I understood the security nightmare posed by this annual event; however, I also knew my uncle. If anyone had suggested to him that he not honor the annual tradition, they would not have liked his response.
I was pleased when our caravan pulled up to the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús. Armed with gifts for the children in the hospital, their siblings and parents, along with the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff, we were divided into groups to make our deliveries.
Naturally, Angel and Casper were with Kensington and I. Since we were joined by six members of palace security, they too were able to participate in the fun.
Each time, it was the mother of the ill child whom Kensington immediately gravitated to. I found it interesting, given her relationship with her own mother. But then, her mother hadn’t raised Kensington, her grandmother had.
“I received an update regarding Otto von Habsburg. He has come out of his coma,” I said to Kensington after we returned to the palace.
“He’s alive?” she asked, turning in my arms as we watched the dancing flames in the fireplace of the room my parents chose for us.
I nodded and then brought my lips to hers. “Another Christmas miracle, I suppose.”
“Another?”
“My father proclaimed one earlier today upon seeing you and I together.”
“Is it a miracle, Cortez?”
“For me, yes, I must say it is. I wasn’t sure I was capable of opening up to anyone the way I have to you. And before you begin to feel immense pressure less than a day after we first made love, I credit you with making me see I could open my heart again. I do not expect you to hold it in your hand forever.”
“And what if I want to, Cortez? Will you allow me to?”
“Can you honestly say you’re ready for that, Kensington?”
She stiffened. “Evidently, you don’t believe so.”
I brought her fingertips to my lips and kissed them. “What I believe is that we have plenty of time to explore each other’s bodies and souls before we hold each other’s hearts.”
As I watched Kensington’s eyes, I felt as though an invisible wall had raised between us. I had no idea what she was thinking, and more, she didn’t want me to know.
15
Kensington
“Will you be staying on to celebrate Fiesta de los Reyes?” the Duchess of Soria asked as the two of us sat enjoying morning tea.
“I’ve no idea,” I responded, steeling my thoughts as my gaze met hers.
“Cortez has not said?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Odd.”
“Perhaps he is unaware of his schedule.” I excused myself and walked over to the buffet to plate a pastry and some fruit.
“There she is,” I heard him saying, walking up to kiss me. “I thought perhaps you’d join me for a swim.”
“Mmm, I should have. Perhaps I’ll take a few laps later this morning.” He studied me, but like with his mother, I kept my thoughts to myself.
When I turned back to pour more tea, he moved my hair from my neck and kissed my nape. I felt my knees weaken when the stiff tip of his tongue replaced the softness of his lips. I leaned back against him and then remembered we were not alone. However, when I turned my head, his mother was no longer at the dining table.
“You are holding yourself back from me,” he said, scrunching his eyes. “You are punishing me, no?”
“No,” I answered too quickly. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Two lies. Two punishments, my sweet.”
I laughed, but Cortez did not. “Come.” He led me over to the staircase and, when we reached the first step, swung me into his arms and carried me the rest of the way up.
He pushed the bedroom door open with his foot and deposited me on the bed.
“I’ve imagined doing this to you.”
“Doing what?”
“Giving you the punishment you deserve.”
“You’ve got to be…” But he wasn’t joking. I knew that now. I got off the bed, knelt before him, and rested my hands on his thighs. I looked into his eyes, imploring him. “Please, Cortez,” I begged. “Forgive me.”
I moved my hands from his thighs to his belt, but before I could unfasten it, he pulled me to my feet, cupped my arse, and kissed me—hard.
He weaved his fingers in my hair and pulled my head back. “You will not hold yourself away from me. Not your body or your thoughts. Do you understand, Kensington?”
I whimpered at the bite of pain when I tried to nod my head.
“If I upset you, you must tell me. If you are unable, then settle your mind and let me in. Let me hear the words you can’t bring yourself to say.”
“Cortez, I…” I did my best to quiet my mind as he said. How can you say I’m not ready to take your heart? You’re all I’ve ever wanted.
“I see. You thought I was rejecting you. Making light of what happened between us?”
I nodded.
He held my throat with his hand and kissed me. “Never. Do you understand?”
I couldn’t answer; his mouth pressed so hard into mine.
“I felt so far away from last night and this morning,” he said, holding his cheek next to mine. “It was hell.”
“For me too.”
He hurriedly stripped me of my clothes and pushed me onto the bed before taking his own off.
My pussy clenched, wondering what he planned to do with me, hoping he’d follow through with his threat to punish me, even though I’d begged him not to.
He moved a freestanding mirror between the end of the bed and the fireplace he’d just re-lit.
“On all fours, my sweet. Face the fire.” When he winked, I smiled.
He knelt on the bed behind me. “Watch in the mirror, Kensington.”
He brought one hand down on my arse. The slap stung, but didn’t hurt. He did it again on the other side before thrusting two fingers into my seeping pussy.
“You are so wet,” he murmured, bringing his fingers to his lips and sucking my essence from each. When finished, he gave me two more slaps and then thrust the same fingers back inside me. My eyes rolled back in my head as I felt an orgasm looming.
“Watch, Kensington,” he demanded. I opened my eyes and met his gaze in the mirror. “Do you think you’ve been punished enough?”
“No, Cortez.”
He grinned and raised his eyebrows. “No, you say? You want more, then?”
“Please.”
He continued the pattern. Two slaps and then his fingers inside me.
“Please,” I begged again, so close to coming. I watched Cortez lean back on his haunches as though he was studying my wetness. He leaned forward.
“Come in my mouth, Kensington.” I shattered immediately only to come again when he thrust his cock inside me. Watching his face, I knew the minute his orgasm hit, as powerful as mine had been.
He held me in his arms for a long while afterwards, and I wished I knew what he was thinking.
When my eyes opened again, Cortez was staring at me.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Not long.”
His gaze was so intense, it was unnerving. “Cortez?”
“What we did earlier, it excited you?”
My cheeks flushed. “Very much. Wasn’t it obvious?”
He brought his lips to mine and kissed me hard.
“Kensington.”
I smiled at the way he often said my name. Like a statement. “Yes?”
He brought both hands to my breasts and toyed with my nipples. He pinched and then licked them, sucked and then twisted them. No matter what he did, it sent an electrical current straight through to my pussy.
“You are so responsive to me. I like that.”
“I like it too,” I said, arching my back when he sucked one hard nipple into his mouth. It hurt, and at the same time, it felt like no pleasure I’d known before.
“There is so much I want to do to your body.”
; The way he said it, a shiver went through me.
“You are not afraid.”
“I’m not,” I said, even though he hadn’t phrased his words as a question.
He grinned. “Perhaps you should be.”
I took his hand and put it between my legs. “Do I feel like I’m afraid?” He pushed me to my side and entered me from the back. Seconds later, I was climaxing, and so was he.
I could stay in this room, both of us naked, all day. Several days in a row, in fact, but what must his mother and father be thinking. I rolled my eyes and groaned.
Cortez laughed. “What was that for?”
“Your mother. Do you think she knows what we’re doing?”
He shook his head. “No, I do not.”
“Thank God.”
“Are you feeling shameful, Kensington?”
“Only in that I was just thinking I could stay in bed with you for days on end and never want to leave.”
“Would you like to stay on here for a few days or return to Mallorca?”
I smiled, wondering if he could read my mind.
“Ah, I see.”
I laughed out loud. “You can read my mind!”
He kissed my neck. “It doesn’t work exactly that way. It’s more of a feeling I get. Unless there’s something specific you want to say to me without saying it out loud.”
“Like earlier, when you told me to settle my mind and let you in.”
“Exactly.”
“Your mother asked if we were staying through Epiphany.”
“Is that what you’d like to do?”
“It would be more than a week.”
“Through the new year?”
“Less than a week, but close.”
“You are not giving me an answer, my darling.”
“Your family is very gracious, but to be honest, I really love being at your house on Mallorca.”
“There is no place on earth I’d rather be, especially if I’m with you.”
In the end, we agreed to stay for a few more days, but not as long as Fiesta de los Reyes.
New Year’s Eve at the palace was spectacular. There was a huge ball, and I was told there would be fireworks at midnight.
I’d brought nothing appropriate to wear, but Maya, Cortez’s brother’s wife, had plenty of gowns I could choose from, and as we discovered, we wore the same size. She also offered to let me get ready in her dressing area, saying that the two of us could make a grand entrance into the ball together.
“I’ve longed for him to find someone who makes him happy,” she said as we looked through her formal dresses.
“This…thing between us is very new,” I said, pulling one that caught my eye off the rack.
“Cortez will love you in that one,” she said when I came out a few minutes later. The gown I chose draped over one shoulder and had a wide satin sash at the waist. The Georgette fabric was a pale lavender on top and transitioned to peach. It was long and flowing, which was perfect since I was more than a couple of inches taller than Maya.
“You should leave your hair down. It’s so dramatic with its length.”
When I spoke with Teagon earlier about the ball, she reminded me she was working and wouldn’t have felt at all comfortable attending as a guest. While I still felt odd about it, she assured me she didn’t.
Maya had chosen a dark purple raw-silk gown. With her darker skin, hair, and eyes, she was striking in it.
When we came down the grand staircase of the residence, Cortez and his brother were waiting for us at the bottom.
He grasped my hands when I stood in front of him. “You look magnificent,” he murmured, kissing my neck right below my ear. I shuddered. “It’s as though the gown was made for you.”
“Doesn’t she look lovely?” said Maya, taking my hand.
“I’m happy for you, Cortez,” I heard his brother say. “I could not imagine a woman more perfect for you.”
“You have enchanted my family. It seems everyone is taken with you.”
“Cortez…” I slowed so his brother and wife were several paces in front of us. “Do comments like those of your brother bother you?”
He put his hand on my bare shoulder, stroking my skin with his fingers. “He speaks the truth.”
I felt my cheeks flush and looked away. Cortez moved his fingertips to my chin and turned my head to face him. “They all speak the truth, Kensington.”
I shook my head. “But…”
“As I feared, this is too soon for you.”
“It isn’t that.”
“No?”
“Celestina was your wife.”
With his other hand, he brought my palm to his lips and kissed it. “An evening such as this would not have been possible with her.”
I felt my eyes fill with tears. “Why not?” I whispered.
“She wasn’t comfortable socializing with my family.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. That is in the past.”
“Come on, you two,” I heard Maya shout. “Kensington and I are making an entrance.”
Cortez raised a brow and smiled. “Kindred spirit?”
“She’s very gracious.”
“Reminds me of someone else I know. You were wonderful with the families at the hospital on Christmas night.”
“My heart broke for them.”
“You soothed them.”
“Did I? I wanted to do more. In fact, I absolutely love the idea. I would love to initiate the same kind of thing, perhaps in London.” Cortez tried to hide it, but I saw him flinch. “I didn’t mean…”
“Come, the ball awaits.”
When the clock struck midnight, Cortez and I began the new year in one another’s arms with a passionate kiss. Not long after, we thanked the King and Queen and then excused ourselves for a night of more mind-blowing sex.
Two days later, I accidentally walked in on a conversation between Cortez and his mother.
“I fear he knows he can get to her on Mallorca,” I heard her say.
“She will have protection.”
“He will stop at nothing, Cortez.”
He murmured, raised his head, and looked into my eyes.
“Why will he stop at nothing?” I asked.
He brushed his lower lip with his finger and looked away. “I do not know.”
A chill went through me. Cortez had just lied to me. He knew exactly why Konstantine seemed to be tracking me, and didn’t want me to know.
16
Rile
“Do not let Konstantine out of your sight,” I told Smoke. “There is reason to believe he intends to act.”
“Roger that.”
“Can you speak freely?”
“If you’re asking if I’m alone, affirmative.”
“How are things going with Siren?”
Smoke made a growling sound.
“That well?”
“Pain in my fucking ass, Rile,” he muttered.
“Blame Decker.” I laughed and ended the call. I actually couldn’t imagine two operatives better suited to work together, once each one let go of their intransigent independence.
My laughter soon faded; Kensington was unhappy with me, and I could guess why. However, until I had a better read on Konstantine, I could not share what I believed his motives to be.
We were scheduled to leave Madrid the next morning, but before I finalize our plans, I wanted to check in with Decker.
“Have you heard anything on Otto von Habsburg’s recovery?”
“Negative. It’s like the whole family has suddenly gone mute.”
“Which means they’re covering something up.”
“You never know with those damn inbreds.” Decker paused, but I sensed he had something else to say. “You okay, Rile?”
I trusted and respected all three of the men I asked to go into partnership with me, but I had to admit, I had a deeper connection with Decker.
“I may be in over my head.”
�
��Understood,” he said in a way that made me think he truly did. “Maybe getting your mind on something completely different would do you good.”
I had to agree. “If you hear of a mission—something that wouldn’t keep me away too long—let me know.”
He laughed. “You’ll probably hear before I do.”
Before our call ended, he said he’d also let me know if he heard anything else out of Budapest, and I agreed to do the same. The other thing I’d agreed with was that, as much as I would’ve preferred to go home, Kensington would be far safer here at the royal compound than anywhere else.
“Have you seen Kensington?” I asked my mother once my call with Decker ended.
“She and Angel are out walking the grounds. I believe Casper is shadowing them. You’re having a hard time keeping everything in the right place.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Cortez, the thing about Kensington is, she’s…”
“Yes? Go on.”
“You’ve met your match, my dear.” My mother stood and walked over to the window. “Please come here, Cortez.”
I stood, and she pointed out to where Kensington sat talking to Angel.
“She’s bright, extraordinarily beautiful, and unlike her mother, doesn’t care about money.”
Likely why her grandparents left it all to her.
“She has a good heart, my dear son. Like none you’ve known.” She turned to me, I suppose to see if I’d react or perhaps even argue her point, but I didn’t, because I agreed. Celestina was the love of my life. I could’ve lived happily with her until I took my last breath, but there was no telling what trajectory my life would’ve taken.
“But I never would’ve challenged you the way she does.”
The two of you are different.
“I couldn’t read you when I was alive, Cort. She can.”
My mother’s face wore an indulgent smile.
“I feel conspired against.”
She patted my hand. “If only everyone had your problems, Cortez. How very awful for you that the conspiracy is to make you see how much love you have in your life.”
Riled (The Invincibles Book 4) Page 10