The tears coursed down her face as she was submerged in hurt and longing. ‘I don’t want you to.’ Her voice broke even harsher as her need sobbed out. ‘I don’t want you to ever let me go.’
Agonised and angry, she looked up at him, and saw desperate painful need reflected. And then his mouth came down on hers, grinding her lips against her teeth, crushing her as if he couldn’t get close enough. His hands tightened even more, clamping her to him, and she struggled to get hers free—so she could throw her arms around his neck and cling on just as tight. She wanted to make it all better for him—for both of them. She wanted to love him and for him to let her.
They strained together, fighting to get close, until he took charge, backing her up against the wall fast because she could barely stand. Swiftly he ran his hands hard down her body and then swept her dress up; she caught at the fabric, wanting it out of the way but there was no time and it fluttered around them. His fingers ran up her thighs and as he discovered she was totally naked beneath the gold fabric he muttered something unintelligible, his whole body jerking as he flung forward.
‘For you, James. Only for you,’ she whispered. For him she was utterly bare. She spread her legs wider, pushing her hips away from the wall, eager for him to enter. He got his hand between them, ran his fingers in her cleft, hot and wet. As their mouths met and meshed she heard his zip and convulsed with the anticipation. She arched to meet him, watching his expression through half-lowered lids as the most intimate parts of their bodies pressed together. His teeth came down hard on his lip.
She stilled. There was something different. He stopped. His fingers squeezed hard on her thighs as he groaned. His eyes bored into hers, filled with agony. ‘It’s just me, Liss. I haven’t got anything with me.’
No protection. No thin cover stopping her from totally getting to know him. She could feel both the softness of his skin and the hardness of the muscle beneath. He was hers to take deep inside—to embrace wholly.
‘Take a chance?’ There was a note in his voice that she’d never heard before. The thin strain of vulnerability. The tiny chink revealing his weakness—that she was his weakness. Her heart swelled. Accepting him was a risk she couldn’t not take.
‘Oh, yes.’
They both pushed again and met together. She trembled with the sensation, heard his rough choke. Her breath hissed out, choppy, painful. He felt so fantastic. So raw.
She curled one leg around him, rising high on her toes to get the angle—so he could drive in as close and as tight as possible. His hands slid up her legs, holding and teasing and pushing the dress away. She couldn’t look away from the emotion written so clearly on his face.
‘Liss.’ His eyes were golden brown pools—liquid and loving and so full of need it tore her apart and she could hide nothing from him.
It was the most erotic, most naked moment of her life.
He could hardly seem to speak, his words coming jerky, through clenched teeth. ‘I’m trying really, really hard not to ruin your dress.’
‘I don’t care about the dress, just don’t stop.’ She took the material, lifted it higher.
‘I don’t know how gentle I can keep this.’ The muscles in his jaw bunched.
‘Just love me,’ she begged.
His fingers clenched on her soft skin. Colour stained his cheekbones. A look of ecstatic agony crossed his face. Then he changed his grip, cupping her bottom, taking her weight and lifting her closer to him. He stared into her eyes, and his words came, quiet but clear. ‘I do.’
With every strong stroke, he made her believe him. His eyes wouldn’t leave hers, he just pushed closer and closer and closer and wouldn’t let her look away, wouldn’t let her hide from the truth that was so apparent in his uncontrollable reaction to her. And she sobbed as with every stroke he repeated the words—chanting them over and over. The intensity overwhelmed her, the taste of tears and love washing away the wounds of loneliness and the fear of loss.
She cried out from the force as wave after wave of unbearable pleasure hit. He held her, still surging forward, still strong as she collapsed about him. And then he thrust hard and deep, once, twice more, releasing everything into her. As his love poured in she closed her eyes and longed for it to take root and grow deep within.
His body pressed hers hard against the wall, swathes of material bunched between them. His forehead rested on her shoulder and she could feel his hot shuddering breaths on her chest. She stroked her hand through his hair, smoothing it, while the aftershocks still rippled through her own body.
‘I don’t want another day like today, Liss. I couldn’t stand it.’ The pain still echoed in his voice.
Liss placed her hands either side of his jaw, pushed gently so he lifted his head. She looked deep into his eyes. ‘You have to trust me. Do you hear me? Because if you can’t, then we won’t work.’
Now she saw his vulnerability. That his mockery had been self-defence. He didn’t need it—not with her.
‘I want to but—’
‘Don’t you know what you’ve done for me?’ She understood what he needed—the same as what she needed—reassurance and love. ‘Don’t you understand what you’ve done in my life?’
He blinked.
‘You believed in me. You gave me chance after chance, you made me want to succeed at something. And I did. And it’s all because of you.’ She could never give him half as much as he’d given her. ‘I may make mistakes, James, but I can promise you I’ll never betray you.’ He needed to understand that she’d sooner rip out her own heart than hurt his. ‘I don’t want to go to all those parties any more. Not unless you’re there with me. I want normal things from life. I want a home, a family. I want you.’ She stared into his eyes, willing him to believe her. ‘I love you.’
For a moment he just stared back at her. Then he sighed, long and deep. The last of the tension drained from his features and he rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. ‘Thank you.’
She ran her fingers down the side of his face, holding him tenderly, and wanting him to understand everything. ‘When I went out the other night it was—’
‘You don’t need to tell me,’ he butted in. ‘I know there’s no way you could have organised that party without working round the clock. You told me you were checking some details—I believe you.’
She smiled, but needed to explain anyway. ‘I was trying to organise entertainment—a DJ or a band or something. It was such short notice and I had to find out if they were any good and if they could be released from the club for the evening. I didn’t want to tell you. You were so busy, the last thing you needed was me adding to your list of things to do. I wanted to show you that I could do it, that I wasn’t totally useless. I wanted to show you that you could believe in me. But none of my old friends would help me.’ That rejection still stung. ‘They didn’t want to know.’ She looked at him sadly. ‘I guess they weren’t really friends.’
She’d been dreaming for all these years, pretending, hiding from the truth. Now she could finally admit it. ‘I’ve been so alone for so long, James.’
He slipped his arms right around her, cradled her to him. ‘I know.’
She clung to him, feeling his warmth, and knew he could give her everything she hadn’t had—family, friendship.
He stroked his hands down her back. ‘I would have helped you.’
‘I know.’ And she did. ‘I stumbled on my way out of the club and the paparazzi snapped the moment. For once my stupid shoes got me.’
‘Your shoes aren’t stupid,’ he teased. ‘They’re the ultimate adornment for the most magnificent legs ever to walk the earth.’
She smiled but soon sobered, knowing there were still mountains for them to climb. ‘They’re always there, James—the paparazzi. It’s just part of the deal. You just have to learn to ignore them and never read the papers.’
‘How do you think they’ll handle your wedding?’
‘What?’
‘Your marriag
e—will they be fighting for exclusive coverage?’
She stared, speechless.
His eyes sparkled with the golden flecks now. ‘You might be the princess, but I’m still the boss. And I’ve decided the next event I want you to plan is our marriage. So long as you keep a tight rein on the budget and a close eye on the guest list, of course.’ He winked.
‘You want to marry me?’ She knew he wanted her, that he loved her, but she hadn’t expected that he’d ever want to take on such a public commitment. Not after what he’d been through, not with the sad example his parents had given him.
He tilted her chin and made her look at him. ‘Your home is with me. My home is with you. Permanently.’ His hand tightened on her waist. ‘Understand?’
She was trying to, really trying. He wasn’t going to let her go. He wasn’t going to make her go. He wanted her. Just as she was, all that she was—for ever.
She couldn’t believe it.
A smile, one more wry than wicked, softened the angles of his face. ‘Is it bad of me to be hoping that I just got you pregnant? And if I didn’t, then I’m going to keep trying till I do because then you’ll have to marry me.’
‘Oh, James.’ Her eyes burned again.
‘We’ll have such fun with our kids, Liss.’ His eyes glowed with the promise of heavenly dreams soon to be realised. ‘We won’t send them away either. No matter how wild they try to be.’
She crumpled then. He was offering her everything—her dream career, a family, a home, a heart that was all hers. All she’d ever wanted in the world, he wanted too. She clenched her fingers on his shoulders, keeping herself upright—just.
‘No more tears.’ He shook his head at her. ‘You’ve ruined your make-up.’
‘I don’t give a damn about my make-up.’ She hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. She’d gone from the angst of uncertainty, to the despair of heartbreak, to the unending joy in knowing she now held the heart of her lover—unconditionally.
‘Marry me.’
It was more of an order than a question but she didn’t mind.
‘Yes.’
Exhaustion disappeared in her elation and his expression exploded—excitement, relief, jubilance coloured him. He beamed, open and free, as she took his face in her hands and whispered with rapture yes, yes and yes to him again. He wiped the fresh tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, and then claimed his prize.
‘We’d better get back to the bloody party.’ He groaned, finally releasing her from a kiss that left them both breathless and needy. ‘As soon as we can get away you can do your wild-child act for me.’
‘Want me to striptease?’ Oh, there would be nothing better than their own private party.
He laughed. ‘It wouldn’t take long, would it?’
She gave a saucy shimmy towards the door. ‘I could do some dancing as well.’
His laughter slid into another groan. ‘Don’t torment me.’
Fingers linked, they left the room and walked back towards the ballroom. Just outside the double doors he stopped, turned. He snaked one arm around her waist and she leaned in, ready to receive and return the kiss.
With his thumb he stroked just under her collarbone, just above where her heart was beating. The tips of his fingers traced over the top of the bone. For a moment they paused, enjoying the moment of anticipation, of satisfaction, of pure happiness.
Then she heard the repeated clicking of a camera shutter close by.
She could feel the flush on her cheeks, the afterglow of love-making, knew her lips were swollen from kisses and that her eyes were probably as wide and revealing as James’s were.
And she knew that one photographer had got his shot. The shot of the party. The story.
She relaxed and smiled back into James’s resigned but still-smiling face. The clicking kept up.
They refrained from the kiss; it wasn’t the kind of kiss to be done in public. But the look they shared would be read by the world.
Princess Elissa Karedes had found her safe harbour, her home. She had found her love.
Two crowns, two islands, one legacy
A royal family, torn apart by pride and its lust for power, reunited by purity and passion
The islands of Adamas have been torn into two rival kingdoms:
TWO CROWNS
The Stefani diamond has been split as a symbol of their feud
TWO ISLANDS
Gorgeous Greek princes reign supreme
over glamorous Aristo
Smouldering sheikhs rule the desert island of Calista
ONE LEGACY
Whoever reunites the diamonds will rule all.
Turn the page to discover more!
THE KINGDOM OF ADAMAS: A TURBULENT HISTORY
The islands of Calista and Aristo have always been a temptation to world powers. Initially this was because of their excellent positions for trading and the agricultural potential of Aristo’s luscious, fertile land. The discovery of diamonds on Calista in the Middle Ages made the kingdom a target for invaders.
The kingdom passed through the hands of many foreign powers throughout the ages. Originally part of the Ancient Greek Empire, Adamas then came under the control of Rome from 150 BC onwards. Following the fall of the Roman Empire approximately four hundred years later, the islands were annexed to Byzantine control.
It was not until Richard the Lionheart seized Adamas in the twelfth century that the family of Karedes, local island nobility, was installed on the throne. When the republic of Venice briefly took control in the fifteenth century the Karedes dynasty continued to rule as mere figureheads.
Thereafter followed a period of struggle for the royal family. The Ottoman Empire claimed the islands in the sixteenth century and they were forced into an exile that lasted nearly two hundred years. When the Turks finally sold the islands to the British in 1750 the royal family was finally reinstated but the kingdom did not gain its independence until 1921.
The death of King Christos in 1974 marked the end of the kingdom of Adamas. The islands have functioned under separate rule ever since.
THE STEFANI DIAMOND
Diamonds have been prized since the dawn of human history for their unique qualities. The jewels were first discovered in India in 800 BC, and brought to Europe by Alexander the Great five hundred years later.
In 1477, Mary of Burgundy became the first known recipient of a diamond engagement ring given to her by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. This begins the history and tradition of diamond engagement rings.
The Koh-i-Noor and the Hope diamonds were brought to Europe in 1631. In 1792, the Hope Diamond was stolen from the French crown jewels during the French Revolution. In 1851, The Koh-i-Noor diamond was re-cut to one hundred and five carats for Queen Victoria (Empress of India). This famous diamond is part of the British Crown jewels.
In the medieval period, a beautiful pink diamond was discovered on Calista, and used in the Karedes crown to symbolise the power of the Karedes’s rule. The jewel became known as the Stefani (meaning: Crown) diamond. It quickly took on a deeply symbolic role in the kingdom of Adamas. Believing that their power resided in the stone, the Karedes family vowed that it would never leave their hands. If the jewel was lost, their kingdom would fall. The existence of this diamond fuelled treasure-hunters’ dreams for centuries, but no other diamond of any size was found on Calista until the 1940s.
In 1972, faced with increasing tension from his kingdom, the islands of Aristo and Calista and with family pressure, King Christos announced that after his death the two islands would split. In the presence of his children Anya and Aegeus, witnessed by the court, Christos declared:
“You will rule each island for the good of the people, and bring out the best in your kingdom, but my wish is that eventually these two jewels, like the islands, will be reunited. Aristo and Calista are more successful, more beautiful and more powerful as one nation, Adamas.”
After King Christos died in 1974, the one Stefani diamond was spli
t into two, to form two stones for the coronation crowns of Aristo and Calista and fulfil the ancient charter.
THE TOURIST’S GUIDE TO
ARISTO AND CALISTA
The island of Aristo
The island’s name itself means best – and it certainly lives up to that as a holiday destination! The sunny climate and beautiful coastline have made it a favourite destination for jet-set holidaymakers. It is an incredibly rich principality, a world-renowned financial centre and provides tranquil luxury and a decadent party scene, complete with fabulous restaurants and nightclubs, a golf course, a marina and a casino.
Things to see
Don’t miss the impressive Royal Palace in the centre of the island, just inland from the bay of Apollonia. The beautiful old quarter and port of Messaria are well worth a visit – especially to spend your casino winnings in fabulous boutiques! Long white sandy beaches on the north-east coast are banked by fertile plains. A number of fabulous tourist resorts are dotted along the north-east coast where the rich and famous can relax in five-star hotels and spas, or in gated mansions with infinity pools, private tennis courts and landscaped gardens. If your taste is more for city life, enjoy the ultra-modern city, Ellos, where high-rise corporations reach for the sky.
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