Page 33 of Her Royal Master
Hell, he’d said publicly many times, much to the devastation of every single woman in his country, that he had no interest in taking a duchess.Was I so conceited, so delusional that I thought I would be different for him?
That he’d drop to one knee and offer me a ring and a title and I’d wear ball gowns and tiaras for the rest of my life?
Please.
It was absolutely ludicrous.
So yeah, I’d made the right decision.
And the residual sadness I felt was just because, well, I’d fallen for the duke.Despite my best intentions.But time heals all wounds.Some day I’d be over him, and I’d find some nice, boring man to marry.The kind who would only want missionary style sex but who would never leave me.
Ugh.What a pitiful picture that made.
I parked on the street in front of my apartment complex and locked the car.The sound of male voices rang out from the front gate, as if there was a gathering there.Maybe a party waiting to be buzzed in.
As I stepped closer, I caught snippets of another language and I froze, my heart pounding.
Darius was here.
Unready to face him, I ducked around the side of the building, pressing my back against the wall.I dragged a ragged breath in through my nose.I felt too raw, too exposed to face Darius.What would I say?Would he understand?
“Are you hiding from me?”
I shrieked when he stepped out of nowhere, directly into my personal space.A streetlamp lit the shadows on his face, but his expression held all the dark intensity I remembered.He planted his hands on the wall beside my head, pinning me back against the wall.“Are you really afraid of me?”
I struggled to calm my breath.“I-I was trying to get myself together first.”
His expression softened.He caged my chin and stared into my face, as if searching my very soul.His brown eyes were black and dangerous.“When did I ever want you together?I prefer you shattered in a thousand pieces, waiting for me to glue back together and shatter once more.”
He trailed his hand down my throat, and I fought to steady myself against the inevitable panic.When his finger caught in the string around my neck, he jerked his gaze up in surprise.“You’re still wearing my collar,” he choked.
“I never took it o—”
He smothered my words with a kiss, suffocating me with his mouth, his lips twisting over mine, dominating me, owning me.Always unbelievably bold, he wedged one hand between my thighs, rucking up my skirt to cup my mons.
I moaned against his lips when he stroked over my sex, shuddered in pleasure.
He bit my lower lip and pulled, holding it captive.
I trembled, suspended, at his mercy, waiting for him to go on, to let go—something.
He released me, his perusal of my face and body dangerous.“You think you deserve to wear my collar after you left me?”
Heat bloomed on my face.I sucked my pulsing lip into my mouth and shook my head.“No, sir.”
Dark satisfaction bled over his expression.“Come.”He slid his hand behind my back and propelled me away from the wall.“Take me up to your place.I’m going to punish that sweet little ass until you remember what it means to be owned.”
My inner thighs squeezed together, trying to alleviate the pulsing desire he’d created at their apex.
He walked past his entourage gathered at the gate, saying something to them in his language, and waited for me to unlock the gate with the key code.He said nothing as we walked up the open air staircase to my apartment, but he snatched my keys from me and opened the door himself, pushing me through it a moment before his lips locked onto mine.
He licked into my mouth, fucking it with his tongue as he tore at my shirt, shoving it up to my neck and yanking impatiently until I held up my arms.He only broke the kiss to pull it over my head.Then he went for my skirt, pushing me in the direction of my bedroom, the location of which must have been obvious, since it was a tiny, one-bedroom apartment.
“I’m going to fuck that tight pussy of yours so hard, baby,” he growled, shoving my skirt down my legs.I had to cling to his neck to keep from tripping on it, since he continued herding me along.He wrapped a strong arm around my waist and lifted me, allowing the skirt to drop.I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to the bed and lowered me onto my back, never breaking the incredible kiss.
He grasped my panties on both sides and pulled them swiftly down my legs.“Take off the bra.”He made a beckoning motion with his fingers.“Give it to me.Now.”
I fumbled with the clasp and pulled it off.He took it from me and grasped my wrists, wrapping the bra around them and tying a tight knot.“Arms overhead, baby.You move them and I’ll hold back on treating this pussy.”
