Secrets of a Reckless Princess (5 page)

Starting with their bodies and the pleasure they could give each other. He ran his hands over the mounds of her breasts, pleased with their shape, the luscious weight of them in his palms, with the way her nipple puckered as he leaned over and lightly circled one pink tip with his tongue in a leisurely teasing sweep. On her back, unmoving, Jayla watched him with half-closed eyes, her chest lifting quickly with each small breath. Bent over her lovely form, he began to suckle, her reaction to the pressure of his mouth on her breast a gasp as she quivered. With an inner smile he began a tender assault to ready her for penetration, his hands sliding over her skin—shoulders, down the slim length of her arms, over the plane of stomach to the curve of hip and thigh until he found the warm softness of her sex. Marc licked a hot path up her collarbone and along the graceful curve of her neck to whisper in her ear. “Spread your legs.”

* * * *

Jayla wondered if every female was as susceptible to the handsome son of the governor of Minoa. Probably, she decided as he skimmed his magical touch along her inner thigh, for even though he was basically a stranger and his long frame dwarfed hers, she
felt
he would take care to make this a satisfying experience. There was something about him that inspired confidence, which was probably why he was such an effective diplomat.

Faith was needed at this crucial moment in her life.

Spread your legs
…

Aquamarine eyes looked into hers with mesmerizing intensity. “I understand trust for a female at this time in her life isn’t given lightly…”

There he goes again, reading my mind so easily
.

“…but there are ways to ready you so your body accepts the pleasure more easily. Let me in and I’ll show you.”

She’d just agreed to be his life partner, to accept him for Anasta and for herself. This was part of it and what he’d done to her so far was both intriguing and pleasurable. Jayla eased her thighs apart, a sense of vulnerability vying with a tingling anticipation. His muscular body was as beautiful as one of the ancient Earth sculptures, defined and hard, his physical strength undeniable. The erect length of his penis was formidable, with a flared crown that already glistened with semen, but for whatever reason, she wasn’t frightened.

“You are as beautiful here,”—long fingers skimmed her labia—“as you are everywhere else.”

One finger teased her opening then eased inside her vaginal passage in tantalizing exploration.

Without thought, she spread her legs open even more at the erotic invasion and closed her eyes, all her concentration on the rhythm of his finger as he began to move it deep and then slide it almost all the way out, to push slowly back in. Though it wasn’t a conscious decision, her hips lifted with each penetration and he added a second finger and also began to use his thumb in a wicked swirling motion.

She knew how it all worked—as she’d told him, she’d not only read about it, but seen images of couples involved in intercourse, and arousal flooded her senses, the skilled mimicking of what he was going to do to her with his cock more than just a little effective. “You’re getting wet,” he murmured, angling his fingers in an effective way that caused her inner muscles to tighten as washes of pleasure rolled over her.

The approval in the husky tone of his voice barely registered as Jayla moaned, the sound involuntary. She arched into his hand, and instead of moving faster, which was what she needed, to her dismay he abruptly withdrew his fingers.

And used his mouth instead.

Dark silky hair brushed her thighs as his head dipped between her open legs, and his tongue parted her female folds, tickling, teasing, and then began to stimulate her clitoris until the stars shattered all around her and a low scream was torn from her throat. The rapturous peak of release held her prisoner until finally Marc lifted his head and smiled.

She might have smiled back, if she’d had the strength.

He shifted over her, his handsome face intent, positioning himself, his hands braced on either side of her shoulders. The crest of his hard cock tested her sex, pushing against the entrance enough so she felt the pressure, but he didn’t penetrate her body, and his thighs widened her legs even more. “Shall we make permanent our mutual decision to rule Anasta side by side, Princess?”

Somehow she managed to find her voice, though it sounded off-key when she responded. “I would not be here with you like this if I thought I might change my mind, Ambassador.”

“I rushed you in here the moment you agreed.”

“I
allowed
myself to be rushed.”

“Ah, the imperious royal voice resurfaces.” He touched her cheek in a light brush of his knuckles. “You might not believe this, but this moment is as new to me as it is to you.”

“You are a virgin?” Jayla stared at him in disbelief.

“No.” He chuckled, but then sobered. “But in a way, yes, I suppose I am, for I have never mated with the woman who would be my life partner before. It is somehow…different.”

“Is it?” Had he chosen to say almost anything else, she couldn’t imagine it to be more reassuring. Perhaps it was diplomatic rhetoric, but Jayla didn’t think so, and when he began to ease inside her, she exhaled and did her best to relax to accept his size and the intimate possession. After what he’d just done to her, she thought, still locked in the haze of post-orgasmic pleasure, he could use her body as he wanted.

Part of her protested his size, which seemed enormous, but as he slowly pushed his erection into her vaginal passage, she found she could accommodate him after all. There was a brief sting as her hymen gave way, and then, somehow, he was buried deeply within her, his lean hips against her inner thighs. Marc kissed her temple, and he might have asked a question—she wasn’t sure because her mind was occupied with how it felt to be so intimately joined with another being. Her nails bit into his shoulders. “Shouldn’t you move, Ambassador?”

“Shouldn’t you call me Marc?” One dark brow arched up playfully, but the tension in his muscles and the sheen of sweat on his skin was a giveaway he wasn’t as composed as he acted. “Considering the circumstances?”

Perhaps she should, for formality at a moment like this was a little ridiculous, but as the coil of enjoyment deep in her stomach tightened as he slid backwards and then sank back inside, all she managed was a small gasp. The glide of his sex into hers wasn’t completely without discomfort because of his size, but the stretching sensation was by far overshadowed by the rapturous, almost primitive pleasure.

It
was
primitive, she discovered moments later, as she learned the rhythm of thrust and withdrawal. The male moving over and in her watched her with heavy-lidded eyes, his respiration changing as his hips moved with greater speed, and his hand slipped between their joined bodies to stroke her in time with his inward stroke.

This time when she climaxed the burst was so fierce her cry rang through the sleeping chamber and she shook, clinging to him as he groaned and the burst of his ejaculation filled her in a hot rush of sperm.

Panting, damp, entwined, they lay in a careless sprawl on her bed, until Marc finally lifted his head and said with an irreverent grin, “I believe I am going to like living here on Anasta, Princess Jayla.”

Chapter Five

Though he was hardly being treated like an honored guest, at least they’d permitted him a handheld reading device with a decent library on it. Though, Damon noted with a wry inner smile, there was nothing remotely political in the catalog. He sat in a careless sprawl, doing his best to stay engrossed in a futuristic work by one of his favorite Minoan authors, when the light flashed by the door and it slid open.

The tall male that entered looked familiar, and as he straightened from his relaxed pose on the less than comfortable sleeping couch provided, he realized why. Governor Kartel’s son was genetically enough like his father the connection was striking, the handsome sculpted features distinctive and well-known across the Federation as the ruler of Minoa was one of the most influential powers in interstellar politics and frequently gave speeches and made public appearances.

Under any other circumstances, Damon would have jumped at the chance to talk to someone like Marc Kartel, who had access to the head of the Universal Council, but being visited in his cell made the moment lose its gloss. Not only that, but Damon was well aware of the possible alliance between his visitor and Jayla.

Fuck
.

He knew Kartel was expected to arrive from Minoa soon, but didn’t know he was already on Anasta.

“Le Clerc,” his visitor said pleasantly, and inclined his head. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m—”

“Marc Kartel,” Damon interrupted. “You look enough like your father to be a clone. I’d offer you a seat, but, as you see, there isn’t one.”

Kartel looked amused and glanced around the small, spare space. “This isn’t much like the rest of the palace, I admit, but it is, after all, a cell for holding prisoners.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” Damon muttered, but he had to admit, he was curious. He set aside his reading device and rose, not wanting to feel at a disadvantage. They were of a height and looked each other in the eye. “Looking forward to meeting me why? I’m not exactly too popular right now.”

“I’ve read your work.” The other male lifted a brow. “And to the contrary, you are popular enough the Queen, my father, and the governing body of the Federation are alarmed you are going to cause sufficient dissention that the ripple effect of it across the universe could affect economies on hundreds of planets.”

“I am not trying to start a revolution. I want reform, not anarchy.”

“That is exactly what I wished to hear.”

“I don’t say anything because it is what I think someone wishes to hear—it’s the plain truth.”

Kartel laughed and shook his head. “Your diplomatic skills could use some work, Le Clerc.”

“I never claimed to be anything except a scientist who specializes in the impact of politics on economies and interstellar relations.”

“In my opinion you are an expert in just that field, and head and shoulders above anyone else. How would you like a post to Anasta’s Ruling Council, and perhaps, when the furor dies down, an advisory position to Minoa?”

To say he was shocked was an understatement. Damon stared, speechless.

“You are in trouble, yes,” Kartel went on in the same reasonable tone, “but I think the appointment will soothe the troubled waters in two ways. To accept a cabinet post, you have to take a vow to work with your colleagues in Anasta’s governing body. This will also serve to show the people who have read your articles that we mean to consider the changes you suggest.”

It made sense, but the opportunity had come to him so unexpectedly, all Damon could think of to say was, “The Queen and my father will never agree.”

“I’m the consort of Anasta, and with Minoa’s support, I think they will be persuaded.”

Jayla.

Damon narrowed his eyes and wished he could stifle the hoarseness in his voice. “You are already consort? Just this morning, Jay…I mean, the Princess, said nothing about it.”

“Rather hard for her to speak with your tongue in her mouth,” Kartel drawled dryly, his gaze direct. “Besides, we didn’t agree to the alliance until after that public kiss between the two of you. We hadn’t met yet.”

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known this would one day come, but it was more difficult than he imagined, especially after that devastating kiss. Damon did his best to look bland, but inside him something tore apart. “I suppose I should congratulate you.”

“But you’d rather rip my beating heart out instead.”

“Yes,” Damon admitted.

“I think you’re looking at this the wrong way, Le Clerc.”

There didn’t seem to be any way to look at it except a straightforward recognition that this male now had sexual rights to Jayla. Maybe they even had already mated. It was part of the process, after all.