I want a princess

eaming—but beneath the sweet anticipation, the threat of something rotten. Something too far gone. The rotten thing was Cherry’s growing anxiety. As they pulled into the square of tarmac that serv

ye and the way that he touched her made Cherry think he might… She pressed her lips together. Then she turned to face him. He hadn’t been abducted by aliens; he was right there, where she’d left him, waiting patiently. The way he dominated the little space put her in mind of a caged beast, but his eyes, for once, were soft. “You okay?” He asked. She swallowed. “Yes.” “Do you want me to wait here?” “No.” “Can I kiss you?” Four words. His voice was as soft as his eyes. He was all folded up into the tiny car’s front seat, his long legs bent, his powerful thighs straining at his suit trousers, and… oh. Something else strained at his suit trousers, too, hard and thick. She let her eyes rest on his erection for a second before looking back up at him. He met her gaze easily, making no move to hide his arousal, and Cherry’s nerves disappeared. Anticipation was a red-hot weight in her chest, and desire thrummed through her pulse. He raised a hand and grasped the back of her neck, pushing her hair aside. The warm weight of his palm rested against herskin, and then he leant over the centre console towards her. His forehead bumped gently against hers. “You have to tell me,” he whispered. “Yes or no. Can I kiss you?” And she sounded embarrassingly breathless when she said, “Yes.” He barely let her finish the word. In a heartbeat, his lips were on hers, soft and gentle. So, so gentle. But that hand on her neck was was

—and decided to do nothing about that fact—he knew he was losing it. They probably hadn’t noticed him leaving, since he’d gone firmly against protocol and disappeared in someone else’s car, but he should’ve stopped then. Only he hadn’t, because touching Cherry felt more urgent than fucking protocol. It felt more urgent than anything he’d ever done. She led him across the car park through a little alleyway, their hands intertwined. “Shortcut,” she said, tugging him along. Her heels clicked sharply against the concrete

t it on your clothes.” “It’s fine,” he said. “They’ll be gone soon, anyway.” “God, you’re so fucking…” Apparently, she had no idea what he was, because with an adorable little growl she reached up and kissed him. Her tongue met his and she sighed, arching into him, pressing her hips against his erection. Fuck. He sucked on her plump bottom lip, imagined doing the same to the tits currently pressed against his chest—and then she released a whimper and wrapped a leg around his waist. Ruben felt like he was drowning. Like every movement was slower and harder than it should be, than it needed to be, and he was desperate for things to speed up. He grabbed her thighwith his spare hand, pulled her leg higher, then shoved up the thick fabric of her coat because it was only getting in the fucking way. Next he shoved up her skirt, and then his fingers came into contact with the softness of her stockings. But even that wasn’t enough. He plundered her mouth even as his hands crept higher, searching out heaven. Searching out her skin. Finally, he found it, soft and almost vulnerable. He snapped the elastic of her suspenders and dragged himself away from her lips.“You weren’t kid

hen he heard his worst fucking nightmare. “You