by Vivian Wood
God, she feels so good right now. Her scent is everywhere for a second as we speed up, her hair blowing in every direction too.
Using one hand to steady the wheel, I keep the other on the throttle, pinning her in place.
I try to keep my eyes on the horizon, or at least the other two boats which are the best part of a mile ahead. But with Annika pressed against my torso like this, all I can think of is her incredibly soft skin.
It’s as smooth and soft as silk, as warm and gently scented as fresh honey. I’m so close to burying my whole face into her shoulder, to biting and teasing her flesh until she pleads for me to touch her…
She turns her head, shouting for her words to be heard over the rush of air all around us. “Are we still in a fight, Erik?”
It takes all my self-restraint not to nuzzle her neck and nip at her ear. I frown, having to actively work at not letting my eyes stray down to her tits. I mean, they are right there.
Just waiting for me to fondle them, to cup them and pinch her nipples.
“No, Nika,” I grate out.
She grins. “Okay. That’s good, I guess.”
She shifts her weight against my torso, pressing against my cock. My eyes close briefly. My face screws up. I let out a soft sound of interest that she probably can’t even hear.
When I open my eyes though, I see her biting her lower lip and looking at me like…
Well, her expression is one of pure want. She’s giving me these fuck me eyes and I literally can’t think about anything else.
“Annika… we can’t,” I say, slowing our boat.
She narrows her eyes. “Why, because you’re the king’s best friend and I’m just his emptyheaded little sister?”
Shaking my head, I separate our bodies. “That’s one reason. There are about a million more. Now if you don’t mind?”
Annika’s expression screws up. I can tell that the next thing out of her mouth is going to be a protest. Pulling her by the arm, I push her behind me. “Sit down and be quiet.”
Her expression turns stormy. But before she can say anything, I stop her with a begging look and two simple words. “Please, Annika.”
Her eyebrows lift. Then she gives in, stops pushing against me.
I turn around so that I can’t see her anymore as I start to re-engage the throttle. But she doesn’t utter another word of protest. She just sits down behind me and glares at my back so hard that I swear a hole starts to form between my shoulder blades.
All I can think is that when we get off of this boat, I’m probably going to get a fucking earful from her. Pushing the boat’s throttle all the way, I shake my head and try to focus on the task at hand.
23
Annika
Looking out over the moonlit shore, I tilt my head. The sea is so beautiful and calm just now, a great black mass that seems utterly still. The rocky white coast cuts into it at the edge and bleeds as far as the eye can see. The whole village of Santorini is asleep, the white buildings seeming like nothing so much as jumbled teeth jutting out, reaching toward the night sky.
I stand on my private balcony and shiver just a bit though it isn’t cold. I’m wearing nothing but a filmy white négligée and feeling as though I nearly blend in with the white sandstone mansion behind me.
“What are you still doing up?”
Erik’s deep voice nearly gives me a heart attack. I whirl, backing up against the little balcony railing. He appears out of the shadows in my room, stepping into the moonlit-drenched doorway.
God, he’s handsome. His flaxen hair is messed up just a little bit. His hazel eyes and aristocratic nose war with his too-expressive lips. All that on top of a mountain of a man… a mountain elegantly carved from the richest stone, his muscles making him a true work of art.
And he’s shirtless at the moment, clad only in a pair of low-slung jeans that show off his chest hair and his entrancing happy trail.
“What are you doing in here?” I ask, frowning. “And why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”
He shrugs a muscular shoulder, the very picture of grace and power. “I’m not sure.”
I bite my lower lip. “I can’t sleep,” I say. My head falls to the side as I look him up and down. “I mean, I usually struggle to fall asleep at the palace. But here, far away from all the noise, I find it too quiet.”
He steps out onto the balcony and looks out toward the sea. “Me too,” he admits. “I thought the sound of the sea so close by would lull me, but instead it just makes me…”
I exhale, knowing just how he feels. “Restless?”
That serious gaze finds me, narrowing on my face. He nods slowly. “Yes.”
I toss my head, scrunching my nose. “Same here.”
He is quiet for a moment, scanning the beach below. “I thought you would still be fuming about what happened between us on the boat.”
I arch a brow. “Would that help either of us?”
A smile tugs at Erik’s lips. “Definitely not.”
Shrugging, I perch on the edge of the railing, carefully tucking the ends of my silky négligée beneath me. “I have to say, I’m sort of baffled.”
He looks at me, surprised. “About what?”
I pluck at the hem of my nighty. “Well… you said there are a million reasons why you can’t… be with me again. I was wondering what those are, exactly.”
His brows rise. “You still need me to list them?”
I stare at the hem of my négligée. “Well… yes. I think I do.”
He chuckles. “Okay…”
Wrapping his arms across his chest, he leans against the railing, just an arm’s length away. “God, where do I even begin? Aside from you being the little sister to my best friend in the world, of course.”
I tilt my head, considering him. “Naturally.”
Erik sighs. “You’re also so young.”
“I’m almost twenty.” I straighten my spine, trying to seem… old enough, I guess.
A rumble bursts from somewhere low in his chest. “You make me feel old, Annika.”
I roll my eyes. “We’re not even a decade apart in age.”
He slides me a disgruntled look. “There is the fact that you are the only Danish princess. And I’m a commoner.”
I push out my cheek with my tongue. “At least you are Danish. Stellan fell for an American journalist.”
He squints. “Yes, but he is the king.”
“And I am, as you pointed out, the only princess. Besides, you’re practically one of us.”
Erik cocks his head, looking at me. “I’m very far away from that and we both know it. And anyway, shouldn’t we both be disgusted by the fact that we essentially grew up together?”
I press my lips together into a thin line. “Hah! Very funny. You didn’t even acknowledge my existence until I returned from boarding school. I hardly think that qualifies.”
Erik’s gaze focuses on my face. “What do I have to say to make myself perfectly clear? Nothing will happen between us. I mean, nothing more. Even if none of those things were the truth, there would still be a fundamental difference between us.”
I tilt my head. “Are you talking about our personalities?”
His lips twist. “Yes. You’re off playing fashionista and preening while I’m just— “
“Being boring?” I suggest, cocking a brow.
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “You’re attracted to me. Either you have bad taste or I’m not as stiff as you claim.”
I bite my lip, trying to hide my smile. A blush creeps up my cheeks, warming me. “Oh? You’re not stiff? Is that really what you want to claim?”
Wiggling my eyebrows at Erik makes color rise in his cheeks, setting off the jade in his eyes.
He glares at me. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. But yes, there are some fatal flaws in our… attraction to one another.”
"I see. You want to just break everything down into simple thoughts. Black and white. Cats and dogs. Either it i
s raining or it’s not. X or Y. It must be frustrating to live in that kind of a codified world."
He raises his eyebrows at me. “Do you think that I'm wrong?"
I suck in a deep breath and let it out, taking a second with my answer. "I'm saying that there are lots of things in between black and white. There is a whole world of colors and you have limited it down to just the two. So yes, I do you think you're wrong."
I turn toward the French doors that are open behind me. He reaches out and grabs my arm as I start moving in that direction. I give him a hard look. “Easy. I'm just getting a drink. Do you want some champagne?”
His fingers tighten on my arm and I bite my lip, looking up into his face. His eyes sparkle like twin tiger’s eye gemstones, making me feel more seen then I ever have in my life.
He's angry, I can tell.
For second, I think he is going to break, to sweep me off my feet and kiss me.
But he doesn't. Erik releases me and I give him a smirk, shaking my head as I head inside. Once I go in the living room area, I look around and find the bar.
It's the work of a minute to find a suitable bottle of champagne and two glasses. As I pop the bottle, Erik saunters in the house behind me, making a striking silhouette against the bright moonlit night sky behind him. I smile and pour the champagne, handing him a glass.
He accepts the flute with two fingers, watching me carefully as he prowls around the living room. I take a sip of my champagne and crinkle my nose in surprise at the bubbly, acidic flavor. Erik swirls the champagne around in his glass, looking at me while he takes a sip.
I brush past him, smiling and shaking my head. He follows me out to the patio again, looking at me while I take a seat on the white wicker patio furniture. I glance up at him and pat the seat beside me. “Join me on the couch. Come on, the view is very nice."
After a second, he moves around to sit on the couch beside me. He looks out at the beach, the rolling sea relentless as ever in its pursuit of reaching the beach.
Erik doesn't say a word. He just sips his champagne and looks off into the horizon. I bite my lip and put my feet into his lap, stretching out. He looks down at my feet and then looks at me, his expression one of surprise.
I shrug shoulder. "What? I'm just being comfortable. I'm comfortable around you. Is that okay?"
He stares at my feet again and only and then smooths the top palm of his hand over the top of my foot. Even this slight touch warms me from inside out. He glances up at me, our gazes connecting. And then he just keeps stroking my foot, my ankle, my lower leg. All the while, he seems like a caged tiger ready to pounce.
I've driven him to this, I know it. There's no question that tension has been right in the air between the two of us for some time. If I am honest about it, the tension started to build the second he walked out on me after we fucked.
This is overdue.
I smirk at him and finish my wine, setting my glass aside. His gaze drops to my legs, where the silky fabric of my négligée meets my bare thighs. It's a powerful thing to be looked at in that way by a man like Erik.
He glances up at me, licking his lips, his expression tortured.
"Nika…" he whispers. "I meant what I said before. All the reasons that I listed for why we shouldn't even be touching right now… They are still real. If we slip up and fuck each other’s brains out, the reasons will still be between us when we wake up in the morning."
I bite my lip. I know that he is just waiting for a sign, something urging him on. So, I open my knees a little wider, using two fingers to draw up the silky white négligée up my leg. Inch by creamy bare inch, my thighs are exposed to his view. Soon I reach the apex of my thighs, but I don't stop. I draw all the négligée up until my pussy lips are bare before him and widen my knees a little more.
Erik looks at me, swallowing. His gaze is so brooding and intense that meeting his eyes is more difficult than it should be. But I don't look away.
When I speak, my voice shakes more than it ought to. It's only then that I realize how badly I want him, how badly I want to feel his touch and all the things that come along with it. I want to feel the pleasure that I know that only he can give me.
A whisper leaves my lips. "If you want me, I am here for you. All you have to do to get me is just reach out your hand and take what is on offer."
He reaches out his hand and glides it up the inside of my thigh. He licks his lips, his gaze focused on my pussy. Then he reaches out a single finger and runs it up my wet slit, biting his lip as he gathers my moisture.
Shudders of electricity run up and down my spine. My breasts feel like they are achy and throbbing, just like my clit. I let my head fall backward and release the breathiest little moan, my lips parting.
He glances up at me and brings his finger up to his lips, popping it in his mouth and moaning at the taste of me. I swear, I've never seen anything sexier than a man who is that turned on by the way I taste.
When Erik sits back, pushes my feet out of his lap, and stands up, I don't know exactly what's going on. He offers me his hand and I take it, my heart going crazy in my chest.
I lick my lips and allow him to pull me to my feet. He gives me a little tug and I come into his arms so easily, like a choreographed dance move executed perfectly. I press up against the shelter of his hard body and I look up at him with wide eyes. He looks back at me with nothing but desire. It's all over his face, written so clearly that I could scream.
"I do want you, princess. I always want you, even when I shouldn't. That's my secret." He tucks a strand of my hair back behind my ear and tips my head up, leaning down and brushing his lips over mine. His kiss is burning, his touch so rough that I'm sure it will leave marks. But it lights a fire deep inside me, a burning inferno that I can't deny even if I wanted to.
"Yes," I say against his lips. "Please, Erik. Please…"
And just like that, he scoops me up in his arms and heads inside, leaving me shivering in his arms while he finds the bed.
24
Erik
I strip without thought. With one hand, I cup her chin upward towards my mouth. The other pulls her close against me. My hardness slips with ease between the heat of her soft thighs.
That little négligée teases me, looking so perfect against Nika’s tanned skin.
I need more, want more, and by the way Nika responds, I know she does, too. I start to walk her backward, through the open bedroom door. When the back of her knees hit the bed frame, she sits down, her cherry red lips inches from my cock.
Before she can react, I lift her négligée over her head. I take a long moment to admire her, all that naked skin bare before my hungry eyes. I bend her back and bite my lip. Her pink nipples are already hard, her pussy damp, and my length hardens more, desperate for her.
But I am not about to give in yet. Instead, I twist the silky white négligée around her wrists like makeshift handcuffs. Slowly, I lower her bound hands and gently push her onto her back. Nika lifts her head to watch while I lower my lips to the full breasts I’d fantasized about non-stop since the last time I got her naked.
As I begin to nibble on one nipple, I pinch and squeeze the other. Nika lets out faint gasps and wriggles against her cuffs, which hold her captive. My cock presses against one of her thighs, covering her skin in a thin coat of wetness.
“Please,” she whimpers. She begins to whip her head from side to side while I move down her stomach with soft kisses. When I get down to her glistening pussy lips, I place a single light kiss on her clit. She lets out a loud groan, spreads her legs wide, and presses herself to my mouth. I smile up at her, though her eyes are screwed shut.
God, I love the way she makes me feel. This? This moment?
This is everything.
I kiss her again, deeper, using just a little flick of my tongue. Her clit is swollen and plump. With my every touch, she responds. I trace my tongue up the inside of her thighs and across the crest of her mound. Nika pants my name when I come clo
se to her glistening clit, but I tease her mercilessly. Instead of the kisses and licks she clearly craves, I blow across her clit and order her to open her legs wider.
She calls out my name. It has never sounded sweeter than when it trips off her tongue.
She is so ready, her juices already starting to drip from her opening. I test her with a finger, which she pushes against greedily. As my finger enters her, ever so slowly, I taste her clit and feel her muscles tighten around my knuckle. I pull my finger out, though she does her best to press against my hand and keep me inside.
My index finger is covered in her clinging wetness. I hold my hand up to her and press my thumb and forefinger together so she could see just how wet she is. Nika leans up to suck my hand, but I pull away and trace her areola with her sweetness.
“More,” she murmurs.
“More what?” I ask. I tighten my grip on the négligée as she starts to struggle again. At the same time, I tease her opening with two fingers and kiss her clit.
“Erik… Please, give me more,” she demands breathlessly.
I slide two fingers into her. Nika cries out as I begin to work her clit, licking and sucking. When she begins to fuck my hand, writhing her hips against me, I let her. I match her rhythm with my mouth. Her inner muscles begin the tremble. When I can tell she is close, I make her slow down. I raise my head, switch my mouth for my thumb, and let my eyes feast on the glorious sight of Nika about to come.
With her head tossed back, eyes shut, and mouth open, she is an absolute vision. “Are you going to come for me?” I ask as I start to fuck her faster with my hand.
“Yes,” she says. Nika opens her eyes and looks at me. I release her wrists just enough so she can prop herself onto her elbows and watch. “I’m close,” she says.