Oh God.
“My prince,” I moaned.
His thumb slid roughly across my nipple and a shaft of pleasure shot through me.
Oh God!
“And this?” he continued harshly.
“It belongs to you, my prince,” I breathed.
His fingers left my breast, he pulled my hand away from his belly and pushed both of our hands between our legs, his hand over mine cupping my sex so I could feel his thrusts between our fingers.
His mouth came to mine and he stopped thrusting and started grinding. “Who does this belong to?”
Oh God, God, God.
I closed my eyes and arched my neck again. “You, my prince.”
“Bloody look at me,” he ordered, I did and he started thrusting savagely, I felt him pounding, inside and out. “You’ll not leave,” he ground out, his voice hoarse.
My legs circled his hips but I didn’t answer.
“Cora, say it, you’ll not leave.”
Oh God!
“I’ll not leave,” I whispered.
His eyes kept mine imprisoned as he kept driving deep and I lost it, my back arched, my neck arched and my heels dug into his back as I exploded.
His mouth went to my ear as I climaxed and I felt the sharp nip of his teeth on my earlobe before he gritted, “You’re never going ‘home’.”
Then he shoved his face in my neck and groaned.
When we both came down, Tor guided our hands from between us, let mine go, he pulled out of me then kissed my neck and exited the bed.
I rolled to my side and watched as he strode around the room and extinguished candles and lamps until the only illumination came from the city lights glowing through the huge opened doors.
He joined me in bed and pulled me into his arms, settling me with my cheek on his chest, my thigh over both of his and then his fingers came up and played with the ends of my hair.
I closed my eyes tight.
Okay, shit, what was that all about?
I wasn’t sure but one thing I knew, I was screwed.
The people of his castle and the city hated me, but I could not leave, I could not complain about them or Tor would do something to make them hate me more, if he already hadn’t.
I was stuck on that score.
I wanted to take off but if I did, I might get captured by Minerva and then his world would descend into plague and famine and who wanted to be responsible for something like that?
Not me.
From what just happened, it was pretty freaking clear that Tor wasn’t going to go out and find me a wizard or sorcerer to help me get home. Further, I couldn’t ask anyone because they hated me and they wouldn’t help me. So I was stuck on that score too.
And, blast my luck, his protective behavior when he found me crying settled my black prince even deeper in my heart. I wasn’t falling sedately in love with him, I was falling fast and I was going to land soon and when I did, I’d land hard.
Yes, I was totally screwed.
I had no choice.
I had to tough it up where his people were concerned. I needed to build a shield. I would be my friendly, social self and do my best to keep my chin up. I didn’t suspect, considering how deep their hatred went, I’d win them over but I had to find a way to live with it.
And as for Tor, I didn’t know what to do.
What I did know was that there was a possibility I was going to go home one day, no warning, no chance to say good-bye.
So, I not only had to take what I could get from my fairytale prince but I also had to give him back everything I could muster. Because when I went home, the other Cora would come back and he, like me, would have nothing.
And I wanted him to have all he could have for as long as I could give it to him.
I opened my eyes and pulled in breath.
So that, I decided, was precisely what I was going to do.
“Sweets?” Tor called, his free hand coming to mine on his chest.
“Mm?” I replied but he didn’t answer, or at least not verbally.
He moved both our hands to between his legs and wrapped my fingers around his rock hard shaft.
Jeez, apparently men of this world had superhuman recuperative powers.
“I’m ready for you again,” he murmured, I felt a spasm between my legs and then he shifted me over him.
I lifted my head and looked into his face lit dimly by the city lights.
God, he was beautiful.
He moved the tip of his cock inside me then both his hands went to my hips and pushed me up to straddling him and as they did, he filled me.
Oh yes.
I bit my lip as I stared down at him and his hands took control of both of mine, leading one to my breast and the other between my legs.
“Give me what I want,” he muttered his throaty order, his hands leaving mine where he wanted them as his moved to my hips, his fingers curling in.
I swiped with a thumb and rolled with a finger at the same time moving up and down in a deep stroke.
It felt so good, my held fell back.
Oh yes. I was going to give him all I could give him for as long as I could give it to him.
“Eyes on me, my love,” he commanded and I tipped my chin down and caught his eyes.
Then I smiled.
At my smile, his face darkened and his hips bucked.
Then I rode my prince, giving him all as I could give him for as long as I could hold out.
Chapter Fifteen
Life Is Good
Six weeks later…
“Ready to go, Aggie?” I called to the fully recuperated, but unfortunately now flightless, bird who was hopping around on my dressing table.
“Chirpy, chirp,” Aggie replied excitedly, which meant, “Ready, Cora!”
Aggie liked our excursions. Being flightless, he didn’t get out unless I took him and he’d told me he missed the fresh air, uninterrupted vistas and daily adventures. I couldn’t give him any adventures but I did what I could every day to give him a change of scenery so he wouldn’t get bored.
I extended a finger to the tiny bird, he hopped on then I lifted my arm as he hopped up it and took his usual place on my shoulder.
Then I left Tor and my rooms and wandered down the wide hall toward the stairs.
I was down half the flight when, around a curve, I saw Lucinda, one of the maids, on her hands and knees scrubbing the stairs with a scrub brush, the marble steps behind her glistening wet and so clean, they could be in a commercial.
“Oh!” I cried and her head shot up, she spied me and her mouth formed a tentative (what I was sure was forced) smile.
“Your grace,” she said through her smile.
“I’m sorry, you’re cleaning. We’ll use the backstairs,” I told her, lifted my skirts and started backing up.
“No!” she cried, straightening and lifting up a hand to forestall me. “It’s just fine, I’ll scrub up after you. No problem at all. Use these.”
See. There it was. The smile was totally fake. Like always. She was scared she’d do something to upset me, which would make me complain to Tor, which would mean he’d unleash black prince fury. And she was willing to do anything to stop that. Including letting me trod on her hard work. Cleaning stairs on your hands and knees with a scrub brush had to suck. She didn’t even have a pad for her knees!
“No, that’s all right,” I assured her, continuing to move back as well as starting to turn. “It’s perfectly fine. Enjoy the celebrations this afternoon,” I finished then I fully turned and jogged up the stairs, hurried down the hall and took the backstairs.
I made it without encountering anyone, moving quickly through the halls to the mammoth entry in order not to run into anyone else and then I went out the enormous double front doors that had to be at least two stories tall and were open to the sunshiny day.