DamonHe parked outside of the apartments on campus and turned the car off. The need to sit in the darkness and gather his thoughts was a new sensation. He was so used to rushing into things like a bull in a china shop and getting his way. No matter what it was, or who it was, if he wanted it, it was going to be his. Where he wasn't sure he could change that about himself, he hoped like hell he could at least try and soften it a little bit.Getting out of the car, he grabbed the single red rose he'd picked up on his way over to get Beth and walked toward her apartment.He knocked on the door and took a step back as she opened it.The blue dress she wore fit her like a glove, the top tight and accentuating just how big her breasts were, and the bottom flaring out and forcing him to pay homage to her beautiful legs."Wow," he whispered roughly. "I'm not sure how you keep getting more and more stunning, but you do.""Thanks." She stepped outside the apartment and closed the door. "Is thi
BethanyI'm not the victim. He didn't do any of those things with malice or the intent that I thought he did. Against her better judgment, she unbuckled her seat belt and moved to her knees, leaning over and wrapping her arms around his neck."I told you that I was struggling, that I felt like you didn't care about me. I know it's stupid now, but those are the things that kept kicking me down each time I would try to work things out with you." She pressed her face against his neck and breathed in deeply. "You're not a monster at all. I just felt like a victim, which is stupid."He kissed the side of her face and rubbed her back softly. "You want me to take you back to your place? I honestly didn't realize how bad all of this looked. I didn't have the intent you thought I had, but I understand why you ran from me. Maybe you were right to run.""No." She turned her face toward his. "I don't want to run anymore. I just need to understand where you were coming from. You explaining it is
Bethany"No, let me finish." She took a deep breath. "I went to school that day and came home to find my mom in the house and three big thugs tearing up everything. He'd skipped town because he owed them drug money, but he left us there without saying a word. He forced us to be the victims of poverty, of fear, of a whole host of other fucked up things." Tears filled her eyes, but she kept going. "I've never been whole or complete. When we first got together, I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall, but it didn't. I think I started just to assume that everything you did had some small seed of malice in it. Why wouldn't it? We couldn't last. You wouldn't want a broken girl like me. I had nothing. I have nothing. I'm poor, and you’re rich. I'm average, and you're beautiful.""Beth." Damon pulled into the driveway at his place. "You're everything I want in my life. You're beyond beautiful to me. You're talented and smart, and you could run circles around all of us put together if you be
BethanyShe laid on the bed as he moved around the room. There were a million things she wanted to say, but he'd laid her down and told her to hush the minute she started asking questions. There was nothing left to do but watch him walk around the room, lighting candles. She'd pulled his shirt from him as he kissed her before getting up, which left the view from her vantage point beyond spectacular. Thick muscles bunched up as he reached up to pull the curtains closed. His arms and back were beautifully sculpted, as was his chest and stomach.He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a sexy smile. "What are you thinking, Beth?""I was wondering what kind of pasta we were going to make." She tried hard not to smile in the middle of her fib, but much like her mother always warned her, the devil made you smile each time you lied."Oh yeah?" He turned around and unbuttoned his slacks, pushing them over his hips and letting them fall to the ground. The sexy bastard didn't have on underwear
Bethany"More." He groaned and licked at her as his eyes moved up to lock onto hers. The sexy look on his face combined with the soft press of his tongue and wicked hard pumping of his fingers caused her to buckle as she came again.She rode the high as he continued to stoke it. "No more." She pushed at his shoulder with her foot and rolled over onto her stomach, squeezing her legs together and pressing her face to the cold sheets as she panted for air."So fucking hot, Beth." He slid his hand up the back of her thighs and squeezed before crawling up on the bed with her. "I want you to ride me tonight." He pressed himself down on top of her and leaned down to kiss her neck and the back of her shoulders. "Can you do that for me, baby?""Anything you want." She forced herself to calm down a little. Her heart was racing so fast that it felt like it was trying to break free from her chest."Good. I want to see you enjoy yourself." He moved off of her and laid on his back, reaching for her
DamonHe laid on the bed beside her for what felt like forever the next morning. Nothing could have pulled him from her side other than the house burning down around them. Dinner never happened the night before, but he had plenty of stuff in the fridge for a great breakfast. She loved omelets, and he'd paid close attention over the last few months on what she liked in hers. She'd be surprised for sure seeing that they'd never talked about it before.It was the little things. The communication between them was going to have to improve, but the little things would be a balm for the times when things got fucked up, and they would. There was almost no way around that. Sometimes life threw shit at him, and his only reaction was to be an asshole to anyone and everyone. It wasn't that he chose that reaction, it just happened. After thirty-one years of being the guy he was, it wasn't going to change overnight, but he sure as hell would work on apologizing and not directing too much of it towa
Damon"That's a good idea. You think it looks good enough for a funeral?""Yeah. It's perfect." He closed the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He needed to wash the scent of their lust off of himself before changing. Nothing sounded better than calling her in to join him, but they'd never make it to the funeral in time.Sadness welled up inside his chest as he let the hot water run across his skin. Kendal would have a hard time holding it together at the service, which was completely expected, but there was nothing that bent Damon over more than seeing someone he loved suffer.At least Beth would be there beside him. Just a quick glance her way and he would be forced to consider the future. It was finally bright again now that she was back in the picture. Did she want a bigger house than the one he had? And how many kids? He smiled at the thoughts running through his mind. Never in a million years had he considered truly settling down with someone.He finished up and got
BethanyBethany held her breath as the funeral started. There seemed nothing worse in life than death to most people, but she'd been through a few days that felt like death might be a reprieve of sorts. The preacher was opening the service as Matt moved in quietly to sit beside her. Her mom and Kent were beside him, all of them trying to get into the pew as quietly as possible."Morning," Matt whispered as he reached over and gave her a quick hug.She smiled and leaned forward, reaching out and squeezing her mom's hand too. Her mother eyed her and Damon, nodded and turned back toward the front."We're gathered here today to celebrate the life of Amanda Tarrington." A few sniffles lifted up around the room, and Bethany couldn't help but hurt for Kendal. Without his mom and dad, Amanda was the only family he had left, or so Damon had told her on the way to the funeral.She reached over and took Matt's hand into hers. She still had her family with her, but how quickly it had started to d
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