Brilliant.
I turned forward again and Tor called my name again.
“No,” I said, not turning back. “I’m okay. This’ll be fine. Just fine.”
Total lie.
I was freaking out!
“Love, look at me,” he urged.
“No,” I denied. “Let’s just get this over with.”
He paused then he sighed then he stated, “Cora, just be this you and they’ll change their minds. If you’re this woman, they won’t be able to stop themselves from falling in love with you.”
I stared straight ahead but I could see nothing, I could only feel his words wash over me.
Yes, feel them.
And oh, but they felt good.
Oh man.
I didn’t respond, couldn’t. I was trying to control my rapidly beating pulse and prevent a heart attack.
After awhile, Tor asked, “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I lied.
“We can proceed?”
“Sure.”
“You aren’t… freaking out?”
His using words from my world made my freak out fade and my mouth grin and I turned to him.
“I’ll be okay,” I said quietly.
His eyes held mine as he murmured, “There’s my future queen.”
Oh man!
He clicked his tongue against his teeth and Salem proceeded. I turned forward again. Aggie chirped, “Cora, are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
“Yes, Aggie, no worries,” I whispered to the bird.
Tor’s arm gave me a squeeze and his thighs gave Salem a squeeze. The horse moved gracefully from a trot, to a canter, to a gentle gallop.
And Bellebryn got closer and closer.
Chapter Thirteen
Magical
I stood at the balustrade of the vast patio jutting out from Tor’s rooms in the castle and stared at the now dark sea filled with its ships, their lights casting long reflections across the water.
I was brushing the moisture from my hair after having just taken a hot, gardenia scented bath in a huge, oval, ivory marble bathtub.
Tor’s rooms were the shit. In fact, his entire castle was the shit. In fact, his entire princedom was the shit. If it was amazing from the outside, it was doubly amazing on the inside.
I’d made it through the village (which was relatively abuzz) while sitting atop Salem and held by Tor. Nearly everyone we saw turned and looked, smiled delightedly at Tor and dropped into bows or curtsies.
If their eyes fell on me, though, their faces became curious, which was okay, or they closed or went blank, which was not so good.
I did my best to rectify Cora’s reputation and smiled as bright a smile as I could pin on my nervous face. But the entire ride up the winding cobblestone street I clutched Tor’s hand.
Upon our arrival at the castle everything went completely out-of-control. Tor’s servants, not knowing he was coming home, descended instantly in a tizzy of excitement.
Watching them, it was clear he was well-liked and completely respected.
It was also clear, when their eyes hit me, Cora was not either of those things.
That didn’t matter. Aggie and I were swept away to Tor’s rooms (when I would have liked to have had a tour of the castle, though I didn’t share this desire). I didn’t get a chance to do anything but catch his eyes, see him lift a chin in an “it’s going to be just fine” gesture before I was away. And I didn’t get the chance to say word one before I was divested of Aggie and led into Tor’s suite.
I quickly learned that Tor’s servants had gone all out when Cora last visited and even though she was there for a short time and had not come back, they kept things prepared lest she returned.
Therefore, she had clothes and toiletries at her, and now my, disposal.
I wasn’t fond of the scent of gardenia (it was pretty enough, but too strong) but I didn’t share this either as a meal was silently served (the first I did not have with Tor in ages, nevertheless, it was scrumptious, with rich sauces and lean cuts of meat, and I was amazed they threw it together on such short notice), a scented bath was drawn and delicate underwear and nightclothes were laid out for me.
They had towels, not made of terry, but of thick, soft, absorbent material that they heated on racks by a fire. They didn’t only have bath oil but also soap, shampoo, and, get this, conditioner. (Hurrah! No more frizz!) They even had straight blades so I could shave my legs and armpits (this I did, but very carefully, straight blade razors were more than a little scary but I succeeded in nicking myself only once).
The whole place was awesome – if I didn’t allow myself to think of the fact that the four woman who danced attendance on me didn’t meet my eyes, said barely anything and treated me with unfailing courtesy if not an ounce of friendliness no matter how I tried to catch their eyes and give them a smile or engage them in conversation.
They left me to my bath; I allowed myself to luxuriate in it, letting the hot water soothe the kinks of the long ride out of my muscles. I got out, toweled off and turned to my newest outfit.
The city, castle and rooms were awesome. But the underwear, nightgown and robe were more awesome… by far.
Not shorts or drawers, laid out for me were actual panties made of pale yellow silk edged at the bottoms with lace. They fit a bit snug (Cora of this world definitely weighed more than a few pounds less than me) but they still looked fantastic.
And the nightgown and robe were to-die-for. A soft peach silk, thin straps, fitted simple bodice and a flowing skirt that went to my ankles. Luckily the skirt was flowing but, as with the panties, the bodice and hips of the gown fit snug (clearly, the other Cora was also a cup size smaller than me too). The robe was a matching sheer chiffon with a wide satin sash.
They felt great and even snug looked great and were relatively comfortable.
So there I stood, brushing my hair with the silver-handled brush Cora had left behind, the scent of gardenia in my nose, the lamps and candles flickering behind me in Tor’s bedroom (which was awesome too, decorated in royal blue, silver, black and charcoal gray, it had a mammoth, curtained four-poster sitting smack in the middle of the colossal room, handsome dark-wood furniture, comfortable looking, plush sofas and chairs scattered around, gleaming ivory marbled floors that were made less cold by thick, intricately woven rugs littering them and warm blue-painted walls) and I stared at the view. There was incense one of the maids set to burning that smelled of sandalwood which mingled nicely with the gardenia.
I was brushing my hair, taking all of this in and I was thinking Princess Cora Goode Hawthorne was a total, freaking idiot.
Sure, her house and the area surrounding it were gorgeous but this, all of it, including the man that came with it…
Total. Freaking. Idiot.
I heard a noise, turned to face the room and stopped dead.
Tor was walking through the room completely naked except for a black bathsheet fastened loose around his hips.
Holy freaking crap!
With an unsteady hand, I set the brush on the balustrade and stared.
I’d seen his chest but that was it. I knew he had great thighs and he was hard everywhere but now I saw he had great calves and the indentations around his hips, the definition of his abs, the veins drifting up his belly and down his forearms and biceps, his jaw cleanly shaven, his long-ish, black hair wet and slicked back.
Yowza!
I tore my eyes from him to see he’d come through one of the many doors that led off his bedroom (I hadn’t explored because I thought it was rude and I should ask but by the time I could, I was alone).
What I knew was, it was not the bathroom door.
Where had he bathed?
In his bathsheet he walked right out onto the patio and, honest to God, he looked straight out of the movie with the candlelit room behind him, the wispy, royal blue curtains blowing in the light breeze and him being so damned hawt.
I struggled to find my
voice, found it and asked, “Where did you bathe?”
His head jerked and I belatedly noticed he’d been staring, quite intently, at my body and my words startled him out of a reverie.
His eyes cut to my face and he answered, “My bath.”
“You have a bath?” I asked as he got closer.
“Yes.”
“Is it somewhere else in the castle?” I enquired, thinking that was weird and also thinking of him walking the vast halls of his home in a towel and leaving swooning maids in his wake.
“No,” he replied, stopping in front of me, his big hands going to my waist. “I have a private bath and you have a private bath. They’re separate. I used mine…” his eyes slid over my wet hair, “and apparently you used yours.”
We both had our own bathrooms?
Whoa. Cool!
“Cool,” I smiled up at him.
His hands slid up to my ribs. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, have you?”
“Yes.”
“The food was really good,” I informed him.
“Excellent,” he replied. “Now get in my bed.”
I blinked. “What?”
“If you don’t want me to take you on the balcony, you need, right now, to get that beautiful arse of yours in my bed.”
My belly dipped and my knees went weak.
Uh-oh.
“Tor,” I whispered and his fingers bit into my ribs as his body edged an inch closer.
“Now, Cora,” he ordered low.
“Um…”
“I said now.”
I placed my hands lightly on his biceps and suggested, “I think maybe we should take a few moments to discuss where this is going, um… between you and me and all of the ramifications of that, um… considering, you know, that I might be catapulted back to my world at any time.”
“And, sweets, I think you should decide how much you like those charming garments you’re wearing for, if you don’t move toward my bed in three seconds while discarding them, I’ll be ripping them off you.”
Heat hit my cheeks and between my legs.
Uh-oh!
“Tor,” I whispered, “this is getting complicated. We need to talk.”
“One.”
Oh dear.
“Honey, we might be making a huge –”
“Two.”
I stared up at him and I knew by the determined look on his handsome face that he was, well… determined.
And I had a strong suspicion that when Prince Noctorno was determined to get something, he got it.
And that would include me.
And try as I might, in that instant, after the last four days, I couldn’t find it in me not to give it to him.
Therefore I begged, “Please don’t rip my clothes. I like them a lot.”
“Three,” he replied, I braced but he didn’t rip my clothes off. He dipped a shoulder and then I was up and he was stalking to the bed.
Oh God. Now what did I do?
I had to stall in order to set some ground rules.
I didn’t struggle but wrapped my fingers around his waist.
God, his skin was soft but his muscles were hard and he was warm all over.
Shit!
“I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” I told his back.
“Don’t worry, love, I’ll get you ready.”
Oh boy.
“I think we should… oh!”
I cried out because he tossed me over his shoulder and I landed on my back on the downy covers of his soft bed.
He towered over me, still as a statue except his eyes which travelled the length of me, their path burning my skin like it was a physical thing.
Oh God, I was in trouble.
“Tor –”
“Take off your dressing gown,” he ordered.
My brows drew together. “My –?” I started to ask.
“Take it off, Cora, or I will and I won’t be gentle.”
Holy crap.
I got up on my elbows. “Tor!”
He pulled off his bathsheet.
I started hyperventilating.
I was not wrong. He had great thighs. And there was something else about him that was great too. So great, just looking at him in all his glory, I forgot to be nervous, scared or wonder what future lay ahead of me.
I just wanted all of that for me.
And I was going to get it. I knew this when he fell forward, his arm coming out to control his fall, his hand landing in the bed beside me, him landing mostly on me.
But he held his body away and he did this in order to untie the satin sash of my robe, doing it with a non-too-gentle yank that jerked my whole body with it.
The heat between my legs intensified and got wet.
Or wetter.
Oh my.
“Uh –” I started.
“Quiet,” he ordered, shoving the chiffon aside.
“I think –” I tried again.
“Quiet,” he repeated then yanked the nightgown up.
Oh… my.
“Um –”
He settled on top of me.
“I don’t like this scent,” he grunted, a hand gliding up my side. “It reminds me of the you that you used to be. Change it.”
“Uh, okey dokey,” I whispered and shivered.
“Put your hands on me,” he commanded, his knee pressing between my legs.
Oh my!
“Um, okey dokey,” I whispered again and slid my hands up his arms and around his shoulders.
God, he felt good. He smelled good too.
Sandalwood.
“You smell good.” I was whispering but he didn’t respond.
He watched as his hand moved in, over my ribs, it started up, I held my breath then it changed directions and trailed down my belly.
My breath came out in a rush and then it came fast, uneven and heavy.
I wanted him. Now. God, I suddenly ached with it.
He didn’t even have to kiss me.
“Tor,” I breathed, his eyes came to mine and they were burning.
I started panting.
“If you’re not wet, right now, I’ll know,” he growled, his voice deeper, rough, husky.
“You’ll know wh… what?” I stammered.
His fingers slid inside my panties, gliding right through the heat of me.
My neck arched, my back arched and my arms clutched his shoulders.
“Gods,” he groaned, pressing his hard cock against my thigh. “Sodden.”
The fingers of one of my hands slid into his hair and I pressed into his hand between my legs as I tilted my chin down and tried to focus on him.
“I need you,” I breathed.
His eyes flamed. “Right now?”
I nodded. “Right now.”
He needed no more coaxing. He rolled slightly to the side and gone were my panties. Then he rolled back, I opened my legs as he did and his hips fell through. I lifted my knees, his hands at my hips lifted them, his mouth came to mine, not for a kiss but it felt more intimate having his heavy, warm breaths mingling with mine and then I felt the tip of him.
Then he drove inside.
Oh my God.
Magical.
I clutched him closer and arched my back again, whispering, “Yes.”
He rode me, driving deep, his thrusts fast, rhythmic, fantastic and through it all his eyes held mine, his lips a whisper away, our breaths mingling.
I swung my calves in, pressing my heels into his back to lift my hips and take more of him, my arm clutching his shoulders, my hand fisting in his hair. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the beauty of his eyes and didn’t want to.
“Bloody hell, you’re exquisite,” he murmured, lifting me higher, thrusting harder, driving deeper.
“Oh my God,” I whispered as his words and his pounding started my sex convulsing.
I was going to come.
“Bloody hell,” he grunted.
“Tor –”
“Give it to me, Cor
a.”
Oh, he was going to get it all right.
“Tor!” I cried.
“Give it to me, it’s my right,” he growled, a hand leaving my hip to fist at the back of my hair.
I gave it to him and he was right days earlier.
It was an explosion. An orgasm the power of which I’d never experienced before. There was no way to describe it. It burned through me so completely, I was laid to waste and I didn’t give that first shit that I’d be annihilated by a climax.
I cried out loudly and clutched him closer with every muscle in my body, my neck arching and then my face shooting forward. I buried it in his neck and whimpered through the pleasure.
When I was done, he tugged my hair gently, my head fell back to the bed, his eyes caught mine again and he kept moving inside me, his breath rough and labored, his neck muscles straining.
I lifted my head again and kissed him, sliding my tongue in, giving him everything I had to try to return a little of what he’d just given to me.
His deep groan of climax drove down my throat as his cock drove up deep inside me.
Unbe-freaking-leivable.
He took over the kiss, gentled it as he slid in and out slowly then his lips slid down my cheek to my neck then he kissed my earlobe and buried himself deep but stopped moving inside me.
“Furthering your education, sweets, that is how a princess lets her husband fuck her,” he murmured in my ear, my warm, languid, happy body stilled under the heated weight of his and then I burst out laughing.
I felt his mouth disappear from my ear and I calmed my hilarity when I felt his hand at my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. My eyes opened to see his mouth was curved in a small, sexy, contented smile and his eyes on me were warm.
Man oh man, it was happening. All of it. Everything.
I was falling in love with a fairytale prince.
Shit.
To cover my panic, I whispered, “I like your castle.”
His small smile curved bigger. “I’m glad.”
“And I like your rooms.”
“I’m glad about that too.”
Then it came to me.
This was the now. It was my now.
And it was a magical now.
And, fuck it, I was going to take it and I’d worry about the later… later.
I sucked in breath then joked, “And, you know, I’m always around should you have any further princess instruction to impart on me.”
Fantastical Page 14