Читать книгу Royal Seductions: Diamonds: The King's Convenient Bride - Michelle Celmer, Michelle Celmer - Страница 15

Ten

The next day rushed by in a blur. Hannah was so busy, she barely had a moment to be nervous. And only when the time came to walk down the aisle, did she feel a twinge of sadness. Her father should have been here to give her away. But because there was no one in the world who could ever take his place, she insisted walking it alone.

When she saw Phillip standing at the end of the white runner, stoic and regal in his dress uniform, she felt a dizzying mix of excitement and nerves. And as she walked toward him and their eyes connected—when she saw a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and a dance in the depths of his eyes—a deep feeling of peace washed over her.

The ceremony itself was over quickly, and when the priest introduced them as husband and wife, the guests cheered.

Photographs seemed to take forever, and by the time they were escorted to the ballroom, the reception was already in full swing. Dinner was served shortly after, then they covered all of the formalities like the cutting of the cake and the first dance.

Her mother was her usual clingy self, and beginning to get on Hannah’s nerves, until Sophie swooped in and whisked her away to meet some foreign dignitary.

As lovely as the party was, as much as she enjoyed seeing her friends and family, not to mention hobnobbing with the worlds elite, she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about after the party. When she and Phillip would finally be alone, and free to do whatever they wanted.

She realized that Phillip was thinking the exact same thing when he stepped up beside her and asked, “How soon before we can leave?”

“At eleven o’clock we’re to bid everyone farewell, so we can prepare to leave for our honeymoon.” Even though there wasn’t all that much preparing to do. Her maids had already packed her bags, and she was sure Phillip’s had done the same.

She couldn’t help but think that the instant they left, every single guest was going to know exactly what they were planning to do.

He pulled a pocket watch from his jacket and flipped it open. “It’s ten-fifteen.”

“So we should make the rounds one last time, say our goodbyes and thank-yous.”

He took her arm. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

They went from group to group, thanking everyone for sharing their special day, hearing more congratulations and good wishes than she could count. There were even a few inquiries of how she felt now that she was officially queen.

“Honored,” was her stock answer. Also terrified and unsure, but she didn’t tell anyone that.

It was five minutes to eleven o’clock and they were saying good-night to the prime minister and his wife, when Hannah had a familiar and unsettling sensation she was being watched. She scanned the room briefly and when she reached the dessert table, her eyes caught on the source.

The dark-haired mystery woman.

She was staring intently at Hannah, this time with open hostility.

What could Hannah have done to a woman she had never even met, to earn such a look?

She wanted to point her out to Phillip, but he was in the middle of a conversation and she didn’t want to appear rude by interrupting him. When she turned to look at the woman again, she was gone.

Hannah looked around frantically, trying to locate her, but it was as if she’d vanished. Like the last time, she even entertained the notion that she’d imagined her.

“Is something wrong?” Phillip asked.

She looked up to see that he was watching her with concern. She considered telling him about the woman, but what good would it do, now that she was gone? She smiled instead and said, “I’m fine. Just looking for my mother so I can say goodbye.”

“Let’s go find her so we can get out of here.”

Hannah was sure the woman was no one, and she had nothing to be concerned about. So far her wedding day had been perfect, and she wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.

Still, somewhere deep down, she couldn’t help feeling the slightest twinge of something unpleasant. A foreshadow of something to come.

It was 11:15 p.m. by the time Phillip walked Hannah to her suite. He left to change out of his uniform while she went inside where her maids were waiting to help her out of her gown. To unfasten the row of miniscule buttons up the back.

It seemed to take forever, but finally she was free. She dismissed them immediately, so she’d have time to see to all the preparations she had been planning.

She took the box down from her closet, the one she had been saving for this day, and from inside of it pulled out the pure-white, silk-and-lace nightgown. She slipped it on and it dripped over her body like liquid, conforming to every curve.

Since Phillip liked her hair down, she fished out the pins then brushed out all the gel and hairspray until it lay shiny and soft against her shoulders. She dabbed a touch of perfume behind her ears and along her collarbone.

As Hannah asked, Elizabeth had decorated the bedroom with white candles. Dozens of them on every possible flat surface, all lit. When she turned out the lights, the effect was exactly what she had hoped for. Soft, flickering light.

The maids had turned the bed down and left two perfect red rosebuds, one on each pillow. A bottle of champagne chilled in a stand by the dresser.

It was exactly as she’d imagined.

“You’ve been busy,” Phillip said.

She jolted with surprise and spun around. He stood, leaning in the bedroom doorway, watching her. He wore slacks and a long-sleeved silk shirt that was untucked and lay open. His skin looked warm and golden in the candlelight.

She felt absolutely naked in the scant gown, but she resisted the urge to cover herself. She didn’t want him to know how nervous she was. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

“That’s because I didn’t. I thought you wouldn’t mind, now that we’re married.” He walked toward her, a hungry look in his eyes as they raked over her. “It would seem that I’m overdressed.”

The shirt slipped off his shoulders, down his arms and landed on the floor. The candles were supposed to make her look good, but, oh my goodness, he was beautiful.

He didn’t stop until he was standing right in front of her. She just hoped he didn’t notice the thud of her heart, the way her hands trembled. She didn’t want him to know how nervous she felt.

He reached up and touched the lacey edge of the gown where it rested on the swell of her breast. “This is nice.”

She swallowed hard, willing herself to relax.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“No,” she said, but it came out as more of a squeak than an actual word. She cleared her throat and amended her answer to, “Maybe a little. Are you?”

He grinned and shook his head.

Of course he wasn’t. Unlike her, he had done this before.

He leaned down, kissed her bare shoulder, his lips soft, his breath warm on her skin. “You smell good,” he said.

So did he. She loved the way he smelled, the way he felt, yet she couldn’t seem to make herself touch him.

Why was she so afraid? It wasn’t as though she had never touched him before. But for some reason this time was different. Maybe because she knew what the end result would be.

His hands settled on her hips, large and steady, and she couldn’t help it when she tensed.

“Relax, Hannah.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out.

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. This is my first time.”

Rather than act disappointed, he smiled. Not condescending either. This was a smile of pure affection. “Just do what comes naturally. Act on your instincts.”

That was the problem. Her instincts seemed to have lost their voice.

“You could start by touching me.” He took her hand in his and pressed it flat against his chest. It felt so solid under her palm, his skin hot to the touch.

He tugged her closer, nuzzling the hollow behind her ear. It felt amazing, better than amazing.

He nipped the curve where her neck met her shoulder, making her skin shiver with awareness. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure you were a virgin.”

“You weren’t?” How could he not tell?

“Not after that night in my suite. You seemed to have a pretty good grasp on what you were doing.”

He kissed her throat, the line of her jaw. “This is no different.”

His hands slid up her sides, his thumbs brushing the outermost edge of her breasts. She felt them tingle, the tips tighten into painful points.

“So, no man has touched you like this?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“Never?”

She shook her head. She could see by his smile that he liked knowing she was his, and his only. She liked it, too.

“No one ever did this?” He cupped her breasts in his hands and a whimper slipped from her lips. His thumbs grazed back and forth, teasing her, and her skin went hot.

Then he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He unfastened his pants and slid them off.

Hannah couldn’t help but be drawn to the front of his boxers. To the impressive-looking ridge underneath. She was no expert, but he looked…generous.

He settled beside her, propped up on his elbow, smiling down at her. A sleepy, sexy grin. “Here we are.”

“Here we are,” she agreed. Finally. She had been beginning to feel as if this day would never come.

He brushed her breast with his lips. Once, then twice, then he took her in his mouth, silk and all, and the sensation was so shockingly intense that she gasped and arched her back.

She couldn’t help wondering what other places he could use his mouth.

He hooked his index finger around one strap of her gown and eased it down her arm until her entire breast was exposed. And when he took her in his mouth this time, there was no fabric barrier. This time she felt everything. His tongue, his teeth. The wet heat.

A sound came out of her, like a moan, but more desperate, and she realized her fingers were tunneling through his hair. She was arching against his mouth, urging him to take more.

Phillip seemed to be fascinated by her. He kissed her breasts, her mouth, touched her in ways that made her shudder and quake. And her own hands seemed to have taken on a life of their own, exploring the secrets of his body, touching him like she had only imagined in her most intimate fantasies.

It wasn’t long before the gown that was meant to arouse him was only getting in the way.

“This has to go,” he ordered, helping her tug it up over her head, until the only thing left was a pair of scant thong panties made of the same fragile lace. Then he just looked at her, his eyes dark with arousal. “You’re beautiful.”

She felt beautiful, and not the least bit afraid. In fact, she couldn’t imagine why she had been so nervous. This was so absolutely and completely right. She had never felt so close to him. To anyone.

He touched the minuscule triangle of lace between her thighs and it felt so amazing she nearly vaulted off the bed.

He eased her thong down her legs so slowly that she got impatient and kicked it the rest of the way off. Then she did something that surprised them both. She reached for the waistband of his boxers and tugged at them. She wanted them both to be naked.

He captured her mouth with his and kissed the last of her sense completely away. She didn’t think she could be any more aroused, but somehow Phillip managed. Kissing her, touching her, until she could hardly stand it.

What felt like hours later, he eased himself over her, between her thighs. “I’ll take it slow.”

But she didn’t want slow. She wanted to feel all of him now. She reached for his hips and pushed them hard against her.

She shuddered a moment, and then the pain was gone. What she felt instead was indescribable. She felt…complete. The ultimate in closeness.

He thrust into her, slowly at first, then faster.

She wound her legs around his, dug her nails into his shoulders. “Phillip,” she begged, even though she had no idea what she was begging for.

He thrust himself inside her again, harder this time, and she was so stunned by the sensation she cried out.

He eased back and thrust again. Phillip could feel her inner walls flex and contract around him. Her eyes looked bleary and unfocused and her skin was blushed and hot.

He had never seen anything more arousing or sexy. Had never been with a woman so easy to please. And though it was taking every bit of concentration he could muster to maintain control, he didn’t want to rush this.

But he could feel her losing it, feel her body clenching down on him. Then she tensed and bucked up against him. Her eyes went wide and sightless, with shock and pleasure and wonder. That was all it took. He lost it. His body coiled then released, letting go in a hot rush that seemed to wring the last trace of energy from his very cells. And for a minute, he couldn’t find the strength to do more than breathe.

* * *

Hannah was gazing up at him, looking just as physically spent as he felt. Her cheeks and chest were deep red and her breath was coming in short, sharp bursts.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, but when he shifted his weight, she grimaced.

“Hurt?”

“A little,” she admitted.

He eased off her slowly, then he rolled onto his back and pulled her along with him. She curled up against his side in the crook of his arm, soft and warm and boneless, her head resting on his shoulder. The covers had somehow wound up in a bunch at their feet, but it didn’t matter. He was so relaxed he felt as if he were melting into the mattress.

Oddly, it was perfect.

Getting married, saying the vows, hadn’t been the disconcerting experience he had expected. When Sophie came to him the night before to say that Hannah was upset, the idea of her changing her mind, of her backing out and moving back to America, made him realize just how fond of her he’d become.

He just hoped that would be enough.

They were quiet for several minutes while their breathing evened out and pulses returned to normal.

“Is it always like that?” she asked.

“Like what?”

“It just felt so…so…good. I thought that wasn’t supposed to happen. Not my first time.”

He shrugged. “I guess you’re a natural.”

That made her smile. “Do we have to wait long?”

“For what?”

“To do it again?”

Already? “I thought you were sore.”

“Not anymore.” She put her hand on his stomach, a little shyly, but insatiably curious, and that was all it took for him.

He rolled her onto her back and smiled down at her. “Who says we have to wait?”

It was her innocence and her honesty, her complete trust, that was such a turn-on. But what did that mean for their future?

She would only be innocent for so long. Then what?

Eventually the novelty was going to wear off. It would become a duty instead of a pleasure, until the day came when they didn’t bother at all.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, and he decided not to worry about that now.

He would just enjoy it while it lasted.