Royal Bastard (12 page)

W
hat the hell
was I doing?

I led Rose to her bedroom, the camera heavy in my hand as I tried to sort out the need to take her hard against the wall and to restrain myself so I wouldn’t scare her. I wanted her to see how damn beautiful she was, and the whole idea had literally been snatched out of thin air. I hadn’t planned it, and I certainly hadn’t expected her to go through with it, but here we were, entering her stark white bedroom.

There wasn’t much going on in here except a bed with a peach and cream duvet on top, but I could see some of her framed pictures leaning against the wall, waiting to be hung. Her pictures of nature and landscapes were fucking unbelievable, to the point where I felt like she could sell them by the truckloads given the right venue. Maybe I could help her with that, but first I was going to make her comfortable in her own skin.

“I-I don’t know what to do,” she said softly as I let go of her hand. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to be comfortable,” I said, my voice rough to my ears. “Will it help if I am in the pictures first?”

She nodded tightly and I swallowed hard, knowing that meant I was going to touch her. If I survived this night, I was a fucking saint and deserved a medal.

With a slight tremble of my own hands, I reached out for her, my hand settling at her waist. I heard her sharp intake of breath as my fingers flexed against the softness of her skin covered by the thin material of her shirt. She looked up at me, and I held the camera high above us, snapping the picture. “See?” I said, my fingers caressing her waist. “That wasn’t so hard.”

She burst into laughter, and I snapped a few more shots, not caring if they were even in focus. With my free hand I caught the hem of her shirt. “Do you trust me?”

She bit her lower lip, and I waited for her answer, my fingers tugging on the hem.

I wasn’t going to do anything without her permission, but I wanted to see her body. Hell, I wanted to feast on her body. Finally she nodded, and I sent a thank-you up to someone high above as I pulled the shirt over her head and threw it on the bed, sucking in a breath as I took in her magnificent breasts straining against her simple bra.

“Beautiful,” I swallowed, bringing the camera down to snap a picture of them, careful to avoid her face for now. She blushed as I stepped back, forcing myself to not reach for her. “This is for you, Rose,” I said softly, motioning to the camera. “Whatever you are comfortable with.” Her body was lush and ripe for the picking, her gently rounded stomach leading to the flair of her hips that were still covered by her sweat-pants. I wanted to see all of her.

“You are divine, Rose. Absolutely stunning. You shouldn’t hide from that,” I said, and the rounds of her cheeks turned a dusky pink. She bowed her head, bashfully, but she continued to look at me.

“Like this?” she said, her voice low and unsure as she turned around and peeked back over her shoulder.

I nodded. “It doesn’t matter what you do, which way you stand, you are a sex kitten from every angle.” And it was true, every frame I took was hotter than the last, and if I wasn’t careful I was going to cum just by looking at her. Facing away from me, she pushed at the waistband of her pants, and they slipped off and down her legs.

Oh, boy.

She glanced back at me to gauge my reaction, and I could see the confidence brighten in her eyes. I swallowed thickly and snapped a close-up shot of her side, her curving waist as it dipped sharply inwards and back out as it met her hip.

“What about this?”

Rose, still with her back to me, reached up behind her and unclasped her bra, her fingers shaking with each movement. For a brief second of hesitation, she hugged her chest, and her loose bra with it, but then in an effortless, sultry move dropped her right arm. The bra fell out of her hand to the floor.

Her back was bare, creamy with an occasional freckle dotted here and there, and I gazed upon her, my heart pounding out an insistent beat that was almost driving me insane. No, I shook my head…
she
was driving me insane.

I swallowed hard, feeling the heat spread to my cock. Her bare breasts came into view as she turned to face me. Her nipples puckered and begged for my kiss. I forced myself to bring up the camera and snap the shot, but my hands wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her. I damn near shook with the need.

“Edward,” she said softly. “Put the camera down.”

Her words were heaven-sent. I closed the gap between us but kept the camera with me. I reached out with my other hand and caressed her breast, testing the weight of it in my hand as my thumb ran across the stiff peak. She let out a moan, and I felt my cock strain roughly against my zipper. Sticking to the original intent of this experiment, I took a picture of my thumb caressing her nipple. “Does that feel good?” I asked.

She nodded and pushed against my hand as I transferred to the other breast. “Let me taste you, Rose?”

Her moan was my response, and I took full advantage, wrapping my lips around the perfect nub. “Oh god,” she said, her hand going hesitantly into my hair. I swirled my tongue around it, kissing it lightly as I snapped a picture. I couldn’t believe I was able to do both. Giving it a final kiss, I pulled back, wanting to see her face. She was fucking gorgeous, her face in the full throes of heavy-lidded ecstasy. I could only imagine what she would look like when I was inside her, pushing her over the edge. “I want you, Rose,” I said harshly as her eyes opened to look at me. “So damn much.”

“This is a mistake,” she said breathlessly, my hand still on her breast, rubbing my thumb and increasing its pressure over her pink nipple.

I put the camera down as best I could without taking my hand off her body and placed my now free hand upon her thigh. I moved it around and inwards, caressing as I went till I felt fabric beneath my fingertips. “Open your legs, Rose,” I whispered, feeling the heat from her enclosed pussy radiate through her knickers. God, I needed for those things to come off. “Let me fuck you like you’ve never been fucked before.”

Something registered in her eyes and she stepped back. It was like she’d woken up from a dream. She snatched her t-shirt off the bed and pulled it roughly over her chest. “I think you should go,” she said, her voice trembling. “We can’t do this… I can’t.”

I stepped back, not understanding what had gone wrong. “What did I do?”

“Nothing,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself, effectively shutting me out. “I, this isn’t a good idea, Edward. I told you I wouldn’t sleep with you, and I meant it.”

“Oh, come on, that was before we knew each other,” I said tightly, my body telling me that this was a fucking good idea. “We will be damn good in bed together, Rose.”

She bit her lower lip and shook her head, a range of emotions filtering across her face. “I’ve made my mind up. It’s not a good idea, Edward. We aren’t, we won’t ever be anything together. So what’s even the point?”

That pissed me off. How else could I show her that I wanted her? I reached for her then, ignoring her gasp as I pressed the erection that struggled within the confines of my jeans against her. “I am fucking attracted to you, Rose. Why is it so hard for you to believe that?”

She pushed at my chest, and I released her, seeing the flush on her face. “I-I just think this went too far, Edward. Please, just go.”

I sighed in both frustration and annoyance, forcing a hand through my hair. “Fine. I will leave, but this isn’t over between us.”

“Edward,” she started as I walked out of the bedroom. “I honestly didn’t mean for this to happen.”

I stopped right before the door, turning to give her a mocking smile. “Yeah, of course, me neither. See you tomorrow.”

I didn’t wait for her response, wrenching open the door and stalking through it, shutting it loudly behind me. She thought she was beneath me, thought that she was unworthy, but that was far from the truth. Rose wasn’t beneath anyone, and I sure as hell didn’t want her to be there unless I was the one on top of her, driving into her sweetness until she screamed my name.

“Fuckin’ hell!” I said as I walked down the stairs toward my car, my mood unstable. This complicated everything.

* * *

S
omething tapped
me lightly on the face, pulling me out of a dreamless, restless sleep. I opened my eyes. “Dammit, man. Do you not have any decency?”

Andrew’s face loomed over me, a smirk on his features. “Just how much whisky did you consume last night?”

I groaned as the roaring headache started to claw its way to the surface, taking what seemed my sanity with it… a reminder that I had indeed almost drained the bottle of thirty-year-old Highland Park whisky myself. The dry, peppery notes of the honey-coloured liquid had been pleasant the night before as I drank myself into an abyss, but the lingering tang that coated my tongue had turned sour, much like my relationship with a certain English Rose.

“Does it matter? Unless the tabloids are raiding my bins now and are accusing me of being an alcoholic?”

Andrew chuckled and stood as I sat up, rubbing my aching head. “No, brother. You have been suspiciously absent from the tabloids as of late. I think they have moved on to greener pastures. Though you were mentioned today…” Dropping a paper in my lap, he leaned against the column in the bedroom. “Care to tell me who she is? Is she the one you brought to the dinner the other week?”

I looked down at the picture of Rose and myself walking from the orphanage where the planning meeting had taken place. Though we weren’t touching, we were close enough to make it seem that there was an intimacy around us. The headline helped insinuate that thought, too.
“Mystery Woman Tames the Royal Black Sheep?”

“Shit,” I said. Rose was going to have a breakdown over this. First last night, and now the press was making assumptions. True or not, they were putting her into my world, a place that could be extremely harsh under the bright lights of fame. And it was all my fault. “She’s my saving grace,” I admitted, thinking of last night and how I’d chosen to come home instead of going out to get wasted drunk.

“Well as much as I like the fact she seems to be having a good influence on you,” Andrew replied, crossing his arms over his chest, “I just hope you’re not setting her up for a fall. This lifestyle, it’s not easy if one is not used to being part of it.”

“Don’t I know it,” I sighed, thinking that he was talking about me versus her. Hell, I was a member of the damn family, and it wasn’t easy for me. It hadn’t been my intention for this to turn out like it had between us, but I found myself contemplating an actual relationship with Rose. The way she had stood up for me with Amber, the way she was constantly seeing the good in me and pushing me to be a better version of myself, I would be stupid not to want to be with an amazing woman like her.

“I also see you are starting to dabble in an orphanage charity,” Andrew continued. “Father is afraid you’re up to something and have an ulterior motive.”

“There’s not,” I growled, thinking of what I had discussed with their board just the other day. We were going to make this fundraiser the best yet, and there was already talk of them wanting me to join the board. I wanted to help those kids out, and it was much more than just my father’s ultimatum that was driving those intentions forward. I wanted to be part of something that did good for others. “You can tell Father that I don’t plan on screwing this up. I’m not going to let those kids down.”

Andrew looked at me, a grin coming over his expression. “I knew there was more to you than what met the eye, brother. You’ve found your spark.”

“I found more than that,” I admitted, pushing aside the covers. “And I’m not going to screw that up, either.”

I
glanced
at my watch again, frowning as I calculated that Edward was now thirty minutes late to his appointment. He had sent me a text this morning telling me he had a stop to make before coming to the orphanage and to go on without him. The planning committee had waited for a time but became restless and started without him about fifteen minutes ago, but it was clear that they were wondering where their star royal family member had gotten to. I was wondering the same thing. Surely, it didn’t have to do with what had happened between us last night.

After he left, I had looked at the pictures, unable to help myself. Though some were completely out of focus and not even aimed at anything, I saw what he said he saw. I saw a woman enjoying herself—becoming confident—despite the curves, rolls, and flaws that were visible. I saw the way I had looked at him in the first photo he had taken, and then later when his hand was caressing my hip and my blood was singing with what was to come. It was the look of love. Clear as day, written on my face in that one photo. And I was petrified of what that meant.

I groaned inwardly and shifted in the chair, not believing this. I couldn’t be in love with him! Of all people, we were like oil and water. He was a member of the royal family, for god’s sake! If his family didn’t accept him now, they wouldn’t ever if we actually decided to make whatever we had together more than just a professional partnership. His words about us being good together had haunted me well into the night, my curiosity wondering that maybe I should have let him do what he wanted, to get it out of both of our systems. Perhaps that’s all it was—simple and dirty lust. But I still couldn’t let myself slip into the role of common conquest. My heart was too fragile for that.

And now there was a cloud of uncertainty around us. We would have to talk about it, and I wasn’t sure what I dreaded the most—his telling me he felt the same, or that it was just a passing phase and he was slumming it.

The door burst open and Edward strode in, giving all of us an apologetic smile. “Sorry I’m late.”

I narrowed my eyes as he winked at me.
The cocky son-of-a-bitch
… I allowed my displeasure to shine through as he walked past and took his seat with the rest of the committee. What had he been doing? Was he really going to stick with this, or was it all for show?

My phone rang, and I picked it up immediately, giving them all an apologetic smile as I walked out the door. “Hello?”

“Rose.”

“Brent,” I scowled, my ex’s voice not giving me the same thrill it had a year before. “How on earth did you get my number?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“What do you want?”

“What are you doing with that asshole?” he said, anger in his voice. “It’s all over the front page of the
Sun
, Rose. I know it’s you in the photo.”

I swallowed, my anxiety starting to peak to an incredible height. “What do you mean?”

“Apparently you need to get a copy for yourself then,” he laughed harshly. “What are you doing with him?”

“That’s none of your business,” I shot back. Oh god. I was being paired with Edward by the press. That couldn’t be good. “Just leave me alone. We’re through.”

“We’re through when I say we are.”

I wanted to hang up, my finger hovering over the icon that would terminate the call. But his menacing tone, that cruel laugh, told me he was up to something. “What do you want?” I asked, cautiously, hoping my instincts were wrong.

“I want compensation,” he replied. “That bastard got me arrested and embarrassed me in front of everyone. I want him to give me what I am due, or I’m going to the press.”

This certainly wasn’t the best time for Edward to receive bad press, not now when we were actually making progress. “You don’t have anything,” I said nervously. “Just leave it be. Chalk it up to a misunderstanding. They let you out, didn’t they, with only a caution?”

Brent gave a low chuckle, one that had fear snaking up my spine. “Oh, Rose. I believe I have something very damaging for your little prince. Some interesting pictures came across my Dropbox last night. Some that I am sure the press would eat up given the chance. They’ll be begging me for every. Single. One.”

The blood drained from my face as I realised what he was talking about. Nausea rolled around in my stomach like a ship cast adrift.

We’d set up a shared cloud storage account when we were still together, and it was the one I’d used to share with him all the photos I’d taken before he could join me on the trip.
Fuck!
I wanted to scream the word out loud, but with the committee only next door, I knew I couldn’t lose my temper. Why hadn’t I thought of setting up a new account? Or at least removing the sync? As soon as I plugged my new camera into my laptop, the photos synced automatically to the account, giving Brent copies of one of the most intimate times of my life. And ammunition that could destroy Edward’s burgeoning good name and reputation.

“I never knew you had it in you, Rose,” Brent continued as I tried to form words. “Certainly a side that you never showed me… but maybe if you had, I wouldn’t have gotten so bored.”

“You can’t do this, Brent. This is a violation,” I finally forced out, “of my privacy.”

“It isn’t when I have access to it,” he said. “And don’t even bother deleting them from your side. I’ve already made copies. So let lover-boy know what’s what, and I will be in touch, Rose.” He ended the call and I stood there, speechless and stunned.

Brent was the type of man who had a vindictive streak. I didn’t realise how bad it was till now, but there was no doubt in my mind he would go through with the threat if I didn’t stop him somehow. The tabloids would give him anything to have those pictures. It didn’t matter Edward was not even naked in them, it would still cause an almighty scandal. One that would prove that the bad boy was still present and accounted for. “Oh god,” I breathed and collapsed onto the wooden bench outside the meeting room, putting my head between my thighs. “What have I done?” How was I going to even face him? How was I going to explain that I had just ruined his life?

* * *

T
he meeting lasted an hour
. I fidgeted outside the room as I tried not to throw up everywhere, trying to come up with the right words to explain to Edward what had transpired. He was going to be pissed that all his hard work was about to blow up in his face.

The door opened and Edward walked out, his eyes searching until he found me. “There you are. Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked immediately, a frown appearing on his face. “Are you all right?”

“We need to talk,” I blurted out, tears springing to my eyes. He took on an anxious expression as the tears trickled down my cheeks. He reached for me, pulling me against him. I sank against his chest, allowing myself a brief second to have him hold me before he hated me forever.

“Don’t cry, please. Listen,” he started, rubbing my back comfortingly. “I’m sorry about last night. I should have never pushed you that far or said the things I said to you.”

“Edward,” I started as he leaned back and framed my face with his warm hands, a lopsided smile on his face.

“Rose, you are probably the closest thing to a friend that I have right now, and I really would hate to lose that.”

My heart wrenched tightly in my chest, seeing the earnest look on his face. He was killing me. I desperately wanted to stay in blissful ignorance forever, to forget Brent and everything else that was going on and to simply stare into his eyes. I loved the man, and I was going to ruin him at the same time. He was going to hate me for this, but I had to tell him. He deserved to know what was going on. “Edward, we have a problem,” I said softly, my eyes searching his. “I fucked up. We really need to talk. But not here,” I said as I noticed a few of the committee members lingering by the exit.

Surprise flared in the depths of his eyes as he released me, clearing his throat. “Of course. Shall we go to my flat then?”

I nodded and allowed him to lead the way, climbing into his car instead of going to mine. I could always come back and get it when he kicked me out of his place. We drove in silence until we reached his residence, not even saying two words to Jim as he opened the door. I could feel the tension in the air when we climbed into the lift together, a thousand apologies running through my mind as we entered his place. I didn’t even know how to approach this, so I just figured there was no reason to sugar-coat it.

“I’ve ruined your life.”

Edward turned toward me, wariness on his face as he looked at me. “What? Is this about the photo in the paper today?”

I shook my head, thinking of all the other damaging photos to come. “I-I’m about to ruin your life,” I tried again, tears springing to my eyes once more. “I’m about to ruin everything you’ve done, Edward, and I am so sorry for it.”

“What are you talking about, Rose?” he asked calmly. “You’re not making any sense.”

“The p-pictures,” I forced out. “Last night. Someone else has them, and they are threatening to go to the press with them. You will be ruined. It will be the scandal of the century…
sex photos of royal
. Oh, god.”

Edward’s jaw worked, and I wiped my eyes, so scared of what he was going to do next. My heart was breaking at the thought of being solely responsible for his demise with his father, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Edward’s face was clear in those photos, however innocent they were. No one was going to believe that nothing else happened between us or the reasoning as to why they had happened. “Who?”

“My ex,” I said, my voice breaking. “He still had access to the Dropbox account, and I forgot to delete them before they synced to my account.”

“You didn’t give them to him then?” he asked, his voice quiet.

“What? Of course not!” I said immediately, hurt that he would think I would do such a thing. I thought I’d already proven to him that I was no blackmailer, nor did I want to see my boobs or nether regions plastered all over each and every front page in England… or worldwide, for surely that was what would happen; a story like this would be unstoppable.

Shit, I would have to tell my family first, just in case I couldn’t talk Brent out of it. They were going to be so disappointed in me, and the thought of them turning their backs on me, disowning me, made me want to vomit. I couldn’t go through that again, and I couldn’t weather this scandal without them, either.

Edward finally lost some of the coolness he’d been clinging to and kicked the nearby chair, sending it across the room. “Dammit!”

I watched as he stalked across the room and threw open the fridge door, grabbing a couple of beers before slamming it shut. “Beer?”

I shook my head. I would be sick. “I’m so sorry, Edward,” I tried again as he popped the top and guzzled one of them. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“Don’t be sorry, Rose,” he said harshly, putting the bottles on the counter before walking toward me. I shrank back as he grabbed my upper arms, his touch gentle but firm on my skin. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s me that should be apologising to you, for putting you in this predicament. It was my idea to have our mini-photoshoot, after all. I don’t give a shit about my reputation. I’m more pissed that you have been dragged into this.”

“But you will lose everything,” I reminded him as his hands trailed down my arms to encircle my waist. His touch was devastation and salvation all at the same time.

Edward chuckled, anger and what I thought was lust etched on his face. “I doubt that. I might lose my father’s backing, his money, but I won’t lose everything, Rose.” He then leaned down and brushed his lips over my stunned ones, whispering against them. “I can fix this.”

“B-but how?” I asked, stunned that he was reacting this way. Didn’t he understand the implications? Didn’t he understand that he would be ruined?

His thumbs caressed my hip bones as he gave me a grin, one that sent sparks spiralling down to the pit of my stomach, easing and all but vanquishing the earlier nausea, replacing it with a warm glow instead. “Easy. We will announce our engagement. No one will think twice about the pictures then.”

It took a full second for the brunt of his words to sink in. “What?” I nearly shouted, stepping out of his arms, the mere suggestion throwing my feelings into a tailspin. “No, no that is not going to fix this. They’re still nude pictures of us—”

“Oh, it will. I know what the press are like,” Edward laughed, watching me as I paced his floor. “Just think. If we are engaged, everyone will think the pictures were a private moment between two people who are in love. Your bastard of an ex will look like the world’s most jealous person for intruding on our privacy and that of the royal family. Think about it, Rose. It’s the perfect solution.”

“B-but I’m not even royalty. I have no lineage, I’m just me,” I sputtered out. His family was going to hit the roof, not only at the announcement but also the scandal that was sure to follow. “This isn’t going to work.”

Edward looked at me, a strange look coming over his face. “Do you not want to be engaged to me?”