DamonShe was pissed, and he couldn't blame her. Well, maybe not pissed. Hurt was more like it.Damon set the phone down on his desk and slipped his hand into his slacks before walking toward the full-length windows in his office. The sunny day did nothing to permeate the sickening feeling that swelled deep inside of him. He'd have to miss his father's wedding if he couldn't fix the situation with Zarpeth soon. It needed far more than a quick band-aid, and yet a patch-up job was all he had time for.It was time for his father to have a happy ending, to get to enjoy a relationship that was based on truth and love. Karen, Bethany's mother, was going to be great for him."Much better than my own cheating-ass mother," Damon mumbled under his breath and tried hard not to let the images of catching her with another man poison his thoughts. He was already struggling like hell with keeping his mood under control."Damon?" Linda's voice reached him before the soft rapping of her knuckles on th
Damon"Just leave it alone." He flipped the lock on the door and walked toward the small restroom attached to the back of his office. Privacy was the best part of being an executive, but just slightly above getting to control every aspect of the company when his father was away.There was no reason to call her and apologize for not talking to her earlier. They could talk later. Hearing her voice would just distract him more, and he was already on edge from all the bullshit bubbling up on the Zarpeth account.He flipped on the light and closed the door to the bathroom before dropping his slacks and turning to sit down. It had been a long time since he had to take care of himself, but then again, being with one woman made things more complex."And far more stimulating." He wrapped his hand around his cock and lifted his hips, pressing deep into his tight hold as a tremor ran through him. It wouldn't have taken more than a phone call to get her up there, and if he knew her well enough, B
BethanyBethany took the long way to the office, working hard to talk herself into actually stopping by. Damon would be in a horrible mood because of the situation with Zarpeth. Did she really want to set herself up to be his punching bag?Maybe Kendal was right. She should give him the benefit of the doubt and simply stop by with an 'I love you' of sorts.She made a quick turn off the freeway and pulled into the local coffee shop, ordering herself something sweet and picking up Damon's favorite drink. Pulling back out onto the road, she steeled herself, locking her emotions down. She was disappointed about him not being able to come. That's really what it boiled down to. She could sling anger and accusation at him for not speaking to her earlier, or she could give him the coffee, kiss his cheek and go home to pack.Matt would be in Jamaica with her. There was tons of fun to be had with just the two of them together. She smiled at the thought and turned on the radio in the car, findin
BethanyHe paused and ran his fingers through his dark hair. Bethany set his coffee on the table next to her as her eyes moved across him. The swell of his pectoral muscles pushed at his shirt as he twisted a certain way. Just knowing what lay underneath all his clothing left her blood warming. Now wasn't the time for a sexual intervention, but it sure sounded good."I'm coming to Florida in two weeks and when I get there... this shit better be cleared up. You're on your last warning. Tell me you understand clearly the objectives of the tasks I've given you and that you will be getting them done."He moved out from behind his desk and walked toward the window. Reaching up, he pressed his hand to the glass and seemed to be looking out at the city. She couldn't help but stare at the soft curve of his rear, her heart pounding a little harder in her chest as her desire spiked."Good. Don't fuck this up. I'm out of patience with you."Damon pulled the phone from his ear and hit a button be
BethanyBethany walked into Kent's large home as the smell of apple and cinnamon hit her in the face. She breathed in deeply and made a detour to the kitchen. Martha, their chef, was whistling a tune and taking pies out of the oven."It smells divine in here." Bethany moved around the portly woman and closed the oven for her."Apple and peach pies were the first things my momma taught me how to make. I've been baking them from scratch since I was a little girl." Martha smiled and pulled her mittens from her hands. "What’s wrong? The frown on your face is not the normal reaction to the smell of this goodness, you silly girl."Bethany chuckled and moved toward the large counter that ran the length of the kitchen. Several pies baked to perfection sat proudly. She breathed in deeply, trying to decide what her response should be."I'm just sad that Damon is going to have to miss the vacation part of this trip. He'll be there for the wedding, but I was looking forward to spending some time
Bethany"Were you hurt by him not talking to you this morning?" Matt pulled out another shirt, folding it and averting his eyes from her."Yes.""Why?" He glanced up at her quickly, his eyes wide as if he were worried."Because if we're going to be together, I expect him to communicate with me. I was on the fucking phone with him, and he didn't say anything, Matt. Not two words." Heat rushed up her chest and coated her throat. Surely Matt wasn't taking up for Damon when he was a cock earlier that day."And why didn't he say anything to you?""Because he's an ass and doesn't think of other people.""Who's staying behind to take care of the mess at McKenzie and Bryant?" Matt moved off the bed and nodded toward the closet. "Go get more clothes while I drag myself deeper into this hole for the sake of my wayward older brother.""Damon is staying back to take care of things. It's his damn job." She stormed to the closet and yanked out a few more items, not giving two shits about what she w
Damon"Why am I not surprised that you're interested in my suffering?" Matt lifted his eyebrow and stuffed a whole roll into his mouth."Your suffering?" Damon glanced down the table toward his dad, taking note of the warm smile on Karen's pretty face as she leaned in to whisper something to his father. "Dad. You hear this? Matt is suffering because you invited Erica to this wedding.""Don't start." Matt shook his head and reached for his beer. "Seriously. I've already gotten a counseling session by our new sister."Everyone stiffened at Matt's remark."Your new sister." Damon wrapped his arm around Bethany's shoulders and pulled her closer. "My soon-to-be forever."Bethany glanced over at Damon, the expression on her pretty face showing discomfort. It was going to be a couple of bumpy months as their family transitioned, but they would make it through. She wasn't his sister; nor would she ever be. Damon had one sibling, and he was chewing through rolls at breakneck speed down the tab
Damon"All right," Martha's voice stole him from the naughty thoughts that plagued him when Beth was close by, "everyone has to try my tiramisu. It's a new recipe, so be totally honest with me. You're not going to hurt my feelings.""Anything you make is delicious, Martha." Matt moved out of his seat to help her serve everyone dessert."I'm stuffed." Bethany pulled her hand from Damon's lap and moved to get up. "Save me a piece for later though?""Yes, of course." Martha smiled and continued to dish large scoops of the multi-layered dessert out to everyone."You need my help with something?" Damon glanced over his shoulder as Beth walked toward the back of the house."Sure. I was going to try and get my makeup bag down from the top of the closet. You could probably reach it much better than I can.""All right. I'll be right there." Damon reached out and took a bowl from Martha as lust burned through the center of his stomach. He didn't have time to properly seduce his girl, but a quic
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