BABY ROYAL Page 7

  “And my Charlotte,” a woman interjected.

  Emma started crying, and her sobs came out in intermittent bursts as she covered her face and ran away.

  “Now look what you did!” her mother scolded Jason. “We should have never agreed to this.”

  “You make it seem as if I hadn’t chosen anyone,” Jason reminded them.

  “You might as well have not chosen anyone,” the father blared. “I would have felt better with any one of these other girls, but Elena? That’s your choice?”

  “I didn’t say she was my choice,” Jason replied as he tried to downplay his decision.

  “Who else could it be? You said it wasn’t anyone here, and the only others not present are Elena and those who aren’t the marrying age.”

  “You take us for fools,” they jested and quarreled among themselves even more.

  “Do you forget who you’re talking to?” Jason blurted when he’d had enough of their bickering. “I can have any one of you thrown in jail for talking to me like you have been. You should be lucky—”

  “No, you better pray you’re lucky, or you might not have long in that castle. At least Wyatt has more sense,” the father dared to say as he backed slowly away.

  The gathering slowly dispersed, each person with a long face, cursing the prince under their breaths and hating Elena a little more.

  Jason remained in the same spot until they had gone, pondering his next course of action. He couldn’t understand their bitter assault on Elena. He saw what they saw—her odd clothes, her antisocial tendencies—but that wasn’t enough to hate her with the passion they exhibited. Besides, from what Emma had said, she had good reasons, noble reasons, for her behavior, and he admired her even more. She was simply a loner, and for some strange reason, that appealed to him. He was used to show girls, arrogant and condescending princesses, and snobbish girls who would love to go to bed with him. In fact, he had bedded some of them and left one or two heartbroken. He was barely twenty-four and didn’t have to worry about settling down, he’d thought. He barely had time to bask in the memories of Paris before he was burdened with the responsibility of saving the crown, which meant settling down. He grappled with the idea still, as lovely as Elena seemed.

  He walked back to the cottage without company for the first time since he had been to the village. People looked on, all eyes reflecting disappointment. He didn’t care. In another month or so, he wouldn’t need to see them every God-awful day. He slammed the door shut and cursed the walls of the cottage, venting to a source that couldn’t talk back. But deep down, he knew the other villagers weren’t his source of distress. That lay fully at the feet of Elena.

  She was hard to exorcise. He had called Ellie to bring him food, not wanting to depend on the villagers, but even the usually delicious morsels tasted bland to him. His mouth went around in circles, but he tasted nothing. He slapped the napkin down onto the table and went to the shower. He would have loved a hot bath—anything to soak away his troubles. He was left with the eco-warm water in a tiny space, and he slapped the shower curtain away so hard a few of the rods broke. He stood outside the shower, looking at the curtain as it flapped where it tore. He had to get out of there. And he needed to see her before he got crazier. He knew, in a fit like this, he would never fall asleep.

  He dressed quickly in jeans, a tank, and loafers and hurried outside like the house was on fire. He was in a half-run as he made his way to the farm, and he hoped she wouldn’t be indoors. She might not want to come out to him. His wristwatch read half past seven, and the day was slowly turning into night. Lights already streamed from a few of the windows in some of the houses he passed, but none were on in Elena’s house. He was a nervous wreck the closer he got, and his heart thundered in his chest. He knew he was risking her rejection, but he couldn’t go another moment wondering what could have happened if he had gone.

  He was nearing the door when he heard a sound to his right. His right foot was already on the top step when he stopped and glanced across the field. The barn door was open and a light shone inside. He looked from the house to the barn, wondering if her father was out there or if it was her. He pulled back and decided to check the barn first. If it was her father, he could always tell him he was making a house call.

  He was pleasantly surprised to see Elena inside. He stood at the door and watched as she walked from stall to stall with her lantern, checking the horses and giving them one last bit of oats or sugar—he couldn’t tell which from that distance. He cleared his throat and she jumped, the lantern almost falling from her hand.

  “For heaven’s sake, Jason…sheesh!” she cried as she leaned against the stall to steady herself. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come.”

  He moved closer, like he didn’t understand her words. “I had to come. I wanted to see you.”

  She gulped, and he smiled when he witnessed it. She turned around and hurried to the back of the barn, where she placed the lantern down. “You should go. This isn’t a good idea.”

  By the time she turned around again he was right in front of her. He touched her hand and she trembled, discomfort marked on her features. “Why didn’t you tell me about your brother?”

  She squinted her eyes and looked oddly at him. “What about my brother?”

  “That he…died. That you wear his clothes…to stay close to him…”

  He hadn’t finished the statement when tears rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t want to talk about this.” She sniffled and wiped her hand down her face.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.” He smiled, his eyes reflecting kindness in the scantily lit barn.

  Elena’s shoulders sagged as if in defeat, and they started shaking. “I don’t…what do I say? He left and he never came back. All we got was a damn flag and ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘he served well.’ That’s what we got!”

  He listened, but there was not a damned thing he could do—or say—that would make her feel any better about her situation. On instinct, he pulled her to him and felt her body shake as the tears came quickly and in torrents. Seeing her that vulnerable, so open to him, drew Jason even closer to her as he shared her pain.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered against her head. He rubbed her arms and squeezed her against him, and although that was not his original intention, he couldn’t help but notice the softness of her breasts through the thick, oversized shirt she wore. He smoothed her hair and pulled his head back a little as he kissed her on the forehead.

  She pulled back as if to run. He would have let her go under the circumstances. But it was not a frightened Elena he saw before him. She was a woman who was hurt and who craved affection, and he felt commissioned to attend to her needs. His eyes remained open as her slightly parted lips hypnotized him, and he leaned in and brushed against them with his own. She didn’t move, didn’t reject him, which served to extend the invitation.

  The blood rushed to his head as he kissed her harder, and he was pleasantly surprised when she clung to him and kissed him back. His breathing came out in gasps as he circled her waist with his hands. She cupped his face and kissed him longingly, receiving the tongue he thrust gently into her mouth. She was soft against him, and his hands moved to cup her ass under the baggy pants. But he wanted to feel more. He slipped his hand inside, feeling the smoothness of her skin and wanting more than anything to taste her, to feel his cock as it was swallowed by her tight pussy.

  She moaned against his face as he dipped his head and kissed her throat. She clung to the hair at the back of his head and let hers fall back. Jason grabbed her ass and lifted her, and she instinctively locked her legs around him. She dug into his arms as their lips met again, and their moans filled the barn. He felt his cock pulsating against her thigh, and he yearned to sink it inside her.

  His lips were still on hers as he moved about and looked for a place to rest. He saw a pile of fresh hay in the corner, and he took three steps and deposited
her there. Her eyes were glazed, like she had been drugged, and she bit her lower lip as she lay back against the prickly bed. In fluid motions, he removed his clothing before he slid hers gently to the ground. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the swell of her breasts. She was nervous, he could tell, and as he slid his hands under the cups to free her breasts, he could hardly believe he was on the brink of making love to Elena – the woman who had set him on fire the moment he met her.

  Her body shook when his tongue played around her nipples, and he watched as they hardened in anticipation. She writhed on the hay, and her hips shuffled gently from side to side as her knees moved up and down repeatedly. He covered her nipples and suckled her deliciousness, and his dick grew harder as it waited for its prize.

  He sucked one breast as he squeezed another, rotating every few seconds, not able to get enough of her. Dazed, he gazed at her and caught her lips again as his hand ventured lower and played with her erect clitoris. He moaned against her mouth as he felt her heat and wetness. He wanted to taste her, and he blazed a trail from her lips to her navel with his tongue. The closer he got, the shallower her breathing became, until he found her wet haven and caught her erection with his tongue. Her knee shot up again, and he pried them apart as he ran his tongue over and beside her clit. She trembled and clung to his head, and her body was halfway into a sitting motion before she fell back on the hay in defeat.

  Jason’s tongue found her entrance, and it darted in and out of her before his mouth returned to sucking on her clit. He fingerfucked her while he sucked, and her body arched as waves of ecstasy flooded her. His cock was about to explode, and unable to contain himself any longer, he rose, grabbed it with his right hand, and guided it slowly into her. His moans could no longer be stifled as he felt her inner walls closing in on him. She whimpered and locked her legs against him as his movement increased. He squeezed her breast and gazed into her face, cognizant of the way her body trembled against his. He had fucked many women before, but none like Elena. He was enveloped with bliss, not wanting to leave her body, and it frightened him. Her lips trembled against his as he found them, swollen from repeated kissing. She clung to his sides, and he felt her fingers as they pinched his skin and dug into his body, adding to the pleasure. She panted as he fucked her harder and harder, wanting to take all of her.

  She seemed reserved, and he easily understood why. Fuck, he should have some reservation of his own. But his body wasn’t responding to his swirling thoughts. They were captivated by this woman who, by all indications, should be a passing memory. She was not in his class, did not have the experience he had, and surely would not have the power to win him over.

  But his desire for her grew to insurmountable heights, and he clung to her as his cock sank deeper and deeper into her, feeling every measure of her and loving it even more. Even as he fucked, he wanted more. He had quickly developed a mad obsession with her, and he was more reluctant than ever to let her go.

  The heat from their bodies molded together, and Jason kissed her lips, her face, and her breasts, acutely aware of the tension building inside him he wanted to delay. Her body was limp as he kissed the length of it, and as he passed his tongue over her wet pussy, the urge returned. He sank into her again and fucked her, holding her legs apart as he sank into her repeatedly. His thighs slapped against her ass, the sound of sex masked by the occasional whinnying of the horses.

  He felt his body tense as the sensations traveled along the length of his body. “Fuck, not yet! Not yet!” he cried.

  She dug into his thighs, her legs uncomfortably locked to him, and his hands dropped beside her arms as he felt his cum rushing to the surface. He buried his head against her neck and moaned as he climaxed, shaking now to match her already vibrating body.

  He collapsed next to her, sweat dripping from their bodies, and watched as a shivering and frightened Elena clutched her clothes tightly against her chest.

  Elena

  Elena wanted to move, but it was as if some unknown force kept her lying in the hay, the prickly feeling now most intense against her back. She felt limp, and each time she tried to move her feet, they slid back down. Her crotch felt like it was on fire, and each time she moved, it was as if she were fanning the dying embers of her lost virginity.

  “Hey,” Jason said next to her as he shuffled and tried to get a comfortable position in the hay. “What’s wrong?” He touched her shoulder and let his finger trail down to her hand.

  She shrugged him off, winced, and tried to sit up. “Don’t!” she snapped. Jason shrank back, and his hand remained suspended in the air. She forced herself to her feet and unsteadily dressed herself again. “This should never have happened.”

  Unknown to him, she had been a virgin, and what had just transpired between them was nothing at all like she had planned. She had wanted to wait for the right man—the man she wanted to marry. He would be the only man who’d know her intimately, one she would willingly give herself to on her wedding night. She had not envisioned her first time to literally be a roll in the hay. Prince Jason was known for his many trysts, and she had no doubt she would be counted among his many. It wasn’t a coveted spot or title she wished to bear.

  But she had no one to blame. His talk about her brother had broken her. Every time she talked about Christian, she melted because she missed him. The two had been inseparable before he’d enlisted. She had dreaded every moment he had been on tour, and they’d written to each other as often as possible. Until one day, the letters stopped coming and the flag came instead. She had cried for what seemed like months, and every so often, when she was alone, she would still cry.

  “I’m sorry, but I thought—”

  She spun on her heels and faced the still naked prince as he propped himself up on his elbows. God, he was beautiful, and her eyes couldn’t help searching his body for any physical flaw. He was a fine specimen of a man, and his hardened chest and hairless body made him appear like pottery, sculpted to perfection. She gulped and looked away, only too aware of his effect on her.

  “You thought what?”

  “That you wanted this too. I didn’t mean to…” He rubbed his hand over his head. “Christ!” He grabbed his tank and looked around for the rest of his things. “You could have said no.”

  Elena clenched her jaw and whipped her head around. “Excuse me? Where are we?” She spread her arms wide, indicating the barn.

  “I know, I know,” he relented and kicked his foot through one opening of his boxer briefs. “I came here.”

  “That’s right. And you had to mention my brother… you took advantage of my weakness,” she accused.

  “Whoa, hold on a second,” he plead, his hands help up in defeat, his boxers forgotten as he stood and they fell to his ankles.

  It was hard for her to focus with him standing naked in the barn with her. Her gaze dipped below his waist and she averted it quickly.

  “I saw that, and you know you wanted it too. You’ve wanted me for a long time, and you were simply too stubborn to admit it.”

  “So what? Did that give you the right to come over here and fuck with me?” She shoved her foot inside the pants, hauling them to her waist with such aggression it took longer than usual. She growled angrily, mad at herself more than she was at him.

  “Elena!”

  Her eyes widened in horror when she heard her father calling her. And he sounded close. Her heart rate sped out of control as she rushed to Jason and grabbed his arm.

  “Quick, get in there,” she urged him and pointed to an empty stall at the back.

  “What? In there?” he quizzed, his nose turned up at the thought.

  “Just go,” she told him frantically and fixed her clothes quickly. She brushed her hair back and looked around wildly for any telltale signs of her shame. She was reaching for the lantern when her father stepped through the barn doors.

  “There you are,” he said and looked around suspiciously. “I thought I saw Prince Jason earlier.”


  “Nope,” she answered quickly. “I didn’t see him.”

  He didn’t believe her. His eyes searched the barn but didn’t readily find anything. “I must be going off. I thought I saw him. Anyway, we’re waiting for you to start dinner. You about done here?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she answered nervously. “Just doing some last-minute checks.”

  “Still? You’ve been down here a long time. I thought something might be wrong with one of the horses or something.” He started walking to the first stall as he checked for himself.

  Elena felt the panic swell in her, and she glanced quickly at the last stall. If he got there and saw Jason hiding, discovering her in a lie, it would be obvious what had taken place. She wasn’t prepared for that.

  “Dad, go back to the house. I got distracted. I’ll refill the water troughs and come up. You can start dinner without me if you like.”

  He grunted. “If you say so, but you know Nathan will ask for you.”

  She smiled at the mention of her little brother’s name, the purest form of joy in her life. “I’ll be right there.”

  “All right.”

  Elena moved slowly to the door after he left and watched until he got to the kitchen door. She turned around and almost collapsed when she found Jason right behind her.

  “You need to go!”

  “Not before I talk to you,” he insisted, holding her the wrist.

  “About what?” she snapped and tugged her hand away. She walked around him to get the water for the horses. “Look, this should never have happened. But it did. Now, can we please forget about it?”

  “How can I?” he asked softly. “I was your first.”

  Elena stopped walking, and she hung her head. “It was not supposed to be like this,” she whispered.

  “I didn’t know!”

  “And would it have made a difference?” she cried angrily. “Did you even care?”