Page 88 of Claim Me

They showed mine.

Nothing could change what we would endure for each other. Death was a price we’d pay for every moment of happiness we stole from this life.

“Do you know how powerful you are?” I murmured, my mouth moving to the apex of her womanhood and lingering there. “My crown? My life? They’re insignificant compared to you. Do you know why that is?”

“X,” she breathed, straining to see me. But she didn’t need to see me, she needed to hear me.

She needed to understand that I was about to tell her the only truth that mattered.

“Because you are my heart. You are my soul. Without you, there’s nothing. I am nothing. I’m less than a man. You’ve made me what I am. You are my better. You are my belief.” I kissed the soft heat of her, earning a moan. “I am a king, because you are my queen.”

“You’re wrong,” she whispered. “You made me a queen.”

“No, my love, you have always been a queen. Do you know I know?” I drew my tongue along her, tasting her sweetness. A tremor rolled through her and I smiled against her slick skin. “Because my place has always been here, kneeling before you. Only a true queen brings a king to his knees.”

She struggled to push onto her elbow, her eyes finally able to find mine. They locked as I began to suck and kiss. Her eyes hooded, fighting to maintain control as she continued this debate. “I was on my knees from the moment we met. You lifted me.”

“You’re such a queen,” I said, the words moving across her cunt. “Reigning over me even now. Proclaiming the truth. As you wish, Your Majesty. You’ve proven my point.”

“X, you—”

I slid my tongue inside her, effectively silencing any further argument. Clara groaned, sliding back to the table, as I made love to her with my mouth. Hooking my arms around her thighs, I worshipped her with my lips and fingers. I thanked her for the gift she’d given me. I thanked her for being mine until her limbs tightened, her legs closing around my head as she rode out her pleasure.

When she finally stilled, I helped her to her feet. She clung to the table and I pushed a chair back, enjoying how her body sagged languid and boneless. Taking a seat, I met her eyes and brought my fingers to my lips, sucking her taste from them. Her mouth fell open, speechless, her eyes brightening.

“Never enough,” I said with a groan, wanting more of her. “It will never be enough. Do you understand? I will want you every moment of every day—in my mouth, against my skin, by my side. But tonight I want you to take your place as queen.”

Clara didn’t speak as her fingers found the buttons of her dress and began unbuttoning them slowly. My own found my belt buckle and began unfastening it. Her dress slipped from her shoulders to reveal her pert breasts caged by lace. Freeing my cock, I beckoned her with one finger.

“Take your place, my queen,” I urged her. “Reign over me.”

She crossed the remaining distance slowly, hovering over me for a moment before leaning down to plant her hands on my chest and push me against the chair.

“My king,” she murmured as she straddled me. My hands found her hips to steady her, but she shook her head. “You want to be ruled?”

I nodded, swallowing against the ache in my throat and allowed my hands to fall away. She was so beautiful—so strong and sure. I would never know why I’d been trusted with her—why life had given me her.

Clara gripped my shoulders and lowered herself over me, sliding her seam over the tip of my cock until my eyes rolled from the restraint it took not to lift up and slam into her. She laughed. It was wicked and melodic.

“Patience,” she moaned as she sank further. “I want to feel every inch of you as I take you. God, you’re right. It’s too much and never enough.” She rooted herself against me as she spoke, allowing me to finally fill her.

“There’s always something missing when you’re not inside me,” she confessed as her hips began to rock. “Why is that?”

“Because we’re not meant to be two people,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to the hands still gripping my shoulders. “We’re one—inextricably bound. One body. One heart.”

“Always,” she agreed before she took what was hers all along.

Chapter 27

Clara

Someday, an angel would invent a way to get dressed for a party in under an hour. For now, by the time I’d finally tracked down my dress, pinned up my hair, and finished my make-up, we were running late. Naturally, all Alexander had to do was put on his tuxedo, but that man could put on nothing and look better than the rest of the planet.

The museum wasn’t far from Buckingham, but the short drive took long enough for me to start worrying. Alexander seemed equally preoccupied, staring out his window, lost to his thoughts. Our only connection was our clasped hands. When we reached the party and made it past the inevitable onlookers and their cameras, I would relax. Everything was being taken care of, and I wasn’t one to fuss. Plus, with Edward there, I knew one of us would be seeing to overlooked details, and he was the far more competent party in that regard.

When we reached the V&A, Alexander flashed me a wan smile before climbing from the Range Rover. Barricades kept the crowds away from the arriving guests. Alexander opened my door and helped me out of the car. I smiled to the crowds as camera flashes went off around us. His hand slid to the small of my back, warm and protective, as he guided me to the museum’s entrance.

“You are a goddess,” Alexander murmured in my ear.