by Sienna Blake
When my vision clears, he has pulled out, my thighs coated in sticky wetness, his hand free of my throat. But I’m still pinned down by my arms.
The leader is kneeling between my legs, glaring at me. “Leave us,” he growls at his two friends.
The hands let go of me and I’m free. I feel the stark loneliness of my bare skin unrestrained by so many hands. I hear footsteps, then the door closing and I’m left alone. With the man who looks like he wants to hurt me.
I push myself up to my elbows. “What—?”
He grabs me by the shoulders and yanks me up to kneel before him. He shakes me, his eyes sparkling with fury. “What if it wasn’t me here tonight?”
I tug at his balaclava, and Grayson’s beautiful face appears, creases etched in anger.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he spits. “If someone came in here and hurt you like we pretended to…”
“Grayson, it’s okay. It wasn’t real.” I cup his cheek, my heart twisting at the way this little game has affected him.
“You would fight, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t really like—” His voice breaks on a choke.
“Of course I would,” I cry.
“I would kill them. I would fucking kill anyone who ever hurt you, Sophia. Don’t make me murder someone for you.”
Grayson crushes me to his torso, his arms wrapping tight around me. He’s shaking. I told him it was something I’d fantasised about, never thinking he’d bring it to life. He did it for me, even though he hated doing it.
“I love you,” he says, his voice cracking with emotion. “I fucking love you more than my own life.”
My heart fills with so much emotion it brings tears to my eyes. How did I ever deserve this man? “I love you, too.”
He looks down at me with a mixture of love and desperate need. If it is at all possible, I fall even more in love with him.
Sophia
Later that Christmas Eve, Chase and I decorate while Nicolai and Grayson prepare dinner. It’s my first Christmas in a warm climate, but we still keep the Christmas tradition alive with a Christmas tree, tinsel decorations and lots of strung up lights.
Nicolai surprises me with his kitchen skills, taking over as head chef. In no time the oven is filled with a whole chicken and trays of vegetable sides.
We sit around the large couches in shorts and t-shirts and swap gifts as we wait for dinner to finish cooking, laughing and chatting in our misfit group. You wouldn’t think at all that we were an ex-con, an ex-MMA fighter, an ex-Russian Secret Service agent and a prince.
I blink hard when I open the present from Chase and Nicolai. Nestled in a square box is a skinny pink dog collar.
I lift an eyebrow, pulling out the collar and waving it between my fingers. “Is this a hint, boys?”
Chase chuckles, a sly grin on his face, his eyes flashing with naughtiness. Nicolai’s face, as usual, remains stoic.
“No, it’s to go with your present from me.” Grayson places a large box at my feet.
I quickly tug the big red ribbon holding the lid down, curiosity getting the better of me, and push aside the lid.
Something tiny attacks me. Something fluffy…with a wet tongue. I start to giggle, pulling out the golden Labrador puppy from the box. “Oh my God, Grayson!”
“Her name is Ruby. The first of many additions to our family,” he says, his eyes sparkling with heat and love.
“She’s perfect!” I love her already. I cuddle the tiny creature and my heart warms to bursting. I lean in to give Grayson a hug while Ruby is still fussing in my arms. “Thank you, baby.”
“Awww, group hug!” Chase says and wraps his arms around us. “Come on, Nicolai.”
Nicolai lets out a grunt. But the serious Russian joins us anyway, his arms holding loosely around us, but nevertheless there.
I squeal as Ruby yelps in my arms and the boys pull away, giving me air. I give Ruby a kiss on her nose and she licks my face in response. It was probably too much male for her to handle all at once.
“You’ll get used to them, Ruby,” I whisper to her. “They’re not so bad. Even the angry Russian.” I catch Nicolai watching me, and I send him a wink.
Heaven sink me, Nicolai actually gives me a small smile. Okay, it was more like a smirk, but still, I’ll take it.
“Now are we going to have Christmas dinner?” Chase says, getting to his feet. “I’m starving.”
“Wait! I have one final Christmas present for you,” Grayson says to me.
First the holiday on our very own island, my fantasy fulfilled, then the puppy. It’s too much. “Grayson, you shouldn’t—”
My words are cut off when he drops to one knee and produces a small jewelry box from his pocket.
Oh. My. God.
He opens the box, inside is a simple diamond solitaire ring. It’s stunning, not too flashy and just perfect. I stare at the sparkling rock, unable to believe my eyes, barely hearing the exclamations of surprise from the two bodyguards.
“Marry me, Sophia. Be my queen.”
The crown prince is kneeling before me. Asking me to marry him. Me, the poor ex-con, down-on-her-luck American girl.
“But the royal family…” I say. Dating the crown prince is one thing. But to be his wife? “Your crown. The people—”
“Fuck the crown. Fuck what anyone else thinks. Marry me.”
“Your family won’t accept it.”
“Then I will leave them. Chase, send word to Windsor that I want to abdicate—”
“No!” I yell, falling onto my knees before him. “You can’t. Think of how much good you could do in your position.”
“I thought we were all just superfluous, all-important, royal brats,” he says, a lightness to his tone as he uses my words against me.
I wince. “You know that’s not true.”
“If it means giving up the crown to have you as my wife, I’ll do it. Without hesitation. If you’d be happier out of the spotlight, then I’d do it. I’m still richer than God. I can—we can—do good without a crown. Marry me.”
“Grayson—”
“Do you love me?” He looks right into my eyes as if the answer lies there.
“Yes—”
“Do you believe that love can overcome anything?”
“Yes, but—”
He presses a kiss to my mouth before whispering against them, “Then marry me, Sophia. We can figure out the rest.”
My resistance cracks. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes!” I cry. “I’ll marry you.”
Grayson slams his mouth down on me as clapping erupts around us. Ruby paws at my thigh, yipping away over all this excitement. I almost forget that we have an audience.
When Grayson pulls away, his eyes are misty. “You’re going to marry a prince,” he whispers as the commotion continues around us.
“No,” I say smiling. “I’m marrying you. The love of my life.”
Epilogue
One year later…
“Oh, for God’s sake, I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”
I huff, even though I wrap my arms around my Grayson’s neck as he carries me like a baby down the steps to the palace garden where lunch is waiting under a gazebo, Ruby dancing around his feet. It’s a glorious day to be outside.
Not as hot as Monaco was last month when we went back to visit Donna at the women’s shelter. We even stopped off at a ball where Grayson and I danced all night long. The Princess of Monaco and her father were there, and thankfully they were civil. Thank God for good breeding.
I look at Grayson, attempting a frown even though a half-smile is on my face. “Shouldn’t you be…I don’t know, looking after the country or something?”
Grayson sets me down on a plush chair and Ruby runs around the legs of my chair before plopping down at my feet. “My first duty is always to my wife. The country can fucking wait.”
He leans in for a long, slow kiss, which never fails to turn my blood molten. I deepen the kiss and moan into his
mouth.
He chuckles under his breath as he breaks the kiss. “Careful. We can’t get carried away. We have a royal engagement to attend after lunch. They won’t be happy if the king and queen don’t show up.”
I grumble but I have a smile on my face as I look over the delicious spread. Ruby licks my foot, reminding me that she’s waiting patiently for scraps, making me giggle. Not sure there’ll be anything left after I’m done. I’ve been eating practically everything in sight since I got pregnant, but Grayson never fails to look at me with awe in his eyes, making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, despite being seven months along and the size of a house.
After lunch we’re heading to an opening of a new women’s shelter we have funded, the first of many openings across Great Britain named Layla’s Home.
Chase and Nicolai stand at a respectful distance from Grayson and me as we eat and laugh. I jokingly suggest to my husband, His Majesty Grayson Windsor, that we invite the two bodyguards to join us for “dessert”.
He grabs me possessively and pulls me across his lap, almost knocking plates off the table and making Ruby yelp.
“You are mine,” he growls.
“Ruby might disagree with you.”
“Mine.”
“I thought I belong to the people,” I tease. “The People’s Queen”, the media have taken to calling me.
“My wife. Soon to be mother of my children. My life. My queen,” he whispers before he shuts me up with a searing, heart-stopping kiss.
The End
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Need more reverse harem romance?
Check out the rest of my Quick & Dirty series…
Three Irish Brothers
I used to think I was one of the lucky ones.
But at twenty-six, I’ve left my “perfect” life in New York behind and ended up in Ireland.
When my car hits a ditch, I’m rescued by the three sexiest men I’ve ever seen.
The three Irish O’Callaghan brothers.
Broad shoulders, strong arms, accents that make me wet just to hear them.
Killian, the bossy one.
Fionn, the cheeky one.
And Aiden, the silent one with a secret.
I want them. All of them.
They all want me.
I have to choose...right? Or will I be the thing that tears this family apart.
Warning: This is a sexy yet emotional reverse-harem romance, a full-length, standalone novel. Three sexy Irish brothers who want nothing more than to please their special woman. All at the same time.
Out now
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My Irish Kings
We will protect her...at all costs.
Ireland’s most ruthless gang leader is forcing me to marry him. I escape to the only place I can be safe—home of my captor’s biggest rival, the Irish Kings.
There’s X, the living weapon with a haunted past. He won't touch anyone. Except me.
Jace, the teddy bear with a warrior’s heart. His melodic Irish brogue is a balm to my soul.
And Magnar King, their intimidating leader. Whose eyes flare with hunger when I’m near, yet backs away like I’ve burned him when we touch. He doesn’t remember me. But I remember him.
They’re all so different. But they all make me feel safe. They awaken needs in me—strange needs.
I want all of them.
I just might need all of them to heal.
And when my ex comes hunting for me, they will protect me at all costs...
This is a smoking hot yet emotional reverse-harem romance, a full-length, SAFE, standalone novel. Three sexy Irish brothers-in-arms who aren’t afraid to share and take their special woman to the ends of her pleasure.
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Need more demanding billionaires in your life?
Can beauty tame her beastly billionaire?
The Beast
This marriage was supposed to be another business deal. I need an heir. Which means I want her belly swollen with my child before the year is out.
She was supposed to be my perfect little bride. Quiet. Uncomplicated. Unemotional.
I didn’t foresee the stunning firecracker who tumbled into my life and woke things in me I thought were long dead. I didn’t count on her turning my world upside down.
I didn’t plan on falling for this beauty.
The Beauty
This marriage was the only way to save my father. I need to remain childless. So I can exit the contract at the end of the year.
He was supposed to be a boring old man. Distant. Uncomplicated. Passionless.
I didn’t foresee the rude, arrogant and beautiful brute who made my body react like fire and smoke. I didn’t count on there being more underneath his gruff exterior.
I’m not supposed to fall in love with the beast.
The bestselling author of Bound by Lies brings you this intense fake marriage romance with no cheating and a Happily Ever After. Although this book is part of a series, it is a standalone novel.
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Excerpt of Mr. Blackwell’s Bride
I clambered most ungracefully into the limo, my skirt flouncing ungracefully around me before realizing, to my horror, there was someone already inside. I thought it was empty. It was not.
A broad-shouldered man in a dark three-piece suit sat facing me in the center of the wide leather seat, one arm outstretched across the back, a gold watch glinting on his wrist. This must be Mr. Blackwell.
“Well, this is certainly an attractive option.” His voice was deep and boomed around the cabin, resonating with power, causing a rush of goose pimples across my skin.
Was he calling me an attractive option? I wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or flattered. I mean, really, what did I expect from a man who “bought” his wife?
“I don’t care what Deloitte thinks. He’s not the one with his ass on the line.”
I frowned. Then spotted the small clip in one of his ears. He was talking on the phone.
The car door slammed shut, cutting out the wind and rest of the world. I was left alone with him—my husband—the silence between his words deafening.
I placed my bag beside me and leaned back in the seat as the limo pulled away. The seat was firm, the new leather smell still clinging to the overly air-conditioned air. The rest of the interior was wood paneling and chrome.
O
utside, through the heavily tinted windows, street lights rolled by as we passed out of the airport. He continued to talk on the phone, his voice animated. I had time to study him.
He wore a tailored suit, open at the jacket to reveal a dark gray shirt underneath with a matching silver tie. I didn’t know clothing brands well, but I could tell it was tailored, clinging to his wide shoulders. He had midnight hair that appeared disheveled, as if he’d run his hand through it a few times, a wide jaw that kept clenching in the pauses between his sentences. His cocoa eyes were hooded, deep-set. He stared right at me, a slight smirk pulling at his perfectly sculpted lips.
I was taught never to stare back; especially to a man I should be showing respect. I’d never been one for conforming. Besides, I couldn’t seem to help it. He was mesmerizing, dark power rolling off him. This was a man who knew what he wanted and would not take no for an answer. This was a man who demanded the world and always got it.
As I watched him watching me, something foreign pricked at my lower belly.
“Call Mike. Ask him where that damn preliminary report for the Forrest takeover is. If he doesn’t have it ready, fire him.”