Page 57 of Crowned for His Son

‘Hush,tesoro. He’s safe and sound and tucked up in bed. See?’

Sliding a hand into his pocket, he drew out his phone, hit the monitor app that showed Max fast asleep in his bed.

‘That’s all you need to think about right now. We’ve been given an eye-opening test. We will put forward better safeguards, yes?’

She nodded, more than ready to release that rock of fear lodged in her gut. Burrowing deeper into his chest, she exhaled on a moan again as one arm banded her waist and his fingers dug into the tight knots gripping her shoulders. He massaged her in firm, soothing circles, loosening her tension until she all but melted against him.

With one final breath she wrapped her arms around his waist, not protesting when the arm around her waist lowered to circle her hips and lift her up in a show of easy, sexy strength that changed the dynamic from comfort to…something else.

Something that made her lift her head, angle her gaze to meet the ferocity of his.

A different sensation took hold of her. One that had been brewing with unstoppable force since the moment he’d dropped his champagne glass in Vegas and chased after her.

Possibly even before then. Because, as he’d stated before, chemistry like theirs couldn’t be faked.

‘You don’t want a nightcap. Or the doctor. Tell your husband what he can do for you,’ he offered, with such overpowering yet simple magnanimity that her defences crumbled all at once, making her foundations entirely unsalvageable even if she’d wanted to cling to her last ounce of sanity.

‘What if it’s something I… I shouldn’t crave? Something impossible?’

Molten grey eyes, hypnotising and offering safe harbour, locked onto her soul. ‘I’ve been known to achieve the impossible. Say it,mi reina,’ he commanded roughly. ‘Tell me what you want.’

And, sweet heaven, she was tired of fighting it. Especially tonight, when her emotions had been put through the wringer.

‘I don’t want to be alone,’ came her raw admission.

Tonight or any other night.

‘Take me to bed, Azar,’ she whispered fervently, her fingers digging into his shoulders, holding on for fear he’d refuse. Reject her. For fear the lust she saw in his eyes was only in her imagination. ‘Make me forget for a while?’

The flare of need and triumph that blazed a moment later told her she wasn’t imagining it. And, while she knew this might ultimately be a risky path she was taking, she couldn’t help the blaze that flowed through her.

The heightening need speared her fingers into his luxurious hair, gripped it tight as he drew up her nightgown, to aid her in wrapping her legs around him. The better to feel the power of his arousal, a heated rod that immediately pressed, demanding, against her core.

She ground her hips against it, causing him to curse before a thick chorus of need left their lips. It tightened their connection, their mouths meeting in feverish hunger. Thick, untamed desire born of deprived need and residual fear drove their frantic hands faster, their movements increasingly desperate, until he pinned her against one wall, his breathing truncated as he feasted on her for an age, then lifted his head.

‘Again, Eden. Tell me you want this. That you wantme.’

The demand was tinged with his usual arrogance, his imperious expectation of adoration and acknowledgment of his prowess. But, having lost chunks of valued memory, Eden had learned to search beneath the surface of words and expressions.

And she heard it. That sliver of vulnerability, of uncertainty, that spoke of a deeper need. That said that this extraordinary man, who was literally a king among men, didn’t believe his dominance was absolute. That when it came to her perhaps he lacked something—minute butessential.

And maybe it was extreme foolishness to open her heart to that, leaving her vulnerable, but here she was doing it. Discarding any smidgeon of power she might have mined from that knowledge and instead cupping his chiselled jaw in her palm, revelling in the muscle that jumped against her skin.

And with far too much emotion moving through her, she responded. ‘I want you. I feel as if…as if I’ve wanted you for ever. Even when maybe it wasn’t wise or sane or safe. I want you, Azar. Only you.’

Flames of pure lust and indecipherable emotion leapt in his eyes. She wanted to drown in the former, explore the latter more deeply. But he was spinning, striding with purpose towards the emperor-sized bed that befitted his status. He tossed her none-too-gently upon it, his hands attacking his clothes as he watched her bounce on the surface.

And once he was gloriously naked, and had ensured she was too, he prowled over her…a sleek, beautiful jungle beast.

‘You’re mine,tesoro. Say it.’

This time she had the wherewithal to shake her head. Because she knew, like his conquering kin of old, that he saw an inch and demanded a mile. She’d left more than a crack of her heart wide open for him. She suspected he would find a way in if she didn’t shore up her defences soon and effectively. But she wasn’t about to hand herself over on a golden platter.

So she slid her hand up his sculpted shoulder, thrilling in the sleek perfection of him, and buried her fingers in the hair at his nape. ‘You first. Tell me you’re mine and I’ll reciprocate.’

Those shutters didn’t come down immediately. But their silhouettes shimmered into sight. That ingrained propensity to guard his emotions, to keep his control, flared high before he rasped, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

Not the same, her senses screamed.

---