Page 70 of The Broken Prince

He supported his body with a single arm, which was flexed and muscular, all the muscle bulging to hold his weight. His other hand fisted my hair, holding it like reins as if I might try to ride off. “You like this dick, baby?”

“Yes.”

He thrust into me, hard and fast, tapping the headboard with a distinct pace.

I lay there, pinned in place to the mattress, watching this gorgeous man fuck me when he could be fucking any woman he wanted that night.

“Good,” he said, his breaths even despite the way he worked his body. “Because I love this pussy.”

* * *

His shoulder was my pillow, his body my sheets. I stared down at his muscular chest and looked at my arm as it draped over his hard stomach. When he took a breath, everything lifted, and when the breaths left, everything tightened even further. His perfection was chiseled out of stone.

I wanted to stay there forever, but I had to pee, so I left his arms and walked around the bed to the bathroom down the hallway. His things were on the counter, his toothbrush, his razor, soap. I did my business then returned to the bedroom, my eyes on the floor beneath me. I glanced over at his clothes, ready to look away the second I saw them, but then I stopped when I spotted something red.

On his black shirt, it was hard to notice, the color more of a maroon, but it was there, close to the neckline.

“Something wrong, baby?” Aurelias asked, arms folded behind his head.

“There’s blood on your shirt.”

He propped himself up on a single arm and looked at me, his hard stare borderline disinterested. “It’s probably wine, but even if it’s blood, it’s probably an old stain that’s never come out.” He continued his stare, his muscular body tight even when he was propped up like that.

I wasn’t sure why I hesitated. Must be intuition.

“Baby?” He continued his piercing stare. “What’s the problem?”

Honestly, I didn’t know. My father had made it clear he couldn’t feed on anyone, and Aurelias didn’t strike me as someone to break a promise. But he did look different, his eyes brighter, his muscles plumper, like his weakened body had been invigorated by something. “Did you feed today?”

He held my stare in silence, his hard eyes focused on my face. “Yes.”

“On animal blood?”

Silence ensued for a few seconds before he answered. “Yes.”

When I heard that answer, I forgot about the clothes and returned to bed. “I want to stay here tonight.” I was tired of going back to the castle in the middle of the night. Tired of moving like a ghost through the streets.

Aurelias came close to me, hiking my leg over his hip before his arm squeezed my lower back and dragged me close.

“Is that okay?”

“You think that’s wise?”

“I don’t want to sneak around.”

“Have you slept over in the past?”

“No, but this is different.” I spoke before I thought, the words coming out like a river over a waterfall.

His eyes remained locked on mine without a hint of discomfort.

I tried to alter the meaning of my words. “Because we’re at war, and everything could be gone tomorrow.” I covered it up as best I could, tried to convince myself of that truth as well.

“Your father is aware of our relationship, but I think it’s unwise to parade it in front of him.”

“I’m a grown-ass woman who he thinks is worthy of the crown,” I said. “I can do what I want. And I know Atticus has slept in other beds far more often than he’s slept in his own.”

His fingers rubbed my back, gently stroking the skin. “You know it’s different, baby.”