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For a few incredible moments, I was oblivious to the world around me. And when I came back to reality, guided down from the crest of pleasure by Salas’s gentle touch, I realized his hips were flush with mine. He was deep inside me.

“It happened?” I marveled.

“It did.” He held himself up on his elbows above me.

A huge smile stretched my lips.

“My first time...”

And it didn’t even hurt. Or maybe I just was too busy coming to remember any pain?

He kissed my hair with a smile. “You did amazing, sweetheart.”

I did nothing. He was the one who did everything while I just writhed in pleasure. But his praise warmed my chest nevertheless, as if I’d just won a medal for running a marathon.

There had been no pain before. But now, I felt flushed and a little achy, trembling slightly. The sensation of having him inside me was exquisite but so new, it felt almost foreign.

Exposed, open, and vulnerable, I could see how terrible, even traumatizing, this entire experience could’ve been if it happened with the wrong man at the wrong time. Once again, my heart filled with gratitude for Salas.

“How did I get so lucky, finding you?” I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He smiled. “It seems good things can be found on flogging platforms.”

I kissed him as if he were mine, my hands sinking into the hair on the back of his head, my body pressed to his. And he kissed me back, like he was claiming me all for himself. For this one night, we fully belonged to each other.

It was such a beautiful lie.

Chapter 16

Ari

“How many virgins have you done it with?” I asked as we lay side by side in my bed, our arms and legs intertwined.

The night had been amazing. Even with very little experience, I could tell Salas was a skilled lover, and now I knew where that skill came from.

“What does it matter?” He frowned. “They were all clients. None of them were you.”

He leaned closer to kiss me, and I let him. What happened between us had never been about money for him. I knew it the moment I’d learned that he donated it all.

A shiver ran through me, and Salas pulled away, breaking our kiss. For once, I resented his self-control, wishing he’d get lost in our beautiful lie with me tonight. But he seemed to be always aware of the truth.

“I’ll run a warm bath for you, Princess. It’ll help with any soreness you may have.”

He took a blanket from the foot of the bed and drew it over me before getting out of bed. A moment later, I heard the water rush into the tub through the open door to the bathroom.

I stretched in bed, feeling slightly feverish but elated. It happened. I’d come as close to a man as one could, and it hadn’t killed me. On the contrary, I loved it. After dreading sex for so long, I actually enjoyed it.

Did it mean I was now ready to guide my future husband in all bedroom matters?

A sudden grip of sadness seized my heart.

It was over now. There was no reason for Salas to be with me anymore. Yet letting him go was the last thing I wished to do. Even having him out of my sight right now didn’t sit well with me.

I tossed the covers aside, ready to go to him when he returned from the bathroom.

“The bath is ready.” He scooped me from the bed into his arms.

I hugged him with a soft giggle. The sound felt foreign, even to my own ear. Giggling was unbecoming for a princess, but the giddy feeling Salas caused in me bubbled over, hard to contain.