That evening, Reshma found me at a balcony staring at the ocean.

  “Hey there, lover,” she cooed in my ear.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” I mirrored her tone.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “The future.”

  She exhaled. “You’re always thinking. You need to relax, as does a certain someone. You two won’t be seeing each other for a few months. Don’t you want to give Laira a proper farewell?” Her eyes crinkled mischievously.

  I mirrored her smile. “I would very much like to, but she keeps running away whenever I try to get her alone. I’m pretty sure she likes men, but me?” I cocked an eyebrow.

  “Oh, that she does. I can tell,” Reshma chuckled, then nervously flicked her tongue to wet her lips.

  “She’s still scared of the consequences if a man loses control,” she said, worry flickering over her face.

  I took her slender hand in mine. “You know I won’t hurt her, right?”

  “I know,” she exhaled and leaned on me. I wrapped an arm around her waist. We stayed that way for some time.

  Finally, she peeled herself away from me. “Let me arrange something for you two,” she said, and fled before I could respond.

  An hour later, she invited me for dinner, in the very same chamber I had dinner with her. I was about to comment on it when Reshma silenced me with a stare. The candles were dimmer than usual, their flames trembling like nervous hearts.

  A nervous looking Laira was sitting at the table, who gave me a faint smile as I sat next to her.

  Reshma removed the lid to reveal a beautifully dressed whole bird. The thick scent of butter and spices filled the air.

  “Hmm… buttered pheasant, you really like it, don’t you?” I said to Laira, as Reshma sliced it.

  Her eyes softened. “Yes. My mother used to like it as well.”

  “How old were you when she passed away?”

  “Six. Linus was barely four. He had no memories of her.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you,” she said faintly.

  “You know you are not alone, right, Liru?” Reshma chirped in. “You have me, and now Jack as well.”

  “I know.”

  “How did you two meet?” I asked them.

  Their faces fell instantly.

  “It’s not a pretty story. I will tell you later,” Reshma replied.

  We began eating.

  Some time later, Laira stammered, “I’ve been avoiding you. Thank you for… understanding.”

  “Only for you. I’m not a very patient man, but I can be for you, Liru,” I replied.

  “Don’t say that!” she hissed in exasperation. “What is wrong with me? I’m attracted to clowns.”

  “Hey!” Reshma and I said out loud. The room broke into laughter and giggles.

  “I prefer ‘free souls,’” I said. “You, bound by the expectations of a Royal, were never free to act as you liked.”

  “No one is entirely free,” she commented, “and you were a Viscount yourself.”

  “An irresponsible one, according to my father.”

  That drew a faint smile. She inhaled deeply before continuing.

  “A few years ago I- I tracked down the physician who attended my mother’s final labor, and asked him what happened to her. He told me the child got stuck inside her and he couldn’t get him out. He cut her open, but she still died. So did the child. I kept pressing him until he admitted it could happen to me as well. The fear has lived inside me ever since. It governs me more than I want to admit.”

  I tentatively placed her delicate hand in mine. Thankfully, she didn’t pull away. I could feel her pulse fluttering against me as she squeezed my hand.

  “We’ll overcome it together,” I said.

  “Thank you, but I feel so weak. Cowardly.”

  “It’s not cowardice to feel fear, only to let it rule you forever.” I whispered. “You’ve survived a court that doubts you and Dukes that despise you. Fear hasn’t stopped you from ruling. Why should it stop you from letting yourself be loved?”

  Her eyes softened in response.

  We finished the dinner in silence.

  Reshma rose and placed a kiss on my cheek, then on Laira’s.

  “You can trust him,” she whispered in Laira’s ear and left us.

  I drew Laira from her seat and led her out to the balcony. The night air was heavy with salt.

  As she took a long breath to steady herself, I slid my arms around her waist from behind and pulled her into me.

  “We don’t have to do anything tonight. We can just stay together,” I whispered in her ear.

  She took my hand and kissed it. “No. I want you to leave with memories strong enough to call you back.”

  “I’ll return, even without them,” I promised.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Her fingers tightened around mine. This time, she led me back, then into the adjacent bedroom.

  The room was silent, except for her heavy breathing.

  I sat at the edge of the bed, letting her decide the course of action.

  She gathered her courage and sat on my lap. She was warm, tense and trembling.

  I slid an arm around her.

  “Breathe,” I whispered.

  She did. Minutes passed, and her shaking eased. Her body softened against mine.

  “Jack… I’m ready.”

  “You sure?”

  A nod. Small, but resolute.

  NSFW:

  She tilted her head up to face me, and I placed a chaste kiss on her full lips, giving her a chance to change her mind. She didn’t.

  She parted her lips and I tasted her breath. Our world narrowed: lips brushing, pulling, and biting lightly. Her hands gripped me for balance, or courage.

  I tentatively slid my tongue inside her. She was startled, but soon melted with a sigh. As our tongues dueled each other, my hands ran over her curves, enjoying the silky smooth feel of her generous assets.

  This temptress had been teasing me relentlessly ever since we met, and I wanted to vent all my frustration on her, but she needed a gentler touch tonight. I tried and failed to remove her elaborate dress, eliciting a chuckle.

  She got up, as I removed my shirt in one smooth motion. Her eyes widened.

  “You’re built well,” she whispered.

  “Thanks. Nothing compared to you, though.”

  I helped her undo the knots holding her dress. It whispered against her porcelain skin as it slid down.

  I stood transfixed.

  She was a wonder of creation; the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, and she was mine. That was such a head rush.

  “Stop staring,” she said self-consciously.

  I obeyed, and began planting kisses on her neck, moving downward. Her breath shivered whenever my lips brushed warm skin.

  The moment I went below her navel, her hand told me to stop.

  She steadied herself and spoke, “Disrobe. Everything.”

  I did so, standing naked and hard in front of her.

  Her eyes glued themselves to my manhood, apprehensive but curious. Curiosity won. She gracefully lowered herself to the ground, her face only inches away from my dick. She gently cradled my balls and played with them, making me chuckle. Looking me in the eyes, she extended her tongue and lapped at my other head, making me shudder.

  Her apprehensiveness melted away as a predatory smile crept up on her face.

  “I thought you didn’t have any experience with men?” I asked.

  “I don’t, but I had Reshma arrange a private viewing to know what happens between a man and a woman. I’m a very fast learner.”

  “Pervert,” I tried to say, but my tongue froze as the Queen ran her tongue from the bottom of my shaft to the top. Relishing my reactions, she took the head in her mouth and swirled her tongue around in slow, sensual motions, eliciting a hiss from me.

  She might not have any experience with men, but she was quite experienced in this art. She coated my entire length liberally with her spit and tried to take me in deep.

  I chuckled at the sounds she made and ruffled her hair. “It takes practice to get good.”

  She threw me a glare, but kept going. She made up for her lack of experience with obvious enthusiasm, as she massaged my length. I was lost to the pleasure and the look she was giving me, as her soft, full lips traveled down close to my root, again and again.

  Soon she was lost to the world, fully engaged in pleasing me. Noticing her obvious enthusiasm, I realized that she was naturally submissive, but didn't want to admit it openly. Enamored with her effort, I could resist her only for so long. I tapped her shoulder to signal my arrival. She kept taking me in, until I burst like a hydrant. She kept me inside and gulped it all down like a thirsty wastrel.

  As I recovered from the bliss, she had a satisfied expression on her face, like a cat that got the cream, which she indeed did.

  “Come here,” I said, pulled her into me and kissed her deeply.

  I gently laid her on the bed, set myself between her thick thighs and worshiped her with my mouth and hands until her thighs trembled around me.

  Perfect earmuffs for the winter, I thought, as she cried in ecstasy, her back arching up like a taut bow.

  I lay down on the bed and drew her into my chest, giving her time to settle before moving her atop me. I carefully put my throbbing dick between her warm, silky smooth thighs and began thrusting at an agonizingly slow pace.

  “No…” she said in a shaky voice, as she clung to me

  “I remember. Nothing will go inside, I promise. You’re safe with me,” I whispered, despite my body begging me to do just that. It wanted to claim her so very, very badly. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to resist the primal urge.

  I treated the thigh-job as an exercise in self restraint and continued thrusting, while whispering words of assurance in her ears. She gradually calmed down and began cautiously moving in sync with me, then in small, uncertain rolls of her hips. Her high pitched gasps egged me to be forceful, but I somehow resisted the urge.

  Her breath grew uneven, her fingers tightening around my shoulder. Savoring the silken pressure and the heat of her skin, I grabbed one of her bouncy cheeks by a hand, and curved the other until it was inside her. She shuddered and whimpered my name.

  Soon, she came undone, with a soft, desperate sound.

  I also couldn't resist the delightful friction any longer and bucked my hips in forceful thrusts, spurting my seed into the air.

  “That… that was wonderful,” she spoke between ragged breaths.

  I kissed her brow. “I want to be inside you so badly, when you’re ready.”

  “I- I want you too, but…”

  “I won't make you wait too long. I promise.” I assured her. “I’ll make it safe for you.”

  I now had a very powerful incentive to develop Ether and Penicillin as soon as possible.

  For her sake.

  For our future.

  For the life she was finally letting herself hope for.

  Thank you for reading the chapter!

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