A Royal Engagement (Enchanted Galaxy Series Book 1) Read online

  “Yeah. You told me once I was queen, I’d be able to do all kinds of magic whenever I wanted. Do I just snap my fingers and whatever I want happens?”

  “You simply need to think it and it’s done.”

  “In that case…”

  Surprised by the cool air on his skin, he glanced down and saw that he wasn’t wearing anything.

  “Come and join me in bed.” She hopped in the bed, her breasts jiggling nicely.

  Forgetting his nervousness over being with the queen, he joined her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He loved how her bare skin felt against his. Her breasts pressed wonderfully against his chest. His arousal snuggled ever so nicely between her legs. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss. He already knew this had been worth the wait, that besides serving and protecting the queen, nothing was going to be as pleasurable as making love to her, too.

  He lowered his head and kissed her neck, taking in the feminine scent he would soon associate as being uniquely hers. He traced her breast, his thumb brushing against her nipple which hardened in response. She let out a light moan and ran her hand in lazy motions up and down his back, a silent encouragement for him to keep going.

  He continued to caress her breasts, first spending time on one and then the other. At one point, he lifted his head so he could glance from her breasts to her face, making sure he was pleasing her. And he was glad to see she enjoyed what he was doing. Lowering his head to her breast, he took his time in tasting her, and in due time, he noticed that she’d give a shiver of delight when he teased her nipples. So he continued his ministrations, eager to learn more about making love and all it entailed.

  At one point, he ventured to explore more of her and traced the skin under her breasts, going lower to the patch of dark curls between her legs, and going lower still when she parted her legs and lifted her hips to accept him. He brushed the entrance at first and noticed how slick she was. Intrigued, he brushed it again and was rewarded with another moan and the whisper of a “yes” on her lips as she moved her hips so that his finger slid into her.

  Heavenly. That’s how she felt. And to think soon, he’d have the pleasure of entering her. His arousal thickened in response, eager for the moment he’d become one with her. But first, he sensed that he needed to continue what he was doing. So his finger went deeper inside her moist flesh, noting the way it pulled him in. Intrigued, he inserted another finger, and she murmured her appreciation. He ventured another one, rewarded by another moan.

  Then she took his thumb and moved it in purposeful circular motions over her sensitive nub. Realizing this heightened her pleasure, he followed her lead. In response, she rocked her hips in time with his ministrations. He watched her expression, fascinated by the mixture of pleasure and pain on her face. She was absolutely beautiful this way. Completely given over to the moment. Carefree. Wrapped up in the increasing tension building within her core. Up to now, she’d always been a little on guard, but in this moment, her inhibitions were all down and he got to see a side of her no one else ever would. And it struck him with awe and joy that their times together would be this way.

  In due time, she grew still and let out a cry as she climaxed. Her flesh clenched around him, relaxed, clenched and relaxed again. Each time was less intense than before until she fully relaxed, her breathing heavy. He leaned forward to kiss her lips, her cheek, then her neck. When she encouraged him to get on top of her, he did, his tip at her entrance.

  He noted the slight barrier and hesitated, but then she wrapped her legs around his waist and murmured for him to make her his wife. He pressed all the way in. When he realized she tensed, he opened his eyes. “Ann?” he whispered.

  “It’s my first time,” she replied. “It’s okay. Keep going.”

  Well, it was his first time, too, but he didn’t feel any discomfort. She lifted her hips to take him deeper into her, her flesh expanding to accommodate him. He moved inside her, tentative at first, but then he relaxed when he noticed that she was enjoying it. Whatever initial pain had been there was gone now, and he could fully enjoy making love to her.

  He’d never experienced anything more wonderful in his entire life. This was the best thing that ever happened to him, and better yet, it was happening with the woman he loved more than anything.

  In no hurry, he held off on his release. This was his first time, and he wanted to savor it, doing everything he could to memorize the feel of her flesh as it clenched around his erection and the way her breasts brushed his chest. In time, he increased the momentum of his thrusting, encouraged as she urged him to go faster, to bring her once again to completion. When she cried out in pleasure a second time, he joined her, also crying out as he released his seed. He remained still as he rode out the waves of pleasure that engulfed him.

  Afterwards, he collapsed in her arms, holding her to him, still intimately entwined with her. Allowing himself a moment to catch his breath, he lifted his head and looked down at her. She was the queen, true, but she was also his friend, his lover, and his wife. He gave her a gentle kiss and smiled. “I love you.”

  She returned his smile. “I love you, too.”

  Happier than he’d ever been in his entire life, he settled back into her arms. Being the king was much better than he thought it’d be. And even better than bringing the queen to Raz and marrying her was knowing they had a lifetime to be together. A life to share more adventures. A life to have children, hopefully one of them the future queen. And most of all, a life to fall even deeper in love. He kissed Ann and closed his eyes. The best, he knew, was yet to come.

  Epilogue

  The next morning after breakfast, Hathor led Ann to a room with a large oval table. “This is the meeting room,” he told her. “The representatives from Pale will be in shortly to discuss a possible alliance with you. After we’re done in here, you may go to the throne room to begin your duties as queen.”

  She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Then she touched her crown to make sure it was still firmly in place. Sure enough, the pins secured it to her hair. “Is the crown straight?” she asked, thinking of all the things she worried about, whether or not the crown was straight was one of the silliest.

  With a smile, he lowered his head and kissed her. “Yes. You are a lovely sight.”

  Her skin warmed with pleasure, and she returned his smile.

  He pulled out the chair at the head of the table. “You’ll sit here, and I’ll be to your right. If you need time alone to think over the terms of the alliance or if you want to discuss the best way to proceed, my mother and I will be here to assist you.”

  “Good.” She sat in the chair, and he gently pushed it in for her.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Granted, it wasn’t anything as threatening as the Great Prison or the Dark Castle, but she couldn’t help but worry she was going to do something to mess things up.

  She focused on calming her breathing while Hathor left the room. In short time, he returned with his mother, Jaz, Paff, and Zak.

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Queen Ann,” Paff said.

  “You’re welcome,” Ann said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “Please, sit.”

  After they did, Hathor shut the door then came to the chair next to her and settled beside her, something she was grateful for. Of everyone in the room, she knew him the best, and it helped to have someone she was close to with her.

  “Before we begin the negotiations,” Paff said, “I thought it’d be best if we were properly introduced. Since we’re changing the order of our government on Pale, we have been assigned new roles. I am Leader Paff. This,” he motioned to the Lax, “is First Commander Zak. And this,” he gestured to the other Paler, “is Second Commander Jaz. We are still working on new laws that will structure our society for the benefit of Palers and Laxes alike, but in the meantime, we were hoping to become allies with Raz.”

 
Ann glanced at Hathor and his mother who seemed to be accepting of what Paff had said, so she figured it was a good start. “I’m open to forming an alliance.”

  “One of the things we’re working on is modifying our digestive systems so we can eat fruits and vegetables again, but the process will take six months. And it will take about two years for food to develop on our world. In exchange for vegetation from Raz, we’d offer our technological advancements. For example, we could set up a holographic projector that would allow you to communicate directly with us and other technologically advanced creatures on other worlds. This would eliminate the need for direct travel, and it’d allow intelligent beings on other worlds to contact you without having to come here.”

  “Like a phone or computer,” Ann said.

  “A what?” Hathor asked.

  “A phone or computer on Earth gives humans the ability to communicate despite long distances,” she explained then turned her attention back to Paff. “But you said that you won’t be able to eat for six months. What will you eat in the meantime?”

  Zak straightened up. “There is a star Scorpio provided that sustains Palers. Unfortunately, it will only last for one month, but Jaz was able to break down its core elements.”

  “Yes, I did,” Jaz said then proceeded to tell them what the star was composed of.

  “We have some of those in the caves on this planet,” Hathor’s mother spoke up, directing her statement to Ann.

  “Is there enough for what they need?” Ann asked.

  “The caves are full of them.”

  “Then that sounds like it’ll work.” Ann’s attention went back to Paff, Zak, and Jaz. “We could provide you with those and vegetation.”

  “Thank you, Queen Ann,” Paff replied, not hiding his relief. “We’ll offer our help in times of trouble and access to our technology.”

  “And we’ll offer our help in return,” she consented.

  “Since there is an agreement on an alliance,” Hathor began as he stood up, “I’ll gather the necessary paperwork to make it official.”

  Once they were done drawing out the details of the alliance, Paff, Zak, and Jaz returned to Pale. Then Basilia took Ann to the throne room.

  As Ann sat on the throne, Basilia explained, “Four times a week for four to five hours, you’ll come in here to address the concerns of those who wish to speak with you.” She settled beside her in the king’s throne and offered an encouraging smile. “We won’t do this for four to five hours today. We’ll only do this for an hour.”

  “How long will you be here to coach me?” Ann asked.

  “For a month. Then I’ll go to the country. But you have nothing to worry about. If you have any questions, Hathor will help you. His job will be to meet those who wish to speak to you. He’ll find out what they want and come in here to tell you so you’ll know what to expect. I assure you it’s not as daunting as it sounds. Once you get used to it, you’ll be surprised at how smoothly the whole process goes.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. I just worry I’ll make a bad decision.”

  “If you seek Hathor’s or the Great Magician’s assistance when you’re not sure about something, you’ll be fine.”

  Ann shifted on her seat, glad she didn’t have to do this all by herself. Even if she was the sole authority, she felt much better knowing there was a system of checks and balances in place, even if it wasn’t the kind she was used to on Earth. “I must admit when Hathor first told me I was going to be the queen of an entire planet, I was terrified. I had no experience leading anything. I wasn’t even class president in school.”

  “The most important thing you can do is lead from the heart. You can always consult a book or others to learn something, but love for what you do guides you in the right direction every time. And that is something no schools can teach.”

  She was right. Ann supposed there was nothing she could do to prepare herself for this moment, but in the short time she’d been on Raz, she had developed a love for it. She’d never agree with Hathor that it was better than Earth, but she loved it just as much.

  Hathor came into the throne room and bowed, something that he did out of respect to her position, she knew, but it was still going to take her time to get used to it. “My queen, there is a faun who wishes to become a fairy. Will you grant his request?”

  “Let Calhoun in!” She started to stand up but glanced at Basilia, wondering if it was acceptable.

  Basilia chuckled. “You may stand or sit.”

  With a nod, she stood up. “Send him in.”

  “He’s with a fairy who would like to see him change,” Hathor said.

  “The more the merrier. Bring both of them in,” she insisted, clasping her hands in anticipation.

  Hathor’s lips curled up. “I thought you’d be happy with your first official act as queen.”

  As he went to bring them in, Basilia grinned. “Most of what you do will be similar to this. There are a lot of things you’ll do that’ll bring joy to others.”

  Hathor brought Calhoun and Erin into the room, and after Ann greeted them, she paused and looked at Basilia. “How do I change him?”

  “Just will it.”

  “Really? That’s all?”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “Well, yeah,” Ann admitted. “I thought I’d have to say some complicated magic words or wave a magic wand.”

  “No, none of that is necessary for the queen,” Basilia replied.

  “Alright.”

  Ann guessed it was just like when she willed herself back from Earth the first time the Palers sent her there or when she removed Hathor’s nightclothes. Focusing on Calhoun, she willed for him to become a fairy. At first nothing happened, but then a purple mist swirled around him, and suddenly he was no longer a faun but a fairy with blue wings.

  He hugged Erin then flew over to Ann. “How can we thank you?”

  “Enjoy the life you and Erin will have together,” Ann replied.

  “Oh, I will,” he promised then flew back to Erin. “Now we can get married.”

  As Hathor led the two fairies out of the room, Ann returned to the throne and sat down. Granted, she had a lot to learn, but deep down, she couldn’t help but feel that being a queen of an entire world was going to work out after all.

  Coming in the Enchanted Galaxy Series

  Royal Hearts: An old nemesis sends Ann Kerwin back in time on Earth to ensure she never gets to become the queen of Raz. It’s up to Hathor to follow her and compete with her old boyfriend for her affections. Because if she doesn’t choose Hathor, all they have will be lost.

  This will be available March 21, 2015!

  The Royal Pursuit: Queen Ann is sent on a mission that will eventually take her back to Earth and to someone who has plans to make her his forever if Hathor doesn’t stop him first.

  This will be available later in 2015!

  Across the Stars Series by Ruth Ann Nordin

  (Contemporary Romances with a Hint of Science Fiction or Fantasy)

  Suddenly a Bride: Rilo An grew up on a world with no women. One day, he makes the decision to go to another planet to find a wife. He’ll have to change his name and give up everything he’s ever known, but for the sake of finding true love, he takes the risk. And his quest sends him to Earth, specifically to Caitlyn Davis who will be married before the night is done.

  Runaway Bride: Mark Tanner also comes from a world without women on it, but he’s determined he’ll find his future bride on his own. The problem? Once he meets Lexie (Caitlyn’s sister in Book 1), he realizes she’s already engaged. But Lexie isn’t married yet, and Mark will do whatever he can to convince her that he’s the better choice.

  His Abducted Bride: Sandy Davis is just about to write the scene where she finally kills the villain in her fantasy novel. But the villain will do whatever it takes to stay alive...even if he has to trap her into the story and marry her.

  Omaha Contemporary Romances

  With This Ring I Th
ee Dread: Ryan Jackson and Elizabeth Valentine can't stand each other. Unfortunately for them, their parents get along great and decide to play matchmaker in a very unusual way. In order to keep their jobs, they will have to get married and spend four months in a remote Alaskan cabin. They accept the terms but are determined that their parents' ruse will never work...until Ryan changes his mind.

  This book is already available!

  What Nathan Wants: What could a man who already has everything possibly want? How about a baby? Nathan Rudolph interviews all the single women in his company. They think they might get a job promotion, but he comes with a marriage license instead. And the winner isn't happy. But he's dealt with difficult people before and is certain that, in no time at all, he can win his new wife over.

  This book is already available!

  Just Good Friends: When Tiffany Clark asks Tyler Jackson to pretend to be her boyfriend, the lie quickly escalates when, in a moment of frustration, Tyler blurts out that they’re married.

  This book will be available October 12, 2014!

  Regencies

  Marriage by Scandal Series

  The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife: Caught in a scandalous situation, Lord Roderick marries a lady he believes tricked him into marriage.

  A Most Unsuitable Earl: Ethan Silverton, the Lord of Edon, prides himself on his notorious reputation as a rake because it frees him from having to get married. But one little lie and a meddlesome mother forces him into a situation where he has to marry the most boring lady he can imagine.

  His Reluctant Lady: Mister Christopher Robinson will do whatever it takes to secure a marriage to Agatha Lyons, the very beautiful but elusive Lady of Richfield. When he discovers her secret, he offers her a deal: marry him or risk scandal.