Royal Wrecker: Barnes Family Romances Book 4

by Alleman, Normandie

  But even in my alcohol-soaked, lust-filled state, I realized Leo had no idea I was a princess.

  To him, I was just a girl. Just a groupie. And he thought I was pretty.

  He wanted me, and suddenly I wanted him too, more than anything I’d ever wanted in my whole life.

  For an awkward moment, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of my skirt.

  A part of me wanted to just slide right into that pool and let it get soaking wet, but another part of me knew that at some point I would need dry clothes to go home in, or risk being killed by my parents.

  So, I pulled back and whispered, “Just a minute. Have to get out of this…”

  Once Leo realized what I was doing, that he’d convinced me, he swam to the side of the pool. “Let me know if you need any help.”

  I’d gotten halfway into the pool much more gracefully than I was getting out of it. “No, I’m good.”

  Turning my back to him self-consciously, I unzipped my miniskirt and let it fall to the ground. Then I picked it up and my semi-wet blouse, folded them, and placed them on a nearby chaise lounge.

  He got back into the pool without his eyes leaving me. Lowering himself until the water was up to his neck, he raised a brow and tapped gently on the surface, making small waves. “Water’s nice.”

  Instead of responding verbally, I just jumped in holding onto my wig, hoping I wouldn’t make too big a splash.

  Once I was immersed up to my neck, he appeared in front of me.

  He took me into his arms, and I forgot that he was a rock star and that I was a princess.

  In that moment, he was just a man, and I was just a woman.

  He reached down and cupped my ass in his hands.

  Instinctively, my legs curled around his waist, and we stared deep into each other's eyes.

  What I saw there was unmasked desire, and I was sure he could see the same thing reflected in mine.

  Suddenly, the bulge in his underwear pressed up against me so hard I caught my breath.

  “You feel that?” he asked hoarsely. “That's what you do to me.”

  His words sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. I had never been alone with a man before, at least not like this.

  There had been some awkward teenage groping, a few make-out sessions with gawky boys, but this was different.

  Leo was no boy.

  The insistent, determined pulse of his erection told me Leo Barnes was all man.

  He held me close, and his mouth captured mine.

  His tongue invading me, the way I imagined his dick wanted to.

  The idea made me weak, and I felt helpless to resist him. My desire welcomed him in, and I let my tongue wander and explore him right back.

  He tasted of alcohol, but there was also a clean freshness to his mouth that enticed me.

  Made me want more. One of his hands traveled behind my back and unhooked my bra in one swift movement.

  A voice in the back of my head told me to protest, but I shoved it aside.

  This was my night.

  I had spent my entire life doing what other people wanted me to do, but tonight I felt like doing what I wanted for once.

  And I wanted to see where this was going.

  Because I had never been in such a heaven before, and I certainly didn't want it to end.

  He cupped my breast, a thumb grazing over my nipple, which pebbled under his touch. When he started to fondle me, tweaking my nipples, rolling them between his fingers, I couldn't help but lean my head back.

  A soft cry rose from my lips.

  His breath was hot on my neck. “You're so fucking hot, Hannah. I want you so bad.”

  The name Hannah jolted me out of my lusty haze, but only for a moment.

  I wanted him too, and I managed to mumble out a “yes.”

  His fingers traveled down my belly until his hand slipped inside my underwear.

  Suddenly I wished I had just taken the damn things off. He stroked the length of my sex, and I felt like I might die right there of ecstasy.

  So this was the thing everyone talked about.

  The reason advertisements use sex.

  They always said sex sells.

  I was starting to understand what all the fuss was about.

  He pierced my entrance with a finger, and I growled with satisfaction.

  He kissed me harder, more fervently, and I answered him back with a passion of my own.

  His erection pressed hard against my leg as his fingers worked me into a frenzy.

  I began to feel like I had lost all control, and I loved every damn minute of it.

  He put another finger inside me, and I moaned, “Oh God!”

  He moved his fingers in and out, in and out until I heard myself murmur, “Please.”

  “You sure?” he growled.

  And I nodded, even though I wasn't exactly sure what I was asking for.

  This whole experience was so foreign to me.

  All I knew was it felt incredible, and I wanted more of it. He lifted my legs up so they curled around his waist, his cock pressing against my underwear-clad pussy.

  Somehow, he moved us through the water, and before I knew it, my back touched the side of the pool.

  The length of him grinded up and down, stimulating my most sensitive spots until I was panting to have him inside me.

  A whimper escaped my lips.

  He deftly slid my underwear to the side, and the head of his cock entered me.

  I stiffened for a minute as its girth stretched my walls.

  Walls where no one had ever been before.

  He moved slowly, but I eagerly clutched his butt cheeks and pulled him deeper inside me.

  At first it stung as my body struggled to accommodate him.

  “Go slow,” I begged.

  “Any way you like, darlin',” he rasped in my ear, his hips bucking in a dance that made me feel like I might faint from the goodness of it all.

  I cried out, clinging to him, begging him to wring every ounce of pleasure from my body.

  “Princess Honoré! What in the hell are you doing?”

  Terror gripped me, and I opened my eyes to see the head of my security detail standing alongside the pool, looking like he might explode.

  Without thinking, I shoved Leo back.

  After I readjusted my underwear to cover me, I climbed out of the pool with as dignified a manner as I could muster.

  I covered my breasts with my hands as I walked over to my damp clothes and dressed as quickly as possible.

  Leo must have been stunned into silence, because he didn’t say a word. Unable to look at him, I turned to Andre and said, “I would like a ride home now.”

  As we walked out, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Leo had no idea what the hell was happening.

  My stomach tied itself in knots, and immediately I was stone-cold sober.

  My only chance at saving face was to ignore the scandalous situation I’d just been discovered in.

  It was unthinkable what I had just done to myself. Not only had I used poor judgment in a way that would reflect badly on me, it would also affect my country and my security people as well.

  As I walked into the penthouse, I glanced over my shoulder. “Thank you for a lovely evening, Mr. Barnes.”

  Not waiting for his reply, I felt my heart sink with the realization that I would never see him again.

  4

  Honoré

  “Honoré, you know how disappointed your father and I are in you.”

  “I understand that, Mother, but it is not the 17th century. People go out. Girls have a good time. I shouldn't be punished for acting like every other female my age.”

  “I'm sorry, Honoré, but you are not just any girl. You are a member of the royal family, next in line for the throne. You cannot go around behaving like a common whore.”

  “I can't believe you said that! That you would think that of me.”

  “And your father and I cannot believe your behavior
. That is not the way we raised you. Besides, it is not just me and your father, but it’s an entire country you represent. You know you must be held to the highest standard. With privilege comes an enormous responsibility. We thought you knew that.”

  “I did, but sometimes the pressure just gets to be too much. I just wanted to be a real person for a minute. A human being, and not just this doll that you parade around. Some fake archaic ideal that is impossible to achieve.”

  “Believe me, there are many people who do not think it is impossible not to get caught cavorting naked in a pool with a rock star. Come on, Honoré. You know that is beyond unacceptable.”

  I crossed my arms. “Well, what's done is done. What are you going to do to me now? Send me off to a nunnery?”

  “That's not a bad idea,” my mother said as she paced the floor. “But actually, I think we've come up with a better idea.”

  “Are you serious?” I'd been kidding about that nunnery comment, and now I have no idea where she was going with this. But I didn't think I was gonna like it.

  “Your honor has been trashed.”

  “No one has to know that.”

  “Don’t be a fool, dear. Too many people know about it already. The Barnes boy, his friends, Jennifer, Andre. Any one of them could score a payday with the tabloids that would set them up for life.”

  I frowned, tempted to argue because I didn’t think any of those people would tell my story for money, but I decided to save my debate for the bigger battle.

  The door opened.

  It was my father.

  I cringed. He was the one I really didn’t want to discuss this situation with.

  A daughter having to discuss the ramifications of her promiscuous behavior with her father?

  Kill me now.

  “Honoré,” he said sternly.

  “Yes, Papa?” I tried to remain as still as possible, as if moving would worsen my fate.

  “You already know how your mother and I feel about your behavior. Now, let us move along to how we are going to fix this mess you’ve made of your life, your reputation.”

  His eyes narrowed, and I gulped.

  “You are going to marry this ridiculous rock star fellow.”

  “What?” my mother and I said in unison.

  He nodded. “Yes. It is the only way for him to make things right. To preserve your reputation, and therefore, the reputation of the crown.”

  “You can't just auction me off like this!”

  “I'm sorry, my dear, but once again you have forgotten your place. You are a princess, and you have a duty to your country. Period.” My father was the type of man who expected the rest of the world to accept whatever he said. He was a king, after all.

  My mother fiddled nervously with her hands in her lap.

  “You will do this for your family.” He paced the floor angrily. “Besides, you have no one else but yourself to blame, young lady.”

  “But I wanted to travel, finish my degree. Those are things that you and mommy approve of. Why can't I do those things first? There's no reason why I should have to marry him. This is the 21st century, not the 1600s.”

  My mother rolled her eyes, and my father stared at me with contempt.

  Their disdain pierced my heart. I knew they were upset, but it wasn’t until this moment that I realized how much.

  “The rest of the world may operate on a different cultural level, but you are the princess of Martinovia, and we have centuries of history that dictate the way we are supposed to behave and rule our country. You are expected to be a role model to young women everywhere. You will likely become queen one day, and we expect better from you than from some American Kardashian type of family.”

  Honoré frowned at the dig on the Barnes family.

  Yes, they were a big reality TV show family.

  Their fame had begun with the infamy of their late father Ziggy Barnes and his tragic death. Ziggy had left behind a family with four children. Nick, the oldest, was a basketball player. Leo's older sister Dynassy was a well-known model, and he and his twin sister had been the biggest sensations in pop music since Justin Bieber. Leo's twin, Ivy, was the more outgoing of the two. She always wore crazy outfits and had a million wardrobe changes during their concerts, while Leo liked to play different instruments and keep to the background. While most of the time he took a backseat role, those in the know believed he was the genius behind their music and the key to their success.

  I had been aware of the Barnes family for as long as I could remember, but it didn’t sound like my parents were fans.

  “If you disapprove of the Barnes family so much, then why in the world would you want me to become a part of it?”

  “Because it will save your reputation, dear,” my mother piped up.

  It might do that, but what about what it would do to me?

  Leo Barnes was an incredibly attractive man, and his talent was so extreme that it was intimidating.

  I had no business being with a man like that, especially one who didn't want me.

  And there was no way that he wanted to marry me, a stranger.

  He would feel trapped.

  He would resent me.

  I didn’t want to be stuck with someone who didn't want me.

  I groaned in frustration.

  Why had I been so foolish? So stupid?

  How could I have allowed myself to get swept away by Leo?

  I’d been famous my entire life, so it wasn’t that.

  That smile of his was infuriatingly irresistible.

  But mostly it had simply been him. He was so talented, so interesting, so charming. And he had made me feel like I was as special as he was—without knowing I was a princess.

  “Respectability is one of the most important aspects to being a royal, Honoré.” My mother wore a grave expression. “And we need to save face. You have put us in an untenable situation. The only way out is for him to make an honest woman out of you.”

  “Do you even hear yourself, Mother? You sound like this is the dark ages.”

  “Whatever age it is,” her father said, “you are going to marry him.”

  “But why would he agree to this?” I asked.

  “For one thing, you are a princess. That has to be of value to that fame-seeking family,” my mother pointed out.

  “There’s something else.” My father shot a tentative glance at my mother, who glared at him in return.

  He continued, “As part of the marriage bargain, the two of you are going on a three-month honeymoon. It's going to be filmed for one of the Barnes family television shows. After that, the two of you are free to part ways.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. Instead of saying, “I told you they were opportunists,” my mother made a clucking noise, which said the same thing.

  “What are you talking about? Why would you agree to that?”

  “Because those are the terms Lucinda Barnes gave us, and it will do your reputation good. We could use some good PR for Martinovia, and if people see you happily going along on your honeymoon with your new husband, who is a famous rock star, they will likely forget about how you and he first became involved.”

  I clenched my fists. “I can't believe this!”

  “Go with your mother, Honoré. This wedding needs to happen in record time, before the groom gets cold feet. You two might as well start planning.” My father shook his head as if he couldn’t believe the situation I’d put them in.

  I hated disappointing them. Maybe the best thing for me to do was as they asked.

  Three months wasn’t that long, and if Leo and I didn’t sleep together, we could always get an annulment.

  He would be as unhappy about the situation as I was.

  Maybe I could make a side agreement with him to do exactly that once the honeymoon was over.

  And then the harsh reality of the situation slapped me in the face.

  I was going to have to see Leo again, and soon.

  How mortifying that just because h
e started to have sex with me, he was now being forced to marry me. We didn’t even know each other. We’d spoken to each other for about thirty minutes total, and now we were going to be husband and wife.

  He would definitely hate me, and I wasn’t looking forward to this.

  I closed my eyes, hoping to make it all go away.

  “I’ll call the seamstress. She’ll be here within the hour to take your measurements.” My mother got up and motioned for me to come with her.

  “For what?” I asked stupidly.

  “Your wedding gown.”

  5

  Leo

  “I can't believe my little brother is getting married.” Nick clapped me on the back.

  I couldn't believe it either. This whole day—hell this whole experience—had a surreal aspect to it.

  The reality that this wedding was actually going to happen—it jarred me. No need for anyone to pinch me.

  If I could float through the whole day, that would be fine with me.

  In fact, I thought as I worked on tying my bow tie, if there was a pill I could take to help me get through this, I might be game.

  Normally, I stayed away from drugs after overdoing it as a teenager, but today could be the exception.

  I picked up a glass of champagne sitting on a nearby table and slammed it. I could always count on alcohol to dull the edges just a little, and that was probably all I needed.

  On second thought, getting lit on my wedding day would probably negate the purpose of this union. I didn't need to make a scene at my own fucking wedding.

  “From her pictures, she looks gorgeous, by the way.” Nick was intent on focusing on the positive.

  This surprised me, because usually he was the first one to call our mother out on her bullshit, and I wasn't sure why he wasn't doing that now.

  “Yeah, she's pretty. I just would have preferred to marry someone who was my choice, ya know?”

  Nick gave me a funny look. “Yeah, but didn't you already kinda go there? Isn't that how you got yourself into this mess in the first place?”

  I scowled. What the fuck was his problem? I sure as shit knew that before Nick got married, he had his share of women. The guy was a professional basketball player, for fuck’s sake.