Chapter Twenty-One
Instinct
Zelda
Cal hands me my champagne, and like the tiny bubbles rising in a straight line to the surface, Rowan’s command is at the top of my mind.
On the one hand, it’s reassuring that the future king is so adamant about us staying in the country. On the other, I can’t promise him I won’t leave. I’m more inclined to say Ava will stay—if he’ll have her once the truth is out.
Cal’s sexy tone pulls me out of my distraction. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you are tonight?”
Glancing up, I study his eyes. They change color, depending on what he wears, sometimes being all green, others more brown. Tonight they’re warm, and that flippy fish I was sure had swum away for good when Seth appeared is back. He stirs these feelings I can’t stop, even though I know they’ll devastate me in the end.
“What do you see when you look at me?” I ask, thinking of what Seth said as we danced, who I really am.
“Well…” His large hand covers my lower back, pulling me close. “The first time I saw you, I noticed your top lip is a little fuller than your bottom.”
“Oh!” Embarrassment heats my face. “It makes me look buck-toothed, doesn’t it?” I pull the offending lip under my bottom teeth.
“No.” He reaches up to touch my mouth, releasing it from my bite. “It makes you look like someone I want to do very naughty things with.” His low voice is sultry at my ear, flooding my panties with heat.
“Cal—”
“Hang on, I’m not done.” Taking my hand, he starts to walk, leading me down the stairs to the lower deck. “I like how the line in your chin is slightly off-center.”
“It is?” Oh my god! I cover my chin.
That makes him laugh, and he takes my hand away. “I said I like it.” He stops a moment and kisses my hand. “But most of all, I like when you speak.”
Good grief, now he’s going to say my voice is weird. I’m almost afraid to use it. “What happens when I speak?”
“Your blue eyes sparkle.” Lifting my chin to look at him, I catch the gleam in his eyes and my insides tighten. “It’s like you have this amazing secret just for me.”
Shaking my head, I do a little laugh. “Your imagination is very vivid.”
“Don’t crush my dream.” He resumes walking, leading me across the smooth wooden deck. As we pass a server holding a tray of champagne flutes, he replaces our empties with two fulls.
“Why are you plying me with alcohol?” I tease.
“I like how champagne affects you.”
He pulls me through a narrow door into an equally narrow passage. It’s dim, with only a few recessed lights scattered around the corners. We reach another door, and he lifts the handle, stepping through it and going down another narrow hallway.
“Where are you taking me?” I hold his arm as I carefully maneuver down the passage, trying not to fall or spill my drink.
Finally, he reaches the last door. “I looked up the boat’s layout. You’ve got to see this.”
Leading us inside, he shuts the door behind us and locks it. I look around the room in wonder. We’re in a plush bedroom with stark white carpeting. All the accents are shiny wood, and most of the space is filled with an enormous king bed. Two padded leather steps lead up to a Jacuzzi tub perched high and surrounded by narrow windows looking out at the night sky.
“It’s beautiful!” I whisper. “Whose room is this?”
“Nobody’s. They rented the yacht for the gala. No one is staying here…”
I don’t miss the way his voice trails off. “I feel like there’s a but coming.”
“Did you see what we have here?” He puts his drink on a small shelf attached to the wall and walks to the enormous Jacuzzi.
“A Jacuzzi in the bedroom?” I do the same and join him at the steps.
Cal’s eyebrows wriggle as he turns the tap. “Let’s test this baby out.”
Everything that happened tonight has me so tense and worried… A relaxing soak would be so nice.
“Again, you know exactly what I need,” I say.
“I’ll take care of you.” He’s back with me, pulling me close.
My insides unclench, and I rest my cheek against him. We’re below the party in this private place. The door is locked, a Jacuzzi tub is filling, and this amazing man, this prince, is holding me so close. Am I in a fairytale?
“The gala will go all night,” he says, running his hands down my hair. “We can sleep here if we want.”
“How do you know?”
Warm teasing is in his voice. “I realize I don’t tell you this enough, but I’m a prince. I tend to get certain privileges.”
Closing my eyes, I only hold him. Ava is safe with the king; I’m here with this prince. It’s almost funny I’ve never thought of him that way. Up to this point, he’s always just been Cal.
“Sexy MacCallam Lockwood Tate,” I say with a sigh.
He chuckles, “What was that?” His hand covers my lower back.
“I was thinking how I never think of you as a prince.”
His cheek rests against the top of my head. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“I’m sorry—I don’t mean it as a bad thing…”
“Don’t apologize.” Stepping back, he lifts my face, looking deep into my eyes. “I like that you see me as a man first. You’re not looking for anything. You don’t have an agenda.”
My voice is quiet, serious. “I couldn’t.”
I never expected MacCallum Lockwood Tate. Even if I had, I would never have been prepared for him. He came straight out of left field and caught me totally off guard… and I’ve fallen for him so hard.
His expression changes, it turns focused and burning with intensity. Stepping back, he flicks his tie undone before moving to the cuffs of his white shirt. From there he starts on the front buttons.
“Take off that dress.” It’s a low order that starts my insides buzzing.
For a second, I’m transfixed, watching as he unfastens his clothes. Then I think of all the dirty things we can do in a hot tub.
“This is vaguely familiar,” I tease.
“Dress. Off.” It’s a little louder, a little more stern, and all my teasing fades into lust.
I reach behind my neck to loosen the tie. My top falls to my waist, and our night in the Paris Hotel burns in my memory. I shiver watching him catch the bottom of his shirt and pull it over his head, leaving his thick hair a sexy mess.
“All the way,” he commands. “I want to see that pussy.”
“So bossy, MacCallum,” I sigh.
He’s in front of me in only black trousers, and the lines along his torso and stomach deepen in the dim light. Dark eyes hold me, waiting for me to obey.
This time I’m wearing panties, but when my dress hits the floor, it’s possibly even hotter than if I weren’t. I’m standing in heels and a matching nude-lace lingerie set I picked up as we passed through Agent Provocateur this morning. My hair is in soft waves around my shoulders, skimming my nipples like in his fantasy.
A hiss of air passes through his teeth, and he steps forward, running a finger along the black lines of the lace flowers. His touch is electric, heightening all the sensations humming under my skin.
“Let me see them,” he says.
Reaching up, I slide my fingertips along the edge of the lace, pulling the bra cups down so my hardened nipples peek over the tops. Large hands immediately close over my breasts, cupping and squeezing them.
“You are so damn sexy.”
It’s my turn now. I trace my fingers along the lines of his chest, sliding my thumbs over his hardened nipples, loving that he’s as turned on as I am. Dragging them lower, I watch as his skin tenses in the wake of my nails. I cup the erection straining in his pants, moving my hand up and down the rigid length. I love the way he moans as I tease him.
“What do you want?” I lift my mouth so my lips just graze his skin as they move, my fingers tracing his cock.
“All of you,” he rasps. “In every way.”
Stepping back, I unfasten my bra, so it falls away. I walk past him to the side of the Jacuzzi tub and reach up to shut off the water. The position arches my back, and I look over my shoulder at him, ass up.
He doesn’t waste a moment removing the last of his clothes. In two steps, he’s behind me, jerking my panties down my hips.
“Oh, god,” I gasp, gripping the step for balance. My knee bends, and I brace myself on the padded leather as he holds my hip, running his cock along my slit, dipping it inside only a bit before sliding it forward to tease my clit.
“Cal… oh, yes,” I moan, my fingers cutting into the leather.
In one quick thrust, he’s inside. We both groan loudly as he stretches me, holding my hips a moment while we regain our bearings. He leans forward, over my back, to speak in my ear, and my body lights up like a torch.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard.” He gives me a rough thrust, and I gasp. My hand flies forward to brace us against the side of the tub. “Then I’m going to do it again.”
Another deep thrust, and my thighs tremble. He bites the top of my shoulder and a moan slips from my throat. He does it again, faster, going deeper.
“Cal…” I whisper, my eyes squeezed shut. The sensations rocketing through my stomach and core are overwhelming.
His grip on my waist is like iron. His thrusts become faster, relentless and punishing. He’s hitting me so hard my feet rock forward onto my tiptoes. One hand slides around, and his long fingers taunt my clit.
“Come,” he groans. “Come for me.”
I’m clenching and gasping as he moves in a rhythm faster, provoking the orgasm spiking my veins. He’s never been like this. The Playboy Prince is gone, and instead this conqueror has me, taking what he wants.
He kisses my back, and the scruff of his beard clenches my insides, causing him to groan. “I want you to know I’ve been here. I want you to feel me wherever you go.”
“Oh, god… Yes!” I fumble my hand to cover his moving swiftly between my legs as my vision darkens, my brain scrambles.
I brace against the wall of the Jacuzzi as he blows my mind. Then all at once, he starts to jerk, groaning and pulsing. My insides break, and I come with a ragged cry. He continues rocking us as the sensations flutter and ripple through my legs, into the arches of my feet.
We move slower. I’m trembling, and he’s pulsing above me, sliding his warm hands down the length of my back. I want to curl into his arms. I want him to hold me as I hold him. I want to wrap my arms around his neck and never leave. I want to bask in this afterglow, forgetting everything and pretending I can keep this beautiful man, this beautiful dream.
He slowly pulls out, and I feel the traces of cum on my thighs from an orgasm I can’t wrap my mind around. Turning to on the padded leather step, he pulls me onto his lap.
My knees are bent, and my cheek is against his skin. We’re breathing hard, still coming down, and he slides his hand gently down my hair. Turning my face, I kiss his neck. My heart feels shattered yet whole. He stormed in and took it, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. He’s right. No matter where I go, I’ll remember this night. I’ll remember how I gave him everything.
The hand that was stroking my hair moves around to my chin, and he lifts my face. Without a word, he kisses me so deeply. My mouth opens readily, and our tongues slide together. It’s warm, tasting, bonding and urgent. Tears heat my closed eyes, and I reach up to hold him, to wrap my arms around his neck, as we communicate in a way words can’t capture.
His lips chase mine, kissing me over and over, nipping my top lip and moving higher to my closed eyes. I’m sure he can taste the salty tears there, hiding behind my lids. He kisses my forehead and then holds me in a long embrace.
Moments slip by as we luxuriate in this closeness, as we let our hearts join with each other’s. It’s only a little while before he moves us slowly to stand.
“Here,” he says, reaching for a soft white cloth and dipping it in the water. Squeezing the excess, he hands it to me then touches my cheek.
Our eyes hold for a moment, and it’s so electric, so intense, I have to blink away for fear I’ll say something I can’t take back. He clears his throat, reaching again for the water as I use the cloth to clean myself.
“It isn’t hot anymore,” he says, and I hear the drain. “I’ll have to refill it.”
“I wish we could swim in the ocean.” I think of the warm salt water swirling around our naked bodies.
Stepping down, he’s in front of me again, placing his palm against my cheek. “We could go back to Occitan.”
I slide my hand over his, and our eyes meet in that incredible swirl of emotion. A loud, staccato banging from the door breaks it all. I squeal and jump back, dropping the cloth.
“Who’s in there? Open this door!” An angry male voice shouts from the outside.
Panic hits me, and I step into my filmy panties, pulling them quickly over my hips. “I thought you said nobody was staying here!”
“I guess I was wrong,” Cal says, grabbing his boxer briefs.
My bra is on in record time, and I’m reaching for my dress when the banging starts again, more violently.
The entire door vibrates from it, and Cal laughs as he steps into his trousers. “I wonder who it could be.”
A noise like metal scraping against the knob is next. It’s a sound I remember so well from the days when Ava and I used to sneak into boathouses to hide from the rain. They’re coming in!
Instinct kicks in, and my dress is over my head in a flash. I scoop my shoes and clutch off the floor and dash up the leather steps, pushing the narrow window sideways and open. Cal’s voice barely registers in my ears before I jump.
The water is like ice when I plunge into the sea. It’s such a familiar memory, I don’t even think as I kick hard, pumping my arms and swimming away from the luxury yacht as fast as I can. Another splash is behind me, and I swim harder. I don’t know if they’ll try to catch me, but I have to get away!
The second swimmer is stronger than I am, faster, and he’s beside me in a few strokes, catching me and pulling me up. We’ve managed to swim around another yacht, and now we’re hidden in the darkness.
“Wait for me,” Cal chokes on a laugh, spitting out water and breathing loudly. I can’t stop shaking, and he’s laughing more, again spitting water as he holds my arm.
“You fucking jumped out the window!” he cries.
We’re both dog paddling and the fear and adrenaline that flooded my mind are surging away, leaving my muscles spent and weak. What the hell did I just do?
“That guy,” I gasp, spitting out salt water. “He scared me!”
“And you fucking jumped out the window?” Cal laughs again. “Jesus, Zee, I never know what the hell you’ll do next!”
“I-I guess I panicked.” My stomach cramps, and I’m exhausted all of a sudden.
He pulls me against his bare chest and wraps his arms around me. “You’re shaking so hard,” he says softly, running his hand up and down my back. “It’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Remember the part about how I’m a prince?”
I can’t answer. I only hold him. My shoes are gone. I must’ve dropped them as I swam away. I still have my clutch, although I’m sure everything in it is ruined. Thank goodness for Lifeproof phone cases. I’m pretty confident Reggie won’t be replacing any more of our things.
“I want to go… Back to the hotel.” I almost said home. Where the hell would that be anymore? “Will you take me to my hotel?”
He leans back and smiles. “Sure, my little gypsy.” Then he laughs again. “I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were something out of Oliver Twist.”
If only he knew. We paddle to one of the long concrete piers. A metal ladder leads out of the water, and we hold it, catching our breath before we climb.
“Sorry,” I manage. “I’m not used to being caught breaking the law.”
Once we’re standing on the pier, I survey our appearance. My dress is soaked, and I’m barefoot. Cal is only in his soaked black tuxedo pants. He runs his hands back and forth through his hair, leaving it messy and cute, and his eyes are sparkling like his white smile.
Shaking my head, I open my clutch, turning it to the side so all the water can pour out. “I guess my credit card will still work.” Lifting out my phone, I press the button and it lights up. “This case just paid for itself.”
He’s watching me, that amused expression firmly in place. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to figure out how we’ll get back to my hotel.” Looking up, I see we’re on the far end of the marina. “We can probably walk.”
“Hajib is with the car in the parking lot.” He points to where we boarded the yacht just a few hours earlier.”
We wait for a moment, watching the elegant guests leaving the boat in pairs, walking slowly to the waiting cars. A little break occurs every few minutes, but the photographers are still hanging around as are a few of the spectators.
“You’re right,” he says, glancing down at his pants. “We should probably skip the car. If those photographers catch us, it’ll be all over the Internet.”
Reaching up, I squeeze the water out of my hair. I try to do the same with my dress, but I’m pretty much stuck looking like a drowned rat. We start to walk, hanging close to the shadow of the tree line. Every few steps, I hit a sharp rock and do a little skip and yelp.
Ten paces more, and Cal stops and catches my shoulder. “Hop on.”
He turns his bare back to me, and I hold up my hands.
“It’s okay, I can manage. My feet are just… out of practice.”
“Get on,” he says impatiently. “I’ve been wanting to toss you on my back since the night you twisted your ankle.”
Snorting a laugh, I take his shoulder and hop on, wiggling to a comfortable position as he slips his hands under my thighs. He’s moving faster, heading away from the crowd at the pier.
“That night seems so long ago,” I say, resting my chin on his neck, inhaling his warm man-scent mixed with the fresh, briny air. “It’s strange to think I was supposed to be with Rowan.”
“Supposed to be?” His voice isn’t angry, more curious, and I decide to take a chance…
“Reggie wanted me to meet him.”
“Right,” Cal nods, surprising me. “He thought you might be a solution to Ro’s problems.”
That’s news to me! “What are you talking about?”
He does a little exhale. “The economy has been bad—unemployment is up, oil prices are down, tourist spending is down. Reggie thought the money from your uncle’s oil reserves could be a new source of revenue for the country.”
“Oh,” I say, quietly, my lips pressing into a frown.
That story doesn’t get me off the hook, it only plays into the con Reggie was running—the con I knew about when I stepped out of that town car at the Royal Sports Club all those nights ago.
“I’m sorry,” Cal’s voice is quiet. “Marrying for political or economic advantage is a longstanding tradition in the monarchy.”
Tilting my head to the side, I study his profile. He’s frowning, but it only sharpens his square jaw, making him look even more attractive.
“You don’t have to apologize. You killed any interest I had in your brother when you came to my bedroom that night.”
He exhales a little laugh and glances over to me. “After the day we’d spent, I wasn’t about to let Ro have you.”
My heart fills with so much joy. Nothing I can do will stop it, and I know it’s only going to be so painful in the end. He slows walking. We’re back at the Fairmont, and I slip off his back. It’s quiet and the traffic is slow. We’re standing in the moonlight on the beach facing each other. I know somewhere Ava is with Rowan.
“Would you like to come up?” My voice is quiet.
His handsome smile splits his cheeks. “Do you have to ask?”
Instinctively, I know I should be trying to detach. I should be putting distance between us, not pulling him closer. I should be guarding my heart and thinking of self-preservation.
I don’t. I take his hand, leading us slowly to the back entrance. I find my door card and let us in, leading him to the elevator and ultimately my room so we can spend another night together. As long as he’s here and we’re in this same place, I just can’t stay away.