Did she dare try to move to the next level with Stefan? The idea made her nervous and excited and, most of all, curious. All of her giddy emotions overshadowed the fear and doubts.
Their wedding night was fast approaching. Only hours until the reception drew to a close and they would be alone. Perfect timing?
Well played, Fate. Well played.
“You’re blushing again,” he told her, stealing a quick kiss. “I know everyone is watching us and the cameras are still rolling, but that kiss was purely selfish. I’m finding it hard to keep my hands off you, Victoria.”
“Stefan.” Her heart beat against his chest. “I’m not sure...I mean, yes, I’m finding myself more drawn to you than just as a friend, but won’t taking another step here make this arrangement more complicated?”
“We won’t know unless we try,” he told her, nipping at her lips again. “I’d hate to let an opportunity pass me by. What if sleeping together is the best decision we ever made?”
“Is that where we’re headed?” she asked, already knowing what he’d say.
Unfortunately, she kept hearing her mother’s warning about getting her heart entangled in this man. Fortunately her heart had already been trampled and crushed, so there was no more to break. And she knew Stefan would never hurt her.
“How much longer are we staying?” she asked as the orchestra slowed the song down toward the end.
He smiled. “Anxious to get me all alone?”
Considering they’d known each other for so long and he knew her better than most people, he had a love for his family that rivaled her own and his loyalty to his country made her heart melt, she may have a little trouble avoiding his charms.
Oh, the hell with it. Why dance around this attraction? Six months of torture would be pure...well, torture. People did friends with benefits all the time, right? Granted she never had, but Stefan was special and he so obviously wanted her, which was good because she couldn’t deny it any longer.
“Maybe I am,” she told him with a grin, knowing she was playing with fire.
As the song ended, he pulled her close, close enough she could feel just how turned on he was, and whispered in her ear, “I’ve been waiting for you to say that. What do you say we go start on our honeymoon?”
And with that thrilling promise, he tugged on her hand and they slipped through the crowd and out the double doors.
Four
As he led her through the long, marble hallways, Victoria didn’t care about the doubts and fears swirling around in her head, nor did she care about the fact she’d just left hundreds of guests in the main ballroom.
What she did care about was how much farther they had to go until they reached their destination because she wanted Stefan, and the realization of just how much she wanted him both thrilled and scared her. This sexual tension had been brewing before she’d come to Galini Isle a month ago—there had to have been an underlying current or she wouldn’t have been so eager to have his mouth on hers when they’d shared their first kiss...or the several scorchers that followed.
But she couldn’t think about anything from their past now or she’d remember that this man was her best friend...and he was about to become her lover. Something about taking their relationship to a level of intimacy aroused her even more. She could analyze later all the reasons this wasn’t a wise move...but right now she didn’t care. She. Wanted. Him.
When Stefan pulled her through a set of heavy double doors, she blinked into the darkness, trying to get her bearings, and wondered if they’d just entered his master suite.
His room was on this floor, but she’d thought it was farther down the wing. She’d been in his suite a few times, but for purely innocent reasons...as opposed to now, when the reason was a bit more naughty.
She remembered his king-size bed with navy silk sheets. The bed had always sat in the middle of his suite, dominating the room.
A man like Stefan with his bad-boy behavior wouldn’t have something as boring as a bed in a corner. He’d want that bed and all the action taking place there to be center stage.
Stefan eased the door shut and with a swift click, slid the lock into place. He immediately set the lights to a soft glow.
Good, that would help her nerves if she didn’t have to have spotlights on her. While Stefan had seen her in swimsuits, he’d never seen her fully naked—not for lack of his playful trying at times, but she’d always written off his silly remarks as jokes. Had there been genuine want behind his words?