Page 16 of The Princess Trap

But the last voice was her little sister’s. She knew exactly what Maggie would say right now.

Get yours, sis.

Her lips quirked. Maggie would already have him inside.

Of course, she didn’t have to invite him in at all. He’d asked to take her out.Shewas the one who’d brought him here—all because something about the tone of his voice and the look in his eye and the way that he touched her made Cherry think he might…

She pressed her lips together. Then she turned to face him.

He hadn’t been abducted by aliens; he was right there, where she’d left him, waiting patiently. The way he dominated the little space put her in mind of a caged beast, but his eyes, for once, were soft.

“You okay?” he asked.

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“Do you want me to wait here?”

“No.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Four words. His voice was as soft as his eyes. He was all folded up into the tiny car’s front seat, his long legs bent, his powerful thighs straining at his suit trousers, and… oh. Something else strained at his suit trousers, too, hard and thick. She let her eyes rest on his erection for a second before looking back up at him. He met her gaze easily, making no move to hide his arousal, and Cherry’s nerves disappeared. Anticipation was a red-hot weight in her chest, and desire thrummed through her pulse.

He raised a hand and grasped the back of her neck, pushing her hair aside. The warm weight of his palm rested against her skin, and then he leant over the centre console towards her. His forehead bumped gently against hers.

“You have to tell me,” he whispered. “Yes or no. Can I kiss you?”

She sounded embarrassingly breathless when she said, “Yes.”

He barely let her finish the word. In a heartbeat, his lips were on hers, soft and gentle. So, so gentle. But that hand on her neck was big and rough and demanding. His fingers sank into her hair, tightening slightly around the roots, and he pulled her head back, just a little. Just enough to make it clear that he was in charge. And still, his lips brushed against hers like a ghost’s. She shivered at the contrast. She wanted more. Much more.

As if he’d read her mind, he gave it to her. His tongue slid out to trace its way across her lower lip, and then he groaned softly into her mouth, as if he liked the taste—oh, yes, he liked the taste, because now he was sucking her bottom lip intohismouth, each pull tugging at her tightening nipples, at her suddenly-sensitive clit. Cherry squeezed her thighs together, shifting in her seat, chasing the pressure she needed to relieve that delicious ache between her legs.

He broke the kiss and pulled her head right back, exposing her throat. She wanted to whimper at the loss of his mouth, but his expression made her swallow the protest.

He looked… hungry.

“Tell me what you want,” he rasped. His breathing was loud in the quiet space, laboured. “You have to tell me.”

“I… This,” she whispered. “I like this.”Understatement.

The hand in her hair tightened. He pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her throat—then turned it, at the last minute, into a bite. Just firm enough to make her moan beneath him, to make her breath catch in her chest.

He pulled back. “Like that?”

“Yes,” she gasped. “That. Anything you want.”

His smile was slow, intense. “Careful, love. You have no idea what I want to do to you.”

She met his eyes. “I think I do, actually. I’m quite looking forward to it.”

He muttered something under his breath. It sounded a lot likeFuck. Then he said, “Get out of the car.”

She’d thought she was wet already. But at the command in his voice, desire pooled hot and sticky between her thighs.

Oh, dear.

Ruben had lost his head.