Page 54 of A Royal Menace

“Joey?”

I nod. “It’s short for Josette.”

“Calliope and Josette. I like it,” Royal muses with a soft smile.

“Yeah, my mom and dad didn’t want to give us common names. Dad always says unique people need unique names.”

“You’re definitely one of a kind, Calliope Barnes,” he says, his voice just above a whisper.

My core throbs at the look in his eyes, and I clear my throat before changing the subject. “What about you? Do you have family nearby?”

“My brother, Linc, lives in Grenville,” he says. “He’s a contractor, so he stays busy, but we try to get together to catch up every couple of weeks.”

I nod. “And your parents?”

“Florida,” he says. “They’re retired, too, and they bought a condo in this tiny town called Sweet Pea.”

“Sweet Pea?” I ask on a laugh, and he nods.

“I know, right? But it’s a nice place, and they love it there. Linc and I fly there a couple of times a year to visit. Usually once in the summer so we can enjoy the beach, and once around the holidays.”

We continue to chat as we eat, learning more about each other in the process, but I’m having a hard time concentrating on the conversation with Royal’s eyes devouring me like he’d rather have me for dinner than the meal he made. By the time we’re finishing up, my nipples are hard and my thighs are clenched together for dear life.

“I think I’m full,” he declares finally, pulling his napkin from his lap and tossing it onto his plate.

I copy him, throwing my napkin onto my plate before pushing out of my chair. Royal watches me as I round the table, then scoots his chair back to make room for me as I approach and straddle his lap. His arms circle around me, his hands splaying across my back as I thread my fingers through his hair.

We kiss, and he wastes no time driving his tongue into my mouth, proving he’s as hungry for me as I am him. His hands glide down my back to grip my ass, grinding me against him. Then they slide back up beneath my sweater, and he groans into my mouth. One hand slips around to my chest to squeeze my bare breast gently, and he groans again. My hips buck at the touch, and Royal suddenly stands and carries me to the kitchen counter.

Setting me atop it, he kisses me for another minute before pulling back to meet my eyes. He holds the contact while his hands find the button and zipper of my jeans. I nod when he pauses, and he exhales audibly before undoing the closure. I hold onto his shoulders for support as I lift my ass off the counter, and he strips my jeans and underwear down at once.

“Time for dessert,” he says in a low, thick voice as he pulls the material free of my feet.

Pushing my knees apart, he steps between them and kisses me for a long moment before pulling back to jerk my sweater over my head. His eyes light with an internal flame as he looks down at my chest, then he dips his head to lick at one pebbled nipple. My eyes close, and my head falls back as something that sounds like a relieved sigh slips through my parted lips.

Royal nips and sucks my nipple for an eternity as his hands smooth up and down my thighs, then he moves left to pay the same attention to the other one. I’m a shaking, writhing mess by the time he’s done, and he presses a single, hard kiss to my mouth before taking a step back, leaning over, and running his tongue along my center. I lean back until my head touches the countertop, my spine bowed upward. A long, feral moan vibrates out of me as Royal’s tongue finds the spot where I need it most.

His groan rattles against my sensitive flesh just before he pushes two fingers inside me. My inner walls clench around the digits, and Royal’s tongue lashes my clit as he curls his fingers upward to find that special spot inside me. Electricity sparks through my body when his fingertips brush against it, and I shout at the shock.

Royal sucks my clit gently before touching the spot again, and an orgasm explodes through me, lighting my body on fire. I groan his name, and Royal releases my clit to lick at it slowly, gently, as I float back to Earth.

Straightening, he steps out of the cradle of my thighs and to the side before sliding one arm beneath my knees and the other under my back. Scooping me up like I weigh nothing, he holds me against his chest and kisses the top of my head.

And without a word, he carries me to his bed.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Royal

I lostmy determination to tell Callie the truth the second I opened my door and saw her standing there, looking like a vision in cashmere and denim. My good intentions vanished, and all I could think about was getting her naked and tasting her flesh. It took every ounce of my strength to hold off touching her until after I fed her.

And when she climbed onto my lap the second we finished, letting me know she’d been just as eager as I was the whole time? My brain completely shut down, letting my body take the lead without remorse or contention.

Now, we’re naked and tangled in my bedsheets, completely spent and satisfied, and my brain has woken up, reminding me that I need to tell Callie the truth. Guilt weighs me down, and I regret not telling her the moment she arrived. If she’s going to be upset, knowing I kept the truth from her long enough to have sex is only going to make it worse.

I’m such a fucking idiot.

“Callie,” I murmur, knowing I can’t put it off any longer, “I need to tell you something.”

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