“Prince Ronan, please,” I beg, not sure how much more of this I can bear. An insistent throb has started at the apex of my womanhood and the unfamiliar moistness between my legs has been replaced with a wet heat.

He pulls my nipple further into his mouth and sucks on me. The feelings of pleasure intensify and I feel like I'm going to lose my mind as my womanhood throbs to such an extent it's almost painful.

“Please,” I gasp.

He stops sucking and with a soft chuckle in his voice says, “As you wish, my Queen,” before he returns his mouth to my breast and this time laps deliciously at the swollen bud with his tongue. At the same time his hand moves over my hips and down my thigh. He pulls my smock upwards, and instead of feeling embarrassed that my womanhood is exposed to his gaze, I find myself lifting my buttocks from the bed and offering it to him, so desperate am I for his touch.

He swiftly accepts my offer and cups it in his large hand and for a moment I feel some relief as it seems the weight of his palm calms the throb of need. However, the instant he pulls it away the throbbing need bursts through, this time twice as strong, and I writhe in desperation.

His hand slides lower and seconds later I feel his finger delve into the wet heat at the lower part of my womanhood. It glides up through the centre and finds a hidden bud which I now understand is the source of the aching throb of need which is rapidly reducing me to a mindless mess. However, as much as I thought I was in fear of losing my mind a moment ago, nothingprepares me for what comes next. He rubs his finger over this tiny bud and I feel it engorge to his touch, sending indescribable waves of pleasure throughout my womanhood and abdomen.

And then I feel it, along with the ripples of pleasure there is a pressure building in me and I feel like I need to move my hips to some unknown rhythm. I groan with a feral need that runs so deep I know instinctively after this I will be forever changed. This prince is reaching parts of me I never even knew existed.

“Oh, Elinor, you are exquisite,” he whispers into my ear. “Give yourself to me. Let yourself go.” He puts his finger to work at a faster speed and his mouth descends on my breast yet again. The effect is explosive and I clutch at his shoulders, desperate to anchor myself to him as I fear I shall soon disintegrate into a million tiny pieces. My lower body starts to move in tune to some ancient, unknown rhythm. The ripples of pleasure intensify. He sucks my nipple and I cry out, hanging onto him for dear life.

The pressure is unbearable. My breathing is ragged and I feel I can’t take much more but he keeps rubbing me with his finger and then his tongue flicks over my nipple and I am obliterated. The wave of pleasure that washes over me is so intense and the release I feel so enormous that I let out a guttural cry from some unknown place deep within me. Wave after wave of pleasure keeps coming, and I hold onto the prince as my body and mind are flooded with a feeling of ecstasy so utterly beyond anything I ever imagined it leaves me breathless.

The waves of pleasure continue to wash over me for some time and then slowly start to dissipate into a gentle pulse. I open my eyes to find the prince looking down at me, smiling.

“Hey there,” he says in a gentle voice.

“Hey,” I reply.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

I smile. “Wonderful, if a little embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed?”

“Yes, embarrassed. I just made movements and noises with my body that are totally unfamiliar to me and I’m not sure are befitting a queen.”

He starts to laugh. “Queen Elinor, there is nothing befits a woman more than when she lets her lover know how much he pleases her, queen or no queen.”

“Really? You don't think any less of me?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Believe me when I tell you, there are few things sweeter in this life than hearing the woman you are making love to gasp and groan your name and writhe in need beneath you. I'm already looking forward to the next time.”

“So,” I pause, not quite sure how to put my next question, “everything that happened, the response of my body, is normal?”

He chuckles. “If you mean getting wet between your legs then yes, that’s not just normal but completely necessary, otherwise I’m going to have great difficulty when it comes to relieving you of your maidenhead.”

A soft blush spreads across my cheeks at his mention of my virginity, but whereas before I feared what losing it meant, now I find myself intrigued. What just happened between us was so intensely pleasurable, I can’t help wondering if being taken fully by the prince would be even more so.

“Does it hurt?” I ask.

He looks deep into my eyes and places a soft kiss on my lips. “With an inexperienced lover or, even more so, an uncaring one, then yes, there is a high possibility of pain.” A warm smile spreads across his face and he kisses me again. “Thankfully, I am neither.”

His words from earlier regarding Greythorne come to mind and I understand now what he was trying to tell me. I say a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever gods inspired me to abductthe prince and bring him here, as I simply can't imagine being intimate in this way with a brute like Greythorne.

Suddenly, a rush of fatigue washes over me and I feel bone weary. Ever observant, the prince notices immediately and takes me into his arms. “Come now, my Queen, you have nothing to fear. My seed shall prove good. I will become your king and I will be the man to relieve you of your maidenhead. Fret not and sleep now.”

He pulls me into his chest and wraps me up in his arms, and I feel myself starting to fall into a deep sleep. “Thank you,” I whisper against his heart.

He pulls me tighter and places a tender kiss on top of my head. “You're most welcome,” he replies, his voice low and filled with warmth, and I thank those gods again as I drift off into a blissful slumber.

Chapter Sixteen

Somewhere in the distance I think I hear the dawn bell ring, but I feel I must be mistaken as I’m sure I’m still in a wonderful dream where I’m in bed with the prince. Then a sudden realisation jolts me awake. The dawn bell is ringing and I’m not dreaming, I really am in bed with the prince and they really are his arms wrapped around me.