The Prince’s Pregnant Bride (8 page)

BOOK: The Prince’s Pregnant Bride
7.8Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

She tensed at his words. “And they don’t even know about the baby. That would be quite a story.”

“One more reason to keep it our secret. Everyone should be allowed some secrets.” His fingers trailed down her back and his face hovered close. The scent of his skin, masculine and seductive, filled her senses. His lips met hers slowly, a soft collision, then they melted together.

Heat flooded through her as the kiss deepened. Her hands fisted in the soft cotton of AJ’s shirt. She probably shouldn’t be feeling desire, given the strange circumstances, but it pounded through her like a drum. Maybe all the years of pent-up longing, all the rejections and slights and hurts of her first marriage, had left her with a deep hunger.

She pressed herself against AJ, feeling her body mold to his hard chest. He groaned and his hands roamed down to cup her backside. He grew hard against her as arousal leaped between them like electric current.

“I am very attracted to you,” she whispered when their lips pulled apart.

AJ laughed. “I can tell.” He pressed another kiss to her moist lips. “And I like it when you’re really hot for me, not just trying to push me into bed to carry out a complicated plan.”

Lani blushed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is making up for it.” Her nipple thickened under his palm. “Come a bit farther into the jungle. If things haven’t changed too much, there’s a peaceful spot I remember.”

He led her through a semi-tangle of vines and spiky palms until they reached a huge fig tree. Its enormous violin-shaped leaves shaded out the hot sun; underneath them grew a lush carpet of soft moss dotted with tiny white flowers. AJ gestured for her to sit down.

She lowered herself onto the cushioned surface and AJ joined her. “What a perfect place.” Gnarled branches curved over them like protective arms.

“I used to sneak off and come here. I’d sit up in the tree, tucked away behind the leaves. No one ever found my hiding place.” He nibbled her earlobe softly. Lani almost jumped at the sensation of his hot breath on her ear. “But I think I’ve found a hot spot on you.”

She giggled. Then gasped when he did it again. Little flashes of sensation darted through her body. “How did you do that?”

“You mean this?” He trailed the tip of his tongue along her neck, just below her ear. She shuddered at the sudden surge of heat deep in her belly.

“That, too,” she breathed. “What’s going on?”

A grin spread across AJ’s sensual mouth. “It’s called arousal.” His brow furrowed. “This is new to you?”

“Completely.” She’d never known anything like the pulsing heat that pounded in unexpected parts of her. He must be surprised that a married woman would be so…ignorant. “It wasn’t like that before. It was very…official.” She swallowed. What an odd way to describe her own sex life. Still, better than the truth—that it was virtually nonexistent and that “perfunctory” might be a better description. Vanu had never spent a single second touching her body just for pleasure.

Her train of thought went off the rails as AJ’s hot mouth tracked down her neck. She writhed against him, enjoying the strange feelings that trickled right to her toes. He’d unbuttoned the back of her dress and now slid his hands inside it. When his fingertips touched her belly, her muscles contracted, making her buck against him.

“You’re very sensitive.” His deep chuckle rumbled against her skin. “Very responsive.” Still behind her, he pushed her dress over her shoulders and it fell to her hips. He plucked at the thick embroidered sash that wrapped around her waist as part of the ceremonial dress for the press shoot—and served to hide her pregnancy. The silken folds pulled away and her dress fell about her thighs.

“How thoughtful of you to bring a blanket,” murmured AJ. He spread the pretty blue and yellow cloth on the soft moss in front of them. “Our national dress does have its benefits. And here I was thinking it outdated and silly.”

Lani laughed. “I guess the ancestors knew more than we realize.” She lay on the silky fabric, stretching herself out in the dappled shade of the tree. Oddly, she didn’t feel at all self-conscious, or even particularly naked. There was something accepting and easy about AJ that made her feel comfortable with him.

If she could be considered “comfortable” with so many different sensations and emotions pulsing and leaping through her body.

AJ’s fingertips trailed along the inside of her thigh, stirring little rivulets of excitement beneath her skin. She let out a ragged sigh, which AJ met with a mischievous grin.

Suddenly she wanted to feel his body with her fingers. She unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hand inside. His skin was hot, the muscle hard and unyielding. She dragged her fingernails gently over his chest, down toward his waist. AJ flinched, his eyes half-closed, as she drew near the button on his pants. A smile crept across her mouth as she saw the evidence of his arousal pressing against his zipper. She let her fingers wander lower until her knuckles brushed his erection.

Judging from his languorous smile, AJ enjoyed her attentions. Encouraged by his sultry stare, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. They stripped off his clothes and underwear together, until they both lay naked on the embroidered blanket of Lani’s colorful sash.

Shimmering droplets of sunlight snuck through the canopy to paint warm patterns on their skin. The peculiar fragrance of the jungle—thick, rich and almost honeyed—mingled with AJ’s raw, masculine scent to create an intoxicating cocktail of arousal.

His thickly muscled body was a feast for the eyes. Lani eased herself closer to him until their chests bumped gently, then she let her fingers caress the rough skin of his thighs and the flat expanse of his belly. A mix of excitement, exhilaration and embarrassment stung her fingertips every time she drew near his erection. When at last she plucked up the courage to touch him, and to enjoy the feel of all that rigid passion in her hand, she almost cried out with relief.

Her fingertips vibrated with excitement as she let them explore the long, hard shape, and she drew in a long breath. She’d never actually touched that body part before. Vanu would never have given her the chance to play with him.

AJ leaned in and whispered, “I’m not even inside you yet and you’re already breathless.”

“Look who’s talking,” she teased. He jumped and jerked under her touch, muscles flexing as she caressed his skin. Desire rolled between them like a jungle mist, licking their skin and heating their blood.

On the one hand, Lani craved the feeling of him inside her. On the other, she loved the anticipation, the tension of the wait. She stroked his inner thigh with her forefinger and enjoyed the ragged groan that slipped from his chest. “You’re killing me.”

“But softly,” she whispered, breathing her words into the hot skin of his neck before nibbling his ear the way he’d done with hers. His tortured response only heightened her pleasure. His skin tasted salty and delicious, and she let her tongue explore the chiseled line of his jaw, then probe between his lips.

Their kiss grew deep as they pressed their bodies together. AJ’s hardness jutted into Lani’s side and for a second she felt a twinge of apprehension. He was so… big. So unlike Vanu. What if she couldn’t handle him? What if it hurt?

“What is going through your mind?”

She cracked open her eyes to find AJ’s fixed on her. An expression of amusement brightened his face.

“Uh, nothing.”

“That’s what I’d hoped for, but expressions keep fluttering across your face like a flock of birds.”

“I guess I’m just nervous.” She bit her lip. “I’m not…experienced. I don’t want to let you down.”

“Let me down?” AJ laughed. “About the only way you could do that is by standing up and getting dressed. Now stop worrying.” He feigned a stern frown. “In fact, I’m going to do my best to wipe all thoughts from your mind.”

In an instant his mouth was between her legs. Lani gasped with shock as he sucked—quite hard—and caused her body to jerk as a sweet, sharp thrill ricocheted through her. He flicked his tongue back and forth over her sensitive spot, which made her muscles convulse and twitch in a way that was downright alarming. She writhed on the soft fabric of her sash, grasping first at the silky fabric and the ground beneath, then at AJ’s head and shoulders as he drove her further and further into a mysterious world of intense sensation and shocking pleasure.

She cried out as a fierce ripple of sensation jolted her. Waves of heat rolled through her, emerging from her mouth as moans. She realized her fingers were fisted in his thick hair, and she pulled them loose, then groped for him as another alarming tidal wave surged through her.

AJ’s hands roamed over her, stroking her waist and breasts as he rose up to meet her. Her eyes opened to see his dark gaze blazing just over hers. “Much better.” His wicked grin only stirred the fevered passion pounding through her.

“Enter me, please.” She craved him inside her, ached for him.

He chuckled. “You make yourself sound like Aladdin’s cave.” His words rasped hotly at her neck as he lowered himself over her. “I can’t wait to come in, but I don’t know the magic word.”

Quivering with excitement, Lani lifted herself to meet him. “Please.”

“That’s an easy one to remember.” He layered hot kisses on her face and neck. “Please may I come in?”

“Yes, yes,” Lani gasped, almost shouting at the way he tortured her. She tilted her hips to him, begging with her body. She could feel his heartbeat through his skin, strong and insistent, like her own. His musky, male scent only added to her torment. She could tell he was every bit as aroused as she. Was he going to torture her forever?

He entered her very, very slowly. First with his fingers, probing her slick depths. When he decided she was ready—and oh, was she ready—he probed her with the tip of his member. A tiny cry fled her lips as anticipation got the better of her.

She pushed her fingers into his back, unconsciously urging him on. Warmth and pleasure filled her as he slid inside her and his chest lowered over hers. His throaty moan filled her ear as he started to move. She arched against him, taking him deeper, welcoming him into her body and into her life.

I love you.
She got an urge to say it, but something held her back.

It was too soon for love; the circumstances were too strange and pressured. She didn’t want to seem too demanding, as if she expected him to love her back.

And maybe it was just sheer madness, the delicious thrills cascading through her as AJ moved inside her.

AJ pulled her upright until they were in a sitting position, legs interlaced, facing each other, with him still buried deep. A perfect position for kissing.

AJ licked her lips, and she returned the gesture, tasting his smile, then enjoying the slight roughness of his cheeks. She could feel him inside her, slight movements, subtle throbs, letting her feel his arousal and the deep connection between them.

When kissing—and barely moving—threatened to drive her completely over the edge, AJ lay back until she was sitting on top of him. Alarm flashed through her. She was supposed to be in control, and she had no idea what to do.

“Anything,” he murmured, as if in answer to her question. “Whatever feels good.”

She trailed her finger along the middle of his chest, eyes half-open to enjoy the view. She wriggled a little, and felt him move inside her. A smile spread across her face and his at the same time. “This definitely feels good.”

Eyes closed again, she gently rocked back and forth, amazed at the new points of pleasure this position awakened. She found herself moving faster and higher, experimenting with rhythms to take herself right to the next peak, and then pulling back. Beneath her, AJ groaned, his hands stroking her skin, teasing her.

“Let go,” AJ urged her.

Could she? Something inside her kept holding her back. She’d never experienced this kind of arousal before. She could tell she was close to the brink of something big, and it scared her.

“It’ll feel good, I promise.” AJ’s soft voice penetrated her thoughts.

Living at the palace she’d grown used to being “on duty” all the time. Always polite and prepared and ready for anything—even the worst Vanu could dish out. “Letting go” was no longer in her vocabulary. She had been too busy shoring herself up.

A bird chirped overhead and a warm breeze caressed her skin. She’d almost forgotten they were deep in the jungle. Apparently she’d let go quite a lot already!

She quickened the pace, and AJ encouraged her with his roving hands. Hot spots of excitement seemed to become even more sensitive and the tension inside her built and grew until she felt white-hot all over.

Something in her brain told her to slow down, but her body urged her to keep going—and she obeyed, moving with more and more urgency until suddenly everything seemed to explode into a million pieces, showering stars down over them where they lay on the jungle floor.

She collapsed onto the solid expanse of AJ’s chest. His breathing labored, he wrapped his arms around her and held her in his soft embrace while the shower of stars gradually drifted down and settled around them, leaving her tingling and warm in all sorts of unexpected places.

“See what I mean?” AJ said after a while.

She nodded, not quite able to form words. She’d never imagined that sex could be like that. Her previous experiences had been so stilted, so fraught with tension, that she honestly hadn’t enjoyed them at all—though she’d certainly pretended to. Vanu had made no such pretense.

With AJ everything was completely, utterly and gloriously different. At least she thought it was. “Did you enjoy it, too?” Her voice sounded a little shaky.

AJ’s chest rumbled with laughter. “What do you think?” His dark eyes glittered with humor.

“I don’t seem to be able to think at all right now.”

“Good.”

 

AJ loved the feel of her in his arms. Completely relaxed, Lani sprawled over him like he was a giant mattress. It was intriguing that such a fiery vixen lived beneath that placid exterior. Well, he might have guessed, after the way she practically kissed his face off that first time.

BOOK: The Prince’s Pregnant Bride
7.8Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Witch Born by Amber Argyle
Echoes of a Shattered Age by R. J. Terrell
Wind Spirit [Ella Clah 10] by David, Aimee Thurlo
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Scars of the Present by Gordon, Kay
Hold Me Tight by Faith Sullivan
Hold the Pickles by Vicki Grant
Ominous Love by Patricia Puddle
The Door to December by Dean Koontz