More Blazing Bedtime Stories: Once Upon a Mattress by Julie Leto, Leslie Kelly

unhappy. But she knew my father and I would both be even more unhappy over here. I don’t imagine it was easy for her.”
    Penny shook her head, sadness visible in her eyes. The princess would deny it but he knew she had a soft heart under that brazen shell.
    Lucas quickly changed the subject, telling her more about Elatyria. Having had her mind opened to the existence of another world, she’d become voracious on the subject. He’d found himself dredging up old school lessons—things people over here had learned about in Disney movies. Except for Penny, who said she had never seen one.
    There had only been one thing she’d asked about that he hadn’t answered to the best of his ability.
    “So what’s the deal with this Queen Verona? If she’s such a bitch and has control over some prime real estate that I might decide to claim, why’d she send you to find me?”
    “Who knows why royalty does what they do?” he’d replied. “I’m just glad they occasionally do it.”
    Penny’s wicked smile said she was distracted by the answer. As he’d intended.
    He could have told her the truth. But admitting to a woman who’d slept in his arms last night that he was supposed to bring her home to marry another man didn’t seem wise.
    It doesn’t matter.
    There would be no marriage. Penny had given herself to him freely and Lucas wouldn’t let her go. Not ever.
    She was his now.
    No, he hadn’t had the chance to tell her that his kind usually mated once, for life . He’d intended to before taking her to bed, but the woman had so infuriated him, he hadn’t gotten beyond his explanation of who he was and where he was from.
    At least he’d told her that much.
    They had time to get everything else in the open. After they made it through the border tonight, the last night of the full moon, they could slow down. Their journey to the castle could take as long as they damn well needed it to once they were across. He’d explain everything then.
    And he’d make sure she never wanted to leave him.
    “I feel so bad about leaving Callie in the lurch, though she was great about it,” she said as she climbed up onto his Harley.
    “She said last night she wanted you to go.”
    “You heard that? Our conversation?”
    “Of course I did.”
    “You must have been close by.”
    He made sure she was firmly settled on the tiny back seat. “I was a block away.”
    Her eyes flared as she took that in, but she didn’t respond. Penny seemed to have decided to deal with his wolfness by ignoring it for now.
    That was all right. It was a lot to digest. She’d made it clear during the night that she wasn’t bothered by his genetics. Because, even after she’d tried on her mother’s crown and accepted everything he’d told her, she’d climbed on top of him and ridden him into near oblivion.
    His mouth going dry at the memory of it, he ran a hand over his lips. His skin still carried her scent, as hers did his. They had marked each other, even if he was the only one who knew it.
    “Ready?” he asked, knowing they had to leave before he did something stupid like drag her back inside for another game of let’s-find-Penny’s-tattoos. She had one on her hip, one on her ankle…and one left to find.
    He hadn’t done a thorough explanation of her back side. And he wanted to. Badly.
    “ So ready.”
    “Then let’s go, Princess,” he said as he climbed on.
    She whacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t call me Princess.”
    “Fine. But feel free to continue to issue royal requests. I like granting them.”
    Her shapely thighs, clad in black jeans that were more suited to the motorcycle than one of her skirts would have been, tightened around his hips and she slid closer. Her sex was pressed into his back and through their clothes, he felt an instant rush of heat.
    She wouldn’t object if they went back inside, either.
    He ignored that thought. Smothering a groan, he kick-started the bike, suddenly wishing he had a car. Despite how