“It sounds great,” she said hurriedly, an eager smile upon her lips.
I led her to the medical bay, slowing to allow her plenty of time to walk. The coast was relatively clear in the early hours of the morning, the halls of the ship ghostly quiet. Giselle still had to navigate around on crutches, so when we came to a flight of steep stairs, I took her hand and easily lifted her into my arms. She giggled quietly, burying her face into the crook of my neck as I carried her down. The last thing I wanted was for the rocking of the ship to knock her off balance, only to result in further injury.
The medical bay was dead silent, save for the occasional cough of a seasick patient. Everyone appeared to be asleep, and the night nurse had stepped away from her station. Without wasting another second, I took Giselle to the storage closet at the very back of the bay and shut the door closed behind us. It was a bit dusty and significantly smaller than Giselle’s room, but she didn’t look like she much minded.
I placed the blanket and pillows down on the floor, creating a sort of nest to shield us from the cold metal. We sat, easily finding each other’s lips. Giselle straddled my lap, legs stretched out on each of my sides. Her arms found their way around my neck, pulling me into a tight embrace as I kissed her slow and deep. The sensation of her tongue drove me absolutely crazy, and it was easy to melt into the comfort of her touch. She shifted in her position, attempting to get comfortable in the small space.
“Sorry there isn’t much room,” I whispered.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad we can have some time alone together before we part ways.” She fell silent as her eyes softened, and she appeared in distant thought—saddened.
Something uncomfortable settled in my stomach. I didn’t like hearing her say that aloud. I didn’t want to face the truth, not yet. Obviously she wasn’t ready for goodbyes just yet either. I pushed the thoughts of her leaving from my mind and focused on the shape of her curves, dragging my hands down her sides to rest on her waist.
“I’d better use my time wisely,” I said, a soft smile on my face as I lay her down beneath me.
Giselle giggled as I helped to slip her dress off, spreading her knees to gain access. I dragged her delicate underwear off with my teeth, returning to kiss her swollen clit. I flicked my tongue across her most sensitive spot and relished in the way she gasped, throwing her head back slightly against the pillows. She knotted her fingers in my hair as I drew slow, deliberate circles with the tip of my tongue, adamant on drawing out every ounce of pleasure for her. She shuddered beneath me when I touched her just right, my name a soft moan on her lips. Giselle had to place her hand over her mouth to stifle the moans I managed to tease out of her throat as her pleasure intensified. It got to a point where I had to ease up because she was enjoying herself too much, on the verge of waking up the whole ship with her seductive groaning.
“Leo,” she begged. “Leo, please– I can’t wait anymore.”
I rose and shifted out of my clothing, shivering as the cool air touched my skin. I reached down to grasp my hardening cock, stroking a few times to relieve some of the mounting pressure. Giselle lay before me, naked and utterly gorgeous, hair pooling about her shoulders freely. Through the storage room’s porthole, the silver glow of the moon painted her curves, highlighting her delicate features and smooth, soft skin. She looked like an angel, long, fluttering lashes framing her amber eyes like miniature portrait frames. Giselle sat up and got on her knees, placing her hands on my hips. She licked her lips as she inspected my length, a burning desire evident in her gaze. She grasped my length tight in her hand, the other hand delicately trailing across my balls as she brought the head up toward her plump lips.
I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to.”
“But I want to, Lieutenant,” she insisted.
I was about to protest, but who was I to deny my princess anything? When she wrapped her lips around the head of my cock, all logic flew right out of the window. A delightful shiver snaked down my spine as I focused on the sensation of her warm, wet mouth. Giselle hollowed her cheeks and sucked me down, swirling her tongue about to coat my throbbing length with slick heat. She bobbed her head back and forth, each time taking more of me into her mouth. When the head of my cock hit the back of her throat, it took every ounce of my willpower not to climax then and there.
“Giselle,” I hissed.
She pulled away and grinned. “Yes, Leo?” she taunted. Her voice was rasp and sexy—my undoing.
“Lie down,” I ordered firmly.
“But I was just getting started.”
I threaded my fingers through her hair, brushing aside a few stray locks so I could look into her eyes unobstructed. “Lie down,” I repeated. Giselle smirked, but she didn’t argue, doing exactly as I said.
The floor of the storage room was by far the least comfortable thing I’d ever lay on, but I knew our options were limited. We were just going to have to make do and grin and bear it. Besides, locked in her arms, I couldn’t find any reason to complain. I dragged my hands over her body, squeezing her breasts and digging my fingers into her hips as I aligned myself with her entrance. I pressed her thighs apart and lay between her legs, pushing in slowly to adjust to her tight, wet walls. I was tempted to suck hard kisses into her neck, but that would have made our affair far too obvious. If I wasn’t careful, I could expose all our secrets by marking her skin.
I held onto her tight as I thrust my hips into her, swallowing her gasps with a heated kiss. Our bodies moved together easily, like a rehearsed dance. It amazed me how well we fit, how easy it was to read her desires and move to meet them. I aimed for her sweet spot, where her walls felt slightly spongier and thin. Giselle whined lustfully as I hit her there over and over again, driving the head of my cock into her without abandon. I easily lost myself in her warmth, an intense coil of heat building in pressure within me. It didn’t take very long before we were both shuddering against one another, spilling over the edge of feeling absolutely complete.
We pulled away for only a second just to find ourselves locked in a tight embrace. I knew we couldn’t stay here, but exhaustion was creeping in faster than I liked. I was fully sated in her warmth nestled next to me.
“You should go,” I whispered into her hair.
Giselle shook her head. “Let me stay. Just a little while longer. Five minutes?”
I nodded slowly. “Okay,” I said against my better judgement. “Five minutes.”
Giselle closed her eyes, pressing her face into my chest. I breathed in the scent of her hair in an attempt to remember what she smelled like, listened to hear steady breathing and the beating of her heart to remember the warmth the sound filled me with. I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to have such a wonderful woman in my arms. With our arrival at port encroaching, I couldn’t possibly fathom how I would ever let her go.
The very thought left a hole in the pit of my stomach.
9
Giselle
We most certainly didn’t leave after five minutes.
I didn’t know when it happened, but I fell asleep in Leo’s arms and wound up spending the entire night with him in the cramped storage room on the hard floor. My muscles ached, and my back was entirely stiff. I had a terrible headache throbbing through my temples, likely because I slept with my neck awkwardly slanted against Leo’s bicep. Outside, I could hear a rush of footsteps and panicked yelling.
I rose with a start, heart pounding loudly in my chest. I turned to find Leo still wasn’t awake and shook him roughly. “Get up,” I whispered frantically. “Leo, get up!”
He sat up immediately with his eyes wide open, though he didn’t appear to be entirely present. “What happened?” he mumbled, wiping at the corner of his mouth.
Outside, someone screamed, “Where is she? Has anyone seen Princess Giselle?”
I stood rapidly and immediately regretted the move. My ankle pulsed angrily with pain. I sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth, fighting
through the terrible throbbing to bend over and pick up my clothes. I got dressed hastily, but I wasn’t fast enough.
The door to the storage room flung open. On the other side was one incredibly furious and immensely stunned Nathanial. He turned away, bright red in the face, but it was too late. He’d seen me and Leo—who was still in a state of undress—alone together. There was no unseeing what he had just witnessed. A terrifying wave of dread washed over me, pooling into my hands and feet to make them feel as heavy as lead.
Leo got up and tried to pull his pants on, stuttering as he did. “I-I can explain!”
Nathanial raised his hand to cut him off. “Be quiet,” he snapped.
I pulled my dress on and hugged my arms together, totally embarrassed. “Nathanial, I–”
“King Maximillian has been searching for you,” he interrupted. “When we couldn’t find you in your quarters, we thought you fell overboard at some point during the night.”
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
“Return to your room at once, Princess. His Majesty is waiting for you.”
I set my jaw as I tried to brush the tangles out of my hair. I searched for the right thing to say, but stood there dumbfounded when I couldn’t even string a sentence together. I thought about making excuses, about finding a way out, but it was fairly obvious there was no escape. I glanced at Leo, who’d gone as stiff as a board, lips pressed into a thin line as his face drained of all color. I was in for a world of trouble with my father, but there was no telling what was going to happen to Leo. He could lose everything—his rank, his position, his job. I mentally kicked myself for taking the risk with him, for placing him in harm’s way. I was a princess. I’d get a slap on the wrist and some harsh words. But Leo? He had another thing coming, and I couldn’t think of a way to protect him.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s going to be fine, Giselle. I promise.”
Nathanial huffed, “Don’t address her so casually. Princess, your room.”
Leo placed a hand on my forearm. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this.”
I tore away from him and shook my head quickly. I needed to put an end to this. I recognized the warmth in his eyes, read the adoration in his body language. He was falling for me, and I just couldn’t let that happen. Things would only be worse for him if I didn’t break it off then and there.
“It’s not okay,” I said firmly.
“Giselle–”
“Enough,” I snapped. Harsh, to the point. My heart broke little by little with every word. “What did you think this was? This was a fling, nothing more. Don’t make it more than it is.”
“What are you saying?”
“I was bored,” I stated, shrugging a shoulder. “You were nothing but entertainment to me. It’s over now, so don’t make it a big deal.”
Leo’s brows pulled together into a steep frown. The anguish in his pretty eyes made me want to cry. I was hurting him out of necessity, not because I wanted to. He tried to reach for my hand, but I stepped forward and took my place next to Nathanial.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he blurted out, firmly, adamantly. Leo’s fists were clenched at his sides, but he made no move to follow. “And I think you have feelings for me too.”
“My future is determined by the state, not by matters of the heart,” I sighed. “So, let’s end this now.”
“Giselle–”
“I’m sorry.”
I turned away, relying on my crutches to carry me out of the storage room, through the medical bay, down the hall, up the stairs that Leo had to help carry me down, all the way back to my room. Each step was painful, mostly because it meant growing further and further away from Leo, but also because my ankle was throbbing like crazy. But I was determined to make it. Even though all I wanted to do was cry, I had to put on a brave face. After everything that had just happened, I refused to break down. I still had my pride, even if it was in tatters.
Father was in my room, looking sterner and angrier than I’d seen him in a long time. He never raised his voice at me, never cursed or shouted. Whenever he scolded me growing up, he spoke softly, almost inaudibly. I knew that when Father grew abnormally quiet and still that I was in serious trouble, like watching calm waters before a massive storm. I entered the room, and Nathanial closed the door behind us for privacy.
“Take a seat,” Father said. His words were clipped, precise.
I was really in for it now.
“Father, I–”
“You’re your own woman,” he cut me off. “We don’t live in an age where I much care about your virginity or–”
“Father,” I hissed, growing more and more uncomfortable by the minute.
“We live in modern times. I expect you to be a modern woman. That being said, you are still a princess. And with that comes certain restrictions.”
I thought better of rolling my eyes. I’d heard this speech a million times before, but it looked as though I was about to hear it again.
“You will one day lead our people. Your face will cover every coin, bill, and postage stamp. Every move you make will be watched under a microscope. The press is going to want to decode what you’re wearing as some sort of hidden message. People are going to look up to you. I’m sure you understand why it’s important to set a proper example.”
I bit down on my tongue. If I uttered a word, I couldn’t guarantee that I’d be able to control my volume. A deep, vicious anger was burning in my chest, forcing tears to well up in the corners of my eyes. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. Why couldn’t I be a modern woman and a princess and be with the ones I cared about without having the world blow everything out of proportion?
“You will remain here for the rest of the trip,” continued Father.
I didn’t bother arguing. Once his mind was made up, there was no changing it.
“I’m severely disappointed in you, Giselle. You know better, and you…” Father sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t even look me in the eye. “I was young once. Just like you. I know what it’s like to be young and in love–”
“We’re not in love,” I snapped. I couldn’t admit to that. If I admitted to Father and myself that I was in love with Leo, I would have been crushed. The truth of being in love with a man I could never have terrified me to no end. So as long as I denied it, maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much. Maybe I wouldn’t feel as numb as I did, wouldn’t have a bitterness lingering on my tongue.
Father approached me slowly and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Trust me when I say, this feeling will pass. Men come and go. Your crown, however, will always stay. Make your people the love of your life. That is your one and only job.”
He promptly left. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed in my ears, hauntingly empty and definite. Outside, I could hear Father ordering his bodyguards to remain at their posts to keep anyone from visiting. But I knew the truth. It wasn’t just to keep Leo from seeing me again.
It was to keep me from leaving.
10
Leo
I’d been shot before. I’d been stabbed before. Bodily harm was always part of the job description as a Navy physician. I had to tell myself over and over and over again that pain was temporary. It always was. It was the body’s way of screaming at you that something was terribly, terribly wrong. But as a doctor, I knew a number of ways to combat pain, to reduce the ache until some semblance of normalcy could be achieved until everything was healed.
Swelling could be reduced with anti-inflammatory medicine. Infection could be fought with antibiotics. Headaches could be swayed with ibuprofen. Broken bones could be held in place by a splint and heal themselves over time. All I needed was a bit of time to recover. If more time passed, surely I’d be able to get over the constant pain in my chest and the awful twist in my stomach. And if time wasn’t the cure for a broken heart, I didn’t know what I was going to do.
I never understood the attrac
tion to drinking. Alcohol in copious amounts killed the liver. I personally didn’t like to drink because it made my head feel foggy. And as someone who always needed to be at attention and alert, even when I was off duty, I couldn’t afford to have my senses dulled. But now, I could see the temptation. If the ship had a hidden cache of alcohol somewhere, I’d probably take a swig or two, just to take the edge off. I’d indulge just enough to block out the annoying voices in my head telling me that I was an idiot for trying anything with Giselle.
I’m sorry.
Those were her last words to me. Those were her last words to me after I told her I was falling in love with her. She threw me aside like I was nothing, and she even told me as much. Giselle had effectively taken my heart and torn it to shreds, and there was no number of stiches that could put me back together again. But when Giselle spoke, she hadn’t sounded like her usual self. I could tell that she’d put up a front, some sort of role to keep hidden and protected away. The woman who turned away from me wasn’t Giselle. That woman was a princess, cold and calculating and closed-off.
I needed to see her. If I could just get the chance to explain how I felt about her, prove to her that I could take care of her and all of her needs, maybe… I didn’t know. I could just end up making everything worse if I went to see her, for all I knew. I tried on several occasions to sneak up to her room, but the entire hall in which the Idolian Royal Family was staying was now swarming with guards.
I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was drowning. The air was too hot and heavy. Gravity felt like it was pulling me into the floor of the ship, crushing every bone in my body until nothing of me remained. I’d never been claustrophobic in my entire life, but this was certainly the first time that I began to feel trapped and hopeless in this metal box called the Obsidian Vow.
Panic set in, soaked into my spine and pulsed through my blood stream. Land was quickly approaching, made evident by the visible harbor on the horizon and the circling white seagulls overhead. I was running out of time. If I didn’t get the chance to see Giselle one last time, then that would be it. I couldn’t let things end like this. It was too painful, too abrupt. I hadn’t fully savored our stolen moments together, hadn’t had enough of her. The thought of never seeing her again wasn’t an option for me.
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