The Royal’s Pretend Wife (11 page)

Over the last few weeks, she had been wearing nightgowns. They were pretty enough, but they were hardly what most thought about when they thought of desire and passion. Tonight, she had dispensed with the nightgowns entirely. Instead, she wore a scrap of black lace that pretended to be a pair of panties, and a light half-cup bra that revealed more than it concealed. Even in the dim light, the contrast against her pale skin was bold, and with a trembling hand, Apolo reached to touch her.

“Sometimes, I can barely believe that you are real,” he whispered, and she laughed unsteadily.

“Real enough,” she whispered. “Real enough to hear, to touch, to taste…”

He lowered his head to her neck, licking and kissing. There was something more considered about his motions now. She sighed when she felt him press his lips against her throat, measuring her pulse with a gentleness and patience she wasn't sure she had ever felt before.

“The last time we did this, I was too rough, too fast,” he murmured. “I took what I needed—”

“You can't think I was displeased,” she whispered. “I felt as if I was swimming in the stars of Spain.”

“I could feel your pleasure, but this time, I want more than that.”

Trinity started to ask what he meant, but then his hands were ghosting along her body, raising gooseflesh in their wake. He was touching her with a feather-light gentleness that made her breath catch. She knew that he was capable of great strength, but this gentleness was new, almost strange.

It's like he's touching me as if I were something precious, something dear to him…

She melted at his touch, letting all of her thoughts drift away. It was far easier to simply open for him, lying in front of him with her heart and body bare. His light touches sent licks of flame dancing along her body, growing greater with every pass. She whimpered a little when he slid her panties down her long legs, dropping them somewhere on the floor.

When he parted her legs, she tensed for a moment, but he stroked her thighs until they relaxed and opened for him willingly. He lay down between her legs, kissing his way up one thigh and down the other. When Apolo ghosted his lips over the very core of her, she sighed with pleasure. Time and again, he drew closer to the seat of her pleasure, then drew back.

Her hands were fisting in the sheets; she didn't realize how aroused she was until she felt the tension running along her legs.

“Please,” she murmured, her voice broken, but clear.

She could feel a shudder go through him.

“I could never deny you anything,” he whispered.

With infinite care, he spread her open with his fingers. She knew that she was already wet and needy, but still he was patient. He started by brushing his lips along her wet flesh, and then his tongue. For a long time, he teased her opening, and then he rose up to lap at the pearl above. After a few tantalizing licks that threatened to make her rise off the bed, he settled into a quick rhythm that made her start to shake instantly.

“Oh…oh, please, more please,” she cried, aware that she was begging and not caring for a moment. Her need was as bright and hot as the sun, and the only man who could answer it was answering her with a will.

When she exploded, it was as if all of the tension in her snapped. She was flooded with sensations as she tensed and cried out. She felt as if her entire body had lit up like a Christmas tree, as if electricity was dancing through her. She would have gone spinning off into space if Apolo hadn't been there to hold her back.

When Trinity's tremors had started, Apolo had not pulled away. Instead, he kept his mouth pressed against her flesh, riding out her shivers with her. When she started to calm down, to her shock, he started lapping at her again.

Instinctively, she went to push him away. It was too much, she was far too tender, far too sensitive. Then she felt the first spike of pleasure pulse through her again, and she was carried away. The sensation of being utterly taken, utterly pleasured, rose through her again, and this time, they had even less mercy.

Her screams of fulfillment hung in the air, and somehow, her hand had ended up knotted in Apolo's thick black hair. Her heels drummed into the sheets beneath her as she writhed with her pleasure. This climax dragged out until she was as limp as a rag and exhausted underneath him.

For a moment, she thought he would continue the sensual torture, but then he laughed softly, pulling away. She watched as he rolled over to cradle her close, his arm draped protectively over her belly.

It seemed to take Trinity a long time before she could gather herself. Even when she was able to speak, her throat was dry from her shouts.

“Are…you didn't…” she managed to get out. When it came to communication, it was less than ideal, but he understood what she meant.

“I don't have to…” he began, but she shook her head.

“No. You don't have to, but I want you to. Apolo…you made me feel things that…that I never thought I would feel before, and I want to give you that as well.”

He was quiet long enough for her to feel the edge of doubt creep in. Trinity swallowed hard.

“I…as long as that’s what you want? Maybe…maybe you don't want…”

She never got to finish the sentence. With a rush of movement, Apolo pinned her to the bed, kissing her hard. She felt the roughness of his trousers against her flesh for a moment before he threw them off. Now he was nothing but muscled flesh and power rising over her, kissing her as if it were the last thing that either of them would ever do. She could feel an intense need in him that he had somehow kept hidden for two weeks, and whether he wanted it to or not, he was offering it to her now.

“God above, I want you so much,” he breathed in her ear. “I have thought about this, dreamed about it…I don't know how much longer I can wait, Trinity…”

Her laugh was soft. She reached up, tangling her fingers in his hair and raking it back, drawing a deep groan from him.

“Then don't,” she whispered. “Don't wait. Take me.
Have
me…”

That was all the permission he needed. He reached into the nightstand, pulling out a condom and sheathing himself with rapid motions. She noted with wide eyes that his hands were shaking. Could he truly want her that much? The need that rose up in her for him was shocking. Every part of her cried out to this man.

In a flash, he was back on top of her, hauling her hips up with a roughness born of need.

“God above, I need you so much…”

“Don't wait,” Trinity murmured, “Don't wait, don't—!”

Her last word was cut off with a gasp as he plunged into her. For a moment, he was simply still, breathing hard, and then he started to push inside her. The pleasure wouldn't swell to a climax this time; instead she simply lay back and let his need wash over her, her hands laid lightly over hers. She wanted every part of him, inside her, with her, taking the pleasure he needed from her body even as she took hers from his.

He thrust into her as if he wanted to join their flesh together, his body slick with sweat. With every thrust, he seemed even more frantic, his need rising in a crescendo. Finally, with a roar she was sure could be heard throughout the manor, Apolo thrust into her one last time, freezing as he found his completion.

In the moment of stillness that followed, everything was perfect. Trinity's mind was a blank slate of pleasure and completion, and everything in her was calm. There was no past or future, only a moment that she was sharing the man who moved her like no other.

When he pulled away, he did it gently, settling her back on the bed with a tender care.

“You have no idea how beautiful you are like that,” he said softly, stroking her belly. She noticed that her bra was still on, which felt oddly funny in these circumstances.

“I think you're the beautiful one,” she whispered. “You look like someone took moonlight and made it into a man come down from the sky…”

He chuckled a little at her fanciful words. “Come on,” he said. “We should get clean. We'll sleep better if we do.”

She started to protest, but then he was lifting her in his arms, carrying her to the enormous bathroom. Apolo took off her bra and set her with gentle care into the shower before he turned it on. The water cascaded around her, and after he took care of the condom, he came in to join her.

“Apolo…what we did tonight…”

“Was something we both wanted. It's fine, Trinity, I promise.”

She bit her lip.

Now that the pleasure was over, her emotions were flooding her mind, their intensity almost shocking. If she thought that a tumble with Apolo might clear her mind, it hadn't done anything like that. Her love for him felt like a cup that was simply too full, with nowhere to go. She pushed it away again. This was not a time when she could indulge in a crying fit or a deep personal talk, so she let it go. She knew that it would come calling sometime, but she could put it off for a little while longer.

She leaned into his arms, allowing him to stroke the loofah over her slick body. There was a dreamy sensuality to it that made her purr. Then at some point, he turned off the water, running the towel over her before carrying her again to bed.

“Sleep now,” he said. “I have a feeling that things are going to get busy tomorrow.”

Chapter Nine

The next day came far earlier than she wanted it to. Both of their phones rang at the same time, and when they looked at them, it was a summons to be down in the living room in thirty minutes.

They showered and dressed quickly, exchanging quick kisses as they did so. Trinity was still a welter of feelings, but at the moment, she thought she could bear it. She would finish the job and…and then she could speak with Apolo clearly. They could really talk about what was between them. Some part of her hoped that he reciprocated what she felt in at least some small way. Even if being married wasn't something that suited him, perhaps they could continue as they were, for at least a little while.

Trinity knew it would only be putting off the inevitable until he needed to marry and she needed to return to Los Angeles, but it was a pleasant enough fantasy.

When they reached the living room, they found the other two couples had beaten them there. Serafina lifted her hand in a sarcastic greeting while Antonio nodded at them in a friendly enough fashion. Trinity was startled to see that Antonio had a bruise on his cheek, carefully concealed with makeup. It was enough for the cameras but clear to her trained eye. She sneaked a glance at Apolo, wondering how far their altercation had gone. For his part, he looked calm, nodding at the other man in return.

Then the host entered followed by the ever-present cameras, and the time for musing over subtleties was done.

“Good morning, royals,” the host said with a bright smile. “Today, we have a real treat for you, and tomorrow we have some real romance. The world held its breath when you got married, so we thought you might like to do it again.”

Trinity was so startled she gasped out loud, but luckily, the other two women were doing the same thing.

“What do you mean?” asked Apolo.

“Well, as we are drawing to the end of the show, we thought we would send everyone out as they came in, by getting married! Today, we'll be getting everyone dressed and prepared, and then tomorrow, you'll be walking down the aisle to renew your vows!”

“No!”

For a moment, Trinity hoped that she had simply thought the word, but as everyone swung towards her with vary expressions of astonishment and shock, she knew she hadn't.

“Really, dear, what's the problem?” asked Serafina, a light in her eyes. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Are…are you all right?” asked Carolina timidly. “Is there something wrong?”

She started to pull together an answer, one that might make some kind of sense of her strange reaction, but then Apolo touched her hand.

“Trinity, darling…”

It was too much. She clapped her hand over her mouth because if she hadn't, it all might have come out in front of those cameras, which were of course gleefully recording it all for posterity. If it had been only her career on the line, she might have let fly anyway, but she couldn't do that to Apolo. She couldn't humiliate him like that.

Instead, she simply stood and rushed from the room. She was walking quickly when she hit the door, and by the time she got to the corridor, she broke into a run. Trinity didn't stop running until she had gone all the way back to their suite, the one place where they were guaranteed privacy and shelter from the cameras.

Instead of going to the room that they had shared, she went to her own room, locking it tightly behind her. She sat in the dark for some measureless quality of time, and then there was a tap at the door.

“Trinity?”

“Go away,” she said, her voice shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself to still the trembling.

Apolo paused before speaking again. “Trinity, open this door. We need to talk.”

“No…I'll…I'll come out later. I don't want to talk right now.”

“Well, I do.”

“Go away!” she cried again.

For a moment she thought that he had listened to her. Then there was a thundering crash and the door rocked off of its hinges. With an impressive degree of calm, Apolo stepped through the broken door frame. His face was calm, but he moved with an utterly determined pace.

“That's…not going to be easy to repair,” she said softly.

“That's not what I care about right this moment,” he responded. “What just happened?'

Trinity flinched at his hard words. “I panicked,” she said bitterly. “I'm sorry. I know this will injure the picture everyone has of us as the perfect couple, and I am so sorry. I will do what I can to remedy it, but…”

Her words were cut off as Apolo crossed the room towards her, his eyes fierce and intent. His hands landed on her shoulders, dragging her up. For a moment, she thought he was going to shake her. Instead, he only stared directly into her eyes, his dark and full of fire.

“I don't care about the damn television show, or what people think of me, Trinity! I care about you, and I need to know what seems to have frightened you so badly.”