22. Sweet Surrender
R ose barely resisted stepping out of her garments. Her Prince grinned devilishly as she trembled as he set his hands on her waist and then slid them up her torso to cup her bare breasts. He played with her nipples, gently tugging, cool hands massaging. One went south, making her quiver as his fingers brushed her belly, and then lower to her feminine curls.
She shouldn’t let this happen.
But she somehow couldn’t say no.
Bending, he gave her a teasing nip of a kiss. “We should bathe.”
“What?” Rose blinked in confusion.
“You just finished your shift, no?” he asked, urging her ahead of him and toward the tub. “Happy that, being on the same schedule, but I feel filthy after my little impromptu party. So, let’s wash. I’ll clean your back if you clean mine.” His tone was playful, but the offer was like a bucket of cold water over her head.
Instead of feeling sexily tantalized, she felt unattractive and insecure. Pulling away from him, she folded her arms over her chest .
He’d seen her scars, seen every bit of her body, and thought her ugly and boyish.
Was he playing some kind of cruel game with her right now?
“Don’t be scared,” he whispered, stepping close again. She tried to back away, but his arms were there, wrapped around, sliding over her scarred back. She cringed and tried to pull away.
“Ssh,” he soothed, only holding her tighter. “Ssh, Rose, it’s alright.” The chilly, feather-light brush of his fingertips over her scars was so incredibly gentle it had tears stinging her eyes.
He was the only one who’d ever touched her with anything other than pain.
And now, those naughty fingers of his traced the long, raised lash marks on her back as if they were delicate. As if she were precious.
“Do they hurt?”
She shook her head, unable to speak.
“But they bother you?”
She raised her eyes to his. “They bother you. They disgust you.”
Cocking his head, his fingers continued roving her back. “I did say that didn’t I? I apologize for being an ass.” When her eyes widened, he chuckled. “I know you better now, and the last thing I think is that you are unattractive.” Sliding his hands up to her shoulders and then down her arms to her hands, he held them out to the sides while stepping away.
She felt on display, held just so for his viewing pleasure.
His shining red eyes, drinking her in, made her entire body flush.
“You are . . . exquisite. From the tips of your toes to your long thighs, your feminine cleft”—he stared there an extra second—“which I want to sink into so badly I burn.” Her flush grew deeper, engulfing her in flame. “And then there are your breasts.” He brushed a peaked nipple and then trailed those fingers up to her jaw. “And your face.” He stepped closer again to cup her neck, running his thumbs along her jaw, and met her gaze. “Your soul lives here, in these sparkling pink depths, and I want to lose myself in them.”
It was difficult to breathe as she stared into the rubies of his eyes, feeling the vulnerability he’d let show admitting how he saw her. And she felt somehow as if he’d peeled part of her away too.
No one had ever looked at her as he was.
And she didn’t know what to say.
His eyes dimmed as the seconds passed. Frowning, he stepped away to rip off his pants with a harsh chuckle.
“I am a poor romantic, I suppose. I apologize for acting a fool. As you said, it is the cognac. I have had too much, it seems, for my tongue to run like so.” And turning away from her, he waved his fingers through the air. “You may go.”
Rose wasn’t sure what to make of his mood swings. It was a bit dizzying, having him go from smooth seduction to cool dismissal so suddenly. She reached for his hand, wanting to soothe.
“I see you, too, Your Highness.” She let her eyes travel down the length of his lean body, all elegant grace with a lethal edge.
His musculature wasn’t bulky, not like some males, but was clearly defined and showed his enjoyment of training. Her fingers followed her gaze, skimming lightly down his arms, the bulge of his biceps, and his sinewy forearms. She moved to his angular hips, tracing the deep vee that led to his manhood, which she didn’t look at, not yet.
Rather, her hands roamed his abs, tracing each one, liking how they clenched. And then higher to his pectorals, meatier, flexing as her palms slid over. Lifting her eyes to his, taking in the rekindled flames of his irises, she scraped her thumbs over his nipples. He sucked in a sharp breath, and she smiled, stretching up, though it wasn’t far, to nip his chin .
“Like what you see?” he rasped.
Nodding slowly, she dropped her eyes to take in his erection, long and straight with a thick vein curving around the side. His testicles hanging beneath were lightly sprinkled with black hair.
She wanted to touch him, wanted to learn the texture and weight while she petted his most intimate parts.
And then, so suddenly it stole her breath, he swept her feet out from under her and strode with her to the tub. There, he unceremoniously dumped her, laughing as she sputtered and flicked water out of her eyes.
“Jackass,” she called him as he climbed in opposite her and lounged back. She’d recently learned she liked her baths hot, but with her Prince, the tepid temperature he preferred seemed perfect. When he took one of her feet, massaging with his thumbs, she stiffened.
“Just lie back.”
Tentative at first, she did as he said and sighed at the aching pressure that somehow felt glorious.
“You must tell no one of this.”
Rose opened her eyes at his soft voice, easily giving over her other foot when he reached for it. “Of what? His Highness spoiling me with private picnics, massages, gifts, and time off together?”
He frowned. “Precisely.”
“Why would I risk talking? I enjoy our time together too much.”
“Do you truly? You make a male wonder. I have made myself plain time and again, yet you remain elusive.”
“What, exactly, am I elusive about, Your Highness?” Pulling her foot away, she sat up, being bold as she ran her hands over his thighs. “Is it my touching you?” She gently kneaded his quads, inching higher as she moved her body closer to his. “Is it the way I let you drink from me? Oh, no, I know.” She’d reached the apex of his thighs, where his erection bobbed in the water.
But she wasn’t looking at that; she was watching his eyes, caught in the red shine. Lowering her voice, trying for seduction, she said, “It is the way I kiss you, isn’t it? And the way I let you—”
He cut her off with a hand on her neck, hauling her into him and kissing her with possession. His tongue fucked her mouth while she whimpered, while he gripped her ass and slid her center over his hard cock.
“Fucking temptress. You’re going to pay for being such a godsdamned tease.” He kissed her again, biting her lip to draw blood and then licking it up. She moaned, lost in his kiss and the friction between her legs.
“Is that a promise?”
“Get on the fucking bed,” he growled. “Right. Bloody. Now.” He stood and stepped out of the tub, tugging her with him when she didn’t move fast enough.
Rose reached for towels, not wanting to soak his sheets, but he picked her up again, strode to the bed, and tossed her. She let out a surprised scream but was silenced as his body covered hers and he kissed her more.
He tasted of the rich cognac he’d indulged in, and she sucked his tongue for more, running her hands over his wet skin as he ground his erection against her. Cupping a breast, he squeezed, and she arched into him, rocking her hips. She was so wet it felt indecent, but it only aided the slippery glide of him against her clit. Pleasure sang through her entire body.
“Oh, Gods,” she gasped, “please don’t stop.” With his skilled fingers plucking at her nipple, he nibbled down her neck, his fangs teasing. “Bite me.” She threaded her fingers into his hair, tugging as she arched her neck in invitation until he bared his fangs and bit deep. “Ah!” The pull of his drinking, the renewed pain on her already-tender bite, and the sting of his venom flashed through her .
It quickly morphed into bliss.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Lost to the rise, to the sinuous slide of their bodies against each other, she moved like a wanton. He drank deeply, the pull on her neck seeming to come from her belly. Moving her hips faster, the pinnacle rushed at her. “My prince!” Tugging his hair, he growled, and light burst before her eyes, a million stars exploding, mirrored in her deepest places.
Suddenly, his heat was gone as he held himself up on one arm, pumping his cock in his other fist. His mouth was red with her blood, his eyes blazing into hers before they rolled back as his body shuddered and he came all over her breasts, painting them in stripes.
Rose let out a shaky breath as her sex clenched again, an aftershock reverberating through her at the erotic sight of him. His forehead dropped to hers, his breathing heavy.
After a moment of recovery, he rolled off her and left the bed. Looking down at her chest, she swiped a finger through his semen and brought it to her mouth to lick.
“A bit salty.”
Prince Adrian, beside the bed holding a damp rag, stared with his mouth agape. With a low chuckle, he shook his head. “It’s a shame I’m so damn tired, or I’d have you screaming again.” He cleaned her, tossed the rag, and climbed back beside her. Yawning, he draped an arm over her belly and pressed his nose into her hair.
Staring at the canopy above her, at the wavering shadows the candles cast, Rose was comforted by his breathing. When she was certain he was sleeping, she slipped from bed to dress.
Larkin, an orange tabby lying on a chair, watched her with intense eyes. She gave him a pat and a kiss on her way out.