Claiming His Replacement Queen (Monteverre Marriages 2)

‘Don’t stop.’ Cressida breathed. She arched herself against him and felt the join of their bodies pulse pleasurably. To her relief, he moved once more in response, then twice, placing one hand between them to slide his thumb against that part of her that drove her wild. What little pain there had been soon receded completely and only pleasure remained as her body quickly got the hang of what to do. She felt pleasure like nothing she had ever experienced building deep within her with every thrust. Her body seemed to move against him of its own volition and she noticed Khal hiss between his teeth.

‘Oh, yes, habibti, just like that,’ he practically growled as he spread her legs wider, moving even deeper, increasing his pace.

She felt him begin to lose control, his neck straining as his own climax approached. The sight of this powerful man at her mercy seemed to spur her on, bringing pleasure like she had never experienced crashing down upon her and sending her body into waves of absolute bliss. Cressida felt a moment of confusion as he pulled away from her at the last moment then bit her lower lip as she realised that he had only withdrawn just in time before his own climax hit him.

Khal fell back against the cushions of the sofa, head arched back in the pose of a man completely exhausted and satisfied. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the barest sheen of sweat glistening on his dark skin. Cressida could not look away, wanting to remember every detail of this perfect moment. She had never imagined that her first time would be quite so intimate and filled with passion.

Not only had she just made love for the first time, she had made love with her husband. The thought brought gooseflesh to her skin and she cursed herself for having such a sentimental reaction.

Truthfully, Cressida had absolutely no idea what one was supposed to say in this situation. Should she make small talk? Should she tell him that she had enjoyed it, they should do it again some time? It was insane, she had stood in front of a crowd and pledged her devotion to this man and he to her. The entire world now believed them to have had a secret love story worthy of movies and magazine spreads. And yet, in this moment, as the silence stretched onwards, she realised that they were just two people who had finally given in to a passion that neither of them quite understood.

* * *

Khal felt as though he had just run a marathon,

but in the best way possible. He lay back on the sofa, eyes closed, but sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. He was avoiding the woman who lay alongside him, delaying the moment when he would have to confront the reality of what had just transpired between them.

First, he had not used any protection. Second, his wife had clearly been an innocent and he had crudely deflowered her on a sofa.

Suppressing the urge to growl at his own loss of control, he stood up and began to gather up their clothes.

There could not be a child. He could not bear the thought of history repeating itself... He paused for a long moment at his desk, his body seemingly frozen. He felt such an acute loss of control it was as though his thoughts swam away from him every time he tried to grasp them.

‘Could you hand me my nightgown?’ a quiet voice came from the sofa. He turned, not knowing how long he had stood immobile and silent while she waited.

Guilt engulfed him as he saw the uncertainty on Cressida’s features as she accepted the nightgown and hurriedly shielded her naked body from him.

‘You were a virgin,’ he said softly, sitting alongside her and turning her cheek so that she met his eyes. ‘I would have taken more time, had I known. Made it better for you.’

‘We didn’t exactly plan for this, either of us.’ She spoke with quiet sincerity. ‘But it was quite pleasurable...for me, anyway.’

Khal looked down at the bare skin of her thighs, which had been wrapped around his waist mere minutes before. God, but he wanted her all over again. He exhaled a long breath, astounded at the complete deterioration of his adult mind to that of a lust-crazed youth.

Suddenly, Cressida stood up and pulled her arms through her nightgown, shielding her body from view. Khal fought the urge to pull her back down.

‘I understand that you might be worried that this...that tonight would complicate matters between us.’ She spoke with a strange coldness in her voice.

‘Do you believe that it won’t?’ Khal asked. ‘Tonight was irresponsible on my part, in more ways than one.’

She busied herself by pulling her hair back from her face, twisting it around itself in a neat trick that kept it secured atop her head with no clasps or ties. Next, she retrieved her robe, slipping her arms into it quickly.

Khal stood, quite aware that he had not yet bothered to put on his own clothing. He watched as she lowered her gaze for a split second before hurriedly looking away to focus on the wall behind his head as she spoke.

‘We were both irresponsible. We are both adults. We got carried away tonight but we can simply agree that this need not happen again.’

‘When I say irresponsible, I mean that I didn’t use protection, Cressida.’ Khal took a step towards her.

‘That won’t be an issue.’ She straightened her shoulders, lifting her hand almost as a barrier between them. ‘Presuming that you are...healthy?’

‘Of course I am healthy,’ he growled.

‘Good. Well, I take medication to regulate my cycle,’ she said matter-of-factly, tying the sash of her robe with an almost vicious precision. ‘So it seems we have nothing else to worry about.’

She made to step away from him. Khal grabbed her by the wrist. ‘Just like that? You’ve forgotten about what just happened in here?’

Her sharp intake of breath was loud in the silence of the night. ‘We both agreed that this marriage was to remain free of complications.’

‘And you immediately feel confident that you can go back to that plan?’