Page 44 of The Prince's Game
The question caught me off guard. Was this for the show or for him?Does it matter?There was an unspoken pact between us to be honest. It was our foundation. I wouldn’t risk destroying it for a dating game.
“I would consider it for the right opportunity.” I loved Chicago. Moving was never a consideration, but the idea of resettling in New Orleans didn’t repulse me. Being close to him was a benefit rather than a deterrent, a realization that unnerved me. Relocating for a man was outside my comfort zone, especially one I met a month ago.
His gaze was intense. “Do you mean that?” The way he studied me was telling. These questions were for him, not for the show. He wanted to know if I would ever consider living in New Orleans.For him? For work?
“I mean what I say, Evan,” I said, repeating his promise from a few weeks ago. It was my way of letting him know that I wasn’t answering for the show, but for him. The answering smile in his eyes told me he understood.
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to come up with a good incentive.” He rolled on top of me, his forearms rested on the ground beside my head. One strong thigh went between mine, causing my dress to bunch up high on my legs. “How am I doing so far?”
“It’s a decent incentive.”
“Decent?” His chuckle vibrated my stiff nipples and tingled my nerve endings. He brushed his lips against mine. “And now?”
“Getting warmer.”
“Yeah?” He nibbled my bottom lip and sucked it hard into his mouth. Fiery lust stirred in my veins and settled in my lower abdomen. “Warmer or cooler?”
Hotter.I wrapped a hand around his neck and kissed him. It started as a way to give him a dose of his own medicine but blossomed into a passion I couldn’t control. I wanted him. It would hurt later, but I didn’t care. I craved him with a foreign lethality that threatened to break me if I didn’t act on it. I was done saying no.
“Mmm, finally.” He kissed me back with a vengeance, showing me with his mouth what he wanted. I shuddered under the intensity, loving the way it warmed me inside and out. There was a promise in those lips, one I returned in kind. No more chaste good-night kisses. He would be sharing my bed tonight, and I would welcome him with open arms.
His hands remained on the ground beside my head as he gentled the kiss and lifted his head. “I approve of this incentive.”
I blinked.Incentive? “For?”Sex?Yes, please.
Those alluring eyes swirled with wicked intent. “New Orleans.”
To move.Right. “I don’t know, Mister Mershano. I think I’d need a bit more before I could decide.”
He grinned. “I might take you up on that later.”
“I hope you do.”
We were interrupted by waiters carrying some sort of pot. They set it down beside the fruit, and my nose was hit with a delicious scent.
“Is that fondue?” My favorite dessert. Another thing I mentioned in passing during filming last week.
“Yes. Dark chocolate with Irish cream, to be precise. To go with the plate of strawberries and bananas.” Because I told him those were the only worthy complements to melted chocolate amazingness. He rolled off of me and pulled me up to sit beside him.
“I think I might love you, Evan Mershano.” It was said in jest, but my heart skipped a beat at the veracity of my words.No. Not happening. I like him. Nothing more.
His chuckle was affectionate as he dipped a strawberry in the chocolate and brought it to my mouth. “Open.”
I welcomed the distraction and did as requested. Sweet deliciousness hit my tongue, making me moan.Now, this is my kind of foreplay. I dipped a banana in the chocolate and painted his lower lip before licking it off. His gaze darkened as I slid the fruit over his tongue. Not wanting our audience to hear me, I leaned in to nip his ear. “This would be a lot more fun if we were naked and alone.”
His hand went to my hip, holding me against him. “I would keep this dress on you just to drizzle chocolate between your breasts and lick it off.”
My nipples stiffened. The blue silk had a deep V-neckline, making that prospect sexy as sin. “Well played, Mister Mershano.”
“Oh, I haven’t even started yet, sweetheart.” His tongue trailed a long, sensuous path down my neck and back to my ear. “You told me fruit was your preferred chocolate complement. I’m thinking your skin, specifically your pretty pink nipples and swollen clit, would be mine.”
I swallowed thickly. “When can we leave?” Because I was craving a whole different dessert now.
He nuzzled my neck. “What about stargazing?”
“Overrated.”
His laugh was low and hot against my collarbone. “You know what they say about delayed gratification.”
