Page 120 of Guarded King

I place both hands on his chest, trying to ignore the heat of his hard muscles through the thin material of his T-shirt. I’ll explore them later. Right now, I want him to try to see things the way I do.

“Your brothers care about you. It’s obvious. And it’s just as obvious you care about them. Don’t rule out how valuable that is just because your parents didn’t feel the same way. And maybe,” I wet my lips and consider stopping there. In the end, though, I decide to brave it. “Maybe you didn’t feel that way either for a while. My mother never did. That’s why she walked away from Dad and me so easily. She and I may share blood, but that just means we’re related—it doesn’t make us a family. Love is what makes a family. And love means you’ll always do what needs to be done, even if it’s hard. Even if it means giving up what you thought was important to you.”

A muscle pulses in his jaw. That’s the only response I get.

My stomach plummets. Have I overstepped by talking about his family? “I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t.”

His throat works on a swallow, and he shakes his head. “One of the reasons I couldn’t stay away from you is because you don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. When you share your thoughts with me, they come straight from your heart. It’s a rare thing in my world.”

I let out a breath. “I suppose it’s what I hope to get in return.”

He strokes his thumb over my cheek. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

My heart flip flops. How can I resist falling for this man? Do I even have to? In his arms like this, I feel safe. Like maybe I can let go and he’ll be there to catch me.

I suppress that train of thought. It’s far too soon to be thinking things like that.

When his mouth descends on mine, I let my mind float free, and when his hands skim up my back, I welcome the rush of sensations his touch always brings.

Roman spends the rest of the trip slowly driving me crazy with his mouth and his hands. If he wanted to bring me right to the edge before we made it to his place, he’s succeeded. My panties are damp, and need is sparking through my body. All I want to do is strip my clothes off and let him have his way with me.

But first we have to get up to his penthouse.

When the car slows, I steal a glimpse out the window and immediately have to crane my neck to see the top of the tower. With the way it reflects the sky and clouds, it looks like it’s made entirely of glass.

That’s all I get to see of it before Phillip takes the car underneath the building.

In the private elevator on the way up, Roman continues his slow, determined assault on my body. He pins me against the cool stainless-steel wall, slides his hand up under my skirt and slips his fingers into my panties.

When he finds my clit, he rolls his fingers over it, and I respond by rocking myself against his hand. The pressure is enough to have me desperately chasing release but not enough to push me over the edge.

“I’m so close. Please let me come,” I plead.

He chuckles against my neck, the sound vibrating through me. “But then I wouldn’t get to enjoy the way you’re sodesperately trying to fuck yourself against my fingers. Don’t worry. I’ll make your first orgasm worth the wait.”

Before I can beg again, a soft ding announces that we’ve arrived and the doors whoosh open soundlessly. He backs me out of the elevator without slowing the movement of his hand. I get glimpses of the surrounding space, high ceilings, parquet floors, large, white pieces of furniture, and light streaming in the floor-to-ceiling windows that he’s steering us toward. But most of it’s a blur as he continues to work my clit.

On the other side of the room, he turns me so his large, hard body is against my back, and I’m staring out at Central Park and Manhattan from a dizzying height.

I don’t have time to take in the magnificence of the view before he’s teasing my neck with his lips and tongue, and my eyes fall shut. He makes quick work of undressing me until I’m completely naked. Then he presses my overheated body and sensitive breasts against the cool glass.

“Can anyone see me?” My voice is breathless from a combination of nervousness and arousal.

“If they have binoculars.”

His mouth is on my neck again, hot and wet, and suddenly I couldn’t care less whether someone out there with a pair of binoculars might be watching us.

When I don’t protest, Roman’s lips curve against my skin. “Put your hands on either side of your head.”

I obey, and then his fingers slide into me again.

“You’re so fucking wet for me,” he groans.

I widen my stance to grant him more access, and as he pushes one finger, then two, inside me, stroking me just the way I need, I shudder. His palm rubs against my clit while he pinches and twists my nipple with his other hand.

The combination of sensations almost makes my knees give out. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

He grinds the steel bar of his erection against me, holding me in place, his fingers curling until he hits a spot that makes me shake. “Are you going to come all over my hand, sweetheart?”

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