Page 50 of Royal Catch
“Yes.”
“You don’t sound desperate enough.” He thrusts deep and stills.
I push back into him, eager for more. “I’m so desperate.”
He strokes me lazily, like he’s not burning hot, his skin singeing my back.
I lift my head and look at him over my shoulder. “Fuck me, Gabriel. Fuck me hard and deep. I want to feel you lose control.”
He grips my hair and kisses me hard. “I fucking love you.”
My lips part in surprise, the emotion in his voice real and raw.
And then he’s pushing my head back down, taking me the way we both need. My mind clouds, every hard thrust, every demanding stroke of his fingers burning through me. It’s love, it’s a claiming, and I want it as much as he does. I break on a harsh cry, shuddering around him, the pleasure bursting through me. He’s got me tight, rocking into me, carrying me further, deeper, the pleasure never ending.
His teeth clamp on the crook of my neck, sending another shock through me as he lets go, rocking me with the force of it. He holds me for a long moment, tight against him, before slowly withdrawing and rolling onto the bed next to me.
I collapse to the mattress.
“This ass,” he says, giving me a light slap and then a caress. “Perfection.”
I turn my head to face him. “That’s the first time I’ve heard that one. Perfect ass? High praise.”
He flashes a wide smile before pulling me into his arms, chest to chest, his leg thrusting between mine. A moan escapes; I’m still so sensitive. He cups my jaw, lifting my face to his, and kisses me tenderly.He loves me.I can feel it deep inside, in the way he touches me, whether he’s being his most aggressive self or his most tender self. He’s giving me all of him.
I can never be accepted here as his wife. I have only this moment, so I snuggle closer and hold him tight to me.
He wakes me twice more in the night, giving me all of him, and I do the same, holding nothing back. The passion rages between us, a last fiery goodbye.
I wake at dawn and quickly get ready, letting him sleep. Once I’m freshly showered and dressed, I stand next to the bed and admire him for a long moment. He’s on his side facing me, with his arm and leg still stretched out where I would’ve been. His thick brown hair is tousled from my fingers, his lashes fanning his cheeks, giving him a softer look, his square jaw sporting morning stubble. I resist the urge to trace the line of his jaw. Distance is the only thing that will make leaving him easier. He’s just too tempting.
“Gabriel, wake up.” I give his shoulder a nudge. “I have to go. I have to catch the ferry to the—ah!”
He’s yanked me right on top of him, rolling to his back. “Mmm,” he says, running his hands down my back and cupping my ass. “This is nice.”
Hot tears burn my eyes. I lift my head, and he gazes back at me steadily. Knowing I’ll never see him again, I spill my guts. “I just want you to know I’ll never forget my time here with you. You aremagnificent, the best, most gorgeous, sexiest, most honorable man I’ve ever met. And smart and strong and tender in all the right ways, and I love you. I’ve never felt like this before, the depth of my feelings shocks me, and I know the timing is bad, and my background isn’t what you need. Not to mention the queen hates—” he opens his mouth to protest that, and I amend to a gentler term “—I mean, greatly dislikes me, probably the king too. No one would accept me as your bride, and it’s only because I love you so much that I’m willing to let you go.”
His arms tighten around me in a crushing hug.
“I can’t breathe,” I manage.
He loosens his hold. “So you’re letting me go to do the honorable thing.”
“Yes. And I know you would do the same in my shoes. You’ve been raised to do your duty.”
He rolls me under him and kisses me, biting my lower lip hard enough to sting. I indulge myself in one last decadent kiss, my legs spreading to cradle him close.
He groans into my mouth and breaks the kiss. “Stay here.”
“I’m going to miss my flight.”
“I’ll put you on the private jet.”
“Oh.”
He holds my chin and looks deep into my eyes. “If you leave this bed, I will hunt you down and tie you to the bedposts. You’ll be at my mercy, and I will not be gentle.”
I smile cheekily. “Now you’re making me want to leave the bed. Bondage with you? Hell yeah.”
