Page 50 of The Princess Trap
“I know,” she interrupted. “We’re not really getting married. Don’t worry. I’m not likely to forget that.” Her voice was strained, slightly distant, and even though they were close enough that he could feel the heat radiating from her, the gap between them widened. Because, of course, she had no idea what a mess his mind was in. How easy it would be forhimto forget. How much he wanted her, even though he shouldn’t.
“Cherry,” he said, and then his breath caught in his chest as his mind fumbled. The moment stretched until he had to speak, but he knew his words would be inadequate. “If I say things like that,” he explained, “it’s not because of you. It’s not for your benefit. It’s for me. Okay? It’s just for me.”
She sighed. “What does that mean?”
“Just that… I like you. If I hadn’t fucked things up so badly, I’d have tried to… I don’t know. See you again, definitely. The day we met, I felt like I’d been hit over the head.” He was relieved to hear her laugh at that. “I shouldn’t have done any of the things I did that day. I made a shit ton of mistakes. But taking you out wasn’t one of them.” Because it was important that she know that. Very, very important.
She reached out and fumbled around for his hand. He let her struggle for a second, her fingers brushing against his bare chest, along his arm, before he captured her hand with his. But, to his surprise, she didn’t hold it like a mother offering comfort. No; she put it back on her waist, as if it belonged there. As if she wanted it there.
The last vestiges of awkwardness disappeared as Ruben’s desire flared to life. He pulled the blankets away; if she was going to give him this, whatever it was, he’d take advantage while it lasted. The covers dealt with, he explored the deep curve of her waist, the swell of her hip. With her breath loud in the silence and her warmth searing right through him, he tugged up the soft, worn cotton of her T-shirt until his palm met bare skin, her hips edged by the lace of her underwear.
But he wouldn’t spend too long thinking about her underwear.If he did, the ache of his cock would sharpen into something really unbearable.
So he focused on her waist. On the little hills and rolls of her flesh, and the silken texture of her skin. “You’re so fucking soft,” he whispered. “I want to touch you everywhere. I can’t even tell you.”
She stretched out like a cat, a little sigh floating into the darkness between them. She said, “You owe me, Ruben.” There was something in her voice, a desperate edge, a touch of amusement, that captured his attention and tightened his balls. When she spoke like this, he thought she might be everything he’d ever wanted.
“What do I owe you, sweetheart?”
“Anything I want.” She pressed her hand against his chest, her fingers playing lightly with the hairs there. “But I don’t know if you can handle what I want.”
He wrapped a hand around her wrist, his grip hard, and she gasped. It was the sweetest little sound, barely a breath, and still it went straight to his cock.
“I know what you want,” he said. “And you know I can give it to you. Don’t you?”
He expected her to argue. To fight back. To give him that fucking attitude, the one he loved so much even when she used it to push him away.
But she didn’t. She just said, “Yes. I know.”
And his control snapped. With a growl, he rolled on top of her and captured her mouth with his.
Chapter Sixteen
Cherry buried her hands in the silky strands of Ruben’s hair and wrapped her legs around his waist and tried not to lose her head. It wasn’t easy.
His lips were insistent, devouring her with every inch of the passion she’d seen simmering beneath his surface. The single-minded intensity he displayed with every look, every touch, every word, was channeled through his kiss. She’d hoped for this all day and all night, lay here thinking about it while she waited for him to come, and now it was really happening.
His hands roamed her body like he owned it. He grabbed at her thighs, her hips, fingers digging into flesh for a heartbeat before skating away, sliding up her waist, along her ribcage, perilously close to her breasts—and then, once more, they disappeared. He was a fucking tease. But he was panting against her lips, pressing his hard cock into the ache between her legs, and his tongue caressed hers as if the opportunity was a gift. He wanted her. He wanted her in a way thatmade her shiver, made her belly tighten and her clit swell and her nipples tingle. And he was taking her.
He pressed her into the mattress with the sheer size of his body, and his bare torso felt like heaven against her skin. For the first time she wished that they weren’t in the dark. She wanted to see him. But no; it was better like this. Because if they’d tried it in the light she’d never be able to say…
“You like control.”
He laughed darkly. “I’m glad you noticed. Have you been watching me the way that I’ve been watching you?”
She bit her lip. “You’ve been watching me?”
“All I can fucking do is watch you. You’re magnetic. But you know that, don’t you, sweetheart?” He captured her chin with his fingers, turning her head to the side. First his teeth closed around her earlobe, then his tongue traced the contours of her ear. “Tell me.”
She wet her lips, tried to ignore the thundering of her heart and the throbbing between her legs and the desperate need to blurt out her every secret. “Stop trying to make me say things. I can’t say things.”
“You say whatever you want,” he whispered. “We already know that. Are you asking me to stop?”
She took a breath. “No.”
“Good. Roll over.”
She didn’t disobey, because the iron voice with which he issued his commands got her wet.
