Читать книгу The Montoros Affair: The Princess and the Player / Maid for a Magnate / A Royal Temptation - Charlene Sands - Страница 14

Nine

The upstairs master suite had the most amazing four-poster bed Bella had ever seen. When she drew off the drop cloths covering it, she almost gasped at the intricate carvings in the wood. Delicate flowers in full bloom twined up the posts and exploded into bunches at the top corners.

Once she polished the wood to gleaming and whacked the dust from the counterpane and pillows, the bed took on an almost magical quality, as if it had been a gift from the fairy realm to this one.

The rest of the room was a wreck. Mice had gotten into the cushions of the chairs by the huge bay window and Bella could tell by the discoloration of the walls that some type of artwork had originally hung there, but had disappeared at some point over the years.

The floor groaned behind her and she turned to see James bouncing lightly on a spot near the bed. The planks bowed under his weight and then with a snap, one cracked in two. Both pieces fell into the newly created hole. It was a testament to James’s superior balance and athletic reflexes that the broken plank hadn’t thrown him to the floor.

“Oops,” he said sheepishly as he leaped clear. “I was not expecting that to happen. Sorry.”

She waved it off. “If that’s the worst damage we do today, I’ll consider that a plus. Why, exactly, were you jumping up and down on it in the first place?”

“When I walked over it, this section felt different, like it wasn’t solid underneath. It turns out it wasn’t.”

Grinning at his perplexed expression, she joined him to peer into the hole. It was a shallow compartment, deliberately built into the floor. “Looks like you found the royal hiding place. Oooh, maybe there are still some priceless jewels in there.”

Eagerly, she knelt and pulled the broken board from the hole. “Hand me your phone.”

James placed it in her outstretched hand and when she aimed it into the gap, the lighted screen revealed a small box. Leaning forward slightly on her knees, she stuck her hand down into the space and only as her fingers closed over the box did she think about the possibility of spiders. Ick. Since it was too late, she yanked the box out and set it on the floor next to James.

“Anything else?” he asked, his body hot against her back as he peered over her shoulder, lips grazing her ear.

It shouldn’t have been such a turn-on, but then, there was nothing about James that didn’t turn her on. Warmth bloomed in her midsection and as she arched her back to increase the contact with his torso, the feel of him hummed through her.

“Maybe,” she murmured. “Why don’t you reach around here and see for yourself.”

He must have picked up on her meaning. His arms embraced her from behind, drawing her backward into his body, and his fingers fumbled around the edge of the hole without delving more than half an inch into it.

“Nope. Nothing in there.” His lips nuzzled her neck as he spoke and she could tell his attention was firmly on her. The hard length grinding into her rear said he’d lost interest in whatever else might be in the decades-old hiding place as well. “But what have we here?”

“I think you better investigate,” she said, and guided his hands under her shirt, gasping as his questing fingertips ran over her sensitive breasts.

“You’re not fully dressed,” he accused her with a naughty laugh. “Ms. Montoro, I am shocked at your lack of undergarments. It’s almost as if you expected a bloke’s hands to be under your shirt.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Her core heated as he caressed her, nudging her rear with his hard erection. “And as you’re the only man around, you’re welcome.”

His laugh vibrated along her spine, warming her further. She loved it when he laughed, loved being the reason he was amused. Loved it when he touched her as if he’d discovered something rare and precious and he planned to become intimately familiar with every nook and cranny.

Then he got serious, palming her aching nipples, massaging and working her flesh until she could hardly breathe from wanting him. Would she ever get tired of that, of the gasping need and clawing desire? She hoped not.

She whipped off her shirt and tossed it on the bed, granting him full access. Arching against him, she pushed her breasts into his hands and flung her head back against his shoulder. As if reading her mind, he fastened his lips to her earlobe, sucking on it gently as one hand wandered south in a lazy pattern, pouring more fire on top of the flames he’d already ignited as her flesh heated under his fingertips.

Finally, his fingers slid into her shorts and toyed for an eternity with her panties, stroking her through the fabric, teasing her as he kissed her throat. So hot and ready, she could hardly stand waiting until he’d had his fill of exploring.

When she moaned in protest at the delay, he eased her back against his thighs and slipped off the rest of her clothing. Without a word, he picked her up and spun her around, placing her gently on the bed, his dark gaze worshipping her body.

Even that heaped more coals on the fire and she shuddered.

Through hazy vision, she watched as he knelt between her thighs and kissed each one. His tongue traced a straight line across her flesh and then he glanced up at her under his lashes as he licked her core. His tongue was hard and blistering hot and wet.

The flare of white-hot pleasure made her cry out. He dove in, tasting her in a sensuous perusal that drained her mind. Yes