by Marian Tee
He considered his options.
First was to stay the hell away from her since she could undoubtedly be the greatest complication in his life.
Second was to slake his lust and have a fling with her while he was on vacation.
Cass sensed that the prince was thinking about whether or not he should spend more time with her. What, she thought agonizingly, would she do if he chose to turn his back on their destiny? Worry had Cass licking her lips and swallowing convulsively.
Seeing Cass do those unbelievably sensual things without being aware of the tempting picture she presented did it for Julian.
Unable to wait, Cass asked again, “Do you believe me—-”
“Yes.” He started to pull her down again, intent on kissing her once more. He planned to do much more, but since they were still out in public, kisses would do for starters.
Cass hurriedly braced her hands against the prince’s chest. “Wait,” she exclaimed, excitement and passion making her voice breathless. She was so tempted to let him kiss her again, but she knew she couldn’t – at least not until she was sure they were on the same page.
Julian scowled. His body was burning with desire for her, his cock practically trying to tear a hole out of his trousers. He was not used to waiting at all, but for Cass he exerted an effort to rein his impatience in. “What is it?”
“I...want to be clear. You really believe me?”
“Read my mind.” I believe you.
“Oh.” A nervous giggle escaped her.
“Is that it?”
“Umm...”
Julian started thinking about her breasts, imagining them bare to his eyes, her nipples ready to be sucked—-
“Julian!”
He smirked, and with them still in contact, Cass saw it very clearly, which made her smile helplessly at his arrogance. “One last question,” she promised.
“Then ask it,” he commanded.
“Do...you also believe that I’m destined to be your bride?”
Silence, not just between them but also in Julian’s mind.
It made Cass swallow. “Julian?” She was beginning to feel not just nervous but afraid, too, of what Julian would say. Over the years she had dreamt of him and read about him, she knew how scathing Julian’s tongue could be, especially when talking to someone he deemed overstepping his bounds.
But still, she hoped that he wouldn’t be cruel, that he would instead be as sweetly possessive and wickedly romantic as he was in her dreams—-
Julian looked at her, and she held her breath.
“You have to be joking, right?”
Well, as far as romantic lines went, that one was a major fail.
Chapter Four
“You are not seriously ignoring me for being practical about us, are you?”
It was Julian’s first time to woo a woman. Or at least this was as far as he would allow himself to go in terms of wooing. Last night had been hell. In the darkness of his bedroom, Julian had acknowledged to himself that he could have handled things better yesterday, could have let her down more gently and just as gently convinced her to see things his way.
He was a prince with a duty to his kingdom. Marrying her was out of the question, no matter if she was literally the girl of his dreams. Surely she would eventually see reason and, in light of their sizzling chemistry, accept that being his bride was not a role she could ever play in his life?
Armed with that thought, he had woken early this morning, got Garth to finally do something productive for him, and showed up on Cass’ front door. Unfortunately, instead of being properly grateful that he was giving both of them another chance, Cass looked mad.
Practical, Cass was thinking in absolute agony. The fact that he considered the idea of marrying her as a joke was his way of being practical.
Being her usual silly self, Cass had hoped that the first words Prince Julian would speak to her when they met again would be romantic, something that went more along the lines of “I miss you, I can’t live without you, I love you.”
But of course Prince Julian, being who he was in reality, spoke of the opposite.
Cass walked past the prince wordlessly, trying not to feel hurt at how “practical” he was. She knew she should give him more time to adjust to the truth, to accept their shared destiny. And maybe in time, she could do it. But not now.
Unbelievable, Julian thought as he stared after Cass’ back. Did she really mean to have him, Julian, a prince of Ethereal, run after her like a lovesick fool?
Cass disappeared around the corner.
Fuck.
In seconds, Julian caught up with Cass as she descended the staircase. The speed with which she took the steps made him frown and he said sharply, “Slow down.” She was blind, dammit. Had she forgotten the fact?
His worry was almost tangible, his thoughts loud and clear, that it forced Cass to slow down. “My condition isn’t the same as others,” she said gruffly without looking at him.
Every step she took as they descended another flight of stairs made him closer to having a heart attack. Julian grabbed her hand. “Humor me on this,” he said tightly.
His hold was strong, warm, and possessive. He was holding her hand and it made her feel like she was his. With both of them connected physically, she was able to see him clearly again. The worry etched on his face made Cass explain clumsily, “I...don’t see like you do, but I’m not blind like the others.”
Julian shook his head. “I’m afraid I do not understand.”
“I’m not, technically, blind. I just see things differently. That’s why I can move and do stuff with ease.”
“Then what do you see?”
She explained the way her sight worked carefully, making sure to give the prince examples.
Julian looked at her with amazement. “You’re incredible.”
She flushed. “I’m not. I’m just different.”
The way color flooded her cheeks was as much a turn on as it had been yesterday, and Julian’s hold on her soft hand tightened. In the next second, he had her trapped between him and the wall, his hands holding hers locked against her sides.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I want you.”
She bit her lip, the heat in his words making her own body betray her. “You want me...but you don’t want to marry me?”
“You must see it is impossible. And you must not take it as an offense – I will not be marrying for love. I will be marrying for the good of my kingdom. Surely you understand that it is part of my duty?”
“Not all princes marry for duty.”
“I’m not like all princes.” He was looking down at her with fierce eyes, and right now he appeared more like a warrior than a prince. His arrogant words should have made him less attractive, but somehow Cass only found herself wanting and loving him even more because of it. This arrogance of his had been what had saved her – had been what had given her the courage to fight for her right to live.
His eyes darkened upon seeing the soft look on Cass’ face, and his voice was a seductive force as he spoke. “Tell me you want me, Cass.”
She tried her best to resist the lure of Julian’s sexual appeal. “You’re fighting unfairly,” she mumbled. She tried to look away, but when Julian commanded her to look at him, Cass was powerless to resist it.
A gasp escaped her as Julian suddenly pressed his body against hers, closing the distance between them completely. Her breath caught when she felt his manhood rise and harden against her belly.
“I’ve dreamt of you for so long, Cass. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
She bit her lip. “If you want me so much, then why not take a chance on me?” She knew it would seem like she was begging the prince to marry her. Maybe it was, but she didn’t care anymore. They were destined to be with each other. She just had to make him realize that.
“Don’t make me say more things that will hurt you.”
She sucked her breath in. Ironically,
those words felt even more painful. Those words made her imagine the many things the prince could say that were hurtfully true.
“The prince in my dreams is much nicer than you,” Cass heard herself saying.
The words stung. It also made him feel jealous, which Julian knew was ridiculous since it meant he was jealous of himself. He said flatly, “Well, you’re a lot less noisy in mine.”
She gasped.
“In fact, in my dreams, you don’t argue with me at all. All you do is suck my—-”
Cass gasped more loudly. “I do not!”
“Yes. You do.”
She stared at him for a long moment, trying to find any clue that would prove he was being petty and dishonest. But there was none. She shook her head incredulously. “Are you serious?”
Julian raised a brow. “Are you denying it?”
She said slowly, “I don’t think we’re having the same dreams.”
Bemused, Julian asked, “What do I do in your dreams?”
A smile formed on her lips, and a faraway look fell on Cass’ face as she murmured, “We talk all the time.”
In his dreams, they had foreplay all the time.
“You hum me to sleep sometimes, like you know, singing a lullaby to a baby?”
Julian almost choked. He had never fucking hummed in his life, and he hoped to God Cass didn’t expect him to do it in reality.
“And,” Cass continued with a sigh, “there was one time that you recited poetry to me.”
This time, Julian did choke.
Cass looked at him in confusion. “Are you okay?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m fine.” Not. He still had trouble accepting the fact that he was so incredibly gay in Cass’ dreams. Hum her to sleep? If it had been him, he would have fucked her until both of them passed out. And poetry? No fucking way. If she wanted to feel cherished, he could do that just by talking dirty.
Curiosity made Cass nibble on her lower lip before asking, “What about your dreams? What do, err, I do in your dreams?”
He looked at her. He only looked at her and let his mind do the talking.
Cass’ jaw dropped.
Cass was on her knees, and she was smiling up at him as she took him in her mouth——
Cass was seated on a stool, hands on her lap, while a gloriously naked and powerfully aroused Julian stood before her, his hands on her hair as he slowly guided her head to his cock—-
Cass was on top of Julian, his face buried in her pussy while she worked on him with her mouth and hands—-
“Impossible!”
Julian smirked.
“B-but I’ve never done anything like that in real life.”
“I’ll be happy to teach you,” he answered smoothly.
She blushed and glared at him at the same time. “I...” She shook her head. “Impossible!”
Wickedly, he asked, “Do you want me to give you a blow by blow? Better yet, maybe I should just try to recall so you can see for yourself—-”
“No need,” she said so quickly it made him laugh.
The sound was rusty, a testament to how rare he had found anything in life worth genuinely laughing about. Even in her dreams, Cass thought, Julian rarely laughed. But he was laughing now, and knowing that she had been the cause of it made her blink back tears.
“Julian?” Her voice caught.
He looked down at her sharply, hearing the uneven note in her voice. “What is it, sweetheart?”
The endearment made her blink even more. “You must find a way to believe that I’m telling you the truth about everything. I’ll be very hurt if you don’t believe me, but more than that...I want you to be happy. I want you to have more reasons to smile, to laugh, and I think that’s only going to happen if you believe in us.”
Chapter Five
When Cass came out of the employees’ locker room dressed as Mademoiselle Cassandra, the figure standing next to the door turned a deep angry shade of red. “What the fuck are you wearing?”
Around them, heads swung towards their direction upon hearing the prince’s raised tone. Although the hotel’s luau would officially start at dinnertime, the management had various activities planned to provide guests with entertainment throughout the day. One of it was having Cass tell the guests’ fortunes.
Seeing the way Cass flinched at his words made Julian mentally curse himself. A truce of sorts had emerged between them since their conversation at Cass’ apartment. Of course, when Julian found out that Cass was not willing to take a day off from work, the truce between them had been threatened.
“If you truly think you are destined to be the woman in my life,” he had said silkily, “shouldn’t you start practicing saying yes to everything I want?”
Cass had only shaken her head. “You are the most selfish man I have ever met.”
Her words had made him start. He had always been an arrogant and spoiled jerk, but selfish? No, he had thought broodingly. Selfishness wasn’t one of his sins. That side of him only came out where Cass was concerned. He had dreamt of her for so long, it felt like he had known her for years but only had the chance to be with her now. Of course he wanted Cass to spend her every fucking moment with him.
Especially now, Julian thought grimly, considering what she wore. Her slim curves were enhanced by her outfit, made of silk and gauze, and transparent almost everywhere except for the most vital parts.
He could see how the men’s eyes followed her every move, all of them entranced by the gentle sway of her hips.
Cass had a hard time maintaining a steady pace. She badly wanted to run inside her tent. But if she did, people would know that she was aware of their hateful gazes. Most of the guests lounging by the pool were regulars. It meant they knew she was blind, and it made them think they could get away with revealing their dislike without her finding out.
Even their thoughts ran towards the same direction. What was Prince Julian doing with someone like her?
Cass tried not to let it get to her. The guests – well, the women mostly – were just being “practical”...like Julian. The thought had her fingers curling into fists against her side. Who knew being the recipient of such practicality would be so hurtful?
Julian’s lips formed a straight line as the men around them went on ogling her shamelessly. Julian knew it was because they thought her blind, but it still made him furious as hell. Jealous, too. He wanted to lash out, to forbid everyone to even have one damn glimpse of her, but Julian fought hard to control the urge.
As far as the whole world knew, Cass meant nothing to him...and he meant nothing to her. They had no rights to each other, and to act like there was would be...impractical. Irrrational.
When Cass entered a tent made of red velvet, Julian unhesitatingly followed her. Inside, he found her taking out a crystal ball and placing it on a black desk before taking a seat behind it.
Above Cass’ head was a black and white banner.
Let Mademoiselle Cassandra See Your Future.
His lip curled with distaste. “What is this?”
The coldness in Julian’s voice made Cass look at his direction in bewilderment. “Surely, you know?”
To reside in St. Roch was to be an employer of Sir, the island's reclusive owner, and Cass herself had chosen to take on the role as fortune teller and provide occasional entertainment for tourists.
Playing the fortune teller had helped Cass become stronger and braver, able to take everyone’s jeering words without being hurt. For every ten rude customers she had to handle, there’d be one who genuinely needed her help – one who she would be able to comfort, and that one good instance made all the bad stuff worth suffering.
“Why are you doing this?” Julian demanded. “Is it because of money?”
Before she could answer, the curtains of the tent were parted by two blondes wearing sunglasses and bikinis. Cass could tell they were new to the island. They didn’t feel familiar to her. A moment later, Cass sensed their shock and excitement and kne
w that the two had just realized who it was inside the tent.
“Prince Julian?” Blonde #1 gasped. Her companion was still speechless, only able to elbow Blonde #1 repeatedly.
Julian forced himself to turn towards the other women, courtesy demanding that he at least acknowledge their words with a nod.
It was The Royal Iceberg treatment, Cass thought ruefully. It was Julian’s polite way of letting people know of his displeasure, but the two blondes seem too bowled over by his presence to notice. All the two could think about was—-
I WANT TO FUCK HIM OMG I WANT TO FUCK HIM SO BAD OMG OMG HE’S SO HOT I HAVE GOT TO FUCK HIM
Cass took several deep breaths. She shouldn’t be jealous, she told herself. He was Prince Julian Rivera of Ethereal. It was not his fault that they found him hot.
Blonde #1 was curtsying by the time Cass’ attention returned to them, bowing so low that it was a miracle her breasts hadn’t spilled out of her bikini top. Another pang of jealousy struck Cass, but she did her best to ignore it.
“...and this is my friend Pauline,” Blonde #1, who had volunteered her name as Sandra, was saying.
“Are you here on vacation or business, Your Highness?” Blonde #2 – Pauline - had finally found her tongue, but nervousness made her voice shrill.
Julian tried not to sound impatient as he answered, “Vacation.”
Sandra gushed, “Then can we hope to see you in tonight’s luau?” She glanced at Cass. “Mademoiselle Cassandra, you’d be reading fortunes tonight, too, won’t you?” She wasn’t really interested in the answer, but since the prince was here, Sandra thought it prudent to ask the fortune teller. Royalty had the right to a few eccentricities, and if the prince believed in fortune-telling shit, then it was the kind of shit Sandra was determined to like.
Cass nodded, not trusting herself to speak without revealing her jealousy and insecurities. Blonde #1 and #2 were beautiful women who came from privileged families like Prince Julian. Unlike her, they were practical choices for him to consider.