“I thought we were going to talk?”

And I planned to do that. I just needed her one last time first. I needed to show her how I felt. That way when she knew the truth, she could remember … even if she didn’t want anything to do with me.

Bullshit, I know, but that was how I was spinning it.

“Sure, we can talk. If that’s what you want to do.” I traced my thumbs under her top and around her belly button.

Her tongue peeked out and ran over her bottom lip. Immediately my dick stirred. He wanted some of that tongue action. “Are you telling me you brought me home under false pretenses?”

I swallowed hard. Now was the time to tell her. “No. I do want to talk to you.” I pulled her to me. “I’m just afraid of what happens once I do. I don’t want to lose you.”

She reached up and caressed my face. “I need to tell you something too.”

Something in her eyes told me I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. Shit. Just one more night. One more night with her and then I would tell her the truth.

Her lashes fluttered and the dark depths of her eyes seemed to be boring right into my soul. "Sebastian, I don’t know what’s happening."

“Shh. Just kiss me. We’ll talk when the sun comes up. But we have tonight.” My hands gripped her hips. "I just—" What? What could I possibly say to her to that would cover how I felt? "You look beautiful." That wasn’t what I wanted to say, but nothing I could say would be enough.

"I wish I could explain how you make me feel."

I just held her tighter. "Why don't you show me?”

A smile tipped her lips. "I think I can manage that." She took my hand and led me toward the bathroom in my place. “What do you say we shower together? It was sweaty and sticky in the bar."

Well fuck. I stared at her tight ass and tried for the life of me to remember what I’d been trying to say. "Hello? Earth to Sebastian?"

I dragged my gaze up, but I couldn't help a couple of downward glances. I pulled her back to me and kissed her shoulder before nipping. I knew her body well by now. “I like you hot and sweaty.”

Instead of the bathroom, I led her into my bedroom. By now, I was a master at disappearing clothes and Len’s were no exception. While she scooted back on the bed, I dragged my shirt off and made quick work of my jeans.

My heart squeezed as I looked down at her. I didn't want to give her up.

After I grabbed a condom I joined her on the bed. With a gentle slide of my fingers between her thighs, she was arching her back, her thighs splayed and ready to accommodate me.

I slid a finger inside her, making sure to tease her clit first. Once I slid home, her inner walls clamped around my finger.

I couldn't think with her doing that. "Len, that's not fair." At this rate, it would take no time to make me come.

"Who said anything about fair?" She laced her fingertips through my free hand and brought it to her breast. Gently, I plucked her nipple and she shivered. "I like that."

"I know. Two can play at this game. Turn over, baby."

When she complied, my cock slid against her ass. Her breath hitched and my cock slid between her cheeks again, this time grazing the pucker of her forbidden hole. But she didn't move away. Oh God, she was going to kill me.

She ran her ass over me once more, grazing the tip of my cock with her wet slit, and I groaned. When my cock nuzzled into her wet entrance, I shivered. Fuck. I wanted to make her scream my name. She easily coated me with her juices. With every slide of my cock over her entrance, she lifted her hips in invitation. "Please … "

"I know what you want. I'll give it to you, but you have to stop moving. Otherwise I'll come and we'll have all kinds of problems.” She moved again and I cursed, the tip of my cock slipping inside. Fuck. So tight. So damn soft. With a little contraction, she pulled me inside to heaven and I stroked deeply. She pulsed around me and I squeezed my eyes shut. I never wanted to leave. I wanted to press my whole body against her and fuck her slow for hours.

But I knew better. I had to. With a low groan, I pulled back and tore open the foil packet. Once I sheathed myself, I reached into the bedside drawer for the little surprise I’d bought for her. When I settled over her, she wiggled her ass at me, taunting me.

“Little teases tempt fate you know.”

She giggled before wiggling her ass at me again. “I’m not scared of you.”

“That’s good. I’ve lulled you into complacency.”

I flipped the switch of the little red vibrator, and she stilled. "What is that?"

"It's a little gift I bought you."

I reached around and pressed it against her clit. Len screamed, coming apart in seconds. I held on and didn't move, didn't breathe as she writhed and screamed out my name. “Sebastian, oh my God. Please, please, please, God.”

"There we go. Now that we’ve gotten the first one out of the way, I get to play." I pulled the vibrator back and pressed it against her ass. Turning up the speed, I held it in position with my thumb.

Len lost all coherent thought. "Oh—Sebastian—please. Oh yes."

When she lifted her hips up off the bed, I shifted into position. I held my cock with my free hand and lined up to her slick folds. With one stroke, I was home.

I fucked her slowly, pouring every bit of emotion into my strokes. Silently telling her how I felt. Silently sharing that things were different for me with her. I let go of the vibrator but it stayed in position as I pressed my chest against her back and entered her slowly again and again. She bucked beneath me and I whispered in her ear, "I love being inside you … So tight … So slick … Never want to leave.”

“Sebastian …so good … ” Her fingers dug into the sheets and she made a low, keening sound.

Fuck, I just wanted to blurt everything out. Tell her how I was feeling. “Yes, it is good. You’re different. All of this is different.”

I held her tight as I nipped the nape of her neck. "Mine," I whispered before the darkness took over.

* * *

"Woman, where are you going?"

Len giggled. "I need water. You know, the giver of life. That stuff that we die without. I need some." She began to slide out of the bed, taking one of the sheets with her, but I tugged it back. "You should never be covered. Your body is a thing of beauty."

"Says the photographer who wants to take naked pictures of me."

"Guilty as charged. But also—" I leaned up and kissed her lips briefly. "—it’s true. Fine. Go get us this water you speak of. But I'm headed for the shower and if you're not there in five minutes, I'm coming out here to drag you in with me. I have all sorts of things planned, dirty, debauched things. Things that might make you embarrassed to walk out in public again. Things that are illegal in several states."

She tossed her head back with a crack of laughter. And somehow, she managed to drag the top sheet off again and wrap it around herself. "Just how debauched are we talking here? After all, I have a reputation to maintain. The seductive artist. I feel like I'm going to need some details on exactly what you have planned."

It’s not like I didn’t know we needed to talk. I wanted to know what she was so scared of telling me, and I needed to tell her the truth. But maybe we could do a shower and breakfast first.

I hopped out of bed and her gaze immediately went to my abs. Then to my dick. I gave her a cocky grin even as I let her drink in the picture. At the very least, she couldn't resist me. I could tell that she’d tried. Even without the title, even without the money, she liked looking at me. That was check one in the bonus column. And what do you know? My dick liked her attention too.

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. "Oh no. How is it possible you can be ready to go again?"

I stepped toward her even as she giggled and tried to scamper away. "It's you. All because of you. Every time I turn around and see you, he wants to play. Fuck that. He wants to be buried inside you and fuck you so hard you can't walk tomorrow. Or the next day. As a matter fact, let's just drop back into bed and he can slip inside you." Bare. It alarmed me how badly I wanted that.

"You know that sounds a lot like you want me to be your sex slave."

I caught her and whirled her around as I nuzzled her neck. "Now that you mention it that does not sound like a terrible arrangement. But if you prefer, I'll be your sex slave. You can tie me down and use me however you want. Just as long as he gets to be inside you." My dick merrily throbbed against her thigh, and I searched for a flat surface. The counter. The counter would do.

I picked her up as she squealed. I grabbed one of the glasses off the hanging rack above the sink, filled it with water, and handed it over. Len took a big gulp, and when she seemed like she'd had enough, I took the glass and set it back down.

Before she knew what was happening, I lifted the sheet and spread her legs until she was completely exposing herself. Then I dragged her to the edge of the countertop until my dick was lined up with her pussy. With one hand, I gripped the base of my dick then swiped it up over her clit, pressing.

Len tilted her head back. "Sebastian. We need condoms."

I nodded. Condoms, right. Because that was safe. But I knew I was clean, and she'd already told me she was on the pill. “Yeah. I know. I'm just playing. I just want to feel you. I'll grab the condoms from the bedroom in a minute.”

Stroke. Slide. Press. My gaze pinned to the apex of her thighs where I stroked over her. The cinnamon brown of her lips giving way to petal pink softness.

Jesus. I could watch this all day. Her softness. The creamy silk as she became wetter and wetter for me. On the downstroke, the tip of my dick slotted just at her entrance, and I shuddered. Oh God. This felt good—so fucking good.

"Sebastian. God." And then she canted her hips, taking just the head of me inside.

"Oh, Jesus Christ. Len—" I knew this had to stop. There was a reason this wasn't supposed to happen. Jesus, no wonder just the tip never worked. It felt too damn good. Too damn amazing. Her inner walls constricted, and I knew I was no longer in control of the situation. Any second now, I'd be sinking into her, deep and bare.

She swallowed hard. "Well, I am on the pill. And I've never had sex without a condom."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm clean. I got tested six months ago. But I don’t want to take any risks with you."

Jesus. It feels too good. I pulled back slightly and she moaned. And then I slid in further. Jesus. I swore I could see star images in my vision. Why her? Why did this feel so good?

"Sebastian, stop teasing." She lifted her ass, trying to get closer.

That was all it took. I grabbed her ass with both hands, held her still, and slammed myself home. Len screamed. I grunted. But I couldn't stop.

The heat of her. The slide of her. The way she gripped me with her silken sheath. God, I was toast. Len lay back on the countertop and raised her arms until she gripped the opposite edge of the counter. She looked like a glorious virgin sent up for sacrifice. Yeah, that's right. She was mine. She belonged to me.

And now, I belonged to her. I searched for her clit and started to rub tight circles over it. Pressing hard, I set a quick pace for us. Because I was fucking her deep and fast, and I couldn't control myself right now. And I needed her to come. It seemed like her body was perfectly made for me, perfectly tuned to me. Jesus, it felt like heaven. Like this was where I belonged. Like I never needed to leave this place or her.

Eventually I pulled back, and Len groaned. "I'm just changing this up.” I stepped back and helped lift her off the counter before turning her over. “Hold on, Len. I'm going deeper."

And I did.

Fuck me. When I sank back into her, I felt like I’d never been so far inside anyone before. Like I was discovering something new, someplace new. Someplace that I was going to fall into and never come back up.

I grabbed her ass, falling in deeper and deeper, losing myself.

My gaze traveled the length of her arched back. Over the shallow dimples above her ass, to the perfect ass I held in my hands, to the pucker. With my thumb, I gently stroked over it, and off she went again, her body clamping over me tight. She was still coming when she asked, "What are you —" and then she was coming again. And this time I couldn't stop. Tingles started in my spine then rocketed out, slashing through my body and robbing me of all thought, all will, all control. She owned me. And she always would.

So this was what it was like to fall in love.

I finally dropped over her back, cradling her, keeping her warm. "Fuck, Len. Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I've never—obviously—never experienced anything like that before."

“And for what it's worth, me neither." I kissed her shoulder.

I wanted this, wanted it to last. But you have to tell her everything.

And I would. I’d feed her, and tell her, and beg her to fucking keep me. Because I was headed home soon and I wanted her to come with me. Telling her now would give me plenty of time to apologize and to keep apologizing until she took me back. “I'm serious about the shower. After that I’ll make you breakfast and we’ll talk. I think we both have a few things to say."

She nodded as I kissed the nape of her neck. “Okay. That’s a good plan.”

I slowly disengaged from her body, and she hissed. She fell back over when she tried to stand on wobbly legs. "Oh my God, I think you broke me."

"God, I hope not, because I need to do that again. I have these things I want to try with you in the shower and see how they work out."

She shook her head. "Oh my God, you're a machine."

I chuckled, and there was a knock at the door. I frowned. Could it be Lucas? He had a knack for interrupting my good thing.

Annoyed, I dragged on the pair of jeans I’d tossed off hours before. "Get into the shower and warm it up. I'll be right there." I didn't bother with a shirt as I jogged to the door and swung it open.

Fuck.

In the doorway stood one member of the Royal Guard. Robert. I knew him because he’d been on my service detail before. His eyes were grave as he immediately sank down to one knee. "The King is dead. Long live the King.”

No. No. No.

Not my father. Please, God, not my father.

Grief and horror roiled inside me to make a cocktail of pain and despair. My knees threatened to buckle as a wash of sickly heat took over my body. I was going to fucking pass out. Automatically, I sought out the one person who would steady me and drag me out of this nightmare. When I turned, she was right behind me, still wrapped in her sheet … and also on one knee, bowed before me.

She knew.

She'd known all along.