There were eight pillows on the bed, five roses in the vase on the nightstand, three wax candles in the snuffed candelabra, twelve paintings on the walls, four tall windows facing the ocean, and thirty-one…thirty-two…thirty-three…
Thirty-five silk bows adorning the ruffled canopy hanging above her bed.
Ro dropped her hand to the mattress and sighed, moving her gaze around the room for something to count next. Sagi had suggested this counting exercise as a way of helping her fall asleep, but it wasn't working and hadn't been for the past few nights.
It'd been a week since she came to civilization and while they'd been stressful the first three days, from the moment Antonio proposed and she also miraculously found her mother within the next five minutes, she had never felt so wonderful. Her mother, the queen of the prosperous and proud kingdom of Paladia had given her all the answers to her burning questions about where she belonged and her real identity. She was no longer known as the shipwrecked island girl but the crown Princess of her own kingdom, soon to be crowned queen and presented to her people once the wedding to Prince Antonio would take place.
With her mother briefly returning to Paladia to organise her coronation, there was one thing, or rather, one person she could put all her focus into.
Ro smiled, holding her pillow against her chest and curling in her bed.
Warmth seeped into her face as she remembered the way Antonio's lips felt against hers when he bid her goodnight earlier. She brushed her lips with her fingertips, swearing she could still feel the silkiness of his mouth and smell the hint of sea and sun on his skin. That small contact was the most they'd had these past few days, between wedding planning and courtly duties, and it was nowhere near enough to the point that she was unable to concentrate or sleep due to her replaying those small moments over and over again.
Feeling hot, she threw off the covers and climbed out of bed to stand at the open balcony, suddenly finding the need for fresh air. With her fingers curled around the banister, Ro closed her eyes and tilted her chin toward the sky, allowing the sea breeze to lift and flow through her unbound locks. Ro glanced at the balcony jutting over the rocks below at the opposite end of the wall from her own, the darkened windows reflecting the full moon over the sea. It was Antonio's room, and the late hour and closed balcony doors suggested that he was asleep.
Butterflies fluttered awake in her belly as she thought of him and of how close he was. He was hers as much as she was his, and in just a few week's time they'd be married, and she wouldn't have to spend her nights alone anymore. The thought of curling up next to him and falling asleep made her giddy—if only they could get married tomorrow!
But why do I have to wait? If the prolonged glances and secret smiles meant anything, it was that Antonio was as eager to see her as she was him, so why couldn't they spend the night together?
Unable to think of an answer, Ro decided she'd see him. Now. She couldn't wait.
Without needing any further convincing, she returned inside only to run a hairbrush through her hair before exiting her room and slipping into the dark hall. The two guards stationed outside her door both blinked in surprise at her sudden appearance, the young woman waving at them as she continued down the hall without a word as to where she was headed.
"Princess," one of them interjected, taking a step forward. "May I ask where you are headed?"
Ro paused to look back at them, smiling as she said, "I'm going to see Antonio!"
Both guards turned crimson and exchanged similar raised-brow looks before one of them stuttered, "P-please, your highness, it's very late. We can send a messenger to alert his highness that you were looking for him."
Ro was already shaking her head. "I want to see him myself, but thank you. Goodnight!"
As soon as she slipped into his room by miraculously bypassing the guards, she fell asleep so quickly, nestled up in his arms, with one leg hooked over his hips. Antonio had drifted off to deep sleep and was too tired to notice that she had even climbed in. He probably thought he was dreaming.
Until…
"Good morning, Antonio…"
He blinked twice, rubbing his eyes. He instantly smiled. "Good morning, wow…so it wasn't a dream…"
Ro shifted closer to him. "Dream? What have you been dreaming of?"
"Only that my bride-to-be has decided to join me in my bed earlier than expected…" he smirked before pulling her on top of him, placing his hands on either side of her thighs. Ro leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him softly. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He said sincerely. "A lot. You know that?"
She nodded vigorously and kissed him again. Still holding her thighs he pushed her back onto the bed, sliding his knee between her thighs and kissing her lips, her neck, her chest. Her breathing quickened and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
The truth was, Ro hadn't quite been clued in to the impropriety of sleeping in a man's bed before they were married, but Antonio would be damned before he would tell her that. He had been wanting this forever and finally had a chance to, and she seemed as eager as he was—so why wait?
A knock on the door. "Your highness? Are you awake?"
Antonio let out a shaking breath as a maid came to stir him awake. Great timing.
"I'm awake! Just getting dressed—"
"I'll come help–oh!" The maid opened the door too fast, seeing the unmarried couple splayed out on the bed and on top of each other. She quickly shut the door.
"Shit." Antonio mumbled, rolling off Ro and following the maid out the door.
"Wait, what's wrong?" Ro asked, calling after him.
The maid hadn't gotten far, though she was walking at a good pace.
"Excuse me?" Antonio called out.
"Oh, your highness." The maid spun around and dropped into a deep curtsey, refusing to meet his eye.
"I'm so sorry. I never meant to interrupt, I didn't know, I'm very sorry your highness."
"No, no, no." Antonio shook his hands. "My apologies to you that you had to see that. But…let's just keep this between us, alright?"
"But sire-" the maid wrung her hands, thinking over the impropriety of it all. But she nodded. "Alright. Of course."
"Thank you." Antonio breathed. He'd find some way to reward her.
He knew what they were doing was improper, but he just couldn't bring himself to see it as wrong. He loved Ro, he wanted her, all of her. And she wanted him too. She kissed him back, she wrapped her arms around him, she was always smiling and giggling and pressing herself against him. She clearly wanted this as much as he did. Up until a few minutes ago, they were good at keeping everything under wraps. And they hadn't even had sex yet, so what was the threat?
Antonio bid the maid good-day and turned back to Ro's room.
"Was she terribly embarrassed?" Ro chuckled.
"A little, but I think she'll be fine." Antonio closed the door.
"So what're we going to do today?" Ro asked cheerfully, getting out of the bed. "Are there more parts of the castle we haven't explored yet?"
"I was thinking…we might headoutsidethe castle premises today." Antonio suggested.
Ro's eyes sparked. "Oh! Are we going to take a tour of your kingdom?"
"Actually I was thinking…we go somewhere a little more…secluded." Antonio replied softly, suggestively.
"Secluded…?"
"Yes, there's a beach right below the castle on the other side." Antonio said. "What do you say?"
"I can't wait!" Ro said excitedly.
…
Ro held up a seashell. "Look!"
"Oh, how beautiful." Antonio smiled.
Clouds rolled and rumbled over them, and the beach was completely empty. Though they were far from royal land, having spent the day slowly swimming their way down, no one else was out on the beach.
"I found another shell." Antonio offered a small conch shell.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" Ro said, opening her shell bag. "Here, let me make sure no one is living in it."
Lightning streaked across the sky as thunder rumbled.
"A storm is coming." Antonio warned, sliding over to where Ro sat in the shallows.
"Does that mean we should go?"
"Do you want to?" Antonio asked, leaning in to kiss her, and pulling her onto his lap.
"How could you expect me to say no after that?"
Antonio pulled her into deeper water, running his hands down her waist, over her bottom, and to the tops of her thighs, where he pulled her up and onto him. She wrapped her legs instinctually around his hips and settled into him, sighing against his lips. This was exactly why he picked this beach. They were alone, at last.
Her skirts billowed around them, creating too much excess space, too much between them. He pushed them back, but the depth of the water and the energy he spent both keeping them afloat and pushing her skirts back meant there was nothing they could do besides kiss, anyway.
Ro pushed her hands under his shirt, feeling the smooth planes of his muscles and liking how he bent towards her touch. Antonio, with a bump, hoisted her up higher and settled her on his body before her skirts could rush back down. She felt something pressing up between her legs that wasn't there only a moment ago but it felt good to have something pressing against her like that. She ground herself into him, liking how it felt to be so close, and wishing she could be closer.
Antonio moaned and leaned his head back, kicking them into shallow water, where he could finally stand.
"I love you." Ro muttered.
The storm finally broke over them and the rain poured down. Ro screamed, in excitement, in surprise, to express the feeling that were being pent up within her that needed to get out, someway, somehow, but she just couldn't seem to manage it.
Antonio slipped one hand over the inside of her thigh and Ro bucked a little at the new sensation. Antonio paused, but she kissed him fervently still, moving to his ear, his neck, so he continued into this new territory.
He ran his finger up between her folds, stopping at her clit and rubbing it gently and in circles. Ro sighed and stopped kissing him for only a moment, resting her forehead against his.
"Faster." She said, pushing herself harder onto his hand. "That feels so good."
Antonio smiled, but felt his own erection grow stronger to the point where he would burst, and wished for some relief. He felt a moment of selfish pride that he was the first person to ever touch her in this way, that he was the person to not only get to show her the human world, but some of the special joys of being in love as well.
He set her against his covered erection again, making her moan in anticipation, but rub up against him. He pulled the laces on the front of her top and pushed it open, revealing her shift, soaked through. Her breasts were small, her nipples pointed, and he could've, would've fucked her right there if he had let himself give in. But she deserved a slow build, to enjoy every step of her first time, and he didn't want to push her too far, too quickly.
Ro began grinding into him, desperate for more attention, and he pulled the tie on her shift, letting it fall beneath her breasts. He held her up in the water with his left hand, and squeezed her breast with his right, rubbing his thumb over her nipple and fondling it gently.
"You're so beautiful," he mumbled, kissing her hard.
"Antonio, do something," Ro pleaded, not having the words to describe the release she wanted.
Kissing her neck, sucking on it hard, he reached his right hand back between her thighs. She was receptive to this, opening her legs further and leaning her head back to give him more space, more permission, to fill her up and take her now.
Antonio rubbed her clit with more vigor this time, then paused. As she leaned her head up, he, very carefully, slid two fingers within her. She gasped and clenched, but relaxed almost right after, pressing into his fingers and he moved in and out, in and out.
"How does that feel?" he asked.
"Amazing." She said, "Like nothing I've ever felt before."
Antonio reached his thumb up to continue rubbing her clit. "And that?"
"Even better." She sighed, hardly moving at all. "What are you even doing?"
"I'm inside you." He said.
"Does it feel good for you?"
"Knowing that I'm making you feel good? Yes. There's more we can do, but we can get to that later."
"No, now!" Ro moaned. She wanted more, and she wanted Antonio to feel as undone as she felt. She felt her body contract and felt very warm and relaxed all of the sudden.
Antonio kissed her full on the lips, reminding himself that she had never possibly seen a cock before, and that sex was all very new to her. "Soon." He promised, kissing her forehead. "But we should get back to the palace, before our parents think we've drowned."