Page 70 of Keep Her from Them

That, I could do.

Leaning in, I brought my mouth to his and claimed his lips, taking the lead on a soft kiss. Raphael let me explore but kept his eyes closed. I could spend days kissing him. Letting the shape of his mouth become the centre of my world. This morning, he’d been clean-shaven, but scruff lined his cheeks now, rough against my skin and delicious.

When I tried to grind on him again, he grabbed my hips to hold me firm. It felt more like the lingering evidence of his restraint.

I didn’t want him to hold back when it came to me. I couldn’t with him. From the start, from our very first dance, he’d turned my head. Weeks of having him guard me had been a slow and gradual turn-on. Everywhere I looked, he filled my vision. I needed him to feel the same.

“I want to make you feel good, too,” I whispered. “Nothing’s wrong with me. You saved me from that.”

He didn’t answer, only giving me an infuriating smirk. “Still needy, princess?”

With a burst of power, he rose and flipped me to my back so I landed with a bounce on the mattress, then he was yanking off my sleep shorts and pushing my thighs apart.

His hot mouth landed between my legs.

I cried out, but there was no pause. No second to wonder over the change. Raphael sucked my still-swollen clit into his mouth and flicked me with his tongue. I keened out and fisted the sheets, lost on the sight of him rightthere, worshipping me. It should’ve been me tasting him, not the other way around, yet I could barely think around the onslaught of pleasure he generated with steady pressure and generous licks and sucks.

He palmed my waist then eased both hands up to squeeze my breasts. I moaned, rewarded when he squeezed my nipples in time with his sucks. Oh God, he was good.

Good at driving me crazy, good at taking the reins.

Incredible at getting me off.

I shouldn’t have been ready to come again so easily, yet he anticipated me and drove to that cliff before launching me over it. I climaxed a second time then sobbed and clung to his head, dimly aware of his low chuckle and one last lick that had my legs jerking.

We weren’t done. Not by a long chalk. One night with my hot bodyguard, and it was game over, even if tomorrow I would leave.

When the last of my pulses eased up, Raphael crawled up to hug me, burying his face next to mine. Neither of us spoke. Only breathed together as I came down from my delicious high.

I sensed his frustration. Saw it in the tightness of his jaw.

It was clear as day I wasn’t allowed to reciprocate with him.

After long minutes, he reached for my shorts, tugging them back up, then snapped the light off, plunging us into darkness. Raphael kissed me, as if the last thing he wanted to know was the taste of my lips.

Exhaustion and deep satisfaction claimed me. I didn’t want to leave him tomorrow. Only this made sense in my world of chaos. Yet in his arms, I settled then finally slept.

Chapter 24

Raphael

I hated the morning light. Usually, dawn saw me leaping up and heading out for a run, happy to start my day and to get to work with my crew.

Not today.

At most, I had a couple of hours left of Alex’s time. I’d take her home and drive away. Then probably plot ways to see her again, none of which I could do because she was a princess and I was…me.

She rolled over in my arms, blinking up at me so prettily. “Morning.”

I wanted to steal a kiss. Then linger in my bed. Picturing that was an exercise in torture.

Forcing myself to move, I faked a smile and disentangled myself from her to climb from the mattress. Space. I needed space. “Sleep okay?”

Alex tracked me as I crossed the room to tug on my jeans. She didn’t speak, so I tried again.

“If you’re hungry, I can fetch us some breakfast. Or ye can run the gauntlet and meet Gordain’s family.”

She unfurled her legs and threw back the blanket. “I’d like to meet everyone. If we have time before…”

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