Page 52 of Claiming His Virgin Princess

Her teeth grazed his tongue and bottom lip and he growled, his hands tightening satisfyingly on her body.

Finally he moved, taking up that smooth, deep rhythm she remembered from before. But this time it was a little uneven, his breathing ragged and his mouth fiercely possessive as he bowed her back in his embrace as if he wanted to imprint himself on her very being.

Tension rose. Wonderful, exciting tension that made her body clasp his in ripples of delight.

At the last moment Noah lifted his head, eyes fixed on hers as bliss stormed her body. Ilsa clutched him with legs and clawing hands and couldn’t hold back.

‘Noah!’ Her cry went on and on and on as the world turned again into that special place that only they could find together.

She heard him shout as he pulsed within her.

Coming down from ecstasy took a lifetime and Ilsa didn’t want it to end. Even in bliss she knew reality would be tough. So she hugged her lover close, knowing that for this moment everything was all right. Explanations and solutions could wait.

Finally Noah stepped back, gently disentangling her and moving her back on the counter so she could slump against the mirror. Ilsa knew she was smiling. There was a gentle throb through her body, and it felt as if she’d run a marathon on legs made of marshmallow, but for the first time in over a week happiness filled her.

‘Ilsa.’

She blinked her eyes open to find Noah standing before her. Trousers on and belted. Jacket neat on his shoulders instead of halfway down his arms where she’d pushed it. Only his rumpled hair hinted at what they’d just done.

In contrast, her hair had come down from its knot and lay around her shoulders. Her skirt was rucked up around her hips and her knees were splayed wide.

She shuffled her legs closed, tugging at her skirt to cover herself. Suddenly, without him holding her, she felt sticky and self-conscious. She wanted to slip down off the counter but wasn’t sure her legs would support her.

Yet the truth spilled out. ‘That was amazing.’

More than amazing. It felt like he’d changed her world.

Which he had. She cared so much for this man that even now Ilsa couldn’t regret what had just happened. Even knowing they had no future.

Today had confirmed how deeply in thrall she was to Noah Carson.

Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe shecouldcope with an affair a bit longer and somehow bury her emotions, working out a way to continue on with her life when they split.

Perhaps it was better to be his lover for a short time than not have him at all.

‘Itwasamazing. But we have things to discuss. Important things.’

Ilsa read the decisive lines etched beside his mouth, the frown on his forehead, and foreboding stirred.

CHAPTER TWELVE

NOAHPACEDTHEsuite’s sitting room, waiting for Ilsa to appear. Surely, after their explosive union, this would turn out well.

He couldn’t repress a smile. Their need for each other was stronger than ever. Thathadto be a positive sign. Today she’d come to him as naturally as breathing. As if she too felt bereft when they were apart.

Noah refused to believe she’d been with another man, despite the press speculation about an aristocratic lover in London. The idea sent an army of ants crawling over him.

Ilsa had been a virgin in his arms. Heat curled in his belly and his groin stirred at the memory of taking her across that barrier into experience for the first time. She’d been exquisite and sensuous, and it had felt like the world’s greatest honour to be her first.

She’d lived without a sexual partner until so recently. She wouldn’t start bed-hopping now.

No matter what he’d said in Turkey, Noah couldn’t think of a womanlesslikely to give herself easily. Heat scored his flesh as he thought of the accusations he’d made, including that she’d used sex to seal a business deal.

Noah forked his hand through his hair, guilt biting at his conscience. He spun on his heel and paced the room again, reliving what he’d said to Ilsa. The memory left him feeling diminished and ashamed.

Long dead echoes of the past had risen, melding with new hurt and he’d lashed out, accusing her of using him, much as his ex had done.

Because Ilsa had taken him by surprise and he’d felt vulnerable and hurt. It was the very intensity of his feelings that had undone him. Because he couldn’t understand her urgency to leave. He’d been desperate for her to stay.

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