Page 106 of In the Prince's Bed

Her eyes widened. “Ohh…sothat’swhat’s happening in the picture.”

“What picture?”

Turning crimson, she stammered, “N-never mind.”

“It’s that blasted book again, isn’t it? Now you’ve got me curious about it. Is there actually a picture of people doing this?”

“Well…yes…but I couldn’t figure out why a man would—”

He scraped the rigid bit of her flesh with his teeth, and she arched into his mouth with another gasp. “So…that’s…why…”

“Do you want more?”

He licked at her lightly. Though she blushed, she grasped his head and pressed it toward her cunny. He needed no more invitation to suck at her swollen bud, then thrust his tongue inside her.

The scent of her musk drove him mad, made him want to please her all the more. He reveled in how she writhed beneath him, uttering soft little cries that spurred him on. He’d give her this at least, this pleasure to remember after she discovered all his lies.

The more frenzied she grew, the more his cock stiffened until he thought he’d explode before she found her release under his mouth. But just as he feared he’d embarrass himself at any minute, her release hit her, making her shudder and convulse beneath him.

He gave her no time to come down. He couldn’t—he wanted her too badly. Raising himself over her, he parted her thighs wide and drove into her damp warmth, sheathing himself inside her hot welcome with one deep thrust.

She caught at his shoulders with a cry. “Yes…like that…yes—”

Her long legs wrapped about his waist, sucking him deeper in, and he groaned. “By God, sweetheart…you’re…incredible…”

“And you’re definitely…Alexander the Great…”

A laugh tore out of him even as he pounded into her, losing himself, striving to conquer her so thoroughly she would never regret choosing him. And when his release neared, he held it ruthlessly back until he felt her shudder beneath him again, her body straining against him as she cried his name.

Only then did he let himself come, spilling himself inside her, fiercely determined to bind her to him for life, sure they could make a future together despite all his deceptions.

But as he collapsed atop her, drained and sated yet still wanting her, she whispered, “I love you, Alec.”

And he knew he couldn’t lie to her anymore.

Chapter Twenty-five

Beware of scheming Mamas—they will throw all your plans into disarray.

—Anonymous,A Rake’s Rhetorick

Katherine hadn’t meant to say those words, hadn’t even realized she’d felt them until that moment. But she’d said them, and she didn’t regret it.

Until he drew back to stare at her in clear horror. “You told me you didn’t believe in love.”

She blinked at him, her heart sinking. “I changed my mind.”

“You can’t. You shouldn’t.”

This wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. “Why not?” she whispered, her contentment at their joining slowly draining away.

With a groan, he rolled off her to lie on his back staring up at the ceiling that showed through the canopy frame missing a canopy.

Feeling suddenly exposed, she sat up and reached for the extra blanket that lay folded at the foot of the bed, covering them both with it as she turned on her side to look at him. “What is it, Alec? What’s wrong?”

“You can’t love me.” The harsh words pummeled her tender heart. “You must not love me.”

“It’s not something I can turn on or off. It’s how I feel.” She swallowed down the fear rising in her throat. “But if you don’t feel that way—”