I want to consume her, devour her, lose myself in her to the point where I’ll no longer be able to tell where I end and she begins, our souls intertwined for all eternity, nothing about to come between us.
“What about you?”
“Do I have to do everything you tell me to?” Her tone is husky.
“Do you want to?” I chase after her kiss, but she remains out of reach, my desperation for her growing with every pounding heartbeat.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
She brings her mouth to within a whisper of mine. “On what my punishment will be if I disobey.”
Growling, I dig my fingers into her hair, my hold on her resolute. I crush my lips against hers, coaxing her mouth open. When my tongue sweeps against hers, she whimpers, our kiss wild and filled with lust. Teeth clashing. Hands roaming. Bodies wanting. This is exactly what I need today. This connection. This addiction. This love.
Gripping her hips, I move her backward across the room and toward the bed. I don’t break our connection. I can’t. She’s my one source of sustenance. My lifeline. Without the elixir in her kiss, I’d perish and die.
When the back of her legs hit the bed, I scoop her up and gently toss her onto the mattress. Her eyes narrow hungrily, watching my every move as I shrug off my jacket and drop it onto the floor, my tie quickly joining it. I crawl up her body and cover her mouth once more, pulsing against her as she wraps her legs around my waist.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” I ask through my heavy breathing. “How much I need you?”
“I do,” she pants, threading her fingers into my hair.
I snake down her frame, my hands exploring this body I know so intimately.
“You should feel how much I need you.”
“I plan on it.” I pause and lift my eyes to hers, the awe and wonder of minutes ago replaced with a burning desire. “Actually, I’d rather taste how much you need me. Would you like that?”
“God yes,” she moans as I wrap my mouth around her nipple through her dress, the material a rather unwelcome barrier. “I need that so much right now.”
I continue down her body, trailing soft kisses along the way. When I settle between her legs, I pause to admire her ragged breathing, her chest heaving. I push the skirt of her dress up around her waist and reveal a sexy pair of pink panties.
“I don’t recognize these,” I comment, grazing my thumb over the lace material.
“They’re new.”
“Is that right?”
Chewing on her lower lip, she nods. “You should see what else I got.”
“I can’t bloody wait. For now, I’d love nothing more than to rip these damn knickers off you.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” She lifts her hips in invitation.
I hook my fingers into the waistband of her panties, fumbling to rid her of them as quickly as possible. Once I toss them aside, I return to her, stealing a glance at her expression. Lips parted. Eyes closed. Expression flushed. I’m not even touching her yet, but that doesn’t matter. The promise of what’s to come is enough to ignite the flames within.
Gripping her thighs, I spread them apart, pressing my mouth against her, my tongue circling her clit. A moan slips from her throat as she throbs against me, urging me to go faster, deeper, harder.
“God, I love you,” she exhales, digging her nails into my scalp.
I continue worshiping her, nudging a finger inside. She thrusts harder against me, her breathing growing more uneven, muscles tightening around me. I push another finger inside her, stretching and massaging.
I’m so focused on her, on making her feel good, I barely register when a knock rips through the space. It’s not until Nora hoists herself up onto her elbows and stares at the door I realize we’re being interrupted.
“Anders, I think—”
“Ignore it.” My hand on her chest, I push her back against the mattress.
I return to her, tuning out everything else, thrusting my two fingers back inside her before adding a third. She succumbs to me again, her moans and whimpers growing closer together as she fights her impending orgasm. I suck her clit harder, my motions more frenzied. Then there’s another knock, which only serves to aggravate me even more. This never happened back in New York.
“Anders…” Nora attempts to pull away from me again.
And again, I refuse to let her, placing my hand on her stomach, pinning her to the bed. “Ignore it,” I tell her, this time louder. More demanding. More desperate.
I continue plunging my fingers inside her, no longer sure if I’m doing this for her or for me. I know what’s waiting on the other side of the door. I need this one slice of normalcy before being sucked back into my reality.
When the knock sounds again, this time more incessant, I jump from the bed, growling out of frustration. I toss a blanket over Nora before storming toward the door and yanking it open only enough for Nathan to see my face.
“Will you bugger off?” I seethe, lip curled. “I left explicit instructions I was not to be disturbed, so what is so bloody important that I can’t be left alone for one goddamn minute?”
His expression remains even, not so much as a flinch in response to my outburst. He bows his head, as if he’d interrupted my morning coffee, not me on the brink of making love to my fiancée.
“His Majesty has requested your presence at Lamberside. Immediately.”
My jaw ticks, hand clenching into a fist as I fight against a tremor.
“Captain Lawson is waiting with the car, sir.”
I have an overwhelming urge to tell Bridge I’m not going. Perhaps if I were still a defiant teenager and college student, I might. But in a few years, I’ll be king. I need to start acting like it.
“Fine,” I huff, not hiding my irritation. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right down.”
“Of course.” With another bow, he spins, striding purposefully down the hallway.
I close the door behind him, staring at it for several long seconds, cursing under my breath.
“You have to go,” Nora comments. It’s neither a question nor a statement, but some ambivalent remark in between.
I exhale as I slowly face her. “I’m sorry, love.” I walk to the bed and lower myself onto the corner. “Trust me when I say going to the palace is the absolute last thing I want to do today. I’d much rather spend it in bed with you.”
Raising herself to sitting, she bends toward me. “I’ll take a rain check.”
When her lips graze mine, a current runs through me. Which only increases my frustration.
“This isn’t how I pictured your first day here. I thought I’d have time to ease you into things.”
“I think we both saw this going differently.” She gives me a pointed look. “But it’s important you go address our…situation.” Her expression turns playful. “You can’t tell the king to… What was it you said? Bugger off?”
With a slight chuckle, I bury my head into her neck and inhale her scent. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I meet her gaze. “It’s a gorgeous day, so relax. Lounge by the pool. Meditate in the gardens. Whatever you’d like. Try not to fall asleep, or you’ll never get used to the time difference. If you need anything, let Richard, the butler, know. Food. Supplies. Anything. They’ll get it for you. And when I come back…” I waggle my brows, hovering over her once more, my lips skimming hers, “I plan to pick up right where we left off.” I run my hand up her leg, squeezing her thigh.