Prince Albert (A Step-Brother Romance #4)

“I don’t know why I’m agreeing to this.”


In fact, I don’t know why I’m agreeing to any of this with Albie. He’s pushing my boundaries beyond what I’d ever considered, much less tried.

Standing in my royal bedroom wearing a butt plug and a harness with a vibrator is beyond my comfort zone.

Or so I thought.

“Because you like it, Belle,” he says.

When I reach for the simple sundress he’s holding, he pulls it away and kisses my lips softly instead. “Let me,” he says. “I like taking care of you.”

Then he dresses me.

Slowly and methodically, he slides the dress over my head. The fabric caresses my skin as it falls over my body.

I’d never guess that putting clothes on could be sexy as hell, but Albie has a way of making the process of getting dressed more erotic than removing clothes. Of course, the fact that I have a vibrator pressing against my clit and a butt plug in my ass might have something to do with the heat level here.

We make our way out of the palace through the secret passageway, and Albie flicks on the vibrator in intervals, enough to keep me aroused but not send me hurtling over the edge. Walking with the plug inside me is the strangest sensation I’ve ever experienced, simultaneously uncomfortable and arousing.

I move slowly and carefully, my steps measured. My entire body feels like it’s on high alert as Albie leads me quietly out of the house, across the immaculately manicured lawn, and towards the densely wooded land surrounding the estate.

It’s dusk, but the canopy of trees in the woods makes it even darker than it was just a minute ago when we were on the lawn. “Okay, this is getting slightly creepy,” I say, only half-joking.

“Only slightly?” he asks. “I’ll have to try harder.”

We walk along a path that’s less manicured than the rest of the property, winding past the trees until we can’t see the main house any longer.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” I ask. In response, he flicks on the vibrator, laughing when I grip his arm tightly, my fingernails digging into his skin. I pause in the middle of the trail, unmoving, as the vibration sends waves of pleasure through me.

“We’re almost there,” he says.

“You’re going to make me come,” I protest.

“You’re not allowed to come yet, luv.” He stands close to me, pushing my hair back from my face. His lips hover millimeters away from mine, but when I arch my back up to meet them, he denies me, and puts a finger on my lips. “It’s right around the bend here.”

We reach the place a few minutes later, and I stand there, wordlessly taking it in. Technically it's a tree house, although it’s not like any tree house I’ve ever seen before. It’s the size of a cottage, two-stories tall with a balcony on the upper level, built so that it rests between several trees twenty feet high. A wooden walkway with elaborately carved railings winds down from the doorway to the ground and curves around to meet the pathway. Two lanterns trim the opening of the walkway, casting a golden glow on the path.

In a word, it’s magical.

“What is this place?” I ask.

“Come on.” He pulls me up the walkway that leads to the door, and I follow him, completely mesmerized by this little house in the trees. “My father had this built for Alex and I when we were kids.”

“This was your tree house?" I ask, shaking my head in disbelief as I take it in. It’s just as breathtaking on the inside, rustic and wooden with huge windows that overlook the surrounding forest. And upstairs, there’s a loft bedroom with a ceiling made of glass panels – a window looking out to the sky.

“It’s not a regular tree house, I know,” Albie says, shrugging. “When my father does something, he goes big. Alex never really liked it much out here. She was always too scared to come out in the woods. So this became my place. I’ve never brought anyone out here before.”

I tear my gaze away from the star-dotted sky and turn to face him. “Why me?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper.

No sooner do the words leave my mouth, than I’m filled with regret for asking them. Fear clutches at my chest. I’m afraid of what he might say. And more afraid to admit to myself what I’m starting to feel for him.

Albie tilts my face up to his. But when he opens his mouth to speak, I stop him. “No,” I say, quickly. “Don’t answer that. Forget I asked.”

“Because I want you, Belle,” he says, ferocity in his gaze as he brings his mouth to mine and kisses me until I’m breathless. “More than anything. I want to claim every inch of you.”

Every inch of me.

The entire walk here was foreplay.

“I want you to have me,” I say.

I mean every word.

I want to give myself to him, completely and entirely.