Just Between Us (The Kings)

Royal sat on the couch,and I kneeled before him, playfully walking my fingertips up his thighs. I wore a sheer black bra and a matching see-through thong that barely covered anything. My eyes glittered with mischief. The tracing of my fingers stopped at his belt buckle, and I blinked up at him before licking my lips.

I’d quickly learned he liked the soft, submissive side of me, and it was a part of myself I was just beginning to understand, but there was no denying it—I loved this new me.

Royal leaned forward, capturing my mouth with his. He groaned into the kiss as his tongue swept across mine, and my heartbeat ticked higher. His cock twitched to life beneath my palm as I stroked the front of his shorts.

I softened against his rough kiss.

With Royal, I could let everything around us dissolve. I didn’t have to make decisions or be strong or at the top of my game. With him, I could simply exist.

Sitting on the floor between his spread legs, I leaned back from the kiss and took him in. His arms stretched across the back of the couch. Bare chested, his array of tattoos covered his torso from his neck until they disappeared under the waistband of his shorts. I’d spent weeks memorizing each one, asking questions and silently trying to understand the complex and creative man.

My eyes caught on the hot-pink cast, and I chuckled with a shake of my head.

One finger hooked under my chin as he looked down at me. “What’s so funny?”

My hand gently brushed across the rough exterior of his cast. “Just you.” I shrugged. “You’re so unaffected by what people think of you.” I exhaled, blowing the loose strands of my hair out of my face. “I have no idea what that’s like.”

He smiled down at me. “You mean to tell me that badass Veda Bauer, the woman who can cut a man down with a single look, actually cares what people think of her?”

I gritted my teeth and shot him a bland look. “It’s not ideal.”

His hearty laugh filled the living room. “You’re the most complicated, incredibly warm woman I have ever met.”

I bloomed under the ease at which he gave the compliment. “Well, you’re the first to think that.” I laughed in an attempt to cut the tug at my heartstrings. “I am a black cat, after all.”

“I see why you picked that username.” His grin widened.

I rose up to my knees to look him in the eye. “Everyone calls me a black cat—someone who doesn’t fit in, who bristles at affection. A bitch.” I shrugged and lifted my chin as if taking ownership of the moniker didn’t hurt my feelings deep down.

He leveled me with his eyes as his hands slid up my sides and around my rib cage. “In some cultures black cats are symbols of good luck and prosperity. They’re sacred. Precious.”

I held his gaze but didn’t acknowledge how deeply his words affected me.

“Say it,” he urged with the hard edge of dominance that sent a bolt of heat between my legs. “Tell me you’re precious.”

I swallowed hard as emotions warred inside my chest. “I’m precious.”

He swept his palm against my cheek, and I leaned into his touch. “Good. You’ll learn the power you hold, if only you allow yourself to feel it.”

I toyed with my lip, embarrassed to voice what I already knew to be the truth. “I used to think power was when someone underestimated me and I could prove them wrong. Winning was everything.” I relaxed my shoulders as he gently smoothed my hair. “In the office I can be calculating—shade the truth—and there were times I wasn’t above manipulating things to get my way.”

“And now?” He scooted forward so our bodies were flush.

I rested my arms on his shoulders and gazed into the comfort of his tawny eyes. “Now I’m on my knees, making zero decisions, and I’ve never felt more powerful.”

“That’s right.” Desire and heat swirled in his eyes. “I think you’re finally starting to realize that your submissive heart is a natural part of you. Don’t fight it.”

Royal thumbed my lip and slipped it into my mouth. I moaned, closing my eyes and running my tongue across the pad of his thumb. Sparks of desire ignited, and my nipples went hard beneath the thin mesh of my bra.

His hand drifted lower, barely touching my skin as flames ignited. His touch was a whisper as his fingers curled around my neck. My eyes drifted closed, and I was lost in the sensation and comfort of his touch.

“I want to show you something.” The dark timbre of his voice made goose bumps erupt on my forearms.

Royal stood, and I let out a surprised yelp when he scooped me into his arms and cradled me. My hands looped around his neck. “Where are we going?”

He looked down at me and smiled. “You learned how to submit and be thoroughly fucked. Tonight’s lesson is how to stay present when a man shows you how much he cares.”

I swallowed hard. It was one thing to be lost in the moment when Royal was being dirty and demanding but quite another to submit to the vulnerability of his softness.

We locked eyes, and he captured my mouth with his in a gentle kiss. Royal carried me to his bedroom without a word. His steps were soft, though hobbled by his cast. Slowly, he deposited me onto the mattress and left me staring after him as he slipped into the en suite bathroom. I scurried up the bed and rested against the headboard. My toes tapped as I waited. I fluffed my hair and checked to be sure my boobs were sitting upright in my bra.

Moments later he returned with a lit candle in each hand and a glint in his eye. He set one on the highboy dresser and another on the nightstand next to the bed. Watching me, he unbuckled his shorts and let them fall to the ground. He was naked except for the cast—and a rock-hard cock.

I pointed at the cast with a smirk. “How are you going to manage that?”

His face transformed into a soft grin. “Don’t you worry about me. There are a few things I can’t manage with a broken foot, but I promise, fucking you is not one of them. I’ll be just fine.” My soft giggle tugged a rugged grunt from him, and I was aching for more.

Carefully Royal mounted the bed, settling on his knees in front of me. My legs were clamped shut, knees bent as I waited, and my fingers twisted.

He gestured with his chin. “Spread your legs. Show me what’s mine.”

I bit my lip to suppress a grin and tipped my knees open slightly.

“Wider.”

On his command, my legs spread open. The tiny swatch of black fabric did little to hide my desire. His eyes flashed with heat as he gazed between my legs. With a feather-light touch, Royal grabbed my ankle, lifting it to his lap. The pads of his fingers brushed against the thin skin at my inner ankle. He locked eyes with me as he lifted my leg, and I shifted to lie flat on the mattress. He brought my ankle to his mouth.

Grinning against my legs, he winked, and a hot, full-body rush swept across me. His soft lips teased my senses as he moved higher. I let my head fall back and closed my eyes.

“Open,” he demanded. “I want you to watch me as you fall apart.”

I gulped and focused my attention on him. With an aching slowness he moved up my calf to my knee. His mouth was lush and wet and tender. His tongue swept across my skin, and I shuddered. Heat blazed across my flesh and my pussy clenched. His mouth moved across my inner thigh, and I stroked the smooth crop of his hair as he worked his way higher.

Royal hooked his fingers into the sides of my thong and let his fingertips drag across my skin as he removed it. I let my legs fall open.

Please. Please.

Inside I was screaming for him to finally put his mouth on me, but he took his time. The memory of Trawler’s Cove, where Royal had worked me up to the edge and left me wanting more, raced through my mind.

My eyes flew to his. “You’re going to make me come, right?”

With his head lowered, he raised one eyebrow. “Is that how you ask?”

“Please, sir,” I panted. “Please make me come.”

A soft, dark chuckle rumbled through him. “I’ve barely touched you and you’re already soaked.”

His tongue dragged across my inner thigh, just shy of where I needed him most, and I hissed. He sucked the thin skin there, and my hips arched upward.

His hands scooped under my bottom, and he inhaled. “Fuck, you smell sweet.”

My cheeks warmed and I clutched the bedsheets.

“Don’t forget to keep your eyes on me. I want you to see how much I love this sweet cunt.” His tongue swept through my pussy, and I moaned his name. I wanted to clamp my eyes shut, but I willed my mind to stay present and experience everything Royal was giving me.

He grunted his appreciation and approval as he devoured me. Royal wanted to show me how much he cared, and I had never felt so cherished.