Corrupt Prince by Ivy Mason

Thirteen

Recoveringthe notebook wasn’t going to be easy, and I deeply regretted agreeing to let Aster help. She was a pain in my ass and one day, probably sooner than later, it was going to get us into trouble.

By the end of the day, I'd discovered which of my father's guards was with him when he met with the doctor.

Of course, I was taking a big risk by approaching his guard, but it was one I was willing to take. My father had too many hiding spots to search through them, and I had a limited time.

Since I had to wait until late to approach James, I sat in Bourbon's room, smoking one of Knight’s old joints and worked, switching between my laptop and my phone, as necessary.

Since taking on Bourbon’s old duties, I hadn’t given up my old role managing the clubs, so I’d hired new people to take on some of my old duties. Our revenues in the clubs had also increased, though that was nothing compared to our other, shadier business.

The opening of Posh was a noose around my neck. The biggest pain in my ass wasn’t dealing with the fragrance company, but getting all the permits signed off. The county commissioner wanted a new vacation home in Lake Powell, and it was taking us a while to find one he approved of. I was tempted to find something to blackmail him with just to get the permits pushed through but, there was only so much Dante could do in a day.

I’d deal with it later.

However, watching Aster through the video had become an amusing part of my day. After I'd left the room, she’d finished her ‘crafting’ activities, then stopped to eat dinner and talk to Marisol.

I kept waiting for her to try to escape, but she didn’t.

I became even more suspicious when she laid on my bed, not changing, but keeping on her lacy purple dress. She looked towards the window, instead of the clock, until long after the sun set.

When she slid to the edge of the bed and rose, smiling in amusement, I straightened. She was going to make her move. I studied my phone carefully, watching as she tied her makeshift ladder to the steady post of the bed, then she peered over the edge of the window, looking out for any guards.

I’d ordered them away, curious what she would do.

As soon as her cute little ass had disappeared out the bedroom window, I slowly made my way out of the room and down the stairs towards the back door, making sure not to alert any of the guards on duty.

Couldn’t have them messing up my plans.

I stood in the darkness of the patio and leaned against the house, watching with amusement as she climbed her way carefully down the side of the house.

As soon as she was close enough to the ground, I silently crept forward, reaching her just in time as she jumped.

She yelped as I wrapped my arms around her and covered her mouth with my hand, stifling the noise. “Shhh, quiet little nightmare.”

She sucked in a breath of surprise through my fingers, then her eyes narrowed at me. “You little prick.”

I grinned, releasing my hand. “They call me the big prick, actually.”

She grinned and it lit up her face. “You’re terrible.”

“Terribly sexy.”

“Shut up,” she scoffed but she was still smiling. “You’re inconceivable.”

My arms were still wrapped around her, and her hands were pressed into my chest, her fingers catching on the lapels of my suit. This close, I could study the pattern of freckles on her face, and I had the sudden urge to press my lips to them.

How would they taste?

Could I count them all?

The air grew thick between us as we were caught up in the moment.

She shook her head, breaking the spell. Then, grabbing my shoulders, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around my waist. The woman wasn’t even wearing shoes, for fucks sake. Thrusting her hand upward, she whisper-yelled. “Now, take me to the garden.”

Christ, she was amusing.

I decided to give her what she wanted. Maybe if I let her see the garden, she would behave when I took her out tonight.

I smirked, walking towards the backyard. "As you wish."

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve watched the Princess Bride?”

I feigned confusion. “What’s the Princess Bride?”

Playfully smacking my chest, she shook her head, “Dork.” Then, smiling, she wrapped her arms around my neck, fitting so well against me as I easily carried her through the backyard, past the pool, and towards the garden.

“Farm boy, move faster.”

“Mexican girl, I’ll move as fast as I want.”

“Prince Charming, time is of the essence. According to you, we have places to go.”

“Little nightmare, if you don’t shut your trap, I’m going to dump you into the pool.”

“You’d like that too much.”

“I said you’d be going in the pool, not me.”

She blinked thick, gorgeous lashes at me, wiggling her sexy body against mine, reminding me just how much I would like that. “What if I can’t swim? You’d need to jump in and save poor, old, helpless me,” she leaned in, brushing her nose against mine, softly flicking her tongue across my skin that sent a bolt of sensation straight to my dick, “then I might find a way to subjugate you into giving me what I want.”

“You wish,” I grunted, my voice thick, “there’s no way you could overpower me.”

Brushing her cheek across mine, she whispered in my ear. “There’s more than one way to subdue another person.”

Great. My dick was hard now. “I’ll be doing the dominating in this scenario.”

“You wish,” she said, grinning. Soft lips came down on the lobe of my ear, her teeth playfully nicking it. I didn’t respond.

I hated this.

The way that I was falling for her.

How when I was watching her through the video feed, I didn't think about Lily or Rose or any other woman.

How my mind drifted to her when I should be busy working.

Instead, I found myself wondering what crazy thing she was up to.

She thought I'd forgotten about the lighter.

It was impossible, since every time I entered my room, it smelled of cigarettes.

As far as I could tell, she didn't smoke them, only lit them for a few minutes, then snuffed it out, filling the air in the room with its smell and nothing more. And yet, every time I was near her, just like now, there was an undertone of my body wash radiating from her skin, and I liked that.

Liked that she smelled like me.

She'd been the only woman to make that claim alone.

She hadn't been tainted by Bourbon's touch, and the primal urge to protect that rose in me.

We made it to the garden but I didn't let her down, only stared into her eyes, my hands clenching her tight. Her fingers snaked upwards into the back of my hair, a small smile curling the edges of her lips upward. She scrunched her nose, then bopped mine with it.

I felt the sudden urge to take away the sweet, innocent look she was giving me.

To mark her with my darkness.

To show her what it was like to be claimed by a Prince.

Not a King, but a King’s son, one who could protect her for the rest of her life.

I’d meant to grant her her freedom as soon as possible, but it was becoming harder and harder every day to detach myself from her.

She studied my face, her eyes lowering to my lips and she leaned in, just slightly.

Once again, an invitation.

To touch.

To kiss.

To feel something, other than the cold hardness I was growing accustomed to, even though I’d been a dick to her last night.

"Aster," I warned her, my voice low and dark. A promise that if she kissed me, she would live to regret it.

"Just one," she whispered, her tongue flicking out to trace across my lips. It tasted as sweet as the smell of the roses surrounding us. "Just one before that magic is gone."

Instead of kissing her, I fisted the back of her head, tugging on her hair so that her neck was arched backwards. “You won’t want kisses from me, little girl. You’re too sweet and innocent for this world.”

“That’s for me to decide,” the words tore from her luscious lips.

“And yet, you have no idea how I will destroy you. Because all I will ever do is take and take, until you have nothing left to give.” I fisted her hair tighter, and she whimpered.

Not in pain, but with desire.

I growled, the need to possess this woman overcoming me. “I’m giving you this one chance. Turn around and walk away. Go back to the room. That is the only way you’ll be safe.”

Her lips parted, an exhale of two words forming on them. “Fuck. You.”

My gaze darkened. ""You want me to fuck you, Aster?" My voice was rough and demanding. I shifted my hips so she could feel my hard cock pressed against her stomach. "You only want one kiss? That's not possible, Aster, because if you open this doorway, I won't take one kiss. I will take everything."

Her chest heaved, her eyes wide and innocent, but her body still pressed against mine willingly.

Her hand slid upwards, her eyes defiant as she placed it against my chest, right over my pounding heart.

"I will take your kisses, Coulter, but I'm not so naive. There is no softness in that hard heart of yours. Yes, I want you to fuck me. To take me under this moonlit night, surrounded by beauty of this charming, rotten world. But know this, you won't take everything from me, because I will never give you my heart."

Anger flooded me at the reminder that I hadn't been able to capture either Rose or Lily’s' heart either.

In swift, sudden movements, I turned her so that her back was to my chest, my arm still clamped around her waist tight. “Is that so, Aster?"

She nodded, heaving, her breath catching as I suckled the soft skin at her neck. "And what's to stop me from making you fall in love with me?"

"Me," she answered, but her voice was less determined than before. Her head was tilted to the side, inviting me to touch, to taste.

As I nipped and bit the sensitive flesh, I slid my fingers down to her backside, flipping her dress upward. I palmed her ass, kneading and squeezing. God, she felt so good.

My dick was as hard as granite, and it was pressed into the crack of her thong-clad ass.

Since she wasn’t wearing a bra, I could see the tips of her nipples through the cloth of her dress. I lowered my lips to suckle the nape of her neck, and she moaned, reaching backwards to thread her fingers into my hair, pressing my face into her skin.

There was so little cloth between me and her drenched pussy.

I slipped my fingers under it, palming it. Her skin was smooth and clean, and I groaned into her ear, biting down on it harshly. “You shaved yourself for me?"

"No," she tried to deny it, but I could hear the falseness in her voice. "I like it bare down there."

"Lie," I whispered harshly, my finger parting wet lips to stroke against her slit. "You've already revealed how badly you want me." I found her clit, knowing the exact moment I touched it when she gasped. "You can't help yourself."

She clenched into my hair, encouraging me to keep kissing her as she rocked her hips against my fingers. I chuckled darkly, my tongue licking soft strokes against her luscious skin. With my free hand, I yanked the top of her dress down, exposing one of her breasts to the night air.

The nipple prickled as I played with it in tune to the flicking on her clit.

“Yes,” she hissed, her chest thrusting forward into my palm, her eyes closed.

“Here's the garden you wanted to see so badly. Why?"

"Because,” she gyrated against my hand, searching for her orgasm. "My mom and I used to garden together."

I smiled, pressing on her clit more harshly, knowing that she was about to come all over my fingers. Her hand clasped my wrist, urging me on, the other arm tight against my head. She was practically fucking my hand.

I played with her tight cunt, bringing her to the very edge of her orgasm until her whole body was strung tight, about to fall over.

"Open your eyes, Aster.”

She didn’t even think about it. She obeyed on command, opening her eyes.

“Now come for me, baby.”

I flicked it one last time and her orgasm ripped through her. A soft moan left her lips, her stomach clenching, her cream flooding my fingers. I kept my finger pressed to her softness, rubbing her out until she whimpered, slumping back against me.

"Now you'll always think of me whenever you see a garden, and how I made you come exactly when I wanted you to.” I pressed my lips to her ear, kissing her. “You will give your heart to me, Aster, I swear it. Then, as soon as you hand it over, I will crush it to a pulp.”