Page 24 of The Prince's Secret Twins

So, it was with a smile when Tila walked into the nursery, the lights already dim. “Thank you, Elia,” she said to the night nanny. She smiled, but before she could respond, Rafi woke up, his demanding cries drawing a chuckle from Elia. “So needy!” she teased softly as she moved over to lift the little guy into her arms. She soothed and coddled the boy while efficiently changing his diaper, whispering softly to him while Tila settled into one of the rocking chairs. She lifted the overstuffed pillow, laying it on her lap so Laith could nurse more easily.

Laith was nursing hungrily when Joran entered the nursery. He looked amazing in a soft pair of jeans and…nothing else. Tila’s breath caught in her throat as she watched him walk over to the changing table.

Elia blushed, and quickly stepped back, leaving the nursery as Joran took a wiggling, excited Rafi into his arms. Elia always popped a bottle of formula into the warming machine before she changed diapers, so it was at the perfect temperature for Joran as he walked over to the second rocking chair and sat down, stuffing the other pillow onto his lap as he settled Rafi into a comfortable feeding position.

The whole time Tila watched, alternating between embarrassment and fascination. Last night had been…mind-blowing. But had they made a mistake? Maybe they should have resolved their personal relationship before they’d reentered a sexual one.

“Stop,” he said softly, running a thumb over Rafi’s head to soothe the little man.

“Stop what?” she asked, her stomach tightening with dread at his words.

“Stop overthinking.” He smiled at her, his dark eyes bright even in the dim light. “It was perfect. As always, Tila.”

She sighed, nodding because her body was still humming with happiness. What they’d done together had been incredible. She didn’t have words for how her body felt right now, other than happy. And confused.

Okay, so she had two words.

“We should…figure out what’s going to happen with us,” she countered, pulling her eyes away so that she could look down at Laith. He was still feeding hungrily, his dark eyes staring up at her while one fist clenched against her breast.

“We should enjoy whatever comes our way, Tila,” he countered. “And if we want to enjoy each other, then what’s the harm?”

She listened to him and tried to be as casual. But she’d never enjoyed another man the way she did Joran. It was as if the man had some sort of magical connection to her heart. The fact that he was reducing their moments together to just a…mutual itch, well, that hurt.

Looking down at their son to hide her expression, she tried to come to terms with the fact that Joran wasn’t as emotionally connected to her as she was to him.

“Right. It was just…sex.” She forced herself to smile, then shifted Laith to her other breast.

Chapter 18

Joran watched Tila’s body language and could tell that he’d said something wrong. He wasn’t sure what though. They’d wanted each other. There wasn’t anything wrong with enjoying each other’s bodies. There should be no shame around sex.

In the past, he would have said that Tila thought that way as well. She’d always been just as voraciously needy as he’d been when they’d come together. Last night had been no exception, other than that they knew each other’s bodies and needs now. They didn’t need to experiment as they’d done in the past.

Not that he wasn’t eager to learn more ways to pleasure her. Especially with her new, curvier body! Hell, even now, he wanted to take her into his arms and make love to her all over again. Every time she breathed his name, he wanted to climax.

Why the hell didn’t she understand that they were perfect for each other?

He didn’t understand, but Joran was determined to prove it to her. They were meant to be together. Until he had a ring on her finger, he refused to relent. Tila was his woman! He would drench her in every kind of pleasure he could devise.

Chapter 19

The bitch didn’t deserve those twin babies! That woman, wherever she was, shouldn’t have taken them away! Tila seemed to get everything she wanted while the rest of the world had to struggle, to beg and scrape and claw to get their needs met. It wasn’t fair that she had everything while the rest of them, had to make do with crumbs.

No more! Crumbs were not enough! It was time to embrace the pleasures that life offered! Those babies needed a better home. They needed to be with someone who would love them more completely than that bitch ever could!

But where was she now?

Chapter 20

Tila woke up feeling warm and safe. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she remembered that she wasn’t. Safe, that is. Even with Joran’s arm wrapped around her waist, she knew that nothing had been settled between them.

They might have had sex last night, but nothing was resolved.

Slipping out of his arms, she stepped into the shower. In the past, she would have rolled over and snuggled with Joran until he woke up. He would kiss her and the magic would start all over again. It usually took them an hour or more to get out of bed in the morning. Of course, that was only on the mornings that he’d still been with her.

Now she understood why he’d so often left during the night. Yeah, there had been the occasional long weekend in his arms. But they’d never gone out for dinner. At the time, Tila hadn’t minded not going out. She’d lived in a small town and there weren’t many restaurants. Plus, she’d wanted Joran all to herself, always painfully aware of the passing of time and that Joran would eventually have to leave again.

Still, she felt a niggle of frustration. Why hadn’t they ever gone out to dinner? Had he been ashamed of her?

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