Dare Me

by Tara Wylde

  Lucas Nikolay the crown prince of Moravia – and my short-term husband – is now seeing more of me than any man ever has. The realization both frightens me and turns me on more than I’m prepared to admit.

  Lucas shifts his position and rains light kisses on my body. Pausing only long enough for his tongue to make an intimate exploration of my belly button before sliding lower, not stopping until he encounters the elastic waistband of my last piece of clothing. I close my eyes and focus on the incredible pressure building in my pussy.

  I expect Lucas to rid me of my panties in the same smoothly efficient manner he dealt the rest of my clothing, but he doesn’t.

  He plays with the elastic. Pulling it a few inches away from my body only to let it snap back, resulting in a tiny pinch that sends jolts of pleasure/pain zinging through my body. His fingers slide beneath the silk, creeping downward until they almost brush my clit, only to slide free of the elastic again.

  Moaning, I arch my back and thrust my hips in his direction, silently begging him for more – even as I worry that the expanding sense of anticipation and desire will tear me apart.

  Finally, he tires of the game and slips the panties free of my hips. With incredible slowness, he guides them down my legs, using the opportunity to explore every single inch of my thighs, locating an unexpectedly sensitive spot behind my knee that causes my breath to hiss and my body to jerk, before gliding along the graceful curve of my calf.

  The panties slide free of my body, but Lucas holds on to my left foot. He studies my toes.

  “All day, I’ve been thinking about your feet,” Lucas growls, “and imagining what fucking a woman with rainbow toes will feel like.”

  He draws my big toe into his mouth, suckling it, before releasing it to pepper my instep with kisses that feel like drops of fire and cause my heart to hammer against my ribs.

  I’d painted each of my toes a different color because I thought they’d make me feel good, I never imagined they’d impact Lucas this way. And yet it has. Such a little thing, but he’s eating it up. Me up. Literally.

  Lucas works his way back up my legs, leaving a trail of light kisses in his wake, until his hair brushes my lower stomach and he pauses.

  I hold my breath, guessing what's about to happen. I’ve read about it, heard Tessa talk about it, and always wondered if they were exaggerating it. It never seemed possible that the touch of a man’s mouth could feel as good as they claimed.

  And yet… My breath catches in my throat.

  Lucas’s fingers part my thighs. His mouth finds my clit. He rolls it with his tongue. I gasp as sparks touch each of my pleasure points and erupt. My painted toes curl. My hands reach out, grasping Lucas’s head, my fingers tangling in his hair.

  Each lick and nip sends wave after wave of pleasure crashing over me until I writhe on the barn floor. My hands both tug at Lucas’ head and push him deeper. His finger enters me – touching me in a way I’ve never permitted any man to touch. His nail scrapes my inner wall, and I shiver with delight.

  My back arches and stars explode behind my eyes. Moisture floods my pussy, soaking his finger as the scent of my desire mingles with the spicy clean scent I’ve already come to connect with Lucas. With my husband.

  Lucas releases my clit and lifts his head. He looks pleased with himself as his gaze collides with mine. Shockwaves of pleasure crash over and through me, one after another, in an unstoppable rhythm.

  “Like that?”

  Forming a single coherent thought right now is beyond me, forget about forming a single word.

  “Want more?”

  God yes, though I don’t know how I’ll ever survive the experience. If he can trigger that kind of reality altering response with just his mouth and a single finger, how will I react when his entire cock fills me.

  I can’t wait to find out.

  “Please,” I beg. My voice sounds like it’s coming from someplace far, far away.

  Lucas doesn’t need to be told twice. The word is still hanging on the air as he sheds his own clothes and covers my body with his.

  His mouth takes mine in a kiss that’s both brutal and intoxicating. While our tongues wage a war with one another, one hand digs something out of the pocket of his discarded pants. Cellophane rattles and, without breaking the kiss, he covers himself.

  A more cynical woman than I would have wondered how he could be so practiced… But that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now. In fact, there’s nothing on my mind. Nothing except wave after wave of pleasure.

  A moment later the same hand is between my legs, nudging my thighs apart. He rolls my clit between his fingers. Every nerve in my body snaps to attention.

  I moan into his mouth before tugging his lower lip between my teeth.

  He slides first one, then a second finger into me. The tips brush my G-spot. My legs spasm and my belly convulses. I squirm against him, wanting more, even as I wonder how I’ll even live through the experience.

  He spreads his fingers a little, stretching me.

  I whimper. My hips slide on the sweat slick floorboards beneath me.

  “Easy,” Lucas murmurs. A third finger swirls near my extended opening, using my natural juices to lubricate my entrance.

  My gaze slides down his body, landing on his cock pressing against my thigh. It looks bigger than any of the toys I occasionally play with. It’s a Hell of a lot bigger than his fingers. It doesn’t seem possible…

  He takes my mouth in another searing kiss. For a moment, I almost forget about his probing digits and the massive size of his cock. The next thing I know, the tip probes me. Before I can stiffen against the intrusion, Lucas’s hips jerk, and the entire length of his shaft enters me in one long smooth motion.

  I hold my breath, waiting for … something to happen, but there’s nothing. No pain, no real pleasure, certainly no orgasm. Just general sense of being stretched.

  I’ve heard of women who, for some reason or another, simply don’t have much of a sex drive. Maybe this sense of nothingness is that, though I seemed to be doing pretty well up until this point.

  My brow furrows and I try to figure out exactly what I’ve done wrong.

  Lucas kisses my forehead. His hand slips between us and his fingers brush against my clit, the touch causing my hips to jerk.

  Okay, this is more like it. I reach up and grab on to his shoulders.

  Lucas starts moving, pumping slowly in and out of my pussy, the motion making it shudder and tighten around him. Hot flames lick at my loins while the same intense pressure I’d felt earlier starts building again.

  I groan. Lucas answers the sound by increasing his rhythm, each stroke seeming to take him deeper and deeper, until I just … shatter. Wave upon wave of pleasure, crash over me until I’m afraid the onslaught will pull me under.

  I hear a shout that sounds like it’s coming from a million miles away only to realize it’s my voice. Brilliant fireworks explode behind my eye lids. My body convulses while my vaginal walls cling to Lucas, holding him tightly within myself.

  The power of my release triggers Lucas. His hips slam into me, the power of the thrust pushing my hips across the sweat soaked floor, as he empties into me.

  Spent, we collapse together. A sticky tangle of skin and bent limbs, too exhausted to move.

  My eyes start to drift closed. I should get up, clean myself up, but that requires energy I simply don’t have. Instead I kiss Lucas’s shoulder, tasting salt, and give in the siren’s call of sleep.

  As I let loose of my tenuous grasp on consciousness, I think that if I could just convince Lucas to laugh from time to time, my life would be perfect right now.

  Lucas

  I find Alexis sitting on the terrace. A tall, glass of freshly squeezed orange juice rests on the table beside her and she's holding a tablet.

  "Good morning," I say as I take the seat beside her. "I missed you."

  It's true. In just the five days we've been here, I've grown accustomed to feeling her in
the bed beside me when I wake up.

  This morning, rolling over and not seeing her pretty face and mussed hair had shocked me. I didn't like it. It takes all of my self-control to resist the urge to demand that she not get out of bed before me.

  Ever again.

  I guess correctly that even as a joke, that would go over like a proverbial lead balloon.

  That's something else I've learned these past few days. Alexis does what she likes, when she likes, how she likes it. I can cajole, coax, and nudge her towards things, but when it comes to orders, she digs in her heels and refuses to budge.

  It’s… more to me. It’s exciting in ways I can’t put into words.

  She gives me a side eye. "You missed me, or you missed fun time in the shower?"

  To hear her talk now, you'd never know that Alexis just five days ago, gave her virginity to me on the floor of a converted barn. Five days in my company and she’s not only a great deal more sexually experienced, but she's also a damn sight more confident about her sexuality.

  Still there are ways and places I can take a she hasn't even begun to comprehend. I'm looking forward to expanding her education.

  One such option comes to mind.

  I lean close and brush a light kiss across the side of her jaw, delighting in the way she shivers and how her eyes narrow to slits. I love how the slightest touch, in just the right spot, turns her on.

  "Both. But since you weren't around to enjoy the shower, I'm thinking we can try some new games ... in the pool."

  Even as I say the words, I picture her braced against the side of the pool, the sun streaming down on her face. The bottom half of her swimsuit hanging off on ankle as she wraps her shapely legs around me and I envelop myself in her heat.

  My cock twitches, demanding to turn fantasy into reality.

  I pull away from Alexis and ignore the rush of desire. I'm fast becoming addicted to her and that's not something I can afford. After all, she'll be leaving, walking away from me forever, in just a few months.

  The thought cools my blood. Turns it to ice. I direct my attention to the tablet she's holding.

  "Good book." I'd learned that Alexis shared my love for all things Stephen King.

  She shakes her head. "No. Since we're going back tomorrow, I wanted to check out how Tessa is getting on with the museum."

  "And?"

  "I'm starting to wonder if she'll even want me around. She's gotten so much done without me! Not only has she found a building, but she's already spoken to a few different curators who are interested in taking over once we get things up and running, and she's shipped a few of the bronze statues to an expert who will validate their authenticity and value them for us."

  "Impressive." I reach for the tablet. "Did she mention which building?"

  The capital is full of some gorgeous old buildings, most of which I imagine would do nicely for a museum. Unfortunately, most are also located in the rougher parts of town.

  Before Alexis starts spending all her time there, I not only want to get all the security features up and running, I also want to enlist a full-time security team to watch over it and Alexis while she's there. During these last few days, she's become important to me. I'll do everything in my considerable power to keep her safe.

  I look at the screen and freeze. Instead of a picture of a grand old building or a chatty email, I find myself looking at a very official government report.

  "What's this?"

  "Nothing." Alexis snatches the tablet from me and holds down the power button.

  "Alexis, I'm a crown prince. I know what government papers look like and I saw that it was from Interpol. What's going on?"

  The idea that Alexis could be a government spy flits through my mind. I promptly dismiss it.

  Alexis picks up her glass and takes her time drinking her orange juice. When she's done, she looks at me and sighs. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

  I shake my head. She's not the only one who can be stubborn.

  “There have been some thefts lately. Mostly artwork and antiques."

  "Okay, and you're involved in the investigation? Why didn't you tell me?"

  "Because I'm not. The only reason I even know anything about the thefts is because a one of a kind glass chandelier that was stolen. Since I'm one of the world's only experts on antique glass, the contacted me for information, nothing more."

  "What kind of information?"

  "The value of the chandelier – and if I knew anyone who would be interested in purchasing it. I provided them with a list of names of people they can contact, though I doubt it will do any good. The size of the chandelier makes it impossible to do much with. Even if the thieves find a buyer, they'll have a bitch of a time trying to transport it."

  "It looked a bit more extensive than that."

  Alexis bites her lip and stands up. "Let's take a walk."

  "Only if you agree to tell me everything."

  The corners of Alexis's mouth tip up in an impish smile that never fails to make something deep within me smile. "Promise."

  Hands entwined, we walk side by side down the path that leads to the Rivera, before making a hard right and turning into one of the rose gardens.

  Every few feet Alexis stops to admire a bloom.

  "Oh, look at that." Alexis points at an Osiris blue butterfly that's pollinating a red poppy. "I wish I'd grabbed my camera."

  Startled by her voice, the small butterfly flexes it's wings and takes flight, but instead of flying away from us, it sweeps towards us, landing for a moment on the front of Alexis's shirt before once again taking wing.

  Alexis laughs and my heart seizes.

  I've never heard anyone laugh as much as Alexis, and she laughs at just about everything. It's one of the many things I’ve discovered about her after a day or two here. Once she relaxed around me, she could no longer contain her laughter. Each time I hear it, the world becomes just a little bit brighter.

  Whenever she turns that beautiful smile on me, I feel ten feet tall.

  I lean close and steal a kiss, trying to take just a little of that sweet laughter into me so I can use it to warm up after she's gone.

  She blinks up at me. "What was that for?"

  "It felt right."

  "I'll say," Alexis murmurs. "You should do it again?" She tilts her head up towards me and closes her eyes.

  "Maybe later," I tell her. "Right now, you're going to tell me about this thing with Interpol."

  Alexis sighs. "Fine. But I wasn't kidding when I said there wasn't much to tell. The only thing I've managed to get out of Interpol is a list of what's been taken and where's it's been taken from." Her brow furrows.

  "And that bothers you. Have some of your clients been victims?"

  If so and the press gets wind of it ... oh boy.

  "No." She hesitates a moment. "What I can't figure out is why nothing has been taken from anyone in Moravia. There are addresses of rich collectors losing items all over Europe. Moravia is the only country where nothings happen. Why?"

  "Maybe it has."

  Alexis skids to a stop and looks at me sharply. "What do you mean? Do you know something?"

  "No, but you've seen all the stuff my family has in the castle, and quite honestly, unless something holds some sentimental value to one of us, we don't pay much attention to those kinds of things. I think that's why mom decided to do something with the antiques and got in touch with you in the first place. It's a wonder none of the servants have robbed us blind. It's possible the thief has been there and taken off with what they wanted and we just haven't found out about it yet."

  Alexis chews on her lower lip and considers my words. "Maybe, but I don't think so."

  I lean against a young tree and cross my arms over my chest. "Okay, Sherlock. Let's hear your hypothesis."

  "I think the thieves are based in Moravia, and that they don't want to dirty their own backyard. By not taking anything in the country, there's little chance that anyone from Interpol will
snoop around and accidently stumble across them."

  Something in her tone sets off a warning bell in the back of my mind and I straighten. "No."

  Her eyes widen. "No?"

  "No," I use my royal, I'll-listen-to-no-arguments voice. "Under no circumstances are you to try investigating this thing."

  If Alexis had hackles they'd be raised. "Look buster, if you're giving me an order ..."

  "Not an order." I stroke her cheek with finger tips. Her eyelids lower and she leans into my touch. "I'm begging you to stay out of it. Please, for my sake and yours ... Please."

  "Well, since you ask so nicely. I promise. It's not like I'd even know where to start looking. I've only ever dealt with legit clients."

  "Excellent." I make a mental note to speak to a few people, professionals, and have them explore the case. They’ll have more freedom than an agency like Interpol.

  I step off the path and into a wilder part of the garden. "Now, there's this spot I've been wanting to show you. You’re going to love it."

  While staying here, Alexis and I have made love in many different place and tried an assortment of positions, each one more memorable than the last, but we’ve yet to take our carnal games outside. Today, while enjoying my pool fantasy, I realized that I've yet to make her come while the sun shone on her pretty face.

  It’s an oversight I intend to correct – and I know just the place for it.

  I lead her to a small hill I discovered the first time I explored the property.

  Short, soft, sweet smelling grass grows in a thick carpet. The scent of fresh rose blooms colors the air, and the gurgle and chatter of the nearby Riviera adds to the ambiance. Trees and shrubs surround the space, hiding us from anyone who may float past the property.

  I turn to Alexis, my eyes alight with desire.

  She shakes her head and backs away.

  What the … every other time she’s been more than willing so why not now.

  The corners of her mouth tip up in a smile that’s both sweet and sassy. “It’s my turn to play.

  Alexis

  My heart beats a powerful tattoo against my ribs. It takes all my will power to hold Lucas’s eye contact.