He wasn’t satisfied yet. And nor was she.
He released his thoroughly intimate hold on her and reached for protection. In seconds he’d stripped off his underpants and rolled a sheath down over his straining, massive erection. Her heart thundered. He was so huge, so stiff. She wasn’t sure she could take him...
But she wanted to. She couldn’t hold still for the wanting.
His eyes on hers, he gripped her restless hips with both hands. Then he bent his head low again. Another luscious lick of his tongue spiked her pulse even more. She knew he was preparing her, but she couldn’t wait any more.
‘Giorgos...’ Her wanton craving was audible.
He stilled, then moved up her body to brace himself above her. So close. She stared up at him, so intensely longing. So trusting.
He held fast, rigid above her. ‘There’s no going back.’
She didn’t answer—didn’t want him to give her yet another chance to change her mind. She ran her hand through his silky hair and pressed, drawing him down so she could kiss him the way he’d taught her. Elation soared as he gave her his tongue. But he still held that most masculine part of him an inch away from where she was burning with heat and want.
So as she kissed him—as she welcomed the teasing plunge of his tongue into her hungry mouth—she arched up, rubbing that desperately aching part of her against him. She moaned as she moved, discovering just how much she liked rubbing against him like this. And at last he moved—only the slightest push of his hips to press the thick head of his manhood against her slick sex, sliding between her folds only an inch before slipping back.
Her breath stilled as she assimilated the sensations and again he pressed. And then again. Gentle, shallow pulses that started to drive her wild. Suddenly she was swamped in the hunger for more—for all.
‘Giorgos...’ she breathed in pure mindless desperation. ‘Please. Oh, please. Please.’
His sudden fierce thrust breached that thin barrier, plunging him deep into her narrow channel. She cried out at the enormous pressure that gave her both physical fullness yet also intense relief. He was there.
‘Kassie?’ He gazed deeply into her eyes, searching, questioning, wanting.
It was so much more than she’d imagined it would be. He was so much more.
‘You’re hurting?’ he asked hoarsely.
‘No... Yes...’ she whispered honestly, and drew in a shuddering breath. ‘No... It’s just...’
He kissed her—a sweet, hot kiss—so that for a moment she was too stunned to be able to answer. But then she softened, relaxing into him, her body gradually accepting the possession of his.
And it was so good. She moaned as he began to move, spectacularly slowly. Giving her time to adjust to more...and then more. And then she moved too—experimentally mimicking that delicious rocking of his, interleaving their most sensitive places...
His hands swept over her, skilfully seeking other spots to tease, to treasure. He made love to her mouth, then her neck, then arched above her to tug with divine torture at her breasts while ploughing deep into her womb.
She gasped. That initial shock had now faded, leaving rapture to rise in the driving exertion of his body over hers. He was around her, over her, in her, and he left no part of her untouched. She moaned again as the physical was transcended and white-hot emotions bubbled as he worked her harder. She swept her hands over his chest and then gripped his shoulders, instinctively curling her leg around him to hold him close, urging him.
He met the unspoken desire—the challenge—and took her harder, higher. She panted as the sensations began to spiral, her breathless groans stoking his speed and attention until she cried out in complete orgasmic agony. And then, as waves of ecstasy rained through her body, he released his own—thrusting with unrestrained, unrelenting might before powerfully straining as hard and as deep as he could, spilling his seed into her greedy, clenching heat.
Long moments later he levered himself up from where he was slumped over her to kiss her—a lazy, intimate, generous kiss that somehow bolstered her. She’d been torn apart, and now his luscious, long kiss put her back together. She was reformed. Different. Better.
She sighed with utter contentment as he rolled to his side and then pulled her to rest against him. She felt as if she was floating. ‘I had no idea,’ she whispered in wonder. ‘I just had no idea.’
His answering smile was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She smiled back, wide-eyed, as the aftermath of such intensity fired adrenalin around her body. She couldn’t believe what had happened. Couldn’t believe how powerful the feeling had been. Couldn’t believe her heart would ever settle again.
He suddenly moved, standing up from the bed to turn and scoop her into his arms. He carried her to the bathroom, flicking the lever so water flowed from the multiple jets in the shower. She trembled as he set her on her feet. She was so keyed up by what had taken place. By what she’d felt. By the need to feel it again—to make sure it hadn’t been a dream or a fluke... She needed—
‘Breathe,’ he said softly, placing his hand on her chest and feeling the frantic beat of her heart. ‘Just breathe.’
He carefully lathered her body, massaging her all over with annoying gentleness, but there was a wicked smile lurking in his eyes when he caught her gasps and he took extra time to wash her breasts and down her belly.
She put her hand on his wrist as he was about to step away. ‘I want to do it again,’ she whispered boldly, her heart still beating that frantic tattoo.
‘I know.’ He wrapped her in one of the luxurious bathrobes and picked her up again.
‘I am capable of walking.’ She felt embarrassed, but at the same time she loved the care he showed.
‘I like holding you,’ he answered bluntly. He paused for a second in the room, and then placed her on the sofa instead of the bed. ‘Wait here a minute.’
She wondered what the problem was, but then she saw the bloodstain on the sheet and felt her blush burn. But there was an odd sort of pleasure too—that there was a mark of what had happened. That it had been no dream. It had been earthy and raw and real.
‘I’ll take care of it.’ His voice was a little hoarse.
He left the room for a few moments, before returning with a pile of folded linen in his arms. In two seconds he’d bundled the soiled sheets and wafted a fresh sheet over the big bed. She walked over to help him.
‘Uh-uh.’ He shook his head. ‘You’ll mess up my corners.’
So she stood back, her arms folded as she watched him work. ‘I’m impressed.’
‘You thought I was too spoiled to know how to make a bed, didn’t you?’ he jeered at her. ‘I wasn’t about to order my staff to come and freshen the place. I’m not that much of an ass. I’m—’
‘Considerate. Tender. Tough—in a good way,’ she interrupted with a smile. ‘And you really do know how to make a bed.’
‘When I was first crowned I realised I wasn’t anywhere near ready to take it on and I needed some discipline and order to my day. So I trained with my soldiers. And I make my own bed. Every. Day.’
‘Impressive.’ She chuckled at his self-mocking smile.
‘But I’m not disciplined at all now.’ He tugged her back down to the bed.
It was true, he realised. He no longer gave a damn about anything in the world other than pleasing Kassie. Sex was always enjoyable, but what he’d just experienced with her had been something else again. The honesty of her response... The unfettered enjoyment... He’d worked so hard to pull that from her. Pleasuring her had mattered to him in a way it had never mattered before.
He was always a considerate lover, and liked to ensure his partner’s satisfaction, but he’d wanted the next level for Kassie. She deserved that—so sweet, so lonely. She’d been trembling like a leaf in the shower just now, and a huge wave of tenderness had ris
en within him. And her flush when they’d returned to the bedroom and seen that rumpled bed...
The most appalling Neanderthal satisfaction rippled through him at being her first—her only—lover. And he was going to do it again. And again. And he was determined to make it even better for her every time. He cared deeply about her experience. And realising that made his muscles tense.
‘You’re the most disciplined person I’ve ever met.’ Her mouth formed the tiniest, most feline smile.
Another feeling rushed in—all intensity as he registered her blossoming confidence. That smile—that mouth of hers—was going to be the death of him.
He grabbed her hips and hauled her close, wanting to drown in the sensations she aroused within him and not analyse them any more. He kissed her, drawing in her sweet enthusiasm as she wriggled beneath him. His heart thundered as he touched her—she was so warm, so generous, so gentle.
‘I don’t want to have to do it any more,’ he confessed in the intense relief of holding her.
‘Do what?’
Resentment—rebellion—burned within him. What he wanted would always come second to what was required. That was the price he would always pay. ‘Pretend to be so bloody perfect.’
‘You don’t pretend.’ She frowned up at him. ‘In what way are you not perfect?’ She mocked him with that bewitching smile. ‘You’re handsome. Intelligent. And you’ve introduced me to the most magical experience ever. I’m working very hard not to fall for you, my King.’
He stiffened at her admission—even though he knew she was teasing, just to make him smile. But she didn’t know the truth of him. Not the raw, ugly facts. Suddenly he wanted her to—so she no longer saw him as a poster boy for the monarchy. He wanted her to understand the poison of his past. And then—selfish, greedy bastard that he was—he wanted her to still want him. He wanted her to look at him with those desire-drenched eyes even when she knew how false he really was.
It felt like a betrayal for her not to know the truth when she had been so honest—so genuine and generous—with him.
‘Your original opinion of me was an accurate one, Kassie,’ he said, his throat tightening as he rolled to his side to face her. ‘You saw straight through me to the truth.’
She stilled at the solemnity in his tone. ‘I was defensive and on the attack and I judged you without thinking it through,’ she said softly. ‘But your mother died in childbirth... No wonder you were worried about Eleni. And Damon’s father abandoned his lover in her hour of need... I can understand why you’re wary of him.’
‘Those things are true—and relevant to a point. But they’re not the reason I’ve wanted to protect her too much for too long.’
‘No?’ Her eyes deepened. ‘Then what’s the reason?’
He glowered at her. He didn’t deserve her adoration. And the toxic baggage he’d been shouldering alone for years would wipe it out. She wouldn’t like him anywhere near as much once she knew. And that could only be a good thing. She might have claimed from the outset that she wouldn’t get hurt, but hormones would come into play. The gentle warmth in her eyes when she looked at him told him she was too soft towards him already. The truth would burn back any building tenderness she felt for him.
He could only hope the desire would still remain.
‘In my teens, I was even more arrogant that I am now.’ He laughed, mocking himself. ‘Of course I was. I could have almost any woman I wanted. It went to my head. Young, sexually adventurous... I didn’t think about the consequences. I was having too much fun, and I was arrogant enough to believe I could do anything. Have anything and anyone. I was totally spoilt and I thought I was invincible. Nothing bad could befall me.’
‘And then your father died.’
Those eyes deepened again in sympathy. But his sweet lover wasn’t as clever as she thought.
‘My hedonism killed my father,’ he said bluntly. ‘His death was my fault.’
‘It was a car accident.’
‘Caused by me. I got into trouble. Serious trouble.’
She drew in a sharp breath. ‘Gambling? Drugs?’
‘One of my lovers fell pregnant.’
Kassie’s mouth formed an ‘O’. ‘Did you love her?’
‘I was almost eighteen. She was nineteen. I thought I’d been careful. I was voracious, but I wasn’t stupid. But contraception isn’t infallible.’
He hadn’t answered her question.
‘We weren’t in a committed relationship. We weren’t exclusive.’
Her expression shadowed. ‘So what happened?’
‘She was in a panic, and frankly so was I. Her parents were traditional and she was scared.’
‘Was she a princess?’
‘Aristocratic. It wouldn’t have been the perfect match, but it could have been made acceptable.’
‘So it wasn’t a forbidden love story?’ She looked away from him.
‘Not for me, no.’ He sighed. ‘We slept together only a couple of times. For me it was only ever a couple of times with each woman.’
‘Tick one off and then move on to the next?’
‘Exactly.’ He sighed again. ‘She was in my party circle. I slept with most of the women in that group.’
‘How did I not know you’re really such a man whore?’
He looked ruefully at her. ‘I might’ve still been a schoolboy, but I was really good at sneaking around. I was good at lying to my security handlers. And it was a very small, select circle I was in. Everyone had a reputation to lose. Everyone was discreet.’
And amoral. He’d taken up every offer—and there had been many. In those days he’d devoted himself to nothing but hedonistic pleasure. His father had been absent and busy, his sister a kid in the palace nursery, and he’d thought he was invincible and entitled. He’d been an out-of-control brat.
‘So what happened when she got pregnant?’
He’d realised he’d screwed up and he had wanted to do the right thing. ‘I was going to propose to her. I phoned my father...we had a big fight. He wanted me to pursue a paternity test first. I was angry that he thought he knew more than I did. I wouldn’t listen to him. I wouldn’t come home.’
He’d been so arrogant, so determined to do what he thought was best and damn his father’s opinion.
Kassie’s eyes deepened. ‘So he came to see you?’
‘He didn’t usually drive himself, but in this instance... He was speeding...’ He closed his eyes so he couldn’t see the sympathy in hers. ‘He was killed on impact. They said he wouldn’t have felt a thing.’
He’d never got over the shock of the soldier knocking on his door.
‘It was completely my fault. I killed him.’ He was as guilty as if he’d pulled a damn trigger and shot him. ‘She wanted to press ahead with the wedding, but I felt I had to do what my father had wanted. I hated it that our last words had been so vicious. Doing that was the least that I owed him.’
He’d been devastated by what he’d done in defying his father’s wishes.
‘And what was that?’
‘A DNA test to determine paternity,’ he said grimly. ‘It turned out my father’s concerns were correct. I was not the baby’s father.’
Kassie paled. ‘She lied to you.’
‘She was scared,’ he said dismissively. ‘I guess she was going with the safest option.’
Kassie gazed at him, her expression softening. ‘You still defend her? Even though she betrayed you?’
‘It wasn’t like any of us were faithful. And she was young and under pressure.’
‘And you weren’t?’
He paused. He hadn’t told her this in order for her to pity him, but to push her away for her own good. But now there was a searching look in her eyes that he couldn’t withstand.
‘I was ripped apart,’ he muttered harshly. ‘I ruined everyth
ing and then I had to stand up for my coronation.’
He’d hated it. He’d known he didn’t deserve to hold his head up, let alone wear the heavy gold crown.
‘It was all hushed up, of course. No one was ever aware of the real reason why King Theodoros was out driving so fast along the coastal road that night.’
‘Oh, Giorgos.’ She cupped his face with a tender hand.
‘I am not the goddamn perfect King.’ He jerked free—he didn’t deserve such gentle handling. ‘Never was. Never will be. I am an arrogant, spoilt idiot who destroyed everything. I was out of control—a guy who was careless with other people’s emotions. I was the kind of predatory male you hate—one who liked to score women and didn’t give a damn about the mess he might leave behind.’
His skin was suddenly too tight for his body and his heartbeat too hard for his chest. But he saw what he’d wanted to see—the sensual light was still in her eyes.
He shook his head. ‘I’m a selfish bastard, Kassie. I’m not worth your time.’
He was a selfish, unscrupulous tyrant who’d manipulated her. Hell. He hadn’t even intended to. He’d thought his honesty would repel her. But now she was feeling sorry for him, when the last thing he deserved was anyone’s pity. But even in this bitter confession he gladly took the comfort of her body because he was so damn selfish. So unworthy. And too damn weak to resist.
‘Not true.’ Kassie wrapped her arms tight around his chest, holding him to her even as she felt him stiffen as if to pull away.
What he’d just told her was one of the saddest things she’d ever heard. Yet he still defended that young woman. He was still that protective, caring guy. No wonder he’d beaten himself up. No wonder he was so wary for Eleni.
‘You tried to do what you thought was right. And you’re not that out-of-control kid any more.’
He was far too controlled. And it made such sense now. He must have been so hurt—losing his father and then finding out his lover had lied to him.
‘What happened to her?’
‘She lives in the south of France,’ he answered mechanically. ‘She’s been married for the last six years. Two children now, I believe.’
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