Page 21 of All Hale the Queen

Then we had phone sex, a first for me. Let’s just say I’m a fan, though the real thing is always better.

And now, a month later, the real thing is standing on my doorstep looking like a beast in formal wear. His hair is slicked back more than usual, he seems to have trimmed his beard, and the tux fits his huge frame like a glove, obviously custom made.

“Hi,” I say, sounding like a breathless teen on prom night becausedear god, he is so ruggedly handsome.

Antonio sounds just as enamored when his eyes drop down my floor-length, fitted black dress.

“Hello, yourself, my beautiful lady.”

I have to stiffen my knees to keep from swooning to the floor. “You brought me flowers for our fake date?”

He leans in to kiss my cheek, and I inhale the woodsy scent of his aftershave mixed with the light floral notes of the pink orchids. “No, darlin’. I brought you flowers for our real date that your son thinks is a fake date.”

His beard brushes my ear, and I contemplate skipping the entire dinner and simply devouring Antonio all night. And I probably would if this cause wasn’t so important to me.

Antonio seems to mirror my thoughts because he whispers, “You’re lucky you’re still dressed right now, Ophelia. If you knew the things I was thinking of doing to you, you’d probably run and hide in the closet.”

“Would you come find me?” I tease, and his dark chuckle warms the flesh of my neck.

“You know I would. And you know what I’d do to you when I found you.”

An electric shiver of desire runs down my spine when Antonio slides a hand around and gives my ass a light slap.

“Maybe we should play a game of sexy hide-and-seek,” I suggest.

He pulls back and grins. “I think that could be fun. What do I get when I find you?”

“Ifyou find me,” I retort, and the slow grin that creeps across his face is wickedly delicious.

“When. And I think I should get to fuck your tight little arse, love. Would you let me do that?”

My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I think about it. Antonio and I had done a lot of sexual things since we first started this little… whatever it is we’re doing. But anal is something we haven’t tried yet, mostly because I like my rectum intact. He’s played with me back there, often fingering my ass while we’re fucking, and I’d been surprised at how much I liked it. I’m not an anal virgin, but it’s never been something I looked forward to.

But now…

“I would,” I confirm, and I feel him harden against my stomach.

“Great,” he says, looking down at the large bulge in his tuxedo pants. “Now I’m going to be sporting an erection at a formal event.”

I pat his chest and take a step back. “I’m sure everyone will be very impressed, honey.”

***

“Thank you for picking me up,” I say. “How did you manage that with Remi?”

Antonio turns on the blinker of his vintage red Camaro to merge onto the freeway. “I told him I take safety seriously—not just his, but his family’s as well—and I thought it would look better for the ruse if we arrived together.” His amused eyes flick to me on the word “ruse.”

“Good plan, though there’s nothing unsafe about J.P. He’s simply persistent, and I was trying to avoid being rude when he asked me out. Again.”

My date’s eyebrows lower over his green eyes. “How many times has he asked you out?”

“Mmm,” I hum, thinking about it. “Probably ten or twelve times over the past two years.”

He snorts. “That’s not persistent, love. That’s an arsehole who doesn’t take no for an answer.”

“I guess I should be more firm with him instead of making excuses,” I muse. “But it’s hard for me to be unkind to someone who hasn’t actually done anything wrong.”

“I’d be happy to be unkind on your behalf,” he grumbles.