Loving the Crown

by Violet Paige

  I closed my eyes. I couldn’t take steps backward with my mate. She had no idea what she was doing. She was tempting the beast within me. He couldn’t be reasoned with like a man. He wanted to claim her in this bed.

  “You think I can pull out?” I eyed her.

  “Will you?” She breathed heavily. Her tits hardened. “Please,” she begged. “It feels too good to stop.”

  I shook my head. Part of me still had the ability to reason. If I buried myself inside her now, there was no way I was putting a condom on in five minutes.

  I leaned to kiss her throat and her neck. “You know I want to fuck you like this.”

  She nodded. “I want it so much. And I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. But I want it more. I want you more.”

  I closed my eyes. That was our bond talking. It was already starting to affect her and she had no way to explain it. The guilt settled in my chest along with the pride that had formed from how willing she was to accept what my bear had already given her. Everything inside me was jumbled. Honor mixed with primal hunger. Respect warring with animal want. It was a vicious battle in my heart.

  Her eyes lifted. They sparkled in the morning sun. “Don’t stop, now.” She smiled. “I know you’ll pull out when it’s time.”

  She had more faith in me than I did.

  I pushed inside her, letting her hot velvety walls wrap my cock like it had been coated in a sleeve of lava.

  “Oh fuck.” I knew then her faith had been ill-placed.

  My bear had one mission—prime his mate for cubs.

  I thrust in and out of her. She cried out my name as I grunted, hilting myself inside her.

  “Liam.” She panted. Her eyes closed with my name on her lips.

  I pushed her knees wide, driving myself home. I felt the tight spiral at the base of my spine. It was like a bullseye I had to hit. I pumped in and out.

  “I’m not going to stop,” I told her.

  “Don’t,” she begged. “Oh God, don’t. Fill me. Please,” she moaned.

  Her hands wrapped to my waist. I felt her nails dig into my ass and I lost the last hold on reality. My bear took over as I fucked her, spilling my seed in her womb. It felt fucking incredible. I’d never experienced a moment of pure carnal bliss like I did emptying my release one thrust at a time. My cock twitched and vibrated until every last drop was inside her.

  Gillian shivered and a big smile spread across her face. “Oh that was good. Too good.”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “You are more than I ever expected Gillian Sparks.”

  She bit her lip. “I think I’m ready to apologize.”

  I lowered myself, grazing her tits with my chest. I wasn’t ready to move my dick yet. It liked being inside her way too much to end the moment.

  “Apologize?” I questioned.

  She traced my jawline with her index finger. “I blamed you yesterday for my accident.” She paused. “But it could have been much worse if you weren’t there. I’m starting to think it was one of those happy accidents.” She wrinkled her nose in an adorable way.

  “Happy accident because you landed in my arms and in my bed?” I chuckled.

  “Something like that. But really. I’m sorry if I was a bitch yesterday. I was angry about my arm. Angry that the shoot had to be postponed. And angry that we missed Lance’s perfect sunset scene.”

  Shit. The bear bond was working faster than I anticipated. I was in awe of the transformation.

  “Apology accepted.” I brushed the hair from her shoulder and planted a kiss on her skin. “I’m glad you plowed into me.”

  “Me too.” She sighed. “It was nice meeting you, Prince Liam.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “Nice meeting me?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. This was amazing. But I have to get to work.” She tried to wiggle out from underneath me.

  Shit. I was wrong. The bond wasn’t working in overdrive.

  “I thought we established you couldn’t work today. You’re hurt. You need to rest that arm. I’m going to find the icepack for you.”

  “I am going to work. I have a fight scene today. And if we can get it right, we will re-shoot what we fucked up yesterday.”

  I stared at her. “You heard what Dr. Fines said. You have to stay off your arm. You are absolutely not doing any of your stunts today. No fight scenes. Nothing.”

  She scooted backward on the bed, pulling the sheet to her chest. I was pissed she covered her luscious tits.

  “That’s not your decision. I’m here to work.” She folded her arms in defiance.

  My eyes narrowed. “Not today.”

  “What? Are you going to lock me up in a palace tower somewhere?”

  “I wouldn’t test that theory.” I hopped from the bed. “I’ll do what I have to do.”

  “Liam, I was kidding. Tell me you are too.”

  I exhaled. “I won’t lock you up.” But it wasn’t the worst idea out there if it meant she wouldn’t get hurt. I couldn’t just hand her over to the crew that had let her get hurt in the first place.

  “How do you expect to continue to work with that kind of bruise? You’re going to get hurt again.” I pointed to her arm.

  “There is a makeup team. They can work magic. No one will ever see it. I’m going to be careful with it.”

  I stood in front of her. “I can’t let you do this, Gillian.”

  “It’s not up to you,” she huffed. “We met yesterday. Last night and this morning were amazing, but the longer you keep talking like a caveman, the quicker I’m likely to forget just how fun they were.”

  I closed my eyes. We were both mad as hell. Both stubborn. Both used to getting what we wanted.

  “Then I’m going with you to the set.”

  Her jaw dropped.

  I smirked. “And there’s nothing you can do about that. You’re in my country. My city. And you’re going to have to play by my rules.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gillian

  Every time Lance gave me instructions I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder at Liam. He was off to the side, watching everything I did. It felt overprotective, yet I knew somehow I was safer. No one else on the crew had cared about my well-being as much as he had. That much was obvious. During our argument in the bedroom I didn’t think I could handle his alpha nature, but after a little makeup sex, I changed my mind. He blew me away.

  Sally touched up my mascara. It had started to smudge under my eye.

  “I can’t believe the prince is with you,” she whispered, running the wand over my lashes.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s kind of a crazy story.” I blushed.

  She giggled. “It certainly does add color to your cheeks when he’s around.”

  “I’m trying to play it cool,” I explained. “But not doing a very good job.”

  She shrugged. “If there was ever a time in my boring life that a prince looked at me once, or twice, I wouldn’t play games. I’d go for it with everything I had.”

  “Really? You wouldn’t care about all the royal rules? The protocol?” I paused. Liam was on the phone. “The security? The paparazzi?” I asked keeping my voice soft.

  Her eyebrows rose. “Someone thought about royal life all night.”

  I groaned. “Not like that I didn’t. I swear.”

  “Mmmhmm.” She added lipgloss to my lips. She didn’t believe a word of what I said.

  I scrambled out of the chair, grabbing my arm when I hit it on the side of the makeup chair. “Ouch.” I winced at the reminder of the pain.

  “You ok, honey?” Sally looked at me.

  “Fine. Completely fine,” I lied. I had become a strong negotiator this morning. I approached Liam like I approached a new contract. I wasn’t going to budge until I got ninety percent of what I wanted. I made him agree not to utter a single word about what Dr. Fines said. As far as the crew knew, I had a bump on the arm. It was checked out, and I was cleared to work.

  As long as Liam let me work, I’d let him
stay. He agreed.

  Now that he was here, I had to admit it was distracting. I wanted to watch him. Talk to him. In between takes, I wanted to drag him into the drafty underground catacombs and kiss the hell out of him. What had happened to me? Who was this girl?

  I never let men get this close to me. All it had taken was a splash in the fountain and a roll in the sheets and I was already researching Galona’s royal rules for dating foreigners. I felt like a teenager, not am empowered American star.

  My body still buzzed and hummed from the sex. I couldn’t explain it. I’d never felt this sensation under my skin before. It happened after the morning sex. After the condom-less sex. There was something brewing inside me, and it didn’t make a lick of sense.

  Tom strolled toward me. “So, you brought a visitor to the set?” He rolled his eyes.

  “He’s the prince, Tom. He can do what he wants. He’s a Vampire Heart fan. Why shouldn’t he watch us shoot in his country?”

  Tom popped a piece of gum in his mouth. “Because you know how Lance feels about outsiders. Sets are closed. Do you think I’ve ever considered bringing Leo on set?” he whispered.

  “You can bring Leo.” I shot back.

  He eyed me. “No, I can’t. We both know that. Lance would be horrified.”

  “You aren’t going to lose fans if people know you’re bi. You’re a vampire for God’s sakes. Vampires are very sexual. If anything, you’ll gain fans. I would support you.”

  “Says the straight ass-kicking bombshell.”

  I sighed. He thought it was easy being Gillian Sparks. He didn’t want to think about how I had to fight twice as hard for the same salary. Or how my wardrobe was just one big sex kitten sideshow. How my character kicked ass, but only because she was in love. Tom had his own battles to fight, but he wasn’t ever going to acknowledge mine.

  Until then, we had to fight and make out before I tried to stake him. Fun times.

  “Ready, babe?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Let’s do it. I feel like taking out some vampires today.” I grinned devilishly.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Liam

  I was ready to break royal rules. If I had to run the country while Alaric and Corbin were with their mates, I was going to do it my way. The memostar was in my hands. It was never supposed to leave the palace unless it was under royal escort. Today, I was reading it on the set of an American vampire show while I drank my coffee.

  Wallace would have a stroke on the spot if he found out I had taken it without cracking the seal. I tried to remain out of the way while Gillian worked. We had fought this morning and I didn’t like giving in. I didn’t like fighting with her either.

  Somehow she had managed to convince me to do something else I never did—compromise. She swore it would be good for me. I swore she could make it up to me when we got back to the palace. She didn’t argue, so I considered that a win.

  The coffee was garbage. American watered-down shit in a paper cup. I tossed it in the trash can before I returned to my post to read the morning security updates.

  I needed to get a handle on all the moving pieces in the family. It was important to know not only where my siblings were, but also my cousins and their parents. My mother was at the top of the list. I was surprised to see she was leaving her residence today for a wedding.

  One of the duke’s daughters in the hill country was marrying a knight. I was already bored.

  I skimmed the next few brief notes.

  Then I looked up. My lungs seized and hands curled into fists. What the hell was going on?

  I marched over to Gillian as the director yelled at me.

  “Cut! What is he doing in the shot?”

  Tom’s hands cupped her cheek. His lips had been on hers. Her mouth was still parted. The image was burned onto my retinas. My bear was ready to tear someone’s head off. Rip through Tom’s bones and stack them in a pile.

  “Liam,” Gillian whispered. “What’s wrong?”

  She pushed me backward away from Tom and Lance.

  “Why did he kiss you?” My eyes darted wildly.

  “It’s in the script,” she explained.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “No?” She placed her hands on her hips. “You can’t be serious.” She moved us even farther from the set.

  “I’m dead serious.” I stared at her. She was mine. Only mine.

  “I’m an actress. We were acting. What is wrong with you?”

  I’d dated women. Too many to count. I’d dated a fucking princess. I’d dated a head of state. I liked strong smart women. But I’d never dated my mate. I didn’t know the draw to her would be powerful enough for me to want to commit murder. But that was the kind of rage blurring my senses. It was red and glaring. The need to rip Tom to pieces was real. I’d never felt anything like it. I’d never felt jealousy with anyone before Gillian. I never cared enough, or I fucked them too quickly and got out before feelings were involved. This was a different matter. This was my bear staking a claim on his mate. Watching another man kiss her wasn’t part of the equation. It never would be.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets. I knew the crew was whispering. I could hear them with my long-rang senses. They thought I was an unhinged asshole.

  “I looked up and he was all over you.” My explanation didn’t make any sense to her. No human would understand the overwhelming need to protect at all costs.

  “It was in the script.” Her eyes bore into mine. “You don’t think Tom and I have something, do you? He has a boyfriend, Liam. We are co-stars in this show. This is the storyline. We’re in love. We hate each other. I try to kill him. We fall back in love. It’s a vicious cycle that fans love. Maybe you should watch an episode.”

  I didn’t give a shit if Tom slept with a hundred men. He touched my mate.

  “I can explain better if we’re alone.” I tried to keep the frustration from my voice.

  “I think you should leave.”

  “No. We made an agreement this morning. I’m not leaving.”

  “Then you have to shut up.” She poked a finger into my chest. “No more outbursts and you can’t move from that chair. Not even if you have to pee.”

  “Gillian, you have no idea what’s going on here.”

  “No, I don’t. But I can’t get sucked into it right now. So you either stay in the corner and run the country with that fancy gadget you brought with you, or you leave. I have to finish filming.”

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I want to do this.”

  “Then, I’ll wait until you’re done. We’re going to talk tonight.”

  She nodded. “Yes. We are. For now, I have to get back to work. I’m going to say you thought the kiss wasn’t convincing enough, ok? Otherwise, they are going to think you’re a complete dick.”

  “They already do.” I nodded at the crowd that had gathered around Tom.

  Her shoulders slumped. “I can’t believe this.”

  I wanted to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. I wanted to take her back to the palace and finally claim her fully. I wanted to kiss her and love her. I wanted to drink for her tits. God, I wanted all of her while I was inside her. Fuck. I couldn’t explain any of it.

  Not until she knew the truth.

  “Fine. I’ll run Galona. You slay vampires.”

  I saw a smile creep across her lips. “Fine.”

  I watched her cute ass, hugged in tight leather walk out of view.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gillian

  It was twelve hours before we finished for the day. It was as if Mother Nature knew we needed help. She gave us another spectacular sunset, and Tom and I got the sunset scene exactly the way Lance wanted it.

  I wasn’t sure how Liam did it, but he stayed out of the way the rest of the day. He was either on the phone or scowling at that black electronic tablet every time I looked for him. He seemed to wear a scowl more than a smile.

  When
it was time to leave, I felt a level of awkwardness that had built between us.

  “Hi.” I smiled shyly.

  The prince rose from his seat. He clutched the device. “Done for the day, or are you on another break?” he asked.

  I draped the leather jacket over my injured arm. The costume department had to sew another one this morning before we tried a re-take of the sunset scene. Yesterday’s was ruined from the fountain.

  “I’m done.” I rocked back on my heels. I wondered if the offer to go back to the palace and talk was off the table. I would understand if we both accepted that we didn’t belong in each other’s worlds.

  The stage hands hustled around us, cleaning up the props for the day and storing the sound equipment.

  Liam wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let’s go, love.”

  “Go?” I was surprised.

  “Home,” he answered. “I think we’ve promised each other a conversation that can’t wait any longer.”

  I nodded. This would be it. It had been a wild and romantic twenty-four hours, but I knew deep down this breakup was coming. I couldn’t sustain a relationship overseas, and if I was being honest, I couldn’t see myself with a man who didn’t respect my profession. One of Tom’s kisses shouldn’t have thrown him into overdrive like that. It wasn’t as if I looked forward to those scenes. I didn’t want to kiss Tom any more than he wanted to kiss me. I’d never heard Leo complain.

  “All right. We should talk.” I straightened my shoulders. I was prepared for the worst, and prepared to bring up all the arguments about how his jealousy was way over the top.

  “I believe we have Charles and Romero again tonight.”

  “Do you usually have different security?” I asked as he led me to the car.

  “They rotate often. I know most of the guys, but they filter through the family.”

  “Oh,” I said. I ducked inside the car and Liam closed the door behind me. He walked around to the other side.