by Godiva Glenn
“You’re amazing,” he groaned.
She secured her free hand low on his shaft and pumped up and down, then took him in again. Vibrations traveled through his length and hit the base of his spine in a crescendo. She was moaning around him. He tugged her hair carefully and the vibrations grew, the muffled sound grew. He could easily become addicted to this pleasure—her tongue, her lips, her wondrous noises.
Looking down and watching her was too intense. He wouldn’t last. Instead, he closed his eyes, but he could still imagine her, still see her hollowed cheeks as she sucked him. And if it wasn’t that, he saw her flushed skin and heard her screams from the previous night when he’d worked orgasm after orgasm from her magnificent body. Then something else. Guttural moans, which he realized were his own.
His body shuddered. So close. Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to slow his thoughts. “Alethea?”
She paused midway on his shaft and peered up impishly. So sexy.
“Let’s move to the bed.”
She parted her lips and freed him. He helped her stand, and she rose on her toes and spoke into his ear, “I’m so wet now.”
“You enjoyed it?”
She didn’t answer, only turned and crawled onto the bed on her hands and knees. She stacked the pillows high then turned and collapsed on them. “I haven’t forgotten.”
He joined her on the bed, enjoying the way she watched him as if he were a treat. When he got to her legs it was tempting to part them, but he’d do that after. He placed his knees on either side of her and continued up, until he was kneeling close to her elevated chest.
She hooked her fingers around the swimsuit straps and pulled them down slowly, making him wait for that divine moment when her breasts jiggled free and settled over the stretchy fabric. He placed his hands over hers and helped her hold her breasts in place.
“Have you done this before?” she asked now.
“No.” This was something he’d seen once. Only once. It had fallen into the back of his memory until today. He released her hands and cupped her cheek. Even though he could barely see her, he could see the outline of her grin. He guided his cock to her lips. “Make it slippery.”
She liberally licked him down. He spread her spit over and between her breasts and all over his cock. It didn’t seem like enough. He reached back and cupped between her legs, finding her soaked. He eased the fabric aside and pumped two fingers into her, making her whimper with delight. Then he took the slippery fluids and spread it over his head and shaft.
“Cruel,” she joked.
“I’m going to take care of you,” he promised.
He swept the remainder of moisture into the channel of her breasts and placed himself between the warm mounds. Her velvety skin embraced his length completely, and he thrust forward. The sensation was better than he imagined. He pumped again and again, finding an easy pace. His body wasn’t frantic, it was calm but ready. There was no way he could delay himself anymore.
“I have to cum, lovely.”
He expected a brief discussion, but she simply opened her mouth. His cock twitched at the sight and suggestion. It was what he wanted but he wasn’t certain it was a mutual desire before.
His head fell back as a crash of pleasure flooded his spine and barreled through him, stealing his breath. After the flash of euphoria, he looked down in time to see his cum painting Alethea’s mouth and breasts, landing on her tongue and pooling in the indent at the base of her neck. She licked her lips and smiled as time slowed down and he captured the moment forever.
His heart raced to the point he worried he’d pass out. He fell back on his ankles. She didn’t move, just continued to hold herself. Her breasts heaved, revealing her mutual excitement.
“Stay there,” he said hoarsely, his throat dry.
He leaned over her while his fingers found her wet slit and dove inside. His thumb circled her clit, and instantly her body began to quiver and dance for him. “Don’t move,” he commanded. “You’ll make a mess.”
She bit her lip as his fingers plunged in and out, rough and quick. He imagined it was his cock stretching and filling her, making her dissolve into moans and incoherent pleas. Her inner walls clutched at him and he curled his fingers to assail the spot that would make her writhe.
“Yes,” she hissed.
He spread his free hand flat over her lower stomach, holding her down while he forced a third and fourth finger into her. The spasming started immediately, and he continued, unrelenting. Not until she was whimpering and kicking to escape did he withdraw his hand. He kissed her stomach and glanced at her face.
“Would you like more?” he asked.
Her eyes were clenched tight and she groaned. “With you… once can be more than enough.”
The bed dipped and jostled her as he climbed to place a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back.
He hurried to the attached bath and turned the hot water on. After he found a towel, he waited to wet it. He felt drained and hyper at the same time, and took deep, calming breaths as he soaked the towel and wrung out the excess. Thoughts flooded him, but he pushed each aside to focus on the task at hand.
He returned to the bed to gently wipe her breasts and chin with the warm hand-towel, drawing soft moans from her.
“Are you sure you’re not half-dryad and half-sex-god?” she murmured.
“Fairly certain.”
She rolled onto her side and watched him pick up the towel then return to the bed, her eyes glued to his cock. “Were you that big on Prism?”
“Of course. My body is entirely the same except that my skin isn’t bark and isn’t colored to match my tree.”
“Let me get this straight. Day in and out, you had that massive thing hanging between your legs and no one stared?”
He chuckled. “Ah. I guess it’s impossible for you to imagine, but it mostly blended in.”
“Mmmhmm. Blending in, right.” She held out her hand and pulled him to lay next to her. “If I weren’t loopy from the orgasm, I’d think up the best wood joke. Because you literally have hard wood.”
“Sleep on it. I’ll be prepared for all jokes by morning.”
“Morning wood,” she teased.
“Would you like my morning wood?”
“I would love that,” she half-moaned.
“Then we should sleep.”
She shook her head. “I’m strangely invigorated, just a little fuzzy brained.”
“I need a shower. You could join me.”
“Hmm. I think I’ll use the spare bathroom down the hall. We both know that if we’re soaped up and naked together, neither of us will end up clean. Not that I’d protest a second round...” She trailed off.
He kissed her nose and rolled from the bed. “Tempting, but you wore me out. Which is impressive given that I have legendary stamina.”
“Legendary?”
“I’m sure someone somewhere wrote about it. It’s probably hiding in a Prism library somewhere. The chronicles of the lusty dryad.”
She snorted. “Your sense of humor is coming along well.”
He blew her a kiss and made his way to the bathroom. “I won’t be long.”
He showered quickly, and as he lathered his body realized that the bubbles carried Alethea’s floral scent. There was no escaping her, not that he was trying to.
As he’d found a few times before, he was overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions regarding her. He knew this had to be love. But regardless of how fast everything else moved, he suspected that she wasn’t ready to hear him say it.
He turned the nozzle until the water raining down on him was icy cold. Any longer with their banter and he would have said it. If she’d joined him in the shower, he would have said it. The words were hiding in the back of his throat, ready to leap out and confuse her.
Patience. He let the frigid streams run down his body. Minutes passed. He counted them, giving time his utmost attention until his urge to confess was gone.
After h
e’d finished and dried himself, he returned to the bedroom, which was still encased in darkness. Alethea stood in the moonlight slipping past the curtains, peering out into the night. She looked ethereal. Pale and far lovelier than should be humanly possible. She could have been fae. Some magical temptress that held the key to his heart and soul.
“Did you enjoy your shower?”
“I did. I still missed you, though. Something tells me you’d be great at back scrubbing.” She pulled the sheer curtain aside and tilted her head. “That’s interesting.”
“Hmm?” He crossed the room and joined her in looking out the window. “Is that Nikki? With Vevina?”
“Seems like it.”
The two women were walking barefoot in the sand along the water’s edge, hands entwined. Vevina was motioning over the waves and as she moved her hand, blue sparkles appeared from the depths. Apparently, the romantic portion of the getaway was contagious.
“Poor Pavel,” Alethea said with a slight pout. “He can’t catch a break.”
“I’m sure he’ll recover.” He embraced her from behind, his fingertips tickling her stomach. “Though that can’t last. Vevina isn’t meant to be here.”
“You never know.”
“No, that I know for certain. Vevina wouldn’t break her obligations to prince Kerren. The honor of her entire family rests on her shoulders, and she takes that seriously.”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s more to her employment than meets the eye? I have servants and I’ve had assistants in the past, and they would definitely leave my service for love or any other number of reasons.”
He kissed the top of her head. The floral scent rose up and tickled his nose. It brought a bubble of joy from deep within him, and he smiled as he replied. “It’s a story, certainly. But not for tonight. Tonight, I’m sleepy and satisfied and I want to hold you until I fall asleep. Then I’ll dream about you.”
The smell of ham drifted through the house, but when Alethea opened her eyes, the sun was barely up. She hmphed and turned over but she couldn’t escape the scent. Her stomach growled then, and the battle was lost. She sat up carefully to avoid pulling the covers off Blair, who lay on his side with his back to her, snoring somewhat. As she stood, he rolled onto his back. Her eyes were drawn to the tree emblazoned on his chest. No matter how often she saw it now, it still pulled her attention. She couldn’t fully explain the fascination she had for it. Maybe because it was magic, maybe because it represented not only his past but his inner spirit. Maybe because even though he’d told her why he left Prism, and even if she understood, she couldn’t imagine being in his shoes and making that choice.
Her stomach yelled at her again and she grabbed her nearby robe and slipped it on while she made her way downstairs. She found Pavel in the kitchen, humming to himself and cracking eggs into a bowl.
“How are you up this early?” she said with a yawn. She hopped onto a stool and watched him.
He turned back, shrugging. He wiped his hands then fetched a mug and the nearby pot of coffee that she’d wanted but had no energy to grab herself. Pouring the steaming liquid, he met her eyes with a knowing look. “Maybe because my night was substantially less eventful than yours?”
“Ugh.” She grabbed a handful of sugar cubes and plopped them into the dark drink. “You heard?”
“No. I guessed. I heard other things. But regardless, my lips are sealed. No way I’d ever admit to anyone that I went to a secluded island with four women and struck out completely,” he said.
It took Alethea a minute to count. “Well I doubt you even tried with Marie.”
“No. I smiled at her and received a stare that told me she knew exactly where to bury me so that my parents would never find the body,” he joked. “Besides. I’m thinking her and Joseph…”
Alethea stirred her coffee and clucked her tongue. “Nope. Joseph is married to the job. Marie has a life, but Joseph only has eyes for the fame and glory of keeping father and me alive.”
“Speaking of, where are the royal watchers?”
She shrugged and inhaled the rich aroma of roasted beans with a hint of toffee. “I’m sure they already had breakfast and are now patrolling the perimeter, or something like that. They stay in the smaller house off to the side. All the amenities, a bit of privacy. Otherwise, you may get up in the middle of the night for water and find Joseph cleaning his gun on the kitchen table.”
“Why do I suspect that happened once?”
“And the addition was built quite swiftly.”
Pavel returned to cooking and she drank her coffee in quiet contemplation. Charming, handsome, and he could cook. Not to mention, he was incredibly laid back. She’d genuinely hoped that he and Nikki would have coupled up during the trip if only to keep him around.
She suspected that once things got more serious with Blair—Aren’t they already?—she would have to let go of having a male friend around. Then again, Blair didn’t strike her as the jealous type. He hadn’t even seemed concerned that Pavel was coming in the first place, even after learning about their date.
The sizzle of eggs caught her attention. Not many men with wealth knew how to cook.
“Did you take some sort of course on how to be the perfect bachelor?” she asked. He glanced questioningly back over his shoulder. “You cook. You wake early. I bet you rescue puppies from burning buildings. And all this time I thought you were just another pretty face.”
He scooped some scrambled eggs onto a plate, added a piece of ham and some toast, then presented the plate to her. “There’s also fresh watermelon in that bowl, under the towel,” he said pointing to her left. Returning to the stovetop, he answered, “My parents are happy to spoil me, but since they were often traveling when I was a kid, they left me with my mother’s parents. They were firmly against spoiling. As a teen, I hated it. But now that I’m living on my own, it’s nice to be able to do things like this. And yes, the ladies love breakfast, but that’s just a happy incidental.”
Footsteps sounded behind them and Althea looked up from the eggs she was liberally adding pepper to. Blair came up behind her and massaged her shoulders.
“I should have known. I’ve lost out on morning cuddling to the temptation of food,” he teased.
“It’s the only thing that could have dragged me away, promise.”
“Coffee?” Pavel asked.
Blair shuddered. “No. I’m done with that experiment. It’s not for me.”
Pausing from forking a few juicy watermelon squares onto her plate, Alethea pointed to a canvas bag on the counter. “There’s tea in there. Just need to boil water.”
“I brought juice,” Nikki announced, dragging her feet as she entered the room. “Every juice you could think of. It’s meant to join the rum but eh. We can spare some for breakfast.” She winked at Alethea as she scooted by to the fridge.
Pavel loaded the eggs and ham onto a row of waiting plates and handed them out. “Is Vevina awake? Should we bring this to her in bed, perhaps?”
Alethea and Blair instinctively glanced to Nikki, but she was busy rummaging in the fridge.
“I can check,” Blair offered. He headed down the hall, but no sooner had he disappeared, he turned back around. “Here she is.”
Vevina was fully dressed and appeared wide awake. She was swiping quickly at an electronic tablet. “Juice sounds nice.”
Nikki poured three tall glasses and doled them out.
Alethea looked down at her plate and inhaled once more. “No more interruptions,” she said to her eggs.
A tapping came from across the room. Marie stood on the other side of the glass pane, holding up a phone. Alethea dropped her fork and bid her meal farewell. “Figures.”
By the time Alethea returned to her plate, it was cold. She ate it anyway, too hungry to waste the precious time it would take to microwave it. Then she found everyone seated on the front porch, waiting to see what the plans were for the day. Thankfully, the ominous call hadn’t been her father. It
had been her mother’s sister, a woman who only called Alethea when her father pestered her to.
She didn’t have a troubled relationship with her aunt. Just a casual one that felt less like family and more like a partner in crime that only contacted her three times a year. The King would call her when Alethea was being unreasonable, thinking that surely her aunt could talk sense into her. But usually, conversations with her aunt were spent half reminiscing about Alethea’s mother and half speculating about what Alethea would do when she was queen.
They probably would have been closer if her aunt wasn’t incredibly busy, but the phone calls were enough.
“So?” Pavel asked.
“I’m thinking a free day. Beach or lounging around the house. I don’t know. Maybe tonight we can do a movie in the theater?”
“Nikki said something about snorkeling,” Vevina said, glancing up from her tablet.
“Sure. There should be plenty of equipment in the garage,” Alethea replied.
Pavel idly tapped a finger on his leg and looked between them all. “I haven’t been snorkeling before, and I assume Vevina’s going to do it without a snorkel, so that’ll be something to see.”
“We can take my car. We’re alone so it’s not like we have to be driven everywhere.”
“Oooh. The vintage Ferrari.” Nikki rubbed her hands together. “Dibs on driving.”
“Only if you promise to be gentle,” Alethea chided. The car was an extravagant purchase she’d made in her teens, and she’d grown so ashamed of her spending, she’d brought it to the island. She couldn’t imagine driving it around the streets where she lived.
“I suppose I better change.” Vevina stood. She said something quick and musical to Blair as she passed him where he sat on the bench then headed inside, followed by Nikki and Pavel.
After the door had closed behind them, Blair rose and rubbed Alethea’s arms. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine. What did Vevina say?”
He looked to the house. “She said if we were on Prism, we’d just be naked, and it would be done with.”