Stealing Beauty Read online

  How the hell had I gotten this girl again?

  I mean, I’d paid for her, in a sense. I’d given a small fortune to her mother for her hand. But all that guaranteed me was her hand in marriage. It never meant I’d get her — the real her. In fact, by all rights, it should have walled her off from me. It should have turned her against me.

  By all rights, a man like myself should have been concerned about business and business only, in which case, a trophy wife, bought and paid for like that would have been fine.

  But damn what we should have been. Damn what should have happened. Instead, something had clicked. Something had sparked with Colette and me, and ignited into something I’m not sure I’d ever have thought I’d find in my life.

  …And I knew I’d never let that get away from me.

  ****

  Twenty minutes and a border crossing later, we were being waved through the front gates of King Lucian’s palace. I caught a glimpse of a few faces I knew from various business dealings. The Charming brothers, the twin princes of Marland, who’d I’d helped broker mineral deposit rights for, were outside on the lawn, and I nodded brusquely at Caspian and his brother Cade, who caught my eye and nodded back. Prince Magnus, of Zale, was with them, who’d been an early investor in one of my drilling startups. And of course, Logan, the prince of Torsund where I kept my primary residence, was there as well, the four of them walking together to the front steps of the palace.

  Perhaps even these notoriously bachelor princes would find their own princesses that night. As I had.

  I helped Colette from the car, her face still glowing, but her hair back up in its elaborate twists and curls. She grinned at me, and when she gave me this sweet, soft little kiss, I was lost.

  Here we both were, looking polished and proper and respectable, with no one knowing what we’d just done in the car ride over. And here was my fiancée, looking every inch the gorgeous, perfect, poised princess. But only I knew that she had my cum all over her pussy lips, soaking into her skin.

  Only I knew what a dirty girl she really was.

  I wanted her then more than I ever had, and the blood burned fiercely in my veins. “Soon” couldn’t fucking come fast enough, and I think we both felt it. We’d do this ball. We’d show the world that Colette was being married off “grandly.”

  …And then I’d marry her.

  Then, I’d take her to our marriage bed, spread her pretty legs, and bury my aching cock to the hilt in her sweet, tight little pussy.

  But first the suitors’ ball…

  9

  Colette

  I might’ve been born into royalty, and spent most of my life so far going to fancy dinners, and balls, and events. But King Lucian’s suitors’ ball in Avlion that night?

  Whoa.

  It was like nothing I’d ever seen. The entire palace glittered with gold and lights, making it look like something out of one of those animated princess movies I may have watched too many times when I was younger. Lucian’s royal guard were on hand in their finest, escorting guests through the palace to the main ballroom, where a string quartet played under a ceiling of flickering globe lights.

  Like I said: whoa.

  Even Rourke, who’d also spent a lot of time at extravagant, elegant functions, looked impressed, whistling lowly as we stepped into the ballroom. I looked around at faces familiar and unfamiliar — princes and princesses, and lords and all sorts of royalty mingling around drinking champagne. King Lucian and his wife, the stunningly beautiful Queen Jessica, were holding court to one side of the room, warmly greeting guests and making jokes. This was a kingdom of warmth, and love, and family — slightly different from the current state of Cordonne.

  I caught sight of two of Lucian and Jessica’s daughters, the equally stunning Ilana in the light blue gown that I was now doubly glad for not wearing, and her younger sister Imogen with her fiery red hair and gorgeous chartreuse green dress. I glanced around the room some more, gasping quietly to myself as I spotted the youngest Morningstar sister, Isla, dancing with none other than Prince Logan, of Torsund — a beast of a man who was rumored to have even been actually cursed.

  Rourke heard my surprise though, and turned, raising a brow and smirking at me.

  “Something catch your eye?”

  I arched my brows. “Princess Isla dancing with Prince Logan?”

  Rourke shrugged. “And?”

  “And you don’t think that’s going to be all sorts of a scandal?”

  He chuckled. “For one, I think Logan is probably a far better man than people think he is. And two, Princess, I’m not sure I’m one to give a shit about what royalty decides is a scandal.” I grinned, biting my lip as he pulled me close. “And isn’t this a scandal? The gorgeous and tempting Princess Colette married off to the brutish and scowling, and decidedly un-royal Rourke Cannon?”

  “Brutish, hmm?”

  “Oh, Princess, I haven’t even shown you brutish yet.”

  I laughed, my hand moving to slide into his. “Could you?”

  The smile on his face quickly turned downright hungry as the growl caught in his throat.

  “You’re awfully tempting right now,” he purred, pulling me tight against him.

  “Oh, am I?” I whispered innocently as I leaned close and let my lips brush his ear.

  “Is knowing that I’m completely naked under this thin dress tempting you right now?”

  God, I could feel his cock grow harder against me through his tuxedo and my gown — pulsing hard into my thigh as he growled into my hair.

  “Let’s go,” he groaned, taking me by the hand and pulling me after him as he whirled and started to stride from the ballroom.

  I giggled. “Wait, where are we going?”

  Rourke came to stop, whirling and tugging me against him, making me gasp as I tumbled into his chest.

  “Well,” he purred, his hands sliding down my sides tantalizingly. “I could drag you away somewhere where I can pull that dress up and show you just how brutish I can be, or I can tear it off right here and now and make you come in front of all these people.”

  The gasp caught in my throat, my face burning hot as his words teased through me and his eyes burned fiercely into mine. Slowly, he grinned, hungrily.

  “Your choice, Princess, but in thirty seconds, I’m going to—”

  “Take me some place,” I whispered, sliding into him and tugging on his tuxedo shirt. My pulse raced, and the raw need for this man roared through me as I molded my body to his.”

  “I want you to take me some place and show me something new.”

  Rourke groaned. “Careful, Princess.”

  “I don’t want careful,” I purred into his ear, feeling my pulse race as I slid my hand between us, where no one could see, and let one of my fingers trace up and down his huge erection.

  “I want you.”

  His hand tightened on my wrist, and the fire blazed in his eyes.

  “Let’s go. I’m not through with you yet.”

  I gasped as he pulled me from the ballroom, the both of us disappearing down a darkened palace hallway.

  “What happens when you’re through with me?”

  Rourke turned and grinned, his eyes flashing fire.

  “We’ll never know.”

  I started to raise my brow when he suddenly yanked me close, his lips brushing my ear.

  “Because I’ll never be through with you, Princess.”

  *****

  “We can’t be in here,” I gasped, my eyes suddenly going wide as I realized where he’d taken us. We’d entered through a series of side doors and back hallways, but the second we’d stepped into the huge, gilded, gorgeous room, my heart skipped a beat.

  “Can’t we?”

  “Rourke,” I tugged on his hand, my pulse racing. “Seriously, we shouldn’t be—”

  “Feels pretty good to be bad, doesn’t it, baby girl?” he purred, his firm, powerful hand pulling me towards him until I was flush against his chest. My hands s
lid up his msucled arms under his tuxedo jacket and shirt, feeling them ripple powerfully as he held me so tight.

  “I—”

  “In fact, I know your little pussy is getting wetter already, wondering just what I’m going to do to you in here.”

  “In here?”

  I gasped, swallowing thickly as my pulse jumped in my veins. And god was he right. I was soaked.

  Oh, and “here” happened to be the throne room. We were literally standing in the middle of the dark, empty, gorgeously elegant royal throne room of King Lucian and Queen Jessica’s palace. It was dark, but even still, I could see the shine of the gilded gold trim, the deep purple and red drapery, and elegant hanging crystal chandeliers. He couldn’t seriously mean he was going to put his hands all over me in there, could he?

  “Very much in here,” he growled, his hands sliding around my waist. “Did you think I was going to drag you away from the ball and tear your clothes off in some janitor’s closet, or a pantry somewhere?”

  I bit my lip, feeling his rock hard erection pulsing against my belly through his tuxedo pants and my gown. His eyes blazed, and one of his hands slid down to firmly cup my ass in his palm, like it was his.

  Slowly, he shook his head. “Not a chance, beautiful. My princess deserves more than a closet. My princess,” he growled, his hand grabbing my ass tighter and making me whimper as he pulled me tight against his pulsing cock.

  “My princess deserves only the best. So if I’m going to push this gown up around your waist, like this…” I gasped as he did just that, one of his hands yanking my dress high as the other slid over my exposed hip to firmly cup my bare, panty-less ass.

  “And if I’m going to slide my hand between her pretty thighs and feel how fucking wet her sweet, tempting little pussy is…”

  I whimpered as his hand slid between my legs, his fingers dragging thickly through my wet, slick, aching pussy. A finger pad bumped over my clit, making me shudder against him and cry out into the empty throne room.

  “And if want to taste this, and show her things she’s never even dreamed of…”

  My eyes went wide as his other hand slid down the clef of my ass, one finger easing lower until he teased it right against the tight little ring of my asshole. I gasped sharply, a forbidden feeling of pleasure simmering through me as he touched me in my most private place and made my whole body yearn for more.

  “Then, yes, Princess, I’m going to do it here. I’m going to do all that to her surrounded by gold, and crystal, and everything befitting the princess she is.”

  I whimpered as he kissed me heatedly, and when his hands grabbed my ass and lifted me up into him, I only kissed him harder. Our tongues melded, his lips searing into mine as he strode across the empty throne rom, his shoes echoing in the stillness.

  I gasped when he sat me down on soft, luxurious velvet, and when he pushed my legs wide apart and growled into my lips, I moaned for him. Suddenly, my pulse skipped, and I pulled away to glance around.

  “Are you crazy?” I gaped, my eyes wide and my heart beating a million miles an hour as I realized where he’d sat me.

  The throne. I was sitting bare-assed on the solid gold, bejeweled, velvet upholstered actual throne of Avlion.

  “You drive me crazy, beautiful,” he growled, kissing me fiercely and taking my breath away. “Everything about you makes me insane with desire and feelings I’ve never even known before. And I’m not going to hold back. I won’t hold back, not with you, and not ever. When we marry,” he groaned into my lips, his hands sliding down my body. “I’ll never hold a single thing back from you. You’ll have all of me, always. And all I want is all of you in return.”

  I gasped, kissing him hungrily, my hands clutching his jacket and yanking him against me as I answered with my lips.

  “You have me,” I whimpered, kissing him with everything I had.

  “Something arranged like this isn’t how I would have chosen to do this, beautiful,” he whispered. “But I couldn’t stay away any longer. I couldn’t keep myself from you another second or I’d have gone insane.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I tried to keep away, Princess. For the last fucking year, I tried to keep away.”

  My mouth opened, my brow furrowing. “Wait, what?”

  “I was there, Colette,” he growled, his jaw tight. “At the ‘unveiling’ your mother threw for you. I was there, and the second I saw you, I knew you’d be mine. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I would have you, and possess you. Me, and no other man. Not ever,” he purred.

  I slowly shook my head. “I didn’t know you were—”

  “I was there,” he growled. “I was there, and even if I walked away without saying a word to you, my heart never left you.”

  “Why didn’t… I mean…” I frowned, my hands tightening on his jacket. “Why did you wait until now?”

  Rourke slowly shook his head. “Because you deserve better than me, Princess,” he said softly. “Because I’m broken, and followed by darkness, and because I’m not royal—”

  “I don’t care about that,” I hissed, kissing him hard. “And you’re not broken, you’re—”

  “I am,” he said softly. “But you…” He shook his head, his eyes burning into mine. “You’re the ray of light in my life I never knew I could have. You’re the goodness that could turn me right — the softness to smooth out my edges and the grace to warm my heart. And you haven’t just warmed it, Princess.”

  He pulled away, one hand sliding up to cup my jaw as his eyes locked with mine.

  “You’ve stolen it.”

  And just like that, if he hadn’t somehow before, he stole mine. I kissed him with everything I had, flinging my arms around him and opening my mouth for his tongue. He swallowed my moans, his hands sliding over my body and making every single inch of my skin tingle with heat and need for him.

  “I want you,” I gasped into his lips. “I don’t care about waiting. I just want it to be you.” I pulled back to look him in the eye. “I want it to only be you, forever.”

  Rourke groaned as he kissed me with a fierce passion, cupping my jaw with one hand and holding my hip tightly in the other as he molded his muscled body to mine and claimed my lips.

  “Fuck, Princess,” he growled, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip and making me whimper. “I could take you right here on this throne. I could claim that cherry right fucking here, and feel your sweet little pussy open up for the very first time.”

  I moaned, nodding eagerly as I kissed him.

  “But,” he growled, pulling away and squeezing his eyes shut, his jaw tight. “But, I can’t.”

  I whimpered.

  “Out of respect for doing this right, I won’t,” he groaned. “Not until we’re married.”

  I groaned, the fire he’d lit inside of me blazing out of control. My hands drifted down his body, my fingers trembling as they crept over the front of his tuxedo pants. Rourke growled, and I whimpered at the large bulge of his cock, straining at the fabric and twitching against my small hand.

  “Colette,” he groaned, pulling me against him and burying his face in my neck. “Fuck you are so fucking tempting. So fucking enticing. All I want to do is let you feel every inch of me sliding inside of you. All I want to do is watch the pleasure bloom in your face as I claim you for the first time. I want to know what you sound like when you come with my cock buried deep inside of you, flooding my balls with your sweet cream.”

  I gaped, my hand tightening around his big dick through his pants and stroking him slowly I could feel every throb and twitch, and as I moved my hand down, I could feel the swollen crown — his pants there already wet and sticky from his pre-cum.

  “I want that,” I gasped. “That’s all I want, Rourke.”

  He growled, his hands sliding down and pushing my legs wide apart. His fingers found my slippery wet lips, and when he began to rub my clit in slow circles, I whimpered.

  “Do you trust me, Princess?”

  I gas
ped, nodding my head and stroking him faster. I buried my face against his chest, moaning as his amazing fingers drove me wild.

  “I trust you,” I whispered.

  “Then sit back, and let me make you feel things you’ve never even imagined.”

  I gasped as his mouth found the soft tender spot on my neck, nipping and sucking at the skin there and making me squirm against him as he kissed his way down. I knew he was going to leave bruises on me, and the thought of him marking me like that — as his — had my blood pumping even hotter.

  I was his, and I wanted the whole world to know it too.

  His mouth traced lower, kissing and sucking at my collarbone and making me shiver. He moved even lower, over the tops of my breasts, making me gasp as his hands began to untie the front ribbon of the gown. He pulled it open, baring my breasts as his lips slid down and wrapped around a hard, pink nipple. He teased it with his teeth, making me gasp sharply before his tongue swirled over it, making my head spin. He licked his way across to the other breasts, his hand cupping it and his voice growling as he sucked that one between his lips as well.

  My whole body was on fire for him, and as his fingers kept teasing my pussy, I kept making them wetter and wetter as he drove me wild.

  Rourke kissed his way even lower, untying the wrap-style gown I was wearing entirely and letting it fall open, so that I was naked for him. He kissed his way across my trembling belly, his hands moving to push my legs wide — this time hooking the backs of my knees over the armrests of the sumptuous, gorgeous throne.

  “So fucking pretty,” he groaned, his breath hot on my pussy and making me shiver. His tongue darted out, and as he looked up and held my wide-eyed stare with his heated gaze, he slowly dragged his tongue up my slit until it bumped over my clit.

  I melted. I cried out, my hands clutching the throne’s armrests with white knuckles as Rourke began to tease my pussy. He swirled his tongue over my clit, making my breath catch in my throat before he moved lower. His tongue slid deep into my opening, his groan rumbling through me as he slowly tongue-fucked my pussy. His fingers teased up and down my thighs, making me tremble and roll my hips against him as the sensations blurred over me.