by Layla Pierce
I lean my head against his shoulder. "Don't be. It's not your job to--"
"It is my job to protect you and I'm positive that the biggest threat to you is your husband."
I turn my face towards him and know in an instant it was a mistake. His scent pulls me in, and I feel a rush of butterflies in my stomach. "Thank you," I whisper but my mouth is a little too close and my lips brush his flesh.
Cole turns his head and that rumble is back in his chest. "Sophie, please don't be so close..."
That plea makes me ache and I know why he doesn't want me close. He fears my rejection but no part of me wants to reject him. I push myself up and throw my leg over his lap to straddle him. His shaft is hard and ready and pressing perfectly against my clit. "Why?" I challenge.
"It will hurt."
"What will hurt, Cole?" I rock my hips and his body responds just as I wanted, making me moan with satisfaction as his cock strains against his pants.
"Being turned down."
He is looking up at me and I feel like the center of the universe. I cup his cheek, my other hand slips to the back of his neck and tangles in his short ginger hair. I'm breathy and wanton as I grind against him. "I won't turn you down, ever."
His breath rasps and I feel him tremble beneath me. "What about the others?"
It dawns on me that none of them have bothered to ask me that and I take a moment to seriously consider what I am willing to do and what I'm willing to give up. Graham is invaluable to me. Stephen brings out a playfulness in me, Aiden challenges me. And Cole fills me with something I didn't know I was missing, the profound feeling of being the center of someone’s world. Finally, I know what my answer is but I struggle to get it out for several more seconds. "I plan on enjoying myself as much as possible. I'm tired of being restrained. I want to explore and have fun. And..." I stop and lick my lips. "I want all of you."
His mouth is on mine as soon as I finish and the rush of heat pooling in my core turns to molten lava as I rock against him. He thrusts and groans as I feel my pleasure building just having his cock rubbing me through the fabric of our clothing. I break the kiss and move to his ear. "Are you willing to share me?"
"God, yes." He barely gets the words out when I bite his earlobe and he makes a sound that only encourages me to grind against him harder.
I turn quickly and spot the lights of the castle in the distance and groan. "Make me come before we get back, please. I need it." I beg.
His hand slips between us and pushes my panties aside. Thick fingers slide between my wet lips and I throw my head back. "More," I demand.
Without hesitation he slips two fingers into me and I buck against his hand. His thumb swirls around my clit and as soon as his mouth claims mine I sink my nails into the back of his neck. Pleasure rocks my body and I whimper as I shamelessly grind against his hand until he's wrung every last drop from me.
CHAPTER FOUR
Double Standards
In the morning I find myself waking to Moira hurriedly tossing clothes at me. "We must hurry, m'lady."
I'm still groggy from sleep and rub my eyes. "Hurry for what? I don't have any meetings today."
"The king is bringing in people for you to meet."
"What people?" I feel like my brain still hasn't caught up with the conversation. "Am I missing something?"
She shakes her head. "He's brought suitors for you." If her words were fists, she would have knocked me out with them. "This is all second hand," she continues quickly, "I heard it from Duchess Claudia's maid who overheard the King and Duke Harold talking. King Leo has handpicked men for you to choose from." Moira pauses and clarifies, "For you to have sex with. He means to pick you a," she stops and taps her chin, "Well, I don't know what to call it. What do you call a male version of a mistress?"
I quickly throw on the clothes she's been tossing at me and shake my head. "My husband has suddenly grown a pair, hasn't he?"
"Yes, ma'am," Moira answers as we rush down the hallway to the throne room.
When we exit the bedroom Graham catches my arm. "We need to talk."
"Yes," I exhale and pinch the bridge of my nose. "But first I need to deal with this mess. Our stuff will have to wait."
"It's not about that, it's about what Leo is planning."
"You mean the men he means to pick from that are all waiting to bed a queen?" I roll my eyes. "This farce will not go on for long. I'm putting an end to it." Graham meets my gaze, and I stop in my tracks. "What is it?"
"Something more is at play here. We need more time to figure it out."
My eyes dart from him to Moira and back to Graham. "What do you need me to do?"
He sets his jaw, and I can hear his teeth grind. Whatever he has in mind isn't pleasant. I feel a weight settling in my stomach. "Give us time to investigate. Leo has ulterior motives for picking out a man for you. I need you to go along with it," he pauses, and I can see him shaking to control himself. Anger colors his features. I wish nothing more than to soothe that rage for him, but what he's asking me is near impossible. "Go along with it for now. I will be by your side today. And whoever is picked will never have a moment alone with you, I swear it. One of us will be with you around the clock until we get to the bottom of this."
I look at Moira who is nodding in agreement and swallow down my revelation. "And if I have to sleep with this person?"
Graham shakes his head. "We play the game as far as we have to, but we can find ways to avoid it coming to that. Besides, I did manage to sneak a spy into the group."
I arch a brow. "Well, let's hope your spy gets picked, then."
To my horror, I enter the room to find five handsome men standing in a line along the east wall of the throne room. My husband sits relaxed on his throne wearing a Cheshire grin. I shoot him a hard look and don't bother acknowledging the line of suitors. My guard escorts me to my seat and stands in his usual spot behind me. "What is going on, my king?" I ask in the sweetest of voices.
"I've come up with a solution to our problem."
I swing my head towards him and bat my eyes. "And what problem is that?"
"You need a man."
The insult of having him announce it in open court stings but I shrug and glance down at my nails to show how bored I am of the prospect of finding a suitor. "I see no problem. I'm perfectly content."
Leo balls his hands into fists and stands up. "Will everyone excuse us please?"
The few staff present shuffle about to move the five men out of the room and into a nearby antechamber. When it is just the two of us and Graham, Leo glares at my guard. "I said, leave."
Now it is my turn to make demands. I stand and face my husband, narrowing my eyes. "My guard stays. At all times."
A gleam sparkles in my husband's eyes. "Don't you trust me, wife?"
"I think it'd be unwise to trust anyone who sneaks around making deals and giving orders behind my back."
Leo steps forward until Graham steps up beside me with his hand on his sword hilt. My husband takes half a step back and holds up his hands. "I was merely doing what I felt was best for us and the kingdom. The staff does not need so many luxuries. You give them too much freedom. They are servants, I gave them what was fair."
"It wasn't your place to do so."
"You were sick, my dear. We weren't even sure you'd make it. I did what I thought was best and I will not apologize for it. Just as I am doing what is best now."
"And in this is not your place either."
He shoots me a hard look and his nostrils flare. "You'd do well to learn to take direction from a man. You are nothing more than an out-dated fixture here. Your reign will end, and no other female of your line will ascend the throne. I will not give you an heir, so if you want one then I suggest you spread your legs for one of the men I brought in."
"I am not your mare to breed with the best stud in the stable, Leo. I am your queen. This is my kingdom, and I make the rules. Did you ever think that maybe I found my own suitor?"
&
nbsp; He looks at Graham and rolls his eyes. "I know all your time is spent with your guards so if you are fucking the staff I'd say that's scraping the bottom of the barrel. I will not have my wife being deflowered by a brute whose only purpose is to swing a sword."
I laugh and roll my eyes. "Deflowered? Oh, you'd be a little late for that one, Leo. I wasn't a maiden when we married."
"You will not sire an heir with the staff. I forbid it."
My hand shoots out and connects with his face. The sound echoes off the stone walls. "You do not forbid me from anything."
Leo steps closer, and Graham moves to stop him, but I put my hand on his arm and shake my head. I want to see how far my husband will go. Leo leans in and whispers. "If you do not take one of these men I offer to you, I will have your precious guardsmen killed in the most horrific of ways. I'll start with that ginger-haired cripple and work my way through them one by one. But I'll save your captain for last, and I'll make sure you watch while his entrails are strung out and used to hang him with."
I swallow hard. Leo knows about Cole. He knows how vital Graham is to me. I manage to keep my voice steady. "You won't sit on the throne long enough--"
He presses his finger to my lips to silence me and adds, "And any child you father from them will be killed before it can take its first breath. I've played the complacent king for far too many years, now you are going to bow to me, I am going to make your life in this castle a living hell until you learn to submit to your master. Do you understand me?"
I shake my head. "You can go to hell, I will never--"
A shriek breaks our standoff and the throne room doors burst open. Moira runs in, tears streaming down her cheeks. "M'lady, my children--"
Her sobs silence her words, and I stare blankly at her. "What about your children?"
"They're gone." She falls to her knees on the cold stone floor and weeps.
I still don't understand what is going on. Going to Moira, I kneel down and stroke her hair. "What do you mean they're gone? What happened?"
She looks up at me with redden swollen eyes. "They were down at the river getting water and helping the staff. Riders in black came up the riverside and attacked the group. They killed three of your servants and..." Her sobs take over again, and I rub her back to try to ease her breathing until she can finish. When she catches her breath she shutters. "They took my children. Threw them over their horses and rode off."
My head snaps up, and I stare at Leo. He has a horrifying grin on his face that makes acid churn in my gut. I do my best to cover my revulsion and lift Moira's chin. "We will find them and get them back. I promise."
"Yes, m'lady, but--"
"No, buts. They'll come home to you," I make sure my voice is loud enough so that my smug husband can hear me. "I will do whatever it takes to get them back, I swear it."
Moira nods as two of the kitchen staff come in to help her up and take her out of the room. As soon as the doors shut I spin on Leo and storm up to my throne. "You think you've won, but this act will be your downfall."
He laughs. "I have no idea what you mean, my queen. You can't possibly think that I had anything to do with this tragic event."
"I know you did."
He holds his stomach as he laughs. "But can you prove it?"
My teeth set and I don't answer. I know Leo did it, but he's right I have no proof. Without proof, I have nothing but my word against his. Leo's apparently been making allies and working some backdoor deals with my noblemen. I have no idea if my word will weigh stronger than his when it comes to the Lords and Ladies who would pass judgment. Taking a deep breath, I lift my chin defiantly and take my seat.
As I cross my legs and give a wave of my hand I demand, "Present your gifts to me, my king."
He smiles and rings a bell, the staff ushers in the men as Graham stands quietly behind me. I can feel the tension rolling off of him, it mingles with my anger and creates a vortex of emotions in the room that even the men standing fifteen feet away seem to pick up on as they shuffle their gazes uneasily.
Leo proceeds to interview all of them. I am not paying attention. Leo will do what he needs to do to secure his power and right now, with him holding Moira's children's lives in his hands, he holds a stacked deck. I fold my hands and focus on what I know.
I know my husband can't be trusted. I know the possibility that my husband poisoned me over summer is looking more and more probable. I know that Moira's children will be safe as long as I go along with whatever Leo has planned. I know my guards will protect me...
But I don't know if I can protect them, and I don't know if my men protecting me will get the children killed. I need more information. I need to know what Leo is planning. Killing me wouldn't make any sense. He can't become the ruler of my kingdom because we haven't produced an heir. He could attempt to have me imprisoned and force a man on me. He could try to claim any heir I give birth to as his. He would have power until the child came of age. If I had a boy it would keep Leo in control until that child had a female heir. All of this could work to his advantage.
Something is nudging me, and I shake my head to see Leo poking me in the arm "What?" I growl.
"The final pick, my queen." He offers.
A lone man stands in front of us. He is tall, clean shaven, with short black hair, and tanned skin. His eyes smolder in a smokey grey color, and when he smiles at me I catch a peek of perfectly straight white teeth. He is handsome and rugged. But I shrug. He isn't one of my guards, the four men who've given me glimpses of pleasure over the past few weeks. This man is a stranger.
Leo clears his throat. "Queen Sophia, meet your new companion, Sir Damien. He's a champion of the joust, although I know you were paying attention this whole time and already know that."
I roll my eyes. "Of course." Turning to this man I give a slight nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Damien."
I stand up, and Leo jumps to his feet. "Where are you going?"
"It seems I've taken sick, my king, I am going to have a lie-down and hope the feeling passes."
"Well then, you will take Sir Damien with you. Maybe he will ease some of your discomforts."
I open my mouth to protest, but Graham intervenes and instructs my new companion, "Follow us to the queen's resting chamber, that is where she likes to recover when she's had a spell."
I blink at him and look over at Leo. He is all too smug at this moment thinking he's won. As I pass by my husband he whispers, "I see your guard has fallen in line. I'm sure whoever has taken those poor children will appreciate your cooperation in all matters."
I ignore him and walk out with Graham leading the way and my new suitor following close behind. When the coast is clear I lean over and grin. "This is your man, isn't he?"
Graham looks back and then shoots me a hard look. "Unfortunately, no. We are dealing with an unknown element now."
I clench my jaw but keep walking. "What am I supposed to do? I will not sleep with him."
"Let him court you, he's a knight, he'll do everything according to protocol. That buys you several weeks of courtship before he'll expect you to sleep with him."
I snort a laugh and glance back to glare at this new intrusion into my life. "He'll be waiting more than a few weeks."
A week later and our intruder has become a major inconvenience in my life. Damien insists that he stays at my side most hours of the day. But there are moments where I can break away. Unfortunately, his constant attention keeps me from spending time with my guards, and I have to admit to myself that I miss their company more than I thought I would.
"My queen?" Damien prompts me.
"Huh?"
"It's your move."
He points to the chess board, and I sigh. "I apologize, but I feel another spell coming on. I think I need to lie down."
He leans back in his chair and runs his hand through his hair messing it up slightly. "If you don't mind me saying, you seem to be stricken ill every time you're forced to spend more than five minute
s with me." My mouth falls open, but I don't say anything. He pinches the bridge of his nose and breaths out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, but well, we both know what your husband expects."
Finally, I find my words. "No one forces me to spend time with you, Sir Damien."
"Drop the Sir bit. You don't want me anywhere near you, I know it to be true."
I twist my hands in my lap feeling very uncomfortable at this moment. I know my guards are outside the door, but I'm not sure if they could get to me quick enough to protect me and I'm even less sure of what Damien's reaction would be if I told him how repulsed I am by the idea of my husband picking a man for me. I give in and simply tell as much of the truth as I can. "I do not like this arrangement you've made with my husband. I am not something to be passed around. I am not a bargaining chip. And whatever power my husband has promised you for sleeping with me you will never get. I can assure you that he will backstab you the moment he gets a chance."
"I made no deal with your husband for power. I was chosen. My family is being held unless I fulfill my duties."
"And what duty is that? Just to bed me or is there more?"
He leans back and steeples his hands. "I am to report to his majesty our daily contact, and I am to help you in producing an heir."
"Hmmm." I tap my chin. "Well, like I said, I feel sick, and sex with a bought and paid for prostitute doesn't sound like fun right now."
His eyes narrow and in the blink of an eye, he's leaning over me. His strong arms cage me between him the chair. I cower as far back in my seat as possible. "I am not a prostitute." His teeth clench, and I see every fiber of his body shaking. "I don't want to fuck a spoiled prude anymore than you want to fuck me. So we are both in the same boat." I suck in a breath at his words. "Do you think I wanted to be dragged away from my life to come here and service you?" He wrinkles his nose and eyes at me as if I am disgusting to look upon and I suddenly feel small. "I want my damn life back, but until we do this thing then your husband will just keep holding my freedom over my head."