Page 86 of Reckless Royalty

“Fuck,” he murmurs, his voice muffled against me. “This is exactly what I needed after this fuck-up of a day.”

My fingers find their way into his hair, curling around the damp strands. I toy with them gently, running my nails along hisscalp, and he lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a groan and a sigh.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask gently, knowing he probably won’t but offering, anyway.

He shakes his head, his nose brushing against my collarbone. “Not tonight,” he says, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “Tonight, I just want this.”

I nod, letting the silence settle around us for a moment. He shifts slightly, angling his face to look up at me. His dark eyes are heavy-lidded, his expression soft and unguarded. He’s never looked more vulnerable, and it tugs at something deep inside me.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” he asks suddenly, his voice rough.

I blink, caught off guard. “What?”

His hand comes up, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. His fingers linger for a moment, his thumb grazing my cheek.

“You, in my bed. Touching me like this.” He lets out a shaky breath.

Before I can say anything, he lifts himself slightly, his hand moving to cup the back of my neck. His lips find mine, soft and insistent, and I lose myself in the kiss. It’s not hurried or frantic—it’s slow, deep, like he’s trying to say everything he can’t put into words.

When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine, and we’re both breathing harder. “Hmmm. You’re dangerous, Little Rebel,” he mutters, his voice laced with both frustration and awe.

“Dangerous?” I manage to ask, my lips curving up into a small smile.

“Yeah,” he says, brushing his thumb along my jawline. “Dangerous to every bit of control I thought I had.”

I laugh softly, my fingers still tangled in his curls. “Maybe you needed to lose a little control.”

He smirks, his eyes glinting with something playful. “Maybe I did.”

We settle back against the pillows, the tension from before replaced by something lighter, warmer. His head finds its way to my chest again, and I keep stroking his hair, listening to his breathing even out.

“Do me a favor, baby,”

My heart literally jumps out of my chest at the endearment. How did we get to ‘baby’ already?!

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever use my shower wash again,” he says with a sigh. “I need to smell strawberries when I hold you.”

I laugh softly, unable to help myself. “Strawberries? Really?”

Mihai lifts his head just enough to look at me, his lips quirking into a smirk. “What? It’s a good scent. Sweet. Suits you.”

My cheeks flush, and I roll my eyes, trying to brush off the compliment. “I didn’t take you for the type to care about how I smell.”

He huffs out a laugh, lowering his head back to my chest and his arm tightens around my waist.

“Shows what you know,” he mutters. “I’ve been noticing everything about you, Maddy. How you smell, how you laugh, the way you crinkle your nose when you’re focused.”

I freeze, my heart pounding at his words. “You’ve been paying attention?”

“Of course, I have,” he murmurs, his tone softer now. “You’re impossible not to notice.”

I blink at the ceiling, my fingers stilling in his hair. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that someone like Mihai—a man who seems untouchable, always in control—has been noticing me. Really noticing me.

“I didn’t think…” I start, but the words catch in my throat. “I mean, I didn’t know.”

He lifts his head again, resting his chin on my sternum so he can look at me. His eyes are intense, and they hold me in place.

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