‘You taste like heat and mint,’ she panted, her neck arching to accommodate his lips, her nipples painfully tight against the fabric of her dress.
He laughed huskily as if she delighted him. It was quite the aphrodisiac after her previous sexual encounter had obliterated her burgeoning self-confidence.
‘Come upstairs with me.’ The Prince’s kisses continued down her neck and she felt him shudder as he gently bit down on the tendons that joined her shoulder. ‘I can’t take you here; we’ll get caught.’
Alexa didn’t know which part of that statement permeated her stunned senses more, but suddenly her hands were firm on the hard balls of his biceps as she pushed him back. Memories of her teenage mistake tumbled into the space between them, tripping up her thoughts as she fought to draw oxygen into her lungs and clear the haze from her brain. ‘We can’t... I’m not... Let me go!’
As soon as the words were out he released her, his chest heaving like bellows as his breath rasped in and out of his lungs.
His dark hair was in disarray around his shoulders and she realised with a mortified groan that her fingers must have done that.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘What’s wrong?’ Her eyes widened at his ridiculous question. ‘We nearly... I just... I didn’t come in here for that.’
Struggling to even out his breathing as much as she was, the Prince’s brows drew together. ‘Why did you come in here then?’
Still experiencing the drugging after-effects of being in his arms, Alexa blurted out the first thing that came into her head. ‘I came in here to ask you to marry me.’
CHAPTER THREE
‘YOU SHOULD HAVE gone with that as your opening line, sweetheart,’ Prince Rafaele drawled. ‘It would have smothered the chemistry between us faster than a Santarian sandstorm.’
Unsure how to handle him as well as her rioting emotions, Alexa frowned. ‘I didn’t expect you to pounce on me as soon as we got here.’
‘Pounce?’ He gave an amused look. ‘I gave you a chance to pull back.’
‘Three seconds?’
His grin deepened. ‘It ended up being five.’
‘You don’t even know my name,’ she said, flabbergasted that he could so quickly switch from arousal to amusement when she was still struggling for composure.
‘I’ve never found that to be all that important when I want a woman.’
Well, that stung. No woman wanted to be just another notch on a man’s bedpost. But what had she expected? This was the exalted Rebel Prince who had attempted to seduce her. Attempted and nearly succeeded! ‘Why?’ she felt compelled to ask. ‘Because you don’t plan on seeing the woman again?’ she challenged.
‘Now that depends on the night. And the woman.’ His eyes narrowed on her face as if he was trying to work something out. ‘So who are you? Because I have to admit you’re damned familiar, although I know I’ve never touched you before.’
She didn’t know whether to be flattered by that statement or not and went with not. ‘My name is Alexa, Crown Princess of the House of Berenia.’ She gave her tone just the right amount of haughtiness to signal her displeasure with him, and was pleased when his eyes widened.
He raked a hand through his hair. ‘You might have mentioned that sooner as well.’
‘I did plan to when we got inside the room, but you kissed me before I could come out with it.’
* * *
Rafe’s gaze dropped to her lips and he cursed under his breath. She was right. He’d never acted on his attr
action for a woman faster. His only excuse being that he’d felt her hunger run as deep as his own and he’d been unable to resist testing that hunger when they were alone. And he’d been right. She’d gone off like a firecracker in his arms. Another few minutes and they both would have been naked and horizontal.
Thank God he’d had enough sense to suggest they go to his room, and the restraint to release her when she’d asked. But he hadn’t wanted to. The inferno that she had lit inside him had been ready to explode. It still was, but this time partly with recrimination. He should probably apologise for pouncing on her as she had accused him of doing. It wasn’t his usual style, which leant itself to more finesse and a small measure of self-control!
And she was his brother’s cast-off, dammit, the daughter of the man who was currently making his brother’s life hell. Jag would just love it if he had witnessed this near blunder. It had been one thing to piss his father off deliberately, but he’d never do that to his brother.
‘Well, I’m not kissing you now, Princess, so I suggest we leave and forget this ever happened.’
If he could. He had a feeling he’d be dreaming about the taste of her mouth and those soft kittenish sounds she’d made as he’d cupped her bottom in his hands for a few nights yet. Even now he wanted to reach for her again.