Royal Heirs Required (The Sherdana 1)

He gathered her close and dropped a chaste kiss above her brow. Beneath her palm, his heartbeat returned to normal.

“That makes two of us.” His thumb moved against her shoulder in an absent fashion as if his mind was somewhere besides the two of them naked in this bed. “You’re sure that wasn’t too rough?”

“Since I have nothing to compare it to, I’m going to say it was just rough enough.”

He stopped staring at the canopy overhead and sliced a sharp look her way. His mouth tightened for a second until he realized she was teasing him.

“I had hoped to initiate you in a more civilized manner.”

“There’s a civilized way to make love?” Despite her best intentions, she giggled. “Do tell.” Lifting onto her elbow, she walked her fingers down his stomach. “Better yet, why don’t you show me?”

Gabriel growled and captured her fingers in a tight grip, placing their clasped hands on his chest. “Behave.”

“Or what?” She had no idea what demon had possessed her but suddenly she felt more free and alive than any time in her life. Keeping her virginity intact all these years had obviously created a powder keg of trouble. Like a genie in a bottle, once released, her sexuality was ready to cause as much mischief as possible before she stuffed it back in and replaced the cork. “You’ll spank me?”

Gabriel’s eyes widened at her outrageous suggestion, but temptation danced in their bronze depths. His pupils widened, a sure sign of sexual arousal, and his erection flared to life again.

And shockingly enough, she felt herself awakening, as well. What did this man do to her?

“You led me to believe you were cool and composed,” he complained as she wiggled around until she got a thigh on either side of his hips. His erection prodded her from behind. He looked pained as she extricated her hand from his grasp and raked her nails down his chest and over his abdomen, smiling as his muscles twitched beneath her touch. “What’s gotten into you?”

She leaned forward to grin at him. “You.”

His hands bracketed her hips as she poised herself over his shaft and slowly lowered herself downward. Taking him deep, adjusting the angle to give herself the most pleasure, she watched his face contort with delight and his eyes glaze over.

When she sat on him, savoring the feel of him buried inside her once more, she watched his gaze come back into focus. He reached up to capture her breasts in his hands, kneading gently, pulling at her nipples while she rose off him, mimicking the slow way he’d tortured her.

For a while he let her control the action, and she appreciated the chance to learn how the feel of him sliding in and out of her could be different if she leaned forward or backward. She liked taking him deep until the tip of him nudged against her womb.

But her education would not be complete without a little tutoring, and Gabriel’s patience couldn’t last forever. His fingers bit into her hips, changing her cadence. He began to move powerfully, driving himself into her. The bite of her nails created half-moons in his shoulders as his hand slid between their bodies and touched the knot of nerves hidden in her hot wet lips. Sparks exploded behind her eyes as her body began to pulse with ever stronger pleasure. She threw her head back and her mouth fell open in a keening cry as pleasure spun through her like a cyclone.

Gabriel thrust into her, his pace frantic, his own mouth open to expel a groan of acute pleasure. Olivia watched him climax, watched him become completely hers. Panting, she trembled in the aftershocks of her orgasm, her inner muscles clenching around his shaft as he poured his seed inside her and she welcomed this essence of him she could keep.

* * *

For the past two hours, Gabriel had lain beside Olivia and listened to her deep regular breathing while his thoughts retraced the evening. As morning light began to come in through the windows, he rolled out of bed, moving carefully to avoid waking Olivia. While he dressed he kept his eyes off her to avoid succumbing to the temptation to return to bed and wake her. Again. A full-fledged grin engaged every muscle in Gabriel’s face. He couldn’t help it. Making love with Olivia had demonstrated his life would be spectacularly entertaining from here on out.

As he exited her room, he wondered if she’d done it on purpose. Picked a fight with him that ended in spectacular lovemaking. It was something Marissa had done often enough. Sex with her had been mind-blowing, hot, passionate, animalistic. She’d scratched long welts on his back and marked his shoulders with love bites. She’d possessed him as much as he’d possessed her.

But although

their sex had been out of this world, it had many times left him feeling empty. And in typical male fashion, he’d ignored the emotional vacuum because what did he care if his carnal needs were satisfied.

Then, last night, he’d discovered what he’d been missing all those years. Spectacular sex and a deep emotional connection that left him more than a little rattled. With her curious innocence and startling sensuality, Olivia had slipped beneath his skin as if she’d been there all along. As if she was the answer to a prayer he hadn’t even realized he’d breathed.

He hadn’t liked the sexual power Marissa had held in her delicate hands. He liked Olivia’s ability to influence his emotions even less.

Which was why he was heading for his suite of rooms rather than face her in the moments before dawn.

An hour later, Gabriel found Stewart in the office on the first floor. His private secretary had a cup of coffee at his elbow and wore a troubled frown.

“You’re up early,” Gabriel commented, settling himself behind the intricately carved cherry desk.

“I think you might be interested in seeing this.” Stewart extended a jewelry box in Gabriel’s direction.

He frowned at it. “What is that?”

Stewart nudged his chin at the box. “When Lady Darcy’s secretary delivered her message that she wasn’t joining you for dinner, she gave me this. You left before I had a chance to open it.”