Page 57 of Raul
“Ay,I like that,” he rasped when she lifted her head. “But you do not have to persuade me.”
She combed her fingers through the thick waves of his hair, savoring the texture, before she stood up. He hooked his finger in the waistband of her jeans and pulled her between his thighs. “What is it,corazón?” He searched her face, his glorious face turned up to hers. “Are you having second thoughts about tomorrow?”
“Oh,Dios, no!” She traced the sharp line of his cheekbone with her fingertip. “I’m just sorry that you’ll be mobile again, so we won’t have an excuse to hide out in your apartment.”
That was as close to the truth as she was willing to go.
“There’s no need to hide.” He frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“Figure of speech,” she said. “It’s just nice to have you all to myself.” She knew their relationship would never become public, no matter what Raul said. She wasn’t an appropriate partner for the prince, and this fling wouldn’t last long enough for that anyway.
“You only have to ask, and I will meet you here…alone,” he said, the frown transforming into a wicked curve of his lips. He flicked open the button at her waistband. “Where we can enjoy each other’s company in every way.”
He pulled down her zipper and pushed her jeans and panties down to her ankles in one swift motion. “Now, if you will sit on the tabletop, I want to feast on you.”
An hour later, Raul lay under the throw blanket on his bed with his arm snugged around Erica’s waist. Her deliciously curved bottom rested against his groin, and her spill of silky hair tickled his bare chest. He bent his neck to kiss the smooth skin of her shoulder, inhaling the scent of warm woman and sex.
She gave a little shiver as his lips touched her. “There is no way I could have another orgasm right now,” she said.
“No te preocupes. I am simply admiring your beautiful shoulder,” he said before he kissed the side of her neck. “And your neck. The truth is that I just like kissing you.”
“Feel free to continue now that we’ve established your motivation.” Amusement rippled through her words.
He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and gave it a gentle nip. She shivered again, and he smiled. He loved the way she responded to his smallest touch. She turned her head to offer him her lips, and he pressed a kiss on her mouth.
“Mm,” she purred.
He lifted his head away. “You’ll get a crick in your neck.”
“I’m too relaxed to have any muscle spasms,” she said, but she laid her cheek back on his outstretched arm.
He loved the sex, but he also loved these moments when they were satiated but still tangled together. When they were justtwo people who wanted to keep touching without expectation of more.
Who was he kidding? There was much more. He loved her courage and her competence. Her intelligence and independence. The trust she inspired. The way she dragged his ugly feelings into the light and made them seem less shameful.
Tomorrow was the last day of his enforced vacation, and he intended to spend as much of it with her as possible. On Monday, he would be back at work with a full schedule of meetings and other events. He found himself resentful that he would have no free time to see Erica, because his commitments extended through dinner. Maybe there was something he could cancel. He would check that with Yvette later.
He frowned. Since when did he want to renege on his commitments?
“Okay, I need to get out of here.” Erica wriggled under his arm. “Your family could arrive at any minute.”
“We have another hour at least,” he said, glancing at the clock on his bedside table.
“What about the staff getting ready for the dinner?”
He cupped her breast, rubbing his palm against her nipple and feeling it harden. He put his mouth beside her ear to let his breath brush her skin as he spoke. “They won’t come in here.”
She moaned as he shifted his hand to her other breast before she grabbed his wrist and pulled it away. “I am not going to take the chance that someone shows up early. Remember, Gabriel is my boss.”
“That doesn’t give him a say in how you spend your free time,” Raul said as she slid out from under his arm.
“No, but I need to be able to look him in the eye without blushing,” she said, giving him a light smack on his biceps.
“Would you really blush?” He ran a fingertip down her spine as she sat on the edge of the bed, savoring the way she arched under his touch.
“Beet-red,” she said, flashing a smile at him over her shoulder before she stood. “Besides, I left half my clothes in your office, and I definitely don’t want to run into anyone when I’m half-naked.”
He threw off the covers. “I’ll get your clothes…mierda!My stupid ankle.” By the time he retrieved his crutches, she would be halfway to the office.
