Fatal Princess by Ella Miles

Beckett

I don’t speak when I see Ri.

I thought I’d have an endless stream of words to say. I thought I’d apologize, be down on my knees begging for forgiveness. I thought I’d try explaining the truth of what happened. I would explain, show her the video, beg, and plead.

I’d tell her how I feel about her.

I’d tell her that I love her, not Odette. Not any other woman—her. It’s always been her. I’ve never loved like I love her. She’s my equal in every way.

And then I saw Ri. I saw her standing next to Ryker. I saw her, and I knew that I had no right to speak. No right to beg for forgiveness. No right to plead down on my knees.

Ri had every right to her anger.

Every right to want to murder me for what she thinks I’ve done.

And any words I said wouldn’t matter. Not until she got out what she needed to say, so I gave her the floor. I let her speak. If I had even said one word, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from crumbling to the ground in apology. So I kept silent.

Listening to her words was torture. I could feel her pain with every syllable.

I stood still, knowing if I moved I’d break. My heart was just as broken as hers, but I’m not as strong, not nearly as strong as her.

She doesn’t realize it—that she holds my heart in her hands, but she will. She’ll stab it the first chance she gets, but I don’t care. As long as she realizes it’s hers, and it will always be hers.

So I keep silent.

I just watch and endure.

And endure I do because Ri doesn’t stop at just yelling at me. No, she has to punish me even further by kissing Ryker. And Hayes, and Lennox, and Gage…

Every kiss is a bullet through my heart. I have no idea how I’m still standing, still breathing, still fucking alive. Probably because Ri deserves to torture me until my very last breath.

But then she does something I know I won’t survive. She lies down the coffee table in the middle of four horny assholes, laying her body out for them to do what they want with it.

Fucking hell.

Someone just shot me now. My fist twitches wanting to go punch every single man surrounding her. Most are supposed to be my friends, only one my enemy. But some friends they are if they are willingly kissing and touching what’s mine.

They know how I feel, and they are still going to do this. If I somehow survive this, I’m going to kill them all for this.

And then Ri looks at me, the first time since she started kissing Ryker. There’s a change in her eyes. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about punishing me. This is about her.

About her needs.

Her taking back control.

Her finding her strength.

Her becoming whole again.

My chest tightens at the sight—how fucking incredible a sight it is. My eyes widen in wonder as I look at her. Ri isn’t one to back down in defeat. She always rises back up—always.

I will too.

If I’m her equal, I have to become stronger. I have to stop putting my feelings above hers. I have to become more.

I wish I could give her an encouraging word, a smile, something that shows that I’m not only okay with her doing this, but I encourage it. All I can muster is a solemn nod.

I’m not as strong as you, Fighter, but I will be. I’ll have to be.

Then she looks back at Hayes, who is standing between her legs. Ryker is on one side, Lennox on the other, and Gage is by her head.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Gage kisses her upside down as Ryker and Lennox each palm a breast. Hayes kisses over her pants between her legs.

Fuck, I can’t do this.

I’m sweating and jittery and want to disappear into a puddle on the floor rather than watch this.

But then Ri lets out a throaty moan. For some reason, that single syllable calms me. It also stirs my dick, but it washes through me like a warm drink.

Ri needs this to reclaim herself.

I can’t give her what she needs right now, but they can.

Ryker lifts her shirt up, exposing her tight abs. He kneels next to her and kisses each rippling muscle, worshipping her body like she deserves. Now I realize my role—ensure they treat her right. Treat her better than I ever have. If they hurt her, I’ll step in. Otherwise, I’ll watch from the darkness.

Gage lifts her shirt all the way off.

Silence stretches as all the men admire her bare torso. She’s not wearing a bra; all that remains is her pajama pants.

I can barely see her body from my angle, but it’s enough for me to vow I’ll never hurt her ever fucking again. I’d say she looks like an angel, but I know she’s anything but an angel. She’s a skilled warrior capable of defending herself against anything.

Lennox and Ryker take no time devouring her nipples with their mouths. Her back arches into them, and soft moans are pulled from her lips. Gage lets a few escape before he plants his lips over her mouth, muffling the sound a little.

Hayes continues to kiss gently over her pants but doesn’t move to take them off.

I focus on her eyes. They come alive with each kiss and touch of one of the men. She doesn’t look at me, and I don’t expect her to. This is about her, not me, but damn do I want her to look at me. Selfishly, I want to see the full pleasure she’s feeling reflected in her eyes.

She hasn’t had much pleasure in her life, so I’m grateful for every drop of it she’ll experience, even if it’s not me giving it to her.

“Please,” I hear her beg. “Please, I need more.”

Her eyes are locked on Hayes, who chuckles back at her.

“So needy, Princess,” he responds, hooking his fingers under the waistband of her pants and then pulling, yanking them off her body in one fluid motion. And then she’s completely bare to them.

Her skin glows under the moonlight, and I’m thankful for how private this backyard is. I can barely stand that these four men get to see her body.

She’s not yours. She can do what she likes with her body.

I just hope someday I’m worthy of her again. Even if I hadn’t royally fucked everything up, I’m still not sure I would be worthy, but I’m going to try every day.

Hayes kneels between her legs, and every other man’s movement slows, letting her focus all of her attention on him. Their eyes lock, and they both lick their lips at the same time. Her chest rises and falls, and I swear his does too at the same time. They are perfectly in sync. He knows exactly what she needs.

He lowers his head between her legs, never losing eye contact with her. He’s giving her complete control. Just before his tongue reaches that apex between her legs, she nods slightly, giving him all the permission he needs.

He licks up her slit, so slowly I think it’s going to take all night. At that moment, there’s a connection that beams off of Ri. It’s like she’s connected to all of us at that moment. We’d all do anything for her. She has that effect on men. It could be why so many of us want her, will fight to the death for her.

But I’m the only one willing to give my soul up to her. I’m not touching her, not kissing her like the others, but I know the moment she feels my vow hit her through the darkness in a delicious shiver up her spine.

I vow to love you forever.

I vow to be worthy.

I vow to give you my heart and soul.

Even if you don’t choose me, I’m yours.

She doesn’t have to look at me to know she feels it. She closes her eyes as the guys devour her, just enjoying the moment.

She reaches out to them, trying to touch them, to undo their pants, to give them a little of the pleasure they are giving to her.

Each of them slowly swats her hand away, kissing her palms, stopping her from touching them. This isn’t about them—this is all her. That or they think I’ll murder them if they sink their dicks into her.

Hayes slips two fingers inside her, his tongue flicking over her clit.

Come, baby, come for them. Take back your heart, your strength, your everything. Take my heart, my soul, my very existence along with it.

She bites her lip as she writhes between their touches. Her body shakes slightly, but she doesn’t come yet. They all intensify their actions. They stroke her faster, suck her harder. She’s close but not there yet.

With one word, I could make her come at this moment, but she has to find it herself. She has to let go of all the pain I and every other man in her life have caused her and take herself back.

She needs to recapture every bit of control and every bit of who she is.

She inches closer but still doesn’t come.

The guys try harder, but it’s not about what they are doing—it’s about her. She’s the only one who can control if she can come or not.

Come, Fighter.

Then, almost as if she’d been holding back to spite them all, she glances my way, and I see sharp daggers in her eyes a second before she looks up at the sky. Like the goddess she is, she explodes like a shooting star across the sky.

The sound she makes vibrates through the night air and shoots through my chest. It breaks me and heals me at the same time. Her sound is pure hell and heaven. It’s every emotion she’s ever felt wrapped up in one sound.

The guys step back from her as she comes. None of them can take their eyes off of her. They all just watch incredulously at the woman they just worshipped. A woman who should be broke and battered just reclaimed her power.

Everyone is silent, not sure what to do next. Ri stands, not the least bit concerned with her nakedness. She struts inside the house with all of us drooling after her.

We all stare for a moment, and then Ryker breaks the silence. “Damn man, how were you ever foolish enough to hurt that woman?”

I sigh. “Because I’m a fucking idiot.”