Royally Screwed: A Reverse-Harem Royal Romance (Quick & Dirty Book 3) Page 11

  But it means she is close to me. I can feel her breasts pressing up against my chest, I can feel her breath on my cheeks.

  “Are you okay?” I whisper for only her to hear.

  “Yes,” she whispers back, letting out a deep breath. “I am now.”

  I feel her muscles relax in my arms with her exhale, then further as she breathes in and out again.

  Slowly I rock my hips against her, freeing a moan from her beautiful mouth. I capture her lips with mine as need courses through me. We move slowly, small grinding movements at first. As does Chase, taking our lead.

  I spot Nicolai standing by the door watching us, his robe open and his hand stroking his cock even as he has a concerned look on his face.

  As her moans get louder, her pussy tightens and we move faster, deeper, further.

  Until she comes around me. I swallow her scream and find my own release.

  She collapses on top of me, her cheek resting on my chest.

  Dear God. If I could bottle this feeling. Like I could conquer the world with her beside me. This sense of power, knowing I gave her pleasure. And this strange sense of vulnerability underneath.

  I only remember Chase is here when he grabs the damp towel and wipes between her legs, the bottom of the towel brushing against my thighs. Chase leans down as if to kiss Sophia.

  I growl and push Chase away. I spot Nicolai’s frown before I claim Sophia’s mouth for myself, pulling her closer against me.

  Mine.

  I don’t want Chase kissing her. I don’t want anyone else kissing her. I want Sophia all to myself.

  The very thing that this arrangement of ours is supposed to prevent.

  No attachments.

  No intimacy.

  No one on one.

  I am so royally fucked.

  Grayson

  “Damn royal engagements,” I growl under my breath. “If only I didn’t have to attend them—”

  “You kinda have to, seeing as you are royalty,” Sophia says with a laugh.

  I tuck her closer to me in a full body hug. She feels too good to let go of. It’s the next morning and we’re dawdling at the front door of my suite, clothed, unfortunately.

  “Maybe if I stuck a crown on Nicolai’s head he could go in my place.”

  Sophia laughs. “Well, I still have to work.”

  “Your only job at the moment is pleasing His Highness.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Indeed.”

  “How am I doing so far?” she asks in a breathy tone, grinding her hips against me, causing blood to rush to my stiffening dick.

  I let out a groan and go in for a kiss. Engagement be damned. I’m taking her back to bed.

  She avoids my lips with a laugh. “I really do have to go. I’m late.”

  Tease.

  “One of my bodyguards will escort you back.”

  “Grayson, I’ll be fine. I know how to get back to my apartment without being seen.” She presses a chaste kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Tonight,” I demand. “As soon as you finish work, come to my room.”

  “Tonight,” she promises.

  I claim her lips before she can stop me, sliding my tongue in past her lips to taste her, a searing kiss so that I’m branded across her mind today like I know she will be on mine.

  I slap her ass as she exits the suite, watching her from the door until the elevator doors close.

  I turn around and Nicolai is standing right there. I bristle, knowing I’m about to get a lecture.

  “I don’t want to hear it,” I say, and stride past him.

  “She’s hiding something from you.”

  I spin on my heel and glare at Nicolai. “Hiding what?”

  “I haven’t been able to find out where she was living before she came to Monaco. Yet.”

  “So what?”

  “This means something, Grayson,” Nicolai says, frustration colouring his voice. “Have you asked her about her life before she came here? Do you know about her childhood?”

  We moved around so much I didn’t even have a home.

  I don’t tell Nicolai what she told me. It feels too personal. And I like feeling like I know things about Sophia that he doesn’t.

  “You like her,” Nicolai says, but the way he says it sounds like an accusation.

  I feign a casual shrug. “So do you and Chase.”

  “The way you like her is different.”

  I’ve just about had enough of this conversation. I take a step towards him, a threat. “Enough, Nicolai. You are not my keeper.”

  Nicolai takes a step towards me, a challenge. “No, just looking out for you, even if you don’t like it.”

  For a long moment we just glare at each other, a silent battle of wills. I won’t back down; neither will he.

  “Go get the car ready,” I finally say, reminding him who orders whom around. I turn on my heel, effectively dismissing him.

  “Just think about what you’re doing,” Nicolai calls after me. “I’d hate to see you ruin everything.”

  I ignore the prickle in my lower belly and wave his concerns aside. I really shouldn’t have.

  Sophia

  I have no idea how I was managing to walk back through the resort to my apartment. My legs are still trembling from the multiple orgasms the prince and his bodyguards gave me last night. Then this morning.

  The three of us had gotten into the huge shower earlier. The water running over their hard, muscled bodies that were pressed against mine was like a religious experience. I got very, very dirty. Then Grayson cleaned me off. My body heats at the memory and a smile breaks out on my face.

  Thankfully it’s early enough that everyone in the resort is still asleep. No one is around to see my guilty look. Or to see me still in the red dress that I wore last night.

  I turn the corner to my apartment and halt. Christina is leaning against the wall near my apartment door. What is she doing here? How long has she been waiting for me?

  She spots me and straightens, a smirk crossing her face.

  Act normal, Sophia.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask as I stride towards my door. If I can just zip by her and lock myself into my apartment…

  She pushes off the wall and stands in my way, her hands coming down on her hips. “Where have you been, Sophia?”

  “Just ducked out for a coffee,” I lie.

  “Wearing that?” Christina’s brow arches as she eyes my dress and heels.

  Dammit.

  Christina takes a step towards me and I feel a showdown about to occur. It is a long time coming. My promotion over her just tipped us over the edge.

  I match her glare with my own. I will not let her intimidate me. “My dress sense is no business of yours.”

  She lets out a humourless laugh, malice in her eyes. “I saw you last night…going up to the Royal Suite.”

  Fuck.

  Just play it cool, Sophia.

  “Of course. The prince asked for my assistance with something.”

  Christina smirks. “You assisted him all night?”

  “I—”

  “You’re wearing the same dress. What did you do last night, Sophia? Or should I say…who?”

  “So I’m wearing the same dress.” I fight the rising panic and try to aim for apathy. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

  “Unfortunately not. But the second I find solid proof that you’re messing around with one of our hotel guests, a VIP nonetheless, I will go straight to Kane. You’ll be out of here so fast your head will spin.”

  She shoots me one last glare before striding past me, slamming my shoulder as she goes.

  I fight to hold myself together as I tumble into my apartment and lock the door behind me. I sag against it as the first tear slides down my face.

  What the fuck am I doing?

  I’ve been so lost in the sheer pleasure of the prince and his fantasy world, I’ve forgotten it is just that…a fantasy.

 
And now my job—my career—is on the line. Everything I’ve worked for in the last seven years could be blown to smithereens. I’d be kicked out without a reference. I’d have to start all over again, somewhere no one knew me. Again.

  I can’t do that. I’ve worked too hard for the meager life I have here.

  But Grayson…

  I remember the day we spent together. Just him and me. Not a prince and a commoner with a secret. But a man and a woman.

  And when I slid down on him last night among the pillows, it felt like it was just the two of us. I felt so connected with him.

  It felt real.

  It felt like…love.

  Stupid, Sophia.

  What would a prince want with you? You’re the woman he fucks while his bodyguards watch or join in. You’re not the woman he falls in love with. You’re not the women he makes his queen. The truth blows over my heart like a chilling frost.

  I can’t keep doing this.

  I can’t keep risking my career this way.

  And I can’t risk my heart. I can’t handle falling for him any further than having to say goodbye.

  I need to cut him off. Now. Before I fall for him.

  But the truth is, I think I already have.

  Grayson

  When I return late to my bedroom that evening—I couldn’t get away from that damn dinner meeting—I expect to find Sophia already waiting. Instead I find a note on my pillow.

  A note that leaves me furious.

  Raging.

  I need answers. I want them now. But I need to be strategic about this…

  I feign a headache and lock myself in the bedroom. Later that night, after I’m supposed to be asleep, I sneak out of my bedroom past Nicolai and Chase via the balconies that line the entire floor. I make my way through the resort. Thankfully, it’s late enough that I encounter only a few people. I keep my head down and they barely look at me.

  I smack my fist against Sophia’s apartment door. She opens it, wearing a short plum-coloured, spaghetti-strap nightie that shows off her toned arms and legs. A rush of need floods my body, mixing with my anger. I want to take her over my knee and smack her ass.

  I shove her Dear John letter in her face. “What the fuck is this?”

  “Jesus Christ, Grayson.” She grabs me and tugs me into her apartment, glancing around the empty corridor before locking the door behind us. She turns to face me. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “What the fuck is this note?” It scrunches in my fist as I wave it at her.

  She gently pushes my hand holding the note down. “Please don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

  The pain in her voice makes me stop. I take in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Acting like an enraged bull isn’t going to get anywhere with a woman like Sophia. She deserves better from me.

  “Last night…” I begin. Last night was fucking magical. Last night she and I connected, shared something, just the two of us. I thought she felt it too.

  She gave me a sad smile. “Last night was wonderful.”

  “But…?”

  She chews her lip, making me want to capture it in my mouth. “One of the staff members suspects something between us. She wants to see me fired. She’s looking for proof so she can go to my boss.”

  “I told you I’d make sure that didn’t happen. Your job is safe.”

  “You can’t promise me that.”

  “I can. I’m the next fucking King of England.” I’d hunt down this vindictive bitch and have the tables turned on her. “What’s her name? I’ll take care of her.”

  Sophia laughs softly. “What are you going to do? Have her beheaded?”

  “A name, Sophia,” I growl.

  “Grayson, I don’t—”

  “Name. Now.”

  She sighs. “Christina. The other assistant manager. I was promoted over her.”

  I nod, filing away this information for later. Christina was going to rue the day she fucked with my woman.

  My woman. You just called Sophia your woman.

  “Consider Christina dealt with,” I say. “Put her—and this stupid note—out of your mind.” I step forward to grab Sophia, but she ducks out of my grasp.

  “That’s not the only reason we should end things,” she admits.

  …we should end things. The words send a shot of sheer panic through my blood.

  “I thought…” I say, struggling to remain calm, “I thought we had something.”

  “We…did. We do. But you’re leaving in two days. What could we possibly become?”

  “I…” She’s right. I have to leave in two days.

  For the first time in my life I let myself hate the crown on my head. I feel the weight of it crushing my skull, pressing down on me. I feel the golden chains around my chest like a vice. If I was a normal man, I could make promises to Sophia.

  I’m not. And I…I can’t.

  But I can’t let this be over.

  “I don’t know,” I say honestly, sliding my hands on the sides of her face. “I just know that I don’t want to let you go.”

  I lean down to kiss her, a soft “no” escaping her mouth before I capture those soft lips. She lets out a whimper, but she doesn’t pull away.

  When I pull back to look at her, gripping her by her upper arms, there’s a war going on behind those beautiful eyes.

  “We can’t,” she says.

  I kiss her again, this time firmer, deeper. This time she kisses me back, her hands sliding up my arms and around my neck.

  When I pull away again the indecision is still there, even though it has ceased being a war.

  “We shouldn’t,” she whispers.

  I pull her flush against me, kissing her as if it might be for the last time, pouring every single ounce of emotion into it. She moans into my mouth as she parts her lips and our tongues meet. She melts against me and I know I still have her. At least for now.

  Need surges through me and I crush Sophia to me. For a second, I think I’m hurting her, but she tightens her grip around my neck. I need to be inside her. To own her. Claim her.

  She pulls away and I reluctantly release her lips. I lean my forehead on hers, our twin breaths heavy.

  “We’re going to get carried away,” she says.

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “You probably want to wait till Chase and Nic—”

  “No.”

  Her gaze locks onto mine. “What?”

  “I want you and me. Just us.”

  Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “Really?”

  I nod.

  I don’t just want the sexual closeness with her, I’m craving something…more. Something I’ve never craved before.

  She slides back into my arms, resuming our kiss. The heat is still there but this time there’s a tenderness to it. I slide my hands down her curves and cup her ass before I lift her up. She wraps her legs around my waist.

  Without breaking the kiss, I carry her into her bedroom before setting her down and pulling back to make sure she’s okay with this.

  She chews her lip as she glances around. “It’s not exactly the Royal Suite—”

  “It doesn’t matter where we are. All I can see is you.”

  Her eyes turn misty, her lashes going wet. How come I’ve never noticed the hazel flecks in them? Or the light dusting of freckles on her nose?

  She lifts her arms above her head and I peel off her clothes one by one, pressing kisses along each inch of soft skin that I expose, loving the goosebumps that appear in my wake.

  When she strips me of my clothes, it’s her hands that explore my body, her fingers tracing every ridge and plain. How is it possible that such tiny hands can cause such waves of emotion inside me? Like they are the moon and my body is the tide.

  I lay her naked body on the bed and settle myself between her legs, caging her in with my arms, shielding her from the world with my body. I lean down and kiss her, sliding my tongue between her lips to meet hers, slow and deep. It
’s a preview, a promise, as I pause just at her entrance, watching the anticipation flash in her eyes before I slide in.

  She is tight wet heaven around me. My world reduces down to the sensation of her body under mine, to the sounds of her breathing, to the sweet smell of her skin. She feels warm and soft. Sacred.

  She feels like…home.

  When I start to move, I press my groans against her lips, against her skin. She wraps her legs around my waist, tilting her hips so I sink in even deeper. I watch her lashes flutter as pleasure begins to drown her. I rock faster, urged on by her cries and the way her nails dig into my back.

  “Don’t stop,” she cries.

  “Never,” I promise.

  She tightens around me, her pussy clenching in waves as she lets out a spine-tingling cry, her back arching, her breasts crushing against my chest. It’s too much and not enough all at once. I come, hard. Pleasure slamming through my body as I pour myself into her.

  When the orgasm subsides, I half collapse beside her. I look over to her and my breath is stolen. She is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

  This. Here.

  Her.

  I want her. I need her. I lo—

  That’s when reality crashes in. We have one more day together. I have to face all those responsibilities forged into the crown, heavy on my head. I have to marry another woman. Suddenly the idea of it makes me want to throw up.

  Desperation sets in. I pull Sophia against my chest and wrap my arms around her, holding her to me, twisting our legs together. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get close enough to her.

  She lets out a contented sigh. She likes this. She likes me.

  Maybe I could figure out a way to keep her with me.

  Maybe it doesn’t have to be goodbye.

  Sophia

  Grayson and I make love twice again that night before we fall asleep together in my tiny bedroom. I wake up encased in warm arms, the early morning sunlight lightening the room. Grayson is still asleep, his eyes shut, dark hair stark against the white pillow, his firm naked chest moving steadily under my head. He looks so powerful and commanding, even like this, like a sleeping panther. I feel safe. Warm. Loved.