by Godiva Glenn
He laced their fingers together, staring at her hand while his mind seemed to work. She could practically see the cogs turning.
“Prism is beautiful, but it is not perfect. The life of a duke isn’t magical, really. The restrictions tend to outweigh the perks.”
“Like what? I can’t imagine what restrictions could be so terrible,” she admitted. She half-prepared for his argument, expecting him to equate riches and luxury with prison, the way celebrities wanted to be ‘normal people.’
“For example, if I were to see a lovely woman like you, I couldn’t spend time with her unless she was of a certain house and breeding. Then, all noble matches have to be blessed by the King and Queen.”
That was unexpected. “What?”
“A couple could fall in love, only to have that love decided as unworthy. I suppose many think it’s an acceptable restraint, but it left my parents in a loveless union.”
“I’m sorry.” Brook hated the idea of seeking approval like that. Her parents had hated every guy she’d dated through high school and college, but it’s not like they were in charge of her decisions in the end.
“It made me less than eager to find a woman for myself.” He glanced up, the golden undertones of his eyes glowing in the candlelight. “Not that I’ve ever encountered a woman like you before.”
“Oh?”
“From the moment I first saw you, your hair was like a beacon. So vibrant and alluring.”
“It’s not natural.”
“So? It’s your personality, isn’t it?” He pulled her fingertips and placed his palm against hers, fully holding her hand. “It’s more than that, however. You have a regal bearing. Confidence that has a glow.”
Her cheeks grew warm, and she knew they were as red as her hair. “Ah. Well, thank you.”
“And you’re gorgeous.”
The waiter deposited the chocolate drizzled cheesecake between them and left.
Brook didn’t know how to respond. Wit escaped her. Flirting usually came second-nature to her, but Kerren disarmed her. He’d just more or less stated that he’d left his world to find freedom and love, and then hit on her.
“I bet you say that to all the ladies that save your life,” she teased finally.
He arched a brow but released her hand and picked up his fork. “So, this is cheesecake.”
Chapter Four
Kerren walked beside Brook, escorting her out of the restaurant and into the lobby. His hand twitched at his side, wanting to rest on the small of her back and bring her closer.
His brush with mortality had left him shaken and he rallied for recovery. In Prism, he was mostly immortal. On Earth, he was mostly human.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. He had a plan to keep Brook around, but everything had fallen apart now. His usual organic charm had gone into hiding. He was floundering for a way to tell her how intoxicatingly enchanting she was.
His human guise wasn’t helping, really. Like Vevina, a glimpse in the mirror had left him shaken. He didn’t recognize himself and didn’t like what he saw. His human face was handsome, but it wasn’t really him. It felt like a lie.
Brook came to a stop and looked at the doorway. She’d accepted his compliment, she’d shared a dessert, but he still wasn’t sure where he stood. He wanted to see her again, no, needed to. He recalled how she felt in his arms, soft and warm.
“We’ll continue tomorrow?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.” Her eyes took in the room again. “I’ll meet you here?”
There was a hesitation in her voice, and he realized that his worries were remnants of the earlier incident. She had enjoyed his company, and he was anxious for no reason. He was Kerren Aodhán, Duke of Weylan Barrows, not insecure riff-raff.
He placed a hand on her chin and steadied her wandering gaze, seeking to be the sole focus of her radiant blue eyes. It worked, and she studied him with what suggested a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.
Stepping close, he removed the space between them and kissed her. She was sweet and eager, and the softest sigh escaped her lips as he gripped her waist to keep her near. Everything about her was perfect. The way she clung to his jacket, the way she pressed her large breasts against him, the floral perfume of her.
After a moment she pulled back, eyes glued to his mouth. “You’ve got lipstick on you. Sorry.”
He frowned. “Don’t apologize. It should be me apologizing for messing you up.” His thumb swept at a streak of red trailing towards her chin. “Though I’m only partially sorry.”
“If I even suspected… I wouldn’t have worn lipstick at all.”
“Suspected what? That you’d be manhandled?”
She smiled mischievously. “I wouldn’t call this manhandled, but I wouldn’t say no to such a thing.”
“You shouldn’t tempt me. If you give me an invitation, I don’t know where we’ll end up. It was hard enough keeping my hands to myself this long.”
Her blue eyes widened with faux innocence. “Aww… but I like it when it’s hard.”
Kerren exhaled and closed his eyes, drawing upon every ounce of strength to refrain from ripping her clothes off and taking her on the polished tile floor, even if it would kill his knees.
Massaging the nape of her neck, he tangled his hand in her soft hair. He tugged down, and she lifted her chin.
“I could kiss it and make it better,” she whispered. “If it’s that… hard.”
That was the final straw. He growled and dragged her to the elevator. “I think we should explore this matter someplace more private.”
She kept quiet until he’d punched in the floor number and they started to ascend, then she gave him a look that tore his patience. He pinned her to the mirrored wall and pushed her thick, deep ruby hair aside, so he could kiss her beautiful neck.
The noises she made stirred his blood into a fine frenzy until he was rock hard and having trouble thinking. It usually took more than a nice body and a kiss to get him this aroused. Brook had cast a spell on him, there was no doubt.
Already he was lost in imagining the moment he sank his length into her. The elevator chimed, and they tumbled into the hall. He cursed as he realized he didn’t recall his room number. Digging around his pocket, he glanced left and right, but since he hadn’t yet been to his room, nothing was familiar.
The key, as Vevina had called it, was a bit of rigid plastic in the shape of a flat rectangle. There was no designation on it, just the floral logo of the hotel. He took a second look at the envelope it was in and noticed no room number, just the words ‘Gilded Hawthorne Suite.’
“That sounds fancy,” Brook commented, eyeing the envelope.
“But where is it,” he grumbled.
She took the envelope from him and dug around while he continued to examine his key.
“There’s a map,” she said triumphantly. “We’re… on the wrong floor.”
“Of course.”
They piled back into the elevator and headed up. He was silently grateful for the brief intermission since he wanted a somewhat clear head before touching Brook again. He wanted to recall every lavish detail.
The door opened, and Brook led the way, hips swaying dangerously. He bit the inside of his lip to maintain his focus as he followed.
“Here.” She stopped and stepped aside.
He held the key out, uncertain. “And this goes where?”
She took his wrist and waved the key across a silver metal pad. A click sounded, and he was able to turn the knob. Swinging the door inward, he placed a hand on her back and guided her in.
* * * *
Based on the low ‘wow’ that Brook exhaled upon stepping into the room, Kerren assumed the suite was to her liking. His own attention was solely on locating a bed.
Brook turned and grabbed Kerren’s tie, using it to yank him into a kiss. They moved through the room together until the back of her knees hit the arm of an ivory sofa. His hand moved over the bottom of
her dress, but it was too tight to budge, ruining his plan to hike it up.
“Zipper,” she said, coming up for air.
“Right. Zipper…”
She turned her back to him and bent slightly forward onto the sofa. The motion put her round ass directly on his hardened cock, which strained enough in his pants to cause more than a slight amount of discomfort. Gripping her waist, he pressed his erection against her and groaned.
“Zipper,” she repeated.
He shook his head, freeing himself from the daze. The zipper pull was well hidden, but once he found it and tugged down, it was worth the hassle. The fabric parted, revealing her pale skin contrasted against the black lace of her undergarments.
She wriggled free of the dress, letting it fall to the floor. While kissing her shoulder he trailed his fingertips along her smooth flesh.
“Stunning,” he whispered.
One hand on his belt and leading him, she stepped around the sofa and sat. She tugged the buckle loose, but he covered her hands with his.
“I want to taste you,” he said, dropping to his knees before her.
“But that’s what I want.”
He didn’t respond, instead kissing the tops of her breasts and cupping the overflowing mounds with his hands. The pink hue of her nipples sneaked through the sheer floral pattern of her bra, teasing him.
She was a work of art, and he didn’t plan on rushing. He sucked one of the hard tips into his mouth, nibbling through the fabric until her head fell back and she gasped.
Moving down, he kissed her stomach and toyed with the top band of her underwear. He yanked her towards the front of the sofa and spread her legs wider, until he could see the triangle of black lace.
He kissed her through the barrier, licking the patterned cloth while she squirmed above him. His index finger hooked the wet fabric and pulled it aside, revealing her folds. Moisture glistened on them and he dove in, lapping up her sweet arousal.
She moaned from above him, fingers digging into his hair.
“You’re finer than chocolate and wine,” he teased. “I could eat this sweet pussy all night.”
There was no reply, only a tremble that ran along her body, shaking her soft thighs. He pressed the tip of his tongue to her slit, opening her. Her slick juices and velvety folds tested his restraint. As much as he wanted to sink his cock into her, he wondered if perhaps he was taking advantage of her.
She was somewhat of his employee at this moment. It didn’t escape him that everything about this was wrong, but he could only control himself so much.
He circled his tongue around her clit, drawing more moaning and shaking. Her body was obscenely responsive, and it only fueled his hunger for her. His mind was made. Tonight, he would pleasure her until she could no longer speak, and they could discuss the rest in the morning.
“Don’t stop,” Brook whimpered.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised.
He plunged two fingers into her wet entrance and sucked the swollen bud of her clit into his mouth. The room filled with the sweet sounds of her ecstasy. There was no restraint in her voice as every lick and suck was met with pleasured cries and demands for more. He became obsessed with her insatiable needs.
The tight walls of her pussy spasmed around his fingers and pride filled his chest. He continued to torment her throughout her orgasm, until she tried to escape. He held her down and latched onto her, exploring her with his mouth until she shook again and again, until her moans became hoarse.
He rose to kiss her, though his fingers still pumped in and out of her quivering heat. She didn’t shy away from the moisture on his lips, sharing her flavor as their tongues battled.
“I want to taste you,” she begged.
“I want everything to be about you,” he replied. “I want you to come until you’ve forgotten your name and only remember mine.”
She laughed softly. “Can’t we compromise?”
Kerren slipped his fingers from her depths and shrugged. “Recline against the arm and touch yourself.”
She shifted over as instructed and he took a deep breath, momentarily lost at the sight of his goddess. Delightfully naughty, she squeezed a breast in one hand while the other massaged her pussy.
“Damn. Very good,” he breathed.
“It feels good,” she whispered.
He yanked his belt free and undid his pants, shoving them down. He wore nothing underneath—he didn’t understand the unnecessary layers of human clothing—and his erection sprang free, eliciting an approving coo from Brook.
Moving to the end of the couch where she reclined, he pumped his length in his fist. She turned her head and licked her lips. He offered himself eagerly, closing his eyes the moment her soft tongue teased the head of his cock.
Her mouth closed around him, sucking hungrily. Tangling her hair around his fingertips, he stifled a moan, determined to last. Except it had been too long since he’d been touched this way, and his blood had been racing most of the day.
Getting Brook off had nearly made him spill in his pants. She was too sexy to resist, and he was powerless to her charms. The way she moaned around his thick length uncurled the pleasure that had been building. He wanted to give her what she wanted.
One of her hands reached out and gripped him at the base, making him grit his teeth. He watched her fingers pumping in and out of her wet pussy, and it was enough to tip the scales of his self-control. A searing jolt tore down his spine and he groaned as he spilled thick ribbon after ribbon of cum over her smiling lips.
The room spun, and her tongue swirling around the head of his cock, collecting every last drop, made his knees weak. Never before had a woman given him pleasure this intense, bordering on enough to leave him comatose. And that had just been her mouth.
“Mmmm,” she moaned. “I think we’re almost even.”
He shook his head, partially in disagreement and partially to clear the fog and regain his footing.
“I won’t stop until we are nowhere near even,” he promised.
Chapter Five
Brook sat up with a jolt.
“Damn,” she breathed, running her hands through her hair. Without even having to look at the clock, she knew she’d overslept. She hopped from the bed and paused. This wasn’t her room.
The previous nights’ events came tumbling back to her. Kerren had insisted she spend the night, since he’d given her enough orgasms to make her incoherent. He’d even followed her into the shower and fingerbanged her until she was a shaking mess on the tile floor.
Not that she was complaining, not in the slightest.
Still, she had to get into her office today and put in a few hours of work before returning and taking Kerren out on the town. If they made it out of the room, that was.
It was tempting to just do to him what he’d done to her. She knew a few tricks that would keep him from walking for hours. She licked her lips, recalling the salty taste of him on her tongue.
“Good morning,” a voice called.
The light flipped on and Brook screamed, pulling the blanket over her naked body. Seated atop the dresser facing the bed was a strange small woman in a pink dress, staring at her.
Kerren ran in, having slept on the couch after tucking Brook into his bed. He looked around the room, eyes wild. “What’s going on?”
“Royal summons,” the stranger announced cheerfully.
Kerren stood between Brook and the woman. “You can’t summon me, Lorelei. The court has no say over my life as long as I’m in the human realm.”
The stranger, Lorelei, it seemed, sighed and leaned to the side to peer around Kerren at Brook.
“Ms. Brook Donovan, you are officially summoned to the court of King Artur and Queen Catriona. You are expected within the hour, and since it is upon short notice and you are human, we are waiving the formal codes…” Lorelei looked Brook over with a mischievous smirk. “You may wear whatever attire you have available.”
Brook sputter
ed and pulled the blanket tighter around her body. Stepping next to Kerren, she noted the tense line of his jaw. “I don’t understand. Did we do something wrong?”
A million possibilities flew through her mind. Was it illegal to have spent the night with a fae duke? Am I considered a human commoner? Surely this was just a misunderstanding.
“We didn’t have intercourse,” she blurted.
Lorelei’s brows lifted so high they disappeared beneath her blonde bangs. “That’s neither here nor there, Ms. Donovan.”
“But we, I mean—”
Kerren placed an arm around her and tilted her head towards him with his gentle hand, silencing her. “It wasn’t that, Brook. Even if we had… there are no rules against that. Not here, at least.” He glanced at Lorelei. “What is this concerning? Since when does the court call upon humans?”
“The matter in question has to be resolved before it becomes a concern, Your Grace. Regardless, you are not within any rights to keep us from following fae law,” she replied tartly. “Ms. Donovan will appear at court or we will bring her in.”
“Bring me in?” Brook asked defensively.
“Please understand, this is a high honor. Most humans will never see the glory of Prism’s Pure court, and you are being invited to meet the King and Queen. Is there a reason you’d want to turn that down?” Lorelei asked, tone noticeably more generous. “I assure you this isn’t something we take lightly. You will be treated with the utmost respect as a guest of the court.”
Brook looked up at Kerren, but he was glaring solidly at Lorelei. The chance to see his world sounded too good to be true, even if the circumstances were confusing.
“Is it safe?” she asked him.
“They can’t harm you. Even if you did something wrong—which you certainly haven’t—there are rules. It goes without saying, I will accompany you.”
Brook rubbed her temple, feeling overwhelmed. “No. Wait. I can’t do this. I have work. I’m already late, in fact. There’s no way they’re going to accept the excuse that… shit. Would I even be allowed to tell them I was summoned to a fae planet?”