Royally Mine: 22 All-New Bad Boy Romance Novellas

by Susan Stoker

  Chuckling, he took a step closer until she could smell the light touch of his cologne mixed in with the scent of warm, male skin. “This isn’t a toga party, beautiful, it’s a bacchanal. And it’s starting late, so come on.”

  Bacchanal?

  He snagged her hand and pulled her into the room, her eyes roaming over the gathered people, all in various white and gold outfits, everyone wearing a laurel crown upon their heads, but Finn was the only one in a toga. And the only one whose crown was gold.

  “Friends, Californicators, depraved fuckers, lend me your ears!” Finn raised his hands into the air, and the room fell instantly silent. A sea of smiling faces looking over to their host, and Aubrey simply smirked at his melodramatic display. “The party is about to start”— a loud cheer from the crowd interrupted him, and he inclined his head as they quieted down—“but we have a few new revelers with us tonight, so I’ll remind everyone of the very few rules we have. First? No phones, no cameras, no anything. We already dealt with that shit once, and although I loved seeing my ass on Reddit, we don’t need a repeat.”

  Laughter echoed around the room as Finn smiled, handsome as the devil, just as men and women in scant gold outfits began moving through the crowd with trays of shot glasses.

  “Second, use protection, idiots. There are plenty of condoms. Last? You cause a scene, try and ruin the party, and you’re out. No second chances. Because tonight, just like in the days of old, we’re letting go of all of society’s bullshit. We’re going to drink,” a loud cheer, “we’re going to fuck,” an even louder cheer, coupled with a few whistles. Finn grinned and took two shot glasses from an offered tray, passing her one as he raised his high in the air, the crowd mirroring his movements—“And we’re going to make Bacchus fucking proud! LET THE BACCHANAL BEGIN!”

  Several loud bangs sounded from the sides of the crowd, gold glitter raining down over the crowd, misting through the air to the sounds of people laughing and cheering, and Finn laughed right along with them—wild and free as the hazy cloud found them and wrapped them in a shimmering metallic glow.

  “Don’t worry, fuckers, the glitter is edible!” More cheers, more laughter, and Aubrey grinned as the glitter tainted the perfect white of her dress, dusting her skin to catch in places. Then Finn turned towards her, his voice dropping to a low growl, meant just for her, “Cheers, Aubrey. Drink up.”

  “Cheers.” Tapping her glass against his, they both drank, the vodka clean and burning into her belly, and then he snagged it from her hand, placing their shot glasses on the nearest tray.

  “I was worried you were going to chicken out this time.” He hummed the words as he moved close, one hand brushing her hair back over her shoulder so his warm palm could graze her neck.

  “Would you have delayed all night, Finn? Held off on your little party waiting for me to darken your door?” Aubrey’s heart was racing as his other hand found her hip, squeezing, pushing her backwards one step at a time.

  “You weren’t the only one who was late, but I was planning to give you ten more minutes.” He leaned down, burying his face against her neck as she collided with the wall. Nipping, licking kisses ran up the column of her throat, and back down over her collarbone, and Aubrey found her hands fisting the silken fabric of his toga to pull him closer. “Tell me,” he whispered against her skin, “did you put your underwear back on?”

  “No, I thought you said I wouldn’t need them?” Her chuckle turned into an all-out laugh as Finn stood up, his tongue held out with a bright, shining swipe of golden glitter across it, the rest brushed over the bottom half of his face. Then, he swallowed and licked his lips, looking every bit the hungry wolf—and she was more than ready to be devoured. The itch quickly becoming a pulsing ache between her thighs.

  “You don’t need them at all. Hell, in an hour there won’t be many people still wearing clothes in here.” Finn’s hips pressed against her, the rock hard outline of his erection making her moan softly before she could cut it off.

  “So, this is what you do on Fridays?” she breathed the question as his hands roamed over her sides. “Gather together all your deviant friends and fuck your way into the weekend?”

  “Is there some other way to spend a Friday night?” he asked, his thigh moving between hers to spread them. One shift and he rocked against her clit, sending tense pleasure spiraling up her spine, as bright and shining behind her eyes as the gold glitter that coated his floors as well as his guests. “Stop holding back, Aubrey, we both know how much you want to dive in. To see what you’re capable of with no one judging you.”

  “You don’t know a thing about me,” she declared, somewhat defensively, trying to pull back from the intensity of his presence.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, beautiful,” his voice was sinful, dark as he caged her in with his broad, strong body. “I saw you at Dr. Kirkland’s office,” he paused when she jerked back in his arms, her head smacking against the wall in her surprise. “I skipped my appointment with Dr. Connor just to meet you. From the first moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to hear your voice, to see if you were like me. Perfectly fucking fine without all the judgment.”

  Wait.

  He’d seen her? He went there?

  A flash of anger momentarily overwhelmed the drugging desire already storming through her veins. “You waited for me? You followed me?”

  “Of course I did. I didn’t want to go to that bullshit appointment anyway, and there is no reason you should have been there either.” Finn growled when she pressed against his stomach, feeling the hard ridges of his abs as she tried to push him away, but he wasn’t having it. He grabbed her behind the thighs and lifted her like she was light as a feather, splitting her legs around his hips so she had no choice but to grab on. “There is nothing wrong with you, Aubrey Marilyn Dean, and I want you to know that. I wanted you to come here so you could see that.”

  His hips rocked against her with a sinful frisson of electricity—every inch of her wanting to feel him inside her, wanting her to ignore the knowledge that he was just as fucked up as she was, just as addicted to this. This crackling energy between them, this insatiable hunger, and there was no doubt in her mind why he’d caught her attention so strongly—but he was wrong. She was messed up, disturbed, broken. Something in her history had made her incapable of doing anything more than seeking out sex like the addict she was, incapable of a normal relationship, and—impossibly hot future king or not—he was fucking everything up. “You’re a bastard, Harald Finn Solberg. I’d managed three weeks before you followed me into that bar.”

  “Why?” he asked, completely unapologetic as he crushed her to the wall, rolling his hips in a mockery of the hard thrusts she really wanted. No amount of shock could erase the itch inside her, the need… and what was worse was that he understood it. He needed it too, just as addicted to the powerful physicality of their bodies pressed together.

  Progress, you’ve made progress.

  And Prince Finn is erasing every bit of it.

  “What I do isn’t normal, it’s not healthy. This isn’t healthy,” she hissed at him, internally cursing herself when she moaned as his hand cupped a breast through the dress, one thumb tracing over her nipple to send a ripple of pleasure through her muscles.

  “Says who?” Finn bounced her against the wall, and her legs hugged him tighter to her, seeking more. “You’ve let the world tell you how to live, Aubrey, but you’re perfect exactly as you are. You are fucking incredible, and if your so-called friends are telling you otherwise, then it sounds to me like you need new friends.”

  “People like your friends?” she asked, and he leaned back to shove her dress up to her waist, grinning like a madman when he saw she had, in fact, not worn underwear.

  “Everyone here accepts you, Aubrey, everyone except for you.” His thumb found her clit, sliding between her soaking wet folds with gold-tinted fingers, making her moan and arch off the wall. “Why are you fighting what makes you happy? Why are you fi
ghting what makes you… you?”

  “Because I fucked you in a bathroom, Finn! All because I couldn’t handle the itch for another day, because I’m an addict.” Aubrey whined as he worked magic between her thighs, the sounds of others’ moans, their laughing, giddy pleasure echoing off the walls, made by people who weren’t fighting their urges. And all of it was taunting her. “But you knew that, you knew I was weak.”

  Finn chuckled, increasing the pressure on her clit as he ran his tongue over his gold tinted lips. “Weak? Bullshit. You give no fucks about what anyone thinks of you, Aubrey. You think no one noticed us walking into the bathroom together? You think for a second that my friends didn’t spot you as one of us?” He smiled at her, watching her take her pleasure as she tried to bite back the moan. “I can see it. I can see that you’re just like me, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying your life. You’re stronger than half the sheep in this world too afraid to go after what would make them happy, you’re just afraid to show it, to be who you really are.”

  Guilt fluttered amidst the arousal, an anxious tugging, but the scenes behind him were something straight out of legend. Bodies intertwining across the padding topped platforms, people as free and open about their needs as she had been once upon a time. Before she’d let the joking comments get under her skin, before the playful teasing of her friends that she never left a bar alone. Before she’d made her first appointment with Dr. Kirkland. Back before she’d tried to change, all of the fun one-night stands had been what kept her going. It had calmed the need, scratched the itch, kept her sane and—holy shit.

  Realization hit her with the next sinfully mimed thrust from his hips.

  “Fuck,” she cursed aloud as puzzle pieces edged in glitter clicked into place. She had been top of her game, the life of every party, the best CPA in her office… until she’d started seeing Dr. Kirkland. Until she’d listened to the comments of the people around her, listened to all the thoughts on who she should be, let them sink deep and take hold—everything had been fine until she’d tried to fix it.

  Then? Everything had gone downhill.

  Finn growled against her skin, cock hard and tenting the front of his ridiculous toga, rubbing against her. “Tonight is about you. I changed the whole plan of the party to prove my point. A bacchanal. One of the oldest ways we shed society’s expectations. Everything is about letting you be whoever you want to be, and I know who you can be. You’ve already let me see the glorious person you’re capable of being. And that woman? That woman is exciting, and sexy, and fucking perfect.”

  “Finn,” she whispered, doubt still scratching the inside of her mind as he lifted his fingers and slid them between his lips, releasing the hottest moan as he tasted her.

  “God, you taste delicious,” he growled, and then he kissed her, a mix of vodka, and glitter, and the tang of her own arousal. She wanted him, wanted him inside her again, wanted to let go like she used to, more than ten months before when she’d tried to stop it all. Tried, and failed, and tried again, and again, and again. It had been miserable, painful, agonizing, and now Finn was saying none of it was worth it? That felt insane, ridiculous… except her own experiences confirmed it.

  She had been better at her job when she’d let go. Been better as a person. Felt better.

  And Finn was saying it was okay to want what she wanted, to do what she wanted.

  “What about Dr. Connor?” she asked as soon as the kiss broke, bordering confusion as she tried to align her wants with reality—and what she wanted was Finn. Or maybe just his permission to really let go, to do what she needed to without any fear of judgment.

  “Fuck Dr. Connor.” He kissed her again. “Fuck Dr. Kirkland.” Their lips collided in a kiss that had her head swimming, her hips moving against his until they were making out like they had on the rooftop the night before. With a nip of his teeth, he leaned back. “Do you want to let go? Do you want to do something, Aubrey?”

  “I want to do someone,” she growled and bit his lip when he tried to kiss her again, their bodies pressed together in the stunning, shimmery atmosphere of his apartment.

  “Then how do you feel about a game?” Finn grinned, one hand cupped against her cheek to tilt her back against the wall, and all she could think about was getting filled, getting fucked so that the itch would go away, erase the terrible pounding between her thighs.

  “What kind of game?”

  “You find someone to fuck, and I’ll do the same. The first of us to come, wins.” He laughed when she gawked at him. “And since I’m a gentleman, you can’t choose me, beautiful, because I always make sure you come first.”

  “That’s bullshit. You actually want me to find someone at the party? Someone other than you?”

  His eyes practically glowed, his hands clenching tight at her hips. “I want you to explore. I want you to realize what you’re capable of… to see what you can do when you know someone will accept you no matter what.”

  “You’re saying you’ll still want me? Even if I fuck someone else?” It felt ridiculous to say the words, but, incredibly, Finn’s eyes’ dilated, widened, like it really aroused him.

  “Here? At this party? If you can manage a fuck before me, I’ll be impressed.” That cocky smile was back on his lips and she grinned back, eyes skimming the men who weren’t already busy in the scenes behind him.

  “You’ll have to put me down, Finn.” Aubrey laughed a bit, accepting the challenge as he pressed her to the wall once more, kissing her like he was wishing her luck, or wishing her goodbye, or something like that—but it felt like a wish that bound the two of them together. Despite the insanity blooming between the scattered white columns installed inside his condo.

  “Swear to me you won’t leave once you get the itch scratched.” Finn leaned back, staring into her eyes, and she summoned everything inside her to manage a steady gaze.

  “Worried I’ll run once I don’t need you anymore?”

  “Yes,” he answered, but then he smiled back at her. “Although I think you’d come back to me no matter what.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I don’t want to control you, Aubrey. I just want to see what you’ll do.” With that comment he leaned back, brushing her lips one last time with a kiss that had heat simmering low in her belly, and then his grin turned devious as he let her down to the floor, her heels planting and her dress dropping back to her thighs. “Ready to play?”

  “Absolutely.” She grinned back, her eyes already looking for her best bet amongst those who weren’t already… engaged. “First person to come, right?”

  Finn laughed. “Right. Good luck on that, I’ve got a nice head start.” His hand cupped the hard-on that showed through the front of his toga.

  “Popping off in your sheet doesn’t count, Finn.” Pushing him back from her, she reveled in the challenge, in the knowledge that he was just as devious as she was, just as hungry, and when she stepped past him, he turned to stare out at the crowd with her.

  “Oh, trust me, I’ve got plenty of opportunities.”

  “Then this shouldn’t be such a challenge, should it?” Aubrey smiled as she turned to face him, walking backwards towards the glitter-clad crowd spread across his apartment. “Good luck!”

  Finn shrugged and walked off as she turned away, but it barely took a wink to grab the attention of the dark-haired guy watching a woman ride another man on one of the platforms. As soon as she set off in his direction, his body tensed, focused in on her, his eyes tracing her curves.

  Winner.

  He faced her as she approached, and she appreciated the fit outline of his body under the simple white dress shirt, his brown hair heavily dusted in gold glitter, the laurel wreath somewhat tilted. As soon as she got close enough, she righted it, fitting it into place atop his head, and he grinned down at her. “Well, hello... I’m Trevor. What’s your name, gorgeous?”

  “Aubrey.”

  “Why’d you ditch Prince Finn?” he asked, hazel eyes lif
ting to track the man in question—or so she assumed since she refused to turn and look at the competition.

  “Why are you asking about anyone else when I’m right here?” Aubrey smiled, tracing her fingers across the waistband of his bright white pants, which had received plenty of the gold dust the waitstaff had blasted at the crowd. “Don’t you want to have some fun too?”

  “If you’re offering, then yes, I definitely want to have some fun.” Trevor pulled her against him, a drugging, sweet kiss burning her lips as he practically swept her feet out from under her.

  Not. Shy.

  Even if Finn was wrong about everything else in her life, he was right about the crowd he’d gathered for this little bacchanal beneath his faux roman columns. There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation in Trevor as his hands traveled over her hips to cup her ass, and the building heat between her thighs grew a little more.

  If Finn wanted a challenge, he was about to be in an all-out race.

  Trevor bit her bottom lip, tugging it between his teeth before he groaned. “What do you want, Aubrey?”

  She laughed, leaning back to look into his hazel eyes, the left one holding more gray than the right. Had Finn coached him on what to ask? Did he already know who she was? More importantly… Who the fuck cared?

  This was a game she planned to win.

  “I’m pretty sure I made it clear that I want you, Trevor.” Reaching between them, she stroked the hard outline of his arousal, grinning when his hips twitched at the sudden contact. “But if you’re second guessing the party, I can always find someone—”

  Just as she pretended to turn away from him, he tightened his grip and pulled her flush to his chest. “You want to use me, beautiful? I’m down for that.”

  Aubrey grinned wickedly, reaching up to brush the side of his face, enjoying the absence of any pretty charade. “That’s exactly what I want to do.”