“Beautiful,” he croons in my ear, his fingers delving between my legs.
I moan softly as he drives me hard to the edge and then draws back. I lift my hips again and again, seeking more, desperate for the release that’s just out of reach. He clamps my hips in place with his free hand, his fingers stroking me firmly. I tremble, my breath coming in harsh pants, everything in me coiling tight. He plays with me, drawing it out, making me tremble and gasp and moan. And then my vision dims, the world narrowing down to his touch consuming me in fiery pleasure. I whimper incoherently. His deep voice speaks my native language, telling me to surrender. The climax slams into me, an explosion of pleasure that rocks me, the scream ripped from my throat.
He gentles his touch, murmuring, “Very good.”
I’m euphoric. That was a fantastic orgasm, much better than by myself, and I want more.
I turn and kiss him. “Thank you. That was on par with my own efforts.”
“On par?” he echoes incredulously. “You screamed.”
I force a straight face. “I’ve had years of practice.”
His eyes narrow, and my pulse leaps. I lick my lips, unsure how to ask him to go down on me; then I just go for it. “It wasn’t quite magic, though. Alice says—ah!”
He lifted me and pressed me flat on my back on the mattress in one quick move. He’s kneeling between my legs, his gaze on my sex as he spreads my legs. My breath catches.
“On par,” he mutters before lowering his head and giving me one long lick.
“Oh!” That was much more intense than I anticipated.
And then he pulls my legs over his shoulders, spreading me wider, and dives in with his hungry mouth. My entire body arches off the bed. His hand clamps on my hip, holding me in place, and the intensity hits a whole new level. I’m caught in it, his mouth devouring me. And then his fingers get in on the action, tracing me, stroking, circling my opening. Oh God. Too much. I tangle my fingers in his hair, take one look at him between my legs, and my entire body jerks and then shudders as my release hits hard. Pleasure radiates up my body and down my legs. A full body wave of pleasure like I’ve never felt in my life.
I fling my arms to my sides, closing my eyes. “Oscar, oh my God.”
“Again,” he orders.
My eyes fly open, and I meet his devilishly gleaming eyes. “Are you kidding me?”
“I have to show you how much better it is with me than solo.”
“It totally is! I was teasing—”
“I’m not.”
He resumes his sensual torture, treating me gently with soft kisses and teasing licks. I surrender to the pleasure, floating again in a sensual haze. Time ceases to exist. There’s nothing but heat, pleasure, and the occasional jolt as he becomes more aggressive and then soothes me again. He owns my body, playing it expertly, and I love it.
And then his mouth closes over me, sucking hard. I gasp. Fire. I’m on fire. I climax violently, bucking under him. He stills me with his big hands, guiding me through wave after wave of pleasure that steals my breath, until I collapse, melting into the mattress.
I can’t speak, can barely catch my breath. A pulse throbs between my legs. He’s ruined me for other men. I’ll always crave him, crave this.
He crawls up my body and pushes my sweaty hair away from my face. His gaze is tender, and then he smiles, and it reaches in and wraps around my heart. “Oscar.” It’s all I can manage over the lump in my throat.
He cups my face with one hand. “You’re magnificent.”
I wrap my arms around him and hug him tight. “That’s you. You’re magnificent.”
He kisses the sensitive spot under my ear, his scruff scraping deliciously against my skin. “I’m so turned on. You should probably go, to preserve the big V.” I can feel his hardness through his sleep pants, pressing against me.
“No. I want to return the favor. You know, with my mouth.”
He shifts to meet my eyes, giving me a slow sexy smile. “Yeah? I’ll teach you.” He slides his fingers into my mouth, and I suck, tasting myself, a strangely erotic sensation. “Yes, like that,” he croaks.
I push at his shoulders, and he rolls to his back on the mattress next to me.
Eager to bring him the kind of pleasure he gave me, I tug his sleep pants down. He lifts his hips and helps me strip him naked. His erection is thick and much bigger than I imagined. I hesitate, staring at it. My mind flashes to that inside me, and it seems like an impossibility.
He presses his fingers under my chin, lifting my gaze to his. “You don’t have to.”
I’ve made a plan, and I’m sticking to it. “I want to give you as much pleasure as you gave me.”
He mutters some quick instructions, warning me to watch my teeth, and then says, “Go for it.”
So I do, running my tongue along his length and around the tip, tasting him. That wasn’t in the instructions, but I’m exploring. His hand wraps around my hair, holding it in a tight grip. I grip the base and take him in as far as I can. He groans long and low, which gives me confidence. I keep going in a steady rhythm, lifting my eyes to watch his expression.
His gaze is locked on mine, his expression strained. A few moments later, his eyes roll back in his head before closing.
His breathing accelerates, his chest rising and falling. It’s amazing the power I have over him. He looks completely enthralled, completely at my mercy.
A few minutes later, his hips jerk, his fist tightening in my hair, tugging. “Pol,” he says almost like a warning.
I lift my head. “Surrender,” I command.
He makes a strangled noise, reaching down and finishing himself off before I can do anything more. I watch, fascinated as he shudders with his release. And then I smile. Even as inexperienced as I am, I got him there pretty quick.
“I’m good at this,” I say.
He groans before cleaning himself off.
“I think I was supposed to swallow that, right?”
“Pol,” he says hoarsely and pulls me on top of him.
I snag the covers and pull them over both of us, drowsy in the warmth of our cocoon.
I wish I could stay here forever.
Chapter Eleven
Oscar
I know I’m playing with fire, but I can’t keep my hands off Polly. She’s spent the last two weeks in my bed, sneaking into my room every night and returning to her bed early in the morning before anyone is the wiser. She’s still technically a virgin. I won’t ruin her chance to be queen. She’s passionate, though, and I can’t help but think she has some feeling for me. It’s in her eyes, her voice, her touch. She hugs me. A lot. Honestly, this has been the happiest two weeks of my life, and I just don’t see how something that feels so right could ever be wrong. It kills me to think of letting her go, watching her go off to marry another man, which is still a possibility.
Unfortunately, there’s an issue with the property lines on my vineyard, and we’re waiting on a surveyor to go out and file the paperwork. I still don’t have the funds to pay off her parents’ debt, and Charles keeps calling me, demanding his cut and threatening to expose everything. Polly and I are running out of time. Once Anna has the baby, Polly has to go home.
It’s the first Saturday of August in the heat of the afternoon, and we’re all at the grand opening of the Island Bliss Spa, Villroy’s new destination for relaxation. The press is here, along with a huge crowd, mostly women drawn by my brother-in-law rock star Jackson Walker, who’s playing his latest songs with his wife, my sister Emma. We already did the speeches and photo ops. Now we’re just mingling, enjoying the music.
I keep Polly in my sight, though we’re keeping our distance here at such a public event. We don’t want the press or her chaperone to take notice. She’s sticking close to Anna, who is enthusiastically greeting her friends from home, her wealthiest salon clients here to try out all the services the spa has to offer. Anna looks like she’s going to give birth any moment, and Gabriel never leaves her side,
determined she’ll give birth in a hospital in Paris with the doctor he’s arranged to oversee the event.
Polly glows. I mean, she always glowed with vitality and energy, but there’s a different glow to her now and a more relaxed stance in her body. I can’t help but think it’s because of our time together. Or maybe I just see what I want to see.
I’m in love with her. I can’t deny it any more. It was instant, love at first sight, and it only grew deeper the more time I spent with her. It’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever done in my life, falling for a princess destined to be queen with another man. Yet it never felt like a choice. She showed up and that was it. I fell hard. Completely wrecked. There will never be another like her for me.
I want to marry her, but the threat of Peter still stands between us. He could ruin her family if she doesn’t go through with it. Part of me wants to marry her and keep her safe here in Villroy, but I can’t ask her to give up the crown for me. And I don’t want to give up my own legacy either. I’m building something important here with Adrian. The casino is our contribution to the kingdom. Without me, he has no legacy either. I don’t know what to do. All I know is Polly can’t marry Peter.
I get the sense someone is staring at me and catch the eye of Marge, Polly’s chaperone, who’s better now from her illness. She frowns. I avert my gaze and turn to Lucas, Adrian, and Alice, who I suddenly realize aren’t standing with me anymore. I look around and spot them standing near the edge of the lot where the casino will go. I make my way through the crowd to them, a guard trailing me.
“Hey, Oscar,” Lucas calls. “Done daydreaming?” He’s in good spirits after meeting Alice’s parents in Oregon and getting their blessing for the marriage. It’ll be at the palace chapel in the spring.
“Shut it,” I say, but I don’t put any heat into it. I was daydreaming. More like obsessing over Polly and what to do about her.
“Give him a break,” Adrian says. “When he got zapped with the electric pussy whip, it fried every last brain cell.”
They snicker. I don’t care. I love a woman who’s not mine to keep, and it’s all I can think about.
Alice perks up. “What did I miss?”
I haven’t told anyone about my nights with Polly, but my brothers know that I agreed to sell my vineyard and made her a partner in the casino. They’re not stupid. I’m sure it’s written all over my face every time she walks into the room. The casino isn’t a done deal until the funds come in, but we’re doing research anyway, deciding what exactly we want for it before contacting a few architects to bid on the design. I’m sure my funds will come in. I’m just not sure if they’ll be here in time to help Polly. I can’t let her go home and be forced into a marriage. She has to stay here until I can fix everything.
Lucas whispers something to Alice, filling her in.
Alice smiles widely and steps closer to me, whispering, “Such a lovely grand gesture, Oscar. Very romantic.” She’s a romance author, so that’s her thing.
I grunt. I wasn’t trying to be romantic selling my vineyard. I was rescuing Polly, and I don’t regret it. I just wish we could have the kind of love I see all around me—Lucas and Alice, Gabriel and Anna, Emma and Jackson. My brother Phillip, too, with his fiancée, Ruby, wherever they’re traveling right now. Even my parents, an arranged marriage, turned into a love match. Maybe Polly and I do have love. It’s just not the kind I get to keep.
Alice goes on. “Has Polly called off the thing with that man back home?”
I clench my jaw. “She will. Soon.”
“Oh, good. She sounded so resigned.”
Outwardly resigned. On the inside she was seething. She kept it a secret, trying to protect her family. Thank God she confided in me.
“Are you and Polly…” Alice trails off, the question hanging in the air.
I turn automatically to Polly. Why is this so hard? I want to be with her. I should get to be with her. I can keep her safe here at the palace on Villroy while I wait for the funds to get rid of Peter and Charles.
I stride toward Polly, my long legs eating up the distance between us.
“Oscar?” she asks the moment I stop in front of her. She glances at her chaperone, Marge, and back to me. I don’t care about her chaperone. I care about her.
“You have to stay here.”
She mouths don’t.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” I’m tired of standing idly by, hoping things work out.
Marge pipes up in a no-nonsense voice. “I’m not sure why you think you have a say, Prince Oscar, but Princess Mary knows her duty.” Mary. She prefers Polly. Even those closest to her don’t respect her wishes. “We must return home after the birth. She’s expected to have a brief courtship before the official engagement with Peter. He’s a business tycoon and will bring prosperity to Beaumont as king.”
Polly’s lips form a flat line. “It’s an alliance not so different from what they do in many other monarchies.”
I stare at Polly, a trickle of unease going through me. Is she putting on a show for Marge’s benefit, or has she resigned herself to her fate, not believing I’ll come through in time?
“Polly!” Gabriel calls, running over to us, his expression grim. “It’s time.”
Polly’s eyes go wide. “You mean the baby?”
“Yes, the baby,” Gabriel snaps. “Let’s go.”
I watch as Polly rushes to join Gabriel and Anna, who’s resting her hand on her huge stomach and doing some deep breathing. It seems our time is up.
~ ~ ~
Polly
It’s a girl! A precious healthy baby girl. Anna looks tired but happy, her cheeks glowing pink. My eyes well as I step away from the hospital bed to make room for Gabriel, who’s holding the swaddled baby, who’s asleep now after a bout of squalling while she was examined by the doctor. He hands Anna the baby, who tucks her into the crook of her arm, smiling down at her. He strokes Anna’s hair, murmuring to her before kissing the baby on the temple and then kissing her.
I wipe at an errant tear. It was an intense ordeal. Fifteen hours of labor with Gabriel alternately issuing harsh commands at the doctor and nurse (and me) and pacing the room in a seething, silent agony of sympathy pain. I stuck by Anna’s side, feeding her ice chips, holding her hand, and cheering her on. I admit I couldn’t watch when she pushed. I feared nausea or passing out at the gory sight, so I kept my focus on her face. Gabriel came through when it was finally time for the pushing action, supporting her with his soothing words and praise. I think he just felt helpless earlier while the contractions gripped her. Nothing to be done then but bear it.
“Polly, thank you for being here,” Anna says.
I squeeze into the space on the other side of the bed and give her shoulder a light squeeze. My hand is a little sore from her tight grip earlier when the contractions hit. I alternated hands to minimize the damage, so now they’re both sore. “It was an honor. Did you decide on a name?”
She smiles and exchanges a look with Gabriel before turning back to me. “You’re the first to know. Her name is Mila, which means industrious and hardworking.”
“Mila,” I echo. “A beautiful name.”
Anna gazes at her daughter. “I wanted an M name after my foster dad, Mike, and my cousin, Mary.” That’s me. Her brown eyes are warm on mine. “My family.”
I choke on a sob and slap a hand over my mouth. I can’t believe she named her firstborn child in my honor. I drop my hand. “I’m so glad I could be here for her birth. Thank you, Anna, for including me and for naming her after me and Mike. I’m deeply touched.”
She grabs my hand and kisses it. “Oh, you poor thing. Your hand looks bruised. Was I that awful?”
“You were amazing,” I say firmly. “I’m in awe. You set the bar high here. I can only hope I can be as strong and brave as you.”
“Yes, thank you, Polly,” Gabriel says. “It was good to have your backup support here. I know I got…worked up on Anna’s behalf.”
“Worked up?” Anna asks. “You nearly threw the nurse out for not bringing me ice chips fast enough!”
Gabriel’s chest puffs out with pride. “Yes, well, it is my job to see to your well-being and to see that others do too.” He gazes at his daughter and visibly melts, his expression softening. He strokes her tiny hand, and she grips his finger. “She’s the first heiress in more than a hundred years. I cannot wait to see what her leadership as queen brings.”
“She will be magnificent,” Anna proclaims. “The best of you and me. Strong, fierce, and fearless.”
My throat tightens. A daughter expected to be a strong leader. The contrast in expectations between the new heiress and myself could not be more stark.
Gabriel leans close to Anna, the three of them forming a loving tableau. My chest aches with longing. Not just because I wish my leadership was as valued as Mila’s will be. I long for the love that’s a living, breathing thing between them.
I want love in my life for as long as I can have it. I want Oscar.
~ ~ ~
Oscar
My niece, Mila Alexandra Rourke, was born this morning, and Gabriel and Anna are spending another night at the hospital before traveling home. The baby’s middle name is my mother’s name, an honor for the doting grandmother. Polly says she’s traveling back to Villroy tonight. I hope it’s because she missed me as much as I missed her.
I don’t even attempt going to bed. I remain sitting by the window, waiting for her. Just after midnight she texts she’s on her way.
I open my bedroom door at the first quiet knock. She’s in her usual long white silk robe over a long nightgown, a modest ensemble I usually remove as soon as she comes in. But tonight her big brown eyes are watery.
I take her hand, drawing her in, and lock the door behind her. “What’s wrong?”
She reverts back to her native French, which she does when she’s overwhelmed. “She named the baby after me and Mike. The M in Mila for Mike and Mary. I’m to be her godmother.”
Royal Player (The Rourkes, Book 5) Page 12