Page 51 of Royal Trouble
Fuck it. He was going for it and damn the consequences. He was tired of the games, tired of the foreplay. And if he delayed any longer, odds were good the universe would find a way to interfere at the most inopportune time.
“I’m tired of fighting the chemistry between us,” he said, crossing the room to stand before her. Everly watched him, the hair hanging in damp waves around her face making her look more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her. Even so, she was beautiful. He’d been with models and actresses and socialites, but he’d never been with anyone like her. Someone real and raw, whose passionate spirit called to his own. “What we have is rare and it’s blazing hot and honestly?” he said, arching a brow. “When you’re not around, all I can bloody think about is the next time I’ll see you or touch you.” He paused, meeting her gaze. “May I touch you, Everly?”
She gave a slow nod, eyes round, pupils dilated as she looked up at him with slightly parted lips.
He brushed his fingers across her cheek, dragging his thumb over her full lips.
“So bloody sweet, Evie.”
At his touch, she gave a shuddering breath, and he gave up any pretense of control, lowering his mouth to hers and claiming her lips with a bruising kiss. There was nothing sweet or gentle about the way he staked his claim. He poured weeks of raw desire and frustration into the gesture, and he was pleasantly surprised when she angled her head and met him thrust for thrust, greedily devouring his kisses.
He should’ve expected it. Her passion was one of the things he admired most about her, the way she always gave as good as she got. A woman used to fighting for what she wanted out of life. A woman who didn’t expect the world to be delivered on a silver platter.
Pressure built at the base of his spine, and he dug his fingers into her soft hips, spinning her around and pressing her back to the wall, trailing openmouthed kisses across her chin and down the column of her slender throat.
Even now he was in awe of her, the way such a delicate body could house an iron will and such strength of character. He’d never known anyone like her and doubted he ever would again. Which was why he intended to cherish every second of their time together.
Everly moaned, and he used his right leg to spread her thighs even as he cupped her arse and lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around him, and he positioned his cock at her center. He wanted her to feel exactly what she did to him, how fucking desperate he was to be inside her.
When he rotated his hips, her eyelids drifted shut, and she tangled her fingers in his hair, as if to anchor herself in the moment.
“You feel that, love?”
“Mmmhmm,” she hummed, pulling him closer and pressing her tits to his chest as she rolled her hips. “Feels so good.”
“That’s what you do to me, Evie.” He lowered his forehead to hers and met her eyes, losing himself in their magnetic pull. “You and no one else. I want you so fucking bad it’s all I can think about. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t even breathe without the memory of your sweet little pussy invading my thoughts. The way you looked when you came on my hand? I’ve dreamed about it. Fantasized about it. I need to know if you’ll make the same sexy face when you’re coming on my cock.”
Without a word, she crushed her lips to his with renewed enthusiasm, only coming up for air when they were both breathless and panting.
“Bedroom?”
She pointed down the hall, and he carried her through the open door then deposited her on the unmade bed, stretching his body out above hers. He used one hand to support his weight while the other explored her delicious curves, pushing the thin T-shirt up to expose her bare breasts. He’d only caught a glance of them outside, but now he could look his fill. He cupped one of the full globes in his palm, and she arched into his touch, body begging for more. He lowered his mouth to one of the rosy peaks and flicked his tongue across the pebbled skin before taking it between his teeth and sucking hard.
To his delight, she whimpered and rolled her hips, angling for pressure between her legs. He switched to the other breast and slipped a hand between their bodies, stroking her through the tiny cotton shorts.
Everly gave another breathy moan, and he decided his new life’s mission would be to wring those sounds of pleasure from her lips. He hooked a finger in the waistband of her shorts and started to tug them down.
Beneath him, Everly’s thighs slammed together.
“Wait.” The commanding tone of her voice stopped him cold. She sucked in a deep breath and released it, her chest rising and falling heavily. “Before we do this, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Fuuuck.
One look at the concern etched on her face, and he knew that whatever it was, he wasn’t going to like it. He rolled off her and perched on the edge of the bed. How bad could it be, though? Her dossier had been fairly routine. There’d been nothing to send up red flags. If there had been, his secretary would’ve pointed it out. The realization just reinforced the fact that he didn’t actually know her very well. Hell, he barely knew her at all. But it didn’t matter. He didn’t need a report to tell him she was a good person. Someone he could trust.
“What is it?” he asked as she scrambled into a sitting position and covered her breasts.
“It’s complicated.”
Wasn’t everything?
She picked at a loose thread on the comforter, not meeting his eyes.
“Evie?” He reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.” He didn’t tell her it would be okay, because he knew better than to make such promises. But he would listen, just as she’d done for him. That, at least, was in his power.
She sighed heavily and gave a curt nod. “I’ve always dreamed of being a writer, of seeing my stories on the bookshelves at stores like Barnes & Noble, but full-length fiction isn’t where I got my start. Like a lot of writers, I got my start in the news trade, and recent circumstances have dictated that I return to my roots.” She tried to smile, but it was strained. “A girl’s got to pay the bills.”
Dread snaked up his spine.