Heidi Betts – At His Majesty's Convenience / Her Little Secret, His Hidden Heir: At His Majesty's Convenience (страница 13)
They were both gone by the time the “new regime” crumbled and Ruthenia decided it wanted its monarchy back. Jake had assumed the mantle of political duty, but it didn’t seem fair or reasonable to expect him to take it into his bedroom, as well.
He’d much rather take Andi into his bedroom. Her lips looked so inviting in that sensual half smile. And he could just imagine how those long legs would feel wrapped around his waist….
But that was a really bad idea. When she got her memory back she’d likely be pretty steamed about the whole scenario he’d cooked up. She’d be downright furious if he took advantage of her affections, as well. Much better if they kept their hands to themselves until they could talk things over sensibly.
“Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” His voice sounded tight.
“Why? I’m not going to sleep there, am I?” She raised a brow. She seemed far more relaxed, bolder, than he’d seen her so far. She was obviously feeling comfortable, even if her memory still showed no signs of returning.
“I think you should. It’s a question of propriety.”
She giggled. “You are joking.”
“No.” He felt a bit offended. “It’s a royal thing.”
“So, we’ve never …?” She rose from the sofa in an athletic leap and strode across the room. “I don’t remember the details about my own life, but I remember general stuff and I’m pretty sure that it’s totally normal for dating couples to … sleep together. So I don’t believe that we’ve been dating for years and never done more than kiss.”
Jake shrugged. She had a point. If only she knew he was trying to protect her. “Okay, I admit we may have been … intimate. But now that we’re engaged and it’s all official and formal, I think we should play by the rules.”
“Whose rules?” She raised her hand and stroked his cheek with her fingers.
His groin tightened and he cleared his throat. “Those official, hundreds-of-years-old rules that the king should keep his hands off his future bride until after the wedding.”
Her mouth lifted into a wicked smile. “These hands?” She picked up his hands and placed them squarely on her hips. Heat rose in his blood as he took in the curves beneath his palms. She wriggled her hips slightly, sending shock waves of desire pulsing through him.
His pants grew tight as Andi pressed her chest against his. He could just imagine what those deliciously firm breasts must look like in her lacy bra. If he coaxed her out of her T-shirt—which would not be difficult—he could find out right away.
But that might lead to other things.
In fact, he was one hundred percent sure that it would.
He pulled back from the kiss with considerable effort. “Don’t you have some … embroidery to do or something?”
“Embroidery?” Laughter sparkled in her clear blue eyes. “Do I really embroider stuff?”
He chuckled. “Not that I know of, but does a man really know what his fiancée gets up to in the privacy of her room?”
“I guess that depends how much time he spends there.” She raised a brow. “Maybe we should go to my room?”
Jake froze. That seemed like a really bad idea. Which underlined what a bad idea all this kissing and cuddling was. Much better to keep things professional, with just enough hint of romance to keep the people around them convinced. At least until Andi came back to her senses.
He flinched as Andi’s fingers crept beneath the waistband of his pants. He’d grown rock hard and the thought of pushing her away was downright painful. Her soft cheek nuzzled against his and his fingers wandered into her hair. She looked so different with her hair loose, much less formal and more inviting.
Her cool fingers slid under his shirt and skated up his spine. Jake arched into the sensation, pulling her tighter into his embrace. Her breathing was faster and her pink lips flushed and parted. He couldn’t resist sticking his tongue into her mouth and she responded in kind, until they were kissing hard and fast again.
“Still think I should go to my room?” She rasped the question when they came up for air.
“Definitely not.” He had to take this woman to bed, whether it was a good idea or not.
He reached under her T-shirt and cupped her breast, enjoying the sensation of skin and scratchy lace under his fingers. He could feel her heartbeat pounding, like his own, as anticipation built toward boiling point.
“Let’s go into the bedroom.” He disentangled himself from her with some effort and led her into the other room. The plain white bedcovers looked like an enticing playground and he couldn’t wait to spread her out on them and uncover her step by step.
He swept her off her feet—eliciting a shriek of delight—and laid her gently on the bed.
Suddenly horizontal, Andi looked up at Jake with alarm. Her entire body pulsed and tingled with sensation. About to reach for the buttons of his shirt, her fingers stopped in midair. Their eyes met, his dark with fierce desire that made her insides tremble.
Everything about this situation felt new and different.
Jake’s hands showed no hesitation as he unzipped her jeans and slid them off. Heat snapped in her veins, deepening the sense of unease creeping over her.
“What’s the matter?” Jake paused and studied her face.
“I don’t know. It just feels strange.”
“Go with it.” He lifted the hem of her T-shirt and eased it off over her head. Her nipples stood to attention inside her lacy bra, which was now exposed to view along with its matching panties. Jake’s devouring gaze raked her body and Andi felt both very desirable and very, very nervous.
Jake unbuttoned his own shirt and shrugged it off, revealing a thickly muscled chest with a line of dark hair running down to his belt buckle. His powerful biceps flexed as he undid the belt and the button of his pants.
Andi’s hesitation flew away. “Wait, let me do that.” She rose to the edge of the bed and unzipped his pants as excitement and arousal replaced her apprehension. She pushed them down to reveal dark boxers and powerful hair-roughened thighs.
Both in their underwear, they stretched out on the cool white sheets, skin to skin. She touched his chest with a tentative finger, enjoying the warmth of his body. She traced the curve of his pec and traveled lower, to where his arousal was dramatically evident against the dark fabric of his shorts.
Jake’s taut belly contracted as she trailed over it then paused.
She looked up at his face. The naked desire in his eyes further unraveled her inhibitions. She let her hands roam lower, tugging at his boxers until they slid down and his erection sprang free. She gasped, and he chuckled. Then she pulled the soft fabric down over his strong legs until he was totally naked.
“You’re gorgeous,” she breathed. Then she blushed, realizing that must sound silly when she’d seen him naked many times before.
“You’re far more gorgeous.” His slightly callused fingers tickled her skin as he ran his hand along her side, from her bra to her panties.
“But you’re not seeing me as if it was the first time.”
“Yes, I am,” he murmured. Then he looked up. “At least that’s what it feels like.” Excitement danced in his dark eyes. “I could never grow tired of looking at you.”
Andi swallowed. If Jake’s feelings for her were anything like the intense roar of passion pulsing in her veins right now, she could understand how this could feel new and fresh even after several years.
He slid his arm behind her back and tugged her closer. Her belly flipped as it touched his, and her breasts bumped against his chest.
“Time to unwrap this present,” he breathed. He propped himself on one elbow and deftly undid the clasp on her bra, releasing her breasts. She felt his breathing quicken as he tugged the lacy fabric off over her arms and lowered his mouth to one tight pink nipple.
Andi arched her back and let out a little moan as Jake flicked his tongue over the delicate skin. The sound of her own voice in the still night air startled her, and quickened her pulse further. She pushed her fingers into his thick hair and enjoyed the silky sensations roaming through her body as he licked and sucked.
“Kiss me,” she begged, when she couldn’t take the almost painful pleasure anymore. He responded by pressing his lips to hers with passion and kissing the last of her breath away.
Arms wrapped around him, she held Jake close. His warm masculine scent filled her senses and the heat of his skin against hers only increased her desire. Fingers trembling with anticipation, she took hold of his erection. Jake released a low moan as she ran her fingers over the hard surface, then tightened them around the shaft, enjoying the throb of pleasure that issued through him.
Had she really done this before? She couldn’t believe it. Again that odd sensation of unfamiliarity almost dampened her pleasure. Everything she did was like taking a step into the dark and hoping the floor would still be there under her foot when she put it down. Where would these strange and intense sensations and urges lead her?