She took a step closer to him, almost touching. “I’m not a princess, remember? Not here. Not now.”
“Yes. I remember. You’re a woman.” He pulled the tie from her hair and let her long hair fall over her shoulders. “A beautiful woman. A woman who makes my blood heat and my body harden.” He grabbed her hips and pressed his erection against her softness.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment and then stepped away. For an instant he thought she might have changed her mind and even as regret rushed through him, he knew that would be for the best. But instead, Angelina reached behind her and, her gaze locked on his, slowly lowered the zipper. The dress slid down her body and puddled on the floor around her feet. Without a word she kicked off her shoes, unhooked her bra and shimmied out of her underwear.
Rico caught his breath. Yes, he’d seen her naked briefly when they’d been soaked to the skin, but now he finally was able to pause and appreciate her smooth skin and long legs. Her perfect breasts tempted him with their lush curves and rosy nipples. His hungry gaze ventured lower and his mouth watered at the sight of the dark curls covering the succulent spot between her legs.
He swallowed. “You’re beautiful, amore.”
“Thank you.” She swiftly unbuttoned the dress shirt he’d left loose over his jeans. After she stripped the shirt from his body and tossed it away, she reached for his belt buckle. She hesitated when she glanced at the weapon still hanging at his side. Her gaze bounced up to his, uncertain and probably uncomfortable.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said softly. He took his gun out of the holster and placed it on top of the tall dresser. Then he pulled the belt through the loops and when the holster was free, slipped his weapon back inside. After placing both the belt and the holstered gun on the dresser, he turned back to her. “Better?”
She nodded. After a moment, she unfastened his jeans and slowly lowered the zipper. His arousal jerked as the back of her hand brushed over it. Her gaze flicked up to his eyes and then lowered again to his black boxer briefs and the bulge behind it. She tentatively ran her fingers along his length.
He hissed. Her inexperienced touch affected him more than any of the practiced caresses of the women he’d been with in the past. He ached to touch her, but he wanted to let her take the lead tonight. The only way he could be certain he didn’t rush her, didn’t frighten her or overwhelm her, was to let things progress at a speed with which she felt comfortable.
“It’s okay,” he told her. “We can take it slow.”
She nodded, her gaze still focused on the open zipper. “I don’t think I want to take it slow.” She raised her eyes to meet his. “I’m burning, Rico. I want your hands on me and I want to touch you too. Is that okay?”
“Of course.” He traced one finger along the curve of her breast and he smiled as her breath caught. “Touch me, amore.”
Her hands trembled as she carefully released his erection from the underwear. She wrapped one hand tentatively around him and gave a long stroke. He sucked in his breath from the amazing feel of it.
“Okay?” she whispered.
“Oh yeah.” He wasn’t certain how slowly he’d be able to go now that she had her hands on him. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of the jeans and slid them over his hips. He toed off his shoes and then kicked the rest of his clothes away. Angelina was still stroking him and he knew it wouldn’t be too long before he would have to interrupt her exploration. He had much he wanted to do with her before he reached his satisfaction.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then lifted his lids and wrapped his fingers around her slender wrists. “Enough of that for the moment. Up on the bed.” He helped her onto the mattress. “Lay back. That’s it. Spread out for me. Yes.” She followed his instructions readily, with no sign of hesitation.
He stood at the side of the bed and looked his fill. “So beautiful.” His hands itched with the need to touch her but he didn’t want to rush this. He wanted to savor every part of her. This might be the only time he would be able to see her like this.
He’d decide to wait until the morning to talk to Angelina about the information Tony had given him while they were at the party, but it was possible they’d get the go-ahead to return to the palace tomorrow.
Rico knew the right thing would be to cover the princess with a blanket and walk out of the room. She wasn’t the kind of woman to nail in a one-night stand. She deserved better than that. She was special. She was royalty.
“Rico?”
The princess sat up, frowning. He hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes and backed away from the bed.
It was too late now to do anything but move forward. He’d hurt her more now if he rejected her again. He needed to give her the kind of first time experience she wanted. He didn’t think he’d had sex with a virgin since his very first time, when he and his first sweetheart had learned from each other. He was almost more nervous now than he’d been back then. As much as Angelina wanted to ignore her title, her status, her place as his country’s princess, Rico couldn’t forget.
Yes, she was a woman, a smart, desirable woman. But she was also royalty. A royal under his protection. It was a fact that was never far from his thoughts.
He climbed onto the bed with her. “Amore.” He gently cupped her jaw and covered her mouth with his.
She sighed and opened for him, drawing his tongue into her mouth. Each deep pull shot straight to his erection. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered her onto the mattress.
Soft. Warm. Smelling so sweet and tasting of red wine and Angelina. Her dark eyes sparkled. He didn’t see a trace of nerves or uncertainty in their depths.
She brushed her fingers over his head. “I’m glad you grew your hair in. I like being able to run my fingers through it.
He liked anything that got her hands on him. “Then I’m glad I tired of shaving it every day.”
“Touch me, Rico,” she whispered. “Please touch me.”
She didn’t have to ask again. He took his time, letting his hands roam over her body. Softly. Gently. He felt her gaze on him, watching as he focused his attention on her soft breasts. She gasped when he teased her tight nipples, first with his fingers and then with his hungry mouth.
Angelina arched her back and cried out his name. “That feels incredible. Harder, Rico. Suck harder.”
He smiled around the nipple in his mouth. He should have known his Angelina would not want gentle. She had a hot-blooded passion to match his own.
Eventually, he released her nipples and focused attention on other areas of her lovely body. She sighed as he stroked her slender arms, her long legs, her flat abdomen. Soon she was moving wildly beneath his caresses. He stretched out beside her and slipped his fingers through the curls between her thighs. Her hands caught the bed covers and she gasped.
“I want to make sure you’re ready for me,” he told her. Her wetness covered his fingers and he spread the moisture along her slick flesh. When he found her tiny clitoris and circled it with one finger, her hips jerked and she cried out.
“Yes. That’s it,” he murmured. “You’re ready, aren’t you, amore? You’re ready for me?”
She nodded, her eyes passion-glazed. When he niggled the tiny button with his thumb, she came apart, bucking beneath his hand as she rode out her climax. He captured her lips again and caught her gasps of completion with his kiss.
When she settled back to the mattress, panting lightly, Rico placed a soft kiss on her pretty nose before he sat up and reached for the box on the table. His body throbbed with need for his own release and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her soft heat.
Angelina had never experienced anything like it. Rico had drawn sensations from her that she never could have imagined. And it was only the beginning. Of this she was certain. When he reached for the box on the nightstand, she sat up, anticipation fluttering in her stomach, and in parts lower.
“Can I do that?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course.” He handed her the thin packet and then silently watched her open it. She took a moment to study the condom. She’d never seen one or touched one before. It was lighter, thinner than she expected. She glanced at Rico’s impressive erection and imagined it stretched over his length.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “Take all the time you need.”
“I think I’ve got this,” she said with a grin. She stroked him several times from base to head and back again. Angelina loved the feel of him in her hand, the velvety soft skin and the firm strength beneath. Rico dropped his head back when she began to roll the thin latex slowly over his hard length. “Mmm. I like doing this,” she told him.
He cleared his throat before he answered. “I like it as well.”
When she finished, Angelina stretched out on the mattress beside him, anticipation for the next step an insistent buzz running through her body.
Rico caressed her hip in long, lazy strokes. “I can’t promise this won’t hurt you. At least at first.”
She nodded. “I know. It’s okay. I want to feel you inside me.” She’d never wanted anything more. She reached out to him. “Please.”
He stretched over her, and she knew if she was able to keep him for a thousand years she would never tire of the way the weight of his body pressed down on hers. Possessive. Protective. Arousing. She stroked his back and brushed her lips over his. His heavy arousal rubbed against her mound and the tingles were back in full force. She rocked beneath him, her thighs wide-spread. Ready. So ready.
Rico guided his erection to her opening, spreading her natural lubrication for what she hoped would be a more comfortable entry. She pushed away the nervousness that threatened to interfere with her pleasure.
“I’m trying to take it easy, amore. But I can’t wait any longer. I have to be inside you. Now.”
“Yes,” she cried. She didn’t want him to wait. “Now. I want you now.”
“Here we go,” he whispered, pressing the tip of his erection against her opening, slowly stretching her flesh around his thickness.
She grasped his shoulders. “I’m ready.”
“Don’t tense up.”
“I won’t.” She spread her legs as wide as she could. She wasn’t tense, she was needy. “Do it, Rico. Do it now.”
He thrust inside her, and the slight resistance and the pain were so light, she barely noticed. He kept pushing and she stretched to accommodate him until he was buried deep inside her. She’d never known anything that felt this right.
Rico cupped her jaw. “Are you with me, amore?”
“Oh yes.” She smiled. How could she not smile? She loved this man and even if he didn’t love her back, he was still sharing his passion with her. He was showing her how wonderful it was for two people to come together, body and soul. She wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him in as close to her as she could. They might eventually end up going their separate ways, but for now they were one.
And she didn’t want to think about anything else but what she was experiencing at this moment. “It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would,” she told him. “And it doesn’t hurt at all anymore. It just feels really amazing.”
“Amazing. Yes.” He held her gaze as he shifted and withdrew almost completely before plunging all the way inside her again. She quickly became accustomed to the feeling of him moving within her, slowly at first, but then faster. Harder. And soon it was as if he had no more control over his thrusts.
He plunged into her over and over, his rough grunts hitting some primitive note deep in her soul. He cried out her name as his climax hit him hard. Not princess. Not Your Highness. He shouted Angelina and it was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.
His eyes darkened and a second orgasm hit Angelina by surprise. She cried out from the intense sensations and held him tightly, her arms and legs wrapped around him. She wished she’d never have to let him go.
When their breathing slowed and her heart no longer galloped, Rico kissed her lightly on the forehead.
She beamed him a smile and although she longed to tell him that she loved him, she simply whispered, “Thank you.”
When Angelina looked up at Rico with that brilliant smile of delight, his conscience punched him in the jaw. He’d just taken her virginity. They would most likely be leaving in the morning. He’d just had a one-night stand with the princess.
Rico pulled out and rolled off the bed. Walked into the bathroom without looking at her. He couldn’t stand to see that adoring expression, like she thought he was wonderful. Like she thought he was a guy who was going to stick around.
He grabbed a washcloth of the shelf, wet it with warm water and took it back into the bedroom. He wasn’t that much of a jerk that he wouldn’t take care of her. The princess had sat up, her head bent, her hair a curtain that blocked her face. She didn’t look up when he walked in the room.
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Lie back,” he said softly. She did, but turned her head away from him. After wanting to make her first sexual experience the best it could be, he’d really messed up. He leaned over to press the warm cloth between her legs, but she snatched the cloth out of his hand and did it herself.
Rico sat beside her, telling himself it was better this way. He cleared his throat and said what he knew would push her away. “Your Highness. What can you tell me about Phillip, the duke of Larkin?”
Chapter Ten
Angelina twisted her head to glare at Rico. How could he have turned the most wonderful experience of her life into something shameful? She’d thought she could trust him. Instead, he’d stalked away from her as soon as he got his satisfaction. Tears prickled her eyes. She didn’t understand it.
And now he was back to calling her by her title. Throwing the wall back up. And why was he asking about the duke of Larkin?
“I told you about Phillip,” she snapped. “Remember? The octopus in the back of the car?”
“The one you had to knee to get him to stop groping you?”
She nodded and tossed him the cooling wash cloth. Was it too naïve to expect some cuddling after sex? Some charming words? Maybe she’d watched too many movies. Read too many novels. She’d never have cast him as the jerk boyfriend. He’d always been hero material in her mind.
Guess she’d been wrong. She pulled the blanket up to cover her nakedness.
“Angelina,” Rico said. She could hear his anger simmering below the surface and she had no idea where it came from. “Evidently Phillip tried to bribe one of the palace staff to get information about you,” he explained, and she realized the anger was for Phillip, not her.
She gasped. “Phillip?” She remembered how red his face had gotten after her knee connected with his groin. But he’d apologized in the end. And the whole thing had happened months ago. “Do you think he was behind the kidnapping attempt?”
“Tony called earlier this evening. Phillip is being interrogated now. I hope we’ll have some answers by the morning.”
“But why would he try to have me kidnapped just in order to talk to me?” she asked. Then she remembered how it had ended. “Oh!”
Rico narrowed his eyes. “Oh?”
“Well, he kept sending me texts and leaving messages and tons of emails so I blocked him. Like I’d do for anyone who wouldn’t leave me alone.” Liked she’d done to several arrogant royals who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“So he had no way to communicate with you?” Rico asked slowly, as if he were contemplating each word.
“I didn’t want to hear from him again.”
“I understand that, amore, but it could explain why he might have felt he needed to take drastic measures to get your attention.”
At least Rico had called her amore instead of Your Highness. Was this news about Phillip the reason he was acting so strangely? Then she realized what this news could mean. Of course.
“You think we’ll be going home now, don’t you? Since they have Phillip in custody?”
Rico climbed off the bed and turned his back while he pulled on his underwear. “It’s likely.”
“I see. Is that why you won’t look at me? Are you ashamed of what we did?” Her voice began to rise along with her anger. Anger at Rico. “You just want to forget this ever happened? Pretend we don’t even know each other when we get back?”
He turned back to her now. Met her eyes with a shadowed gaze. “I never said that.”
“I suppose you can’t wait to get away from me.” She climbed out of the other side of the bed, clutching the blanket to her chest. “I’m going to pack my things. I want to get out of here now. There’s no need to wait until morning.”
“No. Angelina, listen to me.” He grasped her shoulders firmly and turned her to face him. She wanted to fight him, struggle to get out of his arms, but he pinned her with his intense gaze and she was unable to move. “I’m not ashamed of making love with you. But I am your bodyguard. You are the princess and you are under my protection. I should not have taken your innocence.”
“You didn’t take anything,” she told him through gritted teeth. “I gave it to you. Gladly. Of my own free will.”
“Amore…” He dropped his hands and took a step back.
“Don’t you dare feel guilty.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him close again. “I don’t want to forget this night happened. I don’t want to forget the time we’ve spent together. I don’t regret a moment.”
Rico gently brushed her hair back but didn’t speak. Where had all his charming words gone? Why couldn’t he tell her that he didn’t regret it either?
“I know you’re trying to be noble,” she went on. “You think you have to be the good guy. The white knight. My protector. And I really like that guy. But that other guy, the one who told me he wanted to bend me over the dining table and take me? I like him too.” She brushed her fingers along the tattoo circling his bicep. “I like him a lot.”
“I’m not a white knight,” he said with a groan. “I’m just a man.”
Her Royal Bodyguard Page 11
