Princess Claimed, page 6
part #3.10 of Ruthless Warlords Series
His hands cradled her jaw. “Is that why you were leaving? To help these friends?”
“In part. I can’t just desert them.”
“Do you remember anything about them? Or how the jewel was meant to help them?”
There was no point lying. “No. Not yet.”
“Then, that’s that. Until you remember more, nothing can be done on that front. We focus instead on keeping you safe. You don’t need a past to have a future with me.”
His words were so sweet. And he was so confident. He almost made her believe they could find a way to make it work. Almost.
His hands rose to curl around her hips, locking her in place. “For me, it’s not even a question. I’m all in.” It was as if he heard her thoughts, and her fears. “But I need to be sure you understand that I can never be your official consort or even enter Federation territory. If you let me keep you, you can never go back to being a princess.”
She weighed his words. He was right. He was a wanted criminal. He’d be captured and executed by Federation soldiers if caught. To stay with him meant relinquishing the life she’d once led.
She might not remember what life as a V’rali royal had been like, but she could picture the fancy dresses, the glittering ballrooms, the life of leisure and luxury. She could even recall brief flashes where she’d been dazzled by the glamour, the glitter, the power.
But she could also recall feeling like an outsider who never quite fit in.
“I know there will be costs, but renouncing my princess title feels surprisingly easy to do. There are other considerations that weigh heavier on me.”
“Yeah.” His grip tightened. “You’ll be giving up everything.”
He didn’t get it. “Not what matters most.” She rocked on his cock and was rewarded by his low groan. “You could be in danger.”
“I was a wanted outlaw long before I found you. My life was always in danger.” He dismissed her concern. “I can handle myself.”
“This could be more than you bargain for—and you’ll be on the run.”
“I spend half my life traveling because of my job, living out of my shuttle. I know what I’m asking of us both.”
He was so convincing. Could it really be that it would cost him as little to leave as it would cost her to cast off the title of princess? Or did she simply want to believe?
“I don’t know what the future holds,” she conceded, “but I know I’m exactly where I want to be right now.” Her voice broke. “Getting the chance to know you feels like the greatest honor I could ever receive.”
“Damn it, female. I’m no hero. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because I rescued you, I’m a good male. I’m not. I’m selfish enough to keep you, aren’t I?”
“I want you to keep me.” She forced herself to give words to her dread. “But I-I fear it too. A part of me is so sure these moments are precious but slipping away. As if we won’t have many before they come for me.”
“I won’t let them.” His free hand fisted in her hair, tilting her head up as if he could see through the blindfold to what was in her gaze—and her heart.
So she gave him the words to match. “It doesn’t matter to me what you’ve done or anything that came before because I can sense your soul, and I can’t honestly tell if it’s good or beautiful or perfect, but I can tell it’s good for me, beautiful to me, perfect for me.”
His hold loosened further. “Fuck, omega. When you put it like that . . .”
“You’ll let me give the orders?”
He gave another rusty bark, but it sounded like the most beautiful of melodies to her ears. “Hells no.” A slight pause. “But I will take your suggestions under advisement.”
“Then I suggest you kiss me.”
8
ARI
Pavel pressed his lips to hers.
She’d expected them to feel rough. Coarse. Like the male himself.
Instead, his lips were soft against hers, teasing the width of her upper lip, brushing back and forth. Gentle. Tantalizing.
She moaned low.
She’d never felt anything like it, the studs an erotic shock of sensation, the icy cool of the metal making the searing heat of his lips even hotter.
She couldn’t wait to discover what other secrets were in store.
He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and growled low. “This is our time. No one is taking you away from me.”
She shivered, every nerve inside her alive as never before.
And still, a little voice whispered: you’re trouble. Always have been. Always will be.
She couldn’t bear to think of being too much trouble for Pavel. Couldn’t bear to think of causing him pain, or proving lacking and giving him reason to regret keeping her. Like in the past.
Then his mouth slanted over hers, and she forgot everything except the mouthwatering taste of him.
It was a full claiming. His tongue licked inside, a sensual demand that gave no quarter, that fucked her mouth like a fierce promise. A prelude of what was to come.
She loved it.
“Please.” She squirmed against him. “You said criminals take—so take.” She nipped his jaw. “Take me, Pavel. Fuck me. Rut me. I might be a good girl, but I want to be bad with you.”
With a roar, he shot to standing, his hands gripping her bottom. Her spine hit the wall, his body slotting against hers as she wrapped her legs around his hips, his cock poised at her core.
She might not be able to see him, but she sensed him. His fierceness, his strength. He was all she wanted and more.
She smiled wide in his direction.
“You’re gonna change everything, aren’t you, Angel?” He pressed his forehead to hers. “And I’m going to love every second of it.”
Before she could catch her breath, he rocked his hips, slapping his cock against her pussy. She squealed.
“Is this what you want, Angel? To get fucked by the bad guy?”
“Yes.”
“You need that sweet, little cunt taken care of by sour, scarred me?”
“Yes.” She was already so wet from her earlier climax, her pussy aching for more.
Slap. He did it again. Right over her clit—sending a rush of blood to the already throbbing bundle of nerves—making her almost come on the spot.
“You remember who gives the orders around here?” His fingers dug into her ass.
“You do.” Slick dripped from her folds.
“Then you know I’m going to do what I like, when I like it.” Another light tap.
“Mmm.” Desire had her in a stranglehold. All she could do was pant. Moan.
And rather than feel lost, she was anchored in a way she’d never been before. Tethered to this male and this moment by the hot press of lips against her throat, his hands gripping her bottom, and the pure, glowing beauty of the fated-mate tie curling through cell and sinew to bind the two of them ever closer.
Home. Roots. Refuge.
This male said he wasn’t good, but he was great to her.
She only hoped she could say the same about her effect on him. You’re trouble. Always have been. Always will be.
“You tasted so good, omega.” His voice was a rasp by her ear, pulling her once more from her memories and replacing them with something far better. “Like the sweetest cream. Just how I knew an angel would taste. I’m already dreaming of going down on you again. Of devouring that juicy pussy and feeling you squirm on my tongue.”
His words made her even more desperate.
“But before I do that, I’m going to take you now. Going to fuck you deep, omega. Going to give us both what we need.”
“Yes!”
There had to be a way for them to make this work. One didn’t just fall from the sky one rotation into the arms of one’s mate only to lose it all.
They were meant to be. It was fate.
She didn’t have to know her past to know what she wanted her future to hold.
And how much trouble could an ex-princess really be? If she was on her best behavior—outside of the bedroom, of course—he’d never need to know what a handful she could truly be.
Pavel
Grabbing his cock, Pavel lined himself up with the prettiest fucking pussy he’d ever seen, the head of his cock slipping easily through her slick. “You’re fucking soaked. For me.” He growled low. “My sweet, dirty angel. You don’t fucking know how hard that gets me.”
“Show me. Come inside me.” She rolled her hips, making him even harder.
She was such a hellion—and all he wanted to do was dirty her up and make her even wilder.
Was it wrong to push her? To demand her repeated surrender, especially so soon after her ordeal? Especially when she didn’t know what a grumpy, ugly, baggage-heavy bastard she was actually getting in this bargain?
Probably, but he hadn’t been a good male in a long time—and she was his. To do with as he liked.
And what he liked was to hear her screams of pleasure echoing through his house, her wine-colored hair tangled in the blindfold while her shimmering body wriggled on his lap, soaking his trousers with her slick, and her pink, pretty lips parted in a sexy, breathless O.
She looked so delicate, almost regal, but her cravings were anything but. Indecent, filthy, they were as craven as his own. His gorgeous, little female liked a bite of fear with her pleasure, responded to a bit of roughness, and craved his dominance as much as he needed to give it to her.
It drove him fucking crazy.
She was perfect.
He’d thought he knew what contentment was before her, before this.
He’d had no fucking clue.
Now, he knew he’d never be happy unless her voice echoed through his home forever more.
He couldn’t wait to be balls deep inside her.
Gaze locked on her beautiful face, he held himself poised at her entrance. “No more running, beautiful. From here on out, you’re mine.”
He thrust inside.
She screamed.
“Fuck, so tight.” He stilled, rocking just the tip inside, struggling for control. “I need you to take more of me, Angel.” He needed her to take everything he had to give. To say she’d stay with him forever.
“Yes, yes.” She shook against him, wild and frenzied.
He fought back the urge to sink deep in one brutal stroke. Her pleasure came first.
He lifted her higher, sliding her back up against the wall. Only to guide her downward, working himself deeper inside her an inch at a time, the pleasure intense as her channel stretched, giving way to his cock.
She felt like heaven. More than a sinner like him deserved—more than he’d ever expected to feel again.
“Good girl. My angel. My princess.” He’d keep her safe. Take her away. Run so far and fast that no one hunting her would ever find her.
She purred.
He growled in return, an answering harmony, fusing his lips to hers and rocking deeper. He loved the taste of her: sweetness with an edge. An angel with a tarnished halo.
But whatever her sins, he knew they weren’t anything compared to his.
“Almost there, Angel.” He gripped her bottom, jiggling her up and down, each lift purposely sending her clit rapping against his stomach. Pure ecstasy. “We’re going to train that pussy to take me. Mold that sweet cunt to my cock so we’re a perfect fit.”
“Y-yes.”
He slapped her clit against him. Once. Twice.
She cried out.
He sank all the way inside.
She whimpered. Purred once more. “So good.”
“Fuck, yes.” He dragged his cock in and out. “I wasn’t even looking for a treasure, and I found the most priceless one there is.”
She moaned low.
The marks on his wrists burned hotter. “I’m going to protect you from everything, beautiful.” Everything he’d ever had, ever cared about, had slipped through his fingers—and he’d never cared about keeping anything as badly as he wanted to keep her.
“I’ll do the same for you, my fierce Alpha.” She wrapped her legs tighter around his hips as if she could hold him to her, keep him safe.
Tenderness whispered through him, as fierce and reckless as his lust.
Was there ever a female more extraordinary?
He claimed her mouth once more.
Desperate, wild.
Then, he pressed kisses to the hollow of her throat, the curve of her shoulder, devouring every sweat-slicked inch of skin.
Her nails raked his back, her body trembling beneath his.
He drove deep once more.
The air was crisper, colors brighter, sounds more vivid now that she was here—and taste . . . taste had a whole new level to it now that he’d had his tongue all over her.
“Pavel, yes. That feels so good. Never stop.”
He worked her harder. Faster.
His fangs punched at his gums.
He wanted to drive inside her and sink his fangs into her skin at the same time, claim her forever.
He held himself back, willing his fangs to retract. Barely.
Not for himself. Hells no. Every cell inside him recognized her as his.
But what if she wanted to leave herself? What if being on the run with a banged-up outlaw got old fast? It wasn’t as if he couldn’t sense her continued hesitation.
He’d already told her his truth. He’d fight anyone who tried to take her from him. But the other truth was, he wouldn’t fight her, not if she truly wanted to go. Her happiness came first.
So, yes, he knew he was an Alphahole for stealing this moment with her when everything was up in the air, but he was a fucking thief and an outlaw and a rule-breaker, and he’d willingly blacken more of his soul to take whatever time he could with her.
But apparently, even a bastard like himself had limits when it came to his female. So, he’d hold off biting her and wait to claim her fully until she had time to get to know him and acclimatize herself to her new situation and the idea of living life on the run.
He’d do his best to convince her. Rut and knot her so good, and so often, all she noticed about her surroundings was how blissed out she was when he was deep inside her.
He was definitely up for that.
His knot swelled.
He never wanted this moment to end.
But the tight grip of her pussy and those sweet purring sounds of hers were making it impossible to fight the tingling at the base of his spine, his balls pulling up tight.
“Pavel, I’m going to come.” She shook against him. “Come with me. Together.”
“Yes. Together. Always. So fucking tight, So perfect.” He pressed his lips to her temple and rocked deeper. “Like you were made for me.
“Maybe I was.”
That was all it took to snap the last of his control.
He pinned her to the wall. Wrapping one hand around her throat, he slid the other under her ass and bounced her harder and faster on his cock.
He rutted her in earnest, his hips jack-hammering as his balls drew tight and his knot grew and grew. Too far gone, too frenzied to care, as pieces of the half-constructed wall crumbled and the stacks of boards quaked with every one of his thrusts.
He doubted he’d notice if the whole structure fell around him—after so long thinking these four walls would bring him peace and a sense of place, he realized he’d been a fool. This female, this angel, was all he needed for that.
“Yes!” She shattered, screaming his name.
Her climax kick-started his own, hot liquid spilling from him as he filled her with his cum and his knot locked them together. Mind, body, and soul simultaneously wrecked and content in a way he’d never been before.
He’d made his life just so. Kept to himself. Learned to enjoy the solitude. Then, she’d torn through the sky and ripped his world apart.
He used to think silence was the sweetest sound. Now the melodic pitch of her voice with that faintly honeyed rasp beneath was his new favorite.
He’d thought he preferred the smells of open-air wasteland, shuttle grease, and soldered metal. Now he knew he’d trade them all in a heartbeat for one breath of starlight and lace tinged with the faint scent of ash.
It used to be all he wanted was solitude and no surprises. Now he craved her and the chaos and the falling, burning sky and every bit of wild, explosive adventure, complication, and sweetness she brought with her.
He’d been fine before, but now? Now he was truly living—and if she left, he was pretty damn sure he wouldn’t survive at all.
9
ARI
The warm, soothing water of the bath felt amazing against her skin. The only thing she was missing was Pavel’s hard, muscled heat at her back.
He’d carried her to the bath after he’d finished fucking her and she’d uttered not a peep of protest. For such a fierce, hulking male, he could be incredibly sweet and gentle with her—and then not so gentle at just the right moments.
Plus, Pavel’s bathing tub might be nothing more than a blurred, dark smudge, but it was huge and deep and utter heaven.
Before settling her in the bath, he’d taken off the blindfold, making her promise she’d keep her eyes closed and avoid strain. Then, he’d vowed to hurry back right after he secured the jewel in the safe, got at least a few of his security measures working again, and checked on his cargo.
She was pretty certain she’d drifted off waiting for him.
She sank deeper into the tub, letting the water lap at her shoulders and the tops of her thighs as she used the hand cloth he’d given her to wipe away any remaining cleaning liquid. She didn’t need her eyesight back to know that the steam from the bath had curled her hair at the nape of her neck and left her skin flushed.
She was one hundred percent certain she’d never been so relaxed in her life. Her entire body hummed with pleasant aftershocks, her muscles worn out and sated. She’d been royally fucked, knotted, and rutted, every cell and nerve-ending wrung out with intense pleasure. The organ inside her chest was equally as blissed out. And now, even her skin and scalp were happy.
