WHEN ALEXANDER HAD said that the palace would begin the wedding preparations immediately and that Josephine’s days would quickly become tightly scheduled, he hadn’t been exaggerating. She’d expected some appointments and anticipated some meetings, but her entire life was taken over. She also quickly discovered that future princesses lived anything but private lives.
Within an hour of the engagement being announced, she was surrounded by staff. There were women at her side who were assistants managing her schedule, with others managing her wardrobe, while others had tasks she didn’t yet understand.
It only took a few days of constant companionship to make her miss her tower bedroom, which was far from the bustle of the palace. She missed her view of the sea, which reminded her of Khronos, her father, and the work that had been such a passion for so many years.
She also struggled with the sheer number of women who surrounded her now, women who all had corrections for her. They coached her on how to walk, how to carry herself, how to speak. How to hold her knife and fork. How to lift a glass. How to place a teacup. How to sit. How to rise. How not to cross her legs. How to hold her head. How to smile. How not to smile. And how never, ever to laugh.
The hours of daily instruction were meant to help her. The instruction was meant to help shape her into a proper princess. But all the lessons in etiquette and deportment, all the correction of her grammar, all the jabs at her posture simply made her feel pathetically inadequate. Every moment of her life had become a teachable moment, and for someone who’d been homeschooled and who had done her learning through stacks of books, the very vocal, critical coaching was an excruciating reminder that she was a problem. A mistake.
More than once she overheard her ladies murmuring about the difficulty in shaping her into a lady before the party on Tuesday, where she’d be presented to various members of the aristocracy, family friends, and a selection of Aargau’s Parliament.
In addition to the lessons, there were fittings and more fittings, and she was tired of standing still, being measured and draped and discussed as if she were a headless mannequin.
In the last four days she’d been pricked with more pins than she cared to remember. She noticed there were no trousers for her and nothing remotely slouchy or comfortable being made. Everything was expertly tailored: scooped necklines, snug belts, skirts with demure hemlines. But the fabrics were gorgeous and every finished item was beyond luxurious.
Alexander appeared at her room one afternoon, interrupting a meeting with Lady Adina, who was again going over the guest list for Tuesday’s party with her, ensuring that Josephine was indeed familiar with all the names and the correct titles.
No one had heard him enter, and Josephine didn’t know how long he’d been standing there, observing them at her writing table. “Hello,” she said breathlessly, happy to see him and grateful for the interruption. “Do you need me?”
“No. Not if you’re busy.”
“We’re not that busy,” she said, rising, thinking he looked ridiculously handsome in crisp olive trousers and a starched white shirt, the sleeves rolled up on his bronzed forearms. His shirt hugged his shoulders and molded to his chest and narrow waist. Just looking at him she could see why she’d thrown caution to the wind and fallen for him so hard. “And I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“I know, and now I’m heading to Paris but I should be back tomorrow.”
She looked up quickly, hopeful. “Could I go with you? I’ve never been to Paris and I’d love to see something new—”
“I wish you could, but last-minute trips are expensive, even without the additional rooms and security we’d need since we’re not yet married.” He reached for her hand. “Come, walk with me in the picture gallery. I don’t think I’ve taken you there yet, have I?”
“No,” she said quietly, feeling flattened.
His fingers laced more fully with hers. He gave her hand a slight squeeze. They walked silently from the room and down the hall. It wasn’t until they’d reached the staircase and gone up a floor and then entered a long corridor filled with enormous oil paintings that Alexander stopped walking and faced her.
“I am going to Paris to see one of my friends, Phillipe,” he said quietly. “Phillipe was on the yacht with me, and he’s leaving for an extended trip to Buenos Aires and I want to catch him before he goes.”
“He hasn’t tried to see you or reach out to you?”
“He’s close with Damian, my cousin. And the fight on the yacht, it was between Damian and me. I think Phillipe has avoided me to avoid having to take sides.”
She was silent a moment in order to process what he was saying. “The fight on the yacht... It was between you and your cousin?”
“Yes.”
His expression was so grim that she was almost afraid to ask anything else. But she’d been there, on the beach, when he’d gone overboard, and she’d been the one to rescue him. She’d seen the wound on his head. She knew firsthand the damage inflicted. “This is the cousin your father wanted you to be more like.”
“We were raised almost like brothers.”
“But he was the one that hit you?”
“Apparently in self-defense.”
“What? How?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I only know what I’ve been told. If only I could remember, but I can’t, and so I’m dependent on the memories of those who were there.”
“Have you asked to see the footage from the security cameras? The ship must have them. Everyone has them—”
“It was the first thing I asked for on returning home. But it seems there were no cameras at that end of the ship. It was one of the few places that lacked surveillance.”
“Strange, don’t you think?”
“From what I’ve learned, I was the aggressor that night. If what is being said is true, my behavior is inexcusable.”
“What are they saying you did?”
He shook his head. “I’d rather not.”
“And I’d rather hear it from you than from someone else.”
“Fair enough.” Alexander moved away from her toward the wall of framed portraits, but he didn’t seem to be looking at any of the canvases. “It’s all rather complicated, as I’m telling you what Gerard told me took place.”
“So Gerard was there? He saw it happen?”
“No, this is what Damian told Gerard.”
“I don’t find that very reassuring.”
Alexander shot her a pensive glance. “According to Damian, he noticed I was missing, and then he noticed Claudia—”
“Who is Claudia?”
“His girlfriend.” Alexander swallowed. “And my ex-girlfriend.”
Josephine’s eyebrows arched but she held her tongue.
“So he went looking for us,” Alexander continued, “and found us on the deck off her room. We were having an argument.” His jaw tightened. “I had my hands on her. I was threatening her, shaking her, choking her. Damian intervened and rescued her, taking Claudia to get medical care and leaving me alone on her deck.”
“How did you go overboard?”
“I don’t know.”
“No one came to confront you? No one came to kick you out of her room?”
“Gerard came to find me. He said her room was empty.”
“Did he then go to your room?”
“Yes, and the door was locked, so he left me alone.” Alexander fell silent. “Everyone assumed I’d gone to bed to sleep it off. But when I didn’t emerge from the cabin by early afternoon the next day, my friends forced open my door to check and discovered I was gone.”
“That’s why they never sounded the alarm.”
“And why no one knew where to look for me. By early afternoon the yacht had covered a great distance.” He drew a breath and forced himself to continue. “What worries me is the fight. The fact that I was shaking her or angry with her. I don’t know why I’d be upset. I’ve never been bothered by her seeing Damian. How could I be? I was the one who ended it with her.”
“You think Damian is making all of this up?”
“But why? What purpose would it serve?”
“So you believe him, then? You shook Claudia and choked her, and then you somehow, all on your own, fell off the yacht?”
“People do stupid things when they drink, and I have been told I was drinking heavily that night.”
“I’m sorry but none of this makes sense. I’ve never seen you drink to excess.”
“I did, when I was younger, back in my university days. And I had a reputation for being a bit of a hothead when I drank, but that was years ago. Ten years ago. I don’t drink like that anymore.”
“Tell me about Claudia.”
He shot Josephine a sharp glance. “Why?”
“I’ve never heard you mention her until now and I find it interesting that your ex-girlfriend was on your bachelor trip.”
“As my cousin’s girlfriend.”
“But wasn’t that awkward?”
“Claudia is also the younger sister of Marc, one of my best friends. She’s been part of my circle forever, which was why I began dating her in the beginning. She knew my world. She understood the rules of my world. She was...convenient.”
Josephine didn’t know whether she was more shocked, angered, or puzzled. Worse, Alexander’s story didn’t line up. It wasn’t logical. “What were Claudia’s injuries?” she asked. “Did the medic on board take photographs? Did she have bruises? Have you spoken to her?”
“Marc, her brother, has told me to stay away from her.”
“Is Marc close friends with Damian, too?”
“We met Marc our first year in the military academy. We’ve been friends with him ever since.”
“And Phillipe?” she asked, suppressing a heavy sigh. “How does he fit in?”
“He was another friend from the academy.”
“You trust them all? Every last one of them?”
Alexander looked away. He said nothing. His silence ate at her.
She pressed her hands together, fingers interlacing. She was afraid for him. Afraid for both of them. “I’m not trying to play Devil’s advocate, Alexander, but something isn’t right. I’m worried you’ve been set up.”
He glanced at her, his expression almost bleak. “But what if I did do it?”
She’d been hurt and angry when she’d first arrived in Aargau and locked in the tower, but deep down, she’d always known who he was and what he was. And that was honorable. “I don’t believe it. And neither should you.”
* * *
Alexander’s trip to Paris was a waste of time and money. When Alexander arrived at Phillipe’s apartment, he discovered Damian was already there. The three of them had dinner together, and on the surface everything was cordial, but conversation was superficial at best. During the meal, they all avoided speaking of the trip. They avoided discussing Alexander’s wedding. They actually only spoke of football and the new exclusive VIP club that had just opened up in Paris.
Alexander regretted the trip. He wished he’d remained in Roche with Josephine, and then it crossed his mind that he didn’t have to stay. He could leave now and return home tonight. He could return now.
Alexander acted on impulse and rose. “Thank you for dinner, but I should get back. Phillipe, enjoy Buenos Aires. It’s a favorite city of mine.” He nodded at Damian. “I expect I’ll see you back in Roche soon.”
“I’ve been waiting for an invitation to the wedding.”
“We’re keeping it small and private.”
“And the party Tuesday? No invitation for that one, either?”
“I was going to give it to you in person when you came to see me at the palace. You haven’t come by. You haven’t phoned.”
“I was waiting on an apology.”
“Ah, I see. Good to know.” Alexander tipped his head and started for the door.
Damian was on his feet and he followed. “You need to get help, Alex, and if you won’t do it on your own, I’ll make sure you do. I’ll speak to your father. I’ll go to Parliament. I’ll take it to the media.”
Alexander turned around. “Why make it public? What do you hope to accomplish?”
“You’ll no longer be able to avoid the truth—that you’re not well, and potentially unfit to rule in your current condition.”
Alexander regarded his cousin a long moment and then nodded. “Good to know.” And then he walked out, grateful for the car waiting for him downstairs and the private jet that could fly him home tonight.
* * *
Josephine hated being at the palace without Alexander. She felt trapped and bullied, although she suspected Alexander wouldn’t understand because he’d grown up here and he’d been raised to conform. But it wasn’t just the constant critical company that wore on her; it was her boring, uninspiring routine. She could only hope that once the wedding was over she’d be given more space, as well as more control over her day. Until then, she’d have to stand at windows, looking out, waiting for Alexander to find her and make her feel safe and wanted again. He was the only reason she was here in Aargau. Her hand went to her belly and she cradled it protectively. Well, Alexander and this one. Her baby.
In the beginning she’d been nervous about the pregnancy, but now she was excited, and determined to be a great mother. Josephine had been raised by a single father, and while he’d loved her, he’d never quite managed to be both mother and father. As a little girl, she’d desperately missed her mother, and that ache for a mother had never gone away. Even now, maybe particularly now due to the pregnancy, Josephine longed for a mother to talk to her, give her advice, and reassure her. Fathers were good at many things, but they didn’t carry the baby, and they didn’t deliver the baby, or nurse, or do any of those other things, and what Jo needed now was a strong maternal figure to help her adjust...or even some knowledgeable girlfriends would do. She hoped that later Queen Serena could maybe become that figure, but until then, Josephine would continue being her own best friend.
* * *
On Sunday afternoon, Alexander walked the castle parapet with the stunning views of Roche’s medieval walled town against the brilliant blue of the sea. Damian’s words haunted him. He’d returned from Paris in the middle of the night, and it had taken him hours to fall asleep, deeply troubled by the tense meal as well as perplexed by Damian’s threats.
This wasn’t the Damian Alexander knew. This Damian was bitter, with a score to settle.
Was it really about Claudia? Or was there something else that had happened, something that Alexander couldn’t remember?
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, and in his mind’s eye he saw Josephine, lovely, warm, smiling.
He was glad she wasn’t Danielle—sleekly sophisticated and coolly polished—and he didn’t want anyone to try to make her into something she wasn’t, because he liked her the way she was. He liked everything about her. She was the woman he wanted, and she’d be a good queen even if she hadn’t been raised in his world. Maybe she’d be a better queen because she hadn’t.
He wished he’d taken her to Paris yesterday. He wished they had more time together, just the two of them. Maybe he should steal her from the palace and take her for a drive. They could run away for a couple of hours, just the two of them. They could escape in one of his cars, perhaps one of the convertibles, and drive, the wind in their hair, the open road before them.
Alexander stopped pacing, the idea cementing. He knew where he’d take her, too. It would be an hour drive, but it was a beautiful one, across the middle of the country, through picturesque villages, all the way to the country’s highest point, Mount Bravura. But if they were to do it, he’d need to put the plan in motion now.
Alexander made a call to Julio Costa, the owner of the restaurant, and then went in search of Josephine. His valet was the one who told him to look in the tower guest suite.
When his valet saw his surprise, he smiled faintly. “Miss Robb likes it there,” he said. “Everyone knows it’s her favorite place to go when she needs a break from her ladies.”
This drew Alexander short. “Are her ladies difficult?”
“I think they’re excessively preoccupied with rules and protocol.”
Alexander left the palace for the tower and climbed to the fourth floor. When he entered the tower bedroom he found Josephine standing on a stool before the tall, narrow window. She was barefoot and her chin was propped in her hand, her elbow resting on the thick stone ledge.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Alexander’s voice caught her by surprise. She jumped a little as she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Nothing much,” she answered.
“Your nothing much is always something.”
The corners of her lips lifted. She turned back to the window and gestured to the horizon. “I was thinking the ocean from here looks more green than blue, and those puffy white clouds, cumulus clouds, are casting moving shadows on the water, making the sea look as if it’s filled with a fleet of ships, all at full sail. I was imagining the adventures those brave voyagers would have.”
“You make me want to be one of those brave voyagers.”
“But then who’d be king? This kingdom has but one heir, which is you.”
A half-dozen different responses came to mind and in the end he chose none of them. “I should have taken you with me last night. I didn’t enjoy Paris without you.”
“How did it go with Phillipe?”
“Not well.” He hesitated. “Damian was there.”
One of her winged eyebrows arched higher. “You didn’t expect to see him, did you?”
“No. And it was an awkward meal. I left early.”
“And your cousin? How was he?”
“Baffling,” Alexander said after a long moment. “I don’t understand it. I don’t understand him.” And then he shrugged impatiently. “Let’s not discuss him anymore. He ruined my night. I won’t allow him to ruin today, and I’m organizing something fun for us for dinner tonight. It will be just the two of us. We’ll leave here at six. Our reservation is for seven.”
Josephine studied him a long moment, trying to read his expression because he wasn’t smiling and yet there was this curious light in his eyes. He looked tired but also eager, and she suddenly pictured him as a boy and thought how lovely he must have been. He wouldn’t have been one of those who hurt things and broke things. No, he would have been smart and thoughtful and kind. “I’m looking forward to it,” she said, and she meant it.
“Good.”
“How should I dress? Do I need one of my formal dresses that require the spandex girdle beneath?”
“That sounds horrendous.”
“It feels horrendous.”
“Then no, please don’t wear one. Be comfortable. Choose a dress that makes you happy.”
Josephine went through her wardrobe and in the end chose a ruby-red silk dress that was sleeveless, fitted through the waist, and featured a stunning bright pink flower on the full skirt. The neckline plunged, showing off her tan and her curves, making her feel gorgeous and feminine.
After saying good-night to her staff, she hurried downstairs, where Alexander was waiting by the front door for her. He smiled as she came down the steps. “You look stunning.”
Pleasure filled her. She felt stunning tonight. “And you’re very dashing in your...um...trousers and...shirt.”
He laughed, the sound low and husky and unbearably sexy as the butler opened the front door for them. “I’m rather boring—is that it?”
“Actually, no. You’re anything but boring,” she said as they stepped outside. Her attention was immediately drawn to the hunter green convertible sports car parked in the drive. It was low and sleek with a handsome cream interior. It was also a two-seater, which meant no room for a driver. “Is that for us?”
“It is. Do you approve?”
“Very much so. But where will your security go?”
“Security will be behind us, but they’re to be discreet and give us some room.”
“I love it, but I think I might need a shawl for the way home. Let me run back up. I won’t be long.”
“I can have someone fetch you something—”
“No need. I won’t be but a moment.” Josephine went back inside and up the marble staircase.
She’d just opened the door to the suite when she heard one of her ladies say, “They said Damian found them together on the yacht, in her room, in her bed. He confronted them and things turned ugly. It’s why Damian has been forbidden from coming here.”
Josephine froze, unable to make herself move.
“Not surprised about the love triangle. There has always been some friction between those two,” someone said.
“It doesn’t help that the king has always favored Damian over his own son.”
“And Claudia? Where is Claudia now?”
“Paris, I believe.”
Josephine felt sick. Her legs shook. She put a hand to the wall, trying to steady herself. Was it true, what her ladies-in-waiting were saying? Had Alexander gone to Paris not to see Phillipe but to see Claudia?
Was it possible that Alexander wasn’t who she thought he was?
Closing her eyes, she pictured him downstairs waiting for her next to the sleek sports car, handsome, smiling.
She pictured him as he was when he came to her in the tower...
She remembered how he’d pulled her aside to talk to her in the picture gallery...
Had he been lying to her all those times? Had he been twisting the truth, pretending to be someone he wasn’t?
She didn’t think so. Maybe she was crazy, but she trusted him. She did.
Josephine drew a breath and pushed the door all the way open, silencing the conversation as she stepped into her sitting room. She ignored the startled glances—as well as the fact that the ladies were sitting in her sitting room—and continued on to her bedroom.
Adina jumped up. “Did you forget something?” she asked, following Josephine into the bedroom.
Josephine counted to ten as she went through her wraps and then selected a charcoal-gray pashmina and draped it over her arm. “I have it now,” she said, turning around and heading back out. She didn’t pause until she reached the door to the corridor, and then she glanced back at the three women. “If you’re going to gossip, please do not do it in my rooms. Good night.”
For the first twenty minutes of the drive, Josephine was quiet, replaying the conversation she’d heard in her room, wondering if she should tell him. She didn’t want to spoil the night, and it would certainly spoil the night. She chewed on the inside of her lip, wishing she hadn’t gone back to her room, thinking she would be so much happier right now if she’d never heard any of that.
Alexander shifted and glanced at her. “Is my driving making you nervous?”
“No. Just thinking about something I heard earlier. It was disturbing.”
“Want to tell me?”
“No.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I’m just upset on your behalf.”
He shifted again and braked, pulling off on the side of the road. Alexander faced her. “Tell me, cara. We’re in this together. Let’s do this together.”
“People are talking,” she said quietly after a moment. “Staff. They’re saying you...” She closed her eyes, shook her head. “I can’t say it. I can’t. And I don’t believe it, so it doesn’t matter.”
“But it does matter because clearly it’s upset you.”
She opened her eyes. “They’re saying on the yacht, Damian found you...in bed...with Claudia.”
“What?”
“And that’s why Damian is angry.”
“No.”
“And Claudia is in... Paris.” She looked at him. “Tell me it’s just a coincidence. Tell me you didn’t go to Paris to see her—”
“Absolutely not. I didn’t even know she was in Paris. Furthermore, we weren’t in bed together. I can promise you that. And yes, I know I have memory issues, but there has been nothing between Claudia and me since I ended the relationship, and I haven’t wanted to be with her. I might not remember the trip, but I know me, and I wouldn’t start something with her again, not when she’s involved with my cousin. I hate even discussing Claudia with you, but you must believe me—”
“I do.” She reached out, her fingers light on his cheekbone and then his jaw. “I do. I’m just disgusted by the gossip. I’m disgusted that people in the palace would speak that way about you.”
“Damian grew up in the palace. His father, Aldo, was my father’s twin. I think Damian has always struggled with the fact that my father was born two minutes before his father, making my father the future king and me the heir instead of the other way around.”
“Damian resents you.”
“I think Damian is envious, yes.”
“That explains a great deal,” she murmured, leaning forward to kiss him. “But let’s not let Damian and his green-eyed jealousy ruin our evening, because I’m so happy being out with you. Let’s just savor our night.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Now outside the city, they turned off the main highway onto a narrower rural road, and for the next half hour they threaded their way through the countryside filled with farms and little stone houses with charming shutters and window boxes.
Josephine thought it looked like a blend of Provence and Tuscany. “It’s so picturesque,” she said as they slowed for a shepherd and his flock of sheep, the fluffy creatures slowly crossing the road just ahead of them and then deciding they no longer wanted to cross the road but instead mill about, taking over the road.
“We might be a while,” Alexander said, shifting into Neutral.
“I’m enjoying myself immensely,” she replied, delighted by the herd’s inability to decide if they’d all cross together or one at a time. She entertained Alexander with a sheep-by-sheep accounting, describing the wayward members of the flock, giving them all personalities, including the shepherd, whose quiet resignation coupled with his inability to direct his flock only served to make the sheep more ambivalent about crossing the road in the first place.
“He is not a very good shepherd,” Alexander muttered, as five minutes turned to ten.
“Not terribly passionate about his work,” she agreed, “but he’s giving me the best show.”
“He’s also going to make us late for dinner.”
She glanced at him. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No. It’s Sunday, and Julio is opening the restaurant specially for us.”
“I’ve never had anyone open anything for me.”
“Well, you will now. In just five days you’ll be Princess Josephine Alberici.”
The sun was just setting by the time they pulled in front of the restaurant, with its exterior of local wood and stone. The restaurant owner, Julio, warmly welcomed them before escorting them inside to a table in an alcove with windows all around. The view from the restaurant, which happened to be perched on the edge of a cliff, was nothing short of glorious.
“We’re up so high,” Josephine said.
“It’s Mount Bravura, the highest peak in Aargau and Aargau’s only volcano, although extinct now.”
“No wonder I like it so much!”
They drifted into easy conversation, interrupted only by the waiter when he took their order and then returned later with their first course. Time passed quickly, and Josephine was surprised when she sat back and glanced out the window and found it was pitch-dark and that the restaurant itself was empty save them and the owner. “It must be late,” she said. “All the staff has gone.”
“Even Julio?”
“No, he’s still here. He’s setting the tables for tomorrow.”
“I’m sure he’d have no problem kicking me out when he’s ready to go home.”
She frowned, skeptical. “Even though you are Prince Alexander Alberici?”
He laughed lowly. “Okay, Julio would probably never kick me out, but he’s thrilled we’re here. Tomorrow he’ll share the news with everyone and he’ll get a great deal of press out of this. His bookings will double, triple overnight.”
“Well, that does make me feel a little better, but I still wouldn’t mind stepping out for fresh air.”
“Because you’re tired or because you want Julio to be able to close his restaurant and go home for the night?”
“You know me so well,” she murmured, thinking Alexander had the loveliest blue eyes and his smile created these grooves on either side of his lips. Lightly she brushed a fingertip across his mouth, wanting more than a light kiss. She missed the heat between them. She missed the tension and electric sensation.
He rose and held her chair for her. They left the restaurant for the patio with its breathtaking view. It was only up here, so high, that Josephine got a sense of the island and its size. Lights twinkled far away—the capital of Roche, Josephine thought—with other lights dotting the coast. Waves crested with white reflected the moonlight.
“This was just what I needed,” she said with a sigh. “It almost feels like we’re on Khronos. It’s just you and me.”
“You miss Khronos.”
“I think I always will. I had so much freedom, and I miss the water everywhere.” She darted a look up at him. “And I miss having it be just you and me.”
He leaned against the railing and drew her to him, his hands low on her back. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. I want to feel you and love you. It’s been too long.”
Love her, Josephine repeated silently, even as her heart did a painful double beat. She knew he didn’t mean love, real love, but still, it was heady hearing the words and knowing he desired her—and at least desire was something. Maybe desire could be enough. Maybe she could be satisfied with being wanted. Maybe she didn’t need to be loved. Or maybe her love for him would be enough for both of them.
She stared deep into his eyes, flooded with so many intense emotions, emotions that were stronger than she’d ever felt before, and then, sure of her feelings, she leaned closer, leaning into him, and pressed her lips to his. “It has been too long,” she whispered against his mouth. “I need you to love me.”
He kissed her back, his hand cupping the back of her head, drawing her against him so that her breasts pressed against his hard chest and her mouth was his for the taking.
The kiss was fierce and hot, his tongue parting her lips, sweeping her mouth before tangling with her tongue, teasing it, teasing her.
She felt as if the kiss was just the beginning of something huge and wonderful and she mimicked the way he kissed her, sucking on the tip of his tongue, drawing on it hard. He groaned against her mouth, his hands sliding down her back to grip her hips and grind her against his hard length.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers twining in the dark strands of hair at his nape. She tugged at them even as he shifted her hips, drawing her over him again, making her feel his heat and hunger. Sensation flooded her. Emotion flooded her. She’d desired him on Khronos, but it was so much more intense now, her feelings making the need and sensation so much more powerful.
His tongue played her mouth in a rhythmic stabbing that mimicked how the thick head of his shaft pressed up between her thighs. He’d found her breast with one hand and was kneading the peaked nipple, making her whimper and shudder, and if it weren’t for the fact that security was just around the corner and Julio was somewhere inside the restaurant, she would have begged him to take her here and now, as the delicate silk of her dress gave her little protection. But then, she wanted no protection. She wanted him, all of him, forever.
He lifted his head. “I’d have my way with you right here if I didn’t think it’d make Julio feel awkward.”
She laughed and blushed. “I was just thinking the same thing. Can we go back home and be together?”
“Absolutely.”
They returned to the palace and he led her to his room. They made love twice, and she spent the rest of the night barely sleeping because she didn’t want to forget how good she felt in his arms, in his bed.