Page 11 of Her Royal Master (Master Me #1)

D ay Three

Darius

C helsea was up early. I opened my eyes when she slipped out of bed and whispered her enthusiastic greetings to Shadow, rubbing his ears and face before feeding him. I wondered if she’d had as much trouble sleeping as I’d had.

I didn’t know what in the fuck to do with her. Let her go, I guess. It was my only option. She refused to tell me her full name or who she wrote for, refused to sign an NDA, which meant she was still hell-bent on writing whatever story she had in her.

So I could either apply more pressure to get her to cave, or let her walk and tell her story. What did it matter, anyway? My name couldn’t be much more sullied than it already was. Except she knew about Kaspar. I couldn’t have that part come out.

I needed to cut some kind of deal with her.

Normally negotiations—especially with beautiful young women at my mercy—turned me on. In this case, the thought made my stomach turn.

I liked Chelsea. Really liked her. She produced a powerful lust in me which hadn’t diminished with having her in the multitude of ways I’d already experienced. But I also liked the smart, sweet girl underneath. I felt comfortable with her. I could be myself.

Hell, she knew how to play whist, and had even seemed to enjoy it.

How in the fuck was I supposed to reconcile that with the ambitious, selfish woman who wanted to use me for her own gain?

Fuck.

Chelsea emerged from the bathroom wearing my t-shirt.

I was tempted to tell her I hadn’t given her permission to cover and rip it off. Have round fifty-four in my bed with her sturdy thighs spread and that sweet little cunt opening for me.

But the heaviness of the negotiation deadline made me swing my legs out of bed and pull on some clothes. I tossed her a pair of boxer briefs. “Want to see the sun rise over the sea?”

Kaspar and his buddies would sleep until noon. It would be safe enough to bring her up on deck. Despite all the hot sex we’d had, I was getting as sick of the confinement of my room as she was.

“I’d love to.” Her face brightened, nearly knocking my breath away at the sheer beauty of it. When her carefully placed mask was gone, she broadcast her emotions with a bullhorn.

“Come on.” I interlaced my fingers through hers.

Shadow crowded us to the door, tail wagging, excited for adventure. He led us both up onto the deck. The sun glowed orange, just emerging from the turquoise blue horizon of the sea. The spray of sea mist fell on our faces in a soft caress.

Chelsea closed her eyes and made a soft hum. “It’s so beautiful,” she breathed.

She was so beautiful. Her olive-toned skin glowed gold in the morning light, which also picked up the gold flecks in her eyes. Her lips were plump and full from sleep. She lifted her face to mine. “Thank you.”

I brushed my lips across hers, addicted to the taste.

“Look.” I pointed and pulled her, running, to the stern of the yacht, where a pod of dolphins swam along behind us.

Shadow raced with us. He saw them at the same time and gave a joyful bark, bounding to the rail.

“Shadow, no,” I said sharply.

My exuberant dog leaped over without hesitation, plunging into the ocean to play with the dolphins.

“Cut the engine,” I shouted, running for the bridge. I wasn’t afraid for Shadow’s life—he’d been swimming in the ocean many times, but it would be a pain in the ass to get him back onto Sweet Surrender.

In the time it took me to get the captain’s attention, Chelsea disappeared. I peered over the rail. Oh hell, no.

Her golden body glinted in the water beside Shadow’s dark fur and the sleek gray forms of the dolphins, who’d stayed to play.

“Chelsea!” My heart shot into my throat. I grabbed a life preserver from the wall and threw it over before peeling off my shirt and diving in, too.

I surfaced near the boat and swam swiftly to the gathering.

Chelsea was laughing, holding onto Shadow’s collar, eyes wide with wonder at the dolphins leaping in circles around them. “I can’t believe this!”

“I can’t either,” I muttered, trying to modulate the fight instinct seeing her overboard had triggered.

The cave man in me needed to drag her out and fuck her hard against the deck floor, claiming every inch of her until I was certain she was solid and real and still with me.

But her joy was infectious, and I found myself grinning.

Shadow loved it too, barking happily at the dolphins, paddling his somewhat lethal paws through the water. Chelsea struggled to keep her grip on Shadow’s collar and avoid getting scratched as he swam. Her attempt to drag him back toward the yacht was clearly failing.

“Shadow, come,” I commanded in my native language and swam toward the yacht, and he immediately followed. “Let him go, baby, it will be easier for both of you,” I said to Chelsea, who’d grabbed the life preserver.

She obeyed and turned to watch the dolphins, who gave us a few more leaps before they swam away.

I swam to the ladder and had to lift my ridiculous dog up to help him climb it, and Avar, one of our crew members, reached down to pull him the rest of the way up. I waited for Chelsea, next, offering my hand.

She let go of the life preserver and swam into my arms, tucking her body against mine when we each stood with one foot on the ladder. My boxer briefs sagged off her hips, only staying on by virtue of the water cling.

“Can you believe that?” Her eyes were lit with excitement, joy palpable.

I twisted my lips over hers, drinking from her mouth. “No,” I said when I reluctantly broke the kiss. “I can’t believe you risked your life for my dog.”

She laughed, shoving her wet hair out of her eyes. “Are you nuts? I love Shadow.”

Such easy love she gave to my dog. I wondered what it would be like to be loved by her.

“It wasn’t necessary, you silly American.” I couldn’t keep the warmth of affection from my voice. I wanted to scold her, but the moment felt far too sweet for that. It wasn’t time to dominate. I kissed her again, slower this time, twining my tongue with hers.

Avar cleared his throat. “You need a hand, your highness?”

“No, thank you. We’re fine.” I kissed her again, tasting the strawberry sweetness of her lips.

“Crazy girl,” I murmured. Her nipples pointed through my wet t-shirt, and she shivered in my arms. “Come on, let’s get you into a hot shower.” I pretended to guide her up the ladder with my hand on her ass, until she reached the deck and Avar held out a towel for her.

“You jumped in after Shadow?” Avar asked, shaking his head. “You’re a dog hero.” He chuckled and handed me a towel.

“She’s a keeper this one, no?”

Something hard twisted in my solar plexus.

In this moment, I never wanted to let her go. But I wouldn’t be keeping her.

We’d be back at shore soon, and she would collect her money and her things and run off to write her precious story.

I needed to detach myself from this fucked up situation before any more damage was done. Not to my reputation—I didn’t give a fuck about that. To my heart.

~.~

C helsea

I saw the way Darius went quiet after his crew guy had called me a keeper . He’d turned back into the dark and brooding duke of the tabloids, a scowl squatting squarely between his brows, his square jaw firmly set.

Damn. I guessed this was it. We’d be parting soon and we wouldn’t be exchanging cell numbers. There’d be no postcards, no staying in touch. He would think I planned to betray him and he’d hate me.

He led Shadow and me back to his room. I’d hoped we’d shower together, but he sent me in alone with a curt, “Take a shower.”

I stood in the spray of water, wondering why it felt like a concrete block had been placed on my chest. Guilt and grief mingled together with the water, coating me with a dark gray aura that didn’t wash off.

When I emerged, Darius and Shadow were gone, but a Post-it note on the door read, “Do not leave this room.” I put on another one of Darius’ t-shirts and looked around the room, looking for anything that gave me deeper insight into the duke.

Darius returned thirty minutes later with a tray of food, which he plopped unceremoniously on the bed. “Eat.”

I took the covers off the dishes, my stomach rumbling for what looked like a spinach omelet, fresh fruit, and pastries.

Darius leaned against the wall, folded his arms over his chest and stared.

I ate a few bites in the silence, but the tension became too much. I re-covered the plates and set the tray on the floor. “It’s, ah, a little hard to eat with the Devil Duke giving me the death ray glare.”

“You write anything about my cousin, or what you know happened on this yacht with him and his friends, and my family will destroy you, signed NDA or not.” His accent was thicker when he threatened. “I don’t care what you write about me. My story doesn’t matter. But I won’t let you ruin Kaspar.”

“I won’t ruin Kaspar,” I croaked, horrified he believed I would. Of course, I’d given him every reason to think it. “I promise.”

Nothing in his expression changed. He still considered me with the hard, measuring stare.

“I won’t ruin you, either.”

His lip curled like he didn’t believe me. “You can’t ruin me,” he scoffed, moving from his place of holding up the wall and pacing the length of the room. “And you still refuse to tell me who you work for?”

I looked down at my hands. “I’m sorry.”

He let out a puff of what sounded like exasperation and tunneled his fingers through his thick, wavy hair. “Fine.” He looked at his watch. “Well, I have two more hours with you, so let’s see if I can make them meaningful. Strip.”

No more hesitation. When he gave an order, I obeyed. I pulled the shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor, then stood up, facing him.

Despite the hardened expression he wore, desire flamed in his eyes when they fell on my body. “On your knees, baby.”

I lowered to a kneeling position at his feet, hungrily eyeing the bulge of his cock in his still-damp shorts. He unbuttoned them and shoved down his boxer briefs to free his erection.