He hesitated and turned away from her.
“King, please…” she whispered. “What’s going on outside these walls? What aren’t they telling me?”
“Your Royal Highness… please, don’t…”
“King, I want to know what my aunt was talking about. So, would you be so kind to tell me?!” she almost begged him.
“I don’t think this is a conversation for your room, Ma’am,” he said quietly, and the catch in his voice forced her to her feet to pace madly around her room.
“Oh… that bad, huh?” Romaine whispered and started playing with her earlobe.
“Your Royal Highness, please, calm down. There is no need to stress like this.”
“And why not? My aunt seems so sure I’m not fit to rule! Why is she saying that? Huh? Why? I’ve been prepared for this moment all my life. I&rsqu
“A ghost? I don’t agree… No... I was here all the time, King… I was working for them. I saw people at festivals and other meetings,” Romaine insisted.“Yes, Romy, and everyone saw your smiling face, but then you were tucked away again. Now that you’re older, rumors have started that you’re a shut-in, maybe even not right… in the head,” Kingston muttered, sounding as irritated as she felt. “Hell, I’m not proud for saying this but I believed them before I met you. I thought you were just another egotistical, spoiled, arrogant princess…” Romaine didn’t understand how it was possible. When her brother died, it hurt her, but she had moved past it. She had no choice. She was the Crown Princess, and there were duties to carry out.“Tell me, King… The people… What do they think I do?”
Each touch sent Romaine closer to falling apart in his arms. His fingers thrust hard up into her, a preview of what was to come. Just the thought of having him, all of him, sent her tumbling over the edge into oblivion. A cry tore from her throat, but he covered her mouth hurriedly with his. She cried out and her hips bucked as the climax took her hard, spreading through her limbs, stronger than any she’d had previously, and before she finished, Kingston picked her up in his arms and stalked towards the bedroom. Her chest heaving, Romaine slid down the front of his body, being sure to press herself against every inch of him, and smirked when he growled. His eyes darkened until her hands fumbled for his shirt.“Wait, baby…” Kingston whispered roughly, stopping her.“I want to see all of you, King… So, you’re not going to hide from me,” Romaine told him fiercely. “Not now, not after you forced the real me out.” Kingston frowned, but his face soften
The moon was still out in the sky, but Kingston was in no hurry to leave his sweet Romaine’s bed. He lay on his stomach, his eyes closed, and for once in his few years out of the military, he was completely and utterly... happy. Kingston’s mind was at ease, and his body… Well, most of it was relaxed. With a naked Romaine straddling his waist while her delicate fingers traced the outline of his tattoo, it was hard for every piece of him to be relaxed. His erection pressed into the bed, but he didn’t move to take her again. Her touch was soothing. Every place where her skin pressed into his was on fire with the hunger coursing through his body, and at the same time, she brought the strangest sense of calm over him.“Was I right, King?” she asked quietly as her hand flattened between his shoulder blades.“About what, my darling?” he replied roughly, his eyes fluttering open so he could glance over his shoulder at her.“About the skull on your back… Is it you
“There she is,” King Hernando said and stood from behind his desk. “Good morning, sweetheart.” Brent closed the study door, and Romaine took a deep breath to steady her nerves.“Good morning, Father… Good morning, Mother.” King Hernando and Queen Dorothea each took a hand, guiding her to the couch.“You look extremely well this morning, Romy… Doesn’t she, my love?” Dorothea asked her husband. Romaine glanced from one to the other, and all the courage she’d built up to confront them vanished at the look in their eyes.“What’s going on? What did you two do?”“Listen, sweetie,” Queen Dorothea said, “since you’re now twenty-five, we’ve decided it’s time to tell you what you have to look forward to. As you know, we plan on handing over the throne sooner rather than later, but before we can, there are conditions that must be met.”“Like what, exactly? How soon are you planning on stepping down?” Romaine asked quickly, worry causing her to tug on her ear until h
By the time Kingston found Raoul and filled him in on what he’d overheard at the docks, the sun was setting and King Hernando and Queen Dorothea had departed for their trip to the main continent. The rest of the guard was on their way back from the Royal dock, but Kingston remained with Raoul, watching the old man pace around his office on the lower level of the palace.“You said there was a shipment coming in at midnight?” Raoul said, scratching his chin in thought.“Yes, sir, at midnight. But he didn’t say what it was, and it was too much of a risk to follow them.”“No… No, you’re right, King. What you heard was enough.”“Sir? What are you planning on doing?” Kingston asked, anxious to be a part of it, but when Raoul stopped in front of him, his face fell. “Oh, I see… You wish for me to stay by Princess Romaine’s side.”“That is your place now, King. Protect her at all costs. For all we know, if we do take any action against Thiago and Alba, it could lead to a mu
‘Damn you for hurting her!’ he said to himself and tried not to hold her. Still as a statue, Kingston waited for Romaine to lash out at him, but her face went blank… frighteningly blank. The instincts that always warned Kingston when an enemy was near, went on red alert as she stalked past him to the trellis.“Are you coming or not, Mr. Rossdale?” she said quietly before climbing back down. She’d never called him that… Romaine was angry but he had no choice but to follow her down to the balcony where Brent and Marisol were still waiting for them. By the time his boots hit the stone, the women were in Romaine’s bedroom with the door shut.“What happened up there, King?&
She stormed towards the balcony and threw the doors open.“Where the hell are you going now?” Romaine glanced out over the city.“Out, King. I’m going out. I’m going where the people may see me… see that I’m real, that I hurt, that I smile… That I’m a human being… I am going OUT!”“The hell you are,” he muttered and stalked towards her. “Romaine, you know very well you can’t leave the palace.”“Really? Says who? You, King? You have no control over me, and my jailors also known as my parents are gone.”“It’s not safe, damn it! Stop arguing with me and get back inside,” Kingston growled. When he enveloped her in his arms, Romaine aimed to slap him, but he caught her wrist.“It’s not safe, Romaine! Do you hear me? Your cousin is out to get you!” Romaine stilled instantly at his words.“What? What did you just say?” Kingston released her and stepped back, running a twitching hand through his hair.“Just… Please, stay inside until we sort everything
“It took you a long time to get here,” she said and her emerald eyes looked at him a bit perplexed. “All you had to do was prepare the wine and join me in the bathtub.”“I wanted to be sure everything is all right outside the doors of your rooms, my sweet Princess,” Kingston replied and lowered his head just enough to catch her bottom lip lightly between his teeth. “I’m still your bodyguard, am I not?” he whispered against her lips. Romaine wanted to reply, but like every time Kingston would kiss her, she was drowning in a flood of sensations, of longings, of needs. Her breath had strangled in her lungs, and she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t want to.“This is one of my many fantasies,” he said and started to slowly lose his clothes one by one. “You, me… both naked, having hot sex in a bathtub or, even better, in the shower…” Kingston took a condom out of his pocket and he’d carefully laid it in the soap dish. Romaine wet her lips and watched his magnificent naked bo
“This is not true! It’s all lies!” Thiago yelled, but Kingston shook him hard enough for his teeth to rattle. Queen Dorothea’s hand covered her mouth as King Hernando’s opened and closed like a fish out of water.“Romaine… What are you saying? This is madness! This is pure madness! Thiago is your cousin! You’ve been close your entire lives… He cares for you…”“And he wants the throne, Father,” Romaine argued angrily. “But you know this… Both of you do.”“I don’t understand,” Queen Dorothea whispered. “Romy, sweetheart, we would have known if you were kidnapped.”“Obviously not, Mother,” she replied gently, trying to reign in her rage. “You’ve been too busy deciding for me, controlling my life, playing my strings like I was some soulless, stupid marionette to realize the actual danger I was in.” She tossed the phone to Brent.“Can you, please, play the file that’s up, and make sure everyone can hear it.”“Immediately, Your Royal Highness,” Brent said. He b
Two other men charged forward, their guns firing towards Kingston, but one was dropped by Iker and the second went down when Kingston fired.“Four… Romy, what do you hear?”“‘Nothing… It’s quiet… No! Get your filthy hands off me, you bastard!’”“Romy! What’s happening there?”“‘Let me go, you coward! King!!!!! King!!!!!’”“‘Shut up, you little bitch!’” Raoul shouted. Kingston stared through the scope, and when Raoul came back into view with his gun aimed at Romaine’s head, his entire body exploded in fury.“Put down your weapons!” Raoul called out to the dockyard. “Do it or I’ll kill her! I swear to God I will!”“‘King,’” Romaine whispered, and Raoul yanked hard on her hair. She reached back, trying to get free, but Raoul smacked her with the gun, and Romaine staggered.“‘King, can you get a shot?’” Iker asked quietly. “‘I’m blocked. I can’t see shit.’” He scooted forward, his hands the steadiest they’d been in years, and put his eye back to the
Kingston unlocked his old storage shed with all of the things that he hadn’t taken to the palace with him. Iker slipped in behind him, and Kingston went straight to the gun safe in the back. He opened it and said he was going to give Brent an update. He stepped back and texted Brent, asking him to call if he could. A second later, his cell went off.“‘King, I’m here! Tell me everything! What did you find out?’”“I was able to hear Romy and trace her current location… Brent, she’s been kidnapped by Thiago and Raoul,” Kingston said tightly.“‘Are you kidding me?’” Voices echoed behind him, but they died down.“‘Guess who is here telling them all Princess Romaine ran away…?’”“Thiago? How in the hell had he gotten there already?”“‘No, bro… It’s Alba. She showed the King and the Queen a text from Thiago saying Romaine told him early this morning she was taking off. He hasn’t shown up yet.’”“He will… soon enough.” Kingston filled him in briefly on w
Romaine’s mouth was dry and her vision fuzzy. She tried to remember exactly what had happened, but there was a blank in her memories. She moved, trying to stand, but her hands were bound in her lap and she was tied securely to a chair. Panic set in and her eyes widened.“Help!” She yanked hard and yelled as she tried to break free.“Please! Somebody, help me!” Romaine screamed over and over. Steps sounded close by, and when Thiago appeared in the doorway, Romaine tried to lunge toward him, but the ropes cut and burned into her.“Oh, damn it! You son of a bitch! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let me go! Let me go right now!” He pulled a gun from his waistband, and Romaine glared at him.“Is that supposed to scare me? Well, I got news for you, you bastard… I’m not scared of you,” Romaine spat and hoped her voice wasn’t shaking like her hands.“Oh, of course not, little Princess,” Thiago said casually. “Don’t worry, sweetheart… This isn’t f
Someone pounded on Kingston’s door, and he shot up in bed, ready to hide Romaine, but she wasn’t there… She was gone. The bed was cold on her side, and he frowned, wondering when she’d snuck out last night. What kind of bodyguard was he since he didn’t hear her leaving the room?“King! Wake up, man! We have a situation!” Brent yelled through the door.“I’m up, dude! Just give me a minute,” he called back and grabbed his clothes. Once he was dressed, Kingston unlocked his door, and Brent burst in.“What is this about? What the hell is going on?”“All I can say for now… It’s not good, man! Not good at all! King Hernando and Queen Dorothea want to see you in the surveillance room… NOW!” Brent told him. “I’m sorry, King… I really have no idea how it happened.”“How WHAT happened? You’re not making sense… What are you talking about, man?” Kingston asked in a cold tone.“I think it’s best if you see for yourself, King,” Brent said. His tone told Kingston whateve
Shuddering against her, Kingston released her lips and groaned at the final pulse of release that jerked from the tip of his member. He was breathing hard, heavy. He couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen to his brain… He couldn’t still the thunder of blood enough to make sense of all the emotions, all the sensations, that had crashed inside him in a wave of ecstasy. She lay beneath him, sated, the tension slowly easing from her body, covered by him. The way she responded to him, the position, rocked him to the core. He hadn’t expected it. Kingston had expected her to feel shy about it. He even expected a denial. But he hadn’t expected the trust she had given him.“You’re mine…” he whispered again.“I love you, King...” He barely heard the words. Her face was pressed into the sheets… It was no more than a whisper of sound, but it crashed inside him with a power that rocked him clear to his soul.“Come here, love… I want to feel you against me,” he whispered a
“Romy…” Kingston said knowing what she had in mind… again. “Baby, no…”“Shhh…” she whispered and her lips followed her tongue, covering the member’s head. Moaning, Romaine drew it into her mouth. Her tongue flickered over the underside as she sucked him in, crazy about the feel and the taste of him in her mouth. She had already taken him before, but somehow, she was hungry for him again. It was a hunger she could only associate to Kingston. Not to a drug. Not to anything unnatural. Needing Kingston was as natural as the land needing rain, or flowers needing sunshine. It was imperative. It was the key to survival. Drawing back, Romaine surveyed the slick wetness she had left on the tip, laved over it again with her tongue, and gloried in the hard groan that echoed from his chest.“I’m so wet, King… So, so wet…” She lifted her head and stared up at Kingston, aroused past the point of sanity.“I need you inside me… now…”“Hell!” He laid h
Romaine watched as Kingston walked towards her, his jaw clenched tightly and his eyes transfixed on her hand between her legs. His eyes darkened with each step he took until he stood next to her. The bulge in his jeans made her even wetter than she already was. Dancing with him at that club had made her blood boil, grinding against him as he gripped her ass hard in those hands. It made her almost want to go back to that first club, claim a booth, and let others hear her moans of pleasure as Kingston took her hard and fast. Kingston wanted to conquer her. She saw it in the way his hands twitched at his sides, hungry to touch her. When he knelt beside her, she moved her hand away, hungry to feel his fingers deep inside her or just stroking her clit. But Kingston’s hand took the hand that she used between her legs, brought it to his mouth, and flicked his tongue out to taste. He licked her finger like a lollipop and then placed it on her mound.“No
Kingston leered at her and let his heated gaze roam her body from her head to her toes until Romaine shivered.“Yeah, baby, they do… with good reason. Come on.” There were several men in perfectly tailored suits sitting in a booth towards the end of the balcony. Ladies with long, flowing blonde hair surrounded them, and Kingston and Romaine paused and walked to the railing as if they were watching the crowd. A man passed by and asked for their passes. Romaine showed them while Kingston asked Iker if he had anything yet.“There’s a man up there… It's supposed to be one of the suppliers,” Iker answered. “The bartender said he’s here every Tuesday and Thursday nights, sits at the end booth.”“What’s his description?”“Buzzed head, tattoo on his neck, and has a fetish for… feathers.” Kingston raised an eyebrow, and Romaine laughed.“Feathers? Seriously?” She leaned back with Kingston, and when he saw the man in the center of the booth, two