“That's sad,” I said gently. “Trenton, I think if you didn't have to be a prince, you could let go of this need to be controlled. You could just be you. Wouldn't that be better?”
“Maybe,” he murmured as he started to slide his hands over me. “Let's pretend for awhile and see what making love as two normal people is like.”
“Okay,” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around him.
Trenton kissed me, and there was no dominance in it; not from either of us. There was no demand or submission. There was nothing but passion. And it was the most wonderful kiss we'd shared. I groaned into it and hooked my legs around his waist. His cock was hardening against my belly, and I wiggled against it eagerly. Trenton broke our kiss to laugh joyfully and with complete abandon.
“As always, Riley,” Trenton said, “you know exactly what I need.”
We swam over to a stone boulder, and Trenton set me on it. He spread my legs and licked the water from my pussy in languorous laps. I laid back on the sun-warmed stone—keeping my hand on his wet hair—and just enjoyed the pleasure. There was no planning ahead; no thinking about my next move or what command would make him more mine. I just enjoyed the sensations he gave me.
Trenton wasn't worried about planning either; he didn't worry about making me come before he stopped licking me. Instead, he climbed up on the rock beside me so he could slide his hands over my wet body and take his time enjoying every curve the way he wanted to. I pulled him over me and kissed him again; I couldn't seem to stop doing it. Now that I knew what a real Trenton kiss was like; I needed more of them; all of them. As our tongues tangled together, I drew my legs up his sides and rocked my pelvis up against him. Trenton ground himself against me, moaning into my mouth.
“I love the way you taste,” he murmured. “Dark and sweet, all at once; like cherries and chocolate.”
“And I love the way you look. Have I told you how handsome you are?” I whispered. “Your shining hair against this gorgeous skin, all these crazy muscles, and then those impossible eyes. Purple; who the hell has purple eyes?” I shook my head. “Even here—among all the beautiful fairies of Tirne—you are the most stunning man I've ever met.”
Trenton gaped at me; his eyes searching my soft expression and then my gaze. Finally, he laid his lips to mine gently as he slipped inside me. I moaned as Trenton filled me completely and then began a steady rhythm.
“Trenton,” I moaned.
“Riley,” he whispered back. “I have never felt the way I do with you. No one has ever said such things to me.”
“You've never been told that you're handsome?” I asked in surprise.
Trenton brushed back my hair and stared down tenderly at me as he continued to rock into me.
“No one has said it to me with such honesty,” he amended. “You genuinely find me attractive.”
“Anyone with eyes would find you attractive,” I huffed.
“No, sweetheart, not here,” he said with a smile. “Here, I am one of the shining throng. And I'm not even considered one of the more attractive members of my race. My body is too large—too muscular to be refined as a prince should be, my features are too similar to my sister's to be special, and my voice is too rough. It's only my title that wins me compliments and the interest of the ladies of Court. But all of those pretty words are false; I can see the lie in their eyes. Except for you, my sweet Riley, your eyes only hold truth in them.”
“Trenton,” I whispered. “What's happening between us?”
“Something magical, I think,” he whispered back before he kissed me again. “And something very real.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
From that day on, Trenton and I stopped playing games. When we were in public, he still treated me as a concubine, but he slowly adjusted his behavior until I was more like his consort than his slave. When we were alone, he was able to be himself, and it was even more exciting than when he gave me control. It turned out that Trenton didn't need to leave Tirne to be free of his issues; he only had to confront them.
Every day brought new nuances to our relationship and revealed new facets of ourselves to each other. He was learning about me, and I was learning more about him. Prince Trenton of Seelie was the most honorable, kind, and sensitive man, who was also the fiercest, bad-ass soldier in all of Seelie. I hadn't known about the bad ass part until the day we wandered past the training courtyard.
Trenton had been wrapped up in me from the moment I was given to him, and he hadn't spared any time for his usual activities; including his knight training. He hadn't gotten those muscles by lying around all day. My assessment of his form had been more accurate than I'd known; my prince was also a knight; more than that, he was the Commander of the Seelie Army. It was yet another thing about Trenton that all of those courtly ladies secretly found distasteful, and was also what Queen Tana had been referring to in that odd conversation between her and Trenton, my first morning in Seelie.
Unseelie royals trained for battle and were admired for their prowess, but theSeelieKingdom was supposed to be more genteel than its dark rival. In Seelie, they expected their prince to strut about like a peacock and order his knights to defend him. His job was to be a beautiful representative of the Light Court. But Trenton's parents had died in the last war because Unseelie soldiers had made it past their knights, and neither his father or his mother had known how to defend themselves. He had vowed to be strong enough to protect his sister, and not only had he sacrificed a life of luxury to achieve his status and skill, but he had also endured the disapproval and secret ridicule of his people.
It was no wonder that Trenton felt the need to punish himself, and that the women of Court couldn't get him off; Trenton knew that their desire was false. How could he find satisfaction with a woman who only wanted him because of his status? He was simply too honorable for that. I couldn't understand those dumb bitches; Trenton was the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on, and he was built like a Roman gladiator. I could hardly believe that he wanted me, much less that other womendidn'twant him. Although, the “women not wanting him” part had changed a bit since Trenton had fucked me savagely in front of the Court. Yep; he had drenched a few panties with that display. The ladies were looking at him differently now, and at me with a fair amount of jealousy. They had seen the appeal of their warrior-prince.
But—as I mentioned—Trenton hadn't taken the time to train since I'd come to Court.
We were strolling through the halls when we passed the training courtyard, and his fellow knights called out to him. We stopped, and Trenton took me over to meet them all. The Seelie knights treated me like I was a lady of their court instead of a slave, and I was both shocked and pleased by their chivalry. I didn't have a lot of interaction with the other members of the Seelie Court, and I had assumed that they all viewed me as a servant at best and a whore at worst. But these men were gallant and obviously friends with Trenton, not just his soldiers. Whatever the ladies of the Light Court thought of their prince, his knights didn't share their opinions. They teased Trenton mercilessly until he finally gave in and shucked off his fine tunic in exchange for a padded one and some shiny, fairy armor.
“This won't take long,” Trenton promised me as he led me to a bench against the wall.
“Okay,” I said as I took a seat.
My eyes strayed to the bits of silk and cords tied around the knights' belts. I knew what they were; favors. Ladies would give their lovers scraps of their clothing or ribbons from their hair, for their man to wear on his belt into battle. It was a symbol of their affection and was meant to inspire their men to greatness. The ladies may not have liked their prince fighting, but they still admired prowess in his knights, and every knight there had a favor on his belt. As contrary as the ladies of the Seelie Court were, I suddenly wanted to be one of them. I wanted to be someone Trenton could be proud to be with; someone respectable and worthy of his love and admiration.
