Rise of a Queen: A Dark Billionaire Romance (Kingdom Duet Book 2)

by Rina Kent

  But baby steps, right?

  I pull away before Jonathan brushes his lips against mine. From the way he’s staring at me, I don’t doubt that he might actually do it.

  It’s not only because of PDA, but I’m also kind of worried about my reaction in my drunken state. Who knows if I’ll start clawing at his clothes right in front of his son and daughter-in-law?

  “It’s different from Margot’s.” Jonathan pauses eating to pour himself a glass of wine. “It’s good.”

  Both Elsa and Aiden halt their banter about the salt and stare at Jonathan as if he’s grown a few heads.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first time the tyrant ever complimented Aiden. He can be so heartless sometimes.

  Okay, most of the time.

  Aiden clears his throat but remains silent.

  It’s Elsa who grins like a proud mama. “He cooks the best food ever.”

  “Maybe he can cook something for the family dinner next time.” Jonathan is speaking to Aiden, but he stares at me over the rim of his glass, and I pretend I’m not the subject of his attention.

  “Only if Levi does,” Aiden says.

  “Make it a competition, then.” Jonathan takes a sip of his wine. “Aurora and I will be judges.”

  Elsa points her glass of wine at herself. “How about me?”

  “Your and Astrid’s votes aren’t subjective. You’re forbidden from voting.”

  She appears disappointed, but she touches her husband’s bicep. “I’m sure Aiden will win.”

  “We’ll see.”

  I’m about to reprimand Jonathan for being his usual aloof self, but the sadistic spark in Aiden’s eyes stops me. He likes the challenge his father is throwing his and Levi’s way.

  The King men surely think differently. It’s like they bond over battles and wars.

  As a confirmation to my theory, after dinner, Aiden does the dishes, then sits with Jonathan around a coffee table on which there’s a glass chessboard. It’s similar to the one at home, where Jonathan has taught me how to play.

  Or tried to, anyway. I usually end up straddling his lap or splayed all over the chessboard as he fucks me.

  I fight the flush that covers my skin but fail. Thank God for the wine; otherwise, my arousal would be clear.

  Both Jonathan and Aiden’s poses are similar, their grey eyes sharpened as they think of ways to bring the other down.

  As Elsa and I finish our no-idea-how-many glass of wine, my attention is robbed by Jonathan’s pure masculine beauty. He leans both elbows on his knees and forms a steeple at his chin with his fingers. Those long fingers that I can’t stop staring at — or at him.

  It takes them both a long time to make a move because, I assume, they calculate like hell before attempting it. When Jonathan slides a piece forwards, he’s so sure and confident. There’s no question that he’ll win. Aiden might pose a threat, but it’s still too early for him to beat his father.

  That doesn’t stop the younger King from trying, though. He grew up to be a force not to be trifled with.

  Be proud, Alicia. Your boy is now a man.

  “They’re so alike,” Elsa whispers from beside me. We’re snuggled on the sofa opposite them, sharing a soft blanket.

  “I know,” I murmur back. “Does Jonathan always come over to play with Aiden?”

  “We’ve been living here for fifteen months, and this is the first time Jonathan has stepped foot into our house. I thought he’d never come over, so thank you for bringing him. I know it means a lot to Aiden.”

  “I didn’t bring him.”

  “Yes, you did.” She grins and it appears child-like, considering her drunken state. “Told you. You’re the colours in his life.”

  Am I, though?

  After all, he’s been disappointed in me since last night. Even the alcohol isn’t able to make me forget about that part.

  We watch them some more as we talk about university and the differences between my experience of it and hers.

  When my eyes droop, Elsa leads me upstairs and into the guest room I changed my clothes in earlier.

  There’s a bed, a half-empty antique wardrobe, and a tall side lamp. It’s simple, beautiful, and cosy.

  “Sorry it’s not much.” Elsa brings out blankets from the wardrobe. “I haven’t had the chance to properly decorate it. Aiden said we’d never have guests, because he’d kick them out.”

  “Sounds like Aiden.”

  “Tell me about it.” She rolls her eyes and motions at the fresh towels and the silky nightgown on the bed. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m the one who should thank you for coming into our lives.” She hugs me, her coconut scent mixing with the wine. “Thank you so much for giving Aiden a chance to not only move on from Alicia, but to also find some middle ground with his father.”

  “I did nothing.”

  She pulls back, a smile on her flushed face. “Yeah, you did. Aiden had a weird relationship with Jonathan and, deep down, it’s because of Alicia’s death. The fact that you’re trying to mend it means a lot to him. He doesn’t know how to be grateful, so I’ll do that on his behalf.”

  The devotion and affection she has for her husband warms my heart. Age really doesn’t matter. They might be barely twenty, but they share the connection of an old couple in complete harmony. “Aiden is so lucky to have you in his life, Elsa.”

  “And Jonathan is lucky to have you in his.”

  I wouldn’t be so sure about that.

  After Elsa leaves, I strip off the dress and underwear to put on the nightgown. It takes me several minutes due to my drunken state. I trip and catch myself, only to trip again.

  “Stupid clothes,” I mumble.

  You know what? Who needs a nightgown? My skin is on fire anyway.

  I kick all the clothes away, slip under the covers, and close my eyes.

  Much better.

  It doesn’t take me long to fall asleep. I dream of strong hands twisting my nipples and fingers slipping into my pussy. My back arches off the bed as a moan falls from my lips.

  The fingers angle inside me, hitting my sweet spot. I writhe in their merciless hold, needing more.

  Oh. There. Just there.

  He curls his fingers deeper inside me. “Here?”

  My eyes snap open at the familiar voice.

  It’s not a dream. It’s Jonathan.

  15

  Aurora

  My mouth opens in an ‘O’ as I fall into Jonathan’s presence.

  He’s spooning me from behind, his firm naked chest covering my back. The pads of his fingers trace my areola with expert slowness. My nipples are so hard, they ache with the need to be stimulated.

  His other hand hovers over my pussy, teasing my wet folds, but not touching. My skin is hot and tingly, and it’s not because of the alcohol — at least, not all of it.

  “Jonathan?” I breathe out. “What are you doing here?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” His voice is husky with lust as he pounds two fingers inside me in one go and tugs on a nipple.

  I arch against him, my breathing crackling as a moan rips through the air. My moan. It doesn’t matter what state I’m in. My body is so attuned to his, so used to his domineering touch that I come alive in an instant. This is our normal — no matter how fucked up that is. That’s why the platonic treatment from this morning messed with my head.

  “No…I…I meant h-here…in this room?”

  “Apparently, Aiden has one guest room and he thinks that’s too much.” He pauses, and I nearly curse my idiotic question. “Why? You have an objection?”

  “N-no…” my voice ends in a whimper as he curls his fingers inside me, triggering a low thrumming at the bottom of my stomach.

  “I thought so.” He releases my taut nipple to pull my hair to the side. His hot lips latch onto the hollow of my throat, sucking the sensitive skin into his wet mouth. A zap of pleasure shoots str
aight between my legs as if he’s feasting on my pussy.

  “Oh… Holy…shit…J-Jonathan…”

  I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or his touch or the damn friction, but my entire body is so turned on and about ready to burst with all the sexual pleasure pulsing inside me.

  “You did something wrong, Aurora,” he speaks against my skin, his light stubble adding to the unbearable stimulation.

  “I-I did?”

  “You ran away from me.”

  “I-I d-didn’t.”

  He bites on the skin on my throat and I push back against him in need for more. “You’re in Oxford, which means you did.”

  “H-how did you find me, anyway?” I doubt Aiden would’ve called him.

  “I have my ways.”

  The realisation seeps into my dazed brain. “You…you have people following me like you do Levi and Aiden?”

  No clue why I haven’t thought about that after he magically found me in Leeds. Only, there’s nothing magical about the situation. It was all calculated. Jonathan and his control freak, methodical brain know no limits.

  “Did you really think I’d leave you alone after you were attacked?”

  “No?”

  “No. I chased you before, and I’ll chase you again if I have to.”

  “You chased me.” I don’t know why I repeat the words. It’s almost as if I’m trying to commemorate them to memory.

  “I did.”

  “W-why?” I clench around his fingers when he pulls them out, but he only does that so he can thrust them back in.

  “Because you’re mine.” His hoarse whisper against the shell of my ear drives me over the edge.

  Just like that. No warning. No preparation.

  This orgasm isn’t slow-building or submerging. No. It explodes all over my skin and detonates inside me.

  I tilt my head back and capture Jonathan’s lips as the wave invades me. It could be the alcohol or the bursts of excitement he’s initiated in me, but I don’t stop to think about my actions as I kiss him.

  Or rather, he’s the one who takes full control of it. The man’s kiss is as commanding as he is. His tongue swirls against mine, dominating my every breath and confiscating my thoughts in the process.

  He’ll probably punish me for initiating the kiss later, but I don’t care. Not now. He’s looking at me with lust instead of disappointment and I want to drown in that. I want to snatch it away and hide it somewhere.

  His fingers are still inside me, his thumb lazily stroking my clit. Small bursts of pleasure cause a shudder to overtake me.

  He doesn’t stop kissing me; it is as if it’s the first time he’s doing it. Unlike the way he handles my body, Jonathan’s kisses aren’t as experienced. It’s almost like he didn’t like kissing before. They’re firm, though, his kisses, and filled with so much confidence that they turn me boneless.

  The need to get lost in him further burns hotter and brighter. I reach behind me and wrap my fingers around his cock that’s nestling against my back.

  Jonathan grabs a handful of my arse cheek in his big hand before he slaps it. I yelp, my lips momentarily leaving his. “You cannot run away from me again, Aurora. Is that understood?”

  “Mmm,” I mumble, eyes closing so I can go back to kissing him. I’m addicted to his lips, to the way he kisses, savage and all-consuming. Like he intends to fuse us together.

  He spanks me again and my eyes fly open. “Is that fucking understood?”

  “Mmm,” I whine this time.

  “I mean it, Aurora. If you leave again, I won’t only chase you to Leeds or Oxford. I’ll flip the world upside down to find you.”

  “What if you can’t find me?” My voice is still aroused, but it’s low as my deep-seated fears trickle in. “What if I disappear?”

  “Then I’ll burn the world that forced you to disappear and resurrect you from its ashes.”

  “You…will?”

  “You think I’m not able to?”

  “It’s not that.” If anyone is capable of that, it’s Jonathan. I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll make anything he wishes happen.

  “You don’t seem to understand what it means to be mine. It’s not only about how you belong to me, or that I’ll cut off the dick of any bastard who looks your way and shove it up his arse. It’s also about how I’ll protect you from the world and yourself if I have to. It’s about burning your obstacles so you can leave the shadows and shine like you were always meant to. You can provoke or test me or even give me that fucking attitude, but you do not get to run away from me.”

  Tears gather in my eyes and I blink them away, whispering, “Okay.”

  “Okay, what?”

  “Okay, I won’t run away from you, Jonathan. Looks like I’m stuck with you.”

  “You sure as fuck are.” His voice is filled with possessiveness and something else as he grabs my arse tighter.

  I love the feel of him behind me, cocooning me, almost like he’s caging me from the world.

  But…tonight, and after what he said, I need more. I don’t want to be stuck in a position where he barely, if ever, sees my face.

  Placing a hand on his cheek, I turn around, and I’m surprised that he loosens his hold on my pussy and arse to let me. Usually, whenever I attempt to wiggle away, he pins me in place and fucks me from behind.

  It’s the only position he’s ever used to take me.

  Our heads rest on the same pillow. My nose nearly touches his, and my nipples brush against the fine hairs on his chest with every torturous breath from my lungs.

  For a moment, we stare at each other in silence, but my heartbeat thuds louder, thrumming faster against my ribcage. It’s almost as if it wants to leave and go to him — the man whose undivided attention is on me.

  His cock nestles at the bottom of my stomach — hard, enormous, and so ready. He grips me by the hip and pulls me against his groin.

  “What do you want, Aurora?” The arousal with which he says my name wrenches a moan from me.

  “Will I be punished for it?” I whisper.

  “We both know spanking isn’t a punishment for you. You get off on it.”

  “Then why did you punish me with it?”

  “Because you made the deal.”

  “I don’t want this to be for punishment.” My words are so low and…vulnerable.

  “Then how do you want it?”

  “Do it because you also want it.”

  “Do what?”

  I brush my lips against his, then murmur against them, “Fuck me while I look at you.”

  One moment is too long sometimes.

  But other times, one moment is all it takes for a change to take place.

  Jonathan flips me underneath him and my legs part of their own accord. Then he grabs me by the throat and thrusts deep inside me.

  I push off the bed due to the force of it, eyes rolling to the back of my head. It doesn’t matter how wet or ready I am. Jonathan is big and having him inside me always hurts so good.

  There’s so much power and pent-up energy in his shoulders. It’s almost as if he’s been waiting for this moment as long as I have.

  My legs wrap around his lean waist, my hands grabbing his wrists for balance.

  I try to meet his thrusts, going up while he comes down, but it’s impossible. There’s an animalistic need in his moves, a current, a storm that cannot be stopped or prevented.

  I’m caught in the path of his natural disaster, in how he makes me feel whole without even trying to. He only has to be himself with his controlling, unapologetic, and oddly protective self.

  Just him.

  Jonathan slows his pounding, coming out almost entirely before ramming back in. White dots form at the edge of my vision as a sheen of perspiration covers my skin.

  “Are you mine, Aurora?”

  “Mmmm, y-yes…yes!” I manage through the tiny air space he’s giving me.

  “Now, scream it.” He slaps my arse, hand squeezing tighter around my
throat.

  A loud moan fills the air as I fall to pieces around him, the waves scattering them farther apart.

  That both scares me and consoles me.

  On one hand, I know that Jonathan won’t prevent me from gathering those pieces. If anything, he’ll help put them back together again. On the other hand, I recognise that I don’t want anyone but him to touch my pieces ever again.

  Not that I allowed anyone in the past.

  Jonathan grunts as he spills inside me, his seed warming my walls. This time, he doesn’t curse because he came inside me or didn’t use a condom.

  This time, he kisses my nose. “Good girl.”

  16

  Jonathan

  During the next family dinner, Aiden and Levi do cook, and they give their all into it, too, messing up Margot’s kitchen in the process.

  They don’t even allow their wives to help them. As we all sit for dinner, my son and nephew glare at each other across the table with that competitive streak that’s always existed in the King household.

  James and I used to compete with everything when we were younger. Then, as we grew up, he became dull and started forfeiting. That’s why I found my competitive fix in Ethan — whose throat I will cut if he ever shows his face here again.

  The fact that he saw Aurora in her nightgown is his first and final strike. No one gets to look at her dressed like that. Actually, even if she wore traditional religious clothes like Black Belt, I still wouldn’t like it if anyone looked at her.

  She’s sitting at my left. Levi only gave up his place after some dramatic bitching about how he’s always pushed out and some other nonsense.

  I study her closely as she takes a bite of the beef. It’s not about how her lips wrap around the fork — though that in itself is a sight to behold.

  Since we returned from Aiden’s house a week ago, I can’t stop watching her. Not that I’ve ever been able to. But now is different. The fact that she could — and would — slip into a black hole is a possibility that could become a reality.