“I’m dead serious. Bring Brandon too. I’ll pay for everything.”
“That’s really generous of you, Marina, but why do you need me to come along?”
“Rodrigo wants to meet me in Evergreen. If I travel with friends, people are less likely to suspect me of meeting up with someone. Who vacations alone, right?”
“Right,” he said slowly. “If anyone asks, we can say we’re on a collaborative retreat.”
I snapped my fingers, excited. “Exactly! What do you say? Please? Pretty please?”
Oliver chuckled. “Okay, okay. I’m always up for some beach lounging, but we’ll have to check with Brandon first. He’s been pretty busy with work lately.”
“Trust me, if I ask Chef Bonette to give him time off, he will.”
“Well, alright then. I really can’t complain about an all-expenses-paid vacation.”
“Princess Marina!” shouted my bodyguard from the palace doors.
Oliver and I immediately shut up, looking to Charles as he ran back to me, a glass of water in his hands.
“Here you are, Princess. Are you alright?”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, having completely forgotten. I coughed twice for good measure as I took the glass. “Thank you, Charles. You’re a life saver.”
Evergreen was really a misnomer.
There wasn’t an evergreen tree in sight.
What lay before me instead was an entire island of sandy white beaches, colorful large sun umbrellas, and the occasional palm tree with large coconuts dangling above our heads. It was a nice change from the sprawling forests and mountainous landscape back home. The resort that we were staying at was relatively quiet considering we were in the middle of peak vacation times. It was an exclusive place, and ridiculously expensive, which might have explained the lack of tourists. I couldn’t complain, though. In fact, I was delighted. There was less of a chance of being recognized and spotted this way.
The inside of the resort was the epitome of lavish. It was almost as beautiful as the grand hall back home. Everything was chic and modern, marble statues and golden accent pieces reminding me more of a fancy museum than a beach resort. The warm sunlight pouring in from the front lobby’s massive glass windows reflected off of the white walls and white floors.
I almost went blind.
“This place is amazing!” Oliver cheered, happily dragging Brandon along by the hand. He’d somehow convinced Brandon to dress in matching blue Hawaiian t-shirts.
“Are you sure it’s alright that we’re here?” Brandon asked for the millionth time.
I nodded. “I want you guys here because you two are probably my closest friends.”
“Probably?” questioned Oliver. “I don’t know if I should feel offended.”
I giggled. “You shouldn’t.”
The automatic sliding doors to the front lobby swept open. Charles and his team of three other highly trained, incredibly deadly and strong bodyguards walked in carrying our heavy suitcases and bags. I really wanted to be here without a security detail, but in their presence was inevitable. I argued long and hard with my parents to reduce the number of guards that had to follow me around, noting that keeping a group of twenty burly men around me would only create more problems than solutions.
Chalk it up to my fantastic negotiation skills, because I managed to ween the group of twenty bodyguards down to four.
“Princess Marina,” huffed Charles. He looked overheated in that bulky suit of his. A thick, shiny layer of sweat dampened his brow. “Shall we take these to your rooms?”
“I can take those for you, actually,” said a bellhop, who’d been standing just off to the side.
I breathed a sigh of relief. If Rodrigo was already here, I really didn’t want to explain why his things were already in the room he’d reserved. That was a can of worms I didn’t want to have open.
I put on a cheerful smile and clapped my hands together. “Why don’t we all get settled and meet up for dinner later? I’m sure we’re all tired after that flight.”
“I have to inspect your room first, Princess,” said Charles, as stern as usual.
Oliver happened to catch my eyes. We were on the same wavelength, he and I. “Oh, come on,” he complained on my behalf. “We’re, like, a million miles away, Mr. Bodyguard. There’s no need to keep the Princess from her beauty rest, is there?”
“I’m simply doing my job, Mr. Smith.”
“This was a last-minute thing,” Oliver continued. “The chances that someone managed to book a flight before us, locate the Princess’ room, somehow rig it with hidden cameras or bombs or whatever it is you think you need to look out for is highly unlikely. Just let the poor girl relax, you’re stressing her out. Hell. You’re stressing me out.”
I seriously didn’t think grumpy old Charles would actually give up so easily. In all fairness, he did look exhausted. Even I had to admit I was finding it a little difficult to stay awake, thanks to the shift in time zones. Back home in Brooklandia, it would have been right around midnight. Here in Evergreen, we were a whole twelve hours ahead.
“Very well,” said Charles. I thought I saw him stifle a yawn. “Shall I at least escort you to your room, Princess?”
Before I had a chance to say anything, Oliver hooked his arm in mine. “No need!” he said, grinning wide. “I’ll take care of her, old buddy. Don’t you worry about a thing. She’s safe with us.” He turned to look at Brandon. “Right, babe?”
“Uh, yeah. Right,” he mumbled.
After chatting the front desk receptionist’s ear off, we finally received our key cards. A few of them were bashful when meeting me, blushing and energetically whispering amongst themselves. I was gracious and courteous to them, though I did my best to keep my nerves in check. I was this close to seeing Rodrigo again. I could hardly stand all of this waiting around.
I was given a keycard to the executive suite on the top floor of the hotel, which could only be accessed through an elevator intended for VIP guests. Oliver, Brandon, and the rest of my security crew were all on the floor below me. It was nice to know the chances of running into people was slim. The fewer people who knew that I was here, the better.
Especially if Rodrigo was here too.
I didn’t know why I kept thinking ‘if.’ Somewhere deep down in my heart, I doubted everything to be true. What if he wasn’t actually here? It’d been months since I’d seen him last. What if something happened to his flight, or he couldn’t make it, or–
The elevator door dinged as it slid open. Oliver patted me on the back as I stepped inside.
“Good luck getting to sleep,” he whispered to me.
Brandon looked confused. “Why does she need luck for?”
Oliver winked at him playfully in an attempt to throw him off. “Because we’re going to be too busy keeping the whole floor awake tonight.”
I had to hand it to Oliver. He was one smooth liar. As Brandon’s face turned bright red, I knew I couldn’t laugh. I was too nervous. I had a feeling if Brandon knew the real reason why we were here, he’d flip. He didn’t exactly see Rodrigo in the best of lights. Though, at this point, his opinion hardly mattered to me. All I cared about was seeing Rodrigo again, to hell with whatever everybody else thought. Rodrigo wasn’t the one behind the insurrection. He’d never want to do me any harm. He cared for me.
Maybe he’d even fallen for me.
I willed the butterflies in my stomach to calm down as I pressed the button to the top floor, watching the silver elevator doors slide closed.
As the elevator’s motors whirred, pulling the car higher and higher, I wondered if the air was getting thinner. It was suddenly an impossible task to breathe. The anticipation was enough to kill me. My palms were clammy, and my fingers were cold. The bubbly feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn’t light and exciting, but heavy and overwhelming. Every muscle fiber in my body was taut, shaking. I couldn’t stop shivering, even though it was incredibly hot outside.
I finally arrived a
t my floor. Taking a step into the hall, my footing was incredibly unstable. It was like stepping into putty, every step forward sinking beneath me. I made it to the big, solid door at the end of the hall and brought my key card up to the reader just above the doorknob. I paused, remained as silent as a mouse. Maybe if I was quiet enough, I could hear Rodrigo inside. Leaning forward slightly, I strained to hear.
But there was nothing. No signs of life.
I exhaled slowly through the mouth, more than aware of how much heat was radiating out of the top of my head and the tips of my ears. There was only one way to be certain.
The electric buzz and click of the lock mechanism shifting reached my ears. Gently, I turned the handle and pushed the door open.
The first thing I noticed was the scent of fresh roses. The second thing I noticed was the trail of soft rose petals sprinkled about the executive suite’s floor leading down a narrow hallway toward another room. Curious, I followed the path, my heart beating so hard I could feel my pulse in my eyes.
The executive suite was nice—lavish, just like the lobby downstairs. I didn’t really give myself time to take everything in, however. I was too preoccupied with where this mysterious trickle of red and pink rose petals would lead me.
My suspicions were confirmed when I laid eyes on the king-sized bed in the master bedroom. The sheets were littered with rose petals, the sweet floral scent leaving my head wonderfully dizzy. Sunlight streamed in through the delicate beige curtains, flooding the room with warmth.
Across the room at the writing desk was Rodrigo.
His back was to me, so he hadn’t seen me arrive. There was a stack of papers next to him as he worked away diligently on a laptop. He seemed enthralled in his assignment, whatever it happened to be, so focused that he probably didn’t hear me come in.
I took a moment to admire the shape of his back. Rodrigo’s hair had grown out slightly since I last saw him, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was really here. There wasn’t a chance that I was dreaming up his big, strong shoulders and wide back. I would have pressed my lips to the back of his neck had I not been worried that I’d startle him. All these months I’d been anxious to see him again, to hear from him. And now that I was finally within a few feet, all I wanted to do was savor the moment. Leaning against the door frame, I crossed my arms and smiled as I drank in the sight.
There was something incredibly sexy about Rodrigo at work. He’d never been particularly studios as a child. He’d sometimes sit in on the last few minutes of my private tutoring sessions when I was younger. Every single time without fail, he’d managed to cause some sort of a disturbance. One memorable example was when he started making paper airplanes out of my homework and threw them directly at my tutor, who, at the time, had also been Rodrigo’s mother. We were carefree back then, full of unparalleled energy and joy.
Finally, I’d had enough. I didn’t want to see Rodrigo’s hands working the keys of his laptop. I wanted to see his hands working me.
“And they say romance isn’t dead,” I teased.
Rodrigo shot out of his seat, swinging around in surprise. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Ah, damn. I told the front desk to call me when you arrived. I had a whole thing planned.”
I laughed. Lived. God, it felt so good to hear his voice.
I took a step forward, smiling wider than I ever thought possible. He’d let his beard grow out a little bit, giving his face an entirely different look. Rodrigo looked so mature and dashing, wiser than he had almost half a year ago. I eagerly wanted to run my fingers over his jaw, feel the coarse hairs of his beard against my skin. I wanted to know what his kisses felt like now that he had this whole gruff, yet dignified thing going for him.
Rodrigo also took a step forward, easily reaching to caress my cheek. Our eyes were locked together, his baby blues looking so fantastically bright that they put the gorgeous sea and beaches outside to shame.
“Hi,” he whispered. Rodrigo smiled down at me like I was something precious, too good for the world. Just one look and I was already melting for him all over again. Just one word and he reaffirmed that the months we’d spent apart were worth the longing and anguish.
“Hi,” I whispered back, balancing on the edge of laughing and crying.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“How’s your father doing?”
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “We haven’t seen each other in under half a year, and the first thing you want to do is ask me about my father?”
“Well, yes. I want to make sure he’s alright. I’m sorry for what happened. I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that–”
“Rodrigo?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
I raised myself up onto my tiptoes and crashed my lips against his. Something manic overcame us both, something heated and dangerous and wild. As our lips slid over one another, tongues teased and teeth clicked. It was a little awkward at first, like relearning how to ride a bicycle. But it didn’t take us very long to fall back into the swing of things.
Rodrigo easily slipped his arms around me and lifted me up, chuckling into my mouth as I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He carried me over toward the bed, nearly losing his balance. We ended up against the nearest wall, his body pinning my back against the hard surface.
God, how I wanted him.
I wanted him so badly I couldn’t think, couldn’t string together any thoughts. I just wanted to be lost in his touch, in his taste. Everything and anything I was, I wanted to give to him.
Rodrigo seared kisses into the crook of my neck and sucked at the skin there hard enough to leave a bruise. As I expected, the roughness of his beard against my sensitive skin was absolutely delightful, prickling and scraping me in a way that only left me wanting more. I groaned as he rocked his hips against me, the hardness beneath his jeans undeniable. I squeezed my eyes closed as I panted against him, all thoughts blanking from my mind. My only concern was touching him, dragging my hands over his muscular shoulders, his defined back, all the way down to greedily grab at his shapely backside.
It should have been illegal to look as good as he did.
He braced his hips against me to keep me where I was, freeing up his hands to pull his shirt off and over his head. I licked my lips as I raked my eyes over him. The sudden urge to taste every inch of him ignited an irresistible warmth between my legs. I wanted to nibble at him, wanted to drag my fingers over his tight chest and delicious abs.
Combing my fingers through his hair, I almost growled, “I need you.”
“You have me, Princess.”
“Do you know what the best part about this is?”
He shook his head. “What?”
I grinned. “We don’t have to be quiet here.”
Rodrigo licked his lips. “I love how you think.”
15
Rodrigo
It was a little ridiculous how quickly we shed our clothes.
Was I complaining?
Hell no.
I laid Marina down on the bed, flower petals scattering over the soft sheets. Some of them drifted and landed on her bare stomach and got caught up in her long hair. As much as I wanted to feel her around my throbbing cock, I forced myself to take my time. Marina was a fine wine, a rare bottle of champagne. No self-respecting person would dare treat something so divine so casually.
The softness of her lips was so addictive that I was unable to pull away. As our tongues slid over one another, I massaged her breasts with my hands, teasing her hard nipples with my fingers.
The sounds she made drove me up the wall. She moaned and gasped and whined beneath me, grinding her hips upward against my throbbing cock. Marina’s every touch had me craving more, itching for release that I was doing my best to stave off. I didn’t want to rush things with her. I wanted nothing except to
see her pleased, to hear her calling out my name in pure ecstasy.
I reached between her legs slowly, drawing light, small circles against her with my fingers. Marina’s body trembled beneath me, her cheeks flushing with heat. She groaned into my mouth and lifted her hips up against my palm for more.
“Rodrigo,” she panted. “Rodrigo, please just–” Marina jolted as I started circling her faster, with more pressure. “Please, fuck me. I’ve missed you so much. I want you inside of me.”
Seeing her this worked up awoke something inside me. I couldn’t quite identify what it was. It was a side of me I didn’t know existed, someone naughty and commanding and incredibly confident.
The corners of my lips ticked up into a grin. “You want me?” I asked, voice low and dirty.
“Yes. Yes, please, I–”
“Do you want me to make you feel good?”
Marina swallowed a gulp of air and could only manage a nod.
I hummed, amused. “Say it,” I ordered.
“I… I want you to make me feel good. Rodrigo, please.”
Her hips bucked, so I eased my touch. “But I really like teasing you.”
Marina’s brows were knotted together, desperation written all over her face. “I swear to God, if you don’t–”
I stopped touching her completely, pulling away so that my lips hovered over hers. Her writhing body was a splendor to behold. Marina’s soft, pale skin contrasted nicely against the bed of rose petals. Her hair smelled wonderful, as always, and it reminded me of home. That was when I realized that it was impossible to feel homesick when Marina was with me. I didn’t miss Brooklandia. I missed her.
She was home.
She was safety, comfort. She was my elation, my passion, and my bliss wrapped up in a single person.
Marina was everything.
“What is it?” she whispered, barely audible.
I looked into her eyes and gave her a soft, small smile. “You’re so beautiful.”
With surprising swiftness, Marina grabbed me by the shoulders and hooked her leg over my hip, using the momentum to roll me onto my back. She shifted her weight back, lowering herself to peck a trail of kisses against my chest, my stomach, and finally to the base of my cock. She wrapped her hands around me, stroked my length with tender loving care. It was when she wrapped her lips around me that I lost my mind.
Royally Loved: The Royal Romances Books 1-5 Page 80