Page 59 of Royal Charmer
I don’t hesitate, ripping her panties off with one sharp tug, and pulling her up off the sofa. I guide her to the side, bend her over the top, yank her dress up and bunch it at her lower back. My cock surges thick and hard against my trousers.
“Ohhh!” she exclaims as I’m freeing myself, in too much of a hurry to completely undress. “This is just like—ah!”
I couldn’t take it slow. I’m in deep, and I need this. I pound into her, my eyes closing over the intense sensation. Jesus. I have to slow down. This is Alice. Sweet, gentle Alice.
She arches her hips back into me. “More,” she demands.
And I give it to her. I can’t help myself. Can’t stop. It’s wild and animal and sweaty. I’m panting, trying to hang on.Not yet, not yet.Fuck. I reach around and stroke her firmly. She cries out and then she tightens around me, pushing me closer to the edge. I still, deep inside her, and focus on her release, gentling my touch, teasing her until she’s begging in a litany of desperate needy pleas. “Lucas, I need, I need. Give. Me.”
I clamp my teeth on the side of her neck as I cover her, thrusting deep, my fingers stroking exactly the way I know sets her off. She stiffens, clamping down around me, and I nearly roar with triumph. She comes violently, rocking under me, her body squeezing me rhythmically. Fu-u-uck. I grab her tight and pump deep over and over, my own harsh breath mingling with her soft cries. And then I explode in a rush of pleasure, light flashing behind my closed eyelids.
I open my eyes slowly and straighten, running my hand up her spine to the nape of her neck and giving her a squeeze. She’s limp and languid. I’ve never let go like that with her. I’ve focused on her pleasure, on treating her better than her past lovers. I didn’t want to be an animal pounding away mindlessly.
I withdraw and look at her still bent over the back of the sofa, eerily quiet. Fuck. Was I too rough?
I shift to get a better look at her. Her head is turned away. “Alice?”
She turns toward me, her cheeks flushed pink, eyes bright, and she smiles. Pure euphoria surges through me at that sweet smile. I do love her. It must be real if her smile can do this to me. She straightens, turns to me, and wobbles a bit. I reach out to steady her, and she wraps her arms around my neck.
She kisses me. “That was just likeThe Duke’s Darewhen he took her over the back of the settee.”
I’m thrown for a moment. She’s right, but that’s not why I did it. I just needed her badly. “Did I…was I too rough?”
She shakes her head with a smile. “No. Was it better for you that way?”
“I like it all ways with you.”
She strokes my beard. “I think you should let go as much as you want. I’m not fragile.”
“I didn’t want to be like your disappointing hookups. I imagine they took what they wanted and left.”
“Yes, but you give.” She pats my cheek. “Besides, they just wanted the regular position.”
I smile. “It’s called missionary.”
She looks to the ceiling, her lips pursed. “That must have an interesting history. Missionary. I should look into that.” She meets my eyes. “Do you mind if I go back to my story?”
I push down the hurt that she wants her laptop more than me. If that’s the case, then I need to work harder to increase my appeal. “Actually, I do. I have plans for you.” Then I scoop her up, cradled in my arms, and carry her to the bedroom.
She sighs, pressing her cheek against my chest.This. This is all I need.Well, maybe just one more thing. “Will you go to the site visit with me? It would help so much.”
Her fingers trace my bicep. “Okay, one more time as your fiancée and that’s it.”
An alarm rings in the dim recesses of my mind. What happens after the game is over? Could we have a future? Or will she move on to the next lover, her next inspiration? The irony is not lost on me. I’m the man who’s always moving on to the next woman.
I don’t know how I got in so deep so fast. It’s been a little over a week. Maybe it was her vulnerability that drew me in, the way she leaned on me. I’m so rarely the one people lean on. I’ve cultivated my partying rep for so long that people don’t see a man of substance behind it. Alice did. And she supported me too in my business venture. Her confidence in me has been a huge boon.
I set her down on the bed, and she opens her arms to me with a sweet, gentle smile that wraps around my heart. All this time I chose hard jaded women, the kind who were more like me, when it was the opposite I needed.
I cover her, nuzzling into her neck, breathing in her sweet flowery scent as her arms close around me. She’s mine. The woman meant for me. I have never been so certain of anything in my life.
I just need to make her believe it.
~ ~ ~
Alice
I’m in a Mercedes with Lucas, driving down the long palace road to meet Jules and his colleague David at the dock, where they’re due to arrive shortly by ferry. A guard, Michael—though I prefer to think of him as Thor—is in the front passenger seat, along with a driver. There’s another Mercedes behind us for our visitors. We’ll be meeting Anna and Gabriel over at the day spa for the tour. Lucas wants to show the bankers the setup by the dock in an old warehouse, where they’ve been developing the cosmetics line. He hopes to convert more of the buildings there to manufacturing, along with building something new. Many of the buildings formerly used by the fishermen are empty due to declining fish populations.
