Taken by Storm (Storms of Blackwood Book 1) Read online

I had no idea if insulting someone was a genuine means of flirtation, but apparently that was the route I was taking. Clearly, I’d already spent too much time around Rob.

  “No, Dan’s right,” Ben confirmed. “The leaves of the trees are flipped, which means the wind currents have changed. You feel the difference in the temperature? A storm will probably roll in within a couple hours.”

  Dan raised his brows and smirked right back at me. “Maybe you should leave the science stuff to Ben. You’re probably better off just being sexy.” Then he winked, totally mimicking my play from a moment ago.

  I didn’t know why, but it turned me on. There was something absolutely alluring about his confidence. He was arrogant and cocky, sure, but it was more stimulating and less asshole-ish. Unlike a certain other brother who I wouldn’t mention...

  Speak of the devil, Rob trotted out on a pure white stallion, leading my golden girl on a rope behind him. Cal was there too on a dark brown steed whose mane and tail were woven into countless little braids.

  “Are we all ready for the picnic?” Cal asked with a stunning smile.

  It was hard for me to properly categorize that guy. He was tall and muscular, so my initial instinct was to put him in the same category as all the other dudes with rocking bodies and minimal brain cells. But he was also respectful, gentle, and kind, which made me want to group him in with the sweethearts, like Ben.

  Then again, Ben wasn’t just a sweetheart, either. He was smart too, but his intellect shined through in a nerdy, almost comedic sort of way. And Dan and Rob were equally difficult to categorize. They were both assholes, but Dan was a sexy asshole, while Rob was more of a bad-boy asshole.

  It was confusing.

  “We could be ready,” Rob muttered, “if Alexis would ever decide to mount up.”

  “Oh, I’d mount Alexis,” Dan teased, making my cheeks burn.

  I stood there, ignoring the boys as best I could, staring at Caramel as she stared back at me. I didn’t have time to be embarrassed by Dan’s remarks when I had the whole issue of inexperienced jockey to deal with.

  “Today, Jewels!” Rob grumbled, allowing his horse to prance around impatiently. Then his eyes lit up and a wicked grin took over his perfectly kissable mouth. “Unless...”

  Oh, gods, don’t say it. Don’t make me admit that I have no idea what I’m doing.

  “Unless nothing,” Ben said, coming up beside me and lifting me into the air. He lowered me down on Caramel’s saddle, winked, and gave me a shy half smile. Then he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. “I got you. Don’t worry.”

  It was possibly the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me, and for the first time in a hot minute, I was actually feeling drawn to him.

  “Ready when you are, bro,” Dan said to Cal, replying for us all.

  I stared at Ben for a moment longer, but before I could fully comprehend the emotional switches going on and off in my mind, we were trotting down a narrow path through the trees.

  “It’s okay,” Ben encouraged me with a grin. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He squeezed my horse’s rope and led us gently through the woods.

  I was pretty sure I melted in the saddle.

  “Why are you so nice?” I asked, marveling at his kindness.

  He chuckled, the deep bass of his voice rumbling in his chest. “Isn’t being nice common courtesy? Something most people do without even thinking?”

  I grinned. “Most people, yes. Most princes? No.”

  “You’ve met very many princes, have you?” he teased.

  “I’ve met four, which is about four times more than anyone else back in Blackleaf, and at least twice as many as I ever care to meet again.”

  “So, two of us are already on your shit list, huh? Am I one of them?”

  I honestly had no idea who I was mad at and who I wasn’t. I’d just picked a random number and threw it out there. But one thing I knew for sure, Ben was not one of them.

  “No way. After the stunt you just pulled with the horses, letting me keep my pride and shit, you’re my freaking hero.”

  He shot me another shy grin, one that had my insides doing flip-flops.

  “Glad to be of service, ma’am.”

  To be honest, I liked his use of the word way more than what would be considered reasonable. It made me feel powerful and confident, seductive even. Like I was a predator and he was my all-too-willing prey. Like I could order him to get off his horse and take off his clothes, and he’d totally do it.

  I bit my lip, battling with the desire to test out my theory, when Cal shouted back at us from up ahead.

  “Almost there!”

  “Well, that was a short ride,” I muttered. “Why’d we even need the horses?”

  Ben smiled. “Because the path is too narrow for carriages, and the picnic grounds are just a bit too far for walking during lunch. Horseback is the most practical, time-efficient means of transportation.”

  I grinned and shook my head. “You’re just a fucking encyclopedia of practical information, aren’t you?”

  “Sure am. And you’re a lexicon of curse words. It’s enough to make a sailor blush. I think I might have to start calling you that.”

  A laugh bubbled out of me. “What, lexicon?”

  “Well, it does go along with your name. Alexis, Lexi, Lexicon. But no. I meant Sailor.”

  I grinned as I bounced in the saddle. “Well, that’s a hell of a lot better than Jewels. I’ll take it.”

  “Not better than Sexy Lexi, though,” Dan chimed in from one horse ahead of us. “It’s flattering and it rhymes.”

  I turned forward, admiring his perfect ass and broad shoulders. “He’s got a point.”

  “Whatever you say, Sailor,” Ben conceded with a wink.

  His nerdy, shy-boy winks were starting to do things to me. Sexy things.

  Dan turned around, grinning, but the smile dropped right off his face when his eyes landed on my chest. He shot an accusatory glance at Ben. “Now I see why you’re playing superhero. You want those bouncy titties all to yourself.”

  My mouth fell open, and Ben’s cheeks flushed a deep pink.

  “That’s a perk,” he muttered a little guiltily, “not the purpose.”

  “Oh, they’re perky all right,” Dan agreed, yanking the rope right out of his brother’s hand. “I think I’ll take over from here. At least let her ride with someone who knows what to do with a pair of bouncing breasts.”

  My stupid mouth was still hanging open. “How do you know he’s not doing exactly what I want him to do with them?”

  “Which is?” Dan prodded mischievously.

  “Nothing.”

  “Right, said no woman ever.”

  Cal turned back and cupped his mouth with his hand. “We’re here!”

  A moment later, the forest opened up into a tiny meadow full of wildflowers. Half a dozen stone picnic tables sat tucked under a pavilion shimmering in the sunlight. The shingles seemed to be made of the same sparkling blue-green material the castle rooves were.

  “Sea stones,” Dan commented, following my gaze to the rooftop. “They’re all over the place at the Ebony Isles. Took my people months to haul them to the palace.”

  I turned to him. “Your people?”

  He shrugged. “I’m the Lord of Eastern Blackwood. My father might be in charge of the kingdom as a whole, but we like to think of ourselves as the rulers of our individual quadrants. After all, they were once four separate nations before the Storm King took over.”

  Now that sounded more like the history lesson Mom had briefly given me.

  “Was the palace just recently built?” I asked, curious in a way I’d never be during Professor Samson’s class.

  Dan shook his head. “No, the palace is thousands of years old. Supposedly, it was built back when the Greek gods were still around. My father has just been renovating it.”

  At the mention of the gods, I noticed some cracked, old statues tucked into the woods around the c
learing. Moss had grown over their heads and shoulders, but they were still a sight to behold. I chipped at stone for a living, and I couldn’t even imagine crafting something so smooth and magnificent.

  Cal dismounted in a fluid motion and began setting up one of the stone tables for lunch. Rob hopped off his horse to help him, and together they spread a red checkered tablecloth across the dusty gray surface. Ben and Dan climbed down too, the latter strolling over to me and Caramel with a seductive swagger in his step.

  His sea-green eyes met with my jeweled sandals first, then slowly slid up my calf and thigh where my gown had inadvertently ridden up. His gaze traveled higher, across my stomach, over my breasts, along my neck, and finally onto my face. My body burned like he’d touched me with his hands. But then his fingers followed the same path, trailing up my leg from my ankle to my knee to my thigh...

  I should have jerked away, not gasped in pleasure. I should have told him to stop, not silently begged him to keep going.

  A wicked, white-hot grin captivated his features as he continued his ascent. His palms slid past the skin of my thigh and dragged across the lacy yellow fabric of my dress, caressing my ass before landing on my waist. Then he helped me down from the saddle.

  “Fuck, that was hot,” I murmured as I landed.

  Apparently, it was loud enough for him to hear.

  “You like that?” he asked, leaning in so close his breath tickled my neck. He took a lock of my brown hair and curled it around his finger, drawing me closer.

  I nodded, too mesmerized to keep my raging fucking hormones in check.

  “That’s good, sexy girl,” he coaxed and encouraged me, making my very core throb. “Maybe later we can pick up where we left off?”

  “Dan! Alexis!” Cal shouted, breaking up our moment. Whether it was intentional or unknowing, I couldn’t guess. “Time to eat.”

  “Yes, I think it is,” Dan whispered with a cheeky grin.

  I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, hoping a little calm might cool my heated lady bits, but it didn’t. The Sea Prince smirked and strolled over to the picnic table, leaving me to follow like a dazed kitten in his wake.

  The banquet looked amazing. Almost good enough to make me forget the sexual tension coursing through my veins. Almost. There were dumplings and cakes and croissants and fudge. My mouth practically watered, and I was pretty sure my eyes physically lit up somehow.

  Cal chuckled. “You really like your sweets, don’t you?”

  I turned to him and grinned. “That’s actually what... someone else... used to call me. Sweets.”

  Adam, I thought, swallowing down his memory like a lump in my throat.

  “I could never afford fancy desserts back in Blackleaf,” I admitted uncomfortably. “So, every time he came around, he brought me a sweet treat.”

  “He?” Cal asked with a masked expression. It was almost too carefully concealed. “An old boyfriend?”

  Which would be safer? A lie or the truth? In the short term, I’d much rather lie and tell them no. But we were stuck in this for the long term, so I figured the truth would be best.

  I grabbed a square of fudge and took a little bite, the soft peanut butter and chocolatey goodness literally melting in my mouth. “Yes. But that was ages ago. Six years, to be exact. So, you don’t need to worry. Not that you were worried. Or jealous. Or whatever. Shit. Fuck. I need to shut the hell up.”

  I quickly grabbed another chunk of fudge and stuffed it in my mouth to keep me from talking.

  Rob smirked and shook his head. “You never stop digging, do you? Digging for literal jewels, digging for figurative jewels, digging holes you can’t possibly hope to crawl out of—”

  “Enough, Rob,” Cal said with a sigh. “She’s allowed to have exes. Mentioning them shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “And yet it is,” he retorted, eyeing his brother carefully. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

  Cal kept his features as void of emotion as possible. “No, I’m engaged.”

  “You’re not engaged.”

  “Close enough.” Cal’s gaze darted over to mine before focusing on the sandwich in his hand. “Besides, Ben’s the best choice, not either of us.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Rob said, crossing his tatted arms. “I’m staying out of this race.”

  Cal glared at him. “I was referring to Dan.”

  Dan scrunched his nose. “I’m not really in the race either. I’m more like a bystander on the side, ready to pour fluids in her mouth when she gets thirsty.”

  I nearly choked on my fudge.

  Dan tutted at me. “Come now, Lexi, surely you can handle more than that? If not, you’re going to be in for a big surprise.”

  Cal slammed his fists on the table, somehow rattling the stone structure beneath. “She’s not going to be sucking your dick, and you’re not going to be fucking her! End of story.”

  As much as I appreciated him sticking up for me, I was kind of annoyed that Cal would presume to make the decision on my behalf.

  “Not end of story,” I countered, capturing him in a determined gaze. “Your father told me I could choose which prince I wanted, and I won’t have you making my decisions for me.”

  He stared at me for a moment, blond hair almost dipping into his blue eyes, while Dan and Rob smirked stupidly in the background. Finally, after a long moment, Cal sighed and turned back to his sandwich, taking a huge bite before replying.

  “Fine. Just as long as you don’t choose me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and I knew I’d struck another nerve. It made me want to cackle like a villain.

  “As fine as you are,” I continued smoothly, “I wouldn’t want to start a war over you.”

  He swallowed hard and seemed to be trying valiantly not to look at me.

  My eyes roamed from Cal, over to Ben, onto Dan, then stopped at Rob.

  I had no fucking clue what I was doing, teasing them like that. I’d probably be scared shitless if they ever took the bait. And that little fantasy I had about them all four taking me at once? Yeah, that was looking perfectly terrifying right about then.

  I rolled my eyes at my own mental bullshit. Yeah right. More like terrifyingly perfect.

  How was I ever going to choose?

  Chapter 9

  After lunch, I rushed up to my room and locked the door behind me.

  Magic lessons were next on the agenda, but I was in no frame of mind to do anything until I... relieved a little tension. Their sexiness mixed with my horniness was obviously killing off my brain cells. I had a feeling I’d need those damned things if I hoped to make it through the rest of the day.

  So, I drew water for a bath and sprinkled in some rose petals. Then I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, imagining what it’d be like to be at the complete mercy of the princes. How hot their gazes would be as they perused my body, how their pants would bulge, how my nipples would tighten.

  Strip, one of them would order. Probably Cal. He liked to be the leader, the one in control; plus he seemed to enjoy bossing me around.

  I slid my dress down my shoulders, savoring the gentle tickle of the fabric as it grazed past my skin, and let it pool on the floor.

  Get in the water, sexy girl, Dan would say.

  Obediently, I turned to the tub and the scene wavered, morphing from a fancy bathroom into a moonlit lagoon hidden amongst the trees. The water glowed as if kissed by magic, and all four princes were waist deep in it, their shirtless, muscular forms making me breathless.

  I strode closer, dipping my toes into the heated pool before sinking below the glassy surface until it touched my chin.

  My fingertips found my neck and slowly traced my racing pulse down to my collarbone and over the top of my breasts, teasing myself. In my mind, it was Ben. He stared at me intently before moving his fingers back up, tracing my jawline and my lips. I gently bit my finger before sucking it into my mouth, pretending it was his.
I imagined his chest heaving, his brown eyes getting heavy with lust.

  Then Rob would come up behind me, pressing me tightly between their two heated bodies. His touch would be nothing like the others—firm and painful, somehow heightening my pleasure. I pinched my nipples hard, imagining his cruel touch as his other hand reached down and squeezed my ass. He’d bite my neck hard enough to bruise, and while I threw my head back in pleasure, Ben would slide his fingers lower.

  My fingertips slipped between my breasts, across the soft plane of my stomach, and onto my pubic bone, desperately wanting to go that extra inch.

  Not yet, Dan would whisper in my ear. He’d want to tease me until I couldn’t see straight before finally giving me what I so desperately needed.

  Ben would wait too, caressing the skin of my inner thighs and lower abdomen, amping up my desire, while Rob pinched, squeezed, and tortured me from behind.

  Finally, Cal would take control, turning me around to end my suffering. Ben’s fingers would find my clit and rub tiny circles as Cal eased his massive cock into me, making me shudder. My muscles would go weak, and my head would fall to the side, and I’d get an intimate view of Dan stroking himself as he watched. His pale-green eyes so dark and dangerous, so fucking addicting.

  I rubbed myself, pleased to find the pressure building quickly. The faster I got this over with, the faster I could get on with my life and pretend it never happened. Pretend the princes didn’t captivate and consume me. Pretend I didn’t crave them in a completely irrational way.

  I imagined Cal pumping into me, bringing me closer to the edge. Ben’s fingers circling, Rob’s fingers digging, Dan’s hand jerking faster.

  A knock sounded at the bathroom door, causing me to splash water over the side of the tub as I sat up straight. How the fuck had someone gotten in my room?

  “Yes?” I asked, voice just breathless enough to possibly be mistaken for fear instead of pleasure.

  “Lex?” Gemma called, her voice muffled through the thick wood of the door. “The main door was unlocked so I let myself in. The princes came in too. They’re waiting to take you to your magic lessons.”

  My heart pounded. The princes were in my room? Right outside my bathroom door? How fucking hot would it be to get off on a fantasy about them while they were mere feet away from me and totally oblivious to it?