2. Chapter 2

JULIETTE

Shivers crawl up my spine with every step toward my room, the heavy footsteps of the woman who has captured my attention following behind me. By the time we step over the threshold, I'm equal parts excited and terrified of having her presence here.

I take a deep breath, worried that I'm making a mistake. I just need one last release and Ophelia is more than perfect. I wish she could be mine.

Escaping the castle wasn't my intention but my father's increasingly annoying demands were too much to bear.

Sit this way.

Don't speak.

Meet with this advisor.

Look at these suitors.

Try on these dresses.

Living as a princess was much easier before my mother passed away last year. Without her, my father believes that strict rules and 24-7 security are the way to keep me in line. It worked until we traveled to Kusovania for the yearly gala where the security became lax and I was left to my own devices. Mostly. The first chance I had, I dashed off into the countryside, needing a few more days of freedom.

The gala in two days' time is when I will be married off to one of my father's choices of a mate. I'm sure I will hate all of my options but it's the loss of my choice that I hate so much and the barbaric rules that follow royalty.

Of course, my peace was ruined when Kusovanian guards showed up at the little cabin I had escaped to in Hellingser, a small town at the edge of Kusovania. Meadows and windmills can't save me from the future my father has determined, though I never imagined the team sent to retrieve me would include someone like Ophelia and her brothers.

Now that Ophelia is in the room I rented a few days ago, I'm not sure what to do next. Her presence is stifling in the best of ways and I'm suffocating from the faint perfume wafting from beneath her armor. It's a sweet scent that contrasts her bold personality and adds to the mystery of a woman I want nothing more than to ravage. Well, I want her to ravage me.

Even if the moment we step back onto the castle grounds I won't be able to give Ophelia a second glance.

Slowly, I twist around and meet Ophelia's gaze. She's gorgeous and her presence is demanding. Ophelia is nearly a head taller than me with sharp cheekbones and fierce blue eyes that require my submission. I enjoy taunting her as I have all morning, the blue of her eyes darkening until she snapped moments ago. Auburn hair is pulled back into a tight bun that I've been fantasizing about running my fingers through and the way she fills out her armor has me wanting her even more.

"Juliette-" Her jaw tenses as if she's fighting between desire and royal law. A soldier should never touch royalty unless they are under threat of harm. But I want Ophelia to touch me. I will be in pain if she doesn't, as stupid as that sounds.

"No, I want this. One night. Just… I want to be touched." My words embarrass me but it's true. The few flings I've had don't truly touch. They're scared to explore. They don't want to mark me. They don't want to stake a claim. They're gentle as if I'm merely a piece of porcelain.

Ophelia raises an eyebrow, slowly undoing her guard's belt. The sword attached to it is laid on a small dresser before she grabs the chest plate and undoes the clasps. I watch as her form becomes visible and I clamp my thighs together, swallowing a moan of appreciation that threatens to fall from my lips. Her knighthood beauty is nothing compared to her regal figure. Muscles outline her arms and chest, her breasts full and round beneath the armor, now only covered by a thin black long-sleeve garment.

I would have never guessed that this goddess was both fit and a model of womanly stature. An undignified gasp falls from my lips as I continue to watch.

Ophelia cracks a wicked smile as she tilts her head to the side and nods toward the mattress. "Sunshine, crawl on the bed for me."

My heart beats a little faster at her command, the power that flows with her words making me want to submit. Immediately. I scramble onto the mattress, sitting on my knees as she undoes the rest of her armor. When Ophelia moves toward me, her movements are swift like that of a predator, drawing a shudder from me.

Rough fingers pinch my chin again, raising my gaze to hers. "I'm prepared to give you what you want but the moment that changes, I need you to tell me."

I nod, placing my hands on my knees. "Yes, Ophelia."

"Good girl. Now lie back and let me taste you."

I don't move. No one else has both asked and demanded to taste me in the same sentence. My cheeks flush with heat as I wriggle in my spot, embarrassed. Maybe I shouldn't have been so forward with my desires. Ophelia bends down, one of her hands resting beside my thigh on the bed, the other gently wrapping around my throat. Her lips hover over mine, teasing me into a kiss until I'm grasping at her shirt for more.

Her tongue grazes the seam of my lips before she pulls away. Before I know it, a hand is pressed to my chest, guiding me backward. I shift so that my legs are dangling off the edge of the bed, no longer folded beneath me. Ophelia drops to her knees and I prop myself up on my elbows, intrigued as she rucks up my gown and pushes my thighs apart.

Cool air wafts against my panties, another shiver crawling up my spine. "Already wet for me, sunshine?" Ophelia purrs as she runs a finger along the fabric and then brings it to her lips. "Like the sweetest nectar. It will be my pleasure to show you what you have been missing, Juliette. Goddess, I don't know how anyone could pass up a moment like this."

She crooks a finger in my panties and tugs them to the side before stuffing her face between my thighs. A howl tears from my throat as pleasure suddenly shoots through me and my hips buck toward her face. My legs clamp around her head as I squirm beneath her attention, my hands sifting into her hair before pulling it from its ponytail. It's just as soft and long as I fantasized, a great hold as Ophelia stuffs her tongue into my pussy in even strokes.

She thrusts and sucks, alternating between sensations until I'm crying for release, riding her face to the finish line. Stars dot my vision as I pant, incoherently whining that I'm close. That seems to spur Ophelia on as she hooks an arm beneath one leg and drags me closer. Two fingers join her tongue and I explode, shaking and crying out as I come. Whimpers and moans peel from my lips as I wriggle away, confused that she so easily tore that pleasure from me.

"Ophelia—I—" Tears prick the edge of my eyes as I begin to come down from the high, wondering if I did something wrong. Was I supposed to hold on longer? My orgasms have never felt this freeing and I feel exposed in front of this woman.

Ophelia sits back on her knees, the lower half of her face glistening with my release. Her tongue slides down to lick up what's left, Ophelia sucking on her fingers soon after. "Don't apologize for giving me a slice of heaven, sunshine. A piece of heaven that I would no doubt ask for again if we had the time. As it is, it's time for dinner and I'm not sharing this view with my brothers when they undoubtedly come looking for us."

I giggle, imagining them storming in here with their gruff expressions, Ophelia on her knees and my ruffled self still sprawled out on the bed. "Mmhmm, that would be funny."

"It would not be. Let me grab something to clean you up, sunshine. Give me a moment."

"One thing first," I ask, wondering if she'll give it to me. This might be my last moment with Ophelia. She pauses just after standing, her arms folded across her chest. She's starting to rebuild that wall to reign in her emotions and while I know it's necessary, I hate it. "Kiss." When Ophelia doesn't move, I maneuver until I'm kneeling on the bed and then push myself to my feet, using her arms as leverage. Like this, I'm a few inches taller than her, looking down at the fierce warrior goddess, her auburn hair splayed out around her shoulders and falling to her torso.

I lean forward and press my lips to hers, tasting myself. Her gruff exterior melts for a moment as she accepts the kiss before her presence disappears, Ophelia heading to the attached bathroom. I feel like my heart has shattered and she's only tasted me.

I wonder what it would feel like to truly be beneath that woman, consumed by her touch and her commands. I'm hoping the universe gives me more time before I must be the woman that my father demands I be.