Claimed by the Bastard Prince

by Sue Lyndon

  Oh fuck. That mouth.

  Yes, he was going to put that smart mouth of hers to work later. But first, he had to woo her. He wasn’t worried. No woman he’d chased had ever turned him down, even the few who’d displayed a bit of reluctance in the beginning.

  By the time sunlight broke across the mountains of Ismallia, she would have screamed his name countless times during the throes of passion.

  He guided her toward the servants’ staircase that was hidden behind a large pillar. It was the fastest way down to the garden, and it would afford them more privacy than the main staircase, which was crowded with royals and their guests. If Akeen had to engage in polite small talk with one more relative or member of Parliament, his head was going to explode. He’d attended the wedding and a few hours of the reception to show his support for his half-brother and his new bride, but now he was ready to leave. But not until Cora agreed to accompany him.

  They were quiet on the way down the narrow staircase, and luckily, they only passed a few startled servants. Finally, they reached the garden level and strode out into the warm, fragrant evening air.

  God, his cock ached. The thought of stripping off Cora’s gown and kissing every inch of her body, then holding her down and teasing her with slow thrusts into her sweet little pussy before he commenced fucking her hard, made him half-dizzy with lust. There was something about her that beckoned him. He doubted she was a virgin, but there was still an innocence about her that begged to be defiled.

  Proper. That’s what Cora was. She was a proper young lady. The kind of girl who’d only had missionary style sex with the lights off. The kind of girl who didn’t have one-night stands.

  Before the night was over, he would strip Cora of not only her dress, but her inhibitions as well.

  He placed his hand over hers and led her deeper into the garden, wondering how long she was planning to visit Ismallia.

  With all he had to teach her, two nights, let alone one, wouldn’t be enough.

  Chapter 2

  What the hell was she doing?

  Cora wasn’t certain why she’d decided to accompany Mr. Cocky to the garden. Well, except she was certain, and she didn’t much like her reasons for choosing to hang out with him.

  As difficult as it was to admit, she was seriously thinking about spending the night with this handsome stranger. He hadn’t spoken since he’d brought her to the garden, and she didn’t know a thing about him, but every cell in her body was pleading for her to throw caution to the wind and enjoy herself for once.

  One-night stands didn’t count if you were out of country, right?

  The increasing sound of nighttime bugs carried over the din of the party and the live music within the castle. They were alone in this section of the garden, and her heart fluttered every time she glanced at her companion. She was pretty sure no man had ever looked so sexy in a suit.

  “Are you a guest in the palace?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  “Yes, I’m staying in the west wing.”

  “Ah, that explains why I haven’t seen you around. My quarters are in the east wing.”

  “Your quarters?” She pressed her lips together for a moment. Was he about to tell her that he was indeed an Ismallian prince?

  “Yes, I live here.” He didn’t offer further explanation, and she paused beside a thick flowering vine that was surrounded by lightning bugs. He turned to face her and she shot him an impatient look, urging him to stop beating around the bush. He was obviously an important person in the castle, and he might as well stop with the vagueness and inform her of his title already.

  “Must I really ask the question?”

  “What question?” His expression was a poor feign of innocence.

  Beneath his contrived surprise at her question, he still looked like the same mildly infuriating self-assured man who’d approached her on the balcony. But damn, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering more about him or from picturing what he would look like with his suit stripped off.

  She rolled her eyes and released a dramatic huff. “Are you a prince? You don’t look like a servant, and I can’t imagine another reason you would live in the castle.”

  He leaned down until his eyes were level with hers, his face so close, the heat of his breath wafted across her skin. “If I told you I was a prince, would that increase my chances of…”

  “Probably not,” she said, cutting him off. “However, you are obviously someone of importance in this country. I’d like to know.”

  “Very well. I’m the oldest bastard son of King Brenul. Perhaps you’ve heard of me. The tabloids used to call me the ‘bastard prince,’ but these days I’m usually referred to as ‘Royal Advisor Akeen.’ ”

  Cora’s pulse thundered in her ears. She blinked at him as all the headlines she’d seen on this week’s tabloids at the newsstand came rushing back. Akeen had been wearing sunglasses in all the photos she’d seen, otherwise she would have recognized him. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth.

  “I’ll admit I’ve seen some of the tabloids, but I didn’t actually read any of the articles.” Oh, but she certainly remembered the specific headlines that pertained to her present companion.

  Trusted Royal Advisor Akeen Thwarts Assassination Attempt

  Sex Crazed Royal Advisor Akeen Proposes Marriage—She Says No

  Royal Advisor Akeen Is Most Eligible Bastard Prince

  Waitress Tells All About Passionate Night With Royal Advisor Akeen

  Jealous Prince Masoom Accuses Royal Advisor Akeen Of Mafia Ties

  The corner of Akeen’s mouth curled, and his eyes darkened as he reached for her, tucking an errant curl behind her ear. She shivered at his touch and longed to step closer to inhale his delicious masculine scent. He wasn’t the sort of man to whom she was usually attracted. She was used to dating well-mannered, respectable men who looked like they wanted to get married soon, have 2.1 children, and move to the suburbs and buy a minivan.

  Of course, none of the men she’d dated had ever made her entire body thrum with a desire so heightened she could actually detect the moisture pooling in her sex.

  She pressed her thighs together and tried to ignore her burgeoning arousal, but when Akeen brushed another strand of hair behind her ear, a rush of tension and longing curled in her nether region. A sudden wave of dizzying lust stole her breath, forcing her to inhale with little gasps.

  Embarrassed, she felt her face heat.

  “The king has a lot of bastards, but it seems you’re the most famous of them all,” she said. As soon as she got a moment alone, she planned to Google the fuck out of his name. Except, she wasn’t sure how soon that private moment would come. If her libido got its way, she would be waking up beside this gorgeous bastard prince come morning.

  “I try not to pay attention to the tabloids. Not everything in print is true.”

  “So, you’re not the sex crazed bad boy the sleaze rags make you out to be?”

  “Sex crazed?” He laughed for a second, then his face turned serious, his dark eyes intense as he held her gaze for a lingering moment. “Depends on the woman.”

  She grinned wryly and drew herself up taller, mimicking a confidence she didn’t quite feel. “Yeah, I’m the same way. Uh, of course, I mean, it depends on the man.”

  Smooth, Cora. Real smooth.

  Her poise started to wither, but when his features transformed into a genuine smile, she decided she hadn’t blundered too badly. But the smile didn’t last long; the serious, dark lustful look soon replaced his humor.

  The air around them suddenly felt charged with electricity, as if a violent thunderstorm was about to break overhead. If Cora had been able to tear her gaze from Akeen’s, she would have looked up. But his stare held her so profoundly captive, he might as well have her tied up. Her breath hitched at the image this random thought provided.

  “How long until you return to America?”

  “Five days.”

  “Not good enough. I’m going to want yo
u for longer.”

  The possessiveness in his deep rumbling tone caused her pussy to spasm yet again.

  Before she had time to protest his continued brashness, which she found infuriatingly charming, he cupped her face and leaned down to capture her lips in a soft, sensual kiss that soon turned urgent. A series of deafening blasts made her gasp against his mouth, but when she opened her eyes and pulled back slightly, peering at him in confusion, she saw the colorful explosions reflected in his gaze.

  “Fireworks,” he breathed.

  He clutched her face harder and leaned in to press his lips to hers again, sliding his tongue inside and claiming her with a force that left her as breathless as the crowd on the balcony became from cheering at the fireworks.

  Cora settled her hips against his and reveled in the feel of his growing hardness as he deepened the kiss. Oh yes. More please. He tasted like champagne and the chocolate cheesecake that had been served earlier, and she couldn’t seem to get enough. She’d been parched for too long and now she finally had water. She wanted to drink and drink and drink.

  His masculine growls and mounting passion were rapidly tearing down her defenses. She became putty in his very capable hands, and she knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn’t be sleeping alone tonight.

  One kiss and he suddenly owned her.

  “Wow, this place is impressive,” Cora said, gazing around the entryway of his luxurious quarters.

  In truth, he had one of the smallest sets of rooms available to the royals, but then he was the only bastard of his father’s to live in the castle. Still, he was glad Cora was enthralled by his home. He cared more about her opinion than he ought to, and this sudden realization troubled him.

  The last woman he’d fallen hard for had betrayed him, and though years had passed since then sometimes the wounds resurfaced and he started erecting walls around his heart. He sought women out but hadn’t really gotten to know one in a long fucking time. He took a deep, steadying breath and forced himself not to shut out Cora. Maybe now it was time. Time to take a chance on a lasting relationship. He could easily imagine the little sunflower walking down the aisle toward him, resplendent in an elegant Ismallian wedding gown, her eyes beaming with affection.

  Fuck. When had he turned into such a romantic? Good thing she couldn’t read his mind, because if she knew the path his thoughts had taken, she would probably have already tried to bolt from his room.

  But he’d already entertained thoughts of spending more than one night with her. Before he’d even kissed her, he had known one fuck wouldn’t be enough. Her spirit captivated him. She was a heady mixture of confidence, femininity, and innocence wrapped in the sexiest fucking package he’d ever laid eyes on.

  Yes, Cora was the kind of girl he could definitely envision himself marrying. The pretty young women from Ismallia he’d spent time with—most of them daughters of wealthy businessmen or members of Parliament—didn’t enchant him or challenge him as Cora did.

  Of course, she probably thought him nothing but a spoiled rich playboy. Why the fuck had she come upstairs with him? He grasped her hands and stared down into her eyes, drinking in their bottomless blue depths as he pondered the reason she’d come with him so willingly. Not that he was complaining, but he’d anticipated having to chase her harder.

  “I have to admit,” she said, blushing, “that no one has ever kissed me like that. I hope you don’t think I’m, um, easy, because I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “Fireworks,” he said, waggling his eyebrows as if their kiss had set off the explosives that had marked the end of the wedding reception.

  She grinned, but her face soon grew serious. She straightened and had the look of a sharp businesswoman. “You have condoms, right?”

  He repressed a laugh, not because he thought there was something funny about practicing safe sex, but because she was being so direct and practical about it. All the women he’d been with before had blushed and stammered, most of them not even mentioning protection until he did. But never wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps and impregnate a woman to whom he wasn’t wed, he was always very, very careful.

  “Don’t worry,” he finally replied. “I have plenty of condoms, but if we happen to go through them all, I can send a footman to retrieve more. Anything you desire tonight, Cora, consider it yours.”

  Her expression relaxed and she tugged at the pins holding the top half of her hair in a twist, letting the fullness of her long curls cascade in rivulets of gold over her shoulders.

  Fuck.

  Akeen’s need surged and he had to restrain himself from adjusting his hardening cock in his trousers. Her cheeks were flushed, indicating that however confident she normally was in her day-to-day life, being bedded by a near stranger left her nervous. Once again, he entertained thoughts of pushing her boundaries and defiling her innocence, but only in a way she would enjoy. He wouldn’t take her until she was panting breathlessly and begging to be claimed, wet and aching beyond belief for his cock to pound her to an orgasm.

  She took a deep breath, as if to steel herself to be brave. He admired her all the more.

  “Just to be clear.” She looked him directly in the eyes, once again the pragmatic businesswoman. “This is only for one night.”

  He lifted an eyebrow at her and yanked her closer, until her chest was flush against his. He trailed his hands over her shoulders and smoothed her hair behind her back, reveling in each brush of his fingertips across her smooth flesh. “Why only one night, Cora?” He put his mouth to her ear and noted her involuntary shiver at his increased closeness. “Can you not imagine a future for us?”

  Her breath hitched. “This is-is a one-night stand. I don’t think real long-lasting relationships can start with one-night stands. Besides, I just broke up with my boyfriend. I’m on the rebound and not looking for anything more than, well, what we’re about to do.”

  “By the time I’m finished with you, Cora, you aren’t going to remember that asshole’s name, I promise you that.”

  “So, then you’re in agreement? About this only being for one night?”

  Slowly, he shook his head from side to side and placed one finger beneath her chin, forcing her to hold his gaze. “I will agree to no such thing. You’re being awfully bossy, little girl. Keep it up and I might have to teach you a firm lesson.”

  He cut off her indignant gasp with another hard kiss.

  At first, she fought him, pushing at his chest and making frustrated squeaking noises against his mouth. He tugged on her hair and withdrew to peer into her gaze, delighting in the warring emotions that played across her face. Lust, frustration, and flashes of forced confidence followed by increasing nervousness.

  “Do you remember my name?” he asked, giving her hair another tug.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Of course, I do. Akeen.”

  “Just wanted to double check. Because you’ll be screaming it soon.”

  A smirk lightened her features. “Only if you’re really good.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you have a smart mouth?” He traced his thumb over her bottom lip.

  “Yes, but I always take it as a compliment.”

  With a growl, he scooped her up in his arms.

  Then carried her to his bedroom.

  Chapter 3

  Her heart was pounding. This had to be a dream.

  A delicious, wonderful dream.

  Akeen’s olive tan skin shone in the light that emitted from the fancy electric sconces lining the room. His hair was dark as the night, gleaming black and wavy. Not close-cut like most of the princes she’d seen, his locks were long enough to touch his shoulders.

  Exotic and sexy, powerful and a bit mysterious, he was a far cry from every man she’d ever dated. But oh, how she wanted him. If she regretted this night of passion come morning, so be it.

  He placed her down atop the soft covers and immediately came to straddle her, both of them still fully clothed. After capturing her w
rists and holding them above her head, he leaned down to trail hot, sensual kisses along her collarbone and neck. Sometimes his teeth grazed her flesh. Other times, his tongue. The combination of a pinch of pain, followed by gentler kisses and licks of his tongue, promised an eventual roughness to which she wasn’t accustomed.

  But oh how she welcomed this new experience.

  No one had ever held her down and simply taken.

  She lifted her hips to press against Akeen’s hardness, then turned her head and gave him better access to her throat. Goose bumps rose over her arms, and her scalp prickled as a rush of endorphins coursed through her. Each touch drove her wild and deepened the relentless throbbing between her thighs.

  Outside the huge open window, the fireworks continued detonating in the brilliant starry sky. In between the blasts, the sound of nighttime insects entered with the cool breeze. Cora closed her eyes and soaked in this perfect moment. The longer Akeen kissed her neck, the more her imagination ran wild, with dreamy thoughts of falling head over heels for this handsome bastard prince and spending the rest of her life in the beautiful country of Ismallia, living out a fairytale.

  Stop it. This is just one night.

  She chided herself for thinking this night with Akeen might lead to more. Even if he was seriously into her, it wouldn’t be fair to him if she couldn’t give him her all. And she couldn’t. Not when her heart was so fragile with heartache. The initial heaviness of her despair over the relationship with Greg coming to an abrupt end had finally started to fade, but she wasn’t ready to date again and probably wouldn’t be for quite some time. Her trust had been shattered, and there were days she worried all men were scum. Logically, she realized there were still good guys out there.

  Despite his bad boy persona, was Royal Advisor Akeen, formerly known as the Bastard Prince, actually a decent man?

  But it didn’t matter. He could secretly be a saint and it wouldn’t matter. In five days, she was returning to America, and it would be a long time before she had enough money saved for a return visit to Ismallia.