by Maya Blake
A different set of nerves assailed her. And it had nothing to do with the impending hot air balloon ride with Remi—the last event of their wedding ceremony—although that was daunting in itself.
When she’d learned of that aspect of the ceremony, she’d experienced a childlike thrill—right up until the moment it had dawned on her that the ride would culminate at the palace where she’d spend her wedding night.
Maddie couldn’t suppress the tremor that shook her. Remi desired her. Enough to overlook her complete inexperience? And for how long?
Pushing the questions out of her mind only worked until she once again came face to face with Remi.
He’d changed into a navy suit, with a pristine white shirt and a velvet bow tie. With his hair combed neatly, and a pass of the razor over his jaw, he was a sight to behold as he took her hand and led her across the immaculate lawn towards the giant hot air balloon emblazoned with the House of Montegova’s royal crest.
With one hand holding up the hem of her pale gold evening gown, she joined Remi in waving to their guests before they headed down the red carpet to board the basket.
Her every sense flared into awareness in the enclosed space as Remi stepped in behind her and signalled to the balloon technician. In minutes they were soaring into the sky, vintage champagne in hand.
The scene below her was breathtaking. Only one thing could have made this moment more special. If the man next to her had been truly and completely hers.
That thunderbolt of an admission froze her in place as Remi closed the gap between them. Strong arms arrived on either side of her, caging her in, and helplessly she breathed him in, unable to stop a shiver as his scent pervaded every atom of her being.
Her action drew a frowning look. ‘I’m sorry...’ he murmured solemnly.
Startled, she snapped her gaze to his and was imprisoned by fiercely gleaming eyes. ‘For what?’
‘I never asked whether you were okay with heights. We can land and go by car if you prefer?’
Maddie shook her head, drawing her gaze from his hypnotising one to the carpet of lights twinkling beneath them as the sun began to set.
‘I’m not afraid of heights. And it’s beautiful up here,’ she replied, taking a sip of champagne.
He merely nodded, but she felt his gaze resting on her.
‘How long is the flight?’ she asked, trying to dissipate the charged tension eddying around them.
‘Under an hour.’
‘I’m surprised you’re allowed this mode of transport. Your bodyguards must be beside themselves.’
The rarest of smiles twitched his lips, and she burned with the need to see the full force of it.
‘They’re close by.’
She turned her head and met his gaze again. ‘Really?’
His smile widened a touch as he nodded his head over his right shoulder. A glance in that direction only showed her a speck on the horizon. On closer inspection, though, she noticed it was a helicopter, flying out of sound range.
‘Have you ever known true privacy?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s easier to just let them do their thing. They know when not to intrude.’ His gaze slowly raked her, returning with a banked heat that enflamed her. ‘That will be as close as they will get in the next five days.’
‘You mean the Amber Palace has its own security?’
He lifted his glass and took a long sip before answering. ‘Do you really wish to know?’
The butterflies somersaulted in her belly. ‘Why else would I ask?’
‘Perhaps you’re trying to avoid discussing what’s coming?’
She took another large gulp of champagne in a wild bid to steady her nerves, but the glass shook as she lowered it and read the look on his face. Remi wasn’t attempting to hide his hunger for her.
‘Is there any point in discussing it?’ she asked, in a voice that emerged unsteadily.
He shook his head. ‘No, only the absolute certainty that I will make you mine before the night is through.’
The deep timbre of his voice invaded her being, more intoxicating than the champagne in her hand. Another shiver rolled over her when his hand closed over hers, resting on the lip of the basket.
‘It would please me to know that you’re not attempting to get tipsy.’
‘I’m not,’ she said hurriedly.
‘You barely touched your meal,’ he stated.
‘Are you trying to ruin my buzz?’ she murmured.
His gaze raked her face and settled on her mouth. ‘The only buzz I want you to experience is the sensation of having me buried deep inside you. I will accommodate no other.’
She swayed against him. An actual weak-at-the-knees sway that he halted with a firm hand on her waist. And there his hand stayed for the duration of their flight.
After she gave a helpless, unfettered moan.
After he leaned down and slowly, thoroughly, tasted her lips.
After she forgot about everything—including the technician whose back was discreetly turned to them as they continued to soar through the sky.
After it struck her hard that she was living the most exquisite moment of her life, with the last of the setting sun in front of her and the darkening of the capital city behind them.
Tears rose to her eyes as with their descent a boom of fireworks ripped through the sky, painting the darkening curtain of night with exhilarating colour.
She snatched in a stunned breath. ‘God, it’s wonderful!’
The hand branding her waist tightened and Remi pulled her close, until her back rested against his broad chest.
‘Yes,’ he said simply, before his lips brushed her temple.
They remained silent for the rest of the journey, until the burnt gold spires that lent the Amber Palace its name rose into view.
Smaller in scale than the official seat of the monarchy, it was no less breathtaking. But as the basket touched down next to an elaborate lamp-lit maze, set to the east of the palace grounds, there was only one thing on Maddie’s mind.
Her gaze slowly rose to meet Remi’s. There was no going back. This was her wedding night, and if it was all she’d ever get—duty to the Montegovan crown or not—she would take it. Treasure the experience. She would give her virginity to her husband without trepidation or regret.
CHAPTER NINE
REMI ATTEMPTED TO moderate his pace to match his new bride’s as they strode through his favourite palace. Despite her avid scrutiny of her surroundings, the tell-tale tremble of the fingers caught in his announced her trepidation. On the one hand he could hurry and get this over with, so she’d see there was nothing to worry about. Or...he could stay away from her altogether.
No.
The latter was out of the question. This marriage needed to be consummated. And he... He needed to have her before he went insane.
But she looked a little pale, so he slowed his steps further, led her from one opulent living space to the other.
‘How long has this been in your family?’ she asked once they’d circled back into the least formal of the living rooms.
He let her extricate her fingers and engage him in conversation instead of doing what he yearned to do—which was to sweep her off her feet and stride up the stairs into the master bedroom suite.
‘My great-grandmother built this as a surprise wedding present for my great-grandfather.’
Her eyes widened as her head snapped down from where she’d been examining the murals on the ceiling. ‘How long did it take to build and how on earth did she manage to keep it secret?’
Remi recalled the fond tale with a smile. ‘Very carefully, with a lot of bribery and a few tantrums that ensured she would be left alone for when she needed to visit the site. She instructed the first stone to be laid the day after they were betrothed. They didn’t marry for two years.�
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‘And did he like his surprise?’
‘According to the historians, she left clues of secret passages and architectural delights that enticed him to stay for six months.’
Like the specialised jewels created in this part of his kingdom, the whole palace was decorated in different shades of amber, with expert lighting that gave the illusion of it being suspended in a field of dark gold.
‘I’m not surprised he didn’t want to leave. It’s stunningly beautiful.’
He watched her touch the amber teardrop crystal on a nearby lamp and wanted those fingers on him.
Striding to her, he seized her hand again, lifted it to his lips. ‘I will give you a fuller tour later,’ he said, aware that his voice was deeper, rougher. ‘Right now I have a more urgent need.’
When her lips parted on a soft pant he couldn’t hold back any longer. He swept her into his arms, satisfaction oozing through him when her slim arms encircled his neck.
‘What are you doing?’ his sharp-clawed kitten demanded as he strode out and up the stairs. ‘I... I can walk.’
He wrapped his arms tighter around her. ‘I’m giving you the chance to tell your own story some day—one that doesn’t include tripping over the stairs because your husband was too impatient with you.’
‘Are...are you?’ she asked, her voice tremulous, her gaze wary.
He paused long enough to drink his fill of her undeniable beauty before mounting the last step. But that pause also let in that little voice that said he needed to do more. He’d held her at arm’s length because ever since her arrival he’d expected her to find a loophole, get out of their agreement. He’d issued veiled threats, left her to her own devices when he could have given her a little more of his time and attention.
He’d noted her hesitation before she’d said her vows. That most of all had unsettled him. If he wanted this marriage to work, even on the basest level, he needed to do...more. He negotiated challenging trade deals, walked diplomatic tightropes all the time. So why did the idea of more unnerve him?
He took a breath, and went with the carnal truth. ‘I want you, Maddie. More now than I did half an hour ago or the moment we first met.’
Her breath shuddered out, her eyes growing several shakes darker as she watched him.
‘Would you like me to show you?’
Her nod was shy, a touch hesitant, but it still swept fire through his veins, lent further urgency to his steps.
Within a minute they were in his private chamber, the doors behind them firmly closed. Without setting her down, he lowered his head and took her mouth with his. Her soft moan set the blaze inside him higher, and when her tongue brushed timidly over his mouth Remi nearly lost his footing.
He’d barely lowered her down when he spiked his fingers into her bound hair. Then he dived deeper, unable to wait one more second for a taste of his wife.
His wife...
For the first time since tragedy had struck, the thought of anyone but Celeste as his wife didn’t strike with oppressive pain.
Perhaps it was because the deed was done. Perhaps his physical craving for Maddie was dimming the guilt and pain. Whatever it was, he intended to take it—even if it was just for tonight.
He licked her soft, velvety lips, then stroked his tongue deeper into her mouth, absorbing her unfettered shudders as her arousal spiked to match his. He repeated the action a few times before gently nipping her tongue with his teeth. She whimpered.
‘Do you like that, piccola?’ he breathed against her lips.
‘Mmm...yes.’
‘Then you shall have more.’
Remi kissed her until she clung to him. Until they were both breathing hard. Until the pressure in his groin demanded further action.
He gently nudged her to the side of the bed. Then, dropping to his haunches, he tugged her shoes off. He glanced up, surprising a strange expression across her face.
‘What?’
She bit her lip. ‘You... Almost kneeling at my feet. Feels...weird.’
He brushed his thumb over her delicate anklebone. ‘Weird good or bad?’
‘Is it bad to say good?’ she whispered.
Remi lifted her right foot and kissed her soft instep. A shiver raced up to engulf her whole body.
‘Nothing that happens between us tonight in this room will be bad,’ he responded.
Within his grasp her foot trembled, and her colour deepened. He slipped his hands beneath her gown, trailed his fingers up her legs without taking his eyes from her face.
‘Why are you watching me like that?’ she asked, again in the hushed whisper that had varnished her words since they entered his room.
‘You’re to be mine. I want to see what pleases you.’
Her flush deepened. ‘Will I sound gauche if I say everything?’
His hands tightened convulsively on her knees as a sudden compulsive need to claim everything swept over him. But did he have a right to everything when he couldn’t return the same? And why the sudden yearning for exactly that?
He shook the thoughts free, glided his hands higher up her silken flesh until he brushed the edge of her panties.
‘I’ll give you as much as you can take. Stand up and turn around, piccola.’
She obeyed. Still kneeling, he reached up and drew down her zip, exposing her supple back and delicate spine to his gaze. He kissed the base of her spine as he divested her of the dress and her bra. Then, hooking his fingers into her panties, he tugged the scrap of satin down her legs and tossed it away.
His mouth watered at the taste of her skin, the feel of her naked hips in his hands, the scent of her sex. Nudging her back around, he kissed his way up her belly to her luscious breasts as he parted her thighs and caressed his thumbs over her damp sex.
‘Remi...’ she moaned, her trembling intensifying as he licked and teased her nipples.
The clamouring grew too wild to resist and he drew back and pulled down the bedcovers. ‘Lie down and open your legs for me. I want to taste your innocence one last time before I claim it.’
Her breathing truncated as she silently obeyed. With their gazes broken, Remi allowed himself another look at the magnificent landscape of her body, at the secret place between her thighs he intended to lay full and final claim to tonight.
Full and final?
This time the voice lingered even after he’d attempted to brush it away. Continued to linger as he nudged her slender legs high, kissed his way down her right knee, then the left. It lingered as he delivered the ultimate kiss, watched her back arch off the bed and her fingers scramble for purchase in the silk covers. It was still there when he tongued her clitoris and felt her body grow taut a moment before her climax ripped through her.
The satisfaction that mingled with his lust was unlike anything Remi had ever experienced before, and after caressing her through her release, when he rose to divest himself of his own clothes, the wild hunger rippling through him stunned him further.
He reached for a condom and was tugging it on when she slowly blinked her eyes open and sought his gaze.
‘Remi...’ she murmured.
Something shifted in his chest, and again his attempt to bat the sensation away felt woefully inadequate. Two steps brought him to her. He wrapped his arm beneath her and repositioned her on the pillows. Before she could speak he captured her mouth once again, eager to escape the worrisome sensations zinging through him.
He caressed her from nape to hip, with hands that weren’t quite steady. When he grabbed her arms and hooked them behind his neck she immediately wrapped them around him, clung on tight.
That wild craving to have her there always pierced him. No doubt it was the newness of this, the novelty of her innocence. No doubt he would be rid of these absurd notions once he’d had her.
With that thought, which had more tha
n a whiff of desperation attached to it, he slotted himself between her thighs and cupped her nape with one hand. Her lids slowly lifted, her alluring eyes meeting and clinging to his.
‘Are you ready to be mine, Madeleine?’
A tremor shook through her, then she nodded. ‘Yes.’
He positioned himself at her core. When her breath caught he lowered his head and delivered a gentle kiss. ‘Relax, ma petite.’
She breathed out.
With a muted groan, Remi pushed himself inside her snug, exquisite heat.
* * *
The flash of pain that ripped through Maddie drew a scream. Mindlessly, she dug her nails into his shoulders. He flinched, and yet his next kiss was as gentle as the last.
‘Be calm, Maddie. The worst is over.’
Wildly she shook her head, reluctant to breathe, reluctant to move. ‘I...can’t...’
‘You can. You will. You’re mine,’ he breathed against her lips, and surged inside her once more.
Prepared for further pain, Maddie gasped as a different sensation arrived. And stayed with his next thrust.
On the sixth, bliss such as she’d never known flowed up her spine. She’d thought that night in London had opened her eyes to pleasure. And again just now, when he’d used his mouth, she had imagined she’d crested the very pinnacle of desire.
The phenomenon of Remi moving powerful and deep and relentless inside her robbed her of everything except hedonistic pleasure. His mouth at her lips, her throat, his hands holding her tight to him wrought magic. She’d asked for everything. Everything was turning her inside out with ecstasy.
‘Oh... God!’
‘Oui...si...’
She wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the mixture of languages that formed Montegovan sounded sexier than ever, whispered in her ear by its crown prince. Her husband.
‘Remi,’ she gasped as he angled her hips and surged deeper.
‘Dio mio, cosi exquisitivo. Dea...’
‘Translate...please. I... I want to know...’
‘You’re exquisite...a goddess,’ he breathed in her ear. ‘I will teach you Montegovan, then you will understand...’