And that fucking crown—handed to Rapunzel by Cardinal Bram—looks damn good atop those bouncy brown curls.
I wasn’t lying when I told Rapunzel I preferred brunettes. God’s teeth, but I thought she was beautiful as a blonde. The woman is enchanting with dark hair. I even like it short. It reveals more of her lovely face.
Fuck, how I missed this face.
“Come here to me, Little Captive.”
A vision in the fire blazing in the hearth across the room, Rapunzel, fresh from a bath, holds her head steady as she saunters toward me. The gentle swing of her hips doesn’t mesmerize only me but also holds the attention of Wren and Quinn. This tiny woman hopelessly charmed us. This stubborn woman—who scared me to death when she gave up the last of her magic. My heart stopped when those shears severed what remained of those golden strands. We lost her, for a time, our Rapunzel. And even though I held the vial that contained her elixir, I never experienced pure terror as I did tonight when I watched that golden hair flutter to the floor.
My body still hums with that horror right down to my fingertips. I have to kiss her again to get the flavor of fear out of my mouth and replace it with her.
Somehow, her mortality makes her all the more fascinating.
“I love you,” she whispers against my mouth.
I wrap my arms around her waist. Hold her so close, her heartbeat drums against my chest. “You have no fucking idea how much I love you.” Then I kiss her again because once wasn’t enough.
I’m a greedy man.
The worry and tension, and fury that built up over the weeks we were separated drain from me. Dissipate on the air. Let it dissolve into the ether until it’s no longer a living entity between us.
I pluck the crown from her head and toss it on the bed as if it’s a trinket, not the solid gold, sacred symbol we risked our lives for. Then, because I can’t resist, I bury my hands in her soft curls.Curls. Who would have guessed Rapunzel had such pretty brown curls hidden beneath all that golden hair?
Aware of Wren and Quinn watching us, I grind my erection against her stomach. Tug her head forward and reclaim her lips. Force open her jaw and sweep my tongue inside, needing to get closer to her until I don’t know where I end and she begins. Until my strength pours into her because I can’t—can’t—lose her again.
Good thing we’re putting my brawn to good use.
As of tomorrow, I’ll officially be reinstated as a knight, and I’ll slide into the rank of Queen’s Guard.
And speaking of sliding into things…
I pull away from Rapunzel’s mouth and release her hair. Place my hands on her shoulders and walk her backward to the bed. This room, the Queen’s Chamber, smells like her, yet it’s foreign. Like a strange realm we must put our mark on to make it more…ours. And when I spin us around and sit on the edge of the mattress, I press down on her shoulders. Suck in a breath and exhale with a groan when she sinks to her knees between my thighs.
She creeps those deft little fingers up my thighs in a wicked tease. Behind her, Wren falls into the chair near the hearth. Backlit by the fire, he adjusts the bulge of his crotch. Quinn, leaning against the wall, fists his cock, head tilted back as he watches us through hooded eyes. The blood rushes up my shaft, leaving me lightheaded when she grazes me with her nails.
“I’ve missed the taste of you.” Rapunzel studies me through the thick fringe of her lashes. Licks her lips, with each undone lace of my breeches a slow torment. I want her to beg for my cock. Shove it deep down her throat until she chokes on it.
Respectfully, of course.
The large room is silent, broken by the crackle of the fire and our erratic breathing. I disrupt it with a moan when Rapunzel lays open my breeches and shoves her hand inside. She pulls me out, stroking me from base to tip. But a man can take only so much after being deprived of his woman for weeks. Still flush with the aftermath of the battle, I let my head loll back and grip her hair to guide her mouth to my aching tip.
“Prove it. Show us how much you missed his taste,” Wren’s graveled command has Rapunzel sliding closer. Has her seeking tongue flick over the weeping slit of my cock. I press down on her head, forcing her to swallow me. “That’s it, Rapunzel. Just like that. That’s our good girl.”
“I know you can do better, Little Captive.” I press down harder.
Her mouth is too goddamn warm—and too fucking talented. Rapunzel’s panting breaths fan me as she bobs up and down my shaft. Then she drags up to the tip, licking her way around, tormenting me. The glide of her tongue against the underside of my cock has me damn near shooting right off the bed. I adjust my hold on her curls. Mutter curses. Promise to do the most wonderfully indecent things to our queen’s body.
Suddenly, it’s too hot here, and I tug off my shirt. Rapunzel scores my chest with her nails. Her rough touch nearly has me exploding down her throat. Through sheer force of will—thank you, years of battle training—I maintain tight control over myself. Even when she settles her eager hands on my thighs, her fingers kneading my fevered flesh.
Across the room, Quinn has his massive prick out, stroking himself. Those demon eyes are locked on Rapunzel, tracking each rise and fall of her head as she sucks me. But Wren… he’s the one who likes to watch.
Not tonight, though. It’s been too long.
For all of us.
Our frenetic energy sizzles throughout the room as he pulls off his boots. Then he’s out of the chair and stalking across the room as he unlaces his breeches. He kicks them aside and settles behind Rapunzel. Pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it to the floor. The smattering of scars tells the story of Wren’s life, of the punishments he faced when he rebelled against John. Of his hard-won freedom when he bribed, fought, and clawed his way out of Newkirk’s dungeon while he still had friends within this castle. Back before John completely lost himself to his madness. Those dark times won’t be forgotten, but they suddenly seem so far.
It all seems so distant, like a terrible dream fading under the gentle touch of a woman with the ferocious heart of a lion.
