you okay?”
Genuine concern laces his words. This is a Nikolai I’ve never seen in the pages of a magazine. This man did not exist in the maze yesterday.
“Yes,” I whisper, the heat in his palm making me forget I’m soaking wet.
“I told you,” he says, his gray eyes darkening to black, “I will not marry.”
I nod slowly. “And your father will keep the throne from you if you do not. Nikolai, when you stormed out yesterday, he mentioned Damien...”
A soft, guttural sound emanates from his throat.
“If you want the throne,” I continue, “then finding a bride is the only way.” And the only way to keep my grandmother getting the best care that our country has to offer. But I don’t tell him that. As much as I am drawn to him, I can’t get close to another man. Especially not another bad boy who doesn’t seem to care about anything other than his next thrill. My heart can only take so much.
He lets out a long breath. “So it is,” he says, and my heart tightens at the sound of defeat in those words. “Then we find someone who will play by my rules, who knows she is queen in name only, and that I will govern Edenvale as I see fit when it’s my time.”
I nod again. “If that is your choice.”
He lets out a bitter laugh. “Choice,” he says through gritted teeth. “Wouldn’t that be a luxury?”
I shiver, the cold setting in and seeping into my bones. He drops his hand to my neck, my collarbone and then to breast, my nipple hard against the cold, wet fabric of my blouse, a trail of heat in its wake.
“What if I choose to touch you like this?” he asks, his lips a fraction of an inch from mine. “Would you choose that, too?” He glances toward the river. Then his gaze burns into mine again. “Because you have a choice, Kate. You should have told me that you live along a river yet have never bathed in it.”
I feel the prick of tears and try to will them away.
“Maddie and I—my sister—lost our parents when they drove off the road that winds along the mountain’s edge. The river was deeper than five feet where their car plunged in.” A single tear escapes, and he brushes it away, the gesture too sweet. Too intimate. “I was too young to remember them but not too young to develop a fear of the water. The funny thing is, Maddie says I was an excellent swimmer from a young age, but it’s like my mind has blocked that part out. So...here we are.”
He runs a hand through his soaked black hair. “You should have told me,” he says again, and I startle to see the intensity in his eyes. “You have choice, Kate. With me. Nothing is an order. Do you understand that?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
He places a hand behind my neck and lowers me to the ground, my body a willing accomplice.
“You will find me a royal bride,” he says, hovering over me. A bead of water drips off his skin and splashes near the corner of my lips. It takes all my self-restraint not to lick it.
“Yes.”
“I will not love her,” he adds.
“I know,” I whisper.
“I cannot love anyone.” His voice is a low vibration, one I feel in his chest against mine.
“I know,” I say again, cursing the beating of my heart that seems to speed up the nearer he gets. We might be from two different worlds, but we have that much in common. I can love, but I won’t. Not when I’ve known so much loss.
“But I want you,” he says, his breath warm against my lips.
“I want you, too,” I admit.
He flicks out his tongue, running it along my bottom lip, and I grind my pelvis into his.
“Do you choose this, Kate? Do you choose what I’m offering?”
My body has already complied. All that’s left is my voice.
“I do, Your Highness.”
“Call me Nikolai.”
I let out a trembling breath. “I do—Nikolai.” His name tastes as delicious as his hungry mouth.
He kisses me, long and slow and deep until my toes curl and my core is on fire.
“Say my name again,” he growls, his erection firm against my aching clit.
“Nikolai,” I whisper, and his tongue plunges into my mouth again.
I may have the freedom of choice, but I also have the wisdom to know this is a foolish one to make. I’ll have to add a note in my planner to regret this sometime tomorrow.
Nikolai
I BURY MY fingers into her thick coil of auburn hair and pull, not hard, but enough to deepen our kiss. Kate’s tears place me on unfamiliar ground. The story of her loss threatens to undo my expertly built defenses. I don’t know how to tell her this, but in some ways, I understand her pain. Once upon a time, many years ago, a car accident changed my own world. She and I share an unexpected connection, both forever marked by a tragedy that changed the course of our lives.
Damn it. My pulse thunders in my ears. I don’t want to be curious about Kate, to be interested in her as a person and not another notch in my belt. I channel my frustration into tangling my tongue with hers, demanding more, demanding everything, and she moans into my open mouth, offering herself freely.
My chest tightens like a vise. I gasp a mumbled curse. This kiss is taking over, filling my veins, replacing the blood. Slow the fuck down. Keep it physical. Remember that’s my MO—making women cry out my name and wanting nothing more in return than my own physical release. I reach down to circle my thumbs over her peaked nipples, hard nubs against her wet, silky top. She moans again. Louder.
I tear away, one foot in heaven and one in hell. It’s time to get a grip, to calm myself and focus. After all, getting a woman off is what I do best. My uncertainty fades as I take charge, increasing the pressure. Not much, just enough to turn that moan into a gasp, followed by a soft squeak. I break our kiss and nip her plump lower lip, tasting the hint of cherry lip balm. Then I continue my leisurely torment down her jaw to the sensitive place on her neck, relishing her rapid pulse and trace of perfume that wasn’t washed away in the river. Chanel No. 5.
She is killing me in the best of ways.
“God, you smell brilliant.” I give her a soft bite. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough that I’ve got her full attention. She moans. All women enjoy a little domination in the bedroom. “Like that?”
“Mmmmm,” she purrs.
I bite again, wiping away the sting with the flat of my tongue. “I asked you a question. I am your prince. I expect you to respond.” My tone is authoritative, yet teasing. I want control, but I also want her to know she’s safe—safe
