DefyingHisFate

by MarieMedina

  “It is my responsibility. This is your life, so it’s mine. And Gretchen will be my sister soon, wouldn’t you say?”

  Reese gaped at Nathaniel. He couldn’t help it. “It’s … it’s been one day. How do you have this kind of…” He couldn’t come up with the right word.

  “Faith?”

  Reese closed his mouth, swallowing at the tightness in his throat that was becoming all too common. “Yeah.”

  “I believe, this morning, you said you wouldn’t leave my side unless I sent you away. Sounds an awful lot like a promise.”

  “I suppose.”

  Nathaniel shook his head. “You’re going to be a lot of work.” He quickly kissed Reese’s cheek. “But you’re going to be worth it.”

  Reese watched Nathaniel striding toward the barn. He knew the prince was worth it, but for the first time in his life, he had more than a few doubts about himself.

  But then, Nathaniel turned back and smiled at him, and Reese put one foot in front of the other, knowing that was the only way.

  Chapter Nine

  Nathaniel could still hear his mother and Gretchen talking as they exited the dining room. Reese cast his gaze down, an odd expression on his face. His nervousness seemed to have passed, so Nathaniel didn’t know what might be wrong.

  “Hey, everything’s fine. My mother doesn’t even know we had a bad history. Just knows we were together at one time in the past before all of this rekindled things. And I know Alexander was watching you, but he’s warming to you. I can tell. And Henri and Rory were just trying to make me squirm. Nothing to do with you, really, and—”

  Reese halted and put two fingers to Nathaniel’s lips to stop him talking. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

  Nathaniel took Reese’s hand and lowered it. “That’s why I’m babbling.”

  “Babbling?” His gaze softened a bit as he said, “Yeah, you kind of are.”

  “What exactly are you thinking about?”

  “How much your family loves you. How much they ought to hate me, yet they never will as long as you’re happy.”

  “If this road hadn’t been so bumpy and had so many twists and turns in it, none of them would even know all of these details.”

  “All the more reason for me to behave from now on.”

  Nathaniel smiled and began walking again. “Not sure I want you to behave all the time.”

  “Be careful what you say.”

  “Why? I’ve got you right where I want you. Constantly worrying you’re going to do something wrong.” He smiled to make sure Reese didn’t think he was being serious about that.

  “But once I get you in bed in a few minutes, I think the tables will turn.”

  Nathaniel pulled Reese into an alcove and kissed him soundly. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Reese pressed him up against the wall and kissed him again. “You don’t care if someone sees me holding you against the wall like this?”

  “No, though I will pity them when I see the envy in their eyes.”

  Reese yanked him from the alcove and hurried them down the hall. His lover began to strip the moment they were in Nathaniel’s room, the door still flung open. Nathaniel stood there watching him a moment before slowly closing the door. He drew his boots off and tossed them to the floor as he took his time walking over to the bed.

  Reese, already naked, pulled Nathaniel’s waistcoat off and then lifted his shirt over his head. His fingers trailed down Nathaniel’s chest as he sat on the bed and began to unlace Nathaniel’s trousers, dipping his head to lick the prince’s cock as soon as it was freed.

  All of Nathaniel’s plans became fuzzy as he felt Reese’s need. Reese suckled his cock hungrily, with a greedy desperation Nathaniel had never felt from him before. When he came up for air, Reese tossed Nathaniel onto the bed and finished taking his trousers off, then he crawled over Nathaniel and held him by his hips as he sucked his cock again.

  “Missed your mouth,” Nathaniel said. “Mmmm, so much.”

  Reese drew back and stroked Nathaniel as he licked his balls, sucking them into his mouth one at a time. He looked up and ran his tongue up the underside of Nathaniel’s cock. “And I’ve missed the taste of your cum.” He engulfed Nathaniel again, and it was simply too much to take.

  Nathaniel tensed and gripped the bedsheets as he shot into Reese’s mouth, his own cries mixing with Reese’s moans of pleasure. Some of the windows blew open as the wind whipped around them, Nathaniel’s powers a little out of control as he came down from his orgasm. Reese crawled up him and took his mouth, and Nathaniel got a little taste of his own jizz. He tangled his fingers in Reese’s hair and deepened the kiss.

  When Reese drew back, he said, “Good thing there wasn’t a fire going. You could’ve really done some damage.”

  Nathaniel pressed their foreheads together. “Take me. Do whatever you like with me. I need a night like the ones we used to have.”

  Reese’s eyes darkened as he took Nathaniel’s wrists and pressed them into the mattress. “Not exactly like we used to have. There’s a small difference.”

  Nathaniel fought Reese’s hold a bit to enjoy the feel of the other man’s strength. “I know. I can feel it.”

  “Can you? What is it?”

  Nathaniel blinked, having a hard time concentrating. He arched against Reese. “How can you want to talk with that cock of yours throbbing and needful?”

  Reese sighed and smiled, letting Nathaniel go and reaching for the oil on the nightstand as he stood by the bed. “Later then.” He nodded to the head of the bed. “On your knees and grip the bedposts, Your Highness. You have to be disciplined now.”

  Nathaniel obeyed without question, though as he wrapped his fingers around the headboard, he asked, “What did I do?”

  “You interrupted because you were too greedy for my cock. So you’re going to have to wait even longer for it.”

  Nathaniel sighed as Reese opened him up and oiled his channel, sliding two and then three fingers into him. Once Reese had him oiled, there would be more before the man actually entered him, and Nathaniel felt the anticipation tingle up his spine. Reese set the oil aside and stared at Nathaniel for almost a minute before climbing back onto the bed.

  His hand ran over one ass cheek and then the other before the first strike came. Nathaniel remembered the first time Reese had ever done this to him. He’d been on edge already after being sucked and rimmed for almost half an hour, Reese stopping just short of Nathaniel coming every single time. And then half a dozen strikes to his ass had him spilling all over the sheets.

  The memory blended with the present as Nathaniel gripped the headboard tighter and listened to his own heart thudding in time with Reese’s excited breathing and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Nathaniel dared to turn his head, locking eyes with Reese and drawing in a quick breath at the look in his lover’s eyes.

  * * * *

  Reese had to grip his balls to keep from coming when Nathaniel turned to look at him. So many memories spilled forth as his hand came down repeatedly. The first time he’d done this, it had been a whim. But witnessing Nathaniel’s unexpected pleasure had stirred something deep inside him, giving him an insatiable taste for it.

  But right now, he wanted to finish what he’d started moments earlier. He gave two final strikes and then caressed the prince’s pinkened flesh. Then, despite Nathaniel’s confused look, he rolled him gently to his back and threw the prince’s legs over his shoulders. Nathaniel moaned as he realized Reese was about to take him, but the prince was in for far more than he’d bargained for. Reese slid into Nathaniel’s well-oiled hole and sighed at the feeling. He’d come home again. No one had ever felt this good, and he was finally ready to admit the reason for that.

  Reese sank deep, and Nathaniel squeezed him and arched into the claiming. When Nathaniel reached up for him, Reese didn’t resist. They kissed hungrily as Reese set a rhythm for them, and when he felt Nathaniel tense the way he always did as he neared completion, Reese d
rew back and took his face in one hand.

  “I love you,” Reese whispered. “And I’m going to earn the forgiveness and the love you’ve given me.”

  After a few seconds of stunned staring from Nathaniel, Reese’s whole world turned upside down, quite literally, as Nathaniel flipped Reese over to his back and climbed back onto him. He had Reese’s cock back inside him in seconds, as Reese still reeled from his response, and then he kissed Reese almost breathless as he rode him with a ferocity that had Reese gripping him tight and running his nails down the prince’s back.

  Nathaniel came in a hot burst all over Reese’s chest, and Reese groaned deep in his throat as his own orgasm hit, Nathaniel’s hot channel locked on him like a vice and milking every drop from his cock. Reese’s chest swelled from the emotions and from the struggle for breath as Nathaniel wouldn’t release his mouth for more than a few seconds.

  “Nathaniel … I need … air.”

  Nathaniel finally stilled a bit as he said, “And I need to marry you as soon as the law will allow.”

  Reese stared up into the prince’s happy face. “Because of what I said?”

  Nathaniel smiled. “I’ve been picturing it since the first time you ever spanked me, three weeks after our very first night together.”

  Reese’s breath caught in his throat. “You remember that?”

  “I remember lots of things. I was falling in love, if memory serves me correctly.” He grinned as he eased off Reese and snuggled by his side, his fingers playing over Reese’s chest and the cooling cum there. “I spent a year thinking I should forget you, and I’m so glad I didn’t.”

  “I don’t deserve you,” Reese said. “And I’m still going to make mistakes. Admitting I love you doesn’t break some curse or anything. I’m still the same man.”

  “Not quite the same, and you know it.” He pulled Reese over and on top of him. “Now take me again. I’m used to being sore after a night with my untamable beast.”

  “Untamable beast, huh?”

  “Yes,” Nathaniel said with a grin. “That’s how I think of you.” He drew Reese even closer.

  Reese looked down between their bodies. “I’m covered in your cum.”

  “Just the way I want you,” Nathaniel whispered. He pressed his lips to Reese’s ear. “That’s a royal command. Fuck me until I beg you to stop.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Reese said as his body stirred once more, ready to sink into the man he would never let go of again.

  * * * *

  One Week Later

  Nathaniel stood off to the side with Reese as Alexander dumped their father’s ashes into the sea. The former king had been cremated immediately after his execution, but all of the brothers had spent weeks finding reasons not to fulfill Grayden’s final wishes of being scattered into the sea.

  Reese held his hand through the almost silent ceremony. Alexander had softly said a few words, but Nathaniel hadn’t been able to make them out. As his family moved away, Nathaniel stared off at the rising sun. He wanted to say something, but not for his father’s sake. Yet the words wouldn’t come.

  “What is it?” Reese asked, moving behind Nathaniel and hugging him close. He wrapped his arms around the prince’s chest and laid one over his heart.

  “I’m tired of resenting my father. I hate him for what he did to our people, and our family, but it’s going to eat away at me if I don’t do something.” He sighed. “I want to … I think what I need to do, what we all need to do, is learn from his mistakes. He treated his cariad like a nuisance, his children like commodities, and how did his life end? With everyone who should have loved him and been devoted to him both fearing and hating him. He never thought of others, never changed his ways. Never cared about other people’s feelings or opinions. Even though he almost always got his own way, was he happy? I mean, how could he have been?”

  Reese kissed Nathaniel’s neck. “He probably thought he was, but there’s no way he could’ve been happy. He was alone, no matter how many people sought his favor or how many women came to his bed. He was truly alone.”

  Nathaniel turned in his arms and hugged Reese close. He took in his lover’s scent and the warmth of his embrace. “I’m still waiting for an answer.”

  “An answer? To what?”

  “I said I wanted to marry you. And then we got distracted.”

  Reese chuckled. “You started talking about the first time I spanked you. Of course we got distracted.”

  Nathaniel went down on both knees and looked up with Reese’s hands both held in his. “Will you marry me?” When Reese’s eyes widened, he couldn’t resist adding, “I want to spend the rest of my days hitting my knees for no one but you.”

  Reese grinned. “You’ve become such a wicked tease. I should make you suck me before you get an answer.”

  Nathaniel licked his lips. “More than happy to.”

  Reese went down on his knees as well and cupped Nathaniel’s face in his hands. “Tempting as that is, I’d prefer to go home and make love to my fiancé in our bed.”

  Nathaniel opened his mouth, but words failed him. He put his hands over Reese’s hands and pressed each to his face a moment before kissing each palm in turn.

  “That answer good enough for you?” Reese asked, smiling and seeming on the verge of laughing.

  Nathaniel did laugh, knowing the stunned look on his face was probably quite comical. “Yes, I’m just processing your exceedingly perfect answer.”

  It was Reese’s turn to laugh. “It was good but not that good.”

  “I beg to differ. You referred to the palace as our home, my bed as our bed, and you said you wanted to make love to me. The fiancé part was merely a bonus.”

  Reese kissed him softly. “You get clingier by the day, my prince. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Marry me and cling right back.” He wrapped his arms around Reese. “You’re one to call me clingy, the way you smother me at night. I can hardly move away from you.”

  “I swore I’d never let go again. Even in my sleep I know how much I need you.”

  Nathaniel smiled. “Shall we go tell your sister? She’ll pummel us both if she’s not the first to know.”

  Reese tilted his head. “Can you keep it a secret until tonight? The moment we tell her, she’ll begin planning. And I’m serious about taking you home and twisting the sheets with you for a few hours.”

  Nathaniel stood and helped Reese up. “I think I can do that … if you let me spank you today.”

  Reese’s pupils dilated with interest, yet he shrugged. “If you can manage to tie me down, I’ll allow it.”

  “Allow it, huh?” he asked, noting the twinkle in Reese’s eyes.

  Reese nodded slowly. “Yes. You’ve been so good to me lately.” He paused before whispering, “Always.”

  Nathaniel yanked Reese to him as they reached their horses. “And it’s only going to get better.”

  Epilogue

  One Month Later

  Nathaniel crossed his arms and sighed heavily as he leaned against the table. “It’s the smallest design possible that will still be visible by anyone other than me.”

  Reese still eyed the ring of silver with disdain. “I really don’t want to wear a crown. Can I take it off after we kiss?”

  “I think it’s seen as disrespectful to our ancestors if you do that,” Nathaniel said.

  “Since our ancestors paired you both up with the wrong people, I think they’ll make a concession or two,” Alexander said from across the room. He mirrored Nathaniel’s pose, arms crossed and leaning against the doorjamb. “I certainly take mine off every chance I get.”

  Reese smiled at Nathaniel. “I think the king’s opinion ought to count for something.”

  “Stop encouraging him to be so argumentative. I have enough to deal with as it is,” Nathaniel said to his brother. He walked over and looked at the two simple crowns and then picked up the box beside them. “I suppose you wearing this is all I should care about.” He l
ooked inside at the two silver rings nestled there.

  Reese came up behind him and softly said, “Have them make me matching wrist cuffs for you, and I’ll consider wearing the crown.”

  Even as Nathaniel felt his body stir, his cheeks warmed because his brother was still there. Perhaps not close enough to hear, but still very much in the room. When he looked across the room again, Alexander’s eyes were fixed on the ceiling. “Well,” the king said, “I just came to make sure everything was ready for tomorrow. Sleep well, you two.” And with only the slightest flick of a glance their way, he was gone, the door closed firmly behind him.

  “You said that because my brother was in here,” Nathaniel said as he turned around to face his soon-to-be husband.

  “I said it because I meant it. The king’s presence was a bonus.” He inched closer. “I do love to see you blush. Your cheeks warm so readily around others, despite the things you beg me to do when we’re alone.”

  “Will you behave tomorrow when everyone either of us has ever said two words to wants to personally congratulate us?”

  “I thought you preferred me misbehaving.” He ran his hands down Nathaniel’s back and gripped his ass, pressing their bodies close. “Serves you right for falling for such a wicked rake. And defying the fate laid out for you.”

  “I think I’ve reformed you well enough. And I’d defy anything and anyone to be with you.” He slid his arms around Reese’s neck. “Please stay tonight. I don’t care about tradition. I want to wake in your arms and spend every second together on our wedding day.”

  Reese nipped at Nathaniel’s lips, drawing back each time Nathaniel tried to seal the kiss. “If I stay, you’ll go to the altar with bite marks on your thighs and my cum inside you.”

  Nathaniel shuddered as he said, “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  Reese sobered then, even though his hard cock pressed against Nathaniel insistently. “I love you. As the days pass, I try to figure out when it really happened. The exact moment. What I was so scared of, what held me back. And then I realize I’m just wasting more time that could be spent loving you.”