[The Shifters Committee 05.0] Sensual Hero

by Rebecca Foxx

  “No, and thank god for that.”

  “You like that I’m not stealthy?”

  Edward looked at her with a wide smile and took her hand for just a moment without ever slowing the pace of their walk. The touch was so brief it was almost like it never happened at all, and yet. And yet, when his skin touched hers it felt like a jolt of electricity running throughout his entire body, every nerve and particle of himself singing with the feeling of her.

  It was all he could do not to let out a gasp of surprise, which he was sure would have made him look utterly ridiculous, but he did allow himself the luxury of smiling to himself when he heard the gasp escape her lips. So she had felt it, too. It wasn’t all in his head. Now if only he could understand what “it” was.

  Being a prince had always afforded Edward opportunities that other men were simply not privy to. Those opportunities came in every avenue imaginable, including the women he was around. There had been women around him for as long as he could remember, almost all of them clamoring for his attention and affection.

  They had come at him from every angle imaginable with the hopes of turning the young prince’s head until it got to be so that he couldn’t find any kind of joy in the women he met. All of them wanted something from him and none of them seemed anywhere near believable or genuine.

  This girl he was walking with, however, she was entirely different. She was flushed and easily embarrassed, unsure of her words or even her footing on the pathway. She was the breath of air he had been waiting for and even though he hardly knew her at all, he knew enough to know he liked her.

  It had taken him hardly any time at all to figure that much out. And once his hand brushed against hers, he became very aware that he also wanted her, and wanted her badly. That had never happened to her before. He had never not gotten anything for long enough to really want it, not with everything so easily handed to him. He liked it. He liked the feeling of being here with her in this moment and wanting her without having any idea if he would get her.

  “Cat got your tongue?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Nothing,” she smiled, her hand still tantalizingly close to his own, “it’s just that I asked you if you liked that I’m not stealthy and then you went all quiet. I know, it was a silly question. Sometimes I say stupid things when I’m nervous.”

  “No” he said quickly, wanting nothing more than to make sure that she didn’t feel even a little bit bad, “it wasn’t a silly question. It was banter and I liked it. Yes, I like that you aren’t stealthy. As far as I’m concerned stealth is just a nicer word for liar. And I can’t imagine anything you say being stupid, although I do find it rather charming that you so easily admit to being nervous.”

  “Well if you find that charming then you’re going to love spending time with me. I’ve got plenty of little nervous ticks.”

  “Good. I look forward to seeing them. Now I wonder, would you be terribly opposed to leaving the park?”

  “No, not if that’s what you want.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely day and a lovely park. I was just wondering, well, how would you feel about getting a drink with me?”

  “A drink? How scandalous, your highness.”

  “No,” he laughed, loving the fact that she would talk to him like he was a normal man worthy of being flirted with like any other, “please, never ‘your highness.’ I’ve had enough of that to last me an entire lifetime. And is that a no to the drink?”

  “Nope! It’s not even close to a no. It’s just that you surprise me. You aren’t the way I thought you might be.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “Yes,” she said with eyes that looked anywhere but at his face, “I think it’s shaping up to be a very good thing.”

  “No, it’s just that I’m surprised, that’s all! It just seems so odd, a prince that wants to run away from everything. I mean, it can’t exactly be the worst fate in the world, can it?”

  “No, no, and i know it isn’t. I know how lucky I am, Sandra. Believe me, I do. It’s just that sometimes I need a break.”

  “A break from being prince?”

  “Yes, I suppose so. Otherwise, how would I be able to do things like this?”

  “Like having a nutty girl spill a beer all over you?”

  “Yes,” Edward grinned as he motioned the bartender in their direction, “just like that.”

  “I’m surprised you wanted to come back to this place again.”

  “Why is that? Not fancy enough?”

  “Well sure, that’s part of it. But it’s not what I meant. I guess I meant because this is where we were yesterday when that man came and got you. Aren’t you worried that he’ll only do the same thing again today?”

  “Ah, I see. No, actually, I’m not. We had a bit of a chat, you see, and he’s agreed to let me off the leash as long as it’s only for this one day. There’s always a catch, isn’t there?”

  “I guess there is. So one day of freedom, then back to the grind.”

  Edward wouldn’t have been able to explain why afterwards, not to anyone, but the look on her face fell when she spoke those words and he knew he didn’t ever want to be the reason this girl felt sad. It wasn’t like he believed it was love at first sight or anything so over the top as that. He was old enough to know better and whether he thought it was a sweet idea or not (which he did), it didn’t mean that it was something that he could believe in (which it wasn’t).

  So no, it wasn’t anything so grand as that, but if he was going to make her feel anything, he wanted it to be happy. He had spent, what, only five hours with her? Had it only been that long? But as short of an amount of time as it was, it was the best damn day he could remember having in a long, long time, maybe the best one in the whole of his life.

  He wasn’t ready for that to end and so there was no way he was going to let the fact that this little sojourn of his was essentially him living on borrowed time muck up the time they still had. He reached out one hand, surprised to see that it was shaking ever so slightly, and raised her chin gently.

  “Don’t look so down, Sandra. Yours isn’t a face made for sorrow. And it’s not like I’m leaving right now, is it?”

  “No, that’s right. So, we’ll treat this like it’s the only twenty-four hours either of us have. How does that sound? We’ll make the best of it.”

  “I think that sounds lovely. And in honor of that, how about you introduce me to whatever that god awful pink concoction you were partaking in yesterday?”

  “You want to do a shot?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” he laughed, revelling in her clear delight, “I can let my hair down, so to speak. And there’s nothing wrong with a little liquid courage, is there?”

  “What would you need courage for?”

  “I don’t know yet. I guess we’ll have to see.”

  Chapter Five

  God, part of her wanted so badly to sneak off for just a minute so she could call Delia and tell her just how well her day with a real, live prince charming was going. She knew Delia must be going insane with the not knowing at this point. The last thing she had done before she had sent Sandra out of the door was make her promise, promise, to call with details just as soon as possible, which meant the first moment she had after leaving Edward's side.

  What neither of them had counted on was the day bleeding so seamlessly into the night without any sign of it coming to an end any time soon. Slipping away to make a phone call was beyond tempting, though, especially since the territory she was entering now was much more familiar to Delia than it was to her.

  This day, all of it, was so far from the sort of thing Sandra usually did. It had been from the moment she stepped foot in the park and everything had only become more unreal from there. And now? Now here she was, standing in the lobby of the most extraordinary hotel she had ever seen with the most amazing man she had ever met. It was probably the wildest thing she had done but there was not a single part of he
r that was having second thoughts.

  She didn’t do things like this, didn’t have what was surely going to be a one night stand, but she wasn’t sorry that she was (hopefully) about to; she didn’t feel even the least bit bad about it. She was nervous, though. There was no denying that. This all felt just a little bit over her head and she was hoping beyond hope that she didn’t make a fool of herself.

  “Sandra, we don’t have to do this if you don’t like. I can’t even believe I suggested it, to be honest with you. It isn’t really like me to be so forward, but then again, I suppose I’ve been forward this entire time. It seems that you bring it out of me somehow.”

  This was it. This was the moment. He was giving her an out, a chance to bow out gracefully, but she had no intention of taking it. She wanted this. She wanted this man so badly she could hardly breath and there was not a chance in hell that she was going to chicken out. She smiled up at him, feeling her skin grow hot every place his eyes landed, and leaned in towards him. There was no stopping this thing now.

  “I’m glad I bring it out in you. And I know we don’t have to do this, but I want to. If you do.”

  “Jesus, I was hoping you would say that. Then please, let’s go up. I’m not sure how much longer I can go without having my hands on you.”

  Now her heart was racing, her whole body tingling with anticipation and something that felt very much like need. Feeling emboldened in a way she had never experienced before, she took Edward by the hand and led him towards the elevator. She could feel his loose hand just barely grazing her ass as she walked and she could feel the heat of his body washing over her in waves.

  The elevator doors opened then closed, the velvety hum of their movement like the hint of a song playing in her ears. The long, silent ride up, people pressed in around them who couldn’t possibly know the desire passing between two of the car’s occupants.

  Then into the hallway, walking on a carpet so plush it must have cost more than a year’s rent for her apartment, and with each step they left the other patrons of the hotel behind until with the briefest slide of a keycard the two of them were finally alone. The silence in their beautiful suit was thick like a blanket and it felt like velvet against her skin. She walked further into the room and towards the bed, all the while feeling his eyes roaming over her body.

  She stood as still as her trembling limbs would allow, her thighs pressed against the firm mattress in front of her, waiting to see what Edward would do next. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps, her body straining towards him without actually moving, and when she heard his footsteps on the floor she knew that it would only be another moment before his hands were on her body.

  His breath grazed the back of her neck hotly, his fingers grasping her hips from behind, and then she could feel his lips pressing lightly against her skin.

  “My god, you are so very beautiful. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you are.”

  “You aren’t so bad yourself.”

  “Not so bad, huh? I guess I’ll take that.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I do know. And I also know I need you to turn around.”

  She did exactly as she was told, turning to face him, letting his strong fingers move deftly over the buttons of her dress. Those buttons went all the way from the neck of the dress to the bottom hem and when it got to the point that Edward couldn’t reach them well anymore, he got down on his knees to finish the job.

  Here he was, the prince of Monaco, and he was kneeling before her as he peeled her clothing off of her. No bra, now no dress, she stood in front of him with nothing but a pair of lace panties and her bare feet. His hands reached out for her, grabbed hold of her ass and pulled her in closer to him so that his tongue could run over that lace, over the part of her that called out for him the most.

  Her head fell back and she let out a small moan of pleasure, just the sound of encouragement he needed, it would seem. He used his teeth to pull those lace panties off of her, all the way down her quivering legs so that she could step out of them, using his shoulders to keep her balance. Without the fabric between them there was nothing left to deter him and he pushed her gently back onto the bed so that only her legs hung over the edge.

  It was such a vulnerable position to be in but far from making her uncomfortable, it was probably the biggest turn on she had ever experienced. To let this man do what he would with her body, to give up any semblance of control in the name of pleasure, it was impossibly erotic. She thought for a moment about how she would never be able to go back to anything less with a man and be able to enjoy it before the feeling of his tongue moving in slow, sure circles on her clit eradicated thought entirely.

  Her hands moved down to his hair, her fingers tugging at in in a rhythm that matched his own movement as her thighs closed tighter around his shoulders. She could feel a tingling beginning in her toes and a lightness begin to take hold of her body as her back arched up towards the ceiling. She was going to come, faster than she ever had before, and still his tongue moved until she let out a cry of such ecstasy she was sure they must have been able to hear it down in the lobby.

  It was so much pleasure it almost felt like pain and her body shook and twisted with the enormity of it. Finally she called out his name, softly and again and again until finally his head lifted.

  “Anything. I’ll do anything you want, Sandra. All you have to do is tell me what it is.”

  “I want you.”

  “You want me how?”

  “I want you inside of me. I can’t wait. Please.”

  Apparently Edward was a man who only needed to be asked a thing once, because the moment she spoke the words he was up and moving her further up the bed, sliding on top of her so that she got the full effect of his delicious weight on top of her. He kissed down her neck so lightly it felt like feathers being drawn across her skin.

  She could feel the stiff length of his member throbbing against her inner thigh and she reached her hand down, smiling at the gasp he let loose when it found his erection and guided it inside of her waiting body. Now it was her turn to gasp, to arch her body up into his as he made his first slow movements, his hips moving so slowly it felt like torture.

  Her legs tightened around his, pushing him closer to her, and her hands found his backside, wanting him to be as deep inside of her as he could possibly get. His arms slid underneath her partially raised frame, holding her close to him, nuzzling his face in the hollow of her neck. It was impossible to tell which limb belonged to who, they were so perfectly intertwined, and she could feel that lightness taking root inside of her again, the tingling that told her ultimate pleasure was not far off.

  She would have thought that after that first time there would be no way her body could dissolve into orgasm again so quickly but her thoughts didn’t seem to matter anymore. That was where her body was headed nonetheless and it was like Edward could sense that she was on the brink because it was at precisely that moment that the thrust of his hips began to speed up. His movements became less fluid, more erratic and insistent, and his breathing just as ragged as her own.

  Her head rolled from side to side, her eyes shut tight and her teeth biting down on her own fist to keep from actually screaming. She could hardly fathom anything but the response of her own body to Edward’s, but through the ringing in her ears she could hear Edward take in a sharp breath before letting out a moan that told Sandra that he had joined her in her pleasure.

  They were coming together, something she didn’t think existed in real life, and their bodies shook in time that seemed to be standing still. Finally he lay on top of her, their breathing breathing slowing until finally only their naked, sweaty bodies were the only indications of what they had just done. Edward rolled off of her then and pulled her onto his chest where she could hear his heart thumping away like a merry little song.

  She glanced out of the window, painfully aware that there was nothing she could do to keep time from ticking away
or the sun from rising in the east. She wanted with every fiber of her being to at least have the chance to get to know this man better, to spend days, months even doing just that. She hadn’t wanted that of a man before and now that she finally did, he was leaving in mere hours. She sighed and shut her eyes, trying her best not to think about it and waste the little time they had left.

  “Sandra? Can I tell you something?”

  “Of course. Anything.”

  “I believe you are the most fantastic woman I have ever met. And I’m not ready.”

  “Not ready?” she said quietly, raising her head in confusion, “not ready for what?”

  “Not ready to say goodbye to you. But I can’t stay here, I have business back home. So, I was wondering, if you don’t think I’m completely insane, if you might come. Come with me.”