Читать книгу Princess's Nine-Month Secret - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 12

CHAPTER THREE

HALINA WASN’T SO innocent that she didn’t know what she was agreeing to. Her heart tumbled in her chest and excitement zinged through her veins because, no matter how crazy this was, how nervous she felt, she wanted this. A lifetime of humble obedience and duty to her royal family and it had all shattered to broken pieces with Prince Zayed’s foolish, desperate act. She would not marry him now; she might not marry anyone. So why not take one night? One night for herself, for pleasure? She’d deal with the consequences later. Maybe she’d be lucky and there wouldn’t be any.

‘Are you sure?’ Rico’s dark gaze searched hers, his voice a rumble in his chest. Halina had the feeling it was not a question he asked often. Did he know how innocent she was? Had he any idea that he was her first kiss, her first everything? Halina had no intention of telling him. She had a gut instinct that such lack of experience would horrify and perhaps even repel him. She wasn’t like his usual women. Even in her inexperience, she knew that.

‘Yes, I’m sure.’ The words trembled through her and part of her, quite a large part, wondered what on earth she was doing. Losing her innocence, her prized virginity, to a man who had made it clear he had no expectations, no desires, beyond sex. Fabulous sex.

But perhaps that was better. This didn’t have to be complicated. There would be no entanglements. And after a lifetime of waiting she wanted, needed, something finally to happen. To be the author of her own destiny, if only for an evening. Even if it ultimately led to heartbreak, or at least disappointment.

‘Lina.’ Rico’s voice was rough. ‘If you’re sure, come here.’ Her eyes widened but then she obeyed, walking towards him on trembling legs so she was standing before him. ‘Take off your dress.’

Her heart was thudding so hard it hurt. Was he really going to ask her to do that right now? She swallowed hard and Rico’s gaze seemed to burn into hers, his eyes like molten silver as he waited for her to obey his command.

‘Well?’ One eyebrow lifted arrogantly. This was a test, a dare; if she didn’t do it, he would call her bluff. Accuse her of inexperience, and maybe even send her away. Taking a deep breath, her gaze never leaving his, Halina reached behind her and tugged the zip down her dress.

As the dress slithered off her shoulders, leaving her bare to the waist—her breasts encased in a serviceable white bra rather than the sexy lingerie she would have preferred—Halina could hardly credit she was doing this. Was it the champagne that lent the recklessness to the moment, or was it the urgency she felt? Or was it the man himself, Rico Falcone, his body radiating the most powerful sexual charisma Halina had ever experienced?

The dress pooled around her waist and Halina lifted her chin, resisting the impulse to cover herself. ‘Well?’ she demanded, and thankfully her voice didn’t waver. ‘Take off your shirt.’

With a low husk of laughter, Rico undid his tie and then the studs of his tuxedo shirt, tossing them aside heedlessly so they clattered onto the marble floor. He shrugged out of his jacket and shirt so his chest was bare and magnificent, his skin gleaming like bronze satin stretched over powerful muscles, the dark hair sprinkling his impressive chest veeing down to the waistband of his black trousers.

‘Touch me,’ he said softly, and it felt more like a plea than a command, surprising her, because for a moment Rico Falcone didn’t seem arrogant. Gently she placed her hand on his chest, the dark, crisp hairs a sensual abrasion against her palm. His skin was warm, the muscles hard and flexed, and she felt the steady thud of his heart beneath her palm.

Rico encircled her wrist with his fingers, holding her hand there, against him. Neither of them spoke; the only sound was the ragged draw and tear of their breathing. Halina had never felt so close to a human being before, connected in a way that felt both intimate and intense.

Rico’s fingers tightened on her wrist, and then he drew her slowly towards him so her hips and breasts pressed against him. The feel of his body in such close contact with hers made a thrill run through her, as if a live wire ran right through her centre and Rico’s touch was the electric current.

He dipped his head, his mouth hovering over hers, their breaths mingled, everything suspended. Halina’s eyes fluttered closed, waiting for his kiss, but then she opened them again when he remained where he was, his lips barely brushing hers.

‘Rico...?’

Whatever he saw in her questioning gaze seemed to satisfy him, for in one swift movement he drew her even more closely to him, his hands on her hips, shrugging her dress down to her ankles as his mouth plundered hers with soft yet determined persuasion.

Halina brought her hands up to his head, her fingers threaded through his short, dark hair, her nails grazing his skull as she surrendered herself, body and soul, to that one endless kiss that demanded everything from her.

Her mind was a blur of sensation as Rico backed her towards the corridor that led to the suite’s bedrooms; she stepped out of her dress, stumbling slightly in her unfamiliar heels, and when she did he swept her up in his arms as if she were an armful of feathers and, with her curled against his chest, he strode into the bedroom.

The room was swathed in shadows and moonlight as Rico laid her on the bed. She was dressed only in her stockings and plain bra and pants, and she felt shy but not uncertain as she lay sprawled on the black silken sheets for his thorough inspection.

And inspect he did, standing above her as he slowly unbuckled his trousers and then shucked them off so he wore nothing but a pair of navy silk boxer shorts that did little to hide the impressive evidence of his masculinity.

‘You are very beautiful.’ The words were stark and sincerer because of it. Rico was not a man to flatter; he was merely stating a fact. And Lina could tell by the silver blaze of his eyes that he meant every simple word.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered. Rico stretched out alongside her, the sinewy muscles of his body rippling with the easy movement. Halina held her breath as he hooked his fingers around the edge of her tights and tugged them downwards.

Her breath came out in a restless shudder as the tips of his fingers brushed against her sensitive core, igniting sensations she’d barely felt before. He tugged the tights lower, down her thighs, leaving fiery trails of sensation wherever his fingers brushed until he’d got rid of them completely and tossed them aside.

He loomed above her, his hands braced by her shoulders and his knees on either side of her hips. She felt caged by his body, but it felt protective rather than threatening, thrilling in a way she could barely articulate even to herself. She had no idea what he was going to do next.

Then he lowered his mouth and pressed a kiss to her navel, his tongue flicking inside her belly button and making her cry out in surprised pleasure. The cry turned to a moan as his mouth moved lower. Surely he wasn’t going to...?

But he was. His breath fanned hotly on her underwear before he hooked his finger through the top of it and slid it down her legs so it went the way of her tights. She was bare and exposed before him, and it made her both tense and strain in expectation, incredulous and waiting, a little bit embarrassed and yet so eager.

Her body arched off the bed as he pressed his mouth to her centre, the feeling so intimately invasive that her mind blurred into nothing but sensation. His tongue flicked among her folds, seeming to know exactly what touch and pressure would make her writhe mindlessly, her body attuned to the exquisite pressure building within her.

‘Rico.’ His name was a moan, a plea. Her hips bucked with the restless ache inside her that she desperately needed to be assuaged. ‘Rico.’

He lifted his head, laughing softly, and then he slid his hands under her bottom, lifting her up so he had even greater access to her most intimate self. She felt too crazed with desire and need now to feel embarrassed or exposed, wanting only more from him.

And he gave it, his mouth plundering her centre until she felt as if she were shattering inside, breaking apart into glittering pieces, her hips arching under his knowing touch as her cries rent the still, taut air.

She’d never known anything like it, had never had such an experience so intimate, so intense, so overwhelming.

Rico rolled on top of her, braced on his forearms, his breathing ragged. ‘Is it safe?’ he demanded in a ragged voice and Halina blinked up at him, still dazed by an experience she could only describe as completely life-changing.

Safe? What, she wondered hazily, was safe about this? She was risking everything, including her very soul, by being here with him. It wasn’t remotely safe. But she sensed that if she said as much Rico would exercise the incredible self-control she instinctively knew he had and roll off her, tell her to go. Their night would be over, and she couldn’t bear the thought.

‘Yes, it’s safe.’

With a grim smile of satisfaction curving his features, Rico nodded, then Halina gasped as she felt him start to slide inside her. Her fingernails pierced his shoulders as she braced herself for what felt like a complete onslaught, an invasion of everything she was.

Before she could accept the discomfort and adjust to it, Rico stopped. His expression was one of complete and utter astonishment.

‘You are a virgin?’

* * *

She couldn’t be. Rico gritted his teeth, sweat breaking out on his brow as he held himself above Lina, calling on every shred of self-control he had to keep himself from sinking inside her velvety depths as he longed to do.

Lina looked up at him, her face pale, her eyes defiant. ‘What does it matter if I am?’

Matter? He didn’t deflower virgins. He didn’t corrupt innocents. Having been heartbreakingly naive once himself, he had no desire to rip away the veil of innocence from someone else. Yet here he was, poised to do just that. If he was being completely honest with himself, he’d ignored every neon warning sign that had been flashing at him tonight, every obvious example of the evidence of her innocence and inexperience. Her total naivety.

‘It matters,’ he gritted out and, though it felt like the worst form of torture, he started to withdraw from her welcoming, silken entrance.

‘No.’ Lina hooked her legs around his hips, pulling him back inside her. Her expression was fierce, her eyes bright with determination. ‘You can’t ruin me without fulfilling your side of the bargain.’

He let out a choked laugh, every muscle straining as they engaged in this absurd, exquisite push and pull. ‘My side of the bargain?’

‘You said you were going to make love to me, Rico,’ she stated fiercely. ‘So do it.’ And with that she wrapped her legs more tightly around his waist and pulled him deeper into her, wincing as she did so, but not hesitating for a second.

Rico muttered a curse as he sank deep inside her, his mind going hazy with the incredible feel of her body wrapped around his. His instinct was still to withdraw, to roll away from her and send her from the room. A virgin. A disaster.

Yet the tightly held shreds of his control were disintegrating under the welcoming heat of her body, and with a groan he surrendered to her, knowing she was the victor as their bodies began to move in that ancient, harmonious rhythm.

The least he could do for her was bring her back to that dazzling precipice, even as he climbed towards its heights. Rico watched in satisfaction as her face softened with pleasure, her eyes unfocused, pupils dilated, her breath coming out in a shuddery rush as her body convulsed around his. Then, and only then, did he find his own satisfaction, releasing himself inside her with a final groan of surrender.

For several moments afterwards his mind blurred and blanked as the last aftershocks of his climax pulsed through him. He rolled off her onto his back, one arm thrown over his eyes. Regret lanced him, a sword he threw himself on with bitterness—because he knew better. Of course he did.

He’d lost his self-control, he’d thrown it away with both hands, and for what? A single moment of pleasure? A damning need? He hated the thought. He didn’t need anyone. He wouldn’t let himself.

‘Why,’ he gritted out, his arm still over his eyes, ‘did you come up to my hotel suite if you are—were—a virgin?’

She shifted next to him, pulling a sheet across her body. ‘What does one thing have to do with the other?’

‘You knew what I intended. I made it very clear, for a reason.’

‘Yes.’ She sounded calm and a little resigned, but not particularly regretful. Rico removed his arm from his eyes and turned to stare at her. Her face was rosy and flushed, her lips swollen, her eyes bright. She looked... She almost looked happy. He didn’t understand it at all.

‘Did you intend for this to happen?’ he asked incredulously. ‘Was that why you were waiting outside the party? Were you waiting for me?’

‘Not for you in particular.’

His ego took a surprised bruising at that honest statement. ‘So any man would have done?’

She bit her lip, her gaze sliding away from his. ‘That sounds awful.’

‘But that’s what you’re saying?’ He felt outraged, even though he knew it was ridiculous. He’d had that very attitude countless times. He preferred that attitude...in himself. And one thing he was not was a hypocrite. Yet here he was, feeling offended by her honesty.

‘No, that’s not what I am saying.’ Lina’s eyes flashed and she scrambled up to a sitting position, her lush breasts on glorious display. She had the most amazing figure—curvy and womanly and round. Just looking at her made Rico ache all over again. Virgin or not, Lina still enflamed him.

She pulled the sheet up, wrapping it around herself as she glared at him, her chin tilted at a defiant angle. ‘What does it matter to you?’ she demanded. ‘According to those women back in the bathroom, you should be showing me the door right about now.’

‘Is that what you want?’ Rico hurled back at her. He didn’t even know why he was so angry, only that he was.

‘It’s what I expected. And wasn’t that what this was all about? You warned me, Rico, about how little I could expect from you. Now it seems I’m getting more than I bargained for.’ And she didn’t sound very happy about it.

Rico stared at her in fury, wondering why he didn’t just let her go. She was acting exactly the way he should want, but something compelled him to keep her here. He wanted answers. He also wanted her.

‘It’s different,’ he ground out. ‘Since you’re a virgin.’

Lina rolled her eyes. ‘That’s my business, not yours.’

‘You should have told me.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I never would have slept with you then!’

‘And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.’

She was impossible. Rico rolled up to a sitting position and yanked on his trousers. A sudden thought occurred to him, terrible and profound. ‘You said it was safe.’ From behind him Lina didn’t say a word and slowly Rico turned around. ‘I asked you if you were on birth control...’

Her eyes widened a fraction and she hitched the sheet higher. ‘That wasn’t actually what you asked.’

‘I asked if it was safe!’

‘Which could mean something completely different.’

Cold dread swirled in his stomach, along with an anger fiercer than he’d ever felt before. ‘Most women, when in the intimate situation we were in, would know precisely what that meant.’ He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Are you saying you’re not on birth control?’ Why would she be, if she was a virgin? Unless she’d taken it with the express purpose of losing her virginity tonight. The thought seemed so bizarre he didn’t know what to do with it. ‘Tell me you’re on birth control.’

Lina shrugged, her ink-dark hair sliding about her shoulders. ‘Fine. I’m on birth control.’

‘You’re lying.’

‘You asked me to tell you—’

Rico swore loudly and viciously. ‘I didn’t mean for you to lie.’ He raked a hand through his hair, his fingers pulling on the short strands, frustration now matching his fury and confusion. ‘Lina, I don’t understand you.’

‘You don’t need to.’

He knew she was right, and that infuriated him all the more. He should just send her away. By this point in an evening, usually he would already be in the shower, expecting his bed partner, whoever she was, to be finding her own way out. What was so different now?

‘If you’re not on birth control, you could be pregnant.’ Lina lifted her chin another notch and said nothing. ‘Damn it, Lina, that’s a rather major issue, don’t you think?’

A muscle flinched in her cheek. ‘It’s not your concern.’

‘It is very much my concern,’ Rico returned in a low, dangerous voice, certainty thrumming inside him. He would never abandon his own child, as he had once been abandoned. He would die first. ‘If you are pregnant with my child, it is my paramount concern.’

Her face paled and she blinked slowly, seeming to absorb that statement. Rico shook his head, impatient as well as furious. ‘Did it not even occur to you that you could become pregnant?’

‘Not exactly.’ She bit her lip. ‘I wasn’t thinking about that just then.’

‘Then why on earth did you say it was safe? Did you lie on purpose?’

‘I... I didn’t understand what you meant.’ Colour crept into her face and she looked away.

Rico stared at her incredulously. ‘What did you think I meant, then?’

‘I don’t know.’ Her voice rose in agitation. ‘I wasn’t thinking at all, to be honest.’

‘Neither was I,’ Rico returned grimly, hating that it was true. What a mess. And he had no one to blame but himself. He should have realised how naive she was. She’d given him plenty of clues.

Sitting in his bed, wrapped in his sheet, her hair everywhere, her eyes wide and her face pale, she looked very young and incredibly vulnerable. How could he have thought for a moment that she was experienced, a woman of the world? She was anything but.

‘How old are you?’ he asked abruptly and she gave him a look of scorn.

‘Twenty-two, so you have no worries on that score.’

‘Still—’

‘I’m not your problem, Rico.’

‘But you could be—’ His words were cut off by a sudden buzzing. Lina looked at him questioningly.

‘It’s the lift,’ he explained tersely. ‘The doors lock automatically, since it opens right into the suite.’ The buzzing sounded again, insistent. Whoever was in the lift wanted to get in. Who the hell was trying to find him now?