Page 57 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“Then we will assume they also swam to shore in the harbor and received the same invitation to join the pirates.” An undercurrent of amusement ran through his voice. “Do not think that Ricardo el Rojo was a benevolent man. He simply needed more people to crew his ships and settle Caleva. Had anyone refused to swear the oath to him, he would have fed them to the sharks.”

“Or thrown them off the cliffs,” Eve said.

“It was a queen who instituted that custom.” His eyes held a wicked smile. “Ricardo’s granddaughter Isabella executed several of her half siblings who tried to take the throne away from her by having them hurled off Acantilado Alto.”

“I guess she was sending a message like Ricardo.” Eve held out the almost empty bottle to Luis.

He took a step closer to her, so close that a lock of her wind-tossed hair snagged on his shirt. He caught the errant strands and twisted them around his fingers. “It feels as smooth and silky as it looks,” he said. “I have wanted to touch it every time I have seen you.”

Eve would swear her heart stuttered, but it wasn’t the compliment that sent excitement and nerves skittering through her. It was the low, sultry vibration of his deep voice, the unmistakable note of seduction pulsing beneath his words.

“Thank you,” she said, unable to muster anything more. The gentle tug of his grip on her hair sent sparkles of delight tingling over her scalp and down her neck to tighten her nipples even more.

In a moment of insanity, Eve lifted her hand to brush her fingertips against the silver-gray of his beard. “And I’ve wanted to touch this. It’s softer than I expected.”

Luis’s eyes ignited in flames of blistering blue, standing utterly still as she ventured to feather her fingers through the gleaming curve of hair at his temple. He turned his head to press a kiss against the skin of her wrist, his lips firm and smooth.

She gasped as desire surged through her, detonated by that small touch.

“Ay, Eve!” His voice was a rasp of surrender to what they both knew they shouldn’t do.

She rose on her tiptoes to meet him as he bent. Their mouths touched, first with a careful exploration that allowed her to savor the warmth of his lips and the slight tickle of his beard. And then he changed angles so his tongue could trace the contours of her mouth as he banded his arms around her and pulled her against him. Her sensitized breasts pressed against the hard muscles of his chest, and she gasped in pleasure. He touched the tip of his tongue to hers in a question that made her open to him so they could taste each other.

He broke the kiss to nip at her earlobe before skimming his mouth down the side of her neck. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as she arched back to offer him her throat. “Yes, Luis, yes!” she whispered as he licked the hollow between her collarbones before he gave her just the edge of his teeth on her neck.

She hissed in a breath at the play of pleasure against the nip of pain. And then she pulled open two of his shirt buttons so she could press her palms against the sculpture of muscles under the warm skin dusted with silver hair as springy as his beard’s.

He groaned and threw his head back. “Yes, your skin against mine.”

And then she realized what she had done. Her face flushed with a different kind of heat, and she pulled her hands away. “That was…unexpected,” she said, trying to pretend her world hadn’t just shifted on its axis.

But he was watching her with a panther’s predatory gaze. “That was muy erótico.” He cupped her cheek with one hand and kissed her in a way that was so carnal, she shivered with renewed longing.

He broke the kiss and shifted both hands to her shoulders, while the desire that had burned in his eyes lessened. “Eve, I want you very much, but it must be your decision. If you choose, you must come to my room tonight.”

“I don’t know where your room is,” Eve said, not understanding why that mattered. Was he worried about her suite being next to Grace’s?

He made a dismissive gesture. “I will show you.” He gripped her shoulders again, making sure she was looking at him before he continued. “No matter how badly I wish to, I will not come to your room. Do you understand?”

Realization dawned.

“Because you’re the king,” she said. “You want to make sure I don’t feel pressured.”

“Yes.” There was a strange plea in that one word.

“You forget that Americans aren’t subject to command by royalty.” Eve smiled before she pulled down his head to give him a kiss. “Besides, not even a king can command someone to have an orgasm.”

“Perhaps not, but I’m sure many orgasms have been faked in a palace bed.”

“If it happens, I will not be faking, I promise,” Eve said, her voice low and sultry.

“Ay, we must return to the young people to see how they are getting along.” He let go of her shoulders and stepped back.

Guilt poked at Eve because she had forgotten about Grace and Raul. “Right.” She winced inwardly as she thought about how much more complicated this thing between her and Luis could make the situation.

It would have to be a one-night stand. And that was only if she had the nerve to go to his room at all.

As she turned to walk beside Luis, she was surprised when he took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers and sending a thrill up her arm.

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