Page 16 of His Savage Sweet

That’s where she was wrong. “I care for ye, Anna.”

At her scoff of disbelief, I reached across the table to snag her hand and began to run little circles into her palm.

Just as when I’d offered her my arm in the corridor of the servant’s wing, she gave a little shudder at my touch. Had she shuddered that night in the kitchen, when I’d touched her? I couldn’t remember, but I was damn well going to find out when I fooked her again.

“Anna,” I began, still not sure how to put my feelings into words, but determined to try. “I’m no’ the crown prince, and the way Rickard and his new wife have been going at it, there’ll be an announcement soon enough.”

Her eyes widened. “A bairn?”

“If fooking perfect Rickard has anything to say about it, aye. Once that happens, I willnae even be needed as a spare heir to the throne.” I squeezed her hand. “Do ye understand? I might be a prince, but I'm no’ a royal fixture of the palace in the way my brother is. So I’ve found my place in this world, doing what I like to do.”

When she smiled softly at me, I felt it in my chest. Her green eyes perfectly matched the color of that dress—and apparently my ability to judge a woman’s measurements had been spot-on, because the gown fit her like a second skin—and those eyes seemed to sparkle with something just for me. I swallowed.

“Earlier this year, my father commanded us to marry, which was a hell of a surprise, let me tell ye. Rickard did it in his own way, and I’m ready to do it in my own way. On my terms.” I took a deep breath. “I get to choose, and I want a woman who’ll stand beside me, who shares my…” Why was this so hard? “My…passion, I guess.”

Passion? Ye dobber, ye’re making a hash of this.

I had to clear my throat, not sure how to confess this next part. “When I walked into that kitchen, I was only there to compliment ye on yer dish, maybe ask ye a few questions. But the moment I saw ye, something changed. I kenned ye were going to be mine, I kenned ye could match me. Yer eyes called to me, and though that confused the fook out of me, I kenned there was something special between us. Something important. Something that wasnae going to be satisfied with just one night.”

Under mine, her hand flipped over until her fingers were twined through mine. Equals, even if I was a prince.

“I havenae been able to get over that night, Wulf. No’ just that I cannae forget it…” She blushed slightly, and her eyes went to my lips. “But I cannae get ye out of my head. Yer taste. Yer scent.”

I groaned, then groaned again when her tongue flicked out over her lips. “Woman, ye’re reading my mind.”

“Truly?” She lifted one perfect auburn brow impishly. “I wonder if ye can read my mind.”

And her slow grin—and the way her eyes raked over my chest—made it clear exactly what she was thinking.

“Fook, aye,” I snarled. I needed her. Needed to feel her skin, wrapped around mine.

I was already holding her hand, so it was no effort at all to stand up and tug her upright. She stumbled slightly—was it the wine?—and fell against me, and my inner beast howled in anticipation. The carriage was right outside, and I didn’t know if I could wait even that long to taste her again.

I’d worry about settling the bill later. After I’d convinced Anna to be my wife.

Chapter 7

Anna

I was laughing as we sprinted down Petite Chou-Fleur’s steps—in those fancy slippers, no less!—towards the carriage. The laughter was half joy, half incredulity.

He wanted to marry me! He wanted to marry me? Me?

But his words! Oh my goodness, his words. It was as though he’d been reading my mind, which he accused me of doing! All of those things he’d said about me were things I’d been thinking about him, and it had been wonderful to hear him say them.

When he pulled me against his chest, I felt the thick bulge in his trousers and knew he wanted me again as much as I wanted him. And that’s why I was laughing as we tumbled into the carriage; whatever sweet words he’d said, whatever proposal he’d made, they didn’t matter as much as the intense need between us.

“Take the scenic route home,” Wulf snapped to the driver before the door shut, leaving us in the opulent interior.

I fell against the squabs, my gown hiking up on one side. I didn’t have time to be embarrassed at my desperate clumsiness before Wulf threw himself down beside me. As the carriage began to accelerate, he traced the edge of the gown’s neckline, sending shivers down my spine.

“Do ye ken how hard it’s been to sit across from ye all night and no’ touch ye?” he growled.

Yeah, definitely a growl. I shivered, partly from his touch and partly from the way his voice reverberated in my core.

“I picked this damn gown out myself, and it’s been torture, imagining how yer tits would look in it. This little dip right here” –he dragged his fingertip down my cleavage— “has been driving me mad.”

Had there been a moment I thought I wasn’t too exposed in this gown? The way he was looking at me made me breathless.

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