. It had been quick and teasing. I didn’t feel much except embarrassment. The second time was when I kissed a classmate at school on a dare. I couldn’t even remember the boy’s name. Needless to say, Father didn’t like me being around so many bad influences –as he used to put it– and immediately ordered for private tutoring instead.
But this. This kiss with Leo was on an entirely different level. It was like we were tuned into the same channel, reading each other’s movements and thoughts easily. I ran my hands from his neck down to his hard chest, fingers eagerly memorizing the shape of his body. I made quick work of his tie, practically yanking it off along with his head. His lips had lit a fire inside me, one that I could neither tame nor extinguish.
Leo chuckled against my lips. “What’s the hurry, Princess?”
“Shut up and kiss me,” I demanded, , panting hard. I just wanted his lips on mine, didn’t want to waste any more words.
“As you command,” he said, capturing my mouth once again.
He lifted me with ease up onto the bed, handling me gently like delicate porcelain. A shiver shot down my spine, amazed at how strong his arms were. But when Leo stood and walked to the door, my heart twisted in my chest.
“W-where are you going?” I called after him. For a second, I panicked. Was he going to leave? Did he not want to do this? Had I been reading the signs wrong from the very beginning? My cheeks flushed with heat. I’d never be able to live it down if it turned out to be the case. “Leo, I–”
He brought a finger to his lips and silently hushed me. I watched, mystified, as he locked the door so we could have some privacy. Leo returned, sitting next to me so I could promptly crawl into his lap, straddling him between my thighs. I found his lips again easily, found comfort and thrill in the feel of his mouth. Leo wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close, large hands roaming freely about my back. They slipped lower and lower until he was grabbing my ass, greedily squeezing as he grazed his teeth along my lower lip. I let out a sharp gasp, both surprised and ridiculously turned on.
“I’m going to need you to be quiet,” he said. His voice was soft and low, but his tone was full of warning. “We wouldn’t want your guards to overhear. Can you stay quiet for me, Princess?”
I huffed and whispered, “I told you. Just call me Giselle.”
He nodded, a smile stretching across his face. “Giselle,” he hummed.
My cheeks warmed at the sound of my name on his tongue. How had he managed to sound so commanding, yet so gentle at the same time? He leaned in close, words ghosting against my lips.
“Tell me what you want, Giselle.”
“You,” I said.
“You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Just–” I grabbed a fistful of his shirt in my hands. “You,” I repeated unhelpfully. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I want… I don’t know what I want. I just–”
Leo kissed me again, more urgently this time. I was pretty sure he was reading my body language just right—my cheeks red and flushed with heat that trailed down between the valley of my breasts—because the next thing I knew, he had me laying with my back pressed to the small bed as he held himself over top of me. He slowly, but very deliberately, moved to slip his hand beneath the skirt of my dress. He palmed at my thighs, sliding his hands up. My skin burned like soft fire wherever he touched me, and I was growing more and more aware of the wet heat blooming between my legs.
Leo helped me unzip the back of my dress and pulled the fabric up and over my head, tossing it aside to leave me lying before him in nothing more than my lace bra and matching thong. I relished the way he licked his lips, almost as though I were some extravagant meal he’d always yearned to have. There was a hunger in his eyes, a need in the way he moved. He cupped my breasts beneath the delicate lace, sucking in a slow breath through gritted teeth. I adored the way he touched me, firm, but gentle, almost as if he were afraid to break me.
I wanted to sweep that hesitation right out of his head and into the ocean. It could sink to the seafloor and rust there, for all I cared. I didn’t realize how badly I needed him, and I really didn’t want to turn back now.
I brought my hand to the front of his pants, which were tented thanks to his hardening length. I palmed his member gently, memorizing the sound of Leo’s low moan in my ear. It was low, wanton, and guttural, and it fueled my desire for him.
“I know what I want,” I whispered.
“And what would that be?” he challenged. He looked handsome as sin with his hair a bit disheveled and his uniform wrinkled and creased.
“I want your cock in my mouth.”
Leo let out a sharp breath. “Wow, um–” He started to laugh. It was bright and charming, as well as the slightest bit nervous and airy.
“What?” I demanded, giggling along with him.
“That just wasn’t what I was expecting to hear from someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” I shrugged innocently. “Don’t let the royal title fool you. I’m a princess, not a prude. I have needs and wants just like every other woman.”
“Except you’re not like every other woman.”
I smirked. “I’ll take that as a compliment, Lieutenant.”
He nodded. “It was.” I shifted off of him and left a trail of kisses all the way down his tones chest. Leo nodded, reaching between us to make quick work of his belt and the front of his pants. He pulled the waistband of his trousers and boxer briefs down to free his thick, long cock. It was hard and swollen and dripping from the tip. I wrapped my palm around the base, the weight of him full in my hands, and brought the tip up to my lips. I rolled my eyes upward to hold his glare as I eager
ly lapped the bead of come up with the flat of my tongue. I relished the way he trembled and groaned beneath my touch. I promptly wrapped my lips around him and swirled my tongue around, adjusting to his taste.
His hot cock on my tongue was really something to belong. His skin was the tiniest bit salty, but in a good way. I hollowed my cheeks and sucked him down, memorizing the sound of his languid groans when the head of his cock hit the back of my throat.
“Giselle,” he grunted, deliciously deep and low.
He tangled his fingers in my hair, but didn’t push. Leo made it abundantly clear that I was the one in control here. I pulled back, sucking as I went, and wrapped my fingers around the base of his cock tighter to stroke in tandem with my mouth. I could feel his length swelling, pulsing as I worked him hard and wet and so, so good.
“God, you’re gorgeous,” he mumbled contently, his voice wavering just noticeably so.
I smiled around his cock and pulled away. “I thought we were supposed to be quiet.”
“Come here,” he ordered. “I’m going to fuck you.”
I licked my lips and climbed onto the bed.
I reached up and hooked my hands on the back of his neck, pulling him down so that I could kiss him again. It was truly a magnificent thing, to feel so close to another person with such a simple act. If I knew we weren’t pressed for time, and if my bodyguards weren’t standing right outside awaiting Leo to finish his supposed examination, I would have asked him to stay with me. To hold me, kiss me for hours. I wrapped my legs around his hips and hooked my ankles together, greedily trapping him against me.
“Please,” I whispered in his ear. “Please, hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Leo nodded, reaching between us to line himself up with my opening. Part of me really wanted to watch Leo pressing into me, but I wasn’t able to get too good of a look because we were so frantically grasping at each other. Leo pushed my thong to the side and pressed into me slowly, my slick walls putting up a bit of resistance because of how large he was. I swallowed a gasp and held back a moan as he drove himself deeper and deeper. He distracted me with kisses and his eager tongue.
“Are you okay?” he asked hurriedly. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”
I shook my head. “No, you feel amazing. God, you’re so big.”
Leo smiled against my lips and carefully began to thrust into me, slowly and softly at first. The head of his cock hit me right in the sweet spot, leaving me wetter and aching with pleasure with each snap of his hips. He whispered sweet nothings into my ear, told me over and over again about how beautiful he thought I was. I was lost to the electric sensation building deep in my core, something so powerful I couldn’t even comprehend his words. His voice was a low, comforting, and yet a maddening noise in my ear that drove me to the brink. Why was it that his voice drove me absolutely crazy?
The heated pressure building within rose with sudden intensity, leaving me panting for air between kisses. I shuddered in his arms as I came, pleasure spreading through me to leave every muscle delightedly warm and exhausted. It only took Leo a few more thrusts before he pulled out, finishing himself off with a shaky hand as he came into his palm. We remained there, staring at each other in a blissed content before breaking out into massive smiles.
“Wow,” I whispered, stifling a post-sex yawn.
Leo chuckled as he stood, walking over to the little bathroom stall in the corner of the room. He turned the sink on and washed his hands before unceremoniously stuffing himself back into his pants and readjusting his uniform. I couldn’t help but notice that his cell phone had slipped out of his pocket and onto the bed, screen facing upward. It buzzed twice, lighting up to inform him of a new message. His lock screen was set to an image of himself and a little girl in his hands, both smiling wide at the camera.
The girl looked to be about six or seven. She had a mess of freckles scattering her adorable cheeks, and she was wearing her blonde hair up in two pigtails, held there by neon orange elastics. A twinge of jealousy made my chest ache. The child looked a lot like him, and I immediately wondered if he had a family waiting at home for him.
“That’s my niece,” he informed me, seemingly reading my thoughts.
A huge flood of relief cooled the heat in my cheeks. “Oh,” I managed. “You two are close?”
He nodded and sat on the bed, scooping the phone up to show me. “Her name’s Ava. She’s my older sister’s kid. I’m very proud to say that I’m her favorite uncle.”
I giggled. “That’s actually really sweet.”
“My sister, Jenny, also happens to work in the military as an Army nurse. I don’t get to see them very often because we’re always on different tours, so I like to keep a photo of Ava on me. I’m always amazed at how much she grows between visits.”
I adored how his face lit up when he spoke about his niece. “Do you plan on having any kids?” I inquired, the words rolling off my tongue without much thought.
Leo laughed. “One day,” he confirmed. “If it were up to me, I’d like a house full of them so I can spoil everyone rotten. But that’s a dream for the distant future. I’ve got too much work on my hands as it is. What about you?”
I blinked, turning the question over in my head. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it. I mean, I kind of have to have kids to keep the family line going.”
Leo’s expression stiffened a bit, something close to pity flashing across his eyes. “You don’t sound too enthused about the prospect of starting a family.”
I shrugged, leaning over the edge of the bed to pick up my dress. I slipped it on, and Leo quickly helped me zip the back up. “It’s not that I’m not enthused. Like you said, it’s a dream for the distant future. I think I’d be happy with one kid. I don’t know how I’d even manage to take care of a house full of–”
I stopped myself abruptly and looked away from Leo’s distressingly bright smile. Did I really just say that aloud? Had I really been contemplating a future with him? It was so easy to get lost in the idea that I hadn’t stopped to think about everything logically. There was no way that Leo and I had an actual future together. What we had was temporary. What we had was just for fun.
But it was nice to dream.
I cleared my throat. “Anyway…” I mumbled.
He clicked his tongue. “Anyway.”
“My ankle’s feeling fine. You probably have other patients to see, don’t you?”
Leo nodded slowly with nothing but fondness in his eyes. “Yes, I do. But should you need me–”
“I’ll be sure to call for you,” I said. I was more than aware of how red my cheeks and ears were. I wondered if he noticed. “Are you, uh… Are you free later tonight?”
Leo grinned. “I’ll make some room in my schedule for you. I’m sure I can make it work.”
6
Leo
Giselle made me feel absolutely wild. I felt like a teenager again, sneaking about the ship just so that I could steal away a few minutes—up to an hour if I was lucky—so that I could see her. My supervisor and subordinates hadn’t noticed anything different going on, though I was fairly certain some of my patients in the medical bay were beginning to get a little suspicious about my sudden absences. I was never away for too long, of course. My job was still very important to me. But as the days passed us by, I began to realize that Giselle was important to me too.
The danger of being discovered, either by my fellow shipmates or by her security team, always loomed over our heads. I supposed, in a way, that added to the excitement. She’d find excuses to call for me, feigning medical emergencies or complaining that her ankle’s condition wasn’t improving. I myself would find excuses to check up on her, bringing her fresh ice packs to combat the swelling or to come with some medicines to make her feel better. I was worried that if we didn’t come up with new excuses, though, people would start to get suspicious. Either that, or they would think there was something seriously wrong with the princess’ health.
I hadn’t thought much about what would happen if we were caught together, the truth of our relationship exposed. If we wound up being discovered, we would be in a great deal of trouble. Princess Giselle’s reputation was on the line. The public loved to hear about royal scandals, and I felt guilty for putting her in such a position. As for me, I risked my rank and even my career. Fooling around with the princess and future queen of Idolia wouldn’t look very good for the Royal Navy. But I kept seeing her. To me, she was worth the risk.
I just couldn’t resist her. There was something wonderful about Giselle, something that drew me in like a magnet. I wasn’t just interested in her body or her looks. Her personality was the definition of fantastic. She always wore a smile, could easily crack a joke. I learned that Giselle was not only intelligent, having spent numerous years under the watchful eye of palace tutors, but she was also quick-witted and sharp like a knife. She always seemed to know the right thing to say, had a way of speaking that made me feel like I was the only one she cared for. Giselle tended to lean in when she spoke, her words always soft and gentle. She always made me feel like I was in on a secret—which, I supposed I technically was—and therefore felt much closer to her for it.
After finishing my shift in the medical bay, I passed through the main deck to hand in a couple of reports to the cabin. The captain had ordered me to take a detailed inventory count so we knew what to restock once we arrived at port. We were only a couple of days away from arriving in Idolia, so the captain wanted to make sure everything was in order prior to our arrival. Disembarking an entire warship was a tedious and frustrating process, so it was always a good idea to organize ourselves to the best of our abilities beforehand.
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