Page 22 of Royally Arranged

She said it so bluntly. Like it was a fact as simple as water being wet. Even so, I searched her expression for some hint that this wasn’t true. Nova remained serene, waiting for me to respond. “You’re not kidding,” I finally said.

“Of course not.” Her laugh was brief and sweet. “What good would marrying my aunt do?”

I had no answer. Dammit, Rush’s speculation had depressed me while being ultimately useless.

Her smile went all coy. “How does this info change things, hm?”

Leaning toward her, I watched closely for her reactions. I was hooked on them. “I see through your mysterious mask. You think that I’ll happily accept this forced marriage ... because I could end up with a beautiful woman like you? You’re impossibly shameless.” She blushed furiously. It changed her lips to a richer red. One of the flower petals landed in her hair; carefully I reached out and plucked it free. My voice was a smoky whisper. “You seem too nice to belong to the Valentines.”

The way she angled her chin reminded me temptingly of last night, when we’d kissed. “Maybe I am.” She extended her slim hand, and I thought she was going to remove a flower petal from me as I had for her. Many of them had settled on my shoulders and hair. Nova’s fingers rested on my collarbone and didn’t move. “I hope I’m not too nice for you.”

In my gut, I knew I should be wary of this woman. But the shivers she caused erased the pain in my bruised knuckles. No one had ever soothed me so easily. It justified my eagerness to ignore the internal voice that warned me again and again who she was. “You could be nicer.”

Her teeth glinted, bright in the moonlight. Her hand on my chest dug in, scraping lightly through my shirt. “I’m open to feedback.”

Fucking hell.I groaned at how she was teasing me. “Walking over a grave,” I whispered, sliding my hand to cup behind her ear. “You said it was bad luck.”

Nova swallowed loudly. “Yes.”

“And having sex in the royal family’s cemetery? Is that bad luck, too?”

“It is,” she said, her eyes dark, drawing me in. “Very bad.”

“It’s great that I’m not superstitious.” Gripping her tight, I captured her mouth with mine. Her other hand joined her first, balling in my shirt to keep her on her feet. She bent into my body, her breasts pushing on my solid chest. My gun pressed between us painfully, but it was nothing compared to my massive hard-on in my jeans.

“It’s also illegal,” she blurted, gasping for air. Her arms circled my neck, nails digging into my hair. “If anyone catches us ...”

“I don’t care.” Kissing her again, I rubbed my nose on hers. “I don’t fucking care. Let the ghosts of these old kings rise up and drag me to jail themselves. I don’t. Fucking. Care. This is happening.”

Her lashes lowered, lines easing across her forehead. In that sacred place surrounded by monuments to the dead, I imagined she was praying; her hands linked together behind my neck, her chin bowed to her chest.

There was a serenity in how she waited for me.

I’d never fucked an angel before, but I thought this would be close.

“Off,” I said, tugging at her long jacket. Nova slid her arms free as I helped with the buttons. The heavy material dropped to the grass at our feet—beneath, she was wearing a long dress with pleats. It was the same dark blue as the night sky.

“Your turn,” she breathed, and her words created a hot vapor in the cool air. Her fingers trailed over my ash-gray coat, finding the zipper, not waiting for my permission as she slid the metal teeth apart.

There was a tightness in my throat. “Yes, ma’am,” I chuckled huskily. I loved a woman who made it clear what she wanted. I was also too eager to bother stripping myself down. I didn’t need to be naked to make this happen.

Spinning her around, I pressed her body into the bark of the tree. “Thorne,” she said, my name electric from her lips. It drove me further; I found the hem of her dress, scraping it up over her hips.

Her ass was a perfect heart, and it swayed more than the one in my chest. “You want this?” I whispered, hooking a thumb in the elastic of her panties. Tugging them up, I pulled them into her crease. “Been thinking about getting stuffed by royalty, hm?”

“God, yes,” she moaned. Her hips ground into my erection. I saw spots of color, working to get my pants undone.

“Good. Because I’ve been thinking about you since yesterday.” The instant I said it, I regretted it. I didn’t want to remind her that I’d forgotten her face.

Nova kept whimpering, either too wrapped up in her heat to care, or not thinking about it at all. I was still stunned that I’d forgotten this woman. It seemed impossible now.

I outlined her lower lips, creating a V with two fingers. I traced her lightly, over and over, learning the shape of her pussy and inscribing it on my memory. With the tip of one finger I glided between her legs, gently nudging her hard clit through her panties. It was the barest of touches. Nova cried out in delighted shock.

Her excitement had my dick raging hard. “You sing so damn pretty,” I whispered.

She leaned into me, legs crushing my forearm. Her body was responding as if it wanted more but was afraid to take it. Again I rubbed her clit, making insistent, but slow, circles. The cloth acted like a barrier so the sensation was never too much. In fact, it was decidedlynot enough.

“Want me to finger you?” I asked her coyly.

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