Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 64: Between You and Me

The feeling of the cool night air against her flushed face made Camilla even dizzier. Still holding her firmly by the waist, William led her down a small cleared path and to a cluster of timber arbours.

"Hold on to one of the posts and breathe slowly." William instructed her. "You’re not going to faint, are you?"

"No!" Camilla gritted her teeth. As if she hadn’t already embarrassed herself enough. At least he was trying to be helpful and had now stopped teasing her about it, she supposed.

Holding to one of the arbour’s rough hewn posts, Camilla closed her eyes and took long, slow breaths of the crisp air. After several minutes, she gradually felt her dizziness subside and her thoughts clear. She was still a little unsteady on her feet but no longer thought that going down a flight of stairs would send her tumbling. She sighed in relief.

"Feeling better?" She turned around and saw the prince leaning against a tree trunk and watching her.

She nodded slightly, smiling. "Much better. You were right about fresh air helping."

"Well, I know what it’s like to need to sober up quickly." William sounded amused. Then his voice grew softer, quieter.

"Since you’re feeling better then, come closer."

Camilla looked in his direction, puzzled by the sudden change. His face was half hidden in the shadow of the tree’s canopy, making it hard for her to read his expression.

She took a couple of steps in his direction, then stopped, hesitating.

"Closer."

Drawn towards his voice, she took a couple more tentative steps. His face was out of the shadow now and his narrowed gaze was boring into hers.

"Closer again, my dear." His voice was low and alluring, like dark, sweet honey.

Camilla stopped when she was a short distance away from him, unsure why she could suddenly feel her pulse throbbing in her veins. Under his intense stare, she felt both admired and exposed. She suddenly crossed her arms around her chest.

"Are you afraid of me?" There was a hint of a smile on his beautiful mouth.

Was she afraid though? It wasn’t so much fear as apprehension, she thought to herself. Apprehension mixed with excitement over something she couldn’t put her finger on. Slowly, she cast her eyes down and shook her head.

Camilla couldn’t bring herself to look up when William closed the distance between them. He placed two fingers under her chin and gently tipped her face upwards until their eyes locked.

"No, I don’t think you are afraid of me." His voice was a tempting hum. "I think you’re just unsure of yourself." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His thumb brushed slowly along her lower lip, causing her to shiver slightly. Then he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

For a moment, Camilla was frozen on the spot and couldn’t react. But as he softly kissed again and again, warmth began to pool in her belly and slowly spread to her limbs. She felt one of his hands pressing on the small of her back, while his other hand slowly traced the line of her jaw and then buried itself in her hair. The faint scent of roses filled the air as his hand accidentally crushed one of the blossoms in her flower crown. She uncrossed her arms and slowly wound them around William’s neck.

The kiss deepened and he used the hand in her hair to tip her head in the direction he wanted, so that he could kiss her harder. He then delicately traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. Camilla parted her own lips at the surprising sensation. When she did, the prince took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, pulling her tighter against his chest. She gasped, not sure if it was out of fear or pleasure.

Camilla felt herself growing dizzy again, but it was a far more pleasant feeling than when she had drunk too much wine. She felt as if every nerve in her body was alert and humming, sparking with something she couldn’t explain. A feeling akin to hunger was building up in her belly. She ran her fingers through his hair.

William finally broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. The disappointment she felt when he eased away was almost like a punch in the chest. Unable to bear it a moment longer, Camilla tightened her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth against hers again. She felt and heard him chuckle as he kissed her again.

Camilla found herself clinging to the prince’s shoulders. She could feel his hands slowly running up and down her back, the heat of them warming her though her thin dress. Tighter and tighter he pulled her against his frame until she could suddenly feel a hard, unfamiliar bulge against her lower belly. She flinched slightly, suddenly frightened.

William suddenly let go of her and took a step back, as if he sensed her fear. Both of them faced each other, wide eyed and gasping for breath. His voice was hoarse when he finally broke the silence. "You should probably head back."

"Back?" Camilla’s mind was completely blank.

"To the costume ball."

"Oh..." she had completely forgotten about the ball. All she could hear was her pulse thudding in her ears. She was standing there eager to kiss him again, yet he seemed to have changed his mind and was now trying to get rid of her. "You want me to leave?"

William gave a short, harsh laugh and raked his hands through his messy hair. "What? Of course I don’t want you to fucking leave. But I think it’s best that you go, while I still have a thread of self control left."

Camilla tipped her head, hesitating. Perhaps one more kiss then, before she left...

William must have read the intent in her eyes because he deliberately looked away. "Go, goddamn it! Back to the castle. Get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind."

His sharp tone jolted Camilla out of her almost dreamy state. He had been so sweet to her all evening, kissed her until she barely remembered her own name and now suddenly he was sending her away? How did he run so hot and cold, so quickly?

Feeling offended, she turned and started heading back towards the castle in a huff.

The further she walked, the angrier she felt. There was no understanding that man. It was like he deliberately wanted her to always feel confused by him.

As she slipped into a darkened corridor she knew would lead her towards the back of the banquet hall, a shadow suddenly stepped out and blocked her path. She looked up and realised it was Sir Richard Bentworth. He leered down at her.

"Good evening, Princess. It’s such a nice night for a walk in the gardens. Care to join me?"

Camilla shook her head. "I’m feeling tired, Sir Richard. I just want to rest now." She tried to skirt past him but his bulky frame blocked her path. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly towards him.

Camilla instantly stiffened. It was the second time in less than a few minutes she had been so close to a man’s body. But while Prince William’s presence had made her feel both safe and giddy with butterflies, being this close to Richard repelled her.

"Come on, don’t pretend to be shy. Why don’t you want to kiss me like you kissed Will?" His grip was turning painful as she tried to wrangle out of his hold.

"You were watching us?" Camilla choked out the question, feeling her face grow hot with shame. It never occurred to her that someone would follow them out to the arbours.

"Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about it. It can stay a secret between you and me. For a price, of course." His breath was unpleasantly hot on her face.

Fear stabbed at her heart as she tried to free her arm and escape. Richard grabbed her other arm and pulled her against him. "What, am I not good enough for you? You’re willing to act like a whore for a prince but not for me?" Suddenly he squeezed her breast roughly with his right hand.

Camilla almost screamed. She shoved him away with all her strength and managed to make him stumble back slightly. She used the opportunity to flee, running as fast as she could. She didn’t stop until she reached her rooms. Locking the bedchamber door behind her, she leaned against the door while shaking and gasping for air.

She ripped the flower crown off her head and sat on the edge of her bed. She felt on edge and strangely dirty, as if she’d committed a terrible sin. Even though it was late, Camilla called her maids to run her a bath. She wanted soak in the water to wash every trace of Richard Bentworth from her skin.