Ruined: A Dark Romance

by B. B. Hamel

  I pressed myself deep inside her, pinning her hands above her head and kissing her lips. She moaned, loving it, so I teased her nipple with my tongue and bit it softly. That made her moan again as I fucked her, sliding in and out of her soaking pussy.

  I released her hands and she grabbed on to the headboard bars. I cradled her head toward me, fucking her in deep, rough thrusts. I could feel the sweat beginning to drip down our bodies as we worked together, her hips rolling against mine as I thrust deep inside her, fucking her deep.

  I kissed her and then bit her lip, fucking her harder. She groaned, tipping her head back. I released her and then took her hair, pulling it slightly and grabbing her hip with my other hand.

  “Fuck, I’m so close,” she gasped. “So fucking close. Please, Trip. Fuck me.”

  “I’m your fucking king now,” I whispered to her. “I’m your fucking king, and you’re going to come for the king.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” she moaned. “Fuck me, Trip. Come inside me. I want to feel it inside me.”

  That set my fucking blood on fire. I fucked her harder, my thrusts getting more insistent. I wanted to fill her pussy with my hot cum, wanted to fuck her deep and fill her up with it. I wanted to put a fucking heir in her belly.

  She began to come, slowly at first, then faster, her body twitching, her back arched. She said my name again and again, and I groaned, unable to hold myself back.

  I came deep inside her. “Yes,” she gasped. “Oh fuck yes. Come inside me.”

  I came heavy, my mind a blank of pleasure as I continued to fuck her, our orgasms rolling through our bodies. My mind was like a pinpoint, laser-focused on her body as I came deep inside her.

  Slowly we finished. I pulled back and laughed.

  “What?” she asked.

  “My shoulder is bleeding again.”

  She looked at me, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll get a medic to stitch me up.” I kissed her softly on the mouth and then checked her thigh. She was just fine.

  I collapsed onto the bed next to her.

  “I love you, Trip,” she said.

  “I love you too,” I answered. “And now that we’re working on an heir, we’re going to have to make this official.”

  She blinked at me. “Are you serious?”

  “I’m very serious. I want to make you mine, and I’m going to.”

  She bit her lip and looked away. “Show me the ring; then we’ll talk.”

  I laughed and kissed her neck. “Okay, my fucking sexy queen.”

  “Queen.” She shook her head. “That’s insane.”

  “You’ll get used to it.”

  I kissed her softly again, and I meant it. One day, she’d be my queen and all of this would feel normal.

  We had a long road ahead of us, but the war was going to end now that I’d decided to commit some serious forces to crushing them. And she was going to need to learn Starklandian.

  Plus, the people weren’t going to like a foreigner as their queen.

  But I wasn’t worried about any of it. The only thing I needed was next to me in this bed. Bryce was going to be my queen, and she was going to give me little princes and princesses.

  The royal line wouldn’t end with me. While I couldn’t say that mattered so much to me, it did matter that Bryce was the one who was continuing it with me. Without her, all of this would seem less important.

  I had what I needed and didn’t even realize it.

  I had Bryce to make me whole again.

  37

  Bryce

  Two Years Later

  “Come on, Leo,” I said in a singsong voice. “We’re going to see daddy.”

  He cooed up at me and I laughed.

  “I know. He’s been busy lately. But it’s not exactly easy setting up elections in a country like Starkland. You’ll see one day.”

  I walked down the castle hallway, and for the thousandth time I got this incredibly surreal feeling. I couldn’t believe that this was my home now, that this baby was my baby, and that these clothes were mine.

  I was dressed in a long gown, fit for a queen.

  Since I was a queen now, of course.

  Queen of Starkland, plus a bunch of other titles that I was pretty sure were made up but sounded pretty good. Mostly I was just Bryce, and the king was just Trip. That was good enough for us. I tried to insist on that to my guards and my assistants, but they refused. Something about tradition.

  At least I was learning Starklandian. I wasn’t fluent yet, but I was pretty good. I could hold conversations and answer questions and such, but as soon as someone started speaking quickly or had a strange accent, I was totally lost.

  But I was working on that, like I was working on a thousand things. Being a foreign queen in a country like Starkland wasn’t easy, and people had been pretty upset when Trip announced the marriage.

  But they got over it when he crushed the rebels. It took him three months, and that was it. With the intelligence gathered from his victory over Corvin, they managed to find out their main supply bases and identify their leadership, and in three short months Trip sent all of his forces to annihilate them.

  He didn’t underestimate them, not like his brother had. And unlike his brother, he won.

  Defeating the rebels made him all that much more popular. In the days following our marriage and my coronation, which was lavish and incredible, the pro-monarchy feeling in Starkland was at an all-time high.

  And so it came as a shock when Trip announced his Freedom Reforms.

  I came to the end of the hall and turned right. I was pretty good at navigating the castle, though nobody knew it quite like Trip did. I finally found his office and opened the door.

  He looked up from his desk. My heart skipped a beat.

  “There they are,” he said, “my two favorite people in the world.”

  I walked over to him and kissed him. “Your Majesty.”

  “Your Highness,” he said back, laughing.

  I handed him Leo. “How’s it going?”

  “Oh fine,” he said. “Who knew that bringing a little democracy to this country was going to be so much work?”

  I shrugged and sat down in the chair next to his desk. “You have to write the rules, dear.”

  “The ministers should do it.”

  “They are. You’re just approving them. And then the elections can happen.”

  “But I don’t lose my job.”

  “No,” I agreed, “but your powers will be severely limited.”

  “Like that damn English queen.”

  “Not that bad,” I said, smiling.

  “Please, don’t let us ever get corgis and wear stupid hats.”

  “I promise.”

  He bounced little Leo in his arms, smiling. We’d wanted to get pregnant right away, but so much was happening in the country that we decided to wait. Plus, I needed to learn how to be a queen before I could learn to be a mother.

  Leo was like a gift from the heavens, though, and he filled my days with so much joy that I couldn’t even begin to explain it. He was everything we needed, and more.

  And when he got overwhelming, Lucy and my father stepped in. They came to live in the castle with us, mostly because I insisted on it, despite Lucy being even more obnoxious than usual. Trip gave in to me eventually, though he did put up a stronger fight than usual. But when it came to Trip, I could reliably get what I wanted.

  He rubbed his eyes, looking tired, and then handed me Leo back. “One year,” he said.

  “One year,” I agreed.

  “Then elections will happen, and Starkland will no longer be a true monarchy.”

  “How do you feel about being the King who brought democracy to his people?”

  “I feel okay about it,” he admitted. “Damn good about it, actually.”

  “Good.” I stood up. “Come find me in the royal chambers tonight.”

  He grinned. “Is Lucy taking Leo?”

&
nbsp; “She is.”

  “Good. I know where to find you.”

  I kissed him again, and then I left. I had a meeting to attend soon, and I needed to get Leo down for his nap.

  This was my life now. I took care of my baby and I helped to run a country that was transitioning to democracy. I couldn’t have felt more proud about that, and I knew I was doing something good and worthwhile with my life.

  Plus, Trip made everything easy. The way he smiled, the way he kissed me, the way he fucked me, it all still felt fresh and new and exciting. There was nothing routine or rote about our relationship.

  We may have been king and queen, but we weren’t stuffy.

  We were just in love. I would give anything for Trip, and I already had. And I knew Trip would sacrifice anything for me.

  We’d build this country into the greatest country possible. We’d do it together, because we were a team.

  I needed him, and he needed me.

  That was all I could ever ask for or need.

  Hard Bastard: A Bad Boy Romance

  Prologue: Sadie

  I could still remember the wind through my hair as I held Gage’s large, muscular hand. He smiled at me as we sped down the abandoned back road toward a small meadow, the top of his old beat-up convertible down and the sun shining.

  He pulled over, the tires crunching over gravel, and we jumped out. I grabbed the bottle of wine I stole from my dad and ran off, smiling, and he called after me.

  “Get back here,” he said, laughing. “I have the corkscrew.”

  “Come get me,” I said, and kept going.

  I heard him behind me, laughing as he chased me. I ran into the forest, past the trees, looking back at him. He easily could have caught me, and we both knew it, but we both loved the chase. Soon, I saw the clearing up ahead.

  “Got you.” I felt him grab my waist and spin me, lifting me into the air. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Asshole, put me down.”

  “Okay, if that’s what you want.” He slowly slid me down to his feet, pressing me against his body.

  I bit my lip, looking at him. Gage was handsome, so damn handsome. Every girl in school wanted him, but most of them were too afraid to even talk to him. He had a bad reputation and everyone knew he was involved with things he shouldn’t be, but I didn’t care.

  He made me feel good, so damn good. He kissed my lips gently, biting my lower lip, and I groaned as he slowly lifted my dress up around my thighs.

  “Gage,” I said. “We can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “We’re in the middle of a clearing. Anyone can see us.”

  He kissed my neck. “Don’t act like you care about that,” he said. “We’re here because you want me to pull those panties down your thighs and lick your pussy until you scream.”

  “No,” I said. “We’re here to drink some wine that I stole.”

  “The stolen wine was an excuse.” I felt his fingers slowly press up along my skin and touch my soaking clit. I gasped and bit down onto his shoulder and he laughed. “I know what you really want, Sadie.”

  “Asshole,” I mumbled, but it was an empty insult. I was too busy panting as his fingers slipped underneath my panties and began to work my swollen slit.

  I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his lips hard, loving the taste of him and the rough scratch of his scruff. I groaned into his mouth as his fingers pressed deep inside of me.

  I let him slowly move me down to my knees and press me into the dry, warm grass. He spread my legs wider, kissing me hard.

  I laced my fingers in his hair, moaning loudly and with abandon. I couldn’t stop myself no matter how hard I tried. The thought of getting caught was driving me forward, making me even wetter. Gage knew exactly what to do with me, how to work me, how to press my buttons. He was intense and incredible, and I’d never experienced something like that before.

  “You want me to fuck you right here, don’t you?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Gage,” I moaned, squirming.

  “That’s right. Beg my name. You know I like that.” I gasped as he pressed his fingers deeper, lips grazing my neck.

  “Don’t be an asshole,” I said.

  “You like it when I’m an asshole. We both know it.”

  “No. I like it when you give me what I want.”

  “I always get you what you need,” he whispered softly, fingers working my pussy, sliding in and out of my soaking wet spot. “And I always leave you begging for more.”

  Just then, my phone started to vibrate. We ignored it as he kissed me, his fingers sliding in and out, our tongues touching as we explored each other. But it began to vibrate again, and again, and again. Finally, he pulled away.

  “You should get that,” he said.

  “Forget about the phone. Throw it into the forest, I don’t care.”

  He laughed. “I’ll still be here. Just get the phone. Might be important.”

  I groaned as he pulled away, annoyed and frustrated. I quickly snatched my phone from my bag and answered it before it could go to voicemail again.

  “Hello?” I said quickly.

  “Sadie.”

  I blinked. It was my dad, and he sounded pissed.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said, looking at Gage. He gave me a look, a cocky grin. Dad hated Gage more than anything in the world, more than I even thought possible. My dad was normally easy-going and incredibly kind, but he couldn’t stand the sight of Gage.

  “I know you’re with that boy,” Dad said. “You need to come home right now.”

  “Mom told me I was allowed out,” I said. “You can’t keep doing this.”

  “It’s not just that, though you know I don’t want you around that boy. I need to talk to you about something important.”

  I could hear the urgency in his voice and it made my blood run cold.

  “Is everything okay with Mom?”

  “You need to come home, sweetie. We need to talk.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll be there soon.”

  He hung up the phone and I slipped mine back into my bag.

  My mom had breast cancer. It was pretty advanced, and she needed to go through round after round of chemo plus surgery. It had been hard on our family lately, but she seemed like she was improving, or at least that was what my parents were telling me.

  If it wasn’t the case, I knew they were just trying to protect me. I hated that they felt like I was some child they had to keep the truth from, but at least I understood.

  Gage gave me a look, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

  “I have to go home. My dad wants to talk to me.”

  He frowned. “Your Mom?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “I can’t be sure.”

  “Okay. Let’s go.” He stood and helped me up. We grabbed our things and quickly walked back to our car. Stress rolled through me, but Gage got us in and going right away. He held my hand as he drove quickly back toward town.

  Gage had a bad reputation. Most of that stemmed from the way he looked, which was what drew me toward him to begin with. He was tall, muscular, and had tattoos all along his arms. He was the only kid at school with a full tattoo sleeve.

  His family was pretty rough, though. There were rumors that his uncles were involved in the mafia. Gage lived with his grandmother because both of his parents died mysteriously in a car accident, which of course is the subject of plenty of other rumors. I asked him once about his family, but he didn’t seem to want to talk much about it. We didn’t go over his house, and mostly drove around in his car and went out on dates.

  Gage wasn’t a bad person. I knew that for a fact. Maybe he had tragedy in his life and his family was a little difficult, but he was a good person at heart. I knew that he wanted to get away from all of the pain and the crime that he was surrounded by, but he just didn’t know how. I wanted to help him, maybe save him. Maybe I could make a difference.

  I wasn’t thinking about that as we drove back to my house, thoug
h. Gage dropped me off out front, kissing me softly on the lips before I got out. “Call me if you need me,” he said.

  I nodded and quickly shut the car door. I walked up the front steps and he pulled away. I watched him go before going inside.

  Dad was sitting in the den watching football on television. I walked in and looked around, frowning. “Dad, what’s wrong?”

  He looked up at me and took a deep breath. He shut off the television. “Sit down, sweetheart.”

  “Please, just tell me what’s happening.”

  “It’s about our family. Please, sit.”

  I sighed and quickly sat in the chair closest to me. He sat up and cleared his throat.

  “I just want you to know that we didn’t plan any of this,” he said. “It just happened, and it happened quickly. I’m sorry that you weren’t consulted on any of it.”

  “Dad. Just tell me what’s happening.”

  “As you know, your mother has been struggling. My boss at work managed to pull some strings, and he’s getting us into an important clinical trial for a drug that could potentially save your mother.”

  I blinked. “That sounds like great news.”

  “It is. She’ll also get a whole new team of great doctors, all recommended to me by my boss.”

  “That’s awesome, Dad. I can’t believe it. But why did I have to rush home for that?”

  He sighed. “We have to move to Seattle.”

  I stared at him. “What?”

  “I’m sorry, honey. We have to go, and we have to go tomorrow. The trial starts soon and your mother can’t be late. I know this is so last second, but it’s her best chance.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I’d never left my small Virginia town before, let alone moved across the country. And we were supposed to be leaving the next day? That was insane.

  “How are we going to move in a day?”

  “Well, we’ll all fly out there. I booked the tickets already. We’ll live in a hotel while we find a new house. I’ll sell this one and have movers bring our things out when the time is right.”