Cecil was reading the large leather book in silent concentration. I wondered if he was trying to distract himself from his emotions. Without looking away from the page, he said, “It says that if a king is unable to lead for whatever reason, the rule of the kingdom falls to the eldest eligible prince.” He looked up at me. “So… since Seb is the oldest, and pregnant, that’s him.”
The breath left my lungs. That was what I’d been counting on this whole time, but to actually hear it felt different.
Rourke’s large hand fell on my back. Warmth seeped through my body at the source of his touch. “You’re the King now, Sebastian. How does it feel?”
I let out a deep breath. The scale of what I’d inherited was grand and sprawling and riddled with holes I needed to patch. But I wasn’t in this alone. Rourke was here, finally safe and sound, and nobody was ever going to rip us apart again.
Everything fell to me now—the powerandthe responsibility.
And now that it was all in my hands, things were going to be very different around here.
26
Rourke
Sebastian needed time to decompress, and honestly, so did I. After such a chaotic whirlwind of events, both of us sorely required peace and quiet. With the ex-king safely sequestered in the guest house, and all the servants and knights returned to treating Sebastian with the respect he deserved, he could gather his thoughts without interruption.
But after the initial lull was over, Sebastian was roped into dealing with his new position as king. Papers needed to be signed and authority needed to be handed over. It all went way over my head, so I spent my time resting and waiting for my wounds to heal.
Sebastian returned to the bedroom after the third day of dealing with administrative crap with a heavy sigh. He flopped on the bed and shut his eyes.
“It’s over,” he mumbled.
“Your reign as king?” I joked.
“No.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “That’s just beginning. But the majority of it is finished.”
“All the admin bullshit, you mean?”
Despite Sebastian’s distaste for using colorful language, he did let out a small laugh. “Yes, that is the most fitting term for it.” He opened his eyes and rolled over onto his belly, his gaze raking over my body. “And now, I need my mate to help me wind down.”
Anticipation prickled my skin at the suggestive purr in his voice. “Wouldn’t that wind youupinstead?”
Sebastian huffed. He didn’t even order me to shut up—he just grabbed me by my shirt collar and went in for the kill. His mouth was soft and hot on mine, and when his tongue darted past my lips, it brought along the sweet, tart taste of oranges.
The taste of my fated mate.
Sebastian laid back against the mattress, silently inviting me to straddle him. I took my place on top without breaking our kiss. His skin was hot and silky smooth, and I ran my hands all over every exposed bit of it. My fingers found the area below his neck where the shirt buttons got in my way. I quickly began undoing them until the whole pale plane of Sebastian’s chest and abdomen was bared to me.
I broke apart from his mouth to leave a trail of kisses down his body. Sebastian hummed contentedly, running his fingers through my hair. My lips brushed against the trail of hair just above his waistband, but Sebastian didn’t let me go any further. He let out a soft, commanding grunt and tugged on my hair.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice already thick with arousal.
“Not this time,” he said. “I want you.”
“You have me.”
His brow quirked ever-so-slightly. “I meant in my mouth.”
I blushed. “Oh.”
Before I could move, Sebastian sat upright and pushed against my chest so I fell back against the bed. A coy, mischievous smile played on his lips. I was already hardening, but the second that Sebastian’s palm grazed my cock through my pants, I went fully erect. I bit my lip to stop myself from making an embarrassing noise as he leaned in and brushed his cheek against the fabric.
Sebastian’s hands made quick work of the clothes between us. He grinned at the sight of my naked cock standing at full hardness. I couldn’t help but hiss in pleasure when he wrapped his small, soft hand around it and began to pump it slowly. I melted beneath his touch, going limp on the mattress.
Even though Sebastian had barely done anything, my cock throbbed. I was weak when it came to him. He could probably make me come just by breathing on my dick for ten minutes straight.
But even Sebastian wasn’t that cruel. He continued working me until I was nice and pliable in his hand, then made me gasp when he pressed his lips to the tip of my cock. A jolt of pleasure electrified my body. I let out a shuddering sigh as I glanced down at him. My vision was foggy from arousal, but I saw the size of my cock compared to his head. Was it really going to fit in his mouth?
