I had officially crossed into the land of insane. Because this was truly madness. This was asking for trouble in the worst kind of way. Not only was she almost half my age, not only was she a damned virgin, not only was it so wrong that I’d spent the next three nights in her bed, showing her everything else but taking her virginity. No, beyond all that was the fact that she was the Princess of Berne. The. Damned. Princess.

And I was no prince. I wasn’t remotely royalty. This wasn’t just inappropriate, this was get your fucking head chopped off. Well, maybe not really, in this day and age. Certainly court-martialed, though. Certainly jailed. Certainly get the shit beaten out of you in jail by any number of willing life-sentence motherfuckers willing to take some cash for their families from whoever might want me dead or broken.

And yet, still I went back.

Still I’d sneak into her room, and into her bed, and into her willing arms, and between her willing legs. She was my obsession, my drug. I was addicted to the sounds of her moans in my ears, to the way her tight little body writhed for me, and to the way she screamed my name into her pillow as I made her come.

I showed her everything those next three nights — all of it — and she took it craving more.

This was crazy, batshit insane wrong.

And I didn’t care.

I was falling in all sorts of love with this girl. I was in over my head, and I knew it. So was she, and I knew she knew it too. But we didn’t care. The feelings were too real. The realization that nothing else in this world had ever felt so damned good was too real.

She was my everything, and as fucked up and wrong as I knew it was, I couldn’t stay away.

I wouldn’t.

* * *

She moaned, her thighs tightening on my head as her hand dropped to my hair. I growled into her pussy, having just woken her with my tongue pushing in deep.

It was the fourth night of our affair, and I’d snuck in a bit later than the nights before. I slowly pulled away, grinning wolfishly up at her.

“I’d apologize for waking you, but…” I shrugged.

“But you’re not sorry.”

“Not in the slightest.”

She grinned. “I thought you might not be coming.”

“Not a chance I wouldn’t. You fell asleep on me.”

“Someone’s kept me up the last few nights.”

“Someone’s going to keep you up very late tonight,” I growled, dropping my head back between her thighs.

“Wait.”

I paused, frowning as I glanced up at her.

“I have to tell you something.”

The frown deepened as I moved up next to her, my hand stroking her cheek. “Tell me.”

“I—” She looked away. “I have to go somewhere soon.”

“Oh?”

“A ball.”

She looked down, biting her lip.

“Tell me what’s wrong, beautiful.”

“It’s a suitors’ ball.”

I scowled, something dark welling up inside of me.

“I have to go,” she said glumly.

“A suitors’ ball to find you a husband, huh?”

Her face fell. “Don’t be mad, please? My dad’s making me go to it.” She sighed. “Well, no, actually it’s my stepmother that’s making me go.”

“Queen Mallory.”

Her face soured at the name. I didn’t blame her.

Queen Mallory was King Lorne’s second wife, and the total opposite of Kathryn, Adele’s mother who’d passed away years ago. Mallory also seemed to have gotten her claws in deep with her King, and rumor had it she was pulling more strings than people were aware of.

“Plus, it’s my uncle, King Lucian’s ball, in Avlion.”

I was quiet, brooding at the idea of her going off to parade around in front of a bunch of pampered little bitches calling themselves princes. I knew she was mine, and I wasn’t worried about her. I was worried about them. They didn’t know she was mine. The thought of them looking at her like that, of ogling her, and trying their hand at stupid lines, or trying to dance with her?

I growled lowly.

“Don’t be mad,” she whispered. “Honestly, if I could not go, I would.” Her fingers slid into mine. “You know I only want you.”

“But how can we be?” I muttered, hating the taste of the words on my tongue. “You’re royalty, Princess. And I’m most certainly not.”

“We can make this work.”

I shook my head and looked away, the harsh reality of this whole affair suddenly hitting me like a knife to the gut.

“Beautiful, I don’t—”

“I’ll only ever be yours.”

She said it with such sincerity, with such naked honesty, that I scooped her into my arms and kissed her with everything I had.

“And if it has to stay a secret?”

“Then it stays a secret,” she whispered. “I’ll never marry some stupid prince just because people say I should. I’ll just have you.”

“It’d be a scandal.”

“Let them talk.”

I grinned. “That’s my girl.”

“Your girl,” she husked, slowly pushing me back and swinging one leg over me.

I growled as she mounted me, her hands sliding down my chest, over my abs, and down to curl her fingers around my throbbing cock. She panted, raising up slightly and easing the head of me against her wet, silken opening.

“Adele—”

I wanted her. God help me, I wanted her. But there was a reason I hadn’t taken her virginity yet. Because I wanted it to be special for her. I didn’t want her to lose it in some hushed, whispered affair like this, hoping we weren’t “found out.” I wanted it to be perfect for her.

“I know,” she said quietly. “I just want to try something.”

Slowly, she eased down, and I groaned deeply as I felt her lips part around my shaft. She moved down, not taking me inside, but letting her pussy slide down the underside of my pulsing cock. She gasped, her eyes closing and her body shuddering as she moved her hands to my chest. Slowly, she started to move her hips, sliding her sweet little pussy up and down my shaft without actually taking me inside.

But fuck did it feel like heaven.

She moved faster, and then faster still, her eyes closing as she tossed her head back, her black hair tousled around her face. She bucked her hips, her clit rubbing up and down every inch of my cock as her moans started to fill the room. Her hands moved up to her own breasts, cupping them, and gently twisting her nipples as I lay back and just watched this goddess ride me.

My goddess.

She came suddenly, her whole body shuddering as her fingers teased her nipples and her black hair fell across her face. I groaned, grabbing her soft thighs and rocking my hips up as I felt the cum explode out of me to land in hot white streaks across my abs. Adele gasped once more and then collapsed onto me, kissing me hungrily as we slowly found our breath.

Like I said, I had officially crossed into insanity. Craziness. Madness.

Love.

And I’d be damned if I let her station, or a shitty wicked stepmother, or anything tell her she had to be with anyone but me.

* * *

I held off visiting the next night, since I knew she was busy with her friend Anya, and besides, I actually had to put in some time on my report about the insurgency front lines. But two afternoons later — the day of King Lucian’s ball, I snuck back in.

I had a present for her.

She’d just finished getting ready, it looked like when I stepped inside. My breath caught — my jaw tightening and my cock hardening at the sight of her.

God damn she was perfect.

She wore a silvery gold dress that shimmered as it fell around her perfectly. Her long black hair was up in this elaborate and intricate series of twists and braids and curls, and I just stared at her until she caught me in the mirror and grinned.

“You’re not supposed to be here in the daylight!” she whispered quickly, her eyes darting around the room with a worried look, even if she was smiling at my being there.

“I know, Princess.” I moved towards her, my eyes hungrily drinking her in.

“Damon—”

“You look fucking incredible, you know.”

She blushed, her lip catching in her teeth. “My friend Anya is right outside,” she whispered as I stepped into her, pulling her against me and letting my hands trail over her dress.

“Just take this.”

I stepped away and pulled the small black package out from behind me.

“What is it?” She grinned, her eyes sparkling as she carefully took it from my hands.

“Wear them, tonight.”

She gave me a puzzled look.

“What do you—”

“Just wear them.” I grinned wolfishly at her, reveling in knowing what she didn’t. Yet.

“Have fun tonight,” I whispered, leaning in and kissing her softly, and then harder, letting my teeth catch her lip and my tongue probe against hers before I pulled back, leaving her breathless and blushing.

“And Princess?”

“Yes?” she whispered.

“Any of those prissy little princes try and get too close? I’ll kill ‘em.”

She beamed. “Please do.”