Page 41 of Prince She Shouldn't Crave
She shook her head. Wiped her face. ‘Why do I always seem to cry around you?’
‘I wish you were crying because of pleasure, not pain.’
A kindle of heat ignited at her core. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want looks of pity or sympathy. He was right. He could give her something else. Pleasure sounded good. Pleasure could wipe away the pain, the fear. It was what she wanted more than anything in this moment—to simply forget.
‘You’d prefer to see me with tears of pleasure rather than pain? Then there’s something you can do about that,’ Lena said, stepping in close to him once more. Placing her hand on his chest. ‘I want you to take me to bed.’
‘I want you to take me to bed.’
Lena’s tears of sadness almost broke him. He couldn’t bear to see her like this, yet he knew what her request was all about—avoidance. Hadn’t he buried himself in a warm, willing body more than once in the past, trying to forget things in his own life? But this was different. Something aboutherwas different. Whilst he could happily give Lena exactly what she craved right now, he wanted to make sure it was the right thing for her.
He knew that he could bring a look of ecstasy to her face. That he could make her forget everything that caused this sadness. Maybe it really didn’t matter, allowing Lena to run away from her problems for a little while. He could do that for her, then maybe she wouldn’t mind him exploring legal options with his lawyers, to see if there was any way of getting money for the family to which they had to be entitled, given her father had still been supporting them when he died. Theremustbe some bequest for them, no matter how ‘complicated’ things were.
‘I’m happy to take you to bed and make love to you till everything but us is forgotten. But I want to be sure that it’s the right thing for you.’
‘It’s what I want. I want to forget for a little while, remember what it’s like to feel alive.’
Yet somehow, it felt wrong. As if he wasn’t solving any problem at all. There was a story there, and one day he’d get to the bottom of it. He had a terrible suspicion that she was holding something back from him. Still, she was entitled to her secretsin this affair they were having—though part of him rebelled at classing it as that.
Why did he feel as though that word cheapened everything, when what they had between them felt like so much more? Sure, there’d been no promises of a future, only a ‘now’. He took a deep breath. ‘Now’ was all that he could give her, even though, in this moment, it didn’t feel like enough. Still, she wanted him to pretend that everything was okay? If that was all she’d allow, that was the gift he’d grant her.
‘Then come into my bedroom,’ he said.
It was as if all the tension leached out of her. She seemed to slump a little before coming back into herself.
‘Thank you.’
He hated that she thanked him as if he were doing her some favour. Later he’d question why she was like this. For now, he’d ratchet up the tension, play whatever game she needed to forget.
‘You want me to make you scream?’ he asked as she hurried after him.
‘Yes.’
She stopped at the end of his bed. He couldn’t wait to get her out of her dress. Tonight, a beautiful halter neck, patterned with what looked like peacock feathers. The fine fabric of her skirt drifting around her body.
‘Undo the halter,’ he commanded. Her pupils darkened and lips parted. She reached behind her neck and tugged. Her top fell free, exposing Lena’s breasts, the perfect handful. Her skin a warm gold. He stalked forwards, cupped her breasts. Her nipples tight and dusky. Gabe stroked his thumbs over the diamond-hard peaks. So beautiful, irresistible. Her nipples tightened even further with his attention. He pinched them. Not too hard, just enough. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she moaned.
‘I love how responsive you are, yet tonight, I demand silence,’ he said as he kept up his ministrations. Teasing her pebbled flesh.
Her eyes flew open. ‘What?’
She sounded almost drunk with desire. Lena wanted pleasure to make her forget? He’d heighten it a thousandfold.
‘You might want to scream. What I want is quiet. You scream. I stop. You’re silent, and I’ll give you all the pleasure you need. Do you agree to my rules?’
He’d make her mindless with trying to comply. To fight her instincts. Of course he’d never leave her unsatisfied. Even if she did scream, he wouldn’t stop, although he might tease. But he looked forward to her attempts to hold everything in. How she’d break under his lips and hands.
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Good.’
He stalked to the head of the bed, grabbed his pillows and propped them up against the bedhead before returning to her.
‘Turn round,’ he said. Lena did. Gabe traced a finger down her spine and goosebumps dusted her skin. He drew the zip of her dress down. It fell from her hips to the floor, leaving her only in fine lace panties. Gabe placed his palm on her belly. Drew her back to him so she could feel his hardness. How much he wanted her. Then he kissed the back of her neck, the side at the juncture of her shoulder, till she squirmed, pressing her backside against his body. Inflaming him. He gritted his teeth.
‘Shoes off. On the bed propped up on the pillows.’
As she obeyed he turned off the lamps. He’d spent time decorating this room with candles as well. The soft light flickered, painting her in light and shadow.
