Chapter 27
ADDISON
The invitation arrived at my cottage an hour ago, hand-delivered by a staff member who wouldn’t meet my eyes. I open a thick cream card with Louis’s pretty handwriting.
Reading it reminds me of our chess games that we had to give up.
Once Louis became a prisoner in the palace, we mutually decided the game would be on pause.
Too many people were watching him, and after Delphine intercepted one of the notes, we decided to put it on hold for now.
All communication has been cut off, except for our painting sessions.
I’m desperate to see him, even for a few seconds.
I glance back at the note, noticing it’s without explanation.
It’s a command, but I can feel the urgency in each word.
I hurry and dress, then rush down the path.
When I arrive outside the main dining room, I smooth my hair and dress down, take a deep breath, then enter.
I stare at a table that could seat fifty people and see Louis sitting at the head of it. He’s alone.
As soon as he sees me, his eyes soften, and he smirks as he stands. “Good morning, Miss Cross.”
I bow. “Good morning, Your Highness.”
“Please, join me.” He pulls out the chair that’s to the side of him.
I’m painfully aware of the staff members tracking our movements. We’re going to be the talk of the palace before the ball starts, and I’m not sure if that terrifies me or thrills me.
“How did you sleep?”
“Perfect. You?”
He pours coffee into my cup like this is normal, like we do this every day. I study his face, trying to read what’s happening behind his eyes because he looks lighter, like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
“Best rest I’ve had in weeks.” He reaches for a pastry and sets it on my plate. “Try this. The chef makes them fresh every single morning because they’re my favorite. It has strawberry cream cheese in the middle.”
I take a bite. The flavors burst in my mouth. It’s sweet without being overpowering, with the perfect flake. While I eat, I don’t say much.
Louis tilts his head and lowers his voice. “Would you rather be alone?”
I swallow hard and don’t answer. He takes a sip of his coffee, watching me over the rim.
“I need my privacy, please,” he says. His voice is slightly raised, but he’s polite and smiling.
No one in the room budges. Instead, they pretend like he didn’t speak, which irritates Louis.
He sets his mug down on the table and sighs. “You’re each excused, please.”
The staff exchange glances, and one of them—an older man with silver hair—steps forward.
“Your Highness, we’re under strict orders from the queen to—”
“I don’t care what she said. This is my personal breakfast. And you will listen to me when I give a direct order regarding my privacy. Do you understand?” Louis stands, and his chair scrapes back against the marble floor, then falls to the ground.
“Sir, we’re not able to leave you unattended during—”
“Get the fuck out,” Louis demands, pointing toward the door.
That’s all it takes before they’re filing toward the exit with their heads down. Louis moves to the other side of the room, and when the last person crosses the threshold, he locks it with a loud click. Then he moves to every other door and does the same until we have complete privacy.
Louis strolls back to the table and sits down beside me. He reaches for his coffee, like nothing just happened. “Where were we?”
I stare at him. “What a drama king.”
This makes him chuckle and relax. “I’ve had enough of the insubordination around the palace. When I become king, I will fire every single person who has defied me, starting today.”
We sit in silence for a moment, and I don’t know what to say.
After another sip of coffee, I set the mug down. “You seem different.”
“I feel it.” His eyes meet mine. “I woke up today and realized I don’t have one single fuck left to give.
You told me weeks ago to step into my power, and I’m doing that now.
I won’t allow my mother to handpick my bride and parade me around like a show pony any longer.
So, I’m starting my day off how I’d like, which is having breakfast with you. ”
“Louis—”
“I’ve missed you so fucking much.” His voice drops low.
He stands and offers me his hand. I take it, and he pulls me to my feet, holding my waist.
“Aren’t you hungry?” I ask, noticing all the food that was prepared.
“Actually, I’m starving.”
The look in his eyes sends heat pooling low in my belly.
He doesn’t kiss me right away. His gaze moves slowly over my face, like he’s memorizing every detail. I realize how close we are and love the way his thumbs rub circles against my hip through the fabric of my dress.
“It was so fucking hard, pretending I didn’t want you,” I whisper.
“Oh, do you actually think everyone believed you?” His brow pops upward. “Mmm. They knew. I knew.”
His hand slides up and cups the back of my head as his fingers thread into my hair. The touch is so gentle that I lean into him. His eyes drop to my mouth.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispers. “Tell me this is reckless, and we should wait until—”
I rise onto my toes and trace the outside of his lips with mine. “Maybe I want reckless?”
My hands slide up his chest to grip the lapels of his jacket.
The sound in his throat makes me pull him closer.
We kiss slowly at first, learning one another again after being apart.
His mouth moves against mine, tasting me, like there aren’t staff members on the other side of those doors, waiting to report his insubordination.
My lips part for him, and his tongue slides against mine.
I moan, almost forgetting how good being with him feels.
It’s not just physical, but emotional on a different level.
One of his hands cradles my head while the other rests flat against my lower back to hold me against him.
I can feel how hard he is pressing against my stomach through his suit pants.
Knowing he wants me this much has me thinking the absolute unthinkable.
“I’ve thought about you every night,” he says against my mouth, the words barely above a whisper.
“Lying in my bed, knowing you were so close, but so far away, nearly drove me to my limit. I missed you so much.” He kisses the corner of my mouth.
“Your lips.” He kisses my jaw. “The way you taste.” He kisses the spot just below my ear that makes my knees buckle. “How you smell.”
I grip his shoulders to keep myself upright because my legs have stopped working properly. His mouth traces down my neck, and I tip my head back to give him better access.
“Louis.” His name comes out breathless and needy as my fingers dig into the expensive fabric of his jacket. “Your mother is prob—”
“I don’t care. This is our world, babe.” He pulls back to look at me, and his eyes are dark, pupils blown wide. “We do whatever we want.”
The sincerity of his words makes me laugh.
“Is this real?” I ask, but my question dies when his mouth is on mine again.
His teeth bite my lower lip, and I gasp.
“You tell me.”
He walks me backward until the back of my thighs hit the edge of the table.
The dishes rattle. Then he’s lifting me onto it without breaking the kiss.
The wood is cool beneath me, and I brace my hands on the polished surface as he steps between my legs.
His fingers trail up my thighs, pushing my dress higher.
“This is dangerous,” I manage.
“I’m choosing adventure.” He drops to his knees. “Quiet.”
It’s been twelve days of silence and distance and watching him smile at Tatiana while I painted them together. I’ve spent over a week wondering if I was just obsessed, that the connection between us couldn’t possibly be as consuming as I believed. But with his hands and mouth on me like this …
Louis pulls me to the edge of the table, then slides the silk panties down my legs. I’m already wet—have been since he looked at me like I was the only breakfast worth eating.
When he places a kiss on my inner thigh, my fingers thread through his messy strands. He works his way higher.
“Look at you, looking at me like that. Like I’m art.” The rawness in his voice undoes me.
I part my thighs wider for him, giving him everything, and his mouth finds me.
“You are.” My head falls back on my shoulders, and a hushed moan releases from me.
Pleasure like this should be illegal. His tongue moves slowly, taking his time across my clit, like this isn’t the most daring thing we’ve done since I arrived.
I lean back onto my elbows, and he hooks my thighs over his shoulders until I lie flat on my back. I glance up at the ornate ceiling as pleasure builds in waves. All I can do is smile as I’m spread out on the table while the crown prince devours me.
A laugh releases from me, and I feel him smile against my pussy. His hands grip my hips to hold me in place, and I cover my mouth with my hands because the sounds I want to make would echo through this entire wing of the palace.
A low growl comes from his throat, and it vibrates against my most sensitive skin. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. It’s like he can read my mind, knowing what I need. He slides two fingers inside me and curls them just right, and I bite down on my bottom lip.
“Shh,” he says against me, chuckling.
“It feels so good,” I whisper, and my voice sounds wrecked already.
Breathless moans escape me, and they only encourage him. I rock against his face, chasing the feeling, needing more as my fingers grip the edge of the table. The orgasm builds too fast. Right when I feel like I’m going to lose all control, he slows down.
“Mmm. You belong to me, Addison.”
“As long as you’ll have me,” I say.
“Until my last breath.” He says the statement like it’s a fact.
I belong to him, and right now, with his mouth on me and his fingers inside me, I believe it.
Louis keeps me suspended on the edge until my body shakes with anticipation. We both know he’s in control. He’ll decide when I come.