The Rogue Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Reid’s home was deep within the forest, north of the palace. There were no royal guards with them as they walked. When she’d asked about it, Reid had just laughed at her. And damn him! It was a great laugh that made her shiver from head to toe.

  “We’re close,” he said, breaking the silence. His voice was low and a little husky. When she looked at him, he again smiled. It was a roguish look, one that left her even shakier than the sound of his laugh. “Just few trees ahead.”

  “Trees?” Jasmine asked in surprise. “Are you saying you live on top of a tree?”

  His smile widened. “Inside a tree, actually.”

  Jasmine laughed, sure he was joking. However, as he stopped by a particularly large trunk, her laughter died.

  Reid’s home was built above ground, inside one of the colossal trees of the forest. Pushing away a thick overhanging of branches near a large stone bolder, he revealed a narrow staircase carved into the side of the rock. The rock was pressed flat to the tree trunk.

  Reid led the way up the steps and around the base, making it half way around until they came to a door carved into the trunk. A small window was fitted into the wood. A dark drape hung over it on the inside. Taking a key from his pocket, Reid unlocked the door and gave it a light nudge. It soundlessly swung open.

  Jasmine had heard stories of how old redwoods on Old Earth could have a building carved into them, but she’d never imagined the stories to be factual. If she weren’t witnessing it for herself, she would never have believed it.

  Inside, the tree had been hollowed out, forming polished wood floors with gorgeous natural swirling designs, and walls carved to look like rustic planks. The ceiling, also carved from the wood, spiraled high revealing that the home had at least two levels. Without waiting for an invitation, she walked in and spun around in a slow circle before exploring.

  Two stairs led up from the small opening of a front foyer to the main living area. Light filtered in from outside through little holes in the ceiling, reflecting off a small glass and mirror dome. In the center of the first floor was a comfortable living area, adorned with thick red couches and matching chairs, and throw rugs woven with the same designs that were popular in the palace.

  The main level was circular, except along two flat sides where walls remained, and rooms were carved out behind them. An intricate door was carved into one of the flat walls, leading to a bathroom on one side. The other wall had an opening in it with a bar and barstools, revealing a large kitchen behind it.

  “Impressed?” he asked from behind her.

  Jasmine turned to him, nodding. “It’s… Wow. I mean, it’s so much cozier than the palace. I just assumed your house would be all…”

  “All what?” Reid asked. She watched him grab a bag from outside the door and bring it in.

  “Well, you know, less comfortable, more decadent.” Jasmine shrugged. Was it suddenly hot in the room? She felt a little hot. And was Reid coming closer? It felt like he was coming closer. Jasmine grabbed the front of her shirt and began to fan herself.

  “The bedroom is upstairs,” Reid offered, walking with the bag to the staircase tucked in the corner of the room.

  Jasmine tensed. The? As in one bedroom?

  “Coming?” he asked, winking at her before going up.

  Let him kiss you. Jasmine instantly told her brain to shut up. It didn’t listen. Let him keep kissing you. Follow him upstairs.

  Jasmine followed him up the enclosed staircase. It curved slightly before opening up into the floor of a spacious bedroom. She gasped, trying to instantly hide the reaction behind a weak cough, and waved her hand through the air as if the room was dusty.

  Outside the bedroom, a long balcony was carved into the second level of the home. She could see it beyond a long, narrow window carved in the side. They were up high, near the branches of the trees. The soft light shone in over the bedroom from the window. A woodstove was along the other wall on a platform. There was a huge bed, big enough to fit five Reids. She wondered what a man did in a bed that big, and who he did it with. Jasmine was instantly jealous.

  The bed was covered with a red coverlet. The wood theme of the room was accented with red and browns, very natural and earthy in design. A huge whirlpool tub was by a wall. She saw an open door leading to another bathroom with a stall shower. Fur rugs lined the floor near the wood stove. Reid threw the bag on the floor next to the bed. The only thing that didn’t fit was the giant viewing screen.

  “Like it?” Reid asked when he saw her looking at it. “I just had it installed.”

  “What for?” Jasmine asked, eyeing it. “Communicating with the palace?”

  “No,” Reid said. “For action.”

  Jasmine looked at him, confused. “Action?”

  “Yes. Old Earth films,” Reid said. Then grinning wickedly, he added, “And learning documentaries.”

  “Documentaries?” Jasmine repeated. “You mean you watch Earth movies on this thing?”

  He nodded. She watched his face as he pointed out his speakers. The man was positively excited about it. “Sam introduced us to them. She even had the movies programmed in for us. Though, Viktor had to do the documentaries. I hadn’t had a chance to play with it much before we had to leave for Nozando.”

  “You mean the Galaxy Playmates’ mansion,” Jasmine said, pressing her lips tightly together.

  Why did she say that aloud? What was wrong with her mouth? She couldn’t get it to shut up.

  “Jealous?” he asked, stepping closer.

  Jasmine wished he wouldn’t look at her like that, all dreamy eyed and hot. Shivering, she took an involuntary step back. He looked primitive in that moment, stalking, wild. Her heartbeat picked up but for once she was too lost in his gaze to notice or care. So what if she died in this moment. What better way to go?

  Say something clever, Jasmine.

  “No, why would I be jealous?”

  Not so clever, Jasmine. She felt like smacking herself upside the head.

  “Then, you’re not jealous?” he asked. Why was he still coming closer? Jasmine looked at his mouth, all too aware that they were alone in the room. She shivered. Would he kiss her now?

  “Yes. No. I think I need some of that herb stuff. I’m feeling a little lightheaded.”

  Reid laughed. “I have a confession to make.”

  Jasmine didn’t move. How could she? Reid came closer, reaching to cup her face in his hands. His touch was warm, gentle, caressing. She automatically leaned forward for his kiss, pursing her lips to him. “Yes?”

  “I’m not going to give you any herbal stuff,” Reid whispered. She blinked, barely processing his words. He smelled great, the way a man should smell. He looked good too, very sexy. His lips curled into the most provocative smile she’d ever seen. “In fact, there’s nothing wrong with your heart. You’re not sick. Those pills only dulled your reactions, your emotions. They did nothing for your heart. Everything you feel is normal and right.”

  Jasmine couldn’t breathe. Looking into his eyes, as they steadily held her gaze, she knew he was telling the truth. Perhaps, she’d always known it. It was easy to believe she was sick, easier to take the numbness that came with her medicine. It had been easier than feeling, easier than knowing her husband hadn’t wanted her, not really.

  “Now that you know, ask me to kiss you,” Reid insisted. His lips were close. It would be nothing to close the distance. “Tell me you want me.”

  Jasmine nodded weakly. Her voice was trapped in her throat. She did want him, wanted him so much that she’d lied to herself about it. Even so, she was scared of what she felt, of how it would be, frightened that she’d lose control or make an ass of herself.

  She couldn’t stop herself as she lifted up. Her eyes on his, she tentatively kissed him. He gasped, holding completely still as she rubbed her mouth along his. Drawn to taste him, she dipped her tongue along the seam of his lips. He tasted good. Really good.

  Moaning, she gripped the sides of his face and
pulled him closer. He finally moved, working his mouth passionately against hers. A low sound answered her needy call. He ran his hands down the side of her body, skimming her breasts as he lifted her off the ground. With her body pressing tightly to his, he cupped her butt, holding her firmly against his erection.

  A jolt of electricity went through her system. Her body was on fire. Jasmine began tearing at her clothing, trying to part Reid from his at the same time. He gasped at her aggressiveness and dropped her back to the ground. Suddenly, his hands were helping her, practically ripping the shirt over his head as he broke the kiss long enough to strip. Jasmine pulled off her baggy gown, tossing it aside. She stood before him in her bra and panties.

  Was it supposed to feel like this? Be like this? All hot and urgent? So frantic that she couldn’t think, just react.

  Reid saw her breasts and groaned. A wave of excitement crashed over her at the primal sound. His pants slid from his hips, leaving him naked. Her eyes instantly went down to his lower stomach. There, in a bed of dark hair, rose his desire for her. It strained, almost as if it had a life of its own.

  “Sacred cats,” he swore softly. “Don’t stare at me like that, woman. My control is hard won as it is.”

  Jasmine made a weak noise by way of an answer, on the verge of covering herself up when he swept her off her feet. In several long steps, they were at the bed. Reid laid her on her back. His eyes were shifted, the pupils stretched, reminding her of just how wild he could become.

  “Fire,” he called. The stove lit up, casting a soft orange light over the bed.

  Primitive noises came from his throat as he kissed her neck, grazing her delicate flesh with his teeth. His hands massaged her breasts, rubbing them through her lacy bra, pushing them up as his mouth moved lower to devour the hardened nipples. He sucked a breast deep into his hot mouth, kissing it passionately. Jasmine wiggled beneath him, her legs working between his naked thighs. His arousal pressed into her lace panties, searing her stomach with its fire. She was wet for him. Her whole being focused on his, the sounds he made, his smell, his warmth.

  The urgency was too much. Jasmine pushed his shoulder, wanting to touch him, needing to feel him inside. His body had her pinned, and she couldn’t move freely against him. At her shove, he made a sound of frustration and pulled away.

  “No, please, Jasmine. Don’t make me stop. Not again,” he said, as he ceased his passionate kisses to her chest. He took several deep breaths, and she could feel him trying to pull away from her. His body was stiff, and he stopped moving. “All right, just give me…a…a minute.”

  “Take your minute.” Jasmine wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, but she was moving on pure instinct. Pushing Reid onto his back, she took him by surprise. “Let me know when you can catch up.”

  Straddling his waist, she ran her hands over his neck and chest, playing with his smaller nipples. His eyes rounded in shock at her words. The dark depths were streaked heavily with green. She liked the shifting of his eyes. They excited her. She liked the primitive, streamlined way his body moved. He was stalking, graceful, terribly sexy.

  When she touched him, it was as if she’d never felt flesh before. It was firm, muscled, and wonderful. The texture of him burned into her hands. She couldn’t feel him fast enough. In her urgency, her nails raked him. He arched, groaning loudly in pleasure. A claw grew from his fingertip, and he sliced through the front of her bra.

  Jasmine gasped at the motion but was beyond thinking. The danger of him excited her. She liked knowing the beast ran beneath his surface, wild, barely controlled by the man. Reid urged her down to him, bringing a ripe breast to his mouth. He again sucked her deeply, running his tongue in torturous circles over the tip. Her nipple ached and with each pass she jerked violently, feeling it all the way to her toes. Moisture dampened her panties as she naturally rubbed herself along his toned stomach.

  “Reid,” she panted. Her hands braced the bed as she rubbed harder, feeling the sting of desire building inside her slick folds. Her slit glided over his rigid stomach. She worked faster. Her clit rubbed through the lace, a pleasurable combination of heat and rough. It felt so good, she couldn’t stop.

  Between that and his mouth, she felt the first wave hit her. Her limbs tensed and she shivered violently. Jasmine was so shocked she could only stiffen and let the pleasure overtake her, jerking her body from head to toe. Even her hair seemed to come to life. Breathing hard, she pulled back, her eyes wide.

  “What…was that?” she asked, breathless.

  Reid laughed, but when her face remained serious, his smile faded as he asked, “You’re joking, right?”

  Jasmine shook her head in denial. “Can you do it to me again?”

  Reid groaned as she leaned back over him offering her breast to his mouth. She wiggled along his stomach, feeling the heat curl inside her once more. His hand slid over her hips, slicing through her panties. He tugged them from behind. Jasmine groaned. The feel of his flesh on hers was even better than the lace. She pushed up, liking the look of his dark body contrasting with the orange from the fire. The light from the balcony streamed in, but it was getting darker in the forest. His eyes bore up into her, still dangerously slit with the green of his cat form.

  “I like your stomach,” she said, sitting on it and moving back and forth in hopes of feeling the intense pleasure again. The smooth texture of him made her glide with more ease than before.

  “I can tell,” he answered, his voice hoarse. Then, taking her hips, he pushed her down. His erection pressed into her from behind, searing her cleft, parting her intimately. “But, why don’t you try this instead.”

  Jasmine gave a small yelp of surprise as Reid tossed her onto her back. He devoured her body with his hands and mouth. His palms cupped her breast, lifting it to meet his lips so he could suck her nipple. Animalistic sounds of possession came from him, vibrating against her. He nipped her skin only to soothe the irritation with his long tongue. Jasmine could only hold onto the bed as he had his way with her, pleasuring her. Then, when his mouth worked lower to make its way between her thighs, she tensed. Reid growled, pushing her legs apart.

  “Mine,” he said, possessively. His beast was evident in that voice and so help her, she liked it.

  Pleasure rolled over her at his words and in that moment she would’ve consented to anything. His tongue parted her wet folds as he lapped her cream. Fingers dug into her hips, holding her fast to his mouth. Then, as he sucked her clit, she felt the tremors start anew. Jasmine tossed her legs over his shoulders, arching up into him for more. He obliged, slipping a finger up inside her only to wiggle it back and forth. The pressure caused a torrent of cream to flood his hand. Jasmine came, crying out his name as the force of what he did overtook her. Then, when her body could tremble no more, he moved above her.

  Jasmine reached weakly for his face. Reid didn’t kiss her. Instead, he looked deep into her eyes, as if she were the only person in the whole universe. His hair fell over her shoulder like a dark curtain, making it all the more intimate as their harsh breath mingled in the little alcove. He watched her face, taking in every one of her reactions. She felt his shaft probing her, stretching her muscles to fit him. With so much control that it drove her mad, he pushed into her slick passage, filling her body by small, agonizing degrees. Her eyes rolled in her head as she waited for the moment he’d stake complete claim to her.

  Stirring and rubbing along his entire frame as he held her trapped, Jasmine could feel the need in him to go fast and vigorously. But Reid restrained the beast inside him and took her gently. For all his jokes and wicked looks, he was a tender lover. Running her hands over his arms, she learned the slow rhythm he set forth and felt the tension building within her anew.

  Reid couldn’t take his eyes off Jasmine. She was so beautiful, her slender body, her rounded breasts, the dark nipples budded for his attention. It was sweet the way she kept staring at him as if the idea of hiding herself never once occurred to her.
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br />   At first, her aggressiveness surprised him, but as they progressed he saw the almost innocent quality in her, such as when she reached her orgasm. She’d been so shocked by it that he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for her. The sad thing was her climax had only been a tiny orgasm compared to what he could give her, would give her. So, he’d gone down on her, licking her addictive cream and making her come against his face.

  Sacred cats, it had been sweet to watch, to taste.

  Now, as he slowly eased his body into her, stretching her wider, he groaned. He kept his weight off her, bracing his hands on either side of her tiny form. Her passage was tight, almost virginal. It felt too damned good, but regardless of what he wanted, he found that for once he was focused on a woman’s needs before his own. In the past, his partners had known what they wanted and greedily took it. With Jasmine, it was different. She didn’t know what she wanted, and she gave as much as she took, maybe more.

  Her wide eyes looked at him, watching him with such an open expression of shyness and awe, that he forgot himself completely. He liked the way her eyes roamed his flesh, lighting up in appreciation of his form. Reid had never felt so damned sexy in his life. A burning need to please her raged within him. He wanted to teach her how to enjoy her body and his. In that moment, he wanted to give her everything.

  The depth of his emotions took him by surprise. Even as he tensed on the inside, he couldn’t make his body stop moving. They’d come too far and he would help her to find her release again before finding his own. Her legs were spread to him and he worked his hips against her in small circles, thrusting until he was buried to the hilt. Even then he didn’t stop as he continued the agonizing pace.

  Sacred cats, he was close to coming. Reid tensed, forcing his orgasm aside, pulling the shivers back inside himself. He was well experienced in the ways of sex and used every ounce of his knowledge to thrust and push the sweet spot he’d discovered in her body. Lifting her leg, he placed it on his shoulder.

  “Ah, that’s it, mmm,” he groaned, increasing the speed of his thrusts. Every urge inside him wanted to pound into her. “Ah, fea, come again for me.”