Just Between Us (The Kings)

Who is this warm,melting ball of need standing in front of Royal King and agreeing to let him take control?

Need roped through me as my nipples pinched into sharp, aching points. His hard body radiated heat and power as he looked down on me. Gone was the wry, playful grin I’d come to know. In its place was an intensity—a ferocity—that was directed at me.

My hand moved over his chest, the muscles evident beneath his shirt. Against my palm, his heart thunked a rapid beat. There was a small comfort in knowing his pulse was as out of control as mine. The air around us shrank, and the reality of what I had agreed to settled in.

Let me teach you how to let go a little bit.

My stomach skittered, and I took a breath to steady myself. Every rational, pent-up part of my brain screamed at me that it was a mistake to let go, to let someone else have a say. In silence, Royal commanded the darkened entryway, and it was clear he was waiting for something—some sign that I was willing to give this experiment a try.

Royal promised that there was something good and fun on the other side of clutching every aspect of my life. My knees wobbled and indecision ricocheted around my skull. Time stretched out before us as he watched and waited.

On an exhale I melted into him. A swell of emotion stung in my nose as I fought back unexpected tears. I wanted to be enraged. I wanted to stomp my foot and demand that I could do anything and everything by myself.

But I was so damn tired.

Instead of fighting it, when his arms wrapped around me, I softened.

I leaned into the comfort of his sturdy frame, letting his body heat seep into me like the first cup of hot coffee on a frigid day. His cologne was woody and intoxicating as I breathed it in, basking in his embrace. I exhaled once more, letting each breath liquefy my resolve.

“There she is.” His rich voice was so warm and soothing that my shoulders relaxed and my arms hung at my sides. Royal eased back to look down at me. One tattooed hand reached up to gently hold my face and guide my attention to him. “It is my responsibility to protect you. My honor. And if you’ll let me, I will show you what real freedom looks like.”

A hot ball of nerves expanded in my throat. Standing in front of Royal in his dimly lit home felt too close. Too intimate. He didn’t move away, but rather held me and waited.

My lower belly flooded with heat as everything around us faded away. His thick cock pressed against my stomach, and I brushed my hand down his side until I reached his belt. Lower still, I ran my hand along his hard length. Royal groaned and his hips twitched forward.

“You are going to be my undoing, Precious,” he whispered.

I preened at his praise. Knowing the effect I had on him was electric. Royal’s hand slid down my arm until his fingers caught mine. “Come with me.”

Excitement danced through me. Royal King was going to fuck the daylights out of me, and I didn’t have to think about anyone or anything while he did it. My clit hummed in eager anticipation. When he turned toward the entryway instead of farther into his house, I tried to pull my hand free, but he held it.

With a grin, he eased me back out the front door. “There’s something special I want to show you.”

“But . . .” I looked over my shoulder at his house as he led me away and down the front steps.

“Do you trust me?” His inked skin was shadowed by the summer night sky.

Not yet.

I gulped and gave him a weak nod. With a smile, Royal adjusted his cock in his pants, and I tamped down a needy pout. I didn’t want to go anywhere but his bedroom, and now it looked like he only wanted some kind of midnight stroll in the dark.

What. The actual. Fuck.

I let out a sharp exhale that made him turn. “Everything okay?” he asked.

I ground my molars. “If you haven’t noticed, it’s not easy for me to release my hold on every situation. I—I mean, we—” I let out a frustrated growl. “I thought we were about to have sex, and now you’re taking me for a walk on the beach?” I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t like knowing that I read the situation wrong, and I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”

“Hey,” his grumbling voice rolled over me as he stepped into my space. Royal’s wide palms rubbed up and down my arms, and I felt myself go lax in his presence. “You didn’t read anything wrong. You’re fucking perfect. I don’t think there’s a single woman on this planet I’ve wanted more, but if we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. It’s my job to earn your trust. This is just step one.”

A sense of calm washed over me. Royal knew exactly what he was doing, and all I had to concentrate on was allowing him to take the lead.

To surrender.

I blinked up at him, realizing that I wanted him to earn my trust. Desperately.

My arm shot in front of me with an annoyed flick. “Proceed.”

With a dark chuckle, Royal guided me across a wooden deck at the edge of the sand dune bluff. A long wooden staircase zigzagged down the dune until it reached the beach at the bottom. Moonlight glittered on the water’s surface as the waves rolled onshore. A rocky outcropping shielded the rest of the beach from view.

“What is this place?” I asked.

Royal pointed down the beach in the direction of town. “Downtown and North Beach is that way. Over these rocks is Trawler’s Cove.” He held out his hand. “It’s what I want to show you.”

The sand shifted beneath my feet, and I slipped off my flip-flops. Royal took them and tucked the flats into the back pocket of his jeans. The boulders were tall enough to hide what lay beyond from view, but not so high that climbing made me nervous. I braced my hands on the cool surface and wedged my bare foot between two rocks.

Royal’s hands steadied me as I carefully scaled higher. Once I reached the top, I tossed my leg over and started my descent. Close enough to the ground, I hopped down and landed in the soft sand with a thud. Royal leaped from the top with the unsurprising grace of a cat.

“Wow.” I looked around. Rocks surrounded three sides of the cove, blocking much of the lake breeze and noise and making the space feel quiet and secluded. Above the rocks, the towering sand dunes protected the small sandy beach.

“Pretty neat, huh?” He looked up at the dunes in the distance. “Trawler’s Cove is a hidden gem. We used to come here a lot as teenagers.”

I grinned. “Sneaking dates and getting into trouble?”

Mischief lit his face. “Something like that.”

The outcropping stretched into the water, the height of the rocks shrinking until it disappeared into the lake. Royal walked to where the water kissed the sand. I shamelessly ogled his ass as he bent to untie his boots and slip them off. He stripped off his socks, rolled his pant legs, and dug his toes in the sand before tossing my flip-flops onto the ground next to his discarded boots.

I sidled up to him, looking out onto the dark, restless water. “From here it feels like there’s no one else on earth.” Clouds rolled over the bright moon, cocooning us in darkness for a moment. I exhaled. “It’s so lovely.”

“You have no idea.” His breath tickled my cheek, and I turned to see his eyes moving over my face. My body heated, flushing my cheeks under his adoring assessment.

I laughed and tried to look away, but his fingers captured my chin. “Don’t do that. I want you fully present. Don’t dissociate and get lost in your head. Be here. With me. Do you understand?”

I gulped and nodded. His eyebrow shot up. When Royal had commanded me to call him sir, I had nearly laughed. I’d been using the word for years in the corporate world, sheerly out of habit. It held little power.

Only now, directed toward Royal, the simple word was weighty. When yes, sir slipped through my lips, it would be more than idle respect.

It would be submission.

“Yes, sir,” I softly corrected.

A full beat passed as we simply stared at each other under the cover of a star-soaked night.

“What is this? What are we doing here?” My breathless whisper didn’t even sound like me.

“It’s your first lesson.” Royal wet his lips, and I was transfixed by his lush mouth. I wanted him to lean in and kiss me, to plant his mouth on me and devour.

Instead, Royal moved behind me, supporting my weight as I leaned backward into him. His hands brushed my hair to the side as his fingertips grazed the thin skin at the base of my neck. I stared ahead, fixing my attention to the horizon. My brain attempted to click offline, to do exactly what Royal had warned me about. In my experience it had always been easier to zone out and wait for the moment to pass—sex and affection had never been all that remarkable anyway.

Instead, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I wanted to do as he said and see what all the fuss was about.

“Do you feel this?” The pads of his fingers dipped below the collar of my sweatshirt and danced along my collarbone.

“Yes.” I clamped my eyes shut, and a whimper escaped my lips.

Our breaths moved in tandem as his other hand found the cropped hemline of my sweatshirt. My stomach tightened when his wide palm pressed against the bare skin on my stomach. He pressed into me and fused us together. I was trapped, his large arms caging me in.

I should have wanted to run. I should have wanted to find a way to escape his hold. I shouldn’t have felt the safest I’d ever recalled.

The hand at my neck moved higher, encircling my throat as his nose grazed the side of my face. “Relax your shoulders. Lay your head back.”

I hadn’t realized my entire body was rigid and standing at attention. I released the tension in my shoulders and lolled my head back.

Royal squeezed my throat. “That’s my good girl.”

My toes curled into the sand as a hot rush moved down my thighs. My pussy tightened in protest, desperately clenching around nothing.

“Do you like my hands on you as much as I do?” Tingles washed over me as my mind raced.

I nodded and kept my eyes closed. “Yes, sir.” His hand moved from my throat, and I immediately missed the warmth and protection of it. His hand slid down my arm, and he held me for a moment.

“Have you done this before?” The question had been pinging in the back of my mind. I already knew the answer—it was clear this wasn’t Royal’s first time taking charge with a woman. Still, I needed to hear him answer it.

“I’ve been with women who’ve liked when I take charge. That’s not all that uncommon.” He turned me so I could face him. “But this?” His finger stroked down my cheek. “Having the perfect, confident woman standing in front of me, willing to submit and be set free? It’s a first for me.”

Electricity crackled under my skin. My body arched into his.

Aching.

Wanting.

Needing.

“Do you feel that?” His hips pushed forward as his hard length pressed into me. “That’s what you do to me.”

I reached for him, ready to run my hand down the front of his jeans, but he stopped me. With my wrists in his hands, he shook his head. “There’s time for that. But right now is about you.” Royal adjusted and held both wrists in one hand. He looked me in the eye. “You will do as I say. Do you understand?”

My chest fluttered. “Yes, sir.”

Slowly, Royal knelt in front of me, the waves crashing at my back. I looked down at him to see his handsome face gazing up at me. He guided my hands to his shoulders, and a mischievous smile lit up his face. “Do not move your hands from my shoulders.”

My throat was coated with sandpaper. The best I could manage was a shaky nod as his hands released mine and found the smooth skin on my legs.

Thank god today was a shaving day.

The errant thought caused a giggle to titter out of me. My eyes went wide as I looked down at him.

His eyebrow lifted. “Something amusing, Precious?”

I nearly giggled again but tamped it down and jerked my head side to side.

Royal continued stroking my legs like he was memorizing every muscle and curve. His hands slid above the hemline of the fabric, teasing the seam where my butt met the back of my thigh. His fingertip hooked under the seam of my underwear, and he followed the line forward, between my legs. My body was on fire, and I could feel the fabric between my legs getting wetter.

Royal leaned his forehead against my stomach and growled. My hands moved from his shoulders to feel the short hairs at the base of his skull, tickling my palm.

His head shifted to look at me. “Hands where they were,” he commanded.

A deep blush heated my cheeks as I planted them back onto his broad shoulders.

One hand slipped inside my shorts, and his thumb pressed against the cotton of my underwear and into my aching clit. I jumped. My breaths were needy pants.

His touch slid back, and he let out an appreciative moan when he found my underwear soaked. “So perfect.”

His words sent pleasure coursing through me. I wanted more. I wanted it all. My legs scissored with need, despite his hand shoved between them. I ground my pussy against him.

He gripped my hip with one hand, and I couldn’t stop staring. Seeing Royal King on his knees in the moonlight with his hand up my shorts had me reeling. A singular thought hammered over and over: I want to come—long and hard.

I moaned as Royal finally slipped a finger inside my underwear, pushing the fabric to the side. “Yes,” I whispered.

His hands were huge, and the space between my pussy and underwear was tight. His fingers slid through me as I rocked my hips. “That’s it, Veda.”

His encouragement spurred me on. I pressed my eyes closed, determined to feel every sensation. When his finger found my entrance, I slowly unraveled. My hands fisted his shirt as my body begged for more.

One finger.

Then two.

I gasped and stilled, feeling my body stretch around his fingers. My pussy fluttered, and his deep grumble washed over me. Slowly his fingers moved, pumping into me, and tension swirled low in my belly.

“You are so fucking beautiful when you let yourself go.” His words were tender despite the harsh rasp in his voice.

I pressed forward, silently demanding more. My pussy clenched, on the cusp of the most intense orgasm of my life. My nails dug into his back as he slipped his fingers from me.

No, no, no, no.

His nose pressed between my legs. His lips kissed my skin. His fingers tickled. My clit thrummed and ached.

Royal edged me closer and closer toward my orgasm, but each time, he ripped me away from the edge. Every time I thought I’d tip over that glorious peak, he eased me back down. Frantic need pulsed through me as I clung to him and desperately held on for the ride.

I wanted to lean forward, topple him over and straddle him in the sand. I wanted to see every fucking tattoo up close. I wanted to discover the new ones I hadn’t yet seen. I wanted to strip him naked and ride his thick cock until I finally came.

But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Royal was in control—teasing, peaking, and balancing me on the sharp edge of desire. Tears pricked behind my eyelids as desperation nearly overtook me, and his fingers slipped inside my pussy.

Royal stood, looking at me with reverence as my body protested. Confused, I blinked and frowned at him. He held up his hand. The fingers that had nearly unraveled me glistened in the moonlight.

I stared up as his thick finger, coated with my desire, slipped past his lips. He groaned as he tasted me, and his eyes never left mine.

“Royal.” I swallowed hard.

“Do you want a taste, Precious?” He grinned as I blinked up at him.

Do I?

His hand slipped under the bottom of my shorts and dipped into my underwear. His finger slid easily into my hot, wet pussy. When it came out shimmering, I could only stare at it.

“Open.” He pressed his finger to my mouth.

Holding his gaze, I opened my lips, just enough for him to slip his finger inside. It was erotic and forbidden and so fucking hot.

My taste was sweet and tangy, unlike anything I could have imagined. His nostrils flared, and it was easy to see that it turned him on to see me taste my own arousal. My tongue swirled around his finger, and I sucked as I imagined it was his cock in my mouth.

“Mmm. Fuck, Precious.” Royal eased his finger out of my mouth with a soft pop.

I pressed into him, shivering with need. “I want more. I want you. I need it.”

He brushed aside a hair that tickled my face, and he held my chin. “I told you, Precious. This is your first lesson. You don’t come unless I make you come. Do you understand?”

I gritted my teeth. “Then make me come already.” I sounded like a petulant brat, but I didn’t care. I was wound so tightly I thought I might snap.

Royal adjusted my shorts, which had been shifted askew. “You listened so well tonight. I could feel how badly you wanted to come, but you didn’t. That was your first lesson. You proved to yourself that you could allow me to be in charge of your pleasure.”

My tongue clicked, annoyance rippling through me. “Yeah, and you left me hanging.”

He closed the inches between us, a dark intensity shadowing his features in the moonlight. His fingers tangled in my hair at the nape of my neck as his forehead pressed to mine. He smelled like man and perfection and desire rolled into one.

Tension radiated from his large frame. I knew, if I pushed, I might have been able to convince him to give in.

But I had agreed to do this his way. Even without the orgasm, feeling his hands on me as the waves crashed against the rocks behind me had been the most erotic experience of my life. The entire time I hadn’t had a single worry—I could only focus on us.

I exhaled and dissolved into his embrace.

His chest rumbled against my ear as he held me. “There isn’t a single thing about you I would change.”

His words only stoked the fire in my belly, and I grinned. “Except for my smart mouth?”

His body shook with a chuckle, and his arms banded tighter. “Not even that.”

Royal gathered our things and guided me out of the alcove—toward the wooden steps that would carry us back to reality. It was late and my body hummed with unreleased need. When we reached the top, he insisted on walking me back to the apartment. Hope that he would help me orgasm faded with each step away from his house on the bluff.

“What song is that?” he asked as we walked.

I chuckled, not realizing I had been humming. “Oh, uh—just a song I heard on the radio. They’re a band from Chicago, actually.”

He smiled. “I thought I recognized it. It’s catchy.”

I swallowed hard.

Minutes ago I was panting and begging for an orgasm, and now we’re talking about music? How is this my life?

I shook my head. Once I was safely inside my apartment, I could chase my release and relieve some of the tension that was still taut inside me.

On the stoop to my building, he leaned against the handrail. “You’re planning to go inside and make yourself come, aren’t you?”

Of course I am.

I lifted my chin. “Maybe.”

Royal shook his head. “You can . . . but I promise you it won’t be as good as when I stuff you full and tell you how proud I am of you.”

Liquid heat pooled between my legs. I looked around, embarrassed that his filthy words were spoken aloud so easily. A deep blush warmed my cheeks.

He shrugged as if his words didn’t single-handedly almost make me come on the spot. “Just a thought.”

I stared at him from the top step. He shifted, climbing the concrete steps until we were eye to eye. “Sleep well, Precious.”

In a quick move, Royal planted a swift kiss on my lips. I barely had time to react when he hopped down the steps and whistled as he sauntered away.