Lying awake in my bed, I swear I can still taste her on my lips.

I’ve eaten a meal since then, drunk water, drunk wine, had dessert, and brushed my teeth. There’s no way I can still taste her sweet honey in my mouth, but I’d swear I can.

And it’s driving me absolutely crazy. I haven’t thought of anything else at all since this afternoon. Not her parents, talking to me; not the other nobles currently at the palace; not where I was walking or what I was eating or drinking.

Just my tongue, licking at her while she gasped and writhed. The way it felt to push my tongue inside her, to feel her muscles clamp down on me when she came like that.

Fucking glorious. I’ve never felt anything like it before, not even close — the way my sweet princess was totally, completely, and utterly mine in that moment.

I roll over, still not asleep, and sigh.

I wonder if she’s still awake, I think.

In her bed. Naked. Maybe thinking about me.

It’s past midnight, in a palace that mostly goes to sleep early except for the guards, who are everywhere. I’m likely to wake her up, freak her out, and she’ll probably call them.

And fuck it, I don’t care.

I need her now, and I need her worse than ever. I can’t sleep, think, or hardly even breathe until I’m with her again, so I get out of my bed, put on a fresh set of clothes, and step quietly into the hall, closing my door behind me.

No one here. So far, so good.

I’ve not been to her chambers yet but I know where they are, so I head that way. I pass a few guards in the portrait gallery, but I just nod at them, like I can’t sleep and I’m out for a midnight stroll. They just nod back.

Finally, I’m at her door. At least, I’m fairly sure it’s her door, though it’s not as if her name is on it. I can’t believe there aren’t more guards here, but I guess the palace is fairly safe. Besides, most threats come from outside the palace walls.

I raise my hand to knock, then let it fall. If I make noise, I just risk alerting everyone that I’m here, paying Josephine a visit at twelve-thirty at night with a raging hard-on.

It’s risky — she might scream — but I lower my hand to the handle, and I push.

It’s unlocked. That sort of makes sense — she’s got guards, after all, though they certainly didn’t stop me.

I step through her door silently, blood rushing through my veins in sheer anticipation. Every nerve in my body feels alive, tingling with danger but mostly with pure excitement.

I walk through the first room in her chambers, some kind of living room or sitting room or something, totally silent, heading for her bedroom.

The door is slightly ajar, so I say a quick prayer and push it open.

As I do, there’s a rustle and a gasp, then total stillness.

“It’s me,” I say, keeping my voice low. “I needed to see you again. Tonight.”

For a moment, I just pray that I got the right room. I’ll happily withstand any physical attack to be with Josephine, but showing up in her little sister’s bedroom would really take some apologizing and explaining.

But then Josephine sits up in her bed, hair wild around her face. She’s holding her bedsheets up in front of her, but underneath the thin silk I can tell that she’s completely naked.

For a moment, she just takes me in, still sleepy and confused, and she runs her tongue just under her top lip.

“Leo,” she finally whispers, drawing her feet up under her.

I walk forward like I’m magnetized. Through the thin sheets I can watch her nipples harden quickly, an expression of deep lust coming into her beautiful blue eyes as her breathing quickens.

“You can’t be here,” she murmurs, looking up at me.

“Apparently, I can,” I say, stepping up to the edge of her bed. I feel like my body is on fire, nothing but thin fabric separating me from my princess.

“You shouldn’t,” she whispers. “We’re not married yet, and you know my parents...”

I run my fingers along her chin, and she tilts her head up, melting into my touch.

“Yet?” I say, voice low and gravelly with need.

Her eyes hold mine steadily, and I run the pad of my thumb over her full, plush lips as I guide my head to the back of her head.

“There’s no wedding date yet,” she whispers against my thumb. “But I’m yours, Leo.”

I feel like something inside me goes supernova at those three simple words: I’m yours, Leo. I can’t even respond, the feeling is so powerful, but Josephine opens her lips slightly and runs the tip of her tongue along the pad of my finger.

It sends tingles down my spine, my breathing growing heavy. After a moment she opens her mouth wider, sucking my thumb into her mouth up to the first joint, her tongue swirling around it, then the second, then down to where it meets my hand. The whole time she doesn’t break eye contact with me, the soft satin of the bed sheets against her lithe, gorgeous body.

I’m uncontrollably hard, and in that moment, the last thing thread that held the beast inside me in check snaps. I pull my thumb from her beautiful mouth and lock my hand in her hair, just hard enough that she knows who’s in control but she’s not hurt.

Josephine lets the sheets slide down her body, exposing her full, perky breasts with their rosy nipples, her waist, her hips. The soft, downy patch between her thighs.

“Get on your knees,” I growl, already unbuckling my belt with my other hand.

Josephine locks eyes with me, and something flickers in her gaze, some light that comes on when I grab her hair and tell her what to do.

Then she smiles, just barely, a coy little smirk that stokes my raging fire even more.

“Yes, my Prince,” she whispers, and slides off her bed.

Then her hands are on the waist of my pants, her lips on the trail of fur that leads from my bellybutton to my cock, and she pulls my trousers open hungrily, like she’s been waiting for this.

Josephine unzips my pants, and my cock springs out, enormous and bulging, the head swollen and purple with desire.

She gasps.

“You’ve never seen one before,” I say.

“Not in person,” she whispers.

I can tell she’s nervous, but she wraps one hand around the base of it, her fingers barely closing around my shaft, and it sends a bolt of white-hot electricity through my entire body as she strokes me slowly and carefully.

“You like it?” I growl.

Josephine just nods, my hand still locked in her hair.

“Good,” I say, and tilt her head back slightly, her creamy throat exposed. “Because it’s yours, Princess. From now on, every single inch of me belongs to you.”

Her hand tightens on my shaft, and she strokes me a little faster.

“Now open your pretty mouth, because I need to see your lips wrapped around my cock,” I say.