Chapter 21 #3
“The flirting, the compliments, the touching?”
Keeping his voice low, he says, “If you feel the need to ask, you obviously have never seen yourself.”
I turn from him, trying to break the spell he is starting to cast over my body and I make my way to the opposite side of the pool. Surprisingly, he doesn’t follow. He stays in his place but keeps his eyes on me. Always watching, always observing.
His eyes burn holes though my skin, setting my nerves on fire with the way he tracks each movement of my body. It’s like I’m a puzzle he is always trying to piece together, or a machine that he needs to understand each function- each gear, and every tick.
“You like to watch.” I still whisper, but the echo of my voice carries over to him.
“You say that like it’s not a question.”
Kicking off one shoe at a time I ask, “Does it need to be?”
“No.”
He watches me intently as I remove my socks one at a time, and I see his chest visibly tighten when I begin to pull my shirt over my head.
I don’t mean to do it slowly, but I know that at this moment I am putting on a production just for his eyes.
The bra I’m wearing isn’t anything too scandalous, but it’s clear that Max had a very specific vision in mind when he bought me my clothes.
This bra is white lace that feels buttery soft on my ivory skin, the fabric isn't completely opaque because there is a nude paneling that obscures the direct view to my breasts hiding underneath. Although he has seen my body before in the limo or on the surveillance camera in my room, this feels incredibly more intimate. It’s as if he is seeing me for the very first time, and he wants to drink in every detail of my body.
I watch as he swallows when unbuttoning my pants and I begin to slide them down my legs. I watch his face the entire time, his facial expression doesn’t change, but I see a fire ignite in his bright blue irises.
“Aren’t you going to get in?” I ask, but I feel breathless. The weight of his undivided attention is heavy and almost forceful when his eyes snap back up to meet mine.
“I’d rather watch you enjoy it first.”
I hum and step out of my pants, kicking them to the side.
His eyes drop back to my legs, and I watch them rake over my ankle, up my calf, to the bend of my knee, and up to where my thighs meet in the middle at my core.
The ember in his eyes finally sets ablaze, and to escape the heat I dive into the water.
The water is warm, like it’s been sunbathing in a Florida sun all day.
I stay under the water to let it completely absorb me, wishing it could swallow me whole after the day we’ve had.
I need a distraction, something to take my mind away from Darren, the Cambions, the ordered hits, and most of all the unbearable weight of my own crimes- whether they’re justified or not.
I swim to the top of the water and break the barrier with a soft gasp to refill my lungs with oxygen.
“You are incredibly spectacular; do you know that princess?” Brandon asks the second I open my eyes.
“If you say so.” I shrug as I lay back to float at the surface. “Why do you call me princess? I don’t act like one.”
“Of course you do.”
“How so?”
I let myself sit back upright as I tip-toe on the shallow end of the pool, so I can watch Brandon as he begins to remove his clothes. The first thing to go is his shirt. I take this moment to divulge in the urge I’ve had since I met him, to admire the ink embedded in his suntanned skin.
“Do you know the definition of the word?” he asks, but I don’t answer so he can fill in the blank for me.
“A princess,” he starts, “is defined as a royal daughter, or daughter of a monarch. Technically, you are a mafia princess, seeing as who your father is.” I wince at the mention of him, not wanting the thoughts of my father to penetrate the atmosphere we’ve created in this room.
“That’s not the definition I envision when I look at you, however.
You are demanding but delicate in ways you refuse to admit.
You are royal, and the Karma brothers are turning into your very loyal subjects whether you see it or not.
” He kicks off his boots, letting them land haphazardly next to his discarded shirt.
“You are immensely intelligent, and strong in ways that aren't just physical.” He moves to unbutton his pants and my eyes lock on his hands in anticipation. “You are a ruler.” he lets his pants fall to a muddle at his feet before kicking them away. It takes me a moment to realize what I’m staring at.
“You are courageous in every sense of the word.” He says, not saying anything about the way I’m staring at him right now.
Right in front of me, stands a completely naked Brandon. “And you went commando?” I blurt.
His cock is thick and already swollen as if watching me is his idea of foreplay.
My mouth fills with saliva as I eye it, the length is a feat of its own.
A size I’ve never seen before, and a size I don’t think could fit in me even if I tried.
But the size of his member isn’t the most shocking thing about it.
“And you’re pierced.” I state, still trying to reel in my shock.
“Yes, and yes.” He smirks.
He has a row of barbell piercings along the entire underside of his shaft from tip to base, and I count eight of them as I’m stuck staring at it. My eyes only leave it when he dives into the water next to me. He doesn’t stay under like I did, he comes up quickly to face me just inches away.
“I’ve warned you about your poker face, Princess. If you keep looking at me like that, you aren’t getting out of this water until you’ve taken me.”