This was insane.

What was I doing? Holding hands with the crown prince of the Winston Isles. And it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

"You're quiet. This okay? The thing back there in the bar ... " His voice trailed.

Yeah, if by ‘thing’ he meant hot-as-hell make-out session that still had heat flooding my veins even hours later. “Fine. Completely, totally fine."

"Okay. It's my general experience that when a woman says she’s fine she’s not actually fine. She’s pissed off, or in this case, freaking out."

I nudged him with my shoulder. "Or I’m just thinking. It seems like you’re having some kind of fight with yourself. Like maybe you don’t want to do this.” It killed me to say it. Because hello, I was still horny and I didn’t think BOB was going to get the job done tonight.

He squeezed my hand tighter, his warmth enveloping me. "I want to. Believe me. I am so desperate to be inside you right now. I’ve pretty much been only half-listening to Lucas because it’s all that I’m thinking about.”

“What’s the problem?”

I watched as he swallowed hard. “I don’t impress you. You want nothing from me, and it freaks me out. My whole life I’ve been trying to avoid being controlled, but without even trying you have me completely twisted up. You are in control here and it scares the shit out of me.”

I blinked up at him. “How the hell am I in control? I think it’s pretty clear I’m in control of nothing." I shook my head.

"I want you so much. But this is a really bad idea.”

I understood what he was saying, but I knew he didn’t have all the information. I knew what his stakes were here, but he knew none of mine and he couldn’t.

What my brain was saying: You’re an idiot. He is a job.

What my pussy was saying: Why aren’t you naked?

What my heart was saying: We’re toast. I’m in love.

What the hell was wrong with me? Walking away was best for the both of us. I knew what I needed to do, but it wasn't what I wanted. Because you’re the moron who’s falling for him.

Sebastian’s voice was low. “I wish I could explain. I can't. But I’ve already crossed a line, and fuck, I want to cross it again and figure out the rest later.”

As he spoke, electricity skipped over my senses. I really, really wanted us to cross that line. Screw consequences. What were those? You are stupid. I was blurring the lines of my job. This wasn’t just about keeping him safe anymore. This was about so much more now.

But when Sebastian squeezed my hand reassuringly in the elevator, I realized for the first time since I could remember that the confined space didn't bother me so much. I was too focused on him and the charge of electricity between us.

And then came the long walk down to our doors. He stood in front of mine first and waited until I opened the door. "I’ll see you tomorrow morning."

I nodded slowly. "Yes. Cameras at the ready. Early light is the best light. Good for painting too.”

He rocked back on his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Deal. You get a little bit better with your camera, and then we can switch back to my painting lessons."

I nodded. “Okay. So this is it tonight. We'll just see each other tomorrow." Why was my voice high-pitched? And loud … so loud. The whole building was conspiring against me and being completely silent, straining to hear what we might say to each other.

Sebastian nodded, his voice so low. "Yep. Tomorrow. Bright and early."

He turned to leave, and my disappointment warred with confusion and loneliness. I didn't call out to him. I knew I couldn't, so I watched him silently walk to his door. This was all kinds of fucked-up in all kinds of ways.

But he turned around as if he'd heard my internal call. And then he strode right up to me. "Fuck it. This is impossible on so many levels, but I just don't care."

And then there was kissing. His tongue slid onto mine, licking into my mouth. His hands were in my hair, angling my head, directing my positioning. And his body was pressed into mine, pressing me back up against the door.

He made a low, growling noise as his hips rocked into me. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. I could only feel and I wanted to feel … everything. Screw the consequences.

All I cared about were his hands in my hair. All I dreamed about was his body pressed into mine. All that mattered to me at that moment was Sebastian touching me. I didn't care about consequences for these actions or what would happen to me after.

Because there would be an after. After this false, blissful existence. After he made me feel. After he helped me see who I could be. There would be a moment when he found out who I was, when I revealed I knew who he was, and when we both had to go home.

It would be one hell of a painful punch to the heart when he went back to his life and he might occasionally see me. Will you even go home? I didn't know, but in that moment, I didn’t care.

I didn’t care because Sebastian was touching me. I didn't care because Sebastian was kissing me and his teeth nipped at my bottom lip. His hand, gently tugged on my curls. His body pressed into me, making me want things that I didn't think were possible and that I’d never felt before. And it didn't matter because Sebastian Winston, the crown prince of the Winston Isles, wanted me.

The nobody screwup.

The one that no one saw coming. He wanted me.

And for once in my life I wanted to take the brass ring. I wanted the one thing that could never be mine. Even if it was temporary.

* * *

Sebastian …

I tried to remember to take deep, even breaths. I did not want to screw this up. I knew I couldn’t keep her, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. I just wanted her too much to walk away.

Selfish prick. Didn’t I know it.

For that moment in time, I just wanted one thing that was mine because of me and not because I was the prince.

I dragged my lips from hers. “Inside. Now,” I growled.

Stop being a caveman, asshole. Shit. I needed to get it together. My hands were shaking and I couldn’t fucking get my breathing under control. I couldn’t pull some caveman shit on her. She deserved better. I wasn’t fucking her in the wardrobe of some royal function. She wasn’t sneaking me blow jobs under my desk when I was supposed to be taking an audience with my ministers. She wasn’t one of the girls that wanted a piece of the prince.

She mattered. And I needed to treat her like it.

She led the way into her apartment, and my hand reached out to stop her before she could flip on the lights. She shifted in my arms, causing her ass to rub against my dick, and I about crashed off the road to good intentions.

“You smell incredible, you know that? Something lime and mint.”

“It’s my shampoo.”

I nodded absently as I turned her around. The gasp that slipped through her lips was quickly muffled by my tongue sliding on hers, coaxing hers to play.

Fuck.

I groaned deep even as her body molded to mine. My hands tightened on her hips automatically, and I angled my head to deepen the kiss. Len’s arms looped around my neck, her fingers teasing the hair at my nape, pulling me down to her.

The pulsing heat in my veins controlled me now. All I registered was that I needed more heat. More lust. More. Of. This.

Our tongues fused and slid over each other again and again. Each of her low moans made the blood rush in my ears. I let my hands slide down her back to her ass and cupped the generous curves, bringing her hips into contact with my steel hard dick.

She automatically rocked into me, and I dragged my lips away from hers, panting and desperate for more. She whimpered and I bit back a smile as I dragged my lips over her cheekbones to her neck then sucked on the soft spot behind her ear that made her fingers tighten in my hair.

"Sebastian," Len breathed.

"You're so beautiful," I murmured into her skin as I dragged my lips over her softness. Gently, I nipped on her ear, drawing another whimper from her as my hands slid up to cup her breasts.

Her sharp inhale was quick even as her body bucked against me.

Hell. Yes.

I ran a thumb over her nipple through her shirt, loving the way she arched into the caress. I needed more. If I could only have her this one time, I wanted to make it count. Needed to make it count. I needed to see her. To taste her. Just thinking about it nearly sent me over the edge.

Her hips tucked against mine and she cried out, moaning loudly as I ground my cock against her. So hot. I could feel the bite of her nails even as I devoured her lips, sliding my tongue over hers, desperate to possess her.

Gently, I backed us up and trapped her against the counter in her kitchen. When she shifted in my arms, I lifted her legs up and wrapped them around my waist, making room for my bigger body.

Frustrated and needing more skin, I grabbed the hem of her shirt, and tugged it up over those perfect tits before tossing it on the floor.

Oh hell. I drank her in as her breasts threatened to spill from her bra. The black lace framed everything just how I liked. High and proud and … mine. Every breath she took looked like an invitation to lick, to suck, and to fuck.

My damn hands shook with the need to touch.

Reaching behind her, I fumbled with the clasp of her bra, bringing the black straps down and running my thumbs all over the tops of her soft breasts. When I reached her nipples, I gently caressed them.

“Sebastian?” she breathed.

“Yeah?” I asked as I dipped my head and blew a breath over one.

She sucked in a breath. She shuddered beneath me, her fingers weaving into my hair, scoring my scalp and tugging me closer as she wrapped her legs around me tighter. I drew a nipple into my mouth. She tasted sweet, so sweet.

As I gently teased her nipple with my teeth, Len lifted her hips up, grinding her heated core against me. Her soft moans filled the silence when I flicked my tongue over a distended peak. Why did she taste so damn good?

I pressed a kiss on the valley between her breasts, licking and nipping along the path before I took the other nipple into my mouth, and sucked harder.

Len arched her back and writhed. Her hips rolled into mine as I cupped her fullness, teasing one peak with my thumb as I grazed the other with my teeth.

“Yeah, Len … ”

“Oh. My. God.”

I shook my head as I nuzzled her soft flesh. “Nope,” I teased. “Name’s Sebastian, remember?” I placed her on top of the counter.

She laughed and made a strangled whimpering sound as I gripped and parted her thighs further. Her fingernails clutched at my hair, and a shudder racked my body.

"Sebastian, please … "

“We’re really going to have to work on your patience,” I muttered.

I kissed down her belly, nipping along the way, taking my time to explore her body. I dipped my tongue into her naval, exploring that little button before moving on.

With every kiss, Len arched her back and pulled me close. Her body tight, coiled, ready for me. She tugged at my T-shirt and I helped her out by yanking it off. I shivered when she ran delicate fingertips over my skin.

I picked her up and set her down, then tugged her leggings down her long legs, leaving them in a pile on the kitchen floor as I grabbed the waistband of her lace panties.

My eyes never leaving hers, I yanked the flimsy fabric down with one tug and grinned when the fabric tore. I’d buy her new ones.

I licked my lips as I watched her. So pretty. Then I picked her back up and set her on the counter again. “I want to see you, Len.”

She swallowed hard and tried to close her legs, but I gently held them apart. “I think you’re beautiful. Will you let me?” If she wanted me to beg, I’d beg. At that moment, I’d give her anything she asked.

Her tongue peeked out and moistened her bottom lip, but she nodded slowly. “Okay.”

I wanted to growl my satisfaction but remembered to curb the caveman bullshit. Sliding my fingers over her slick flesh, I stared down at her soft, pink lips. They were so pretty. In the dim light, I could almost see the dewy slickness. I’m not sure I’d ever wanted to taste anything so much.

Sinking down to my knees, I kissed her slick folds gently.

“Oh … My ... G—”

Her words cut off when I parted her tender flesh with my thumbs and ran my tongue over her slit. Just like I thought, she melted like sugar on my tongue.

Working my tongue over her, I tightened my hold on her hips. I didn't want her to come until I’d had my fill.

I only teased her clit, never applying direct pressure as I drove her crazy, just to the brink, and pulled her back again. Her loud moans echoed around the room as I slid my tongue into her, gently fucking her.

Her hand slid into my hair again, and she held me to her as she rolled her hips onto my tongue. I wanted her so blissed-out she couldn’t move. I wanted her so delirious she couldn’t think about anything else but me and how I was making her feel.

I slid my hands up over her belly to palm her full breasts then pinched her tight nipples as I tasted her.

Blood rushed in my skin and my cock throbbed, begging for release. I wanted to be inside her. I wanted to know if the buzzing electricity was going to consume me. I was so keyed up, I thought I would lose it right there.

“Sebastian … Sebastian … Sebastian … ”

Her murmured chants warned me of the impending climax. When her body tightened, her legs clamped tight, holding me in position.

“Oh no you don’t. I’m not done with you yet.”

I withdrew from her and carried her through the living room and into her bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

“Hush. Prince Charming at your service.”

I laid her on the bed and stripped the rest of my clothes off in record time. I could feel the heat of her gaze on me as my fingers moved quickly and efficiently. I sent buttons flying, not giving a fuck where anything landed as I ran my gaze all over her body. The delicious taste of her on my tongue urged me on.

When I was naked, I held my breath and ran my hand over my length, pumping once, twice before fisting more tightly to stop myself from coming.

I shook my head. Damn, I needed to get my shit under control. I gritted my teeth and blew out a slow breath. I wanted to be inside her when I lost my control. I felt like I’d been waiting for this moment for so long that I didn't want to blow it. With patience running thin, I grabbed my wallet and fished out a condom.

I returned to her, using my knee to spread her legs further. Taking the tip of my cock in my hand, I aligned the tip to her slick entrance. My gaze locked on hers, and she wrapped her legs tightly around my waist as I sank in, inch by inch.

Oh my God.

I wasn’t ready. How could I not be ready? I’d done this hundreds of times. Maybe thousands. I’d screwed around so much in my life. So many women. How was it possible that not one of them had ever made me feel like this?

Nervous and worried, and desperate and triumphant.

Because none of them mattered before this one.

I cursed as the heat of her warmth wrapped around me. My cock jerked, and the pure electricity set me on edge. “Shit, Len.” My words sounded distant and feral to my own ears. Almost like a growl.

Fuck. I needed this. I needed her. I was fooling myself if I thought this was a one-time thing. I was a fool if I thought I could walk away from her unscathed.

Feeling her heat around me raised the stakes for me. She was against the rules. Being with her was against the rules. But I might have to change those rules.

My hands tightened on her hips, and I drove myself deep, sheathing my cock in her velvet grip. I heard her chanting my name. But it was like she was talking through a tunnel.

All I could focus on was how hot she was, how slick, how tight. I wanted to go slow. That was my intention, but I needed her too much.

She was mine. With every roll of her hips, she branded me. I dug my fingers into her hips and held on, thrusting into her silken warmth as I threw my head back.

Her tight muscles clenched around my cock. With sweat slick on our flesh and our breathing ragged, she came, and her inner muscles milked my dick. I was so close, but I didn't want to come yet. I needed to feel her walls pulsing around me again before I let the fire racing up my spine take me to oblivion.

Reaching between us, I sought out her clit. Her eyes went wide as I made butterfly strokes over the tiny button.

Fuck, that did the trick. She cried out as another wave hit her and her body began convulsing around me.

"Fuck!" I growled and picked up the pace, making the bed shake. And Len's cries only made me drive harder. I tucked my head against her chest, taking a nipple into my mouth.

"Faster, harder!" she pleaded.

I cursed low and did as she told me. “So fucking tight … Could fuck you forever … ” The fragments of speech tripped out on my ragged breaths as we came together.

* * *

Christ, I wanted to keep her. The rational part of my brain tried to perk up and quash that little hope that I could, but my heart refused to let that go.

She doesn’t know anything about you. Which was beyond fucked up. Would she look at me differently when she found out? Of course you idiot, because you’re lying. If I told her the truth, would she still care about me? Or would she only see the prince?

I wanted to believe the answer was yes, that I could do what I needed to do at home and come back.

For what? For something real? It surprised me how badly I wanted that. A world where I was someone normal and could just fall in love. Shit. That word. Where the hell had it come from?

She was a mystery. And yes, I wanted to peel her like an onion. And photograph all her smiles. The quirky ones, the fun ones, the sly ones, the mischievous one. I wanted to capture them all and hold onto them forever.

I wanted to know why it was that kissing her felt like going home. Something familiar danced on the edge of my consciousness, but I couldn't quite grasp onto it or figure it out. It was like trying to catch a rainbow.

All I knew was how I felt when I was with her. A little on edge. A lot confused. The antithesis of everything I'd ever been told. Everything I'd ever needed. She was fun, and quirky, and not at all royal material. And I adored it. She was real. Honest. Intangible.

Every woman my family paraded in front of me was like this glossy facsimile of a real person. All their interests aligned to mine. The women loved to watch polo. A few of them actually even liked to ride, or so they were programed to believe. Laila had been like that. She would have been miserable with me. That still didn't excuse what she did.

Len was different. Bright, and too honest, and wide-eyed.

She painted. And her mouth ran a mile a minute. When she laughed, she threw her whole body into the act, sometimes falling off of the stool because she was laughing too hard.

For the first time, I wanted to know everything about a woman. I wanted to know what caused her brow to furrow like that. Who it was that called her that made her so sad and angry. I wanted to know why she knew the color of azure blue so well. As if she’d spent a lifetime staring at that water herself. I wanted to know the full story of why she was terrified of being in confined spaces and why every time she laughed, she quickly apologized for being too loud. It was a shame, because I would pay a prince’s ransom to see her laugh like that every day.

She rolled over in my arms, and her lashes fluttered against her cheeks before she smiled up at me. "You're staring."

I shrugged. "You’re beautiful. Am I not supposed to admire the beauty in front of me?"

She wrinkled her nose. "And I have a feeling you say that to all the girls."

I frowned. Yeah, okay. I might say that to a lot of women. I went for something more original. The truth. "Okay. Then, how’s this? I was just thinking about how I don't want to let you go."

The smile touched one corner of her mouth first before spreading. “You do have a way with words, Sebastian."

I kissed her forehead, ignoring the sudden rush of blood to my dick. For now, I was content to hold her. Okay, yes, I wanted her again. And before the night was over, I would be sliding into her again and again. Because with her, I was a starving man. But for a second, I wanted just to hold her.

She murmured against my skin, "You know, I don't even know that much about you."

I pulled back a little and cocked my head. How much could I tell her? Just enough of the truth? There would come a point when I would either have to tell her, or leave her. And I didn't look forward to that moment. I didn't want to lie either. I’d just have to tell her what I could. "What do you want to know?"

"What makes you happy? What makes you frustrated? Where did you grow up? Do you have siblings? What's your favorite breakfast? Tea or coffee? And also, where did you learn that thing with your tongue where you—" She shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to know. I think that answer will only irritate me."

I grinned. "I see you have a lot of questions."

She nodded just before brushing her lips over my nipple. I shivered, and my dick throbbed against her thigh. Shit. I adjusted myself so that I could actually think. Because with her soft skin touching my dick, all I could think about was getting back inside her and feeling her slick smoothness against me.

I just wanted to bury myself inside her and never come up for air. I wanted nothing between us as I made love to her. I wanted to feel her bare.

What?

No. I couldn't do that. No way. I was not my father. But still, the idea of it … feeling her wet heat surrounding me, clamping around me. The thought of it made me harder than steel, and I had to count backward from ten to try and cool off.

News flash: It didn't work.

"Earth to Sebastian. What's wrong?"

I cleared my throat. "Nothing. I’m trying hard as hell to focus on being with you and answering your questions, and not on sliding back into you. You know, I figured we do the talking thing and not just the screw-your-brains-out-thing."

She giggled. "Well, I still have a few brains left. How about we talk for a minute, and then you do that thing with your tongue again?"

I laughed. “See, you keep asking for that and I will pretty much keep you in the bed forever, pleasing you until you can’t get up and walk away from me."

"You know, I may not be opposed to that.”

"Fiend. Okay. Let me answer your questions in order. What makes me happy? The perfect lighting, usually that mere moment just after dawn. When it's quiet and nothing’s moving, that's my happy place. What makes me frustrated? Having to conform. Follow rules. Where did I grow up? Close to the water." I’d already lied once and told her Key West, but I wasn’t going to lie to her now.

"Did you love it?" she asked.

"Growing up was kind of idyllic. Who is that painter? Rockwell? Not quite so WASPy, upper crust, but I spent a lot of time with my cousins and a friend. You remind me of her actually. She was always giggling." I frowned. I’d always wondered what had happened to Penny.

Not enough to ever ask? I just assumed she’d headed off to uni. But you never asked. I forced myself to focus. "You know, we ran around barefoot all the time. I was always dirty, getting into stuff. And for the most part, I had free reign to do as I wanted. It’s kind of like that when you live on an island. So I used drag my friends and cousins into adventures."

She whispered, "You look happy when you talk about it. How come you don't go home?"

My jaw tensed. Tell her the truth. "Obligated. And I haven't been that carefree kid in a long time. I hit eleven and I was at boarding school. I didn't spend much time at home after that. But I miss it." I cleared my throat, but I couldn’t seem to choke the words out to tell her I was hurting her.

"That's really sad considering how happy it makes you. I can see it in your face."

"I know." Determined to change the pace of the conversation, I went back to her questions. "I just found out I have a brother and a sister I knew nothing about. It’s why I’m here in New York—to get to know my brother. When I find my sister, we’re going to go meet her."  My heart hammered like the thumping foot of a rabbit. I was on shaky territory here. I had just given her a secret that would rock my kingdom.

But she has no idea who you are.

That was true. And somehow it made me feel so much worse.

Her wide hazel eyes blinked up at me for a moment as she stared. Finally, she shook her head and asked quietly, “Lucas?”

I nodded. “Yeah, Lucas.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. You guys look a lot alike.”

I rubbed my jaw as I contemplated this. “I guess so. The jaw probably. The mouth. The nose. My eyes, though, are my mother’s.”

Her smile was soft. “I’ve grown partial to those eyes.” Her next question hit straight in my heart. "Are you close to your parents?"

"I wish. My father and I used to be extremely close."

"What happened?"

“I found out he wasn’t the man I thought he was." I cleared my throat. “He only just told me about Lucas and our sister.”

Her eyes went wide for a moment then she chewed her lip. "If you never knew before, I’m sure he had a good reason for keeping it to himself. I think we all find that our parents are only human eventually.”

“This goes way beyond human. It felt like betrayal when I found out. But I guess I didn’t have the whole story. It’s complicated.”

“I don’t know. It almost always is, I suppose. With my parents, I try to look back on the good things that they gave me. And I realize that it’s probably strange for them that I don't follow what they say like a little puppet. I'm theirs, but I'm also my own person, coming into my own and making my own decisions. It frustrates them when I don't make the choices they want. Just like I want them to be perfect, but they're just human. They're not in charge of my life. I am. I’ll make mistakes. Hell, I might make the same mistakes they have for the right reasons."

How did my beautiful dreaming artist tap into her logic like that? “How did you get so smart?"

"It's all the paint fumes," she laughed.

"You may have a point there. It's like I looked up to my father all these years. He was exactly who I wanted to be. But the older I got, the less I wanted to be exactly like him and the more I wanted to be my own person. And then I found out he's flawed. He makes mistakes. And it's like that person I looked up to all those years didn't even exist."

She sighed. "He did exist. Because of him you turned out to be a good man. Kind. Someone who will help a random stranger move into her place and save the same stranger from a mouse. He did a good job. You’re just now seeing him with different eyes. He's not any different."

I hadn’t thought of that. Could it be that he was the same man that he always was but now I have to look at him differently? "I guess in some ways I always saw him as trying to control me. And I’ve always fought against it. But I guess that’s part of who he is."

"He's only human."

And after the time I had spent with Lucas and Len, I was starting to see things in a different light. I was still disappointed and hurt by the old man, but most of the anger had dissipated since all of a sudden I wanted to stay, wanted to get to know my brother better. All of a sudden, I wanted to hold onto this girl that was like a ray of moonlight. The urge to run, to free myself of those shackles—it wasn’t as strong. And I wasn't sure if I could trust the emotion.