Reign: A Romance Anthology

by Nina Levine

  “And what about Lila. It’s new. The foundation isn’t there.”

  “I’m working on it. We are working on it,” I tell him.

  Father still has a scowl on his face, but I think he’s becoming more understanding.

  “Lila understands her duty, as do I.”

  He nods his head.

  “I’m trusting you, Auggie.”

  And with that, I leave his office on the hunt for one stubborn bodyguard.

  12

  Greyson

  “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” Auggie barges into my room. I knew he would be angry, but he looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. He is that furious with me.

  He rushes at me, his strong hand wraps around my throat, and he pushes me up against the wall. His nostrils flare. His chest heaves. Those ice-blue eyes are burning fire at me.

  “It’ll be for the best.”

  Glaring at him, I say, “The best for you, Grey.” His eyes narrow at me. “Because it sure the hell isn’t the best for Lila or me.” I shake my head.

  “I think it is, though.” Auggie lets go of my throat for just a moment, and that’s when I take back control. I grab and spin him around, then push him onto my bed. I’m right behind him, pinning him there. “I have your best interests at heart, Auggie,” I growl in his ear as my dick throbs in my pants pushed up against his tight ass.

  “I think you’re wrong, G-Grey.” His words falter as I grind myself into him. “You should be here with Lila and me.” My hand pushes on his back as my other hand begins to unbuckle his jeans, pulling them down. Auggie gladly lets them go.

  “You and Lila need the time alone without me.” I let go of the pressure on his back and begin to undo my pants, kicking them to the side. I give my dick a couple of tugs, and it thickens beneath my fingers.

  “But I need you, Grey.” Auggie turns his head in my direction, blue eyes falling on me, and my heart skips a beat. “I need you so much.” I reach over to the bedside table and pull a condom and some lube out of the drawer.

  “How much do you need me?” I growl in his ear.

  I feel him press back against me.

  “Looks like you need my dick more.” As I squirt a generous amount of lube between his cheeks, my finger runs along his puckered hole, making him moan.

  “I need you, Grey. God, I need you so much.” Auggie pants.

  I run the tip of my dick through his cheeks, and I watch his body tense as I run over his hole.

  “Yes,” he groans.

  I swirl my dick through the lube and then ever so slowly begin to sink inside of him.

  I watch Auggie as I slowly enter him. His eyes flutter close when I sink deep inside. My fingers grip his hard hips as I pull myself out and then slam back inside.

  “Yes. Fuck. Yes,” he cries out.

  Over and over, I thrust into him. Both of us need this. Something quick and dirty. Something to get our frustrations out.

  My hand wraps around the back of his head, and I hold him in place as I fuck him.

  “More. More.” He pants, and I give it to him.

  Over and over until neither one of us can take it any longer and come. My hand comes down and smacks his ass, making us both laugh.

  “Come on, let’s get cleaned up,” I tell him.

  We both disentangle ourselves and meet in the shower. Auggie reaches for me as I join him. His lips crash down on mine, and we kiss until we’re almost dizzy.

  “I don’t want you to go.” Auggie presses his forehead against mine. The hot water hits my back.

  “Let me do this, Auggie. For you… and Lila.” He shakes his head. “Look at me.” I grab his face. “You and Lila are together now.” His blue eyes narrow, and he continues, “She is your sole focus. She is the one you should be waking up with every morning. You need to give her the time she deserves as your new fiancée.”

  Auggie’s face softens. “I can do that with you here.”

  I shake my head. As much as I love him, I know that my being here will be a distraction to Lila and his relationship. Not because he doesn’t want something with her, or he prefers me, but because I think it’s something as simple as routine. Familiarity. It’s what we have always had, and they need their time. Just the two of them. To find their footing as a couple before the wedding in a month.

  “Trust me, Auggie. Four weeks will fly by, and we will be back together again. I promise.” Leaning forward, I kiss him. Reassuring him that my love will still be there even if we are apart.

  “What happens if you come back not wanting us anymore?” His brows furrow together.

  “Never.” Grabbing Auggie’s face, I try to reassure him. “You’re mine, Auggie. You have and will always be… mine.” He wraps himself around me, pulling me into a hard hug.

  “You need to be the one to tell, Lila,” Auggie tells me as we get dressed. “You need to explain to her what your reasoning is.”

  He’s right. I want her to hear the news from me, so she doesn’t think she has done something wrong. I know that’s what she will think. I never thought Auggie would find a bride who’s respectful of our love and who would actually not step in our way.

  “You’re right.” As I slip my shirt on over my head, I then place a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll do it now.”

  “Good luck. I think you might need it,” Auggie warns me.

  He’s probably right.

  I make my way around to Lila’s room and knock on the door. I can hear the sound of her feet cross the room, then she opens the door. Her eyes are bloodshot, as if she’s been crying.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Just said goodbye to my sisters.” She sniffles.

  “Oh, babe.” Taking a couple of steps into her room, I pull her into my arms as I kick the door shut behind me. “You will see them again really soon.”

  “I know.” She sniffles. “I just… this is my first time away from them.”

  Looking down at her at this moment, I realize how young she actually is. My heart aches thinking about the news I have to tell her now when she’s already feeling so down, so I lean forward and kiss her. She wraps her arms around me and pulls me in harder. Our tongues duel as our kiss heats up.

  How on earth am I going to be able to leave this?

  Dammit for being so fucking noble.

  She moves us around and pushes me up against the wall. Then she’s on me again, greedily taking my kisses, hungrily wanting more.

  “I need you, Greyson,” she whispers against my lips.

  “I need you, too, Lila.”

  Unable to control myself.

  Unable to say no to her.

  Picking her up, I walk a couple of feet to the bed and lay her down. She quickly strips out of her summer dress, the floral material flutters to the floor in a heap. She’s still dressed in a baby pink bra and pantie set, and they look so innocent set against her creamy skin. I take in her lithe body.

  She reaches over to the bedside table, pulls out a condom, and throws it at me. I catch it with a laugh. Lila grins, then opens her legs for me.

  My dick twitches. Even though he just got a workout earlier, he seems ready and raring to go again. I think if I stayed between Auggie and Lila, my dick is going to be worn out.

  I pull my shirt off over my head while Lila sits up and watches. Heat pools behind her blue eyes as they rake over my body. Then my hand reaches for the top button of my jeans, and I slowly unzip them. They pool on the floor, and I step out of them.

  My dick is sticking out the top of my black boxer briefs, he’s so hard. I push my underwear down my thighs and grab the condom, then remove it from the pack. I roll it down my aching dick.

  Lila’s eyes watch every agonizing step with a satisfied grin on her face. Then Lila sits up and unhooks her bra, throwing it in my direction on a giggle as I watch in fascination when she pushes her underwear down and throws it in my face.

  “Watch it,” I warn her, sporting a gigantic grin.

 
“What you going to do about it?” she pushes.

  “Oh, baby girl, now you’ve done it.” As I launch myself at her, my hands going to her thighs, I pull them open as my tongue lavishes her pussy.

  “Shit,” she calls out on a sigh at the connection.

  I savor her taste committing it to memory, knowing it will be a long time before we’re able to do this again.

  Maybe after this four-week break, they both may not want this again.

  I push that thought out of my head as I concentrate on Lila. I add a thick finger inside her, which drives her wild with need. Curling it, so it hits that bundle of nerves that makes her wetter.

  Her fingers sink into my hair, and I know I’m hitting the right spots. Her nails dig into my scalp, and the pain somehow makes me harder. My tongue continues lapping at her wetness as I drive her further and further into oblivion until she explodes all over my mouth.

  “Yes. Yes. Oh God… yes.” She groans, digging her fingers into my scalp even further as she rides out her orgasm.

  Reluctantly, I pull myself from her pussy, and climb over her open legs, then thrust inside her, both of us hissing at the connection. Then, I lift her, so she’s straddling me.

  We are face to face, her tits bouncing with each hard thrust into her.

  Leaning down, I take a nipple into my mouth and suck hard. She throws back her head, arching herself against me, riding me harder the harder I suck.

  Fuck, I’m going to miss this.

  Miss her.

  My hand falls between us, finding her clit and rubbing her sensitive bud. I can feel her pussy tightening around me with each swipe across it.

  “More. I need more.” She moans in my ear, and I pick up my pace, giving her exactly what she asked for until we’re both tumbling over the edge. Lila falls backward with a giggle, taking me with her.

  She looks up into my face and strokes my hair. “I’m so lucky to have found you.” She pulls me in for another kiss.

  Shit! I have to tell her that things have changed.

  That the king wants me to go away for a little while until Auggie and she are married.

  “lucky to have found you, too.” My heart clenches inside my chest. “But…” a frown falls across Lila’s face, “… I have to tell you something.”

  “By the sound of your voice, it isn’t good.” Lila’s hands stay wrapped around me tightly. She’s afraid to let me go.

  “The king has requested it,” I start.

  Her eyes flare wide, but she doesn’t say anything.

  “He wants me to go to the Winter Palace before the wedding to give you and Auggie time to get to know each other without distractions.”

  Silence falls between us.

  “Distractions?” she questions.

  “Yes. He thinks what’s going on here…” I grin down on her, “… is going to be a distraction.” As I grind, she moans.

  “You are very distracting.” She grins. “Still…” her face falls, “… I don’t want you to go.”

  “I know.” Stroking her face, I lay tender kisses across her mouth. “I don’t want to leave either, but I do think it’s for the best.” Lila frowns. “We have a lifetime to spend together, but I think you and Auggie should have these weeks before the wedding to connect. I mean, you’re going to be marrying him and having a family with him. What is a couple of weeks of just the two of you when we have a lifetime?” I ask.

  “What happens if you meet someone at the Winter Palace?” she asks with a pout.

  “Sweetheart…” I run my hands over her face, “… no one can compare to you.” Kissing her slowly, I continue with, “I think it’s the right thing to do.”

  “I don’t like it.” She pouts again, which makes me chuckle.

  “I know. But I promise you and Auggie will be on my mind every moment my hand is wrapped around my dick,” I tell her, nipping her ear.

  13

  Lila

  I’m having morning tea with the queen this morning. After saying my reluctant goodbyes to Greyson, I dived into my closet and picked out a simple pink dress and heels. I think I look pretty when I check the mirror.

  Moments later, one of the footmen is at my door to escort me to her parlor on the other side of the palace, thankfully, nowhere near Augustine’s wing.

  He knocks on the gilded door, and she summons me in. I step into her private space, and the door closes behind me. The walls are lined with floral silk wallpaper, and there are tapestries and art of various floral scenes. Then, there are opulent Persian rugs on the marble floor, again with floral motives.

  “Lila, welcome.” The queen welcomes me to her circle, where a group of equally elegant women is sipping tea in porcelain cups while seated on mint-colored antique chairs. There’s a little table in the middle stacked with towers of pastries, tarts, and delicate sandwiches. The women smile and nod in my direction.

  “These are some of my closest friends.” She goes around the room introducing the women, and they all seem friendly enough. “We are here to talk to you about the wedding which is happening in a couple of weeks,” the queen starts. “We have so much to organize.” She gives me a blinding bright white smile. “We have set up options for you today to choose from.”

  Wow. I’ve been engaged for maybe forty-eight hours, and I’m already looking at what colors should be on the invitations and what color the bridesmaid dresses should be. The food. Drinks. It’s a lot to take in.

  I’m offered a cup of tea, which I gladly take. It gives me something to concentrate on.

  “Tell us what your dream wedding would be like, Lila?” the queen asks as the other women nod enthusiastically.

  “I haven’t thought about it.”

  There’s an audible gasp throughout the room.

  “You haven’t thought about colors or food… or even the dress?” the queen asks before looking around at her minions as if I have sprouted a second head.

  “If I’m honest, I never thought I would have a choice.” I give a small shrug of my shoulders. “That whoever I was betrothed to would make all the choices.” The queen’s face softens in understanding. In this world, women are commodities for our families.

  “My mother-in-law was like that,” the queen whispers. “And I vowed that I would never do that to my daughter-in-law-to-be.” She gives me a genuine smile. “We all know…” as she looks around the room, “… that not all of us are lucky to marry for love.” The women nod. “That doesn’t mean you can’t have the wedding you so eagerly desire.”

  “The only thing I thought about was my sisters being my bridesmaids and my mother walking me down the aisle,” I explain.

  “That’s a great start,” she praises me as a staff member behind her writes that information down on a regal-looking pad with their royal emblem embossed on the top.

  We spend the rest of the day looking at color samples and materials. We sample food until I’m utterly exhausted by the end of the day. Eventually, the other ladies exit the room, leaving the queen and me alone together.

  “Thank you for today.” She sips on her glass of champagne. We upgraded our drink of choice as the day progressed. “I enjoyed our time together,” she tells me as she reclines back against the chair, looking a little more relaxed.

  “Thank you for including me.”

  She nods her head in acknowledgment. “May I ask a personal question?” she starts.

  “Of course.” I take a small sip of my champagne.

  “Is my son gay?”

  Umm, this was not the question I thought she’d be asking.

  “Or does he truly like both men and women?” Her blue eyes widen with curiosity.

  Okay, well, this is awkward.

  How do I tell my future mother-in-law that her son likes eating pussy as much as he enjoys sucking dick? Also, how do I explain to her that I have slept with him and his bed friend?

  Silence fills the room while I try and work out exactly how to explain our scenario.

  “I don’t
want to push my son into something he doesn’t want because of social conventions,” the queen adds.

  I can see she’s grappling between being a mom and being a queen.

  “Augustine loves Greyson with all his heart.” I tell her honestly.

  She smiles. “Do you think if he were allowed to marry Greyson, he would have?”

  “I’m not sure, but I believe they would.”

  Her face falls. “Well, thank you for being honest with me. And thank you for…” she struggles to find the words she’s looking for, “… for putting your love life on hold for my son’s.” Emotion swims behind her blue eyes, and they shimmer under the light.

  “I believe it will be hard not to fall in love with your son…” turning the champagne glass in my hand, this seems to perk her up a little bit, “… or Greyson,” I add. This makes her frown.

  “I don’t want to pry any more than I already have,” she starts. “But could you explain more about that?”

  Well, okay, this is the territory I didn’t want to delve into, but I guess we are going there.

  “It is early days, and now that Greyson has been sent away, I am not sure how it will work, but—”

  “Greyson has been sent away?”

  This is news to her? I would have sworn she would have known about it.

  “Yes. He said the king asked him to go to the Winter Palace till the wedding to give Augustine and me time to grow together without distractions.”

  “Oh, that man,” the queen grumbles while shaking her head. “I’m going to tell you something, and no one knows…” She looks around the room to make sure we are alone before moving forward toward me. “The king, Joss, and I grew up together,” she explains. “My mother was the queen’s best friend, and Joss’s family were the guards of the kingdom,” she clarifies a little more. “As the three of us were the same age, we did everything together.” She lets out a long sigh. “It wasn’t until we became teenagers and hormones began to come into play that things changed.”