by Amelia Wilde
“Have you fallen for me?” I ask. I want to hear her say it again.
A playful smile curls her lips. “Did I say that out loud?”
I laugh as I lean down, pressing our smiles together just before they melt into a passionate kiss. How is it possible? I’ve fallen for her as well.
Zelda
I’m lying on my side on the brown sectional sofa. Cal sits on the floor with his back leaning where my face is propped on my hand. On his lap is a plate of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life.
“It’s crack pizza,” I announce, as he holds up another slice for me to bite. “I’ve never tasted anything this delicious, and it’s only cheese.”
“We take our cheese very seriously,” he says, leaning his head back to look at me.
I lean forward and kiss him. I haven’t stopped kissing him since we made love. I don’t want to stop as long as we still have time together. I’m so fucking afraid of what’s going to happen tomorrow, I refuse to let myself even think about it. Instead, I’ll soak up as many memories of MacCallam Lockwood Tate while I still can.
“Mm,” he says, swallowing his bite and changing the channels on the enormous flat screen television. “You must love this one. It’s black and white.”
I look up to see he’s stopped on a scene in which Woody Allen is walking beside a very young Meryl Streep.
“Manhattan! I do love this one!” I give his shoulder a brief shake and he laughs.
“Finally, something we can agree on.”
Falling back against the cushions I close my eyes. “Just listen to that Gershwin soundtrack.” I sit up quickly, just in time to see Meryl Streep slide the weight of her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Look how beautiful she is.”
“She reminds me of someone.”
“Jennifer Lawrence. I’ve always thought that. Statuesque, blonde, amazing actress…”
“Hmm,” I can see his brow line in the flickering light. “I was thinking about you.”
“Me?” The way he says it makes me feel self-conscious. “Our noses are different.”
“Your hair is the same, your eyes…” He shifts, facing me. “You’re equally captivating.”
He’s looking at me too intently. I turn away and take another bite of crack pizza while the characters onscreen argue about the nature of politics in Ingmar Bergman films.
“Pseudo-intellectuals,” I say, hoping to break the sudden awkwardness.
With a quiet laugh, he pushes off the floor. “I think we should move this party to the bedroom.”
“Really?” I give the room service cart a quick survey. Half the pizza remains on the silver platter. “We’ll have to leave our drugs out here unguarded.”
“I’ll save the champagne. You cover the crack.” He motions with the dark green bottle. “It’ll keep until morning.”
With a sigh, I push off the couch and step over to place the silver lid over the remaining food. I’m just turning back when I catch sight of his tight, naked ass disappearing into the bedroom, and chase after him to grab it.
Cal tackles me at once, and we fall onto the bed laughing. He holds me down and kisses me firmly on the mouth. I kiss him back, and when he rolls onto his back, I pop up.
“Are you tired?”
“Hell, no. I’m just warming up. I plan on fucking you three point seven more times tonight.”
“Point seven. You’re very precise in your measurements.”
“It’s possible the last time will run over into tomorrow.”
Turning my head, I strain to look at the clock. “I think we’ve already made it to tomorrow.”
Catching my chin, he pulls my face back around. “Quit being a party pooper. You pooped out on me last night.”
“I was really tired last night!”
We scoot around so we’re side by side, resting against the pillows. I lean forward to put my cheek against his bare chest. I love hearing the sound of his breath, his heart beating.
“I’m just the opposite,” he says, thoughtfully, threading his fingers in the back of my hair. “I sprained my wrist playing tennis once, and I was so adrenalized, it took me forever to fall asleep.”
“Is that why you brought me a bottle of champagne?”
“Partly.” His fingers find the back of my neck, giving it a stroke before threading into my hair again. I snuggle deeper into his side, loving the feeling of him touching me. “It’s possible I had ulterior motives.”
“Well, you got what you came for.” I lift my head and press a kiss against his heated skin. “Still, I was exhausted. We ran all over that museum, then we ran all over the beach.”
He chuckles, causing my head to bounce. “I told you my uncle would take you to that damn aquarium.”
“I loved the aquarium.” We’re quiet a moment, and I think about what he said. “You were right, though. About your uncle.”
“I know that old fellow pretty well. Grew up with him.”
Pushing up to a sitting position, I lean beside him. His eyes are on the television, and I study his profile, his straight nose and full lips, the little line in his chin.
“So what happened with him?” I ask quietly, internally holding my breath.
Hazel eyes meet mine. “What do you mean?”
Blinking down, I run my finger along the top of his shoulder. “I mean, why are you on the outs with him? Why is Rowan so angry?”
He does a little frown before answering. “It’s matters of state.”
“You mean it’s classified or something? Like you could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me?”
That makes him grin. “Hardly. More like you’ll find it so boring you’ll fall asleep on me again.”
“I don’t think I will. I really want to know.”
He shifts to the side. “Why?”
Shrugging, I glance down. “Reggie is the reason I met you. I guess, I want to know why you’re so angry with him. I wouldn’t know you if it weren’t for him.”
He catches my chin and lifts my face. “That is definitely a point in his favor.” A quick kiss, and he gathers me to his chest. “About six years ago, right before our father died, Rowan overheard Reggie plotting with Hubert Farbridge, a member of the cabinet. I don’t know what was said, but Rowan took it to mean they were conspiring to cause our father’s death.
“Cause his death? But how? Did they shoot him?”
“His heart was bad. He had a terrible temper, and they knew how to get him worked up into a rage. The night he died they’d had a terrible fight about joining forces with Twatrington.”
My head pops up. “Twatrington? What’s that?”
He grins and runs his thumb along my jawline. “Our neighbor to the southwest. They’ve attacked farmers along our border for years. Their ultimate goal is to combine the two countries into one—under their rule.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Better access to the sea, tourism dollars. We’ve spent a lot of time cultivating relationships with the nobility. Most of our visitors spend large amounts of money here because they have deep pockets, and we’re thought of as something of a high-end destination.”
“I definitely agree with that. Everything is so beautiful and refined—the architecture, the sea. It’s like an elegant paradise.”
He shifts to the side and puts his palm on my face, softly running his fingers over my lips. The depth of his gaze makes my stomach squirm.
“Are you saying you might want to stay here? Longer than a week?”
That little fish is back, flipping all around my insides. “I think it would be amazing to stay here.”
He pulls me closer, rolling me onto my back and leaning down to kiss my neck, gradually working his way up to my jaw, sending heat rising under my skin, chasing after his luscious lips. We kiss long and passionately. I pull his bottom lip between mine; he catches my top. I’m completely turned on by the time we come up for air.
“Then we’ll have to figure out a reason for you to
stay, won’t we?”
Exhaling a laugh, I shake my head. “If only it were that easy.”
“Maybe it can be.” He covers my mouth again, pulling me onto his lap in a straddle. I lift my hips, and he moves into position to plunge deep inside me, drowning my doubts in the flood of our desire.
15
Afterglow
Rowan
Opening my eyes in the bright, blue suite with Ava snuggled soft and warm at my side is like waking up in the clouds, no longer on Earth, just this side of heaven. Stretching gently, I do my best not to wake her. I shift to my side and look down at her.
Her knees are bent, and one hand is under her face. Her long lashes rest on the tops of her cheeks, and her pink lips are slightly parted. Dark hair fans out behind her, and my fingers ache to touch her. She’s so incredibly beautiful.
I think about last night, what she told me, and I have to wrestle down the fury threatening to rise in my chest again. She didn’t say the words, but from the implication… Was she raped?
I can’t even think it without thoughts of murder filling my mind. I don’t want to make her relive a painful time from her past, but if someone hurt my Ava in that way, I will find out who did it. That bastard’s days are numbered.
She stirs, exhaling a soft noise, and my chest tightens with joy. In spite of her past, she made love so passionately last night. She went with me wherever I wanted to take her. She stole my heart. I don’t know how I’ll let her leave at the end of her visit.
Her eyelids flutter, and the hand under her cheek reaches out. I catch it in my larger one, and pull it to my lips, causing her eyes to spring open.
“Rowan,” she says softly. I love sound of her voice saying my name. “Were you watching me sleep?”
“Yes.” I slide the back of my fingers down the smooth skin of her arm.
Her shoulder rises and she exhales a laugh. “That tickles.”
“Ava,” I groan. Yep, my morning wood is aching, and it didn’t take more than that to push me over the edge.
Pulling her to me, I slide down to kiss her soft breasts, running my tongue over her tightening nipple before sucking it firmly into my mouth. She arches her back, softly laughing as her fingers thread into the sides of my hair.
“You didn’t get enough last night?” her voice taunts me. Still, she squirms around to press a kiss against my temple.
“No.” I move lower, kissing the curve of her hip before moving to the center, circling my tongue around her navel.
“Ooo, yes,” she gasps as I keep moving lower.
It’s possible I might never get enough of her beautiful body. Wrapping my arms around her thighs I spread her open so I can focus my attention directly on her clit. Her hips jerk and her hands fly to grasp my hair.
I need to be deep inside her, but I won’t take her without making her come, especially not after what she revealed to me. I want to show her how good this can be. I want all her orgasms. It only takes a few more concentrated passes before her hips are flexing, and she’s trying to squirm away.
“Rowan! Oh, god! I can’t… Stop!” She’s gasping and shaking, and I release her, kissing her lower stomach, just above that sensitive spot, rising up to her breasts, and finally arriving at her luscious lips.
She holds the back of my neck, kissing me hard, pulling me closer. It’s only a moment before we’re in position, and I plunge deep into her clenching insides. She’s so tight and hot, and I’m on the razor’s edge. It only takes a few hard thrusts before I’m shooting over the moon, releasing the tension that somehow seems to build up every night.
We’re entwined like contortionists, lying on our sides, easing down from another incredible high. Her face is pressed into my shoulder, and I hold her under the ass. Her long legs are wrapped around my waist, her arms around my neck.
“Didn’t think we could do it again?” I tease as I kiss her.
Her head tilts back, and she smiles. “I think I can sleep a little longer.”
“Go right ahead,” I say, running my fingers over her ear, pushing her silky hair off her flushed cheeks. “I’ll be right here when you wake.”
She exhales a laugh and her dreamy eyes meet mine. “I was thinking about the night we met. You never told me your favorite Robert Frost poem.”
“Since that night, it’s become ‘In the Clearing.’”
“And before that night?”
We shift in the bed, and I move to my back, holding her securely against my chest. I hadn’t thought about things like poetry or love in years before that night. “It would have been before my father died.”
I feel her tracing her fingers along the lines of my chest, and I try to remember ever feeling this level of contentment.
Her voice is a smooth vibration. “I always liked the little horse in ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.’”
“His impatient little horse, wondering why he’s feeling so contemplative.” It only takes a moment longer before I know my favorite. “‘Fire and Ice.’”
“Oh, I love that one.” Her head pops up, and a little grin is on her lips. “‘From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire’?”
I touch her lovely face again. “Especially now.”
She leans her cheek into my hand. “What are we going to do today?”
Thinking over my agenda, I decide to clear my schedule and spend the entire day with her. “Whatever you want. Name it.”
“Really?” Her brow lines, and I lean forward to kiss the frown away.
“Really. What would you like more than anything?”
“Hmm…” She slants her eyes as she thinks, and I can’t imagine what she’s going to say. “I want to see you race. Will you take me to the track and show me?”
It’s not what I expected, but it’s not an unwelcome suggestion. I only think about it a moment before I concede. “Yes, but I need to change. I guess you do as well. I’ll take you to your hotel, then I’ll pick you up at two and we’ll head to the track. Sound good?”
“I love it! I can’t wait.” She does a little bounce, and I can’t resist. I grab her around the waist and kiss her again.
Zelda
Cal drops me off at the Fairmont with a kiss and a plan to meet for lunch. I’m supposed to be showering and changing into something fresh, but instead I’m back in my bed, deep beneath the covers reliving last night.
We didn’t make love three point seven more times. It was a full four more times. My entire body heats as I remember the last, him taking me from behind. He gripped my breasts and bit the back of my neck as he plunged so deep between my thighs. It’s a hot memory, and my hand slides down between my legs when I hear the door open and then slam shut. I freeze for a half second when the sudden jolt of a body landing on my bed causes me to crawl to the surface.
“Ava?” My head pokes out from under the blankets, and I see my sister lying on her back, her arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish.
She sighs as if she’s fallen into a vat of cotton candy. “I had sex with a king.” Then she laughs. “Correction, I had sex with the king. I pretty much spent the entire night last night having orgasms. Can you believe it?”
I sit up and start to laugh. “I’m not sure you believe it. Do you need me to pinch you and be sure you’re awake?”
Rolling onto her stomach she looks up at me, and I confess. Something about her is different. I can’t put my finger on it, but she seems calmer somehow. She’s definitely glowing.
“He’s amazing, Zee. He’s strong and sexy and massive, and oh my god. His dick is so big—”
“Whoa! Hold it right there!” I wave my hand between us. “I don’t need to hear about his massive peen. It’s all I’ll be thinking about next time I see him. Back it up to the part about how he’s the king.”
She starts to laugh, and I do too. I’m only partly teasing about the penis size—apparently the brothers have something in common. I’m mostly happy and relieved and so glad she was with
someone who took care of her.
“So you already knew he was strong and all that,” she says, then she falls back on the bed again. “He’s also so gentle and attentive and… possessive and demanding.”
Dropping onto my side, I prop my head on my hand, threading my fingers in her hair. “That’s awesome, Ava-bug!” She smiles, and her eyes drift around the room. I can tell she’s remembering something, but she suddenly snaps her attention back to me.
“Were you with Cal?” Pushing against the bed, she moves to a sitting position. “I didn’t want to leave without talking to you, but I remembered last time… I figured you and he were together. I know you care about him.”
Twining my finger around a long lock of dark hair, I give it a little tug. “I was a little freaked out when I heard you’d left with Rowan. I don’t like us not having a plan in case something goes wrong…”
“I know. I’m sorry, but it was Rowan. You’ve spent the night at his house. You know what a wonderful person he is. He’s the whole reason we’re here!”
I take a deep breath. She’s right, and I can’t argue with her. “In the future, we’ll be more careful.”
Her eyes drop to her lap. “I can’t seem to think about a future without him in it. What am I going to do, Zee?”
My brow lines, and I study her face. “I’ve been thinking about that question all night. Or trying not to think about it.”
Green eyes meet mine, and they’re flooded with worry. “You know Reggie lied to us. There’s no way Rowan is all those bad things he said.”
“I know.” I nod, looking down, thinking about my conversation with Cal. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“What if we tell them? We can just be honest and say Reggie lied to us. They might understand.”
“Yeah, but we lied to them. Over and over…” My stomach knots, and I want to cry when I think of what Cal will say when he learns the extent of my deception. How many times I lied to him and all the different ways. I feel that little fish in my insides dying.
Ava lunges forward, hugging my waist as she presses her cheek to my stomach. Her voice is a cracked whisper. “I can’t bear the thought of losing him. It hurts so much!”