by B. B. Hamel
I leaned up against the doorway. “Take your time.”
“Trip,” she said, “out.”
I grinned. “I’m the king. I give the commands.”
“Trip.” She stood up.
I laughed and held up my hands. “Okay. I’ll be right out there. But if you take too long, I’m coming in and getting you.”
“I won’t be long.”
I stepped out and shut the door. I leaned up against the wall, smiling to myself.
Not five minutes later, she stepped out the door. Her hair was braided down over one shoulder, and she was wearing a navy blue dress with tall hiking boots.
“You look good,” I said, “but I wish you’d taken longer. I was itching to kick down that door.”
“Come on,” she said. “We’ll find some other doors for you to kick down.”
I grinned and led the way. I headed back down the hall, down the main staircase, and out the back door.
“I love this place,” I said to her as we headed down the back path between the stables.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I bet it’s nicer without all the men holding guns.”
“I don’t know. I like the guns.”
“I bet you do. They make me nervous.”
“They should have the opposite effect.”
Al and his team were trailing us from a distance. She didn’t mention it, but I knew she could tell we were being watched.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I haven’t decided.”
“Did you spend a lot of time here when you were a kid?”
“I did, actually,” I said. “My father was busy in the summer, so my mother would bring me and my brother here.”
“That’s lucky. The only place we ever went in the summer was to the Jersey Shore.”
I cocked my head. “Where’s that?”
“New Jersey. It’s a state.”
“Oh, that’s right. They say it’s the armpit of America. Is that right?”
She laughed loudly at that, and I grinned. I’d heard that in some movie once, though I couldn’t place where. I was glad it delighted her.
“Some people say that, sure,” she said. “It’s not that bad.”
“Well, this place isn’t bad at all. I used to chase the horses when I was barely old enough to walk. In retrospect, that seems crazy.”
“Horses could crush a little kid,” she said, smiling.
“Definitely could. But little princes were not to be coddled, at least not in Starkland.”
“Must have been so hard, you poor guy.”
“Being royalty is tough.”
She laughed as we made our way from the stables down toward the woods and the stream. I glanced back at Al and gestured for them to back off. He frowned but obeyed, moving farther back. Bryce pretended like she didn’t see.
“Up ahead is a little river,” I said. “I call it the bendy.”
“Bendy? Why?”
“It has a bend,” I said, grinning.
She laughed again. “Creative.”
“I was very young when I named it.”
“What’s the real name?”
“Oh, who knows? Some historical figure or some obscure lord or some shit like that. Starkland has a million of those.”
She smiled, and the light streamed through her hair. I felt something inside me, very briefly, something I thought I had lost.
“Listen,” she started, “about yesterday.”
“That was my mistake,” I said quickly. “That was my pride talking.”
“I was going to apologize,” she said softly.
“You don’t need to,” I answered. “You really don’t. You want your parents here? Fine; they’ll be here by dinnertime. I’ll have it done.”
“Thank you, Trip,” she said.
“Come on, let’s forget that.” We crested the little hill and began to head down toward the trees and the stream.
Bryce laughed when the stream was in sight. “Hardly a river,” she said. “Where’s the bend?”
“Farther that way,” I said, pointing upstream. “First, let me take care of this parents thing. Then I want to show you something else.”
I gestured and Al came trotting up. I told him in Starklandian to get Bryce’s parents and to make sure they arrived at the estate by dinner. He bowed and said it would be done.
Bryce shook her head. “Trying to hide something?” she asked.
I grinned. “My English isn’t so good.”
“Liar. What’d you say?”
“Just had him get your parents. Like I said, they’ll be here by dinner.”
She smiled at me and shook her head.
“Come on,” I said, and started walking.
We headed downstream for a few minutes, talking idly about nothing. I hadn’t completely forgotten our stupid fight, but I felt better. I’d taken responsibility and hadn’t let her try to apologize. We both knew that would be bullshit. She wasn’t in the wrong, and I wasn’t about to force her to say something she didn’t mean.
I was going to get her parents. I may have been a bad boy and an asshole, but I did what I said I would do.
Ahead, there was a small grouping of trees. It looked almost fake and came out of nowhere, appearing at the base of another rise with the stream passing right through it.
“Just ahead,” I said.
“What is that?”
“That’s something special. Come on.”
We headed over toward the trees. They were densely packed and thin with white, flakey bark. The branches were mainly at the top, so the small grouping of trees looked almost like a bunch of birthday candles sticking up from the ground.
“Aspen trees,” I said. “Very, very old Aspen trees. They’re not supposed to grow here, but they do.”
“Wow,” she said. “It’s really beautiful.” We stepped into the small forest, but the underbrush was loose and spread out. It was easy to hike through it as we made our way toward the stream.
“They were planted for religious reasons,” I said, “but nobody really knows what or why anymore. These were planted way before Starkland was a thing, probably before kings were even a thing.”
It was quiet and gorgeous. I could remember sneaking down here so many times as a child, though in retrospect I hadn’t been sneaking at all. I’d probably had ten guards posted all around me, keeping out of sight so I could feel independent. For all the shit, I’d had a decent enough childhood.
I pointed up ahead. Bryce followed my gaze and laughed at what she saw.
Attached to one of the trees was a crude rope swing.
“The royal swing?” she asked.
“You got it,” I said.
“And is that ancient?”
“If you think twenty years is ancient, then yeah, sure.”
She laughed and then followed me as I walked up to the swing. I gave it a little push, but it looked old and liable to fall at any moment. I wasn’t going to risk her gorgeous ass on it.
“I’d suggest you get on there, but I don’t want to see you break your tailbone,” I said.
“You can get on, though. I wouldn’t mind.”
I smirked at her. “Still angry?”
“No,” she said. “You’re just still an asshole.”
I laughed and idly pushed the swing. “I used to come here with my brother all the time. We weren’t the closest brothers. I lived in his shadow much of the time. He was the eldest, so he got all of the important responsibilities.”
“That must have been hard.”
“Not really,” I said, grinning. “It’s better not to have responsibility. It meant I got to do as I pleased.”
She nodded, looking around. “I read about that. You pleased a lot of people.”
I barked a short laugh, grinning at her. I liked that she’d done some research on me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was so good at pretending like she didn’t give a shit. It was nic
e to get a glimpse past that for a second. “I did. I sowed my royal seed,” I said.
“Gross.” She laughed and shook her head.
“You didn’t seem to mind the other night.”
“I was out of my mind.”
“Out of it with what?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“I know,” I said, stepping toward her. “You were out of your mind thinking about what I’d do to you. And now that you know, I’m guessing you can’t stop thinking about it.”
My heart was beating hard in my chest. I kept thinking of that night, too. I kept thinking about her lips around my cock, her soaking pussy against my fingers, her moans and the way she came, so damn hard. I loved her taste and the way she said my name, and most of all, I loved the way she called me her king.
I knew I’d get her saying it as soon as I got inside her panties. All she had to do was give in to what she wanted.
I smirked at her, stepping closer. My heart started to beat harder in my chest.
“Where is your security detail?” she asked me.
I gestured. “Nearby, but I can get rid of them.”
“No,” she said quickly. “That’s okay. I was just asking.”
“Why? Are you afraid?”
“Would you blame me?”
“I suppose not,” I said, closing the gap between us. My lips were inches away from her cheek, and she didn’t move an inch. “I’d be afraid if I were you, but I’d also remember who saved me.”
“You did,” she said simply.
“Yes, I did.”
“But to be fair, you were also the reason I was in danger at all.”
“Yes. That’s also true.” I shrugged, taking her chin in my hands. I wanted to have her right there in the forest. I wanted all the old gods to watch. “That’s the danger of being with a man like me, Bryce, but I promise you’ll never be truly harmed, not if I can help it.”
“Maybe I don’t want a man like you,” she said, but I knew she was lying.
“If that’s true, then I’ll let you go,” I murmured. “But we both know it isn’t.”
So I kissed her. I couldn’t waste another second, couldn’t stand it another moment. I kissed her hard, my lips pressing roughly against hers. We embraced like that, our arms wrapped around each other. I loved her taste and the way she kissed me back, starving and intense.
As my hands twisted into her hair, I heard something. We broke off slowly and I realized that it was Al speaking Starklandian.
I gently released her. “Your Highness, the parents are on their way. However, there has been an emergency.”
I grunted. “Another?” We spoke in Starklandian.
“Yes, sir. It’s important.”
“Very well. It never ends, does it?”
“No, sir. We’ll take you back.”
“Good.” He melted away, giving us some space.
“Sorry,” I said, turning to Bryce and switching back to English. “There was another emergency.”
“Bad?” she asked.
“Honestly, probably not. There seems to be an emergency every few minutes these days.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I kissed her softly on the lips again. I needed just one more taste. “We need to go, though.”
“Okay.”
She followed me back out of the copse of trees. I didn’t want to leave them. There was a special feeling in there, like I was surrounded by history, by the history of my family and of my people. More importantly, I wanted to press Bryce up against one of those ancient, magic trees and fuck her rough and deep until she screamed my name and came hard as fuck. I wanted her dripping wet and begging by the time I was finished with her perfect, tight little pussy.
She was the first woman I’d ever brought to that spot. Very few people went there outside my family. For some reason, that felt right. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
23
Bryce
I kept thinking about that kiss in the forest as I waited for my father and Lucy to arrive. Less than a day had passed, and they were already heading down to the estate in a guarded caravan.
History and power and sex and politics. That was what I got myself wrapped up in when I got involved with Trip. His family was ancient, as was his world. I was just an American girl, a regular person, and yet somehow I was thrust deep into it all.
In the back of my mind, I knew he still wanted to marry me and get me pregnant. I was still freaked out by that, but I was just going with this thing. Maybe he wanted to put the royal baby in me, but I wasn’t ready to jump into that role. I wasn’t going to be queen.
It had felt incredible to be walking toward the river like that with Trip opening up. And then, to make that moment even more right, he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him as he pulled me against his body, his lips warm against mine, his tongue soft in my mouth. I couldn’t stop myself, even if it was so dangerous to get involved with the king. I should have backed off and left the country. I should have gone back to safety.
But I couldn’t. Standing in that ancient, magical forest, I couldn’t help but kiss the bad boy king. Trip was too much and everything I wanted. More than that, he made me feel things I thought I’d forgotten. I’d never thought I had that inside me, much less with the intensity that he made me feel it. But there I was, kissing the king in some beautiful and surreal forest, and it had felt right. It had felt so damn right.
Most of the day passed as I waited. Trip had promised to have my parents back by dinnertime, and I believed him. I smiled to myself as I picture Lucy getting shoved into a car without any time to get herself ready. She was probably fuming. The thought made everything so worth it.
Around seven that night, the cars finally arrived.
They pulled into the front drive like a long snake. I had no clue which car my parents were in, but I stood there in the doorway, eagerly waiting for them. Trip wasn’t around, but that wasn’t surprising.
Finally, my father and Lucy climbed out of the fifth car in the row of seven. He waved, and, to my absolute delight, Lucy looked very annoyed.
“Hey, sweetie,” Dad said. “That was one hell of a ride.”
I laughed. “Right? Starkland is pretty.”
“Beautiful,” Lucy said, sarcastic. “Did you know that they didn’t even give me a chance to do my hair? Barbarians.”
I smiled sweetly at her. “Good to see you too, Lucy. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah, honey, I’m glad you’re fine. I just can’t believe they rushed me out like that. And then shoved us into a car for hours!”
Dad looked at me apologetically, and I just smiled at him. “I’m glad you guys are here,” I said. “What kind of family vacation would it be without my family?”
“That’s a great point,” he said. “Though vacations are usually more fun when there aren’t assassination attempts involved.”
I heard a noise behind me and half turned. Trip walked over, smiling. He was wearing his usual kingly uniform of a black jacket, a white shirt, and no tie. Everything was perfectly tailored and manicured, though I could see the stress and the exhaustion in the corners of his eyes.
“Welcome,” he said to Dad and Lucy. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry about the way things have worked out.”
“It’s okay, Your Highness,” Lucy said, her mood changing instantly. I couldn’t help but repress a smile at the way Trip perked her mood up. Nothing like royalty to put Lucy in a better mindset. “We’re just so happy that you’re extending us this kindness in such a troubled time. Please, let me say how sorry we are for everything.”
“No need,” Trip said. He turned to my father. “How was the trip?”
“Fine,” Dad said. “Thanks again for this, Your Highness.”
“Please, call me Trip.”
“Okay, Trip. So long as you call me Robert.”
Trip laughed and gestured for us to follow him. “Of course, Robert. Are you three
hungry?”
“Starving,” I said.
“Good,” Trip answered. “We’ll go get something. My chef made a special little dinner for the four of us.”
Lucy could hardly contain her excitement as we strolled through the halls. Trip led the way with me just behind him. My father gave me a look that I ignored. He had clearly noticed something, though I really wished he hadn’t. It was pretty awkward when your father knew you were involved with a king.
We wound up walking into a small dining room in the back corner of the main building. The table was already set for the four of us, and we took our seats. Trip sat next to me, with Lucy and Dad on the other side.
“This is so lovely,” Lucy said.
“It’s our private dining room,” Trip said, gesturing around. “I used to eat here as a kid. Not a lot of people get to see it.”
Lucy looked pleased as hell, and Trip gave me a quick wink. I realized that he was just placating her, making her feel special. Trip was impressive when it came to reading people and giving them what they wanted.
Soon the food arrived, and I hadn’t been lying when I’d said I was hungry. I felt mainly relief and a slow removal of tension now that my father and Lucy had arrived. For all her faults, Lucy was still family, so I was glad she was safe.
Dad held up his glass of wine. “To the king,” he said. “And to Starkland. Thanks again for your hospitality, Trip.”
“Here, here,” Trip said. “Prost.”
“Prost,” Lucy echoed, and then we drank.
“Tell me, Robert,” Trip said as we began to dig into the delicious meal, “did you go on many vacations as a family?”
“No,” he admitted. “It was tough. Bryce’s mother died when Bryce was very young, and I didn’t marry Lucy here until a couple of years ago. For a while, it was just me and Bryce.”
“Being a single father must be difficult, especially with Bryce. I’m sure she was a handful.”
Dad laughed. “She was when she was young.”
“She’s still a handful now,” Trip said, grinning at me.
“I hope she’s behaving herself,” Lucy said, giving me the evil eye.
I ignored her. “Dad did a great job,” I said. “I’m sure I didn’t make things simple.”