Page 31 of Cross Me

“Shh, Poppet. I know what you need. I know what we need.” Holding her in place, I started to move inside her. She squirmed, trying to capture me. I smacked her ass lightly and she squirmed and moaned with pleasure.

“Do you like that?” I asked her roughly, smacking the other cheek, my cock twitching at her entrance.

“Yes, please,” she cried.

I smacked her ass cheek harder, this time leaving the red imprint of my palm. She writhed, circling her hips against my crown, but I held her steady.

“Why would you want to leave me?” I asked her, something dark overtaking me. I felt the shadows of my past all around me, and for once, I didn’t want to keep them at bay. I wanted to show her how far I was willing to go to prove that she belonged to me.

“I don’t,” she whispered and I spanked her again.

“You said he was cute. Hot,” I quoted her.

“X.” There was a warning in her voice now. She wanted to play, but she was beginning to suspect this was a different game than when she began.

I wrapped my hand around her hair and yanked her face up, twisting her at an awkward angle so that I could see it over her shoulder. “I need to know that no one will ever come between us.”

She stared at me, her eyes searching for a moment, but whatever darkness she found there, she didn’t close herself to it. Instead, she said softly, “No one. No one will ever come between us.”

I thrust inside her, abandoning my fear and losing myself to her. Releasing her hair, I wrapped both arms around her torso, holding her to me as I continued to pound deep inside her. A strangled cry of pleasure spilled from her lips. I bent my knees, allowing myself to move deeper, to fuck her harder. I slid a hand between her legs as her cries faded. They tried to close against me, her own climax shuddering to its conclusion. Forcing my fingers past her folds, I spread her sex open and rubbed her clit furiously as I continued to stroke inside her. Her breathing came in pants and fragments of words. I had no idea what she was trying to say to me. I didn’t care. I only wanted to feel her come again, to feel her clenching greedily around me, to feel her helpless in my arms. I lifted her into my arms, piercing her to the core and holding her captive. Her body tensed and my own responded, releasing inside her as she broke over me and then went limp in my arms.

I held her there, spent, my dick still pulsing inside her. Finally, after a minute—after an eternity—she whispered my name. I withdrew slowly, unsure what to expect when I faced her. She turned to me and held out her wrists. I untied them, my eyes never leaving hers and the questions reflecting there like a storm over the ocean. I had no answers to give her. I trusted Clara. I loved her. I was doing my goddamn best to be the man she deserved. When her hands were free, I braced myself. The last time I used her so completely, I thought I’d lost her forever. I deserved to.

But there was no slap. She didn’t walk away. Instead, her arms encircled my neck, her fingers knitting through my hair and pulling me down to meet her. I knew she had questions. I knew I needed to find the answers. For now, though, she offered me the protection of her kiss and I took it, finding safety there.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ALEXANDER

The Sovereign Games were becoming a headache. Not only were they a logistical nightmare that required constant attention from me and my staff, but they took up nearly all of Clara’s time. Between the games and Elizabeth, we saw each other in passing during the day and sought one another in bed at night. There wasn’t enough time in the day for me to heal the damage I’d done to our marriage. Our lovemaking was gentle—tender. Each time I touched her body it was a silent apology. She clung to me after, falling asleep entwined in my arms, as though afraid she would lose me in the dark. But the more space and safety she gave me, the harder it became to tell her the truth.

Unfortunately, when it came to affairs of state there was no choice but to do just that. News of Oliver Jacobson’s arrest had leaked to the press. Now I had a half dozen angry Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister in my offices demanding answers.

I paused outside the meeting room when I saw Prime Minister Clark waiting for me.

“You might have warned me.” He sounded tired and cross—two conditions I knew well.

“It would have undermined our investigation.” My words implied an apology I wouldn’t offer. We had proof that Jacobson had been involved in my father’s death. I owed that bastard nothing and I didn’t give a damn what any of them had to say about it.

“They’re out for blood, Alexander,” he warned me in a low voice. “The monarchy isn’t as popular with Parliament today as it’s been in the past, especially since…”

“I was crowned?” I guessed. “They’ll like me even less after today.”

“They see it as a breach of contract,” he explained. “You’ve overstepped your bounds.”

“Is that so?” I asked coolly.

“In their eyes,” he retreated.

I pressed my lips together, tipping my head in acknowledgment of the warning. It was the most he would get from me. My father had turned over an unprecedented amount of functions to the governing body. At the time, I’d considered it a windfall. It would be less for me to oversee when I took his place. Now I saw how it had skewed my position. Parliament believed it was the one with true power. I was merely a figurehead. They were wrong.

There were loopholes large enough to ride a horse through in every assent bill he’d issued. I’d studied them at length. This wasn’t the time to reveal that, though. I’d dreaded this moment as much as I’d looked forward to it. Jacobson hadn’t been cooperative. He’d offered us riddles instead of information. I suspected that whoever showed up today might be worth looking into further.

“Gentlemen and ladies,” I greeted them, unbuttoning my jacket as I took a seat at the head of the table. They welcomed me with glares. This was off to a brilliant start. “You have questions.”

“How long has Oliver Jacobson been in custody?” The man on my right asked. At least we were getting straight to the point.

“A few weeks,” I said. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice he was missing until now.” A few mouths twitched, but no one dared laugh. It wasn’t a joke but rather an observation.