The Prince's Baby

by McKenna James

I rocked my hips back and forth, riding him slowly. He tipped his head back into his pillow and closed his eyes, groaning languidly. I liked seeing him like this, completely at my mercy. I allowed his hands to wander, pinching at my nipples and fondling my breasts as I continued my unrushed paced.

  “You feel so good,” he moaned. “Fuck.”

  “You’re so fucking big,” I panted. “God, I love your cock.”

  Sebastian dug his fingers into my hips and thrust upward. He hit me right in the sweet spot, shooting waves of pleasure throughout my body. The sensation was so intense it nearly knocked the air out of my lungs. I reached between us and started drawing frantic little circles into my swollen clit. My whole body shook as fire spread through my veins. I hadn’t felt this wild since first meeting Sebastian. The excitement, the tension of not knowing what was to come—it all thrilled me to the very bone.

  Every muscle in my body tightened as I climaxed, an overwhelming heat surging through every nerve. I shivered and groaned as I came, suddenly too dizzy to move. Sebastian immediately grabbed me by the waist and spun us around, pinning my back to the mattress. He eagerly kissed my breasts, dragged his tongue over a hard nipple, and growled.

  “I’m not done with you.”

  He grabbed hold of my wrists and pinned my hands above my head, thrusting into me harshly. My tight walls pulsed around his swollen cock, still slick from just having come. Sebastian crashed his lips against mine, teasing my tongue with his own. Still fresh off of climax, all of my senses appeared to be in overdrive. Every touch felt electric; every sound rang loudly in my ear. I quickly became drunk off of Sebastian’s scent and yearned for the taste of his mouth.

  “Alison,” he hissed in my ear as he came, shoving into me a few more times as he rode the high of his orgasm. His hot seed filled me, dripping from my wet pussy onto my thighs and spilling onto the sheets. Sebastian pulled out and sighed into my hair. “Okay. Okay, I’m awake.”

  I laughed, suddenly exhausted. “Good night.”

  “No,”—he chuckled—“you were the one pestering me to get up. Come on, let’s grab a quick shower together.”

  “But now I’m tired.”

  Sebastian got out of bed and spread his arms out, as though to pick me up bridal-style. “I’ll carry you into the shower if I have to.”

  I raised my leg and pressed my foot to his chest, urging him away. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  He raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Or would I?”

  Before I had a chance to answer, somebody on the other side of the bedroom door knocked three times. I jumped out of bed and wrapped my body up in the sheets, clutching the fabric to my chest. Sebastian slipped into the clothes he haphazardly threw off in the middle of the night and cleared his throat.

  “What is it?” he snapped.

  “Your Royal Highness, it’s me,” said Patrick from the other side of the door. “Are you and Miss Smith decent?”

  “Uh…” I hesitated, cheeks flushing bright red. How did Patrick know that Sebastian had spent the night in my room? Patrick really was a miracle advisor because he knew absolutely everything. “Give me one second,” I mumbled as I dashed off to the closet. I threw on the first loose dress I could find before reemerging. I nodded to Sebastian once to signal that I was ready.

  “Come in,” he ordered.

  Patrick stepped into the room, a look of worry on his face. I was worried his job was really starting to wear on him. He looked like he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in ages. “I’m sorry to bother you both,” he said.

  “What happened?” Sebastian demanded.

  “The security team apprehended an intruder just a few minutes ago. From what we can tell, the man’s a journalist.”

  I look cautiously at Sebastian. “What’s a journalist doing all the way out here?”

  Sebastian clenched his fists at his side and spoke through gritted teeth, “Where is he?”

  “We have him detained. The head of security is questioning him now.”

  “Stay here,” Sebastian said to me. “I’ll speak with him. In the meantime, make sure Adam stays indoors. This guy may not be alone.”

  I nodded slowly, dread clawing at my tongue and weighing it down into my throat. It wasn’t difficult for me to imagine what was going on. I didn’t believe in coincidences. We were too far out in the middle of private property for someone to just randomly show up. This intruder, whoever he was and whoever he worked for, had deliberately come here to scout out the location. Had somebody at the Wyvernbank palace noticed Sebastian’s frequent trips? I thought for sure that it wouldn’t raise any suspicion because it was in line with his old rumored partying habits. If a journalist was snooping around Sebastian’s private summer home, it wasn’t too much of a stretch that they suspected something scandalous was going on. And even if they didn’t, there was no doubt in my mind they’d discover the truth about Adam and me.

  Sebastian left with Patrick following quick on his tail. I chose instead to sit, my head reeling with endless questions and a fear of all possibilities.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Sebastian

  I was livid. I didn’t know who this guy was, but there was going to be hell to pay. I’d spent a small fortune on upping the property’s security systems and hiring the best security personnel to protect Adam and Alison. The fact that this journalist managed to sneak onto the grounds and made it within mere yards away from my son meant that somebody had seriously dropped the ball. I wasn’t sure who I was going to yell at for this oversight, but I silently swore that it would have to wait. I had a trespasser to interrogate.

  He was a mousy little thing. The man had big, beady eyes, puffy cheeks, thin lips, and a bulbous nose. He was a little taller than me, probably by about four inches, but his arms and legs were lanky and thin. Just looking at him confused me. With the way he was unevenly proportioned, I was genuinely surprised he was able to stand and carry himself around. The man sported a beer gut and a double chin, the latter of which he tried to hide behind a greasy, untrimmed goatee. He had long brown hair tied back with a cheap elastic band, but it was obvious that he was overcompensating for the fact that the top of his head was balding. He didn’t exactly strike me as a particularly efficient journalist, what with the way his shirt was all wrinkled and judging by the salsa stains on his pants.

  “What’s your name?” I demanded, standing across from him.

  The security team had him sat on an uncomfortable fold-out chair. He squirmed, uncomfortable under my attention. “Sam, Your Royal Highness.”

  “What are you doing here, Sam?”

  “I-I got lost, Your Royal Highness.”

  I raised my eyebrows at him, not believing a word he had to say. “Lost? My head of security said you had a map of the area and aerial shots of my property. They also said you had a duffle bag full of water bottles and food. I find that a little hard to believe. You look like you’ve prepared for a trip.”

  “Please, Your Royal Highness, just let me go. I swear, I’ll never come back. I won’t tell anybody anything.”

  “Our nation may be incredibly advanced in some ways, but the law still states that trespassing on royal grounds is punishable by death. My father never got around to changing all those archaic rules, you see. There were far too many. And I suppose he figured people would have the common sense not to do such a thing. I guess he was wrong.”

  “P-please,” the man stammered, “I don’t know anything. I didn’t mean any harm.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed. “Tell me the truth, Sam. Tell me why you’re really here, and I’ll let you go. In fact, I’ll even have my chauffeur give you a ride back into town. I won’t have my guards behead you in the woods.”

  “Y-you can’t do that! I have rights.”

  “The law’s the law, Sam. I’m not trying to be cruel.”

  Sam fidgeted in his seat, exchanging glances between me and the floor. “I swear, I meant you no harm. My boss sent me.”

>   “What paper do you work for?”

  “Wyvernbank Weekly.”

  “Paper,” I scoffed. “That’s just a gossip magazine.”

  “Yes. I’m one of their newest writers. I thought that if I could maybe find out something about your private life, I could really impress my boss and get a leg up in the writer’s room.”

  “And what have you discovered?”

  “Nothing at all, I swear!”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m telling you the truth. I happened to hear down the grapevine that you spend every weekend at one of your private properties. I wasn’t sure which one, so I… Well, I scouted them all.”

  “So you’ve been stalking me,” I concluded firmly.

  “N-no, that’s not–”

  “Because from where I’m standing, that’s exactly what it looks like.”

  “I just wanted to catch a few pictures of you. Our readers love pieces about the Crown Prince. I thought maybe you were hosting parties or something. I didn’t think you had a–”

  My blood curdled in my veins. “Had a what?” I hissed.

  Sam shivered, squeaking, “That you had a son.”

  I’d never felt rage like I did then. My body moved of its own accord, thrusting me forward in a blind fury. I grabbed the man by the shirt collar and lifted him violently out of his seat.

  Sam whimpered, hands raised in defeat. “P-please, don’t h-hurt me. I’ll stay quiet. I won’t tell anyone.”

  “How am I supposed to believe a word out of your mouth? How do I know you’re not going to tell your boss all about it? I’m sure a story like this would cement your career.”

  “I swear,” he cried, snot dripping from his nose as tears welled up in his eyes. “I made a m-mistake. You’ll never hear from me a-again.”

  “I’d better not. Please understand, my son’s safety is all I care about. Do you have children, Sam?”

  “N-no. But I have a kid brother.”

  I let go of Sam’s collar and allowed him to collapse into his seat. I leaned over, placing my hands firmly on his shoulder so that he had no choice but to look me in the eye. “How old’s your brother, Sam?”

  “S-seven.”

  “You’d do anything to protect him, wouldn’t you?”

  “O-of course.”

  “Then you understand where I’m coming from, right?”

  “Yes, Your Royal Highness. I totally understand.”

  “I’m going to let you go now. If I catch even a whiff of gossip about my son, or my family, I will find you. And I swear to you, Sam—I have all the resources to make your life a living hell if you leak this information.”

  “I won’t say anything! I won’t.”

  I nodded. “Good. Now get the fuck out of my house.”

  Sam scrambled to his feet and ran out the door, only to be immediately grabbed by several large security officers waiting on the other side. There was obviously no way that I was going to allow Sam to leave unescorted. The officers would place him in the back of one of their armored SUVs, drive around for a little while to throw off his inner compass, and then finally return him to the nearest city where I’d hopefully never see him again.

  Patrick clicked his tongue and leaned against the frame of the door. “Don’t you think threatening him and his family will be damaging for your public image?”

  I rolled my eyes and shrugged. “Who’s going to believe him? He’s just some low-level gossip reporter. Journalist my ass.”

  “If you’re done intimidating your citizens, Miss Smith has been asking for you.”

  “Where is she?”

  “The east wing’s second tearoom.”

  “Is Adam awake?”

  “Yes. The little Prince has been asking for you too. It seems he won’t stop crying.”

  I sighed and finally unclenched my jaw. The muscles in my face were unbearably sore. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that today was going to be an incredibly rough one to deal with.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Alison

  I thought I handled stress pretty well. As a diplomat, playing in the game of politics, stress was all I’d ever known. I’d been an expert in navigating the field of doublespeak and fake smiles. It was easy knowing who not to trust, because there was no one to trust. But this time, it was different. I felt powerless, resourceless. When Sebastian informed me that it was a nosy journalist that had been sniffing around for a story to print, I didn’t know what to say. It was as though, in an instant, my mind had deleted everything from my brain. No words, no thoughts, no memories plagued me. It was just blank, a white canvas to start anew.

  “And he saw Adam,” I mumbled under my breath.

  “Yes,” Sebastian sighed, “unfortunately.”

  “And you just… You just let him go?”

  He pressed his lips together into a fine line and gestured with his hands. “I wasn’t about to keep him prisoner in the dungeon.”

  “This place has a dungeon?”

  “What? No, that’s not– No, there’s no dungeon. You’re missing my point. He’s a Wyvernbank citizen. He has rights.”

  “You could have called the police,” I argued. “Pressed charges for trespassing onto your property.”

  “And then what, Alison? If the police show up, they’ll be the one’s to find out about Adam. I wasn’t about to let that happen.”

  “What if he talks?”

  “He won’t.”

  “Why do you sound so sure?”

  “I think the man’s smart enough to know that if he speaks out against me, he’ll regret it. You’re forgetting who I am, Alison. Right after my father, my word is the most powerful thing in the land.”

  “How long do you intend to keep us a secret?” The words escaped my mouth before I had the chance to think. It wasn’t all that hard either, because I hadn’t been thinking at all. Panic was the one driving my mouth, anxiety choosing my words. “When are you going to tell your father, your people, that you have a son? When Adam turns eighteen? Or are you just going to keep us here indefinitely?”

  Sebastian’s brows pulled together into a steep frown. “I’m not keeping you here, Alison. You’re free to leave whenever you want.” His words were heavy, harsh. He didn’t sound like the man I knew, but one of authority and high station.

  “Watch your tone,” I warned, noticing how Adam was beginning to grow restless in my arms.

  He repeated himself, this time softer, “The door is wide open. You can leave at any time.”

  “Not without my son.”

  “Adam stays here,” Sebastian growled. “He is a Wyvernbank Prince. This is his home.”

  “His home is with his mother,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

  “Why are you being so difficult?”

  “I’m not being difficult. You’re the one being impossible.”

  Sebastian snorted in derision. “Yeah? How so?”

  “You want your son near you, but he won’t fully be accepted into the royal family until you make his existence known. But if you do that, you’ll be face to face with a scandal of having an illegitimate heir. But when I say I want to keep Adam in Sunyata, you outright refuse to let him stay with me. You want a son, but you won’t accept all of the responsibility.”

  “Enough!” he snapped, voice echoing loudly off the ornately decorated walls.

  “You’re ashamed of us,” I accused. “No, you’re ashamed of me.”

  “Alison, stop.”

  “Do you regret it? Sleeping with me, do you regret it? If you’d just left me alone, none of this would be happening. You wouldn’t be facing the backlash from having a bastard child. That’s the reason you haven’t told anyone about Adam. You’re afraid. You’re more afraid of what your people will say about you than actually loving him.”

  Sebastian closed his mouth and stared at me, a fiery rage burning behind his eyes. His nostrils were flared, and his fists were clenched. “What the hell do you want from me? I’m trying t
o protect the two of you.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re trying to stifle us. I bet you think gifting us expensive toys and jewelry and allowing us to live in a fancy house is a blessing. It’s just a bribe, Sebastian. A bribe to say quiet and out of the way.” Anger boiled in my chest. “Sooner or later, news about Adam is going to get out. It’s up to you how that happens. I guarantee you that won’t be the last nosy reporter to show up at our doorstep.”

  “What do you propose I do then?” he growled bitterly. “You seem to have all the answers.”

  “No more playing house,” I demanded. “Either reveal Adam to the royal family and your country, or I’m taking Adam home where we can live normal lives.”

  “You’d take him from me?”

  “This is no way to live, Sebastian. Yes, I’d take him if it’d mean he got to grow up happy.”

  We looked at one another in stunned silence. Nothing but anger and disappointment and heartbreak seeped from my very pores. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I knew I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was surprised all the same. They had a saying in Wyvernbank: this was the moment the hat dropped. I raked my eyes over Sebastian, trying to concentrate on his face, but failing entirely. I could hardly bring myself to look him in the eye because I was so distressed, choosing instead to glare at his feet. This moment had been long time coming—the moment we realized that having a baby together wasn’t enough to keep us together. I cared for Sebastian, more than I ever realized, but I knew that I was right. In fact, I was pretty sure Sebastian agreed with me, judging by the dark look in his eye. We’d run out of options, and continuing to play at being the perfect little family was not one of them.

  “I can’t…” Sebastian hesitated. “I can’t live without you both. But what you’re asking of me… It’s impossible. It’s one thing to reveal to my people about Adam. But the fact that you’re his mother is another issue entirely.”

  “Because I’m not Wyvernian?”

  “Yes,” he croaked. “The press would vilify you, Alison. They’d come up with all sorts of nasty accusations to pin you as some sort of seductress. You’d never know a moment’s peace for the rest of your life.”