Dancing With the Dangerous Prince (4 page)

A moment later, he shifted their positions.  His tee-shirt was pulled off of his back and laid out underneath her as he held himself above her, looking down at her pale breasts in the moonlight.  “Do you trust me?” he asked in a soft, rough sounding voice.

She nodded her head.  “Yes,” she told him to emphasize her response. 

A moment later, his hand slid the zipper of her shorts down.  She gasped and grabbed his wrist, stopping him, but he looked into her eyes.  “Trust me,” he coached softly. 

He felt her fingers relax and slid the zipper down further.  The lace of her underwear enticed him, but he didn’t pull it down.  He wanted to take this slowly but he was in so much pain. 

Lowering his head, he captured her nipple in his mouth while smoothing his fingers down lower.  Very gently, he slid his fingers into her heat, moving slowly so he wouldn’t startle her.  All the while, his mouth teased her nipples, biting, soothing, sucking and driving her wild.  He loved the way she clenched his fingers, her body unable to hold still under his tender ministrations.  The whole time, he wished that there was more light so that he could see her instead of just feel her. 

Too soon, he felt her start to splinter apart and he absorbed her cry in his mouth as his fingers pulled her over her peak. 

When she floated back down to earth, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, startled by what she’d just experienced.  “That was…”

“Amazing,” he finished when she couldn’t come up with a description. 

“Yes,” she breathed, lifting her arms to circle around his neck.  “Now what happens?”

He kissed her neck and her ear again before pulling away.  “Now, you go back to your cabin and go to sleep.”  He zipped up her shorts again, his fingers deft and sure. 

He lifted himself off of her, then bent down to pick her up as well. 

Ciara was so stunned by that statement that she wasn’t sure what to say.  She didn’t want to stop but she was suddenly shy and wrapped her arms around her naked breasts self-consciously.  “I don’t want to go back.  And you…”

“I’m fine,” he assured her.

She pressed her hands against his bare chest, feeling the tension within him.  “You’re not okay.  I want to finish this,” she told him, kissing the middle of his chest.

Zoran closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.  “We can’t.”

“Why not?” she demanded.

He kissed the top of her head.  “Because you are a virgin.”

She stiffened in his arms, not sure why his words hurt so much.  “And?”

He pushed her away from him and shook his head.  “And you need to walk away from me, Ciara.  I’m not the man for you.”

Ciara suddenly realized that she was standing in front of him, nearly naked and felt vulnerable.  She quickly closed her bra, shifted her shorts and grabbed her shirt from the ground, knocking off the dirt before pulling it over her head. 

Dressing gave her enough time to pull herself together and realize what she wanted.  Him!  “We’re going to finish this tomorrow night, Zoran,” she told him firmly.  “Meet me here.”

Zoran heard the words and would have liked nothing better.  But this was not to be.  She had to give her virginity to her husband.  “I won’t be here, Ciara.”  That husband couldn’t be him.  He had a political marriage waiting for him and he couldn’t ignore his responsibilities. 

She stiffened with his words and looked up at him.  She could see the need in his eyes and her heart broke for this man because, instinctively, she knew that he was in pain and was stopping only because of his innate sense of honor. 

She stepped closer, ignoring him when he stepped back.  She reached out and touched the middle of his chest again.  “Yes you will.  And so will I.  It’s going to be wonderful.”

With that, she walked away, running back to her cabin.  Before she turned the corner, she looked back and saw him.  Raising her hand, she nodded her head, silently telling him again that they would finish together tomorrow night.

Ciara worried all the next day.  She was in charge of the archery station and this was an area in which she excelled.  Shooting and using a bow and arrow were a requirement of her education, so she was able to give solid advice to each of the campers as they came through her station.  Even the guys in charge of the BB gun station came over to her when the weapons jammed.  She was quickly able to fix them and even moved over to that area when one of the campers was really struggling, becoming discouraged by his lack of ability to hit the paper target. 

But the whole day, she was wondering if Zoran would meet her that night.  She had everything ready for him and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.  The week was coming to an end and she would be heading home.  She wasn’t leaving here without experiencing the bliss of being in Zoran’s arms, of fully becoming his woman. 

What if he didn’t show up?  What if he decided that he couldn’t follow through?

She would track him down, she told herself.  Somehow, some way, she would get her security team to find him, to discover everything about him so that she could go to him.  She had absolutely no idea how their future together could work, but somehow, she’d make it. 

That night, she stood on the edge of the tree line, trembling because he wasn’t there.  “Zoran!” she called out a second time, her eyes filling with tears when she realized that he really wasn’t there. 

She slumped down onto a log, the same log they’d sat upon the first night when they’d talked for hours.  She hadn’t realized how uncomfortable it was without Zoran with her to distract her from the strange, unfamiliar night sounds.

After thirty minutes, she accepted that he really wasn’t going to show up.  She couldn’t stop the tears that started flowing or the pain of loss in her heart.  She wanted him so desperately and he’d simply abandoned her!  How could he?! 

Zoran watched from the shadows as she sat there, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of him.  But she wouldn’t see him.  He’d watched her all day long, was proud of her skill with the bow and arrow, impressed with her rifle skills even though it was just a small, kids’ toy.  But she was accurate and patient with the other kids. 

He couldn’t go out there.  For the first time in his life, he was trying to be noble with a woman because there could be no future with Ciara.  The other woman in his past knew the rules, understood the temporary nature of any liaison with him.  Ciara was different.  He felt differently towards her.  He would return home at the end of this week and would marry the bride his father was choosing for him.  He had no idea who it was, nor did he care.  He would do his duty and marry whichever woman, but he would always treasure these moments with Ciara. 

His resolve lasted only until he saw the tears on her cheeks.  Women had tried tears on him many times in the past, several of them calling him a cold-hearted bastard for the way he remained unmoved, irritated even, by their overflowing emotions. 

Some of those tears had probably been genuine and others just a futile attempt to manipulate him.  But Ciara’s tears tore at him, stabbed him with each drop that fell to her soft cheeks. 

When he accepted that he couldn’t take it any longer, he stepped into the area, lifting her into his arms.  “Don’t cry, love,” he told her, his voice rough as he sat back down with her on his lap. 

“You’re here!” she sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck.  “I didn’t think you’d show up.  But you’re here!”

“I’m here,” he told her, kissing her tenderly, and when he felt her lips tremble under his and then respond to his kiss, he deepened the caress, forcing her lips open so that his tongue could move inside, soothe her in the only way he knew how. 

“Stop!” she said when his hands moved underneath her tee-shirt.

“What’s wrong?” he asked but his hands stilled.

Ciara shook her head and stood up.  “Come with me,” she told him.  She was nervous but also determined.  This was her man.  Zoran was hers and she intended to show him tonight. 

Zoran wasn’t sure what she was going to do but he took her hand and followed her.  It was only when they were almost at her cabin that he stopped, pulling her to a stop.

“No, Zoran.  You’re coming with me,” she told him firmly, her fingers pulling at his arm futilely.  The man was big and strong and stubborn.  If he didn’t want to go somewhere, he wasn’t going. 

“This isn’t right, Ciara.  You should…”

She moved in closer, pressing her body against his in an effort to convey her message more clearly.  “No.  Stop talking.  I’m in charge tonight,” she told him.  “You had your way with me last night.  Tonight, it is my turn.”

He chuckled that such a little thing was going to try and overpower him.  “Think so?” he teased.

She pulled back when his hands reached out for her.  “I know so.  Now march,” she ordered, tangling her fingers with his.

Zoran laughed softly, aware that others might be close by.  He didn’t want her to get into trouble, but he was fascinated by this woman and her attempt at taking control. 

“We’re not making love tonight, Ciara,” he told her. 

Ciara stood on the first step of her tiny cabin and she was still shorter than he was.  “Zoran, if you don’t get inside that doorway, I’m going to strip down right here and we’ll both discover what is going to happen.”

He chuckled and crossed his arms over his massive chest.  “You’re not going to strip down here, Ciara.  Too much potential for someone to see you.”

She raised one eyebrow in challenge, both irritated by his stubbornness and turned on by the feminine power she felt surging through her.  She knew that he wanted her.  Badly.  And she was going to follow through on all of her desires tonight.  “Really?” she asked with a secret smile. 

A moment later, he cursed under his breath when she simply lifted her tee-shirt over her head.  Zoran lifted her from the step and carried her the rest of the way into the cabin.  “That’s cheating, Ciara,” he told her.

She didn’t listen.  She stepped back and reached behind her.  Zoran noticed her shaking hands, but his mind was focused only on her breasts.  They looked perfect in the moonlight, pale and pert, full with beautiful, pink nipples that were begging him for his mouth.  She dropped the bit of lace onto the floor and Zoran watched in fascination as her fingers moved to the waistband of her shorts.  A moment later, she did a little twist thing and the shorts fell to the floor.  She stood there in only her lace underwear and he thought he’d just died and gone to heaven. 

“Stop,” he told her but the command wasn’t as firm as it normally was and, as expected, she ignored it. 

Her fingers moved to the elastic and he groaned.  Dropping to his knee, he pushed her hands out of the way while his own fingers took control.  He pulled the elastic away from her soft skin, enjoying the feeling of it against the backs of his hands.  But every part of him was focused on her, on the sweet smell of Ciara. 

When his hands reached out to pull her into his arms, she quickly stepped backwards. 

She was trembling but she wasn’t going to let him have his way tonight.  This was her night and she had plans.  Big plans for this enormous, gentle giant.  “No, Zoran.  You only get to look until you’re equally divested of obstacles,” she told him with that sweet smile that told him she’d planned this out carefully.

Zoran straightened up, towering over her.  “And if I don’t?” he asked, his eyes boring into hers. 

She shrugged her shoulders.  “Then you don’t get to touch me tonight.”  She bit her lip and considered her next words carefully.  “I’ll do it all myself.”  She could not believe that she’d actually said that.  But it worked like magic.  There was a stunned moment of silence as he absorbed her words but then he chuckled slightly.  His hands reached out and pulled his black tee-shirt off, dumping it over her bra and underwear.  He stepped closer, intending to take her into his arms but she shook her head.  “No.  I’ve seen it all from a distance.  I want to see it up close and personal now.” 

He smiled down at her.  “You think you’re taking control, don’t you?” he asked, but it wasn’t really a question.  It was a promise.  “Ah, little one, you have so much to learn.”  But he was helpless against her appeal.  He wanted her.  His body ached to possess her.  And she was too beautiful to resist. 

“Then you’d better start teaching me,” she whispered back to him, looking up into his eyes.  She let her hand move slowly down his chest, fascinated by all of the rippling muscles she discovered.  But when her fingers touched the waistband of his cargo pants, he grabbed her hands, not letting her go any further. 

“My turn,” he told her.  He stepped backwards, his eyes holding her captive just like that first time.  And with slow hands, he released the button on his pants, then the zipper.  A moment later, he shoved both his pants and his boxers down, stepping out of his clothes, his boots and socks already gone. 

Then he stood up in full, glorious nakedness, in front of her. 

Ciara could barely breathe as she looked her fill, amazed and more than a little astonished by how large he was.  That erection didn’t look as big and intimidating from a distance.  But she wanted this, she told herself.  Every part of her was aching to discover what it was like to be a part of this man, to have him fill her up. 

With shaking hands, she reached out and touched him.  Her fingers were too soft at first but he wrapped his fingers around her hand, showing her how he liked to be touched, stroked.  When she bent down, he shook his head with a pained chuckle.  “No way, Ciara.” 

“But…” she started to argue.

“Another time.  I’m too close already.”  And with that, he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and carried her the few additional feet to her tiny bed.  Laying her down, he stood up and looked at her. 

She started to sit up.  “I’m in charge tonight,” she told him and jumped up, only slightly self-conscious about being naked in front of him.  Yes, she wanted to cover herself up.  But the way his eyes were watching her gave her a sense of power. 

She put her hands on his shoulders, pressing him back to the bed.  “You sit down.”

Even in the darkness, Zoran could see her blushes.  Or maybe he could just feel them.  He thought it was adorable that she thought she could take control but he allowed it for a few more minutes, wondering what she was going to do next.

“Okay, I’m on the bed.  Now what?” he teased. 

Ciara stood there in front of him, not really sure what to do.  She was trembling now, her whole body aching with anticipation but…what should she do?

“Come here, Ciara,” Zoran commanded, seeing her distress and not liking it one little bit. 

She moved the few inches closer, wishing she’d thought this out more thoroughly.  Or at least listened to her friends as they’d described their sexual escapades.  She’d heard several of the other camp counselors had hooked up over the summer.  Why hadn’t she taken notes?

Because until she’d met this man, sex had never really interested her.  It had been something far off in the distance, something that she couldn’t have so she wouldn’t let herself think about it.

Unfortunately for her aching body, she’d been thinking of almost nothing else for the past three days.  And still she was stumped.

Zoran watched her features and would have laughed if he weren’t in so much pain.  Instead of waiting for her to figure out what the next move might be, he took her hand and pulled her forward until she was sitting on his lap.  “As much as I appreciate the effort, you’re going to listen to me tonight.  Okay?”

She sighed with relief and delight, wrapping her arms around his neck.  “Okay,” she replied happily. 

He bent his head and kissed her, feeling her trembling increase but now it was with excitement instead of trepidation.   With one arm on her back, his other smoothed down her sides, tempting her back to passion.  It didn’t take long before the need and urgency overrode her inhibitions. 

With his fingers and his mouth, he explored Ciara, finding all of the parts of her that pushed her desire higher.  And when his mouth covered that secret part of her, she exploded apart and Zoran knew that this time, it was better than the previous night. 

And then it hit him.  He didn’t have any protection! 

“Ciara, we can’t…”

Her small fists gripped his shoulders.  “Don’t say that!” she gasped as she slowly came back to reality after that explosive climax.  “You promised me.”

He shook his head.  “First of all, I didn’t promise you anything.  In fact, if it were up to me, you’d still be clothed, I’d be watching over your cabin again and you’d be fast asleep.”

“And secondly?” she prompted, letting her hands move over his amazing chest. 

“Secondly, I can’t risk getting you pregnant.  I wasn’t anticipating this.  I didn’t bring any protection.”

The smile that curled her beautiful lips at that moment startled him.  When she reached into a drawer beside her bed, he almost groaned with gratitude.  And then anger.  “Where did you get this?” he asked, lifting the condom from her fingers. 

She licked her lips as her eyes moved down over his arms and lower.  “I asked one of the other camp counselors if she had any to spare.”

The anger eased over the news that she hadn’t had these handy because of previous lovers.  “Why do I get the impression that there is more to this story?”