I was prepared to step in and tell the press about my plans to reform the Bashkirian laws, but Stacia winked at me and pulled the mic closer to herself. “Princess of Bashkiria says what? What?”
I laughed out loud and dipped her down, kissing her long and hard for all of them to see. I might be the blue blood, but she was my beating heart.
EPILOGUE: STACIA
Future Princess of Bashkiria. I still couldn’t believe it. That so wasn’t me. I wasn’t sure I even could be.
Sure, every little girl hopes to meet Prince Charming and have him whisk her off to the big, beautiful castle, but that’s not real. There are rules that govern who royals can and cannot marry. I should know, I’d studied them. Being pre-law had to come in handy sometime.
While I was ready to go to Yale Law on a full-ride scholarship in the fall, what I apparently wasn’t good at was investigations. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t recognized Bash as Ruslan Bashkir. But now I totally understood how Clark Kent had fooled Lois Lane. Those glasses, man.
I practically vibrated through the rest of the impromptu press conference and then Bash’s speech about how our generation needed to get involved in global political reform. That wasn’t what he’d been scheduled to talk about and god, I found his smarts super sexy. Why didn’t he let people see this side of him more often instead of the bachelor playboy from Bashkortostan? Though I understood why he kept the whole werewolf thing out of the tabloids.
Charlize and Hunter sat me down after the whole library showdown and had given me a talk that they called ‘Werewolf Mates 101’, and I owed them big time for that. It was nice to know I wasn’t going crazy, or that if I was, at least I was in good company.
After the show, the royal guards rushed us into a limo. I was seeing spots from all the flashes shoved in our faces on the sprint to the car. “I have definitely never had my picture taken that many times. I’m not looking forward to the horrific tabloid photos I know are coming.”
They were so going to focus on my chubby bum. Ack.
Bash took my hand and kissed it. “I would protect you from all of it if I could.”
The vulnerability he didn’t let the cameras see was back in his face now. “Love, I know I thrust you into the spotlight, and after I kept who I was a secret from you. Regardless, I want you to know I meant everything I said, everything we did. I am in love with you, but I will understand if this is all too much.”
“You think I’m going to back out now? Because of some bad pictures? No way, Ruslan. You’re stuck with me.” I couldn’t hold back my smile. My face and heart wouldn’t allow it.
“Say that again.” His voice was husky and sent shivers all the way down to my girly bit and right back up to my heart.
“What? That you’re stuck with me? You are.” I knew he wanted to talk about hiding his identity from me and all. I wasn’t going to hold that against him. I was mad for about a hot second. Mostly because I didn’t know if I was going to get to see him again. I got why he pretended to be a student. Duh. Our race to the car with all the cameras was proof of that. Royals had been hiding out as peasants for all time. There were whole books about it and everything.
His eyes went all dark, and he leaned in. “No. My name. Say it.”
Oh.
So hot.
“Make me, Prince Charming. You want to hear my name on your lips, make me say it.” I waggled my eyebrows at him.
Bash pushed the intercom to the driver. “Take us around the block a few times, Marcus.”
In no time at all, he had me half naked with his hand between my legs and my nipples begging to be sucked. “Holy cow, do that thing with your fingers again.”
He chuckled and lifted his head. “I told you I wanted to taste every bit of you. We were in a hurry the other night, but I intend on taking my time with you now.”
“Do you think we’ll ever make it to a bed?” I kind of hoped not. I loved how we were so hot and bothered for each other that we couldn’t even wait.
“Doubtful. It was hard enough to keep my hands off you when we were in front of the cameras.” He nibbled his way across my cleavage.
“That’s a great idea.” A plan to get the press on our side began forming in my head.
“I quite agree.” He licked my nipple in sync with the strokes of his thumb over my clit.
I completely lost my train of thought, the moment his face dipped between my thighs. I was selling all my stock in sex toys. Who needed them when they had a wolf shifter with a tongue that had all th right movees? It only took three trips around the block and his head between my legs before Bash got what he wanted. “Oh god, Ruslan, yes.”
When I was done coming on his tongue and crying out his name, I only wanted more. I pushed Bash onto the other seat and crawled onto his lap, straddling him. “More, Bash, I want all of you. I want the wolf, my prince.”
That gold flashed in his eyes again and he cupped my cheeks in his hands. “All of me, for all of you, sweet princess.”
Bash slid his hands down, down to my hips and guided me until his cock teased at my entrance. “You are mine, princess. Mine.”
