Her Mountain Prince Read online

  It’s been two years since I’ve been in the news. Askovia is a small country, but the royal family is well known. Tabloids and celebrity gossip magazines have published photographs of me since I was a young boy. My face was just too well known. I had thought that by coming here, far from a metropolitan city, I would be safe. I thought having my meetings in Beauville would mean that I would never be seen, or at least recognised.

  My every thought was consumed with my need for revenge, my every action was towards my one goal, and then she opened that door and changed everything.

  I froze as soon as I saw her. She was beautiful, that struck me immediately. But, in that same second, I saw that she was afraid. She was looking around wildly, her face was twisted up in fear.

  It was her terror that pulled at my heartstrings. I couldn’t stand to see any woman in distress. I hated to see that expression on her perfect face.

  Perhaps it was my Askovian blood, but I would always intervene to help a lady in distress.

  I stared at her, trying to understand what trouble she was in and what had brought her, panting and scared-looking, into this alley. Whatever it was, I knew I would do everything in my power to make things better for her. Then another figure lumbered into view, stumbling through the back door. Some leering drunk was chasing after this beautiful woman.

  I barely held back my disgust for a man who clearly had no honor.

  Still, it was a relief, because this was a situation that I could easily fix. I didn’t have to ask her what was wrong, I could see plainly enough for myself. This drunkard was a lecher and he was trying to put his hands where they didn’t belong.

  The drunken slob paused as he realized that he was no longer alone with his quarry, and he started to yell.

  Admittedly, I hardly paid attention to the words he yelled, I simply saw that he was yelling his crudeness at a beautiful woman as if he had some right to her. He had been lucky to just stand in the same bar as her and breathe the same air as her.

  She flinched back from him, her fear and disgust was palpable.

  Seeing that, I saw red, my blood boiling with anger. No man should make a woman feel unsafe!

  How dare this sleazeball imagine he was worthy of her attention. Not when she was clearly trying to get away from him!

  Without even thinking about the consequences, I stepped up to him, reaching past the woman, and punched him. Hard.

  The drunk crumpled to the ground, weak and pathetic.

  But, it wasn’t that simple. As my fist flew towards him, I had seen something in his little, hate-filled eyes. There had been a spark of recognition. Somehow, that drunk had recognised me.

  I pulled my arm back, my body relaxing now that I’d dealt with the threat.

  But the threat wasn’t really gone. What was I going to do now that I’d been recognised and my plans had gone south. All the precautions I’d taken over the last two years had been blown apart in a matter of seconds.

  I looked down at the woman. She was still breathing heavily from her ordeal. Her tight, white t-shirt clung to her womanly frame. Her chest was heaving as she gulped in air, and it made her tits bounce, heaving and delicious. She looked up at me, wide-eyed and innocent.

  It had been years since I had been so close to a woman, but she wasn’t anything like the women I’d known back in Askovia. She didn’t have that pampered air of a lady in waiting. She didn’t have the plastic look of the women who came to my father’s court, angling to snag a Prince as a husband. This was a real woman, like I’d never seen before and I wanted her. I knew, there and then, that she would be mine.

  Alexandre interrupted us, almost gave the whole game away by addressing me as ‘Your Highness’. Luckily, I managed to stop him before he’d finished saying my full title. I sent him away. There was no need for Alexandre to hang around and give her time to memorise his face too.

  And, to be honest with myself, I liked having her attention focused entirely on me. I wanted to be alone with her, without Alexandre being a distraction. I wanted to be the only man she was looking at.

  Her small body next to mine felt so right. I knew then that I would make her mine.

  The easiest way to make sure that my identity remained secret would be to kill the drunk who had recognized me. Except, I couldn’t do that. He was an innocent. Sure he was not an honorable man, but he didn’t deserve to be killed for that alone.

  I was going to have to risk leaving him alive.

  Luka had put a bounty on my head and would pay handsomely for any information on my whereabouts. But, Beauville was a small town just off the highway. Just because Luka might find out that I’d been seen in Beauville, that wouldn’t be enough to track me down to Arrowhead Mountain. For all Luka’s men would know, I could just be passing through Beauville as I travel around the USA.

  I looked back to the woman again. She was like an angel, stepping into my life. Her blonde hair falling just past her shoulders, her beautiful face shone with an openness and vulnerability that beguiled me instantly.

  “What are you going to do to me?” she asked, in her cute American accent, as she took a step away from me. I could see in her eyes that she was thinking about running away from me. Silently, I dared her to try. She was in my sights now. There’s was no way I was leaving here without her.

  Her back hit the closed bar door and I stepped closer, pressing forward and watching the way her body reacted to me. Her mouth fell open, her pupils dilated and her cheeks blushed pink.

  I’d had years of training in my father’s court. I’d spent my life moving in the highest political circles in Askovia. I knew how to read body language very well. But I didn’t need to be an expert to read hers now.

  Her body already knew that it belonged to me.

  I wanted to see more. I wanted to follow that blush, down from her pink cheeks. I wanted to chase that reddening skin with my mouth, kissing that blush down her neck, down her chest until it got to her bouncy tits and the nipples I could see outlined as they rose up through her thin t-shirt.

  I wanted her to feel what it was like to be worshipped like she deserved.

  Just looking at her made my blood run hot, a scorching heat that I knew was going to consume me if I wasn’t careful. I could see her arm, weakly searching for the door handle behind her back, as if she was only pretending she wanted to open the door.

  I could tell myself that I needed to stop her leaving - for her own good.

  Luka’s men would torture anyone that had been seen with me. I simply couldn’t leave her behind to be picked up by them. That was true enough, after all. But I knew in my heart the real reason I couldn’t let her go. She was mine. I had known it from the second that I looked at her.

  I had to make sure that she was safe and the best way to do that was to take her back to Arrowhead Mountain. She would stay there until after Luka had been deposed and then…

  Well. I couldn’t imagine ever letting her go.

  But for now, she was coming with me. I put my hand on the closed bar door, making sure that it stayed shut. A few strands of her hair brushed against my hand and I wanted to grab a handful, I wanted to feel those golden tresses in my grasp.

  “You, sweetheart, are coming with me.”

  I could see her body reacting to my command by the way that her tongue darted out to dab at her lips, as if she was daring me to kiss her. Her hips shifted against the closed door, like she wanted me to take her right there and then. Oh, I wanted to, but my angel deserved better than an alley for our first time.

  Plus, we needed to get of Beauville before someone else saw us.

  “I am not!” she said, belligerently, “I’ve got to get back to the bar. My boss knows I’m back here. If I dont get back soon, then he’ll come looking for me.”

  Her eyes sparkled as she tried to warn me off. It was amusing to see her try, cute even. Like being threatened by a kitten. This close to her I could smell the sweet scent of her, the sugary smell of her shampoo and then something un
derneath that. A bewitching, feminine scent that belongs just to my angel, emanating from her skin.

  I want to feast on that, lick her skin with my tongue, taste her for myself. I could feel myself salivating, thinking about tasting her. What the tight peaks of her nipples would feel like on my tongue. What her pretty little pussy would taste like, as I sent her to heaven with my face buried between her legs.

  Just thinking about the things I want to do to her was driving me wild.

  I needed her. She was coming with me.

  “It’s too dangerous out here, you’re coming with me,” I told her. She frowned slightly, a worried look on her face.

  It was strange, what that little frown did to me.

  I’d spent all my life knowing, as the eldest child of the King of Askovia, that one day I would be King. I was raised knowing that it was my duty to protect my people. But I’ve never felt that urge so strongly, or for just one person. Looking down at her, I knew I would do anything for her. I never wanted to see that fearful frown on her face again and I would do anything to make sure that she knew I would protect her from anything in the world that wanted to harm her.

  “Who are you?’ she said in her soft voice.

  “I’m the one saving you, darling. Let’s go!” I said, putting my hand on her arm to guide her towards my motorbike.

  She started to protest again, talking about her boss.

  I wasn’t going to be responsible for innocent bloodshed.

  I looked into her eyes and told her she was coming with me. Like the good girl she was, she knew when to listen. But as I spoke all I could think about was how soft her skin felt under my hand. How right it felt to touch her. I didn’t want to release her.

  I don’t think I would have, if I hadn’t known that we were about to get onto a motorbike and that she would be pressing that sweet little body up against me all the way to my cabin on Arrowhead Mountain.

  Chapter Five

  Gabriel

  I gave her my motorcycle helmet, watching in amusement as she held it awkwardly, turning it over a few times as if she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

  Finally, she put it on her head, and grabbed hold of the straps, trying to fasten them together. It was obvious she’d never put on a helmet before. I liked that though, I liked that I would be the first man to take her for a ride.

  Hiding my laughter at her adorable clumsiness, I took the straps from her, my hands under her chin. Automatically, she tilted her neck up, exposing her long pale neck to me. It was such a trusting gesture, and it made me want her even more - to take her back to my cabin and tuck her away where she would be safe. Where I could have my way with her.

  I fastened the helmet for her, letting my knuckles brush against the silky skin of her neck as I did so.

  I got on the bike and reached for her, my nameless angel.

  “What’s your name, sweetheart?” I asked, as she grabbed on to my arm, using my body to steady herself as she swung, cautiously, up onto the bike behind me.

  “Ruby,” she said, settling herself into place and spreading her legs wide to straddle the bike. I could feel her pressing up behind me, her tits pressing against my back. There was a pause. Surely, if she truly hadn’t recognised me and I was a complete stranger to her, then now was the time that she would ask me my name.

  I waited for a beat, enjoying the press of her body against me.

  “What about you?” she asked after a pause.“What’s your name?”

  Her hot breath whispered across the back of my ear and all I could imagine was having that hot mouth on my cock. She’d look so good on her knees in front of me.

  “You may call me Gabriel.”

  In Askovia, I’d always been addressed as ‘Your Highness’. Of course, I wasn’t going to make Ruby call me that. I wanted her to be comfortable calling me by my name. I wanted to hear my name on her lips, right now and later, screaming my name as she came.

  “Hold on to me,” I told her, trying to put thoughts of all the things I wanted to do to my sweet Ruby out of my head. I needed to think straight in order to drive. The trails we would need to take are tough enough to manoeuvre without the extra distraction that was currently pressed up against me.

  Small, timid hands tentatively took hold of my sides in a loose grip. I took her wrists and pulled her arms further around me, making sure that she was holding on tightly enough that she wasn’t about to fall off. True, that meant that she had to hold on to me tightly. I could feel the way that her fingertips pressed into my muscles, gingerly feeling the shape of my body as she moved, trying to find a way to comfortably grip onto me. I wasn’t sure that she even knew what she was doing, as she caressed me.

  It had been so long since any woman had touched me and now this beautiful, genuine angel was here, next to me. Who could blame me if I was a little...distracted.

  I started the engine and drove off.

  The bike took off with a jolt, the rear tire squealing as we pulled out of the alley. She let out an adorable squeak of surprise. Her grip on me tightened. Her hands digging into my abs and her tits pressing even harder into me. I could feel the whole front of her body pushing into me.

  I had given Ruby my only helmet. The wind streamed through my hair, tousling it. I preferred riding this way, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to. I couldn’t take the chance of being pulled over by the police and having my cover blown for something as dumb as a helmet.

  Now though, with the wind in my face, the powerful engine roaring underneath me and the sexy little piece behind me, I was reminded of everything I’d been missing up on the mountain.

  When I’d ridden down the mountain earlier I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. My mind had been filled with plans for revenge. I had been thinking over the instructions that I had written in the parcel that I’d handed Alexandre, going over each small detail in my mind because that’s all I ever thought about.

  But now, unexpectedly, everything had changed.

  Instead of returning alone, brooding so much that I barely paid any attention to the ride home, instead of that, I had Ruby with me. And having her with me made me view the world differently. I felt free, for the first time in years. I could let myself enjoy the physical feeling for once; the wind in my hair and my angel pressed against me.

  I drove us out of town, into the woods and headed for my mountain. It was still dusk as the last tip of sun dipped below the horizon, coloring the sky purple and pink. That was the kind of detail that I wouldn’t have even bothered with before, but now I noticed because life was good.

  As soon as I’d seen Ruby, my instincts told me that she was mine. Now I was realized how true that was, I needed her. I needed to make her mine, because she, quite literally brought the sun back into my life.

  Once I pulled off the road and onto the trail that led to my cabin, I felt something in my stomach unclench. I was back on my home territory, I was safe and I was carrying my prize with me. The whole ride, I was aware that Ruby only had a t-shirt and her bare arms, even tucked into my sides, would feel the cold breeze if I pushed the bike to go too fast. Now that we were in my territory and no one could see us or stop us, I slowed down more. I didn’t want her to feel the cold, no matter how much I treasured the way she snuggled into me, trying to keep herself warm.

  We pulled up outside the cabin and I cut the engine, waiting to her get off the bike first. She didn’t budge, she was still holding on to me. Her fingers had worked their way into the furrows of my abs.

  “Where are we?” she asked. I could feel her breath on the back of my ear, tickling the sensitive spot I had there. I twisted slightly, and looked up at the cabin. I might be in hiding, but I don’t see any reason to deprive myself. Sure it was a cabin, but it was one fit for a prince.

  “Home.”

  “Huh,” she muttered, getting off the bike, her jeans tight as maneuvered her way off the bike. I couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was, stumbling slightly. I’d never see
n such a beautiful woman be so clumsy before. It was obvious how different she was from the usual women at court; that she’d never been to a finishing school. She was a natural beauty, without any posturing or contrivance.

  She started struggling with the fastening of the helmet as I flipped down the kickstand and got off the bike, watching her in amusement. Now that there was no rush, I was free to watch her being cute.

  Finally she got the helmet off and I took it from her, still keeping an eye on her as she started working her fingers through the thick waterfall of her golden hair, smoothing it out after the ride.

  “You live here? By yourself?”

  “Yep.”

  Her green eyes were wide and her mouth dropping open in surprise. Just seeing that look on her face was enough to get me going, those full lips opening wide just for me and making my mind turn to all the things I wanted to do with those juicy and appetizing lips.

  “It’s nice, uh, very big, for one person.”

  “Yeah,” I didn’t bother hiding the smirk from my mouth. “It is very big.”

  She blushed, her face going that same shade of red as before and, just as before, I could see she didn’t just blush with her face, that her neck and chest blushed too. We weren’t in some dirty alley now, in danger of being discovered at any second. Now we were safe and on my land, I could find out how far down that blush really went.

  From the way that she was eyeing me, I knew that she liked what she saw, almost as much as I did.

  “Come, let’s get inside. You’re going to be staying here a while.”

  “What? I never agreed to that! You said we had to get away from the Corral, not that I’d have to, I dunno, go on the lam or something!”

  “Sweetheart,” I sighed. It would be easier if she didn’t look so fucking sexy when she got riled up! I could bet that she’d yell like that when I fucked her. It was really tough to think straight, and try to explain the whole situation to her when all I wanted to do was take her right there and then, on the front porch of the cabin. “You can’t go back there, not yet. You’re going to be staying here for a while.”