by Violet Paige
“All right. I don’t agree with everything Galonian. I’ll admit that. But I do respect you, Damon. You, the person. What you’re thinking. Feeling. I don’t ignore it. I don’t try to rule your life like it’s a hobby.”
He clasped my hands between his. “Then, teach me. Show me. You’re not my hobby. Fuck, that’s the last thing I want you to think.”
It was another ploy to get me to stay, but this one was working. I felt the tension easing in my shoulders. The determination to run down the hall and find a state room to cry in until we made it to shore was suddenly gone.
“I want you to move into the palace, Molly, because I want you.” He traced the line of my jaw. “I want you every night. In my bed. Waking up next to me. I want to talk to you and drink coffee on the balcony. I want to find you buried in some classic novel in the library.” He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. “Yes, I need you to be safe. But what I should have said is, I need you.”
I gasped. That resolve was gone. He had ripped it down and tore through it with his words.
I fell against him as his lips crushed mine. His hands tangled in my hair, dragging me toward his chest.
“Move in with me,” he whispered against my ear. “Will you?”
I nodded. My hands roamed over his tuxedo, looking for the space under his jacket. “Yes.” I breathed. “Yes.”
“Are you finished with dinner?” he asked.
“I think so.” I hadn’t eaten half of the first course. I was starving, but my total attention was on the gorgeous man in front of me.
“Good, because I’m going to take you back to the room. Unless you want me to fuck you here on the dining room table. Your choice, of course,” he teased.
My eyes lit with his. I breathed heavily. I pulled the edge of the gown up.
“Here,” I whispered.
“Fuck,” he growled. “You are serious.”
His hands wrapped around my waist, losing control. He kissed my neck. My throat. The fire from his lips blazing against my skin. I searched for his zipper, desperate to feel his cock in my hands.
He groaned when I freed it from his tux pants. I slid my hand over the silkiness of his skin.
He pulled me in for another kiss, setting me on the end of the dining table. My heels locked against his backside, hungry for him. Eager for his skin to singe mine as he took me in heated abandon.
His tongue lashed against mine as the rush consumed us. Damon’s cock pushed against my entrance and I welcomed his thrusts with tiny cries of pleasures.
It was dangerous. Someone could walk through those doors any minute. But we weren’t turning back. He rocked into me as we set sail on a new course.
“Yes,” I pleaded. “More.”
He plunged again, sending us over the edge. It was then I knew it was too late. Neither of us had thought through the consequences. His release filled me as he pumped deep inside my walls. He pressed his forehead to mine. Our bodies trying to find a natural breathing pattern, but it was impossible.
“I don’t want you to leave, Molly.”
“I don’t want to either.”
He reached for a napkin, handing it to me as I hopped from the table. The stickiness between my legs reminded me how careless we had been.
He kissed my hand, leading me back to my seat. “Should we finish dinner?” he asked. He didn’t seem to be alarmed we had forgone a condom, or had sex on the royal dining room table.
“I’m suddenly extremely hungry,” I joked. If he wasn’t going to worry about it, I wouldn’t let it ruin the evening.
He pushed the seat in underneath me. I reached for the champagne, drinking it faster than I should.
Somehow things seemed settled between us. As if our bodies did the talking, but I did need some details.
“How is this going to work?” I asked. “My move?”
Damon refilled our glasses. “I’m not sure, to be honest. Sutcliffe has been instructed to come up with a plan. We’ll have the details when we arrive in Freychon tomorrow.”
“This won’t interfere with my dissertation work, will it?”
“No. Other than the inconvenience of having royal escorts, you can do anything you normally do. Although, I think the royal library has a lot you can use. I can fly in anything you request.”
“You’d do that?” I had to keep my lips together.
He smiled. “Yes.”
“True, but I do have a roommate.” I tried to think how Brooklyn was going to handle this news.
“She was the one with you at the gala?”
I nodded. “It was actually her night. Something on her bucket list. I tagged along to supervise.”
He laughed. “That’s such an American concept.”
“Why do you say that? Everyone should have a bucket list.”
Damon leaned against the table. “What we did five minutes ago—was that on your bucket list?”
I blushed. “It should have been.” My bucket list consisted of seeing rare collections of text, visiting historic libraries, and traveling to New Zealand. It was probably a one-of-a-kind combination of wanderlust and thirst for knowledge.
“Just live, Molly. Don’t worry about crossing things off an imaginary list. I promise you’ll have more fun that way. Maybe even tonight.” He winked.
I didn’t want to tell him Brooklyn would severely disagree.
“You must have something,” I pressed. “It’s not only Americans. Kings can have goals.”
“I made one happen tonight.”
I tried to think of what we had done that might have given him a sense of accomplishment. “Which was?”
“We’re not locked in separate hotel suites, are we?” I saw the Cheshire cat grin on his face.
“And why is that? Ayla told me not to enter your suite no matter what. She is strict.”
“We’re on international waters. There are ten state rooms on this ship. My crew isn’t going to report anything that happens aboard. It seemed the only way to have you to myself.”
“Is this what happens when we return? We have to sneak to each other’s rooms like we’re in a dorm?”
He laughed. “There is an elaborate tunnel system in the palace.” He paused. “But I’m not using it. You’ll be in my bed.”
The way he said it made me shiver. It was just as possessive and controlling, but I had seen underneath Damon’s hard exterior. I knew there was an emotional side he guarded tirelessly. And for some reason he had peeled back the curtain and given me a glimpse.
“And you think you can pull that off? Upend your family’s history?”
The flicker in his eyes dimmed. “Do you know how I became king?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t.”
“Everyone else in the country knows. You should too.” His voice was smooth.
“It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a happy story.” I took the refreshing champagne.
“There are two ways you can become the head of the monarchy in Galona: your predecessor steps down and hands the crown to you, or the crown is vacated.” He paused. “In my case, it was vacated. My father died.”
“I’m sorry, Damon.” I wanted to pull him into a hug, but I knew it was important to listen. I stayed put.
“It was supposed to happen eventually. I knew it. But I didn’t envision the weight of the country of my back before I turned thirty. But I’m thirty-two and I’ve ruled for five years. I assumed I’d take over on my father’s death bed, when he was well into his eighties or even nineties. I’d be an old man myself by then. Not a young king. Not a man who wanted freedom. To be honest, I loved being a captain in the Royal Navy.
“It took me a while to stop blaming him. To stop cursing my father for what he did to my life, by dying young. By leaving my mother and the rest of us.”
My heart twisted with his pain.
“What did you do? How did you cope with the responsibility and grief?”
“I governed,” he answered flatly. “Meanwhile, my father�
�s advisors surrounded me. Sutcliffe, he’s left over from the old days. I’ve replaced most of them. Kenley and Ayla are new additions. They suit my style better.”
I wondered if it also helped that they were smart beautiful women who had a way of spinning negative situations into positive ones.
“I didn’t realize your mother was still living.”
“She left the Freychon palace after he died. She lives on the coast in one of the summer homes. She converted it into a residence meant for a dowager queen. She wanted to be out of the spotlight. No one blamed her.”
“Do you see her often?”
He shook his head. “Isabel visits the most. Dominic is too engrossed in his own problems. The rest of us have heavy schedules.”
I was sad for her. Sad for all of them. It seemed as if Damon’s father’s death had a rippling effect on the security of the family.
“Maybe I’ll plan a trip after I get through the next round of cabinet votes.”
I nodded. Mothers liked that kind of thing. I knew mine did. She worried if I didn’t call every week. She loved getting cards and small things I could send home. Video calls were our lifeline to each other.
“What happened to your father? Is it ok if I ask?” It seemed like a crucial piece to the puzzle. “Am I prying? I am. Aren’t I?”
“Molly, you can ask. I brought it up. The cause of death was inconclusive. My mother swears it was the stress of running the country.”
“No one knows?”
He shook his head. “He dropped dead after a morning swim in the pool. He was rushed to the hospital, but they were never able to revive him.”
“Oh my God, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. It was the worst day of my life, but the day that has defined me as a man.”
“And that’s how you became king?”
“It is. I was sworn in that afternoon and coronated a month later. I started running the country at twenty-seven and didn’t have a fucking clue what I was doing.”
“Galona is an incredible country, Damon. Your family must be proud. The circumstances that led to your ascension make it even more impressive.” I was awed by him. I was twenty-seven and didn’t know the first thing about running a country. What would I have done in his position? Could Isabel have ruled the same way? What about his other brothers?
He waved me off. “My reign has been about finding a balance between the antiquated way my father did things and the reality of living in a modern society. I’m done with royal shackles. If I want my girlfriend to move in, she should be able to move in. I don’t care about Sutcliffe’s list of rules. That’s the part of the crown I despise.”
“So I’m a political statement against the old ways and customs?”
“In some ways, yes. You are. And even that pisses me off.”
“But on the ship, we can do whatever we want? No rules. No politics.”
He nodded. “Everything we want.”
“Can we go back to the room?” I asked.
“I’ll have them bring us dessert.”
I smiled as he led me away from the table. “But you had your dessert before dinner.”
He chuckled. “I think I’m going to have some more.”
27
Damon
I squeezed Molly’s hand when we drove through the palace tunnel. I didn’t know what was in store for us, but I was determined not to let her slip away because of tradition. A modern monarchy was essential now more than ever.
“I can’t believe this is where I’m going to live.” She looked up at the towers surrounding us.
The car slowed. Georgan parked just outside the entrance.
“It is.”
As soon as we were inside the palace, Sutcliffe met us in the foyer.
“Your Majesty.” He bowed.
“I’m headed to the residence to change. We can meet in a few minutes,” I explained.
“The royal study, sir?”
“That will be fine.” I tugged Molly along behind me into the elevators.
“He didn’t look happy.” She turned to me.
I shook my head. “He never is. Part of his job I’m afraid. I give him problems and he has to provide solutions.” I brushed the hair from her shoulder. “I thought about the meeting on the flight home and I’d like for you to attend.”
Her eyes widened. The bits of blue swirled with confusion. “The meeting with Sutcliffe? Right now?”
“Yes. Whatever the plan is, you’re a part of it. You should hear what he has to say. Ayla will of course instruct you through the details once we have those, but I’d like you to be there. It’s your meeting too.”
There was a moment last night when I thought I had lost her. When I thought I had fucked up beyond repair. It wouldn’t happen again.
“All right. I’d love to be there.” She smiled. “And you don’t think Sutcliffe will mind?”
I laughed. “Of course he’ll mind. He’ll hate the whole fucking concept.”
The elevator dinged, but before we stepped into the residence I pushed her against the wall, taking her lips against mine. It was like our first kiss, but without the hesitation Molly clung to before. Last night something changed. And we both knew it.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, purring as my tongue twisted in her mouth. If she kept kissing me like this we might be late for the meeting.
“Fuck, I’m hard, love.”
Her hands snaked over my body, reaching my cock. “Maybe I can help.”
She lowered to her knees, dragging my zipper as she knelt on the floor.
“Molly,” I groaned. But she freed my cock and I wasn’t stopping her now. I pulled the park lever on the elevator so we couldn’t move.
My palm pressed into the wall while the other caressed the back of her head.
She looked up at me as her tongue darted over the crown, licking the glistening dew of want I had for her.
I knew it intimidated her, but I gave the girl credit for accepting the challenge. She started with small swallows, letting me fuck her gently until I couldn’t contain what I wanted. My cock buried in her mouth.
The corners of her eyes misted with tears, but she didn’t let up. Sucking. Licking. Bobbing her head until I was deep in her throat. Her hand tugged my balls and it was over. I pumped everything I had, releasing every drop in her mouth.
She whimpered, sucking and swallowing greedily.
“Shit.” I staggered back in the elevator car.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looking satisfied.
“Better?” she teased.
“Come here.” I pulled her into my arms, kissing her roughly. “After we finish with boring Sutcliffe and royal protocol, I promise your first night in the palace is something you’ll never forget.”
“But I’ve already spent the night here.”
“Not as a resident. And that’s going to require something extra special.”
28
Molly
I sat on one side of Damon while Sutcliffe sat on the other. The royal study was on the first floor, not far from the library.
Sutcliffe was listing proclamations and precedent that had been set hundreds of years ago. It would have been a fascinating history if Damon hadn’t been so pissed.
Damon’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t ask you to tell me what I can’t do, Sutcliffe. I asked you to figure out how we’re going to do it. Because Molly is sleeping under this roof. Starting tonight.” He pressed his finger into the table.
Sutcliffe exhaled. “Sir, I realize what the assignment is.” His mustache twitched. “However, co-habiting is strictly forbidden.”
“Forbidden by whom? The king?” Damon dared him to answer with something as illogical.
I didn’t know how I could help. I didn’t know the Galonian traditions. I was a newbie at the royal history.
“There are hundreds of rooms in the palace.” I broke the deafening silence. “How do the citizens know I’m not staying
in one of those?”
Sutcliffe pinched his thin lips together. “It isn’t that simple. You two are under the same roof.”
“But the roof is a mile long,” I argued.
“That is not a defense I can present to the moral citizens of this country.” He glared at me.
“Maybe you should try the immoral ones,” I snapped.
Damon shook his head. “Enough. We need a solution. Molly’s safety is what matters. I’m not going to subject her to the paparazzi. And I want her here.” He looked at me warmly for a brief second.
“What does Isabel do?” I asked. “Has she never had a boyfriend stay over?”
“Princess Isabel isn’t a part of the problem,” Sutcliffe explained. “She wouldn’t think of anything like this.”
“And the princes?” I continued my line of questioning.
“Where are you going with this?” Sutcliffe had lost all patience with me. I realized that had happened the first day we met. An American wandering around the palace looking for the king was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
“The public can’t possibly believe single adults would live like nuns and monks. That’s beyond common sense. Hasn’t at least one of them had a girlfriend that was serious?”
I didn’t know if I was prying too much. Poking around where I wasn’t welcome, but this scenario was ridiculous.
Damon scowled. “Dominic.”
“Ok. At least someone has had a relationship. What happened?”
“It is not appropriate to discuss the personal lives of the royal family,” Sutcliffe admonished me. “They should remain private.”
Damon shook him off. “She may ask anything she chooses. That’s why we’re here. Nothing we do remains private. Our personal lives are front page news.” He turned to me. “It didn’t work out with the girlfriend.”
I tilted my head. I wanted more information than that.
Damon sighed. “She left. She couldn’t handle the spotlight. The press hounded her non-stop. It reached the point that they camped out in front of her parents’ house. She couldn’t go to work. She couldn’t go to the market. There was an assault.” His voice was hushed.
“Assault?”
“One of the camera crews pushed a camera in her face when she was visiting her parents. She shoved him out of the way to get in the front door. He filed a law suit, claiming she assaulted him. That was the last straw.”