41. Penelope
Penelope
I had been wanting to mess with King Lawrence’s mind, but now he was the one inside of mine.
I had never questioned my love for Vaughn.
Not once. It was unbreakable. It was real because I had been the one to choose this life.
But had I chosen it out of my own free will, or was my will now altered… gone to be replaced with… his?
Vaughn stirred from sleep, reaching to pull me against him. He’d been fitful all night, tossing and turning. But so had I. I wasn’t sure I’d slept for more than an hour or two at a time. I couldn’t with these questions. But how did I answer them? How did I know?
Breath brushed my cheek as Vaughn buried his face next to mine. After a few seconds, his head lifted. He stared down at me, half asleep, half confused.
“You’re awake. Why are you so stiff?”
I swallowed back the queries as my eyes scanned over his handsome face. I couldn’t speak, but I didn’t have to for Vaughn to know. He let his head drop back to the pillow as he turned me to face him.
“You love me.”
My lips separated to respond but still the words didn’t come.
“Penelope, you love me. What you feel is real. I didn’t force it into your head. I didn’t have to. Before we even met, back when we were talking all those months on the phone, there was something… wasn’t there? There was for me. You connected with me. And then you fell in love with me.”
Vaughn’s brow drew in, and his eyes flickered as he seemed to suddenly battle something.
“I know what he says sounds bad. And what you went through, what I did, it doesn’t look good, but your parents were not good people.
They hurt you. Your father could have killed you.
I did what had to be done. He deserved so much worse.
I… I love you. I love you more than… the fucking air.
I don’t say that because it sounds cute or romantic.
Penelope, I love you more than the air I breathe.
More than addictions or pretty fucking sceneries.
I’d die the most agonizing death for you. I’d kill without a thought—”
“But you won’t let me leave. Not if I really wanted to.”
A mix of emotions had Vaughn searching my face. His head lifted again as he propped himself up, and his breaths had his chest rising faster as he turned to stare ahead into nothingness.
“It is because I love you that I can’t. I…
can’t… let you leave. What if something were to happen?
What if someone hurt you again? I can’t.
I… can’t. I—” His face spun to me. “I won’t.
You love me. King Lawrence, he did this.
He’s making me into the bad guy when all I want is to be with you.
To love you and have you love me.” He pulled me underneath him.
“Do not let him succeed in tearing us apart. That is what he wants. You know me. You know this life. I never hid any of it from you.”
“You also said I didn’t have a choice. Vaughn.” My lids narrowed as tears slipped free. “You said you were keeping me no matter what. That I’d never leave. Yes, I love you. I can’t imagine ever losing that love. But at the beginning… you made it clear I had no choice.”
Fingers pushed into my hair, fisting gently on each side of my head. There was a panic within him. One that was bleeding through the desperation as he held to me.
“I love you. … And you love me. Don’t do this. Don’t—” His head shook, and he lowered, brushing his lips to mine. There was such longing. Such…. need for me. “Kiss me back. Penelope, kiss me.”
And I did… because that’s what the uncertain woman inside me knew what to do. She went through the motions while she tried to make sense of things.
But didn’t I already know?
“More. Kiss me, more. Kiss me like you love me, because you do.”
“I do… love you.”
His mouth left mine, moving to my neck as he began to suck over the surface. His hands were greedy, moving faster as he gripped into my hip, grinding his hard cock against me.
“You love me. I know you do.” He pulled at my panties, jerking them down as he came back to my mouth.
When his fingers eased into me, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted him.
And not just sexually. He was everything to me.
He said the sun and air, but I felt the same way.
Maybe this had started as conditioning… maybe… but love replaced it.
Love.
Love.
Yes…
I loved him.
“Wait.” I gasped as his fingers left and his cock began to stretch me. “You said—” A yelp left me as he pushed deeper. His kiss cut me off and he withdrew, only to bury himself inside me.
“The trials are tomorrow. If you’re not waiting to take them, what’s the point of prolonging the inevitable? You’re going to pass. You will.”
“Stop.” I cupped his face, making him look at me. “I could die.”
“Then tomorrow we both die and there’s no point in holding back.”
I gasped as Vaughn withdrew, only to surge forward. His thrusts were steady, half savage as he lowered, wrapping around me. My knees drew up as I cried out. Vaughn’s hand pushed through my hair to cradle the back of my head, and his eyes didn’t leave mine.
“If this isn’t real, I don’t want to know the truth. You love me. Say it.”
“…I love you.”
“He’s not going to take you away from me. Not physically, and not here either. Not in your mind.”
My nails dug into his back, and I arched, welcoming him deeper. A low rumble left him, and he moaned as his forehead dropped to rest against mine through the slowing thrusts.
“Say it again, Penelope. Say it.”
“I love you. I do love you.”
“Because we’re meant to be together. We’ll be the strongest king and queen there ever was. Nothing will come between us. Not King Lawrence. Not The Council. Not a country or the world. It was always supposed to be us.”
My mouth dropped open as he pushed into uncharted territory, grinding into me as my orgasm built. Minutes passed as I cemented in the truth.
“He got in my head.” My head shook, trying to force King Lawrence’s words away. “It’s not true.”
“No. You love me.”
“Yes.” I put my focus on what I felt. Not what anyone else said. “It’s me and you. It’s only us.”
I met his lips, wrapping around his neck and holding tightly.
“Always.”
“Prove it to me.” Vaughn lifted his head at my words, meeting my eyes as I continued.
Small sounds left me as I tried to speak through the orgasm that was beckoning.
“We can’t wait. Time is not on our side.
I… I don’t want you to stop or pull out.
Prove your love. Show me. I want to see it. Hold it. I want that for us.”
The thrusts were so slow they were torturous causing me to shake.
“You want my cum in you?” His lids narrowed, only for a smile to come to his face. “Some may think I’m only getting you pregnant to trap you even more into being with me.”
I cried out as Vaughn thickened inside of me.
“Maybe I’m the one trapping you. Maybe I make you give me baby after baby so…
so that I—I never… lose you.” Vaughn’s lips crushed into mine.
I broke away screaming as my legs jerked and shook through the waves of pleasure.
My orgasm rolled through me, prolonging as Vaughn let out a deep moan.
Each shot of his cum had me holding to him even more.
Maybe I was trying to trap him.
Or maybe I was trying to trap myself…
Either way, I loved him.
I loved him.
I did love him…