The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 180: Weak in the Knees*

"Why not?" Ralph asked, leaning in to nuzzle his face against her cheek. Soleia squealed, giggling as the tickling sensation thrummed through her body. "No one is listening. And even if they are, they are free to hear. I will boldly — gladly — declare my attraction towards you for anyone who wishes to hear."

"How am I going to face them tomorrow?" Soleia asked, pouting as she playfully smacked Ralph’s chest. "When we’re out purchasing bread for our breakfast, the baker and his wife would be gossiping about our private affairs."

"Are you embarrassed?" Ralph asked, his voice low. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Soleia’s cheek, and again on her jawline. "If you wish to keep me a secret, you may. I would do anything to stay by your side."

"Of course not!" Soleia exclaimed. She placed her hands around Ralph’s neck, pulling his face closer to hers. "I will never hide you away."

"Good," Ralph said.

He then immediately swiveled on his heel, with Soleia still in his arms, turning to leave. His long strides allowed him to quickly fly off the steps of the stage in the direction of their home, but was quickly stopped by Oliver.

When the latter stood in his path, Rafael gave him the dirtiest glare, to which Oliver’s face paled indignantly.

"B-But the dance!" Oliver said. "Your― You’re registered to go first."

"In that case, we forfeit," Ralph said. "My wife and I have things to do tonight."

"Oh, but I would’ve loved to dance," Soleia said with a small pout. "I have been looking forward to the event."

"Correction," Ralph said to Oliver. "My wife and I will be late. Please see to it that the other couples go first, Duke Kinsley. We will return as soon as our affairs are complete."

With that said, he strode off with Soleia in his arms, completely ignoring Oliver’s wide-eyed look.

Oliver stared in the direction where Rafael went, blinking dazedly as the couple quickly disappeared into the sea of people. He wanted to scream, kick, and possibly even pull his hair out. In the end, he did none of that and merely took a deep breath to calm himself before walking to the table where the judges were.

This was sorely above his pay grade.

***

The moment they entered the pitch-black house, Soleia pulled Ralph in by the lapels of his shirt, pressing her lips against his. There was no one home — there usually wouldn’t be during this time of day — and she knew for sure that they were in complete privacy.

She couldn’t wait a second longer.

Soleia had been deprived of two wedding nights, both of which made her marriage null and her nights lonely. For once, she wanted to give in to her most carnal desires and have Ralph for herself. She already had a taste of him, and those fleeting moments only added fuel to the fire that burned in her core.

The door had barely even slammed shut behind them when Rafael’s lips were captured, and he stood stunned for half a second before he leaned into the kiss, moving with Soleia’s clumsy actions. He guided her, taking the lead as he adjusted her in his arms before quickly climbing the stairs to their room.

Once they were inside, he tossed her on the bed, and she bounced, unharmed, with a yelp of surprise. With one hand, Rafael yanked his collar loose while the other hand locked the door shut behind him, its click causing Soleia to take in a deep breath.

"Are we locking the door now?" Soleia teased, her eyes glinting in the last slivers of the setting sun just as it bled into the night. "I thought you wanted to broadcast your desires for me to the world."

"Oh, is that what you want now?" Rafael asked, the corner of his lips lifting into a crooked smirk.

He crossed the room, cupping Soleia’s cheek before leaning down so that their lips touched. He breathed her in deeply as though he was a drowning man and she was the breath of air that would keep his starved lungs alive, and when they parted, the dazed, honeyed look in Soleia’s eyes caused his cock to harden against the fabric of his pants.

He gently pinched her cheeks, tilting them so that she could have a look at the giant glass doors at the other end of their room which led to the open balcony. The doors weren’t closed, and the wind was billowing in, causing the sheer curtains to flutter and dance in the air.

"Because, Princess," he said, "if you want the whole world to know, I have no qualms about fucking you till your knees go weak against the balcony railing."

He placed his thumb on her lip, gently prying her mouth open as he hovered just a hair’s breadth away from her face. She shivered at his touch, and he chuckled, slowly moving his finger to get her lips spread further apart.

"I don’t believe you," she said, smiling as she gently bit down on his finger. "Do it, then. I dare you."

Her teeth lightly pressed against his nail, and Rafael’s heart skipped a beat at the action. His pants were all too restrictive now, and every little action Soleia did merely made his member throb with a further desire to break free from its restraints.

Whatever bit of rationality and control he had was completely snatched away with Soleia’s taunts. Rafael waited for not a second more, bending over to connect their lips in a desperate kiss. His hands roamed across her clothing until they reached the back of her dress, undoing the buttons. When it took a longer time than he thought, he growled against her lips before yanking hard.

The buttons popped off the dress in an instant, and Soleia gasped against the kiss as the cold air nipped at her skin. Yet, her skin was instantly warmed by Ralph’s roaming hands.

She did not stay idle as well. Soleia reached down for Ralph’s trousers, but when her hands brushed against the tent that had pitched at the front of his pants, Ralph hissed, breaking their kiss.

Amusement dashed across Soleia’s eyes.

Instead of completely pulling his pants off, she reached in until she found her target. Even though she could not see it, she had her guesses and vaguely knew what was where. Her fingers quickly curled around his rock-hard shaft, squeezing just a little to elicit a groan as Ralph threw his head back.

It took everything for Soleia not to giggle at his reaction, and she bit her bottom lip before moving her hands tantalizingly slowly, running against his entire length. He was much thicker and longer than she had initially presumed; her fingers could not close properly when she gripped him, and a streak of panic ran through her for a fleeting second as she imagined him wedged between her thighs.

However, the thought was soon tossed to the back of her mind when she reached his tip, coated with a thin layer of moisture. It was slick to touch, and when the pads of her fingers ran across it, Ralph’s knees buckled, and he nearly fell onto her in surprise had it not been for his arms supporting his weight against the mattress.

"It seems like I may not be the one who will go weak in the knees," Soleia teased.

Ralph looked up, his eyes darkening with a heavy layer of lust. The expression in his eyes caused Soleia to take in a deep breath, momentarily regretting her words. She clenched her lower regions, feeling a wetness pool in the fabric of her undergarments.

"We’ll see about that."