Their Royal Wedding Bargain

‘I do like your dress. But I like you even more.’

‘You do?’

His hands moved to the sides of her waist. ‘Too much. I’ve been trying to avoid giving in to this all week, but you’ve defeated me.’ His voice turned low and growly. ‘But this won’t just blur those lines between us, Princess, it will completely obliterate them.’

‘I don’t mind.’

A serious glint entered his dark eyes. ‘And if it’s another mistake?’

‘Are you trying to warn me off you? I’m not that naive young girl any more, Rafe. I’ve grown up a lot since Stefano. I know this isn’t about love, so if you’re worried that I’ll fall for you like every other woman, I won’t.’

‘That’s not what I’m afraid of.’

‘Then what are you afraid of?’

His hand came up to the side of her face, his fingers stroking through the heavy strands of her hair. They could have been alone for all the notice they took of the energetic dancers around them. ‘I’m afraid I won’t want to stop once I’ve had you. I’m afraid I want you too much.’

His words were thrilling, a balm to her wounded feminine soul. ‘Then take me,’ she whispered, moving a step closer so that her body was flush up against his. ‘Take me and show me what pure, unadulterated pleasure feels like.’

A harsh curse left Rafe’s mouth right before his lips crashed down over hers. It was like a match meeting a firecracker. Alexa’s body caught alight, her mind empty of everything else but this moment. This man.

Too soon the kiss was over, Rafe lifting his head and tucking her in tightly against him. ‘We can’t stay here. We’ll get arrested.’

All but dragging her from the dance floor, Rafe stopped briefly in front of her security detail before clamping his hand over hers and leading her along a series of narrow hallways until he opened a heavy door and ushered her through.

Glancing around, she realised they were in an underground garage beside a shiny black motorbike.

Rafe pulled out a leather jacket from beneath the seat and fed her arms into it. The jacket swamped her and smelled of him.

‘What about you?’ she asked when she noticed that there was only one.

‘I’m hot enough.’

There were many responses she could make to that but she didn’t have the experience or confidence to banter with him in that way.

Rafe pulled a helmet from the handlebars and turned back to her. One of his hands went to her hair and he breathed deeply. ‘Your hair is beautiful.’ He twisted the strands in his fist and brought her mouth to his in a fierce kiss that set her on fire all over again.

Alexa moaned softly as he released her.

‘Home first,’ he said, plunking the helmet on her head and buckling it.

Taking his hand, Alexa slid her legs over the back of the bike and settled on the seat, futilely tugging at her skirt. ‘Ignore it and hang on tight,’ Rafe instructed. ‘I won’t be going slowly.’

It was a rush to know that she affected him like this and she did what he asked, sliding her arms around his lean waist as the bike started to move.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE RIDE HOME was as fast as he’d warned it would be. Alexa felt as if she’d just got used to the vibration of the engine between her legs and the thrill of being on a bike for the first time when he was zooming down the slope that led to his underground garage.

Moments later they were in the lift and heading skyward. Rafe watched her from across the small cubicle but didn’t touch her. She used the time to catch her breath, her senses completely alert to his every breath.

Stepping out of the lift, Alexa smoothed her skirt and wondered what to do with her hands. Now that she was here, now that they were doing this, she felt a moment’s hesitation.

‘Alexa?’

Standing before her, all tall, dark and dangerously male, he made her heartbeat quicken. He was so beautiful,, his jaw clenched with the intensity of his arousal.

The knowledge was as intoxicating as it was scary because, for someone who always thought about the consequences of her actions, Alexa knew she hadn’t thought this through completely. She also knew that she might never experience a feeling like this again and that she wanted this man. She wanted him more than was good for her.