Page 118 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

Before she could continue her exploration, he shifted, rolling and pinning her to the bed.

“Not fair!” she cried out with a laugh that turned into a groan as he licked one breast.

“You can play more next time.”

He moved down her body, trailing kisses down her stomach as his hands made quick work of her skirt and underwear.

“Next time?” she finally managed to say as his hands gripped her thighs.

“Next time,” he repeated firmly. “You have memories of us, memories of a night in Paris. I have nothing but a few flashes of dreams. And now,” he said with a wicked smile that made her feel like the devil himself had caught her in his grasp, “I want to make those dreams a reality.”

He lowered his head. Her hands fisted in the sheets as he kissed the insides of her thighs, gently nipped her flesh. When he placed his mouth on her, she bowed up off the bed into his caress, a sharp cry escaping her lips. He pressed her back down and held her firm as he licked, kissed and sucked, at times gentle and sweet, other times with a passionate finesse that left her breathless and restless.

Suddenly, she felt her body shift. Tiny bits of electricity began to build inside her body, pulsing as one as they rushed to the center of her body.

“Julius,” she gasped, “Julius, I’m... I’m going to...”

She shattered. Pleasure careened through her body, spiraling out and lighting every nerve on fire before leaving her weak and trembling.

Dimly, she felt the bed shift beneath her. She opened her eyes to see Julius removing his pants. She watched, unashamed, as he straightened and stood completely naked before her. He’d lost weight, yes, but he was still as she remembered. Broad shoulders narrowing down to a tapered waist, a chest and arms kept muscled by rowing, horseback riding and sparring.

Her cheeks grew warm as her gaze trailed down to his hips and his hard length. Heat suffused her body as he reached down and wrapped his hands around himself.

“You do this to me, Esme.”

Feminine satisfaction curled through her.

“Should I apologize?”

His lips quirked up as he stalked closer to the bed.

“No.”

He reached into the drawer of the bedside table. After he was sheathed in a condom, he moved back onto the bed. He gently pushed her back into the pillows. She lay there, waiting, watching his gaze roam over her. The longer he looked, eyes pausing on freckles here and freckles there, the more some of her desire started to slip away, replaced by the ugly tuggings of self-consciousness.

“Beautiful.”

He covered her body with his, tangling his hands in her hair and kissing her hard once more. With the evidence of how much he wanted pressed against her hips, her doubts receded, replaced by embers that grew into flames.

Flames that licked at her skin as he slowly slid inside her body.

“Julius!”

“You feel so good, Esme.” He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her as if he would die without her. “So good.”

Their bodies found a rhythm, moving against each other, climbing higher, soaring toward the highest peak until she crested once more. He followed a moment later on a groan, shuddering against her.

After, he rolled to the side but kept his arms around her waist, pulling her closer until her back was flush against his chest.

“Don’t go.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. He’d said almost the same words before in Paris. Her heart clenched at the reminder that, no matter what this was between them, it would never result in a happily-ever-after.

So say yes now.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Not yet.

---