Plat, page 13
Tyler chuckled. “Well, technically, there’s one of me and one of him, but yeah, the resemblance is uncanny now that he grew his beard out. I think he keeps his hair in a ponytail most of the time, though.”
“I was kidding. I won’t have any trouble telling you apart,” I said, smiling up at him and holding out my hand.
This whole thing had been a whirlwind, but I suddenly had the strangest feeling of contentment. As if this was where I belonged. I’d never been to Limaj before, didn’t know Casey or Erik that well, and had only known Tyler a little over a week, but being here was comfortable.
“You okay, babe?” He sank down beside me and took my hand in his.
“I’m good. I was nervous on the way here, but I’m not anymore. This feels…like home? Which makes no sense considering I don’t have any ties to Limaj.”
“Well, you kind of do. One of my best friends is the queen, and my twin brother is part of the team here. Since you have a tie to me, and I have ties to them, it makes sense that this is more comfortable than some random hotel in Milan or something.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Everything is going to be okay.”
“You think if we say that enough times it’ll happen?” I met his eyes worriedly. Despite how comfortable I was, I was still afraid for him. We couldn’t stay here forever, and until I had a legal team ready to fight my dad over the conservatorship, I was in limbo, and I’d dragged him into this with me.
“We have a plan. Tomorrow, we start researching attorneys.”
“And a pharmacy where I can get my meds.”
“We can talk to Casey about that at dinner.”
“Okay.”
“And she’ll probably have attorneys we can contact as well. I think she has a pretty kick-ass lawyer who specializes in entertainment law. We had a few copyright issues with Pretty Harts and her attorney handled it all. She’s badass.”
“The attorney is a woman?”
“Yes. Madeline something. I’d forgotten about her until just now. We’re definitely going to get her information from Casey.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“So…what do you want to do now?”
I tilted my head, laughing. “Is this a trick question?”
His eyes glittered. “Have you ever had sex in Limaj?”
“I think you know the answer to that.” I paused. “Have you?”
“Believe it or not, I haven’t.”
“Another first for us.” I got to my feet and slowly pulled off my blouse.
Tyler stood up, too, taking off his T-shirt.
God, I loved looking at his body. Naked was good, but low-slung jeans and no shirt was my favorite.
“What do you want me to do to you?” he asked with a teasing glint in his eyes, kicking off his shoes.
“You’re going to need to get the rest of those clothes off to find out.”
21
Tyler
Fuuuuuck. She didn’t have to tell me twice.
She had something in mind, though, so I’d figure out what it was and make it happen. We hadn’t had nearly enough time alone and naked, as far as I was concerned, and even though I hadn’t planned it this way, I kind of liked being so far from everything and everyone.
“What do you want me to do, babe?” I whispered as we got completely naked.
“Everything,” she whispered back. “I want to touch you, taste you, suck you, fuck you…” Her voice trailed off. “Everything, Tyler.”
“Maybe not all at once.” I picked her up and playfully dumped her on the bed. “But let’s start with this.”
I brought her legs up over my shoulders and cupped her ass with my palms. “How about I taste you first and then you can taste yourself on my tongue?”
“Mmm, yes. Let’s absolutely do that.”
I lowered my mouth to her nether lips and buried my face between her delicate folds. I took a moment to inhale the musky scent of her pussy and to nuzzle the soft skin there with my beard. When I slid my tongue against her sensitive flesh, she let out a long, satisfied sigh, exactly the sound I liked to hear when I was going down on a woman.
I normally found the taste of pussy pleasant, but Ariel’s arousal was like liquid dessert. I squeezed her ass a little harder, pressing my tongue deep inside of her and holding her in place so she couldn’t squirm too much. She was grinding against my face, anxious for more, so I held back, using the tip of my tongue to coax out her clit. It was a tiny little bud, but she gasped when I bit down on it. I circled it lightly and bit down again, repeating it over and over until she threaded her fingers in my hair and tugged.
“Tyler, please!”
“Not yet, baby. It takes a while to do everything. Especially since I need to do them all right.” I lapped at her, alternating the finesse I used with the tip of my tongue and pressing it flat against her swollen folds. She was so ready to come, but I wanted to draw it out, keep her on edge until neither of us could stand it anymore.
“Ty…” She arched up to meet me when I kneaded the soft globes of her ass, increasing pressure as I licked and fucked her with my tongue. This time when I moved to her clit she moaned, deep in her chest, and my own erection was so painful I rubbed against the side of the bed to get a little relief. Softly sucking the little nub was all it took, and she screamed, her orgasm exploding out and all around my face, tugging on my hair painfully.
It was incredible, though, and I didn’t give her any time to recover as I lowered her to the bed and covered her body with mine.
“Open for me, baby,” I whispered, taking her mouth. “Then lick your juices off my tongue.”
Her lips closed around my tongue as her legs parted, and I slowly pushed into her, a fraction of an inch at a time. Though I desperately wanted to slam into her and fuck her into the middle of next week, she needed something special tonight, and I’d give her everything she wanted and more. She wasn’t a virgin, but she was incredibly inexperienced when it came to the intimacy that went with sex, and whether we were fucking or making love, this was about as intimate as it got. I wanted—no, I needed—to make her mine. Whether it was for a week or a month or forever, I had to make sure she knew who was giving her this pleasure.
“So many things I want to do to you,” I murmured, kissing a trail along her jawline. “With you. For you. Have you ever had intercourse with a plug in your ass?”
“Mm, no.” She didn’t say much, but the way her pussy clenched around me was telling.
“We might have to try that sometime.” I pushed deeper into her. “Or maybe my finger in that tight little ass while I rock this wet little pussy of yours.”
She clenched around me even tighter this time, so she was both intrigued by what I proposed and turned on by the dirty talk.
“Turn over, honey. Hands and knees.” I pulled out and smiled to myself when she whimpered. She hurried to comply, though, and I lined my cock up at her quivering entrance. “Say all the dirty words, baby. I like hearing them.”
“Fuck me, Tyler.”
“Dirtier.”
“Fuck my pussy, baby. I need you to make me come.”
It wasn’t all that dirty, but it was good enough to make my balls ache with need, so I slammed back into her hard enough to make her grunt. She really liked it rough, and I did, too, which made her perfect for me. It had been a million years since I’d gone without a condom, and her walls were so smooth and warm, gripping my cock, sucking it deeper, bringing me right to the brink even if I wanted to hang on to the feeling forever.
She had my number, though, clenching around me tighter and tighter every time I pumped into her, until finally I reached around front, searching out her clit.
“Say it,” I growled. “You don’t get to come until you’ve said something as filthy as your filthiest fantasy.”
“Tyler, I can’t…” She moaned when I stopped moving.
“You can. You will.”
“Use me,” she panted. “Ride me hard and put me away wet.”
I stroked into her. “Better. More.”
“Tyler!”
I chuckled, reaching around to pinch her nipples. “You know you like it dirty. And I fucking love it.”
“Ugh.” She mumbled a series of frustrated sounds, her ass surging against my crotch.
“What part of you wants my cock?”
“My pussy.”
“Uh-huh.” I glided in and out, letting her think about what I was saying, enjoying the game, especially since it was making this whole thing last longer.
“Dammit, Tyler, fuck me like you mean it!” She rocked back, pushing me onto my haunches and half-sitting, half-laying against me, her thighs on either side of mine. She was all but impaled on me, and when she threw back her head, covering me with what seemed like an endless shawl of silky hair, pleasure raced down my spine and exploded out of my cock. I came so hard I was barely aware of her screaming my name, and our bodies shook together as we rode out our orgasms.
Then we collapsed, bodies still intermingled, but this time nestled together in a gloriously romantic moment of intimacy. She was soft and spent, resting against me, a faint smile playing on her lips. This was as relaxed as I’d ever seen her, her eyes a little glassy while her fingers sought out mine.
I kissed her lightly, over and over, until our mouths moved together again. Our passion recently satisfied, we were now exploring each other with gentle precision.
“You rock my world, Tyler Thompson,” she whispered. “There are no words for how good it feels when you do that to me.”
“Indescribable,” I chuckled.
“So indescribable.”
“And in a few minutes, we’re going to do indescribable things all over again.”
“Planning to fuck me until I can’t walk?”
“I wasn’t, but now that you mention it, I really like the sound of that.” And I really did.
22
Ariel
We were so busy devouring each other’s bodies, we almost forgot about dinner. We’d made love, dozed for a while, and then started all over again. It was six thirty before I remembered Marcus was coming to get us at six fifty-five. I sat up and nudged Tyler, who was busy nuzzling my breasts. I usually loved when he did that, but I needed a quick shower before we went to dinner.
“Come on, let’s continue in the shower,” I told him, playfully pushing him away. “Marcus is going to be here in twenty-four minutes, and we need to clean up.”
“Fine.” He pretended to pout as he got up, but he followed me into the bathroom amiably.
I got ready in record time, leaving my hair damp and keeping my makeup simple, but Casey had texted Tyler and told him that dinner would be informal, so I pulled on jeans and a sweater. It was colder here than it had been in Las Vegas, and I was definitely going to have to go shopping. I’d done a little shopping the day Tyler had bought me the new cell phone, but I needed more. I was sure Casey would help me figure that out, though, and tonight I wanted to relax. I’d been running on adrenaline the last few days, and I needed emotional downtime.
Marcus knocked, and I pushed away thoughts of everything going on as we walked down the halls, down a flight of stairs and then into an elevator. We went up a few floors, and when the doors opened again, it was like being in someone’s house. The doors led to a small foyer, and everything opened up from there. There was a spacious family room with a fireplace flanked by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A large television sat above the fireplace, and there was a baby’s swing next to an L-shaped leather sectional.
“Hi!” Casey came padding into the room wearing jeans, a turtleneck tunic, and had nothing but socks on her feet. She immediately hugged Tyler and then turned to me. “Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you so much for having us,” I said. “I hope we’re not intruding.”
Casey laughed. “The palace is something like a million square feet, so if I don’t want to see anyone, I literally can hide for weeks. And anyway, Tyler’s family. Anything he ever needs, all he has to do is ask.”
“The palace is actually six hundred and twenty-seven thousand, four hundred and ninety-two square feet,” Erik said, coming and immediately reaching out to hug me and shake Tyler’s hand.
“Six hundred thousand square feet.” Tyler grimaced. “That’s fucking ridiculous.”
“Well, we’re not the only ones who live here,” Erik said. “Between the Royal Protectors, our assistants, full-time housekeeping and kitchen staff, and all three of my first cousins having suites here, I could probably add on to the place.”
“Bite your tongue,” Casey admonished him, shaking her head. “We haven’t even gotten furniture for most of the suites yet. We had to scramble to get something ready for you guys.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I began, but Casey held up her hand.
“It’s no big deal. It needed to be done, but to get all the rooms updated and decorated is going to take months, so he can just hold off on any additions.”
Casey slid her hand into Erik’s, and they showed us around their living area, which included a kitchen, formal dining room, four bedrooms, and a pool. She’d done a nice job making it homey while simultaneously keeping the historical aspects intact.
I told her so once we sat down to eat. “You’ve done a great job so far,” I said. “I imagine the idea of decorating a place as big as the palace would be daunting.”
“Well, our first focus was here, where our family will live. We have the baby with us now, and then our son Luke and the twins, Jocelyn and Jessica, will join us once the school year is over. There isn’t an English program available to them yet, so Luke is with my ex-husband in Las Vegas, and the twins are with my second ex-husband in Monte Carlo.”
“I’ve read about the struggles to rebuild Limaj since your cousin was on the throne,” I said to Erik. “Another job that sounds daunting.”
He nodded. “It is. But the people need me, and I’m going to do everything I can to make life better for them.”
We talked about local politics, the wonderful food in the country, and upcoming social events for a while until the conversation turned to my situation.
“What can we do to help?” Casey asked me.
“I need a good lawyer,” I said quietly. “Like, the very best attorney available. Someone who can help me with the conservatorship.”
“I was thinking about that Madeline woman,” Tyler said. “The one you used when we had that copyright issue.”
“Madeline Aronson.” Casey nodded. “After dinner I’ll get you her number, but don’t call until I’ve had a chance to reach out. She only takes new clients if you come with a referral.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Let me know when you’ve spoken to her and then I’ll call.”
“So, you’re going to try to have the conservatorship removed?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll do whatever we can to help.”
“I’m honestly so overwhelmed I don’t know where to start.”
“You absolutely need someone like Madeline on your side,” Casey said firmly. “I think this is perfect for her. She doesn’t mess around.”
“The only other thing that’s important is getting a refill on my meds. I have about fifteen days’ worth with me, but I don’t want to run out.”
“Just get me a name and dosage and I’ll take care of it,” Erik said, nodding.
“In the meantime, please make yourselves at home,” Casey said. “I’ve got a lot on my plate as we gear up for the holidays, but you can just text me if you need anything. We have staff available to take you into Hiskale if you want to go shopping or sightseeing, and we’ve already had a little snow, so skiing and snowmobiling will be available soon. There’s a heated indoor pool, a gym, and I have a masseuse at my beck and call, so just let me know if you’d like to schedule with him. Unfortunately, I don’t have a studio set up yet, but that’s next on the list.”
“You’re already doing so much for me,” I said, “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“Repayment isn’t necessary,” Casey said. “Like I said earlier, Tyler is family, and now so are you.”
Family.
I hadn’t had a family in a long time. My father had kept me away from my mother’s side of the family after she’d committed suicide, so I’d lost touch with all of them. My father’s parents were dead, and though he had a sister, who also had children, they didn’t speak, and he’d never really told me why.
It was one of many things that had made me recognize my loneliness the last few years, and the thought of having a family again was wonderful. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I’d be accepted into the fold the way Tyler was, but just the fact that they were willing to try was nice. It had been so long since people had been nice to me. Mostly, they tiptoed around me and kissed my father’s ass, but no one ever attempted to talk to or spend time with me. I’d thought I was used to it, but not anymore. Not now that I had Tyler and his group of friends. They were probably curious and a little wary, but they were all willing to give me a chance, and that was all I could ask for.
“Babe, you mind if I meet up with Marcus for a late-night drink?” Tyler was asking when we got back to our room. It was just after ten, and I was about to go into the bathroom to change.
“Not at all. I’m going to check my email and maybe watch a little TV. Casey said they had Netflix and all kinds of pay stations, so I’ll find something to watch.”
“Thanks.” He leaned over to brush his lips over mine. “His schedule’s a little crazy. He just got off at ten but has to be back on duty at eight in the morning, so this is one of the only chances we have to catch up.”
“Go. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll be back by midnight.”
“You don’t have a curfew, Tyler.”
I watched him go with a faint smile, hoping he and Marcus would bury the hatchet once and for all. Family drama was never simple, but hopefully this would at least start them on the path to reconciliation.
