I might’ve been born into royalty, and spent most of my life so far going to fancy dinners, and balls, and events. But King Lucian’s suitors’ ball in Avlion that night?

Whoa.

It was like nothing I’d ever seen. The entire palace glittered with gold and lights, making it look like something out of one of those animated princess movies I may have watched too many times when I was younger. Lucian’s royal guard were on hand in their finest, escorting guests through the palace to the main ballroom, where a string quartet played under a ceiling of flickering globe lights.

Like I said: whoa.

Even Rourke, who’d also spent a lot of time at extravagant, elegant functions, looked impressed, whistling lowly as we stepped into the ballroom. I looked around at faces familiar and unfamiliar — princes and princesses, and lords and all sorts of royalty mingling around drinking champagne. King Lucian and his wife, the stunningly beautiful Queen Jessica, were holding court to one side of the room, warmly greeting guests and making jokes. This was a kingdom of warmth, and love, and family — slightly different from the current state of Cordonne.

I caught sight of two of Lucian and Jessica’s daughters, the equally stunning Ilana in the light blue gown that I was now doubly glad for not wearing, and her younger sister Imogen with her fiery red hair and gorgeous chartreuse green dress. I glanced around the room some more, gasping quietly to myself as I spotted the youngest Morningstar sister, Isla, dancing with none other than Prince Logan, of Torsund — a beast of a man who was rumored to have even been actually cursed.

Rourke heard my surprise though, and turned, raising a brow and smirking at me.

“Something catch your eye?”

I arched my brows. “Princess Isla dancing with Prince Logan?”

Rourke shrugged. “And?”

“And you don’t think that’s going to be all sorts of a scandal?”

He chuckled. “For one, I think Logan is probably a far better man than people think he is. And two, Princess, I’m not sure I’m one to give a shit about what royalty decides is a scandal.” I grinned, biting my lip as he pulled me close. “And isn’t this a scandal? The gorgeous and tempting Princess Colette married off to the brutish and scowling, and decidedly un-royal Rourke Cannon?”

“Brutish, hmm?”

“Oh, Princess, I haven’t even shown you brutish yet.”

I laughed, my hand moving to slide into his. “Could you?”

The smile on his face quickly turned downright hungry as the growl caught in his throat.

“You’re awfully tempting right now,” he purred, pulling me tight against him.

“Oh, am I?” I whispered innocently as I leaned close and let my lips brush his ear.

“Is knowing that I’m completely naked under this thin dress tempting you right now?”

God, I could feel his cock grow harder against me through his tuxedo and my gown — pulsing hard into my thigh as he growled into my hair.

“Let’s go,” he groaned, taking me by the hand and pulling me after him as he whirled and started to stride from the ballroom.

I giggled. “Wait, where are we going?”

Rourke came to stop, whirling and tugging me against him, making me gasp as I tumbled into his chest.

“Well,” he purred, his hands sliding down my sides tantalizingly. “I could drag you away somewhere where I can pull that dress up and show you just how brutish I can be, or I can tear it off right here and now and make you come in front of all these people.”

The gasp caught in my throat, my face burning hot as his words teased through me and his eyes burned fiercely into mine. Slowly, he grinned, hungrily.

“Your choice, Princess, but in thirty seconds, I’m going to—”

“Take me some place,” I whispered, sliding into him and tugging on his tuxedo shirt. My pulse raced, and the raw need for this man roared through me as I molded my body to his.”

“I want you to take me some place and show me something new.”

Rourke groaned. “Careful, Princess.”

“I don’t want careful,” I purred into his ear, feeling my pulse race as I slid my hand between us, where no one could see, and let one of my fingers trace up and down his huge erection.

“I want you.”

His hand tightened on my wrist, and the fire blazed in his eyes.

“Let’s go. I’m not through with you yet.”

I gasped as he pulled me from the ballroom, the both of us disappearing down a darkened palace hallway.

“What happens when you’re through with me?”

Rourke turned and grinned, his eyes flashing fire.

“We’ll never know.”

I started to raise my brow when he suddenly yanked me close, his lips brushing my ear.

“Because I’ll never be through with you, Princess.”

*****

“We can’t be in here,” I gasped, my eyes suddenly going wide as I realized where he’d taken us. We’d entered through a series of side doors and back hallways, but the second we’d stepped into the huge, gilded, gorgeous room, my heart skipped a beat.

“Can’t we?”

“Rourke,” I tugged on his hand, my pulse racing. “Seriously, we shouldn’t be—”

“Feels pretty good to be bad, doesn’t it, baby girl?” he purred, his firm, powerful hand pulling me towards him until I was flush against his chest. My hands slid up his msucled arms under his tuxedo jacket and shirt, feeling them ripple powerfully as he held me so tight.

“I—”

“In fact, I know your little pussy is getting wetter already, wondering just what I’m going to do to you in here.”

“In here?”

I gasped, swallowing thickly as my pulse jumped in my veins. And god was he right. I was soaked.

Oh, and “here” happened to be the throne room. We were literally standing in the middle of the dark, empty, gorgeously elegant royal throne room of King Lucian and Queen Jessica’s palace. It was dark, but even still, I could see the shine of the gilded gold trim, the deep purple and red drapery, and elegant hanging crystal chandeliers. He couldn’t seriously mean he was going to put his hands all over me in there, could he?

“Very much in here,” he growled, his hands sliding around my waist. “Did you think I was going to drag you away from the ball and tear your clothes off in some janitor’s closet, or a pantry somewhere?”

I bit my lip, feeling his rock hard erection pulsing against my belly through his tuxedo pants and my gown. His eyes blazed, and one of his hands slid down to firmly cup my ass in his palm, like it was his.

Slowly, he shook his head. “Not a chance, beautiful. My princess deserves more than a closet. My princess,” he growled, his hand grabbing my ass tighter and making me whimper as he pulled me tight against his pulsing cock.

“My princess deserves only the best. So if I’m going to push this gown up around your waist, like this…” I gasped as he did just that, one of his hands yanking my dress high as the other slid over my exposed hip to firmly cup my bare, panty-less ass.

“And if I’m going to slide my hand between her pretty thighs and feel how fucking wet her sweet, tempting little pussy is…”

I whimpered as his hand slid between my legs, his fingers dragging thickly through my wet, slick, aching pussy. A finger pad bumped over my clit, making me shudder against him and cry out into the empty throne room.

“And if want to taste this, and show her things she’s never even dreamed of…”

My eyes went wide as his other hand slid down the clef of my ass, one finger easing lower until he teased it right against the tight little ring of my asshole. I gasped sharply, a forbidden feeling of pleasure simmering through me as he touched me in my most private place and made my whole body yearn for more.

“Then, yes, Princess, I’m going to do it here. I’m going to do all that to her surrounded by gold, and crystal, and everything befitting the princess she is.”

I whimpered as he kissed me heatedly, and when his hands grabbed my ass and lifted me up into him, I only kissed him harder. Our tongues melded, his lips searing into mine as he strode across the empty throne rom, his shoes echoing in the stillness.

I gasped when he sat me down on soft, luxurious velvet, and when he pushed my legs wide apart and growled into my lips, I moaned for him. Suddenly, my pulse skipped, and I pulled away to glance around.

“Are you crazy?” I gaped, my eyes wide and my heart beating a million miles an hour as I realized where he’d sat me.

The throne. I was sitting bare-assed on the solid gold, bejeweled, velvet upholstered actual throne of Avlion.

“You drive me crazy, beautiful,” he growled, kissing me fiercely and taking my breath away. “Everything about you makes me insane with desire and feelings I’ve never even known before. And I’m not going to hold back. I won’t hold back, not with you, and not ever. When we marry,” he groaned into my lips, his hands sliding down my body. “I’ll never hold a single thing back from you. You’ll have all of me, always. And all I want is all of you in return.”

I gasped, kissing him hungrily, my hands clutching his jacket and yanking him against me as I answered with my lips.

“You have me,” I whimpered, kissing him with everything I had.

“Something arranged like this isn’t how I would have chosen to do this, beautiful,” he whispered. “But I couldn’t stay away any longer. I couldn’t keep myself from you another second or I’d have gone insane.”

He shook his head slowly. “I tried to keep away, Princess. For the last fucking year, I tried to keep away.”

My mouth opened, my brow furrowing. “Wait, what?”

“I was there, Colette,” he growled, his jaw tight. “At the ‘unveiling’ your mother threw for you. I was there, and the second I saw you, I knew you’d be mine. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I would have you, and possess you. Me, and no other man. Not ever,” he purred.

I slowly shook my head. “I didn’t know you were—”

“I was there,” he growled. “I was there, and even if I walked away without saying a word to you, my heart never left you.”

“Why didn’t… I mean…” I frowned, my hands tightening on his jacket. “Why did you wait until now?”

Rourke slowly shook his head. “Because you deserve better than me, Princess,” he said softly. “Because I’m broken, and followed by darkness, and because I’m not royal—”

“I don’t care about that,” I hissed, kissing him hard. “And you’re not broken, you’re—”

“I am,” he said softly. “But you…” He shook his head, his eyes burning into mine. “You’re the ray of light in my life I never knew I could have. You’re the goodness that could turn me right — the softness to smooth out my edges and the grace to warm my heart. And you haven’t just warmed it, Princess.”

He pulled away, one hand sliding up to cup my jaw as his eyes locked with mine.

“You’ve stolen it.”

And just like that, if he hadn’t somehow before, he stole mine. I kissed him with everything I had, flinging my arms around him and opening my mouth for his tongue. He swallowed my moans, his hands sliding over my body and making every single inch of my skin tingle with heat and need for him.

“I want you,” I gasped into his lips. “I don’t care about waiting. I just want it to be you.” I pulled back to look him in the eye. “I want it to only be you, forever.”

Rourke groaned as he kissed me with a fierce passion, cupping my jaw with one hand and holding my hip tightly in the other as he molded his muscled body to mine and claimed my lips.

“Fuck, Princess,” he growled, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip and making me whimper. “I could take you right here on this throne. I could claim that cherry right fucking here, and feel your sweet little pussy open up for the very first time.”

I moaned, nodding eagerly as I kissed him.

“But,” he growled, pulling away and squeezing his eyes shut, his jaw tight. “But, I can’t.”

I whimpered.

“Out of respect for doing this right, I won’t,” he groaned. “Not until we’re married.”

I groaned, the fire he’d lit inside of me blazing out of control. My hands drifted down his body, my fingers trembling as they crept over the front of his tuxedo pants. Rourke growled, and I whimpered at the large bulge of his cock, straining at the fabric and twitching against my small hand.

“Colette,” he groaned, pulling me against him and burying his face in my neck. “Fuck you are so fucking tempting. So fucking enticing. All I want to do is let you feel every inch of me sliding inside of you. All I want to do is watch the pleasure bloom in your face as I claim you for the first time. I want to know what you sound like when you come with my cock buried deep inside of you, flooding my balls with your sweet cream.”

I gaped, my hand tightening around his big dick through his pants and stroking him slowly I could feel every throb and twitch, and as I moved my hand down, I could feel the swollen crown — his pants there already wet and sticky from his pre-cum.

“I want that,” I gasped. “That’s all I want, Rourke.”

He growled, his hands sliding down and pushing my legs wide apart. His fingers found my slippery wet lips, and when he began to rub my clit in slow circles, I whimpered.

“Do you trust me, Princess?”

I gasped, nodding my head and stroking him faster. I buried my face against his chest, moaning as his amazing fingers drove me wild.

“I trust you,” I whispered.

“Then sit back, and let me make you feel things you’ve never even imagined.”

I gasped as his mouth found the soft tender spot on my neck, nipping and sucking at the skin there and making me squirm against him as he kissed his way down. I knew he was going to leave bruises on me, and the thought of him marking me like that — as his — had my blood pumping even hotter.

I was his, and I wanted the whole world to know it too.

His mouth traced lower, kissing and sucking at my collarbone and making me shiver. He moved even lower, over the tops of my breasts, making me gasp as his hands began to untie the front ribbon of the gown. He pulled it open, baring my breasts as his lips slid down and wrapped around a hard, pink nipple. He teased it with his teeth, making me gasp sharply before his tongue swirled over it, making my head spin. He licked his way across to the other breasts, his hand cupping it and his voice growling as he sucked that one between his lips as well.

My whole body was on fire for him, and as his fingers kept teasing my pussy, I kept making them wetter and wetter as he drove me wild.

Rourke kissed his way even lower, untying the wrap-style gown I was wearing entirely and letting it fall open, so that I was naked for him. He kissed his way across my trembling belly, his hands moving to push my legs wide — this time hooking the backs of my knees over the armrests of the sumptuous, gorgeous throne.

“So fucking pretty,” he groaned, his breath hot on my pussy and making me shiver. His tongue darted out, and as he looked up and held my wide-eyed stare with his heated gaze, he slowly dragged his tongue up my slit until it bumped over my clit.

I melted. I cried out, my hands clutching the throne’s armrests with white knuckles as Rourke began to tease my pussy. He swirled his tongue over my clit, making my breath catch in my throat before he moved lower. His tongue slid deep into my opening, his groan rumbling through me as he slowly tongue-fucked my pussy. His fingers teased up and down my thighs, making me tremble and roll my hips against him as the sensations blurred over me.

And then, Rourke went lower.

At first, I gasped in shock, my body tightening up and my eyes going wide. His tongue was on my ass! I thought it might have been an accident, but when he growled and slowly started to swirl it around my tight little ring, my shock turned to pure lust. Pleasure like I’d never felt before exploded through me, and as my jaw dropped and my pulse roared in my ear, I slowly let go, and gave in to the sensations.

I gasped in naughty, forbidden pleasure, whimpering loudly in the throne room and trembling as my gorgeous, gruff, dominant fiancé slowly tongued my asshole. He swiped his tongue over my trembling little ring, making me moan in filthy pleasure. His tongue stiffened, and as his fingers moved to my pussy — rolling my clit in slow circles — he began to push his tongue in and out of my slick, quivering asshole.

“Oh God…” I cried out, my hands clutching at his hair as his wicked mouth teased me and made my toes curl. His tongue swirled faster, and harder, pushing in and out of me as his thumb ground against my clit and made every muscle in my body tense up tight.

Part of me still wanted to fight it, because it was so dirty, but then, there was no denying it. There was no denying how naughty and how sexy he made me feel. And there was certainly was no denying how freaking amazing his tongue felt on my ass. And suddenly, I realized I was going to tumble over that edge, and I was going to tumble soon and hard.

His thumb rolled my clit, and as his hot, slick tongue pushed deep against my tight little asshole, I suddenly lost it completely. I cried out, trying to bury my cry into a fistful of my gown as Rourke and his wicked tongue and fingers sent me exploding into orbit. My hips bucked against his face, my whole body tensing and shattering as the orgasm thundered through me.

I gasped as he gently slowed, letting my body come back from outer space. The glow sank into me, my whole body trembling with the aftershocks of the dirtiest, hottest orgasm of my life. Rourke slowly stood, kissing his way back up my body. His hand wrapped its way into my hair, and when he pulled my head back and kissed my neck, making me gasp in primal pleasure, I cried out for more.

His clothes shed quickly, and my eyes feasted on his incredible, perfect body — the grooved lines of his muscles flexing and tightening, and the sexy way his tattoo ink rippled as he stalked towards me in the dim light. His hand slid up my legs, keeping them spread wide as he eased his thick, throbbing cock against my tight little pussy. I whimpered, biting my lip and looking down with wide, unblinking eyes. Part of me wondered if he’d just take me anyways — if he’d ignore what he’d said before and just plunge his big dick right into me.

…Part of me wanted him to.

His swollen head eased against my wet, pink lips, and when he groaned and eased forward, I cried out in pleasure. But he didn’t push inside. He let his thick tool slide up, the head nudging up my slit and bumping over my clit. I whimpered, pleasure rippling through me as his big cock sawed back and forth across my clit. His pre-cum flowed freely from his head — thick, sticky white liquid dribbling down over my pussy and his cock, making us both slick with it. My own desire dripped down his shaft, making it shiny and glistening as he growled and ground against me.

Eventually though, he pulled back. My brow furrowed and my bottom lip caught between my teeth in a pout, when suddenly, he moved it lower.

Oh, God.

When Rourke pressed the thick, swollen, spongy head of his big cock against my tight little asshole, my body trembled for him. I gasped, my jaw dropping and my eyes going wide as I stared down to where his huge dick was pressed so tightly against my unyielding little hole.

“Rourke—”

“Do you trust me, Princess?” he purred, his eyes meeting mine with fire sparking between them.

Slowly, swallowing thickly, I nodded.

“Then open that little ass for me, baby girl. Open that tight little ass up and let me slide my big cock deep inside. Let me show you how good I can make you feel. We’ll keep your virginity intact tonight, but I’m still going to fuck you like deserve to be fucked. I’m still going to let you feel every inch of my cock slide inside of you.”

I cried out as I felt him twitch against my asshole, and I moaned watching him reach down, wrap a hand around his slick, shiny cock, and slowly stroke it against me. More pearly white pre-cum leaked from his crown, coating my ass and dribbling down my skin.

“Your cherry stays tonight, but this?” He growled as he pushed against my little ring, slowly easing it into me.

“Tonight, this is mine to claim.”

“Yours!” I gasped, panting as the raw naughtiness of it all thundered through me. I mean, I was spread-legged on the royal throne of Avlion, with the man of my dreams who I’d never seen coming about to slide his big, yummy cock deep inside my tight, virgin asshole.

And I wanted him to. So freaking badly.

“Show me,” I gasped, biting my lip. His other hand slid to my hip, holding me tightly as he looked me right in the eye. “Please fuck my ass,” I whispered heatedly.

Rourke groaned. “With pleasure, Princess.”

He pushed forward, and for a second, I was sure it was never going to fit. But slowly, inchingly, and with his muscles straining and rippling, his head began to ease through my opening. He kept going, and it wasn’t for another few seconds that I realized that the low, fierce moaning sound I was hearing was my own voice, slowly filling the throne room with my pleasure as he eased inside.

And then suddenly, the head slipped inside, and I cried out.

“Oh fuck!” I whimpered, gasping at the intensity of it, but also at the wild pleasure rippling through me.

Rourke began to push forward, his huge cock prying my tiny ass open as he slid in. My ass and his cock were both still so slick from his pre-cum and my pussy that he began to inch his way inside. He growled, his biceps tensing and his abs rippling as he slowly fed inch after thick, beautiful inch of his gorgeous cock up my tight little asshole. I moaned, loudly, clawing at the armrests of the throne as he slowly buried every inch of his big dick deep inside my butt.

A suddenly, he was all the way in. Suddenly, I could feel his big, heavy balls resting on my ass. My eyes were still glued to where we joined, but as I slowly dragged them up to his face, I lost myself in the intensity of his gaze.

“Do you feel that, Princess?” he growled. “Do you feel my big cock claiming your ass like that?”

I moaned wildly, my body trembling in pleasure and my breath catching in my throat as I nodded eagerly.

“Touch your pussy, baby girl,” Rourke groaned through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing heat. “Play with that little clit while I make this ass mine. Make that sweet kitty purr for me. I want to feel your candy-sweet juices dripping down your ass and off of my balls while you play with that little virgin cunt for me. Roll your clit and watch as I give you every inch of my cock deep in your dirty little ass.”

I cried out, throwing my head back and gasping. My chest heaved with my breath, and the blood roared in my ears as Rourke’s cock throbbed deep inside of me. And slowly, I did what he said. I slid my hand down my belly, and when I traced it over my pussy, I moaned quietly.

“Just like that, beautiful,” he groaned, his jaw tensing. “I’m not going to hurt you. Lay back, open that ass up for me, an play with your sweet little pussy while I give you every inch.” Our eyes met, and something explosive sparked between them.

“I’m going to treat you like a princess, but I’m going to fuck you like a queen.”

My fingers trembled as they rolled over my clit, feeling how dripping wet I was. My whole body shivered with ecstasy as Rourke slowly drew back, his thick cock easing out of my ass and sending little tremors of lightning through me. He slid out until only his thick swollen head was just inside, letting me feel him throbbing inside, before he slowly pushed back inside.

I moaned, and I moaned loudly, my fingers rubbing my clit in slow, aching circles as this dominant, gorgeous, powerful man slowly filled my most private place with every single inch of his huge cock. I could feel myself stretching open, my ass tightening around his thickness as he slowly drove in. He filled me entirely, his heavy balls resting on my ass and his eyes blazing right into mine.

“Rub that pussy, Princess,” he groaned. “Play with that little cunt like a good girl. Can you feel me so deep inside of you? Can you feel that big cock opening that eager ass up?”

I gasped, panting and nodding as my eyes sparked fire right back into his.

“Fuck me,” I moaned, my fingers rubbing my clit faster. “Please make me yours.”

Rourke pulled back again, and this time, he leaned down and crushed his lips to mine. I kissed him hungrily, my legs spread so wide for him with my knees over the arm-rests of the throne. I could feel him pulsing so hot and dirty right inside my ass, and as he kissed me fiercely, his tongue dueling with mine, he growled and drove his hips forward. I screamed into his mouth in pleasure, feeling his beautiful cock slide deep inside, touching me where no one ever had. He slid out again, only to rock his muscled hips again and drive every single inch back inside.

We started to move faster, his hips flexing and rolling as he slid his fat cock in and out of my tight, clenching little ass. My fingers blurred over my clit, sending heat through my body. Rourke angled up a little and drove in again, making me cry out as he somehow hit that special spot inside my pussy, like he was rubbing it through my ass. My eyes rolled back in my head, and my whole body started to tremble in pleasure as my muscled, tattooed, darkly sexy fiancé started to claim my body.

“Fuck, I can feel you squeezing me so tight, Princess,” he groaned into my lips, his tongue teasing mine. “I can feel that sweet little ass milking my cock, like it’s hungry for my cum.”

I moaned, kissing him harder and sliding my free hand into his hair, clinging to him as he drove into me again and again. He started to move faster, his gorgeous, big cock filling me up with every powerful stroke. His strong, powerful hands grabbed my thighs as he nailed me to the throne, fucking me again and again until my whole world started to blur.

He was going to make me come, and he was going to make me come hard. The combination of all of it was building until I knew there was no turning back — how gorgeous and sexy he was, and how dirty what we were doing was, how good his big cock felt inside my ass. And then where we were — that we were doing this sitting on the damn golden throne of this palace.

But on top of all of that was one thing: that what we were doing, though so dirty, and so naughty and wrong, felt so fucking good. His cock hit me in all the right places, and as his muscled hips crashed into me again and again, I knew I was close. I knew he was going to make me come so hard with his cock deep in my ass.

“I want to feel you come, baby girl,” Rourke groaned, his jaw tight as his eyes burned fiercely into mine. “I want to feel that naughty little asshole tighten around my thick cock when you come. I want to feel your candy-sweet juices dripping down my balls when I fill you with my cum. You’re going to feel every spurt of my hot sticky cum coat the inside of your ass, and afterwards, we’re going to go back to that ball, and I’m going to dance with my bride. I’m going to hold you like you’re mine, and every single person there will know it. Every single man who sees you back out there will know you belong to me, and that you’ve had me inside of you. They’ll know that my cum is inside of you, and dripping down your thighs under your dress. They’ll know you’ve been claimed.”

I moaned in pleasure as I started to topple over the edge — his cock, his filthy words, and my fingers on my clit pushing me right over.

“So come for me, Princess. Come so good for me with that big cock in your ass, so we can go back out there and I can show the woman I love off to the whole damn world.”

It was like pulling a trigger.

I screamed as I came, my entire body rippling and exploding with pleasure as the orgasm erupted through me. I bucked against him, clutching him so tightly as my body shattered under him. Rourke roared into my ear, his teeth dragging over my earlobe as he drove his cock deep inside my ass and let go. I cried out, feeling his hot, pulsing, thick spurts of cum pumping so deep inside of me. His hips crashed against me again and again, his big beautiful cock driving into me over and over as he emptied every single drop of his cum deep inside of me.

Love.

I knew that had done it. I knew one word had been the straw to break this camel’s back. And I knew how crazy this all was, and that I just met him, and that I barely even knew him. But then, I knew that what I did know was enough. I knew that he made me feel things I’d never felt before. I knew that he made me feel so damn dirty, and naughty, and slutty, but also like the royal queen of his world.

I knew that my heart beat like it’d never beat before around him, and when he wasn’t around, I knew that all I wanted was to see him again. I knew I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him, royalty or not, and I knew that thinking thoughts like that brought the biggest smile to my face I’d ever had, and made my heart swell up bigger than I’d ever known.

…I knew I loved him, and that’s all I needed to know.

He leaned in, his body surrounding mine as he kissed me tenderly and slowly — a switch from the raw, unbridled passion we’d just shared. This man who’d just dominated my body and made me cum so fucking hard, kissed me so sweetly, and gently, that I melted into him.

“The woman you love, hmm?”

He smiled into my lips, kissing me slowly.

“More than anything in this world, Colette,” he growled quietly. “I loved you the second I saw you. It just took almost losing you for me to tell you.”

I grinned. “You mean it took me almost marrying Prince Scott to get you to come get me?”

His eyes burned fiercely.

“No other man was going to have you. You were mine the minute I saw you, Princess,” he purred into my lips.

“I’ve never wanted any other man to have me,” I whispered back before I grinned mischievously. “Wow, I should have tried to marry Prince Scott ages ago. Maybe I could have gotten you to come steal me away sooner.”

Rourke smiled heatedly, nipping at my bottom lip.

“Tease.”

“Brute.”

“Brat.”

“Maybe I just need another spanking,” I panted. I whimpered as I felt his cock — still rock-hard and inside of me — pulse.

“Careful what you wish for, Princess,” he growled.

I giggled, throwing my arms around his neck. “I believe someone promised me a dance first?”

“Absolutely.” He kissed me once more, slowly and tenderly before he gently pulled out of me. He scooped me up, kissing me some more as he set me down and helped me close my gown back up.

“Give me five minutes,” he whispered into my lips. “I’m going to go get us some champagne.”

“Champagne, huh?”

He smiled. “We’re celebrating after all.”

Rourke leaned in and kissed me, his hand sliding up to cup my jaw possessively, sending a thrill through me.

“I’ll be right back, my princess.”

“And I’ll be right here,” I whispered. “Waiting for you.”