Royal Mistake #3

by Renna Peak

  Andrew steps inside, holding his hand out to me from the entryway. “We’ll need to leave it dark if we’re to stay. Should one of the groundskeepers see the lights on—”

  “But how do you know they won’t see us anyway?” I cringe a bit at the thought. “This is a terrible idea, Andrew.”

  “If you have a better one, I’m willing to hear it.”

  I frown. If I had a better idea, we wouldn’t be standing here. I rub at my forehead. “Fine. But we need to figure out a way to keep our hands off each other. I’m guessing you didn’t bring a bunch of condoms with you, so—”

  “Damn it.” He almost growls the words. He grimaces and shakes his head. “Though, you were perfectly clear in the gymnasium that we would not be having those sorts of relations, Victoria. But if you’ve now changed your mind…”

  “I haven’t. And…that’s a good thing. You can keep that in the back of your mind if you get any ideas.” And what the hell am I supposed to do about my ideas?

  He stands in the doorway looking at me with an expression I can’t read. We stare at each other for a long moment before he holds his hand out to me again. “Are you going to come in?”

  I stare at him a moment longer before I take his hand without another word.

  He leads me to the back of the small home, into the master bedroom. It’s dark—the only light in the room comes through the sheer curtains from outside.

  I pull my hand away. “You said the gardener lived here with his children, right? Maybe I should sleep in one of the kids’ beds. Then—”

  “And what would the point of that be, Victoria? We may as well be trying to sleep alone in our bedrooms inside the palace.” He pauses. “I told you I would respect your wishes. Have I ever given you reason to doubt my word?”

  “No.”

  “Then why are you doubting me now?”

  I wish I had an answer for him. It has something to do with what happened earlier tonight—how we’d almost done what we both knew would be a mistake—but I can’t seem to come up with the words to explain it to him.

  “Come lie down with me.” He extends one hand while he motions to the bed with the other.

  “For sleeping only.” I’m not sure why I have to keep saying the words, though I think it’s mostly to remind myself.

  I can barely see his smile in the dim lighting. “As you’ve previously stated.”

  We climb into the bed and he pulls me into his arms, exactly how he held me earlier today and how he’s held me every time we’ve been together.

  I close my eyes and wait for sleep to come, but it doesn’t. I can hear by Andrew’s breathing that he’s still awake, too.

  “What is it?” I finally ask.

  He brushes away a few strands of hair from my neck and adjusts his hold on me. “What is what?”

  “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

  “I might ask you the same thing.” His head nestles into my hair so that his lips are near my ear. “What is it that’s bothering you, Victoria?”

  How am I supposed to answer that? I’m quiet for a moment before I decide that the truth is probably best. “Did you like her?”

  “Like who?”

  I roll my eyes, glad he’s positioned behind me so he can’t see. “Lady Clarissa.”

  “Ah.” He pauses for a moment. “She’s quite cultured. She seems to be well-informed on current affairs as well.”

  I chuckle. “That isn’t what I meant.” I turn slightly, trying to catch his gaze. “You know that isn’t what I meant.”

  He brushes away another stray strand of hair from my neck and rests his chin on my shoulder. “I know that isn’t what you meant.” He’s silent for a moment. “But tell me, Victoria, are you asking as a reporter?”

  My stomach turns a little cartwheel as I realize I’m being a little too obvious. “Of course I am. Why else would I be asking?”

  “You might ask for many reasons and I wouldn’t presume to know what they were. You might be asking as a reporter, in which case I must temper my words. Or you might be asking for different reasons entirely.”

  “And what reasons might those be, Your Highness?”

  He chuckles. “Perhaps you are moved by your curiosity. Perhaps you know something about Lady Clarissa and are merely attempting to determine if it would be worthwhile for you to share that information with me.”

  “I’ve never seen or heard of her before in my life. And I’ve been around a lot of royals.”

  His grip around me tightens slightly, almost like he’s having some sort of reaction to what I’ve said. “Forgive me, but I’m not entirely certain if that is a bad or a good thing.”

  I shrug. “It’s neither. It’s just an…observation.”

  “Ah. From a concerned member of the press.”

  I turn more fully toward him. “From a friend.”

  He helps me to turn to completely face him. “Is that what you are now, Victoria? My friend?”

  I nod. “If you want me to be.”

  He purses his lips and nods for a moment, his eyes glinting even in the dim lighting. “I’m not sure that I need any more friends.”

  “We can all use more friends.”

  He slides his hand down my arm and takes my hand in his, lifting it to his lips. “Are friends allowed to do this?”

  I close my eyes for a moment at his touch as he gives each of my fingers an individual kiss. “I suppose they might. I’m not really well-versed in the friendship rituals of Montovia.”

  “We have no such rituals that I’m aware of. But as the crown prince, I suppose I might have some leeway in creating these inaugural friendship rites.”

  I smile. “It must be nice to have so much power.”

  “Indeed, it is.” He kisses the back of my hand again before setting it down on his shoulder. “Tell me, Victoria, might a friend do this?” He traces his finger along the hairline on my forehead and down to my cheek, before he caresses the length of my neck to the opening of my top.

  Goosebumps rise on my skin and I try to suppress my shudder. “No. A friend definitely would not do that.”

  “Pity.” His hand lingers at my neckline, but he doesn’t allow his finger to trace any further down. He’s silent for a moment before he brushes his lips across mine. “Might a friend do that?”

  My voice is shaking in time with the rapid beating of my heart. “Possibly.”

  “Finally some common ground. It is important that friends find common ground, wouldn’t you agree, Victoria?”

  “Y-yes.” He’s pulling me under his spell again… I have to close my eyes to try to regain some semblance of control.

  “Yes.” His finger finds the strap of my camisole and he slides it over my shoulder. “A friend might do this.”

  “Mm.” I can’t seem to find words—or open my eyes, for that matter.

  “And if a friend were more comfortable sleeping in nothing but her skin, it wouldn’t be inappropriate for her to do so. Not if it would help her to sleep.”

  My mouth opens, but I can’t say anything. My breaths are so shallow, so ragged, I’m not sure I could say anything even if I could find the air to make a sound.

  His hand slides under my shirt, pulling it up. I lift my head the slightest bit and he has it off of me before I can open my eyes. And when I am finally able to open them, he’s staring down at my breasts, his mouth slightly open.

  My hand drifts from his shoulder to the buttons on the front of his shirt, and I flick them open one by one. I’m only on the third before he sits himself up slightly and pulls his dress shirt and undershirt off in a single motion before tossing them to the floor.

  He pulls me close to him so that our bare chests press together, and he rests his head on top of mine. He runs a hand down my spine. “I believe friends could lie like this.” His breaths are ragged, too, and his voice has dropped to almost a growl.

  I close my eyes again and breathe in his scent. As long as we stop here. As long as this doesn’t go a bit furt
her… But I know it will. And I know I don’t want him to stop.

  He slides his other hand down my back, slipping both under the waistband of my pants. “This is probably farther than a friend should go.”

  “Yes.” It comes out as only a whisper, and I’m doing everything I can to not pull the rest of my clothes off and grind myself against him.

  “Yes. Tell me to stop and I will, Victoria.”

  I tilt my head up and look into his eyes.

  “Tell me to stop.”

  I give my head a slight shake. “Don’t stop.”

  His eyes fall closed for a second as he pushes my pants down.

  I wriggle out of them and kick them away. “Don’t stop, Andrew.”

  His mouth crashes against mine before I have a chance to take another breath. My nails dig into his chest when his hand finds one of my breasts, the other sliding down to cup my ass. He pulls me tightly against him—I can feel through his pants there’s no doubt he wants me, too.

  After another moment, he fists his hand into my hair, pulling my head back so that I look into his eyes. His other hand slides around to my front, grazing over my slick folds.

  I close my eyes as his fingers glide over me, and finally inside of me, first one finger, then two. His thumb dances over my clit and he must sense how close I am already—he pulls my head back, making me open my eyes.

  “I want to look in your eyes while you come, Victoria.”

  My mouth falls open, but I hear nothing but my own low moan as his hand brings me closer and closer to the edge. I squeeze my eyes shut as I near the brink, but feel a tug on my hair again.

  “Look at me, Victoria.”

  I open my eyes again, gazing into his—they’re darker than I’ve ever seen them, and I know it has nothing to do with the poor lighting. It’s only a moment later that I shatter, bucking into him as the world explodes around me.

  My eyes finally fall closed and I bury my head against his chest as the world slows again and I attempt to catch my breath.

  A moment later, I reach for his belt, but he pushes my hand gently away. He releases the grip he’s had on the back of my neck and slides his hand down my spine.

  He places a chaste kiss on my lips and sits up. “I’ll be back in a few moments.”

  My brow furrows and I cross my arms over my chest, almost ashamed at what just happened. I try to cover the trembling I can already feel in my chin—I’m lying here naked and he’s still half-clothed.

  I scramble to get under the covers. “What did I do?” My voice is trembling. But I already know what I did—I just got myself off on his hand. And looked him in the eyes while I did it.

  He thinks I’m a slut. He thinks I’m a dirty, filthy—

  “Victoria…” He shakes his head before he tilts it toward the bathroom. “I can attend to my own needs, however, I’d prefer to do it in private. I mean you no disrespect—”

  “You…” Oh God. I get it now.

  He nods. “I’ll be back in a few moments. Please, I…I didn’t mean for it to be this uncomfortable between us.”

  I shake my head. “Come back to bed, Andrew.”

  His brow furrows. “As much as I would like that, Victoria, as I’ve already told you, I brought no condoms with me.”

  I nod. “I know. And I appreciate that you weren’t presumptuous about it. But if your concern is getting me pregnant, you don’t have to worry about that.”

  He looks at me for a moment, the lines between his brows deepening. “I…don’t?”

  I shake my head. “You don’t.”

  A slow smile spreads across his face and he comes back to the bed. He pulls me into his arms again before he dips his head and whispers in my ear. “Remind me to thank someone for the miracle of the birth control pill.”

  And then his lips crash against mine again.

  Andrew

  She tastes even sweeter when she’s aroused. I push her down beneath me on the bed, my tongue slipping between her lips as she undoes my belt.

  Within moments, I’m as naked as she is. There’s nothing between us any longer.

  This is the first time we’ve been completely skin to skin. The first time I’ve truly felt her entire body against mine. She soft everywhere—soft and warm and perfect. She trembles slightly under my touch, and I’m sure she can feel the quiver of restraint in my muscles as her hands slide up my back.

  My entire body aches for her. It’s a pain I’ve never experienced before—I’ve felt desire, certainly, but this is something deeper than that, something all the way down in my bones. My body belongs with hers—in hers, around hers, everywhere—and every moment we’re apart is like denying ourselves something essential. It’s like the physical pain you feel in your lungs when you’ve held yourself too long underwater.

  I pull my face away from her, looking down at her in the dim light. Her hair is spread out against the pillow beneath her head. Her lips are swollen from my kisses. And her eyes are bright and dark at the same time.

  Slowly, without breaking her gaze, I push her legs apart. The skin of her thighs feels like silk beneath my fingers, just like the rest of her. I want to kiss my way down her body, to touch my lips to every petal-soft bit of her, but there will be time for that later. Right now, I can’t deny myself—or her—any longer.

  Her fingers are digging into my back, pulling me down to her again. I obey, bending over her, lowering my weight once more as my mouth finds hers. Her body is ready for mine, hot and slick against my cock, and I position myself against her.

  “You’re beautiful,” I murmur against her mouth. “God, Victoria, you have no idea what you’ve done to me.”

  I don’t give her a chance to respond. I thrust into her, drawing a cry from her lips.

  I freeze, afraid I’ve hurt her. Afraid I’ve let the desire build up too much, that I won’t be able to have her without hurting her now that I’m finally relinquishing control. Even now, my mind is cloudy with the sheer pleasure of being inside of her, of feeling her tight heat around my cock. It’s taking so much effort to hold myself still that I’m visibly shaking.

  But then Victoria pulls my face down to hers. Her legs wrap around me, and her hips rise, urging me onward.

  There is nothing left to hold me back.

  The haze of need overtakes me. I withdraw and bury myself in her again, reveling in the feeling of her around me, and what little control I have over my body falls away. She’s all around me—her taste on my lips, her scent in my nose, her body everywhere—and I want to drown in it, to lose myself completely in this woman.

  Her nails dig into my back. A groan rumbles from somewhere deep in my chest, and my movements become even more eager, more desperate.

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to be restrained, to maintain complete control over myself and my desires. But something about Victoria makes me come completely undone. Makes me forget everything else but her.

  She’s getting close again. I can tell by the way her body tenses beneath mine—funny, how quickly and easily I became attuned to her body. How I suddenly seem to sense every quiver, every smallest movement of her beneath me. I think I’m more aware of her than I am of myself.

  I prop myself up slightly then reach between us, down to where her legs meet. She gasps when my fingers find the sensitive nub there.

  “Andrew…” It’s more of a moan than a word, and the sound of my name on her lips nearly drives me over the edge.

  “Look at me,” I tell her.

  This time, I don’t have to ask her twice. Her eyes open, and they’re glazed with pleasure as they look up at me.

  Her body arches and writhes beneath mine. Her hands tighten on me, and she whimpers as my finger rubs across her clit again.

  “Let go,” I urge her, my voice hoarse. Let go, so that I might let go.

  She arches again, and this time, I feel her body begin to contract around my cock. She cries out, but I hardly have time to enjoy the sound before my own needs ta
ke over. The tightening of her muscles around me brings me quickly to my own end, and I slam my hips forward, burying myself in her as deep as I can go, filling her completely with my release.

  All the strength seems to seep out of my arms and legs. I lower myself carefully on top of her again, unwilling to move away but unable to hold myself above her any longer. I’m still inside her, still half hard even though I just spent myself completely. My face is buried in her hair, my lips close to her ear.

  “My God, Victoria,” I murmur.

  Her arms are around me. Beneath me, I can feel the rise and fall of her chest and the rapid thrumming of her heart.

  “I know we need each other to sleep,” I continue, “but I’m not sure I can ever just sleep with you again.”

  She lets out a breathy laugh. “I’m not sure I can, either.”

  “Good. Because I have no intention of letting you get any sleep tonight.” I press my lips against the side of her throat.

  Her hands spread against my back. “I don’t want to sleep.”

  We don’t say anything for a long moment, just hold each other and try to catch our breaths.

  “Andrew?” she says after a moment. Her voice is so soft that for a moment I think I’ve imagined it.

  “Hm?” I prop myself up slightly.

  She’s not looking at me. Her face is turned away, her gaze on the wall.

  “Victoria?” I prompt, my stomach tightening. “What is it?”

  “Nothing,” she says, a little too quickly.

  “It must be something.”

  She shakes her head. “It’s stupid.”

  “Nothing you might say could be stupid.”

  When she still doesn’t tell me, I dip my head and brush my nose against her ear.

  “Tell me, Victoria,” I murmur. “Whatever it is. I want to know your thoughts.”

  “I…” She clears her throat then starts again. “I was just thinking that…since we’re such good friends…” Her fingers tighten and then release on my back. “I just want to ask you, as a friend…if anything should ever happen between you and Lady Clarissa, or with any of the other women…tell me first. Please. Just so I know…”