Chapter Five
Aleo lay beside Piper wondering how the hell he always managed to get himself into these messes. She was a biter. His lips still ached from the effects of her teeth. He knew his lips would be bruised by morning, which wouldn’t fare well for the matching ceremony. Her body had marks from his fingers, too. It made him prideful. Possessive.
“Do I have to be nice to you now?” Piper asked, disrupting the silence in the room.
“No.” A lazy grin lingered at his lips. “But the nicer you are, the nicer I’ll be.”
She snorted. “I’m not sorry for anything I did.”
“Me either.” He pulled her to him and draped a leg over her body. She felt good against him. He buried his face in her hair and breathed her in. Cuddling with Piper was something he found himself liking. When she wasn’t busy busting his balls, she could actually be soft and sweet.
“So is my debt paid? You fucked me. Can I go home?”
He traced her lips with his finger. “No.”
He gripped her cheeks and kissed her. Everything about her made him want to claim her. Possess her like an alpha would. He was the fucking king, and she was a human. It was forbidden, but that didn’t seem to matter much now. He’d have whatever he wanted, and if that included her, so be it.
Piper pushed away from him. “I’m surprised you’re not ready to kick me out of your bed now that you’ve had your fix.”
“The only way I’d kick you out of my bed is to fuck you on the floor. Or against the wall. Or in the bathtub.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m far from having my fix of you.”
She sat up and glanced around. “I’m not sure I’m up for another round.”
Aleo stroked her back with the tips of his fingers. “Tell me about yourself.”
“No.”
He chuckled. “You really like that word, don’t you?”
“No more than you do.” She stood and walked over to the bathtub. After checking the temperature of the water, she stepped inside the tub.
He watched her a moment before getting up to join her.
She pinched her nose and dipped beneath the water. “You want to give me a bath?”
He stared at her. “Not really.”
She smoothed her hair away from her face. “Then go away.”
He laughed and scooted the little stool beside the bathtub with his foot. Hell, he’d never given anyone a bath in his life. Sitting on the stool, he reached for a clean washrag and dipped it in the water. Piper watched him, giving him a puzzled look.
“You are the only person in the world that can say the king gave them a bath.” He smoothed some soap onto the rag and began washing her body.
She watched him, not quite relaxing enough to trust him. Self-consciousness filled him, making him wonder if what he was doing was right. Was there a proper way for a woman to bathe? Was it different than men?
“Why is the king giving me a bath?”
He didn’t have an answer. It felt more natural than to stay in his bed away from her. He wanted to be with her. It was an unusual reaction for him and something he’d never done before. Instead of answering her question, he draped the washcloth on the side of the tub. “After your bath, I want you on my bed with your legs spread.”
He stood, half-hard from touching her. She glanced at his cock before she finally met his eyes.
“I’m more than a hole to sink your cock into.”
He bent down, propped himself up on the edges of the bathtub while he put his face in hers. “Yes. You are. I plan to lick that juicy cunt until all that attitude disappears, too. Then I’ll make you say my name while I fuck you. You won’t forget who’s been inside you tomorrow, Piper. Memories of me will be branded inside your head, and you’ll get wet just thinking about what I’ll do to your body next.”
She fidgeted in the water, and he smiled. “Take your bath. Then get on the bed and spread your legs for me.”
He moved away from her.
“Where are you going?”
“To get some nourishment for us. It’s going to be a fucking long night, and we need to keep our strength.” He grabbed his dressing robe and left the room to find a servant.
When he came back, Piper was finger-combing her hair at the end of the bed. He had a plate of food and a bottle of wine for them and set it on the table beside the bed. She looked so damn beautiful that he stopped mid-stride to stare. Something about her always caught his attention. It didn’t matter what she was doing. Clothed, she was alluring enough, if not defiant. Naked, she was fucking mouthwatering and completely vulnerable.
Piper glanced over at him and then back at the bed. She crawled onto the soft mattress, naked, and turned to face him. Spreading her legs, she laid back, arching her back as her fingers slipped along her slit. Boldly, she met his gaze and parted herself for him with two fingers.
“Is this what you wanted?”
Aleo stared at her pink pussy. “Yes.”
She stroked her clit with one hand, while using the other to squeeze her breast. The last thing he expected Piper to do was put on a show for him. He folded his arms over his chest, watching the little minx work.
“You don’t act like you want it.” She stroked her clit a few times before sliding her middle finger inside her and bringing it to her lips to suck clean.
Aleo scratched the stubble growing on his chin. Everything she did made him hard. That was her power over him. He could control himself for the most part, but he couldn’t control his reaction to her. His cock had a mind of its own, and it fucking loved it when Piper teased.
He closed the distance between them and leaned over her for a kiss. Surprisingly, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he devoured her mouth, kissing her like his life depended on it. She felt so good beneath him. Right. All the bullshit about mating ceased to matter with her. He could never take a mate now because all he wanted was this woman.
“No biting or slapping?” He dragged his mouth away from hers. “You’re giving me complete compliance?”
She lay back, smiling up at him. “You only annoy me when you talk. It’s far easier for us to get along with your tongue inside my pussy.”
“I knew there was a catch.” He glanced down at her. “I wish I could say that it mattered, but it doesn’t.”
He pushed her thighs wide and kissed along the flat expanse of her belly. She liked provoking a reaction out of him, and he knew it. If she really was indifferent toward him then he wouldn’t waste his time. Instead, she liked to push him. Any other person would have different consequences for going against him like she did, but he was fairly certain that Piper could do anything she wanted to him without real consequence. She knew how far she could push him, too. It was what made her different.
And he liked it a lot.
He buried his face in her pussy, and she arched against him, reaching out to hold him to her while he licked and sucked at her juicy cunt. There were few things he liked better than eating a woman out, but the fact that he had Piper before him, begging him, made it better than any time before. He licked and sucked her wet slit, loving how she rocked her hips against him, forcing his attention to where she wanted him to go. He gave her that freedom for a moment before pressing his hands on her inner thighs and holding her down.
“Do you want me to tie you to the bed?” He glanced up at her. “Stay still.”
Piper swallowed hard as he returned his mouth to her cunt. Hell, he didn’t expect her to obey him. That was half the fun of fucking her. Soft little gasps came from her lips as she held still, letting him do whatever the hell he wanted. He inserted two fingers inside her, working the tiny hole to drive her closer and closer to madness. She dug her fingers into the sheets beneath her, soft little whimpers leaving her throat as he continued to torture her.
He loved it.
“I can’t do this,” she dropped her head back. “I need…”
“What?” he asked, pulling back from her. He let her clit go with a pop and stared down into her eyes. “What do you need?”
She panted, each breath rushing from her plump lips as she stared at him. He waited patiently, gently stroking her clit with his finger. It was a matter of wills. Piper didn’t beg, and neither did he.
“You know exactly what I need.”
He smirked. “I want to hear you say it, though.”
Frustration filled her beautiful face as she contemplated what she wanted to do. He could do this all night with her. Eat her pussy. Make her come. Make her beg. Give her his cock. Repeat. Hell, he wanted to do it all night. He wanted to do it for all eternity.
“I want your cock.” She didn’t quite meet his eyes when she said it.
“What?” He moved over her so that he could stare into her eyes. “I didn’t hear you.”
He rubbed the tip of his dick against her clit. Piper’s sharp intake of breath was music to his ears. He loved it when he had her full attention. She was stubborn and sassy, but there were little moments when she let her guard down and allowed herself to be needy and vulnerable. Those were the moments he cherished with her.
She leaned forward and bit his earlobe. “I want your cock,” she whispered. “Now.”
“No.” He grinned. “Get on your hands and knees.”
She stared at him. “No?”
“No.” He moved away from her. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Piper scoffed. “Fuck you.”
He grabbed her, flipping her to her stomach. She liked to fight him, and he liked it, too. Holding her arms behind her back, he moved in between her legs. She struggled a moment before he clutched her hair in his hand, tugging her head back.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous when you fight me.”
Piper scowled. “Kiss my ass.”
“I will.” To prove his point, he leaned forward and kissed her bare cheek before scraping his teeth along the fleshy skin. She sucked in a breath, jerking as he bit her.
Instead of drawing it out any longer, he pushed his cock inside her, clutching her hands at the small of her back. He loved her tight pussy. Loved the way it gripped him and clenched around him every time he pushed inside her. Piper let out a low moan as she closed her eyes, resting her face against the mattress.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, pumping his hips against her.
“Yes,” she gasped. “Fuck, yes.”
He slapped her ass with his free hand before grabbing her hair again and pulling her head back so that he could kiss her. Rough fucking wasn’t for everyone, but he sure as hell enjoyed it with her. She could take what he gave her and give him more. She squeezed him inside her, and Aleo groaned into her mouth. He knew within the very depths of his soul that there was no going back after this. He wanted her, and there was nothing anyone could do about that.
“Do you like my big cock fucking you, Piper?” he asked. “Is that why you came here today? To finish what we started?”
“If I wanted a big cock, I could get one. I don’t need you for that.”
“No?” He shoved into her hard. “You just wanted to free your father?”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Liar.” He let her arms go and dragged her hips so that her ass was in the air for him. “You wanted my cock from the first time we met.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” She gasped as the tip of his dick bumped against her G-spot. Her pussy spasmed around him as she closed her eyes, a silent cry lodged in her throat. She looked so damn beautiful when he made her come. So fucking perfect.
Her orgasm caused his, and Aleo found himself collapsing on top of her, wrapping his arms around her tiny body while he breathed her in. Neither one of them seemed to have a care in the world, and it felt fucking great.
Sometime later, Aleo moved off her and sat up to open the wine bottle. Piper didn’t move, and he couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss the small of her back.
“Eat with me.”
She groaned and pushed up from the mattress. “Don’t let what I’m about to say go to your head.”
He reached for the plate of food he’d brought in earlier. “Okay.”
“Thank you for taking care of that mess with my dad.” She didn’t quite meet his eyes as she reached for a roll. “I didn’t know what else to do. The royal guard laughed at me when I tried to get them to let him loose. I was angry when I came here. I shouldn’t have attacked you. I’m sorry.”
Aleo reached for her and pulled her between his legs. “You’re forgiven.”
He pressed a kiss to her sweaty temple. Red marks covered her inner thighs from his scratchy beard, and he couldn’t deny that he liked the look of it. Aleo lifted a piece of meat from the plate and held it to her lips.
“Is this another first? The king feeding someone?” She took the food he offered and almost smiled at him.
He nibbled along her cheek. “Yes.”
Piper smoothed her hand along his calf. “Why me? You know we can’t be together.”
Whenever he wanted to do something, yet didn’t want to give a reason why, he stated, “King’s orders.” Piper felt like that to him. There was no reason for why he wanted her. She was different. She made him smile. She teased him. She fought with him. She loved him like Aleo only dreamed a woman should. Why not Piper, was his question.
“I rather enjoy doing what I want.” He looped his arm around her body so that his hand rest against her stomach. “The fact that you’re human doesn’t change that.”
“Do you ever shift?” she asked, dropping her head back against his shoulder to look at him.
“Yes.” He pressed his lips to her cheek. “If there’s something for formality or if I feel threatened or offended. I protect what is mine, there’s no question about that.”
“Would you protect me?” Piper asked. “You said I’m yours.”
He kissed her shoulder. “That’s a complicated question with an even more complicated answer.”
She lifted a piece of meat to his lips. He took the bite, letting the room fall into silence. How did he change the rules? Piper was his, that was true. He could mate with a woman in the kingdom, but his heart would never be hers. Hell, he didn’t know when it happened, but over the course of the past two years, the feisty brunette that kept him on his toes had won him over.