Ana POV I don’t know when the palace had begun to feel like home. But I knew just as much as I knew I needed air to breathe, that when we pulled down the driveway, I was home. The cobblestone of the roundabout in front of the entryway rumbled under the tires. Xavier had remained quiet on the way home.Geegee headed to her quarters, muttering to herself about needing to get some chores done. I didn’t pay attention to hear her clearly as my eyes tracked Xavier’s every movement. Staff flooded him with questions after he entered the door. Instead of showing any annoyance, he answered every question and concern about our early return. Butterflies felt like they were fluttering in my stomach. Another piece of my heart was falling for this man. He gave me a wink as he headed to meet with Ethan. I felt a sense of nostalgia walking into my room. So much had changed on our short trip away from the palace. Not only had my relationship with Xavier grown but also my perception of myself. Two k
Ana POV Elizabeth was in a particularly sour mood today. When she argued with the head chef about cake selections being “wrong,” I knew I was in for it. She looked run down in a matching emerald green suede sweatpants outfit. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun at the base of her neck. I sat at the 20 person table in the formal dining area waiting to try whatever Elizabeth had picked out. Xavier’s mother stood next to the server as he placed small plates with different meals in front of me filled with different appetizers. I immediately held bile back from coming up my throat when I saw the amount of seafood on the plates. Oysters, calamari, bacon wrapped scallops, shrimp skewers, and bruschetta lay in front of me. The only appetizing item to me was the bruschetta. Elizabeth hovered over me. “Go on, try them.” I took a small bite of the calamari. The fried breading helped cover the weird texture of the calamari. I took a bite of everything except the oysters. “The chef makes the
Ana POV After a long rest I woke up feeling more like myself. I woke up to Xavier sitting on the bed next to me with a laptop resting on his lap. Black framed glasses rested on his nose, making his half naked body even sexier. Next to him was the infamous wedding binder that Elizabeth had given me. Sensing that I was waking up, Xavier looked over at me with a small smile. He closed the laptop and placed it on his nightstand. It was at that moment I realized I was not in my chambers. I was in Xavier’s room. His bed felt like I was laying on a cloud. I rolled over and winced at how stiff my body was. I didn’t think I had moved a muscle after the amount of antihistamine that was prescribed to me. Xavier moved the binder out of the way and moved so quickly that I didn’t have any time to react. Before I knew it I was laying on top of him with his arms wrapped around my waist. Xavier nestled his face into the crook of my neck and took several deep breaths. I took a moment to do the same
Ana POVXavier stopped the car at a log cabin just outside of sight of the palace. The cabin wasn’t a large building as if it were a place for nonroyal personnel. Everything in Xavier’s life I had witnessed had been lavish and grandiose. The cabin however was the opposite. Simple yet quaint. On one side of the cabin a light stone chimney pushed smoke into the air. Small patches of moss covered the roof. A farmer's porch had two wooden rocking chairs on it with a table in between. Raised flower beds were planted in front of the porch and were filled with shrubs, and mixed colored mums. “What is this place?” I asked as I leaned forward to take in the view. “This is the secret getaway spot.” Xavier gave my thigh a squeeze. “Come take a look.” He climbed out of the Escalade and rounded the SUV to open my door for me. The air smelt of wet soil, floral notes, and pine. The sound of water splashing could be heard close by. Xavier grabbed my hand and walked me up the stone path to the log
ANA POV When I walked out of the bathroom, candles and tea lights were lit all over the open living space and led up to the loft. Soft music played through speakers on either side of the fireplace. I furrowed my brows as I looked for Xavier. He walked down the stairs in nothing but dark gray sweatpants. His eyes darkened with desire as he looked me up and down. Only a towel wrapped around my body to skew his view. He crooked a finger to me as he placed the lighter down on the kitchen table. Before I could take a few steps, he was in front of me. He eagerly pressed his lips to mine. I greedily kissed him back. Need coiled within my stomach. I tangled my tongue with his as we fought for dominance. Xavier nipped at my lower lip and down my jaw to where his mark would lie. A shiver went down my spine as he licked and sucked at the spot on me my neck. “Xavier,” I said breathlessly. “I need…” he cut me off by capturing my lips once more. “I know Princess. I am going to take care of you
Ana POVAlthough the rebels who were found near the property were neutralized after we were back at the palace, we were still under a high security alert. Leaving us in the confines of vast walls that surrounded the property. Xavier had tried to wait a day from having sex with me. But he soon realized that I wouldn’t have that. It was like he unlocked a hidden side of me. I felt like I had some sort of awakening within me and it was liberating to say the least. No surface was safe in the palace. It was as if the mansion was our board game and Xavier, and I were the only ones playing the game. Except instead of one winner, we both did. Over….and over again. We had been back at the palace for almost a week now and the amount of sex we had would make a porn star blush.Today’s spot was in the library up against a shelf of books. I rested my forehead against Xavier’s shoulder as we both tried to catch our breath. My pussy pulsed and throbbed in the best way possible. I had spent the
Xavier POV I was awakened by the gasps and cries of Ana. I jolted awake and saw her tossing and turning on the bed. She was still asleep. I knew I needed to be careful with how I woke her up. People could be unpredictable when waking up from a nightmare. “I can’t!” Ana cried in her sleep. “I’m trying!”I gently caressed her arm. “Ana, baby, it’s just a dream.” Her body seemed to instinctively calm at the sound of my voice. She turned over and nuzzled her head in the crook of her neck. I rubbed her back while saying sweet words to soothe her. This was the third night in a row that she had this happen. Everytime I asked her if she could describe it, she said she didn’t remember. This morning was no different. She let out a whimper. Before I felt her finally wake up. She looked up at me with her eyes still half closed with sleep. I brushed my thumb over her cheek. “Nightmare?” Her brows knitted together before nodding.“Want to talk about it?”She went to say something and then stoppe
Xavier POVI felt like a little kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I tried to fight the shit eating grin that threatened to spread. I ran my hand through my disheveled hair. “Hey man.” He licked his bottom lip. “There you are!” He stalked towards me. “I’ve been trying to mind link you for the past fifteen minutes….” He paused, taking in my appearance. “May want to fix your buttons before the meeting.” He tipped his chin at my shirt. When I looked down, I realized how much of a mess I looked. My dress shirt was only half tucked in, and the buttons were two buttons off from the right hole. I gave Ethan a “whoops” expression before adjusting myself to a more presentable manner. I walked into the conference room where three alphas were waiting to speak with me. We finished our agenda quickly. I felt my mother’s eyes on me the entirety of the meeting. When everyone signed off the Skype call, my mother began to pace the room. “Xavier, this is unacceptable.” She cr