‘I don’t want anything we do here today to...confuse issues.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Shouldn’t that be my line?’
Unwilling to help herself, she cupped his shadowed cheek. ‘You may be a crown prince, but I believe in equal opportunities when it comes to the bedroom.’
He turned his head, kissed her palm and raised both her hands above her head. ‘Well, this is my opportunity. You get your turn later.’
He took her mouth in a hard kiss, then raised his head. ‘In answer to your question, there is no issue to confuse. We already know we’re compatible in bed. Whether we say our vows tomorrow or the next day, we both want this, now. Sí?’ His eyes probed hers.
Her heart lurched. ‘Yes.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
REYES WATCHED HER expression turn from hesitant to erotically pleased as he cupped her breast and teased the hard nub.
The voice that told him he wasn’t giving her room to change her mind was ruthlessly squashed. His hunger for her had flamed higher than every other need. And just as he’d taken her in Rio, he intended to let nothing stand in the way of his claiming her tonight.
He resumed his exploration of her body. Much to his very male satisfaction she arched her back and purred. And grew increasingly, pleasingly demanding.
She grabbed at his clothes and he hurriedly undressed. He yanked away her panties and positioned himself between her legs.
‘Yes. Please...now,’ she cried hoarsely.
Reyes surged inside her with a guttural roar. Sensation exploded all over his body at her wetness, her tight heat. She embraced him, rolled her hips in helpless abandon as pleasure overtook her.
He established a passionate rhythm she matched with enthusiasm. Much too soon, he was following her into bliss, shouting his ecstasy as he emptied himself inside her.
He watched her as they caught their breaths. Her face glowed with the flushed aftermath of sex. Reyes had never seen a more beautiful woman. His groin stirred. Her eyes slowly widened.
Smiling, he pressed a kiss against her heated cheek. ‘You have that effect on me.’ He pulled out of her. They both groaned at the sizzle of electricity.
Tucking her against his side, he caught her free hand in his, kissed her soft palm. Almost inevitably, his hand slid over her flat stomach. He heard her breath catch and searched her face.
A look of wonder, much like what he was experiencing at that very moment at the thought of his child growing inside her, passed over her face. For several heartbeats, he held her gaze. Then she blinked.
‘Reyes?’
‘Sí?’
‘I know you’re a prince and all, but please tell me you’re as terrified as I am at the thought of getting it wrong with this baby.’
‘I will not discuss my silent mental breakdown with you, except to mention that it’s very acute. And very unsexy.’
She laughed. The sound filled his chest with pleasure so strong, he forgot to breathe for a minute.
When he had it under control he moved his hand, explored some more. When he grazed a scar, he glanced down at her.
‘Tell me what happened here.’
She tensed and he pressed his mouth against her palm again. ‘Everything, Jasmine. I want to know everything. Before and after Stephen.’
Indecision blazed in her eyes for several seconds before she exhaled.
‘Have you heard the saying that some people are just born bad?’
She shook her head at his frown and continued. ‘For a long time I believed I was one of them. You know how my mother handled our situation. I just kept rebelling whenever I could. I think I wanted my mother to see me, deal with me. When she pretended like I didn’t exist, I turned truant at a young age. Fell in with the wrong crowd.’
‘What happened?’
‘I just...spiralled out of control for a long time.’
‘You were trying to get yourself heard the best way you could.’
‘That’s no excuse. I was a brat with a mother who didn’t care whether she lived or died and I lashed out.’
‘That’s not the end of your story though, obviously.’ He trailed his mouth over her palm again.
‘No.’ She shivered in his arms. He reached for a cashmere throw next to the fireplace and settled it over them. She snuggled into him and that alien feeling in his chest expanded wider. ‘You remember that turf war I told you about?’
Reyes nodded.
‘I was the turf they were fighting over. It happened a few months after I came out of juvie. Each side wanted me to join their gang. I seriously considered it. But I knew I would be burying my pain with destruction. So I refused, and all hell broke loose.’