Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 95: Sweeter Dreams

William felt her delicious warm wetness tighten around him as she screamed. It tipped him over the edge and a rush of pure bliss ran through his body. He shuddered uncontrollably and uttered a string of curses into the crook of the girl’s neck. After several seconds, he slumped over her, utterly spent and his breath heaving. He could feel her chest rising and falling quickly beneath him.

He slowly pushed himself off her and lay at Camilla’s side, his breathing ragged and one arm still tucked under her back. Running his free hand through his hair, he glanced over to where she lay, flushed and limp.

"So then," his voice was husky and sated. "That wasn’t so bad, was it?"

Camilla looked at him through half closed eyes. "No. I expected worse."

He chuckled and closed his own eyes. "Goddamn. If I’d known deflowering a royal maiden was this rewarding, I would have pursued you twice as hard. I would’ve had you months ago."

Camilla thought about his words, a sinking feeling slowly growing in the pit of her belly. "But you have done all this before." she said quietly.

"Yes."

"Many different times."

"I suppose..."

"With many different women." Camilla tried to keep the disillusionment out of her voice but couldn’t.

"Uhh...what questions!" William blushed slightly and gave an uncomfortable laugh at her directness. "Alright, yes. I’ve lain with other women before. But this is different. You’re different."

"Why-"

"Don’t ask me why it’s different, it just is! It’s not something I can really explain." William rushed to interrupt her questioning. "Then again," he paused to smirk at her. "I’ve never heard a princess gasp my name from pleasure before."

"William!" Camilla felt her face go crimson as he laughed again. She quickly covered her eyes with her hand. "Do you really have to talk that way?"

"I only do it to make you blush." He looked at her again and she blushed even more, breaking eye contact and wrapping her arms self consciously across her chest. He sat up and grabbed the blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed, stretching it over her. Camilla pulled it over herself shyly until only her bare shoulders were visible.

William shook his head. "What a woman as beautiful as you has to be self conscious about, I’ll never know." He lay back on the bed next to her and both were quiet for a few moments as their breathing slowed.

Camilla didn’t want to interrupt the aura of calm and peace around them. She wished the moment could last forever, but she knew she had to ask the inevitable question. "What will become of me now?"

He turned to face her. "What do you mean?"

Camilla hesitated, hating she had to put the obvious into words. But William had always made it clear his pursuit of her had been to achieve a specific goal. He just wanted to lie with her. Now that he had achieved his goal, he would move on and she needed to think about what her future would look like without him in it.

"When I go back to Moraigth, my uncle will want to marry me off. But haven’t I, um...just ruined my chances of making a good marriage?"

William propped himself up on one elbow and stared at her with his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? You want to go back to Moraigth to get married?"

"No, of course not! But I can’t stay here forever, can I?"

"Why not? Don’t you like it here?"

Camilla clenched the blanket covering her until her fists started to ache. "Well yes, I mean...I’ve grown to like it here. And there’s nothing in Moraigth for me to return to. But I can’t just remain in exile. I can’t live off your king’s goodwill forever. Someday my uncle will order me home and I’ll have to obey, even if I don’t want to."

"If King Edward refuses to let you go, you can stay here. You’re in his custody. Your uncle won’t dare risk war by insisting you be sent back." William’s stare was intense, pinning her in place.

"Why would King Edward refuse to let me go?" Camilla wasn’t following the unexpected direction of the conversation at all. What did the Islian king have to do with what had just happened between them? And why should the king care about where she preferred to stay? Politics would always trump all.

"Don’t worry. I’ll convince him to let you stay here as long as you want." William’s voice had a hard, decisive edge.

"Why? I mean...and how do you plan to do that?"

"By my powers of persuasion. Trust me, I’m very persuasive when I want to be." He flashed her a small smile. "You have my word. I shall speak to my uncle about it first thing tomorrow. And I can convince him to keep you here."

Camilla nodded slowly, feeling unsure about what he was promising her. On one hand, it warmed her heart that he was offering to help her stay. On the other hand, she didn’t want to stay in Islia only to watch William lose interest in her and start pursuing other women. If he was going to move on to his next conquest, she’d rather be far, far away from that so he wouldn’t see her heart break.

What difference does it make to you if I’m here or not, William? As much as she wanted to ask the question out loud, her lips were too afraid to form the words.

- - -

William stared quietly at the bed canopy above him, his mind running through the arguments he would pose to King Edward the following day, to convince him to let Camilla stay in Islia. He was sure the king could be convinced, and was determined to argue until his uncle had no choice but to see things the way William did.

"Can you see yourself living here for the rest of your days?" he asked softly while his eyes remained locked on the bed canopy. Something about the question made him too scared to look at the princess when he asked it.

Silence.

"Camilla?" William turned to face her and saw she had fallen asleep. He then looked at her, truly looked at her in wonder.

Her long lashes rested like peacock feathers on the tops of her cheeks. Her hair spilled all over the pillows, with the scent of peaches and roses he had long grown to associate with only her. She looked achingly beautiful and vulnerable as she slept, her full lips slightly parted, her breathing soft and even.

He touched the side of her face briefly, careful not to wake her. He then stretched out on his back.

What will become of them both?

William’s eyes suddenly opened and he looked around, drowsy and disoriented. The candles were burning low but still cast off enough light for him to see he was in Camilla’s bedchamber. He must have drifted off.

He felt something twitch next to him on the bed and heard a whimper. He turned to his side and saw Camilla asleep but talking in her sleep. "No...no...please..." she thrashed.

"Wake up. Camilla, wake up." he whispered, shaking her shoulder gently.

But she wouldn’t stop whimpering in fear, her head turning side to side on the pillow. "Stop...don’t..."

William shook her harder until she woke up with a jolt. Her eyes popped open and for a moment, stared at him unseeing. Then an expression of terror came over her face and she jerked away, clutching the blanket protectively against her chest. She opened her mouth as if to scream.

"It’s me. It’s William!"

Finally, she looked at him with recognition and fell back against the pillows, trying to catch her breath. Blinking rapidly, she said in a quivering voice, "I’m sorry. I thought you...for a moment I thought..."

"Shhhhh." William drew her closer. She froze briefly, then wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder. He stroked her back slowly as she shook against him. "It’s alright. It was just a nightmare."

William bit his lip. Having her in his arms with her breasts pressed up against his bare chest, was sending raw desire coursing through his veins. But he knew this was not the time, no matter how much he wanted to enjoy her body again. Stifling his discomfort, he continued gently rubbing her back until her breathing turned slow and steady. After a few more moments, he reluctantly eased himself out of the bed. Picking up his shirt and jacket from the floor, he looked over his shoulder at the sleeping girl as he got dressed.

He sighed, wishing he could stay all night with her against him. There was something about her that made him want to shield her from all the ugliness in the world. But he knew that the discovery of him staying here would lead to disaster for them both.

Instead, he knew the best way to protect her was to speak to King Edward and make him see there was only one course the future could take.