“I don’t know who the hell you are, but you’re in big trouble for being up here!” I shouted through the door as I yanked my dress over my head and tugged it down. I glanced in the wall mirror I had hanging in here, my face bright red and fuming with a mix of embarrassment and raw desire. I swallowed thickly, pulling my hair back from my face and smoothing the light pink dress down over my body.

“You’re late, Princess.”

The man’s dark, smoky, baritone purred through the door. Instantly, I could feel my body react — my skin teasing with heat and my pulse skipping as his sexy as sin voice crooned through the door.

“Look, I don’t know who the hell you think you are or how you even got up here, but you’re going to be in big trouble when I—”

“Are you dressed yet?”

The door suddenly opened wide, and I gasped as the tall, dark, gorgeous mystery man strode right into the room.

“Are you insane?” I gasped, balking at him.

“You’re dressed. Good.” A small hint of a smile teased his lips. “As I said, you’re late to dinner.”

“Did my mother send you or something?” I spit, shoving past him and marching back into my bedroom to grab my shoes.

“Or something.”

I turned and gave him as much of a sassy look as I could, but it faltered, badly, under that hot, scorching, smoky look of his. Jesus, this had to be the hottest new assistant aid or guard my mother had ever hired.

He stood in the doorway to my room, muscled arms crossed over his barrel chest as he watched me slip my shoes on. I finished and stomped towards the door, but he stood his ground, grinning at me and raising a brow, as if he was amused at how much of a huff I was in. His eyes teased over me, like he was memorizing every inch of me — making me shiver and bringing a heat to my skin that quickly tickled it’s way to my chest and face. His jaw twitched, and his grin turned downright hungry as he drank me in, making my core tighten and sending a tingly feeling to places I knew it shouldn’t.

And he didn’t bow. He knew who I was, since he’d just called me princess, but he just stood there, clearly mentally tearing my clothes off and turning me into a simmering puddle instead of bowing like everyone always did around here.

I blushed furiously and quickly cleared my throat.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Yes?” He seemed amused by my words.

I sighed. Okay, gorgeously hot or not, not only was he not bowing to royalty, but he was making me even later to this trainwreck of a dinner I had to get to. He was completely blocking the doorway.

“I— I have to get by,” I said quickly.

The man nodded and moved about one inch to the side before he glanced at me, grinned wolfishly and shrugged.

“After you.”

What’s he want me to do, just squeeze on by him?

The blush roared in my face at the thought. God, I almost wanted to, and for a second, I almost did just squeeze past this hard, chiseled, beautiful piece of man, before I got a firm hold of myself.

No way. For one, because that would be so un-royal of me, but for two, I’d already made myself late enough to meeting my stupid new husband-to-be dilly dallying with this smug, cocky new palace aid, or whoever the heck he was.

I cleared my throat again and scowled at him as I squared my shoulders, hands on my hips.

“I said excuse me,” I said testily.

“You’re excused.”

He grinned, which was both infuriating and panty-meltingly hot, which sent a very mixed message to my brain.

“You do know who I am, right?” I spat.

“I have an idea.”

“And?”

He shrugged, grinning.

“A spoiled little princess.”

My jaw dropped.

“I beg your pardon?!”

He chuckled. “You heard me.”

“Get out of my way!”

I gasped as he suddenly moved very close to me, growling and sending a shiver through my whole body as he turned me and backed me into the open door at my back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed, my voice trembling as the nearness of him sent a hot tremor through my body.

“Whatever I want, Princess,” he growled.

And I whimpered. Goddamnit I actually whimpered, out loud. And he definitely heard it.

My face turned bright red as I quickly tried to push past him.

“I have to go,” I hissed quickly,

“Yeah? Where?”

I sighed heavily, curling my lip at the arrogant, rude man in front of me. “I’m meeting someone very important.”

He smirked. “Oh?”

“Yes,” I spit back, shivering at that heat in his gaze.

“Who?”

“My husband,” I sneered

He arched a curious brow, and I quickly backpedaled.

“My soon-to-be husband.”

“Soon-to-be,” he mimicked back. “So, you’re not married.”

I shivered as he suddenly moved closer again.

“I—”

“Here,” his arm slid around my shoulders, and it took everything in my power not to whimper again.

“I’ll walk you to this new husband of yours.”

“I don’t want you to do tha—”

I gasped as his strong, powerful hand suddenly slid down my back, and then down over my hip to cup my ass firmly.

“Yes you do,” he growled in my ear.

I bit my lip sharply, my pulse racing though my body as this beautiful stranger started to walk me down the stairs from my quarters. We walked in silence, his hand never leaving my body as he led me through the hallways and gilded rooms of the palace.

“So who’s this husband?”

“I— I don’t know him.”

I wanted to punch myself. Why the heck had I just told him that?

“Marrying a guy you don’t know?”

I wanted to backpedal, and lie or something, but instead, all I could do was nod.

God his hand feels so good.

He squeezed my ass through my thin dress, making me whimper softly as heat roared through me.

“But he at least fucks you good, right?”

I blush furiously.

“That’s very inappropriate,” I hissed, my face burning.

“It’s a legitimate question. You’re the one marrying the guy you don’t know. I’m just curious if at the very least, he can treat you like the princess you are in bed.”

“I— I—” Heat teased through me as I looked at my slippered feet. I had no idea who this man was, but here I was letting him — quite willingly — put his hand on my ass, and say all these filthy, highly inappropriate things to me.

“I don’t know,” I finally spit out.

My gorgeous stranger stopped us in our tracks.

“You don’t know?”

He turned towards me, and I gasped as his hand came up to touch my chin. He lifted my head up, until his eyes burned right into mine, sending a lightning bolt right through me.

“You don’t know because he hasn’t, has he?” he growled lowly.

I nodded, swallowing thickly.

“My, my, my,” he purred. “That’s a shame.”

“What’s a shame?” I whispered quietly.

“That you’re going to tie yourself to some guy and you don’t even know if he’s going to spread that tight little pussy of yours and fill it like it should be.”

I gasped, loudly, my face bright red as my jaw dropped.

“You don’t know if he’s going to tease that little clit with his tongue until you come for him. And you don’t know if his thick cock is going to make that sweet cunt come so good.”

I panted, my head absolutely swimming as his filthy words — words no one had ever spoken to me — teased over me.

“But then…”

He leaned close his gaze growing hotter. I whimpered as he pulled me close, his hand sliding over my hips.

“But then, you don’t have anything to compare it to anyways, do you?”

“Wh-what?” I gasped quietly.

He grinned.

“I can smell it on you, Princess.”

I swallowed heavily, my pulse racing and my whole body tingling with raw need. My core tightened, and I could feel how damn wet my panties were, clinging to my lips with sticky heat.

“Smell what?” I mumbled.

“Your innocence. Your purity. I can smell that no other man has ever spread those thighs and gotten to taste that sweet, tight little cherry.”

Slowly, I shook my head, my whole body on fire from his words and my face burning like the sun.

“You can’t talk to me like this,” I said tightly.

“Yes I can.”

“No, you—”

“And you want me to.”

His voice purred through my ears, making me shiver as he moved closer to me. My breath caught in my throat and every inch of my skin tingled with the nearness of him and the heat radiating off of him.

Get yourself together, lady!

I glanced to my left and realized we were right in front of the doorway to the banquet hall. The heat burned into my face all over again. I mean God, what if the doors had been opened? What if someone had seen me out here, blushing and getting all tongue-tied with some gorgeous, filthy-talking stranger. The one with his hand still on my ass, and his lips so freaking close to kissing mine that I could feel my head spinning.

What if Rourke was in there and had happened to see his new bride fawning all over some stupidly hot…well, whoever the hell he was. It’s not like I was worried about hurting the feelings of the man who’d bought me, but I could only imagine the shitstorm my mother would rain down if this deal of hers fell through.

Somehow, though I have no idea how, I pulled away from the stranger.

“You need to leave,” I said tersely, somehow scowling but also craving that hand of his back on me.

He glanced up at the door behind me and raised a brow. “It seems we’re going to the same place, Princess.”

“Fine,” I spat, totally aware of how bratty it made me look but trying not to care. I just had to get away from this man before I lost myself entirely.

“Well, I’m going inside now, so just leave me alone.”

He grinned. “I’m not sure you want that.”

I bit my lip.

“I have to go inside.”

The sexy as sin stranger simply let his eyes pour over me again before he stepped past me and grabbed the big iron door handle in his powerful hand.

“Ladies first, Your Highness,” he purred, swinging the door open.

I swallowed quickly and strode through, gasping quietly as I felt his palm cup my ass again on my way past him, making me shiver.

My mother glanced up from her glass of wine, surrounded by her annoying little entourage of stylists, publicity managers, and hangers-on, and when she saw me, she beamed.

“Oh hello!”

She laughed gleefully, shoving her glass into someone’s hand and running over.

“You made it!”

Wait, what?

And suddenly, my stomach sank, as my mother brushed right past me and threw her arms around the stranger’s neck. My stranger — the one who’d seen me practically naked. The one who’d hugged my small body to his muscled, big one. The one whose forbidden hand on my ass the whole walk here had left a tingling heat between my legs.

My mother hugged him tight, kissing his cheek and running her hands up and down his chest in a way that made my blood absolutely boil. Which was totally ridiculous, I knew, but I couldn’t help it. And then of course I felt completely idiotic for getting all mushy over, and then jealous over one of my mothers stupid boy toys.

“Well this is wonderful!” my mother crowed. “You’ve met Colette!”

She turned and beamed at me, and my lips pursed tight as I glared past her at the smug, dark, gorgeous, unreadable face of my mystery man.

“Yes, we have,” I said tersely, swallowing the heat from my face as the memory of his lips so close to mine and his hands on me came rushing back.

“Well?”

I frowned in confusion at the way my mother was just staring at me expectantly, her brows raised.

“Well…what?”

What, did she want my freaking approval of her new boy toy? Yeah, that would be a new one.

But she only rolled her eyes as she sighed and strode towards me.

“Well what do you think of Rourke?”

The whole room froze.

My stomach dropped, my pulse skipped a beat, and my jaw dropped. Slowly, I dragged my wide, unbelieving eyes back over his muscled chest, and his broad strong shoulders, and his chiseled, perfect jaw, and those gorgeous, dark, smokey eyes.

No way.

“This is Rourke, dear.” My mother beamed benignly at me. “Your new husband.”

Rourke — my stranger, my weakness, and my destiny — slowly grinned at me.

Oh God.