“You feel so good,” he groans against my neck. “So fucking good. Like you were meant for me.”
I dig my nails into his shoulders as he picks up the pace. The angle is perfect, and every thrust hits the spot that makes me see stars. I’m already climbing again, still overly sensitive from his mouth.
“Right there,” I gasp as he fucks me. “Keep going.”
The sensation is too much, and I’m shaking beneath him, right on the edge.
“Let go for me.” He exhales.
The orgasm rips through me harder than the first. I clench around his cock, and he groans, his rhythm slowing. After a few more deep strokes, Louis buries himself to the hilt, pulsing inside me as he fills me completely.
We’re breathing hard as he stays inside me. I don’t want him to move. I want to live in this moment where there’s nothing but us.
Eventually, he pulls out and looks down between us. He watches himself drip out of me, thick and white against my skin.
“Fuck,” he whispers. “Look at you.”
I prop myself up on my elbows and watch him admire the evidence of what we did. Of him claiming me. Instead of feeling exposed, I feel powerful.
“I love seeing you like this,” he says, voice rough. “Full of me.”
All I can do is smile as he lies beside me on the rock and pulls me against his chest. The fireflies drift through the darkness, and for a few minutes, we exist together, letting our heartbeats slow.
“What if you do get me pregnant?” I ask quietly, my head on his chest.
His fingers trace patterns on my shoulder. “Would you like that?”
“Yes, but it also makes me nervous.” I press closer to him. “I have this feeling that I can’t shake, like we’re running out of time.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “You’re not imagining it. The council is regrouping. After what happened with Tatiana, they’re working on another plan.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve noticed more staff in the halls. My schedule is being managed tighter than usual. I’m being watched.” He brushes his thumb against my cheek. “This is chess, Addison, and we’re the pieces. Right now, I can’t see their next move.”
“That unsettles me,” I admit.
“Me too.” He takes my hand and laces our fingers together. “But I need you to know something. Whatever they’re planning, whatever happens, I’m choosing you. I will always choose you.”
“What if it gets messy?”
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, we lie low and try to figure out their plan.”
I want to argue, but I’m too emotionally tired, so I lean my head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat.
He’s quiet for a moment, and I can feel him making a decision.
“There’s something else I want to tell you,” he says. “Something no one outside of my immediate family and the council knows.”
I lift my head to look at him. “What is it?”
“My father is sick.” The words come out heavy. “Cancer. He was diagnosed three months ago.”
My breath catches. “Louis …”
“He’s refusing to do treatments.” His jaw tightens. “He says he’s made his peace. That a king should know when to stop fighting a losing battle.”
“How long does he have?”
