His skilful hands rested on the small of her back and traced her spine while his tongue took her places she never knew existed. It took a few minutes for her to snap back to reality. The reality where she was a princess promised to wed the most powerful king. The reality where she was committing a crime worse than treason. Where she could be the end of him. Strangely, it was the last part that scared her the most.
"Zaria."
His desire filled voice was the last thing she needed. Pulling away from him was hard enough. Still breathless, she shook her head to consciously block his voice.
"Please don't. You need to go back home, Oscar."she pleaded.
He mirrored her and shook his head in defiance.
"Not after that."
Flattery and seduction were his tuff, one he was great at. The aim was to leave the princess yearning for him but he was completely buffled and overwhelmed by what had just happened. Never had it happened before that his own initiative leave him equally vulnerable.
"That never happened."
It did not matter which one of them she was trying to convince with that. Denying it was best for both of them. Oscar knew it too but he was on a mission he could not afford to fail.
He smiled at her before walking away and mounting his stallion. Experience told him that the princess needed time to come into terms with the fact that he had successfully planted his reigning flag in her guarded palace.
"I am not going anywhere. See you tomorrow, Your Majesty."
She let out a loud sigh and watched him ride off before scolding her rebellious mind.
"What's gotten into you, Zaria? What happened to your self-control? He is a man damn it! Man can't be trusted."
Unfortunately, no amount of self scolding wiped away the memories of the passionate kisses and the feeling of having his arms around her. Her damp panties was evidence that she was fighting a losing battle.
"You are never meeting him again, Zaria," she told herself over and over again, yet she found herself ridding back to what had become their meeting place thevery next day.
His strong masculine arms were around her the moment she got off her horse. His lips met hers before greetings could be uttered. She did not answer his calls the previous night. He was starting to think he spooked her when she did not arrive at her usual time.
Breathless and completely lost in each other, he was the one who broke off the kiss this time. He made sure to keep her in his arms. His forehead rested against hers, forcing their eyes to meet.
"Don't tell me to go, My princess, because I can't. Do not ignore my calls, because I can not sleep without hearing your voice."
She swallowed her saliva, his pleading voice pulling every inch of her heart strings. A big part of her did not want him to go either. Ignoring his calls was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. She hardly slept wondering if she hurt him. "Someone will find out and you will surely die," she whispered.
His racing heart danced at his triumph.
"If it is for you, then I am ready to lay down my …"
"No!"
She would not let him complete his sentence. A cold chill descended from her heart down to her spine. As to when exactly she started openly caring for the life of the unconventional, life-daring man holding her was another conundrum she decided not to dismantle.
"I will gladly die than not see or talk to you again. Let me bask in this feeling, our hearts against each other like this..this feeling is something I am willing to die for."
She momentarily closed her eyes, the whole thing between them was utter madness that could only end in disaster, yet she could not stop it. He had trespassed to her very soul and made himself a resident.
"This place is too open. It's too risky," she warned when she noticed his head dropping down to kiss her.
He smiled before planting a kiss on her luscious lips. At least she was no longer pushing him away or trying to send him away. That was another tick to his box.
"I know a safe place, come with me."
She hesitated. She was crossing a line she could not uncross and risking too much for a man she hardly knew. She became weary of any strange man after her attempted abduction, yet Oscar seemed to have sailed through into her life.
"My ranch is just over a kilometre away from here. It's no castle, but it's private, comfortable and safe."
She swallowed her saliva before turning to look at her horse. If only she could bounce her uncertainties with it, but this was a decision only she could make.
He chuckled before mounting his horse and riding slowly away from her. He now had no doubts that the princess was into him. "I will lead. Try to catch up, if you can."
She curled her lips, watching him speed off, safety no longer her priority. He had intentionally evoked her competitive spirit and the princess was never one to not rise to a challenge. Her horse was galloping right next to his in a matter of seconds.
His heart danced as they rode into his farm. It costed him a fortune to secure that particular land, but it was proving to be worth it.
Her eyes quickly scanned the green covered acres of land before her. It was a few kilometres away from her castle, yet she knew not of its existence until that moment. She found the dead silence more unsettling than the fear of being seen by his employees. There was just no way that the man riding beside her could be handling all that land alone, but where was everyone?
"I gave everyone a break for a job well done, if you are wondering." He read through her. He would also be worried and suspicious if he rode into such silence.
"Why?"
"Because I kissed a princess and she cares about my life."
Dismounting his horse, he offered her his hand to help her down like a gentleman. She rolled her eyes, ignoring him and dismounting by herself. The seemingly gentlemen stunt always left her feeling somewhat deficient. Her own brother would not offer her his hand when he finds her performing a seemingly feminine task, yet he always did when dismounting a horse he knew too well she was capable of doing.
"I was trying to be noble."
"You are not even close.."
His lips covered hers before she could complete her sentence. Soon she was trapped between the stable and his sensual body. With his arms around her, he drank from her lips, satisfying the desire only she could satisfy.
Breathless, mind in chaos and feet wobble, she used all her strength to break off and hurry to her horse. Her mind seemed to have snapped out of a spell and started critically analysing her reckless actions. No matter how she looked at it, nothing good would come out of this.
"Zaria?"
She ignored his raw almost hoarse voice and mounted her horse.
"I should not have come here. I have to go."
His lips curled into a mischievous smile. He never expected a smooth victory with her. He would be disappointed if she carved in so easily. Her every resistance to his charm mounted to a fierce battle he had longed for. It placed her in a whole category of her own. He had finally met a fierce opponent, but one he was certain he would eventually defeat.
"You are scared," he smirked, intentionally aggravating her.
"I am not. This is …"
"Love," he interjected. "It's called love."
She frantically shook her head in disagreement. Chills descended down her spine. The last man she loved, crushed her very soul. She just could not love anyone, no matter how perfect he was. She had boldly told her father that she would marry for love, but in actual fact that word terrified her. Intentional in every word he uttered, Oscar knew that too.
"I don't even know you!" she snapped at him, his grin getting to her.
"Yet you love me so much you just can't have me executed."
"That has nothing to do with love!"
"Go then, Your Grace. You now know where to find me."
"You don't order me to do anything!" she yelled, frustrated with herself for being there in the first place and with him for being so relentless.
"My workers only return after a week,"he shouted behind her, amused.
Rolling her eyes at his presumptive utterance, she commanded her horse and rode off without looking back.
He laughed out loud as he watched her ride away. Experience told him that she would be back and immediately started preparing for the next phase of his plan.
Victory shall be mine, My Princess.