Bethany"Just memories of Bethany being young and wanting to be a princess."Patty lifted her drink into the air. "For a new beginning for my big sister. I don't know anyone who deserves it more than you.""For my mom, who has shown me that one thing has the power to cure all hurts, all hang-ups, and all heartbreaks. Love. May it follow you everywhere for as long as you live."Her mom nodded, tears dripping down her face as they hit their glasses together carefully."No more tears." Bethany reached for a box of Kleenex and passed them out. "Only happy times now.""Speaking of happy times and princesses," Patty paused, snorting as she shook her head. "You remember getting our asses whooped for getting into momma's expensive make-up and dressing up like hookers?""Oh my God. We did." Her mother laughed, Patty joining her.Bethany lifted her glass again. "I knew I got it from somewhere... blame my mother.""For what?" Patty lifted her eyebrow."For everything." Bethany smirked and took a
BethanyThe sun filtered through the blinds, filling the room with a warm glow and pulling Bethany from the best sleep she could remember having. Damon was on his stomach, his arms above his head, muscles defined and skin sun-kissed. She moved closer, unable to help herself.Her left finger held the promise of forever, but her heart ached at the possibility of something happening to them. The engagement had happened so fast, and yet it was right. She pulled the ring closer to her face and studied it as he groaned softly in his sleep. The sound of him enjoying something in his dream caused her heart to flutter.How could a man like him want a simple girl like her?He was wealth, and she was poverty.He was beautiful, and she was plain.But it didn't matter. Nothing did but the fact that they were going to be together. They would figure out the crazy details later when they were back home and in the comfort of their own environment. She wouldn’t let anything come between us. No matter w
Damon"Wait. You what?" Kendal's eyes widened as he sat across the table from Damon the next day. "What the hell were you thinking? It's been, what, three weeks?"Damon shrugged and pulled the black napkin down into his lap, ignoring his closest friend's concerns. Beth was the woman for him, and there wasn't any going back from that decision. He'd measured her attitude, her drive, her hunger in the office and the bedroom and seen the signs of success in all areas.She was going to be his forever, whether that started now or in five years. She’d spent the night wrapped around him after the long-ass flight back to the States. She fit – perfectly beside him. "Just know sometimes." He nodded to the waiter who hovered beside them, the poor idiot looking like he'd just swallowed something poisonous. "Pour.""Of course, Sir." The guy picked up the open bottle of red wine on the table and tipped it up to fill Damon's glass."No, you don't just know. You've never had a solid relationship in y
DamonHe pulled out his phone and flipped through a few of the pictures they'd taken on their vacation as he let out a long breath.Long brown hair and green eyes that captivated him. A small waist and huge tits that took up most of his palm. He closed his eyes and dropped his phone back into his pocket as his body woke up. He didn't care how fast things had gone. He'd give anything to hang on to the feeling she left him with - pay any price.They could get to know each other over the next year and figure things out slowly, but no one unwrapped a package they didn't first purchase. That was Bethany. He'd put himself into wanting to try something more than a fuck-buddy relationship with her, and now it was time to be deliberate in learning about her, figuring out what made her tick.He opened his eyes and pursed his lips as his pulse spiked. He'd popped the question simply because he didn't want to lose her. She was beyond worried about them being siblings, but it was an invalid concer
BethanyThe large diamond sitting on her hand seemed surreal. Had Damon really proposed after three weeks? Warmth flooded her over the thought, quickly followed by a million reasons why he might decide his offer was a mistake. The man was as fickle as any she'd ever met but so worth the effort. Having been raised to be independent and fight for everything, she wasn't used to wanting to belong to anyone or anything, but Damon was different.Belonging to him felt good, right. Like he might have the ability to patch the holes in her past and give her a future that looked far brighter than the one she was forcing herself into. Work was going to become her only focus, much as school had been for the last four years.A knock at the apartment door caused her to jump. Krista was still in jail, and though Bethany should have visited her close friend, she simply didn't have much to say to the other girl. Having lived together for four years and not knowing that Krista was manic bipolar was beyo
BethanyBethany laughed and wiped at her eyes again. "He's in good company. I'll help out where I can.""Study dates twice a week like we used to?" Jake winked and wiggled around in his wheelchair as if trying to get comfortable."Only if you're buying coffee." She opened the door more fully and moved back to let them out."Him buying the coffee?" Jake's dad chuckled. "You mean me?""Are you offering?" Bethany teased him and closed the door as they waved their goodbyes. The thought of what Jake must look like under his loose T-shirt and sweat pants caused her to cringe. Krista had almost succeeded in taking his life, and thank God she hadn't, but he was forever changed. Every time he changed clothes or got naked in front of a girl, they would see the excessive scarring all over his chest and stomach."Unbelievable." She tried to discard the thought, but it lingered as she cleaned up the apartment and packed up the rest of Krista's stuff. Both of her friends’ lives were forever changed
DamonFrustration sat heavy on his shoulders as he drove toward his father's mansion on the far side of town. Having wanted to be just like his dad his whole life, now was his chance, and yet it didn't seem nearly as thrilling as he hoped it would. People were childish and irresponsible, and that was on a good day.Between the fuck ups his Seattle team made on the Zarpeth inventory and the Kissinger tax audit coming up, he was beat. The trip to Jamaica had been good for him, maybe too good, but returning to another crisis wiped away the positive effects he hoped to hold on to for a few more days.He pulled up in the circle drive and parked his Mercedes, but didn't get out. Bethany's beat up Honda sat beside Matt's old green truck, both of them looking like something the pool boy might drive. A smile lifted Damon's lip at the realization that Bethany was a lot like him, but a lot like Matthew too. There were parts of her past he wanted to explore, but that would come in time. He didn't
DamonThe look of ecstasy on her beautiful face when she crested over the edge of orgasm was intense, gratifying."Fuck," he groaned as her body tightened around his fingers and spasmed. "So fucking hot baby." He gripped the back of her neck and rolled them again so that he could hover above her as he finished his assault. He'd be taking his time with her later that night, but the quickie was in order."More," she whined, lighting him up complete."You'll get more when I'm ready." He ran his fingers just under her panties, petting her as he pressed his mouth to her nipple and tugged just over her clothes. "God, you smell so fucking good, Beth.""Tell Matt to go away." She pressed her foot into his chest and pushed.He moved back and shook his head. "I'm not hurting the big guy's feelings; you do that.""Never." She sat up and tugged her shorts back into place as he slipped his fingers into his mouth and licked them clean. The woman tasted like heaven and watching her react to him teas
LukeWhen a knock sounded on my door a little while later, I glanced at the clock, and my jaw dropped. An hour had already flown by, and I’d checked off several items from my list.“Come in!” I called. Everyone knew that when the door to the study was closed, they were to knock and wait for my approval before entering. It was my sacred space in the palace, and it wasn’t a hard rule to follow. Though, I imagined bending the rules for our child—whenever we got around to having one—since Father had always done so for me.Sophia stood in the doorway for a moment before entering the room.“Hi,” I said to her. “What’s up?”“Do you have a minute?” she asked. Her hands clasped in front of her, as Mother’s normally were. The both of them were turning into clones of each other. I wondered if I should limit their time together or not. The thought made me smile. Neither of them would agree to that. They were two peas in a pod now.“For you? Always.” I stood up and stretched. For the last hour, I
LukeAs I perused the newspaper in front of me, Sophia and Mother discussed some upcoming banquet. Glancing over the top of the paper, I watched my wife of six months calmly eating her breakfast. Tilting my head to the side, I noticed something different about her. I couldn’t quite pinpoint it. I wasn’t sure if it was her outfit; today she wore one of the more traditional outfits of our country. Over the last months, Mother had been an excellent tutor to Sophia, teaching her about our customs, traditions, and the language.Even though Sophia hated when we went full immersion with the language, she loved it at the same time. It worked her brain like her reporting career did. I still felt a little twinge of guilt now and then for taking her away from her passion, but she had a full schedule since we had returned from our honeymoon. We both liked to keep busy, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.It didn’t take long for Mother to get on board with the new way of life around the
SophiaHe drove a finger inside of me, and I bucked my hips up to meet him. Falling back against the fluffy pillows, we moved as one, intensifying the pleasure within me. Adding more fingers and that circling thumb, my eyes fluttered closed and moans escaped my lips. If this was what it was going to be like for the rest of my life, I looked forward to every moment spent in this bed with Luke.After the drama that we had to deal with in such a short amount of time, I never felt so relaxed in my life. That part of our struggle was over, and even though there would inevitably be issues with the kingdom and Luke’s reign, there would never be a problem that we couldn’t overcome, especially if we came together like this as much as possible.The idea that I might have missed out on this life with him made me hold him close to me. I sat up, deepening his reach inside of me, and I grabbed his hardness again, thrusting all of my love and appreciation into the movements.His chin lifted, and his
SophiaEvery single point where our bodies touched lit me up inside until searing heat scorched every fiber of my being. Touching Luke’s face, feeling the stubble of his chin under my fingertips, added licks of heat to burn through me. I fell into the pools of his eyes, my love for him wanting to burst out of me. My panties were soaked through as his hand moved up the side of my body. His fingers brushed over the side of my breast. After getting out of my dress last night, I changed into a ratty old T-shirt. The fabric was thin and worn, which didn’t offer any protection from his touches. Not that I wanted any.His fingers lightly touched my neck. He put some pressure on my jaw, and I moved my head to the side. I loved when Luke kissed the sensitive part of my neck. It was one of his favorite moves. At least, from what I could tell.His soft lips touched my skin. With each movement of my body, he left a wake of warm invisible kisses along the way. He trapped my earlobe between his lip
LukeJoining her, the two of us brushed our teeth together. It was nice to get the stale taste of food and champagne out of my mouth. I watched Sophia through the mirror as she watched me. Energy crackled between us, and I could have dragged her into the shower to expend that energy. Knowing we were to be joined by several servants as they brought breakfast in the room for us made me kill the urge. For now.Even though it was the simplest of acts, the idea that I would brush my teeth at least once a day with this woman filled me with the most joy I’d ever felt. I wondered if only the birth of our children would rival that feeling.I finished before her and held her against me while she finished. With a shimmy of her ass against my crotch, I glanced at her. She leaned back against me, lifting her perky breasts higher. Slowly guiding my hand along her middle, I caressed the outside of her breasts.That was when I heard the door open from the other room. My hand froze before I removed it
LukeI never wanted my wedding day to end. Even though it was an intimate affair with under a hundred guests, the party went much longer than most banquets that I’d attended. Sophia and I stumbled into my bedroom in the wee hours of the morning.Even though I celebrated, neither of us drank heavily. I supposed we were almost drunk from the music and dancing, so when we arrived in a quiet and sacred space, the both of us passed out from exhaustion.The one thing I remembered as my eyes closed was the way she looked slipping out of her wedding dress. God, I was a lucky-ass man.***When my eyes finally peeled open, Sophia was already up and facing me. She had a big smile on her face, and her left hand propped on the pillow between us. The sparkling engagement ring glittered in the morning light that streamed through the windows. The night before, I’d barely gotten out of my clothes, so there was no chance I had been able to reach the blackout curtains before falling onto the bed.“Good
SophiaGia smiled and reached up to grab my veil. She pulled it down over my face, and the world turned a hazy shade of white. All but two of the servants dispersed, and Gia walked into the room, closing the door behind her.“You ready to get married?” Matt asked me.“Yes,” I said, lifting my chin. For a moment, I felt like Gia. Since I was to take her place as queen one day, it seemed fitting.A swell of music filtered out from under the doorway and the doors opened. It was a good thing the veil covered the surprised expression on my face. We’d planned for the wedding to be small and intimate, but I didn’t know that there would be more than immediate family at the event. Gia had mentioned some close family and friends that she’d wanted there, and I brushed it off, thinking there would be one or two extra people.All in all, there were only about fifty people, but when their gazes turned toward me, there might as well have been two hundred people there.Matt gripped my hand harder. “J
SophiaSince Gia put together the wedding in such a short amount of time, there was nothing Luke or I could say when it came to the night before the wedding. She’d let go of most of her traditional views but chose to hold on to the one that didn’t allow us to sleep together that night.While I wanted to show Luke how appreciative I was about what he’d done for me, we respected her wishes.After a wonderful rehearsal dinner with the people we loved, I took Matt around the palace while Luke and Maddox went off together. Maddox had mentioned something about the bachelor party, and Gia’s face had paled to the color of the tablecloth. I knew Luke didn’t plan on going out to a strip club—I didn’t think they had those here—but he went off with Maddox anyway, probably to defeat his best friend’s urge to flirt.Matt eventually dropped me off in the same bedroom that I’d slept in when I first came to the palace. We said goodnight, and I thought I saw excitement flash in his eyes when he asked w
LukeThe council members shifted in their seats. I couldn’t be prouder of my mother for standing up for me. It was something I always wanted but never knew that I needed. I didn’t care that she commanded the meeting space where I was supposed to reign. We were a family, and treating the kingdom like that would be my legacy.“When Erol and I chose to adopt a son, it was not something we took lightly. We knew we would change a child’s life and possibly be able to choose the successor to the throne.” She looked over at me and smiled, the way she used to when I was a child. When things seemed much simpler. When had I lost touch with that?“We picked a boy that we felt, in our hearts, needed us as much as we needed him. You all worked with my husband and the previous king. You saw how big of a heart he had for this country. You trusted his choices. Why are you turning your backs on him now? He wanted Luke to become king in his stead. What would you say to him right now, face to face, if yo