Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“This kind of behavior is only turning me on, Princess. It’s the kind of thing that will get your pretty little ass spanked.” I kiss her again until she’s gasping for air. “I like feisty. Keep it up and I’ll take you over my knee.”
“Fuck,” she moans at the dirty talk, and my lips move down her neck to the spot between her breasts.
I want all of her. It’s consuming me, and I don’t know if I can stop. “Is that what you want? Because I’ll give you anything, Tabitha.”
My words have never been more true. If she asked me to lay down my life for her, I would do so. From the moment I saw her, she’s claimed my soul, and there’s no going back.
I summon all the strength I have to release my grip on her ass and set her down on her feet.
“You have to go back to your sister or I’m going to throw you on the ground and fuck you right here.”
She looks like she’s been ravished, and it does nothing to ease my ache. But the sly smile she gives me is almost my undoing.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she retorts, adjusting her dress.
I reach out and grab her arm before turning her around and smacking her ass. “Soon, Princess. Soon.”
I push her ahead of me, needing to keep my distance. I wouldn’t want to do anything to disgrace her family or my king, and right now I’m too close to the edge.
I see Roman say his goodbyes to Alena, and I wink at Tabitha as I join him at his side. We exit the garden and move around to the front of the estate, where the limo is waiting.
“You should bring the sister with Alena when she comes to the palace. It’s tradition for her to bring someone,” I say. Better to go ahead and plant that seed now. And seeing the similar state my king is in, I know he’ll agree to just about anything.
“It’s done,” he agrees, and my hopes soar.
The ride back to the palace is quiet, and I think of Tabitha the whole time. Normally I’m easy-going and people say I smile a lot. I’m head of security, but I don’t take life too seriously. But suddenly, after one meeting, I’m thinking over my future at the palace and taking a wife. Can I have both?
3
Tabitha
I lie in bed with Alena, our fingers still locked together. I hear her breathing level out and know she’s finally fallen asleep. I roll over and look at my little sister, feeling like everything is going to be okay with her. Her future husband might seem like a jerk, but I saw something else there, too. He wants her and he wants her to want him back. He craves her attention, and I know that he will try to please her to get it. I also know that he will protect her. It was adorable how he worried about her hurting herself in her heels.
More than that, I know her better than anyone else does, and she’s curious about him. Even if she doesn’t fully know it or understand it. Something about him is drawing her in, too. I saw it when she started to panic at the thought of me trying to catch his eye. I don’t think anyone but her could ever garner his attention. He couldn’t pull himself away from her long enough to know other people were in the room.
A few times through dinner people would try to talk to him, but it was like he couldn’t hear them. I’m not sure how I noticed, with the way Vlad was teasing me though. Something about his playful yet dominant personality makes me want him more and more. I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling multiple times during our meal. He likes to tease me, and I liked when he did it. More than I ever thought possible.
It was different than I’m accustomed to. A lot of men have asked for my hand in marriage. But it’s not that way with Vlad. He declared that I was his, and that was that.
Still, I worry. I hope that what Vlad said is true and I can go with them. It all seems too good to be true. The thought of him has me smiling again, and I wonder what it would be like to be his. To really belong to him. That is, if he meant the words he said about being his. It could have been the way he talks to every woman he wants.
I purse my lips thinking about him saying those things to someone else. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. My mother always said men keep mistresses and have wandering eyes. I don’t think that’s something I could ever stomach. Though when she told me that years ago after a few men started asking for my hand, I’d felt relief at the idea. The thought of whomever I got stuck with leaving me alone and spending his nights in his mistress’s bed comforted me somewhat.