by Leanne Banks
The intimate caress made her weak. With shaking fingers she rid him of the shirt. She savored the rough texture of his chest with her hands. Bowing her head against the solid muscular wall, she rubbed her cheek against it, absorbing his heat. Then touching and breathing weren’t enough, and she darted her tongue out to taste him.
He jerked. She felt his breath stop, and something deep inside her bloomed, making her bold. Katherine eased her hands down his belly to his bulging erection and cupped him through his jeans. “I want all of you this time, Alex,” she whispered in a voice she nearly didn’t recognize as her own. “Everything you’ve got to give me.”
His eyes flared with black fire, and within a heartbeat she was on her back with the cool comforter beneath her. She watched his face, taut with urgency, as he slid down his zipper. The grating sound tickled her nerve endings like a velvet whip. And that earring taunted her with its wickedness.
He shoved his pants down, revealing his erection, thick and full. Her breath grew shallow. The air was filled with the scent of musk and need. She stared at him, and a primitive thrill shot through her.
In turn, his gaze fell over her as if he were a starving man given his first meal. Katherine did nothing to hide her intense desire. She wanted him to see. She wanted him to feel. Her nipples tightened. Her belly rippled. She rubbed her thighs together to soothe the restlessness inside her.
Alex saw it all and grew thick with need. “I want everything at once,” he whispered harshly. “How do you do this to me?”
Katherine took a quick breath. The tiniest sliver of age-old feminine fear edged in, oddly increasing her excitement to fever pitch.
“Wider,” he murmured, pushing her thighs apart. The secrets of her femininity lay bare in front of him; the sweet scent of her arousal filled his head. He rubbed one finger down the center of her, circling the exposed bead, then plunging into her glistening moistness.
She arched against him, reaching for him. “I want to touch you.” He moved slightly to grant her access, and her hands slipped around him, adoring him with her touch.
Her caresses spent his control. It was suddenly too much. After slipping on protection, he positioned himself at her moist entrance. Then, in one smooth, fluid movement, he thrust all the way into her.
Her breath caught and shattered.
His own breath coming hard and fast, he hesitated, watching her. “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, spilling her silky hair from side to side. “No.” Her face was open and wanton. “But I need you closer,” she said in a voice that hitched with emotion. “Please hold me?”
Alex’s heart took a free fall. He lowered himself to her, feeling the delicious stab of her nipples against his chest, then he wrapped his hands beneath her, resting his weight on his elbows so that he wouldn’t crush her. “Is this what you want?”
“For starters.” She kissed his neck and slid her fingers through his hair.
Her sweet affection undid him. Her body squeezed his like a tight, hot glove. The pleasure was so intense, it was almost painful. He ground his teeth together. Lost in the clench of her sweet inner walls, he was overwhelmed by the need for release. But he fought it because he wanted it all for both of them.
Katherine rocked beneath him, sensing his reticence. Even in the midst of his need, she felt the tenderness in his restraint, and it brought tears to her eyes. But the sensation of his fullness rubbing inside was like a hot wire against her nerve endings. He would give her what she needed. She was sure of it. The certainty gave her the freedom to take.
She reached her hands down between them and pulled back enough to rub the length of him before he entered her again and again.
“Oh, my God,” he muttered hoarsely.
She kissed him, an openmouthed invitation that he took. Every movement was pulling at her, dragging her closer. Every shift gave a breathtaking hint of mindless ecstasy that seemed to grow with each second. She shuddered and clutched his shoulders for strength, losing herself with each thrust of his tongue and each pumping caress from his manhood.
He mastered her mouth and her body until she was weeping with it. He murmured brokenly in French, and her arousal gushed through her like a tidal wave, a solid wall of incredible pleasure that took her past the point of return. Ripples of ecstasy flooded through her, changing her, making her indelibly his.
Distantly, Alex heard her cries, and they touched him as nothing ever had. He felt the first rush and jerked. His blood roared through his veins like wildfire, burning and stinging. He buried his face in her shoulder and muffled his shout. Then, surrendering to the longest, hottest release of his life, he joined Katherine in a world where he’d never been.
It took a while for him to find himself again. Moments passed; Alex finally caught his breath and looked at her, shaking his head.
Katherine saw the look of wonder on his face and understood. She felt as if she’d just been through a hurricane. The experience was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She couldn’t possibly explain it.
“Why do I feel like I’ve wanted you forever?” he asked in a low voice.
She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I don’t know.” Foolhardy or not, she made a decision, knowing in the end she’d miss him when he left. The idea, however, of missing Alex without having known him was far more painful. “We’ve got thirteen days. Let’s not waste them.”
Katherine was determined to make it memorable. That way, she thought, maybe he would remember her too. Tonight the stars shone in the sky, the flames burned orange and the crowd around the campfire was halfway through the chorus of “Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.”
She shook her head in amazement at Alex, who was eating his third hot dog. “I can’t believe how much you like hot dogs. I would have thought you’d prefer caviar.”
He shrugged. “Too much of a good thing. I only had a hot dog one other time. I think it was ten years ago.”
“Tell your chef to fix them for dinner sometime.”
Alex grinned. “He’d sooner die.”
“That’s understandable, considering what’s in them.”
He took another bite, then looked at the wiener. “What’s in them?”
“Same thing that’s in bologna.”
“And what’s in bologna?”
“It would spoil your appetite. Ask Chad tomorrow when it’s not mealtime. Marshmallows are next.” She opened a plastic bag and pulled out a puffy white one.
Al gave his food one more suspicious glance and tossed it into the nearest trash can. “What’s in marshmallows?”
Katherine smiled. “Pure sugar.”
He sat closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Like Katherine. Pure sweetness.”
She skewered a few marshmallows with a coat hanger, held them over the fire and slit her eyes at him. “I seem to recall you didn’t think I was all sweetness when you first arrived.”
“You’re like that marshmallow,” he murmured, nuzzling her hair.
“What? Burned?”
He chuckled, and the sound tickled her ear. “No. Crusty on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside.”
Katherine whipped her head around, staring at him. “Does everything have a sexual connotation with you?” she whispered.
“Not everything, I don’t have a single solitary sexual thought about anyone else tonight.” He tugged her hair. “Lighten up, Katherine. I was talking about your personality, not your sexuality.” His eyes darkened, and he leaned closer, looking pointedly at her mouth. “If you want to talk about your sexuality, though—”
Her heart hammered against her rib cage. She covered his mouth with her hand. “You’re crazy.”
He shot her a devilish look, then licked her finger.
Katherine gasped, jerking her hand away. “We’re not alone. What in the world has gotten into you?”
He hesitated only a second, then answered seriously, “I’m having fun.”
A warm a
nd crazy kind of happiness spread through her. Her smile was slow, starting from somewhere deep inside. It seemed to match what she saw on his face. “Good.” From the corner of her eye she saw the flicker of tiny little lights, and an idea struck her. “Wait here,” she said, standing.
He grabbed her ankle. “Where are you going?”
Katherine’s smile grew. “Just wait a minute, and I promise to give you a new and unique experience.”
Reluctantly he released her. “Can I watch?”
“No.”
He made a sound of exasperation. “Then what do I do?”
She shrugged. “Sing.”
Alex snorted, watching her walk away. He tried to cheat, but she ducked behind some trees. He wondered what she was cooking up now. Three nights ago, everything had changed between them. Katherine wasn’t fighting him anymore. Her surrender had left him feeling exhilarated, yet humbled. And if he were honest with himself, he’d have to confess that humility was a rare emotion for him.
She made him feel many things, he thought, many things he didn’t understand. He stared into the fire for a few moments while the crowd swung into another song. He picked up a twig and snapped it, restless now that she was out of sight. Then he stood, looking around for her.
“You’re supposed to be singing,” she said from behind him.
He turned around. “You know I’m not accustomed to taking orders.”
“Think of it as a new and unique experience,” she teased impertinently.
His lips twitched. “You’d be in constant trouble for breaching protocol if we were in Moreno.”
“Good thing I don’t live in Moreno.”
The faintest chill passed over him. He couldn’t wholeheartedly agree with her statement. It wasn’t something he wanted to examine too closely. Some things couldn’t be changed. And Alex was no fool. He’d take all Katherine’s magic and save it up to remember during his next terminally boring advisory council meeting.
He watched her standing there in her torn jeans and T-shirt, her hair a mass of curly copper and her eyes shining like the stars. His chest tightened. He’d never seen a more pleasing sight. He cleared his throat, nodding toward her hands. They were cupped together. “What have you got?”
“It’s a gift. Hold out your hands.”
“Another new and unique experience.”
“Something like that,” she said softly. “C’mon, open your hands.”
Alex extended his palms.
She gave him an insect. “Katherine,” he began, thinking it was some kind of joke. Then, when the little thing lit up, he stopped.
“It’s a firefly, a lightning bug. Oops!” She cupped his hands together. “He almost got away. Do you have these in Moreno?”
He shook his head. “What do I do with it?”
“Well, if you were five, you’d catch them and put them in a jar,” she instructed. “If you were a ten-year-old boy,” she said in a disgusted voice, “you’d tear their lights off and put them on the sidewalk. And if you were a teenager, you’d catch them when nobody was looking. It’s not cool to be fascinated with lightning bugs after you reach a certain age,” she explained.
Alex peeked through his fingers, seeing a flash of green light. “And what,” he asked in his driest tone, “does a thirty-year-old man do with a lightning bug?”
She shrugged. “You hold it for a while and look at it.” Her face turned wistful, and he sensed she was talking about more than fireflies. She looked up to meet his gaze.
“Then you let it go.”
For the most part reality was suspended during the following days and nights. It was as if Alex and Katherine were locked in a time capsule where it was forever summer.
Every once in a while when Katherine was alone, she gave herself a tough talk. She needed it. Having Alex’s undivided passion and attention focused on her made it nearly impossible for her to keep her feet on the ground. The day he left, the bubble would burst, and she’d have to go on. She’d have to smile and be happy. She’d have to move on with her life and remember this time fondly with no regrets.
It would be extremely bad form to dress herself in black robes and check into a convent, she told herself, even if she wanted to. She started doing her nails again four days before he was scheduled to leave. The countdown had begun.
On Friday night she decided to fix a meal. Alex wanted to help. He’d somehow managed to get rid of Chad for the night.
Katherine filled a pot with water and set it on the stove. “You never told me how you got rid of Chad.”
He flipped through the recipe book. “Gentlemen’s agreement.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Are we talking about my brother?”
“Chad’s going to surprise you someday. You still see him as the little brother who’s always getting into trouble, but he’s growing up.”
“You just liked his raunchy cigars.”
He looked down his nose at her in his most royal, forbidding manner. “Shall we commence with the lasagna recipe? I’ll give you the instructions, and you can—”
“Do the work.” Katherine nodded and grinned. “Now why doesn’t this surprise me?”
“Crush ten ripe tomatoes and—”
“Done.” Katherine slapped a can of crushed tomatoes on the counter. She opened it and mixed it with the ground beef, onions and spices simmering on the stove.
“This says you’re supposed to use sausage.”
“We’re substituting.” She dumped the lasagna noodles into the boiling water.
“The book says to watch the noodles carefully, so they’ll be al dente.”
She nodded. “Have you spent much time in the kitchen?”
“No. But I think I’ll catch on quickly. First coffee, now lasagna.”
Katherine didn’t point out that his coffee was poured into the commode every morning. If the man wanted a fantasy, he was entitled. She rinsed the greens for the salad while he read a few more of the instructions. Then she buttered the French bread and wrapped it in foil.
“Use one pound of ricotta cheese,” he continued, and frowned at the carton she put on the counter. “That’s not ricotta.”
Just a hint of impatience edged in. “Cottage cheese. American version. It’s lower in fat and cheaper.” She poured the pasta into a colander.
“Is it al dente?”
“Alex,” she said, torn between amusement and irritation, “has anyone ever told you, you can be a royal pain?”
“Is this your gentle way of suggesting that I’m not being helpful?”
She walked over to him, pulled the book from his hands and gave him a hot, intimate kiss. She pulled back, breathing hard. His gaze was warm and inviting. She shook her head when he reached for her. “The salad dressing’s in the refrigerator.”
Then, as she rinsed the pasta, he said, “There’s a recipe for salad dressing in this book.”
She burst out laughing and turned around and shot him with the spray nozzle.
He shouted in indignation. He looked down at his drenched shirt in amazement, then at her. With murder in his eyes, he stalked over to her and grabbed the nozzle from her hands. “Do you know,” he asked in a deadly threatening voice, “what we do to women who dare to spray the prince with kitchen spray nozzles?”
She struggled against the giggle in her throat and coughed. “No,” she said, coughing again. “What do you do?”
Alex smiled an evil smile and shot her full-force with the water. “We spray them back.” Then he went one better and shot her again.
An hour later, after the lasagna had baked and they had both dried off, they sat down to enjoy the meal. “Tell me about Moreno,” Katherine said as she munched on a crust of French bread.
“Our waters are the clearest turquoise. The temperature stays between sixty and ninety. The island has an Old World charm. We don’t have much crime. Neighbors look out for each other. There’s a lot of pride in one’s work.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I think you’d l
ike it there. Our educational system could use some work, but the advisory council has some older members who are slow to change.”
“They don’t want to spend money.”
“Something like that.” Alex frowned, putting his fork on his plate. “There’s one man in particular. Menard. I can’t tell if his grudge is against me or if he’s naturally contrary.”
“Is he older?”
Alex nodded.
“He may be threatened by your youth. Does he have any children or grandchildren?”
Alex shrugged. “I think so. I’m usually too busy arguing with him to find out.”
“I don’t suppose you could fire him.”
He gave a wry grin. “No. He was appointed by my father.”
Katherine made a clucking sound of sympathy. “Never realized what a thankless job being a prince was.”
He reached out and took her hand. “Come here and stop torturing me. You’ve been away too long.”
Her heart melted, and she slipped from her chair and onto his lap. “The next time you see Mr. Menard, ask how many grandchildren he has. Then compliment him on his family. Maybe that’ll quiet his grumblies.”
“And who will take care of my grumblies?”
Katherine’s chest tightened. She winced and tried to turn it into a smile. She touched his hair with unsteady hands. He would be leaving soon. It hurt, worse than she’d planned. She took a deep breath. “Maybe you’ll find a princess or a duchess with a sense of humor.”
His face grew shadowed. “But will she bring me fireflies?”
Katherine couldn’t answer. The lump in her throat was too big. Her eyes began to burn.
He looked at her and swore in frustration. He pressed his mouth against hers to blot out the sadness. He held her so tightly, she felt the beat of his heart. “What are your plans for tonight, mon ami?” he asked in a low voice next to her ear.
Katherine closed her eyes and sighed. “I was going to take a shower, and then I thought we’d stay in if that’s okay with you.”
“Good,” he said, and his voice held relief. A little later, after she’d cleared away the dishes and taken a shower, Katherine unwrapped the towel from her head and began combing out the tangles from her wet hair. She started humming and stopped herself. It had been a long time since she’d even looked at it, she thought, eyeing her closet.
