Page 9 of Coronation (Royally Forbidden #1)

Five

Benedict

W hether I enjoy it or not, I’m well accustomed to people looking at me.

Growing up a member of one of the most well-known families in the world does tend to come with a great number of eyes on you.

Even when I did my best to blend into the background and allow my pompous, self-important older brother to take center stage at every possible opportunity, I could never manage to disappear completely.

Funnily enough, I find that I don’t resent the attention I’m receiving tonight.

Only hours ago, I was fleeing to the maze for a few moments of solitude. Now, I’m at a party with some of the wealthiest, most prestigious guests on the planet, and the weight of their gazes fills me with nothing but dark, possessive satisfaction.

I want them to see us together.

Considering my reputation and the social limitations of my poor temperament, I’m almost disoriented by her returning my interest. Perhaps I’m being a fool, she is an actor after all, a professional pretender.

That being said, I’ve spent enough time with people who want something from me to spot one at a hundred yards.

Instinct tells me that Zelda Flowers—who is rather preposterously out of my league, too young for me, and quite possibly the least irritating person I’ve ever encountered—is wholly genuine.

The envious gazes of the other guests follow our every step as I guide her through the parlor and out onto the terrace.

It’s a warm summer’s night, and the lazy, decadent notes of jazz from the band carry out through the open window as we pause at the low stone wall that stands between us and the gardens.

It feels as though I’ve stepped into a dream.

Though not even my most sordid fantasies could have conjured up the woman at my side.

Zelda was beautiful in the light of the candles flickering atop the bar inside, her heart shaped face framed by hair just a shade lighter than black, gazing at me through eyes that recall the summer sky.

The sight of this woman alone was so striking that the impulse to keep speaking to her was something almost beyond my control. Now, with her delicate features illuminated by the full moon sitting high above us… Ethereal is the word that comes to mind.

I have no memory of being so deeply attracted to a woman, not just physically, but also to the intelligent, gentle way she speaks. Each word makes me crave the next, and every time I look at her, I find myself wanting to look longer.

“Do you have something on your mind, Your Highness?” she murmurs, her melodic voice joining the music.

The formality of my title chafes, but I don’t correct her. Slowly, I take a sip of my drink, considering how to proceed. “I’m curious what you hoped to find here tonight. ”

What were you looking for, darling? What do you need from me? Whatever it is, I will provide it.

“I didn’t come expecting to find a king.

” She smiles, looking a little more hesitant as seconds pass and it becomes clear to her that the answer she provided is insufficient.

“To meet someone. For sex. I mean, that’s probably what brought everyone here, right?

” Color rises on her pale cheeks, but to her credit, Zelda doesn’t turn away.

Slowly, and giving her plenty of time to reject my touch, I lift my hand, tracing her full lips with my thumb. “It is,” I rasp, conscious of the state of my cock and how it seems to grow stiffer with each breath she takes. “But that isn’t the only thing, is it?”

Her lips part, and it takes every ounce of willpower I possess to keep myself from kissing her.

We’re still standing just beside the entrance to the garden, and we don’t move, even when another couple hurries past into the darkness.

When their voices have faded away, Zelda edges closer, and my heart—unaccustomed to being so affected by something as simple as a woman looking at me—stutters.

“What makes you say that?” Her voice, melodic and gentle, raises actual goosebumps on my arms.

I’d suspected there might be more to it. An irrational, possessive part of me prickles at the thought, but women who look like Zelda are never lacking in options. Nevertheless, I find myself grinning. “I watched one of your movies.”

Her eyes go round, and her mouth falls open, every inch of her face shining with delighted surprise. “You did?” she gasps, clutching her hand to her chest. “Which one?”

Cute. I’ve never felt the need to use the word until this precise moment, but there it is. She’s fucking cute. “Would you hold it against me if I couldn’t remember the title? It was a period piece. You played a nurse.”

I’d made the association the moment I saw her, but the information hadn’t felt especially important until now, when it’s making the woman before me beam.

“ Everdeen United ! Oh, that’s so cool, I love that you watched that one.

But wait…” Her brow wrinkles. “What does that have to do with…” Her words trail away as a long moan sounds from far off in the garden, and it’s as though she’s only just remembering where we are. Then again, so am I.

There is barely a foot’s distance between us, and heat surges beneath my skin when I step closer still, until we’re all but entwined.

“I’m quite confident you aren’t lacking in attention, darling,” I answer her question in a gruff murmur, allowing my eyes to drift lower, shameless in my examination of her.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off you when you were on the screen. ”

Zelda looks up at me from beneath an arc of dark eyelashes, and it’s difficult to hold back a groan when her warm hands lift to my chest. I’m sure she can feel the way her touch makes my heart beat like a war drum.

“And tonight?”

Her breathing pattern changes, growing uneven as I draw nearer. The evening air is charged as something dark and primal settles into my bones, demanding I devour this woman.

“The house could burn, and I wouldn’t stop looking at you.”

Zelda Flowers stares back at me, and cute isn’t the word I would use for her now. As the moonlight clings to her like a second skin, I think this woman may be a deadly weapon. If that is the case, I must be a fool, because all I can think of is how to get closer of her.

It seems I’m not the only one, either, as the stunning, dangerous creature before me goes in for the kill. “Would you like to see more of me?”

Her words may be the most erotic, seductive ones ever spoken to me, and they wash away whatever remained of my self-control.

Not pausing to second-guess it, my mouth descends on hers in a kiss so bruising, so hungry, it could hardly be classified as a kiss at all.

I’m consuming her, swallowing her gasp of surprise and all the breathy little moans that follow as my hands find her waist, crushing her body against my own.

The way she tastes is drugging. My head swims with the rush of adrenaline and arousal as the beautiful woman in my arms clings to me, so clearly as carried away as I am, returning my need with her own. This desire is mutual, and nothing has ever turned me on more.

I hear myself groan as Zelda’s teeth graze my lip, the edge of pain going straight to my cock as my hands travel down the curve of her waist and hips to grip her ass.

She’s smaller than me, more delicate, and unquestionably feminine.

It’s been so fucking long since I was intimate with a woman, long enough to wonder whether my recollections are accurate, but as we sway on the spot, our kisses bruising, I know they aren’t.

Nothing has ever been this good. I would remember.

My mind seems to short-circuit as Zelda’s hand slips between our bodies to find my cock, gripping me through the material of my trousers.

I can’t help but press myself into her touch, mindless of anything but the desire for more.

I haven’t forgotten her offer, though, and the prospect of seeing more of her is enough to drown any other needs.

Zelda whimpers in protest as I pull away, staring around wildly for the nearest flat surface. There’s a sun lounger stationed in the corner of the patio, its blue and white striped cushion cast in shadow, and I don’t hesitate, backing her toward it.

Though the distance can’t be greater than ten yards, our journey there is clumsy and slow, interrupted frequently by hot, searching kisses and wandering hands.

It’s preposterous that we can’t seem to stop touching each other, that she went from being a stranger to me to essential to my survival in such a short period of time.

I’m being dragged under the waves, drowning in her, and death is so fucking sweet.

“Lie back,” I grunt when we reach the patio furniture, trying to clear my head as the stunning woman in my arms clings to me, attacking my neck with hot, open-mouthed kisses.

My hands dig into the curve of her waist, and even if the momentary break from touching her is akin to torture, I drag her back, forcing her eyes to meet mine.

Gritting my teeth, I jerk my chin toward the lounger.

“Now, Zelda. I need to fucking see you.”

Cast in shadows, the blue satin of her dress appears to glow as Zelda sinks back onto the cushion, the material pooling beneath her slim legs. She is the very image of lust, her eyelids heavy and her lips parted, swollen from how hard I was kissing her.

The night air seems to grow oppressive and hot as I sink to my knees at the base of the lounger, tugging impatiently at the top button of my shirt to release it.

“Do you think they’re watching?” I muse as my hands wrap around her ankles, drawing my thumbs over the skin just above her glossy designer shoes.

Zelda seems to struggle to tear her eyes away from me, but glances over my shoulder. She nods. “Yes, Your Highness.”