by Heidi Rice
She watched him disappear into the crowd. She would have to tell him who she really was. But did she have to tell him right away?
She waited the required five minutes to cover the fact they were leaving together, then summoned Serena. Ten frustrating minutes later, she had said all the necessary goodbyes and headed up the stairs towards her suite of rooms, so hyped she could hardly breathe.
There had been no sign of Leo. She hoped he had managed to escape faster than she had. And that he was waiting for her as planned. She didn’t want to have too much time to think alone in her rooms.
As she took the last turning towards her suite, a warm hand clasped her wrist and tugged her to a stop.
‘About damn time, what took you so long?’
Leo! Her heart bounced into her throat.
She struggled to keep pace with his long strides as he led her down the hallway, past the double doors leading to her private suite.
‘Where are we going?’ she managed as she stumbled.
He paused just long enough to scoop her off her feet.
‘To my rooms,’ he said, his voice so husky, the wry, mocking tone had become raw.
She knew how he felt as she clung to his shoulders.
‘Where I intend to ravish you,’ he added, marching towards his suite with purpose in every stride.
The hot sweet spot between her thighs burned as her breath released.
Ravish! Did he just say ravish?
The last coherent thought flew out of her head and she leapt over the edge of the precipice.
Did it really matter who she was?
Surely all that mattered right now was feeding this hunger?
‘The Severene monarchy...i.e. me...has some standards,’ Leo growled as he carried Jade down the corridor to his suite of rooms. ‘And not popping the Queen of Monrova’s cherry in a corridor happens to be one of them.’
Did you actually just refer to popping the Queen’s cherry?
But as Jade smothered a shocked laugh against his chest—and he finally reached the sanctuary of his rooms—Leo decided he’d be damned if he would apologise for the crude language.
The woman had bewitched him, and the only way to break the enchantment was to give them both what they’d waited far too long for already.
The velvet gown glided under his hands as he placed her on her feet, but the feel of her firm, toned body beneath, the lush curves shivering under his touch, sent the twist of need into his gut.
How had she managed to stay a virgin for twenty-four years?
Doesn’t matter.
She was his now, and only his. And he was glad she’d waited. Because he wanted to be the first man to uncover her secrets.
He started with the diamond tiara, which he had dreamed of divesting her of a week ago on the balcony in Monrova. Locating the pins in the room’s half-light, he plucked them out of her elaborate hairdo to toss them across the room.
She sighed as he lifted the jewelled headpiece and dumped it on a nearby chair. He took off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt as her hair tumbled down in a glorious wave of chestnut curls. Her breathing became fast and jagged as he lost his shirt.
Clasping her neck, he caught the silky locks at her nape, and dragged her mouth to his. Her lips softened, her moan making his erection throb as the kiss became deep and elemental. His tongue tangled with hers, exploiting, demanding, so hungry for the taste of her he doubted he would ever be sated.
He ripped his lips away first and drew a staggered breath. Her eyes fixed on his, glazed with lust and longing, but also shadowed with what he could only assume was shock.
Slow down, be gentle.
He’d joked about ravishing her, but it didn’t seem funny any more. The fact of her virginity roared in his head, as he gathered every last ounce of his control to force the words out of his mouth.
‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ he murmured. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’
For a moment he saw guilt flash across her face—which made no sense—but then she said, ‘You won’t.’
His hands were clumsy in his urgency to locate the zip on her gown. The sibilant hum as he drew it down seemed deafening above the crackle of the fire and her staggered breathing.
The velvet slid down to collect in an emerald pool at her feet, revealing a banquet of treasures even more breathtaking than he had imagined.
Damn, but she was exquisite. The swatches of purple lace did nothing to disguise the shadow of her areolae and the neat triangle of hair at the apex of her thighs.
How could he have been so unmoved by her beauty a month ago? When he had become obsessed in the last week with gorging himself on every gorgeous inch?
The last molecules of blood still in his brain pounded beneath his belt, the desire to claim her so powerful and all-consuming his body burned. He unhooked the front fastening of her bra and stifled a moan as her breasts spilled into his palms.
He cradled the swollen flesh, circling the rigid peaks with his thumbs. His erection stiffened to iron as her sobs became pants of need. He bent to capture one plump nipple in his mouth, drowning in her delicious scent, determined to prolong the torture for them both as long as was humanly possible.
Her fingers fisted in his hair, tugging and pulling as she begged. ‘Please... I need more.’
The last threads on his control snapped at her breathless plea. Leaving the banquet of fragrant flesh, he lifted her into his arms and carried her through the suite’s living room and into his bedroom.
He placed her on the large four-poster bed in the centre of the room. He watched her watching him, her chestnut curls rioting around her head, her beautiful body pale against the golden quilt, the ripe flesh gilded by the firelight as he stripped off the last of his clothing.
Her dark emerald gaze drifted down, and the flush on her cheeks darkened.
He was a large man in every respect and her wary look gave him a moment of concern.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I promise to be gentle.’
Her gaze met his. ‘You don’t need to be gentle,’ she said, the fearless comment as bold and brave as the rest of her.
His heart swelled, making his ribs feel uncomfortably tight. He shook off the unfamiliar emotion and climbed on the bed. After dragging off her panties, he cupped her to capture the wet heat.
This was sex, and phenomenal chemistry. He liked her, had grown accustomed to having her by his side, and she had made the usual roster of Christmas engagements less of a chore than usual in the last week. But he didn’t require more, and certainly didn’t want more.
She bucked as he delved, circling, testing, his thumb finding the slick nub of her clitoris. She writhed as he exploited it, drawing forth her sobs. Watching her enjoy her own pleasure was so erotic he had to grit his teeth to stop from embarrassing himself.
‘Come for me,’ he demanded, and she responded instinctively, her body bowing back as she shattered.
His heart thundered in his chest, his ribs like a vice now as he positioned her hips. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed with afterglow as he notched the head of his erection at her entrance and pushed.
She was unbearably hot, unbearably tight, her sex clamped around him, but her body stretched to receive him, her nails scoring his shoulders, her pants becoming sobs as he pressed deep.
‘Are you okay?’ he managed.
She hadn’t flinched. And he hadn’t felt any impediment.
Puzzling questions clouded his mind, but then she nodded, and the need for answers dimmed. He had to move, to claim her fully, before he exploded.
Clasping her hips, he rocked out, then thrust back, filling her to the hilt this time. He continued to move, slow and careful at first, still mindful of his size, digging deep to work her G-spot. He established a brutal rhythm, clenched his teeth to ignore the orgasm licking
at the base of his spine. Desperate to hold on, determined to make her shatter first. And brand her as his.
His Queen, his woman, his lover.
She cried out, the vicious pulse of her climax triggering his own unstoppable release.
His seed exploded into her womb as he soared over the high wide ledge and let himself fall.
Sweaty, exhausted, sated, he collapsed into her welcoming embrace, drenched in a pleasure so intense, so fierce, he was afraid he might never be able to get enough of it.
Juno’s eyes drifted open. Dazed, disorientated and floating in a shiny sea of afterglow, she lay cocooned in a delicious cloud of sandalwood cologne and man.
Her tender sex twitched and she became brutally aware of the thick intrusion, still firm, still there inside the tight clasp of her body.
The heavy weight pressing into her collarbone grunted.
‘Stop that, or I’ll have to ravish you again, and it will probably kill us both.’
Her instinctive chuckle at the wry observation choked off as the delirious fog dissolved. And a strange new reality came flooding in.
The man lying on top of her, his black hair illuminated by the firelight, his masculine scent intoxicating, had just given her so much more than she had thought possible.
A vicious shudder racked her body and she had to bite down on her lip, hard enough to taste blood, to stop the shocked sob buried in her chest rising up her throat.
Emotion slammed into her like a freight train.
What had she done? She had known sex with Leo would be good, the best she’d ever had. Because that wasn’t much of a competition.
But she hadn’t expected it to mean anything more than that. And yet it had. Because as well as the stupendous, breathtaking orgasms, there had been the staggering wave of intimacy.
‘Hey, what’s wrong, Jade?’ he murmured, the gruff use of her sister’s name only making her feel more exposed. More compromised.
She hadn’t told him the truth. Had convinced herself it didn’t matter. And now suddenly it did.
Her flesh released him with difficulty as he withdrew.
He frowned and cradled her cheek. ‘Did I hurt you?’
She shook her head, unable to speak past the huge boulder forming in her throat.
She’d ruined everything. She had never thought sex could be so overwhelming.
And now she had to deal with the consequences.
She’d always been impulsive. And she’d paid a high price for that in the past. But this time, this time, she’d gone too far, way too far to ever be forgiven.
‘Speak to me, Jade,’ he said, brushing his thumb down the side of her face, shaming her even more as brutal yearning echoed in her sex. ‘You need to tell me what’s wrong.’
‘I... I...’ The tenderness and concern in his expression only shamed her more. She’d lied to him, convinced herself it was just a little lie, a convenient omission, but now she knew it wasn’t. ‘Really, I’m fine,’ she managed. She pulled his hand away from her face, so she could move away from him.
The flight instinct was a familiar one. So she went with it.
She needed to think, figure out how to break the news to him—that she wasn’t the woman he thought she was.
She scooted off the bed, brutally aware of the sticky residue of their lovemaking. He hadn’t used a condom.
Doesn’t matter. You can deal with that later, once you’ve told him the truth.
Her heart lodged in her throat. But how did she do that? He had treated her with such respect, such warmth, such care, and it was all based on a lie. She’d seen the puzzled look cross his face when he’d entered her, had known in that instant exactly what he was thinking.
Why isn’t she a virgin?
She made it to the edge of the bed, swung her legs to the floor, but just as she prepared to make a dash for the bathroom he grasped her wrist.
‘Everything’s not okay, Jade,’ he stated, his voice strained but firm, his frown deepening. ‘That much is obvious.’
Please stop calling me that. I’m not Jade, I’m Juno.
‘If I hurt you, if I was too rough with you, you need to tell me,’ he said.
Please, just stop.
‘You didn’t... You didn’t hurt me, Leo. The sex was phenomenal... It’s just, I’ve never had an orgasm during sex before and...’ A blush blazed into her cheeks as she babbled to a halt. Had she just admitted that? Out loud?
‘Before?’ he said. He didn’t sound angry or upset, simply surprised. Even so, she wanted to curl up into a ball and die. ‘So I wasn’t your first?’
‘Yes, I mean, no. There was only one other guy. When I was sixteen in high school,’ she said. At least this was the truth.
‘But no orgasms?’ he asked and she noticed the slight quirk of his lips. Was that good? Even if she felt brutally humiliated?
‘He’d bet his pals he could deflower a princess,’ she said, forcing herself to give him the miserable details of that furtive, uncomfortable night eight years ago, which had left her feeling sore and dissatisfied. Brad had boasted to his friends that the Princess wasn’t all that. And she’d been forced to take the walk of shame the next day in gym class. She’d held her head up and ignored the sniggers, and the scathing looks. She’d done nothing wrong—why should she be ashamed? Brad had been the villain in that scenario. The liar.
But she was the liar now.
‘It made me think sex was totally overrated. And I thought it always had to be like that...’
The sensual smile on Leo’s lips became more than a little smug.
Shut up. This isn’t helping.
He squeezed her wrist and rubbed his thumb across her rampaging pulse.
‘The guy sounds like a bastard, Jade,’ he murmured. ‘I’m glad I got to be your first in the only way that matters.’
The comment was kind, when she knew she didn’t deserve kind.
‘It was a long time ago, now,’ she said, staring down at her hands, aware of her nakedness. ‘I can barely remember him.’
Tucking a knuckle under her chin, Leo lifted her face. ‘I’m glad I didn’t hurt you,’ he said gently. ‘Although if you’d told me sooner we could have jumped each other three days ago.’
Her heart scrambled. Really? That was why he’d suggested waiting? Because he’d been concerned about her virginity? The wave of tenderness built again.
Followed by the nauseous wave of guilt. She had to tell him the truth. She’d lied and lied, to him and to herself, because she’d wanted this to happen. But now it had, every single one of those qualifications and justifications and excuses had been exposed for what they were—bare-faced, self-serving lies, so she could trick a king into seducing her.
‘I... You thought I was a virgin,’ she said, trying not to wince. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Your father boasted about your untouched state quite a lot.’ The mild amusement in his tone only damned her more. ‘I guess he didn’t know about the bastard.’ His brow furrowed, his gaze direct and probing. ‘When did you go to high school? I always thought you were homeschooled, like me?’ The quizzical tone, and the easy affection behind it, made panic tighten around her ribs.
Tell him. Tell him now.
But somehow the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. Instead her heart rammed her throat and started to choke her. Her mind whirred in frantic circles, accelerating like a merry-go-round spinning out of control.
His grip tightened and he moved to sit next to her. His naked hip bumped hers as he placed his hand on her back. And rubbed.
‘Breathe, Jade,’ he murmured.
She sucked in a juddering breath past constricted lungs, his voice an anchor as the merry-go-round juddered and jumped and finally started to slow.
‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, dropping her head into her hands. ‘This is supe
r awkward.’
‘Awkward?’ He gave a husky chuckle. ‘I disagree.’ He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She turned her head at the gentle touch, to find him watching her. ‘More like fascinating and charming,’ he murmured, the rough appreciation in his tone making her heart swell painfully in her chest again. ‘You just keep surprising me, Jade.’
You have no idea.
Her sister’s name knifed into her gut and she straightened. ‘I’m so, so sorry, Leo,’ she said, because what else could she say?
Her mind began to race through all the possible ways to tell him what she should have told him ten minutes ago. Ten hours ago. A week ago. As soon as she’d kissed him on the snow-covered balcony, let him bare her breast in the frozen night and set them on this path.
I’m not Jade, I’m Juno. I went to high school in New York. Because I’m a nobody, not a queen. Jade’s the virgin, not me.
‘Don’t be sorry.’ The sensual smile made her heart leap in her chest. ‘I’m not,’ he continued, his thumb resting on the rioting pulse in her collarbone. ‘In fact, I’m probably the one who should apologise.’ His blue eyes focussed on her face, the sincerity making her stomach tangle into a knot. ‘I didn’t use a condom. And I didn’t ask if you’re using birth control?’
‘Umm... No, but we should be okay, my period is due very soon,’ she whispered.
Could this actually get any more awkward?
‘Maybe we don’t have to worry either way.’ He smiled. ‘After how good that just was, my offer of a union between us is still very much on the table.’ Bracketing her hips, he drew her towards him.
What?
Just as her panic started to spiral out of control again, he pressed his lips to the rioting pulse in her collarbone. She jolted, let out a broken sigh, the tantalising butterfly kisses making the heavy weight in her stomach sink into her sex.
He lifted his head, cradled her cheeks.
‘How about you stay here and we can negotiate the details over the holiday?’ he said, his mouth hovering over hers. ‘I thought we could take a trip to my father’s old hunting lodge. It’s secluded, and private, and it will give us a chance to get to know each other even better.’ He lifted his brows, the heat in his gaze making her want to cry.
