The castle’s heavy oak doors groaned shut behind Elise as she slipped into the night, her velvet cloak pulled tight around her shoulders. She’d traded her silk gown for a peasant’s dress, the rough fabric scraping against her thighs with every step. The town was alive—laughter spilled from taverns, the scent of roasted meat and ale thick in the air. She wasn’t a princess tonight. She was just a woman with a hunger she couldn’t name, and she intended to sate it.
Dante had been watching her for weeks. Months, even. The way her fingers lingered on the stem of her wine glass, the way her breath hitched when she thought no one was looking. He’d followed her tonight like a shadow, his broad frame blending into the crowd. When she turned the corner toward the seedier end of town, his jaw tightened. The brothel. He knew that look in her eyes—the same one that had haunted his dreams. But if she thought she was giving herself to some grunting stranger for a handful of coins, she was dead wrong.
He caught her wrist before she could push open the door. “You’re not going in there.”
Elise whirled, her cheeks flushed from wine and defiance. “Let go of me.”
“No.”
Her breath came faster, her chest rising and falling under the thin fabric of her dress. “I want to know what it’s like.”
Dante’s grip tightened, his thumb pressing into the delicate skin of her inner wrist. “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”
“Then show me.” Her voice was a challenge, a dare. “Or are you too much of a coward?”
Something inside him snapped. The last thread of his control unraveled as he backed her against the alley wall, his body caging hers. The air between them was thick with the scent of her—jasmine and something sweeter, something his. “You don’t know what you’re playing with, little princess.”
Elise tilted her chin up, her lips parting. “I’m not playing.”
Dante groaned, low and rough, before his mouth crashed onto hers. She gasped, but he swallowed the sound, his tongue sweeping inside to claim her. She tasted like wine and sin, and he couldn’t get enough. His hands were everywhere—gripping her hips, cupping her breast through the fabric, his thumb flicking over her nipple until she moaned into his kiss.
“Dante—”
“Shh.” He dropped to his knees in front of her, his breath hot through the fabric of her skirt. “You want to know what it’s like?” His fingers found the hem of her dress, bunching it up until the cool night air hit her bare thighs. “Then let me show you.”
Elise’s hands flew to his shoulders as his mouth pressed against the damp heat between her legs, his tongue dragging through her folds. She was already wet, already trembling, and the first taste of her nearly undid him. He groaned against her, his hands sliding under her ass to lift her onto his face. She cried out, her fingers tangling in his hair as he devoured her like a starving man.
“Oh gods—Dante—”
He didn’t let up. His tongue circled her clit, his lips sealing around it to suck until her thighs shook. She was close—he could feel it in the way her breath hitched, the way her nails dug into his scalp. He slid two fingers inside her, curling them just right, and she came with a broken sob, her pussy clenching around him as he lapped up every drop.
Before she could catch her breath, he was on his feet, his mouth crashing onto hers again. She could taste herself on his lips, and it made her whimper. “More,” she begged. “I need more.”
Dante growled, his hands rough as he spun her around, pressing her front against the wall. “You’re mine tonight,” he snarled, his cock already hard and aching as he freed it from his breeches. “Say it.”
Elise arched back against him, her ass brushing his length. “Yours.”
That was all he needed. He hiked her skirt up, his palm smacking her ass hard enough to make her gasp before he lined himself up. The first thrust was slow, deliberate—he wanted to feel every inch of her tight, virgin heat swallowing him. She cried out, her fingers clawing at the stone wall as he bottomed out.
“You’re perfect,” he groaned, his hips snapping forward. “So tight.” He set a punishing pace, his cock pistoning in and out of her as her moans filled the alley. Every time she clenched around him, he saw stars. Every time her breath hitched, he lost his mind.
Elise was lost to it—to the way he filled her, the way his hands gripped her hips like he’d never let go. When his fingers found her clit again, rubbing in tight circles, she shattered, her orgasm ripping through her as she screamed his name. Dante followed with a guttural groan, his release spilling deep inside her as he buried his face in her neck, his teeth grazing her pulse.
For a long moment, there was only the sound of their ragged breathing. Then Elise turned her head, her lips curling into a smirk. “So, My Knight…” she purred. “Does this mean you’re finally going to stop watching me from the shadows?”
Dante chuckled darkly, his manhood still twitching inside her. “Princess,” he murmured, his voice rough with promise, “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”