My heart was close to bursting with untamable glee. This wasn’t a dream. Marina really was here. She was here and kissing me, and everything felt right with the world. How was it that the taste of her lips could make me feel so whole, so complete?
I slipped my arms around her waist, still kneeling at her side. I circled her in my embrace, marveling at how small she was against me. Once upon a time, Marina and I were the exact same height. We used to measure ourselves, back to back, to see who was taller. She always seemed to be a centimeter bigger, but now the difference was all too clear. Marina felt tiny against me, adorably cute and small. I wanted to handle her with care, touch her tenderly as I explored every inch of her body.
Something inside me awoke. It was hungry and desperate for more than just simple, sweet kisses. Now that I had Marina within my grasp, I knew there was no way I was going to let her go.
I kissed her harder, teasing her lips apart with the tip of my tongue. A soft moan escaped from Marina’s throat as her tongue danced over mine, just as keen. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned forward out of her chair, falling from her seat directly on top of me. The press of her soft breasts against me drove me up the wall, the front of my pants hardening with an undeniable need for her. She was incredibly light, so it was an easy enough task to roll us both over so that I was the one pinning her down. Marina arched into me, hooking one of her legs over my hip to stay as close as possible.
The crackle of a security radio echoed out in the hall.
Marina and I both froze, petrified. My heart stopped beating altogether. I glanced at her, a silent and urgent conversation passing between us. If we were caught together, there’d be trouble. Neither of us dared to move, afraid that any sudden moments would draw the attention of the guards on patrol. We stayed deathly silent, listening with great relief once we heard the sound of retreating footsteps.
My fingers were buzzing with adrenaline. Whether it was from the thrill of having Marina in my arms, or if it was from almost being discovered, I couldn’t tell.
Marina hooked a long, slender finger over the edge of my shirt collar and tugged me down, brushing her lips coyly against mine.
“Come with me,” she whispered.
I was more than happy to oblige.
10
Marina
I could hardly believe it. My white knight had been Rodrigo all along. Everything suddenly clicked into place. When I closed my eyes, I could finally see my secret admirer’s old face, not just the sharp line of his jaw and the fullness of his lips. Now my white knight had big, impossibly blue eyes that left me absolutely awestruck. I could finally admire his high cheekbones, his serious brow, that tiny freckle at the very edge of his left temple. Who would have thought after ten years, I’d finally have Rodrigo back in my life? Who would have thought he grew up to be such a romantic, charming young man?
This wasn’t just sex. This was something deeper, more profound. As we stumbled into my private chambers, I was initially worried that this would be awkward. How did old friends turn into new lovers without a bit of fumbling? I supposed that a decade spent apart, some flirtatious love letters, and a little Christmas magic could do the trick.
Every time Rodrigo kissed me, the rest of the world fell away. There was nothing except the two of us sharing this secret moment. The second the door to my room clicked shut, he picked me up in his arms with his impressive strength. He carried me over to the edge of my bed, setting me down gently like some precious antique.
The last time we shared a bed together was when we were five. His father and mine used to have late, passionate talks concerning politics into the wee hours of the morning. Rodrigo was once afraid of the dark, too scared to sleep alone. So our solution was to snuggle close. It was perfectly innocent; our shared company a guaranteed repellent to all things that went bump in the night. It was hard to believe that the little boy of my memories was now this strong, sinfully gorgeous man who’d braved the odds just to get to me. Rodrigo was literally risking his neck to be here.
I knew somewhere deep down that Rodrigo was off-limits. He was right to be concerned about our parents’ frigid relationship. The King and Senator Sabatino’s very public, very nasty rivalry wasn’t going to be easy for Rodrigo and me to navigate. But that just made me want him more. I pushed the nagging voice in the back of my head deeper into my subconscious. I wanted to stay in the present, wanted to savor every second that I was with him.
As I pulled my blouse up and over my head, he hovered over me, pupils blown wide with desire. He made quick work of the buttons of his shirt before casting the offending fabric off, to be forgotten on the floor. The moonlight that seeped in through the crack in the curtains painted his strong, broad chest in pale light, drawing my eyes to the hard lines of his pecs and abs. I reached for him, peppering butterfly kisses down the length of his stomach as my hands roamed impatiently. I was fascinated by the rolling muscles beneath his skin, the way his chest moved up and down as he breathed heavily.
I eventually found my way to the front of his pants, undoing the button and zipper that kept him closed off to me. Before I could expose the hardness beneath, Rodrigo impatiently snatched me by the wrists and pressed forward, pinning my hands above my head against the sheets. He was able to keep me there with a single extended hand, dragging his fingertips down the length of my neck and over the delicate lace of my bra. He teased my hard nipple through the fabric, giving it a gentle pinch.
I threw my head back and moaned, attempting to keep my voice quiet. Rumors had a tendency to spread quickly through the palace, so I was going to do everything to keep Rodrigo my dirty little secret.
He lay down on top of me, positioning himself perfectly between my legs as he began to grind against me. Every inch of my body ached for him, needed him closer than he was. A pooling heat was beginning to build deep within me, something undeniable and entirely thrilling. Rodrigo mouthed at the crook of my neck, hot tongue searing against my skin.
“God, I want you,” he groaned into my ear.
I nibbled at his bottom lip, sucking hard enough to feel him grow even harder against me. “Then take me.”
Something devilishly sexy flashed across his baby blues. With blinding speed, he helped tug off my pants and underwear, leaving me to the task of flinging off my bra. I lay naked before him, my skin burning hotter than the sun wherever he touched me. He dragged his hands over my breasts, gave them a tender squeeze, before sweeping them down the flat of my stomach. He parted my knees and kissed a line all the way down from my navel to the sensitive, throbbing want between my thighs.
A quick flick of his tongue and I was already shuddering with pleasure, gripping at the cool sheets beneath him for some semblance of control. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sensation of his tongue circling about, poking in, teasing me in ways I didn’t know I wanted to be teased. I reached down and threaded my fingers in his hair, like I was looking for some sort of rein to guide Rodrigo.
But he needed no guidance. There was intent with every move he made, attention to detail combined with a great deal of care. I couldn’t help but wonder how he’d perfected these skills. Had there been other women in his life before me? Had his hands touched someone else with this much care, this much desire? It wasn’t long before those thoughts fell right out of my head, the tightening heat in the pit of my stomach growing too intense to focus on anything else.
“Rodrigo,” I gasped, shivering against him as electricity sparked through my veins. “Oh my God, Rodrigo, just like that! Just like–”
A deep, languid moan ripped through me as I came undone. My mind blanked in an instant, pure euphoria spiking through me to rid all thoughts and concerns.
I’d had sex before, but my previous dalliance could barely hold a candle to the way Rodrigo showered me with affection. My first time was with a distant cousin’s best friend, Peter. Mother really seemed to like him, thought he was a perfect gentleman and all that. She approved of the mat
ch, but seemed far more invested in the relationship than me. Peter and I didn’t last very long, only a couple of months or so. There just wasn’t a connection, a spark. He always finished first, and I was always disappointed. It was unsatisfying. Boring, really. Until now, I thought that was just how it was.
But boy did Rodrigo prove me wrong.
This was something else. I couldn’t put to words just how incredible he made me feel. Rodrigo looked at me like I was the only thing in the world. He observed me with an almost animalistic hunger, though the fondness in his eyes never faltered. He gauged every one of his movements with my reactions, testing to see what I liked best and what drove me absolutely wild.
Rodrigo’s tongue didn’t let up, even after my explosive climax. He continued to work me as earnestly as before, alternating between light, small circles and firm, large ones. My mind was spinning, head lulling to the side because it was too heavy for my neck to support any longer.
I sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth when I felt the tip of his finger press into me. “Rodrigo,” I whimpered, delightfully overwhelmed by the sensation of the stretch.
“Quiet, Princess,” he warned, voice a growl. I’d never heard Rodrigo’s voice so husky and low before. It was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever heard.
He curled his finger inside me, sweeping past my sweet spot as he did. I jolted as pleasure ripped through me. I could feel him smirking between my legs. Rodrigo pressed a second finger into me, stretching wet walls to prepare for him.
I swallowed hard, the back of my throat dry from all the moans he’d been pulling from deep within my lungs.
“Rodrigo, please,” I whined.
“Yes, Princess?”
“I need you in me,” I panted, writhing against his touch. “Please, please, please.”
He pulled his head and his hand away, propping himself up on his knees as he wiped his mouth dry with the back of his hand. His blue eyes were dark like stormy oceans, powerful currents swelling beneath the surface. Rodrigo stood for a moment and slipped out of his pants and black boxer-briefs, setting his hard length free.
I found myself lost in his image, marveling at how long and thick he was. There was just something about the messy state of his hair, the redness of his lips, the hardness of his lean body, and the hunger in his eyes that told me I was going to be absolutely ruined by the time he was finished with me. I shifted on the bed and parted my knees, more than happy for this to be the case.
He climbed back onto the bed, slowly pressing the head of his throbbing cock against me. Rodrigo took care to slip into me gently, burying himself in my heat. I moaned as he stretched me wider, sinking into me. Rodrigo made sure to pepper my face with kisses, helping me ignore the initial discomfort. He brushed his lips against the center of my forehead, the back of my eyes, the tip of my nose, and the corners of my mouth, soothing away the temporary ache. When he slipped his arms beneath me and cradled me against him, I’d never felt safer and more adored in my life.
“You okay?” he whispered against my lips.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down, kissing him hard and rough and deep. It was all I could manage in my blissed state.
He started to shift his weight, thrusting into me gently at first to test the waters. My whole body was alight with ecstasy. Good sense and restraint went flying out the window when Rodrigo suddenly snapped his hips against me, knocking the air out of my lungs. He began to thrust in earnest, searching for that sweet friction and release.
I hooked my legs over his hips and drove my heels into him, as if to help him thrust deeper, harder. I couldn’t describe how badly I needed him, how much I wanted to feel him inside me. His weight above me was a comfort, his strong chest blanketing me from the rest of the world. It was just the two of us here, lost in and with one another. It amazed me just how right and good it all felt.
Never in a million years did I think Rodrigo would go from best friend to stranger to lover. And yet, now that we were here, it felt natural. If he hadn’t moved away, if he’d stayed at my side and our parents weren’t at each other’s’ throats, would we have wound up in this exact position? If Rodrigo had stayed, we could have been doing this a lot earlier. But it didn’t matter anymore. Whatever hypotheticals ran through my head, what mattered was that we were here now.
A familiarly intense heat began to pool in the pit of my stomach again, engulfing me in a splash of sparks. Our labored breaths mingled with each other, the heat radiating off our bodies combining into a cloud that smelled of sweat and sex and pure delight.
“Rodrigo,” I moaned. “Oh my God, I’m close. Rodrigo, I’m–”
“You’re so beautiful,” he groaned. “Marina, fuck.”
With a few more hard thrusts, mattress springs creaking beneath us, we both came undone. Our bodies shuddered together as we rode out our climax, panting into deep kisses and digging our fingers into each other’s backs. I whined into his mouth as his tongue swept over mine.
We lay there for a moment, quiet and satiated. The only sounds I could hear were our gradually evening breaths and the beating of our hearts, my pulse a loud drum in my ear. The calmness of the early morning hours settled over us. The cool air of my bedroom was still, undisturbed.
Rodrigo shifted slightly so that he could lie on my belly without crushing me. He glanced up at me, smiling sheepishly as he pressed a kiss to my stomach. It was fascinating how adorable he looked in the gentle lighting of the moon. I brushed a few strands of his unruly hair out of his eyes so I could properly admire the blue of his irises. I always thought he had the prettiest of eyes.
“What are you thinking?” I asked softly.
“I’m thinking…” He trailed off, in search of the right words. “I’m thinking I’d like to go another round. If you’re not too tired, of course.”
I giggled. “Trust me. I definitely want to do that again.”
Rodrigo chuckled. Why was I so hypnotized with the sound?
“I’m sorry we didn’t actually kiss under the mistletoe,” he said after a moment. “It just occurred to me.”
I ran my fingers through his hair. God, why did this feel so perfect? I’d never been more comfortable in my life. It was like finding that pair of shoes that fit just right, or finishing off a complicated puzzle—simultaneously gratifying and freeing.
“It’s okay,” I mumbled. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up to me.”
“I’m sure I will.”
“I do have one question, though.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “What is it?”
“Your plan to get into the palace didn’t go according to plan. How were you planning to get out?”
Rodrigo’s brow furrowed. “Uh… I didn’t think that far ahead.”
I stifled a laugh. “Seriously?”
“I was excited to see you, okay? Can you really blame me?”
I sighed, content. “Do you remember when we used to play hide and seek as children?”
“Yeah. I could never find you. You were always terribly good at that game.”
I shook my head. “I always hid in the secret passages because I knew you didn’t know where they were.”
Rodrigo’s mouth fell open in mock horror. “There are secret passages?”
“This palace is a thousand years old. Of course there are secret passages.”
“Cheater.”
“It’s not cheating. It’s playing smart.”
He rolled his eyes. “Please tell me one of them leads outside.”
I grinned. “It does indeed.”
Rodrigo let out a relieved sigh. “Problem solved, then.”
He moved like he was ready to leave, but I took his hand quickly and gave it a squeeze. “You don’t have to leave right away, do you?”
Rodrigo smiled gently at me. “No. No, I don’t.”
He lay down next to me and wrapped me up in his arms, pressing his lips to my hair. I knew he had to go first thing in the mo
rning. We couldn’t risk being caught together. There was no doubt in my mind that Father would likely have Rodrigo’s head.
But until morning came, we were content to simply be. For now, this was more than enough.
11
Rodrigo
“Don’t get me wrong,” started Oliver, “I’m happy for y’all. But could you kindly suck face somewhere other than in my studio? Some of us have to work for a living.”
Marina giggled sheepishly as she pulled away from our kiss. She was sitting on my lap, her arms wrapped around my neck so that there was barely an inch between us. We were sitting together on the comfortable old recliner Oliver had stuffed in the corner of his designer’s studio. It had been covered over with a mountain of discarded fabrics and sewing tools, so I didn’t think our being there was exactly going to get in his way.
“You know perfectly well why,” I said. “This is the only place where–”
“You can meet up without the King and the senator knowing,” he finished for me. “I get it.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re the best?” Marina asked.
“Darling, I know I’m the best.”
Marina and I laughed together, our lips finding each other like magnets.
Deep down, I knew he was happy for us despite his complaining. We’d been hiding out at Oliver’s studio for the better part of a month now. The palace believed that Marina was working closely with Oliver on another charitable project, and my parents believed that I was just spending a lot of time with my best friend. He was turning out to be incredibly important in this relationship—the awkward third wheel that served as the perfect cover for Marina and I to see one another. If he really didn’t like it, I was sure Oliver would have kicked us out by now.
She pulled away slightly and grinned. I adored how her nose crinkled up a bit when she did. The scent of her expensive, sweet perfume filled my nose, left me higher than the clouds.
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