Her lashes drifted shut and she gave a moan of approval at the taste.
The softness of her pink mouth only briefly brushed his fingers, but the effect lasted far longer. He wanted to cup her face and crush those lips beneath his. Taste the hint of oil and salt that would have lingered on her tongue. To hear that sigh of pleasure from his kiss, instead of the food.
And, my God, but it was impossible not to imagine those lips exploring his body. To imagine them parting to accept the most intimate part of him.
The blood in his veins quickened and his flesh stirred beneath his swim trunks.
He turned away from her to take a champagne flute, curling his free hand into a fist.
You are like a school boy.
The thought raced through his head again. He was reacting to her like a hormonal youth with no experience. As if this were his first time with a woman.
Self-control. Dammit he would have an abundance of it before this evening was through. To be any other way was a mockery to the man he was.
“Here,” his voice was husky as he passed the flute to her, “you will try our champagne as well.”
Chapter 12
Why did everything seem to be a command from him?
Eva didn’t say her thoughts aloud, but narrowed her eyes as she accepted the glass of champagne from him. In truth she was still a little flustered from that olive-feeding moment. It shouldn’t have been overtly sensual, and yet it had been. The taste of the olive combined with the touch of his long, strong fingers had sent her pulse into overdrive. Along with her imagination.
She’d wanted him to kiss her again. To do more than kiss her. What would those fingers feel like as they discovered her body? What would it feel like to have those hands cupping her breasts?
When a moan had escaped her lips, it hadn’t been because of a silly olive—no matter how delectable it was.
“Thank you.” She sipped the champagne, hoping it might calm her nerves a bit, but all too aware it might loosen whatever inhibitions she had left. At this point, she didn’t really care if it did. Maybe even welcomed it.
She noted he retrieved the second glass and took a sip, but it seemed almost a subconscious gesture. He seemed distracted. Was he as aware of the building tension between them? Surely she couldn’t be the only one feeling it this strongly?
Wanting to get back to the playful mood and conversation, she asked, “So you really enjoy the food and drink from your island home so much that you have it shipped whenever you travel?”
The tension in his shoulders eased, as did the furrow between his brows.
“To be honest, yes. If I’m going to be away for more than a week, I will have the comforts of home—some of them food—sent to my location.”
A week. That meant he’d been in the Hamptons at least a week, or that he would be.
“And how long do you intend to stay here in the Hamptons?”
He reached for a chunk of feta. “Until the end of next week, likely.”
“How often do you come out to the Hamptons?”
“Quite a bit. I love it here and it’s close enough to New York City that I can do business as well.”
“I see.” Which meant their chances of running into each other after tonight—after this week—were entirely possible. “That makes sense.”
“I suppose it’s silly. Having a vacation home near the ocean, when I live on an island—”
“It’s not. I understand completely. It’s why I chose to live here. I’ve never been a big city person, but have always been drawn to the water. The ocean, specifically. I need to be near it.”
“You live in the Hamptons?”
Of course he would focus only on that part of her words. The surprise in his eyes confirmed her suspicion that he had no idea who she was. That he’d written her off as one of the weekenders who came to town to hang out on the beach, or who maybe had friends who lived here.
She swallowed and scrambled for a reply that wouldn’t give too much away about herself. He didn’t know who she was, and she rather liked it that way. It made this whole evening so much less scandalous. Though if it were one of her sisters, an affair with a prince would barely make a blip on the radar.
“I rent,” she answered ambiguously.
There was no need to explain that she rented the space from her parents. That she, along with her sisters, would some day inherit the mansion worth millions in the Hamptons.
“I see.”
He gave a small nod, but the furrow between his brows again meant that he was clearly trying to put the pieces together in his head.
“All right. I spilled mine. Your turn.” She gave a bright smile and touched him gently on the shoulder. Maybe that was a mistake, because it was tangible proof at just how solid and muscular he was.
His gaze slid to where her hand still lingered, and before she could withdraw it, he covered it with his own. “My turn?”
Her heart hammered in her chest and her mouth went dry. She made a small attempt to pull her hand back, but his palm covered her hand completely and it wasn’t budging.
What had she been about to ask him?
“Umm, tell me something about Prince Kostas of Mykorini that would surprise me.” She lowered her lashes and laughed. “Actually, mostly anything you tell me will surprise me, because I don’t know all that much about you. Except who you are, and even that took awhile to sink in if you remember.”
“I remember.” He slid his fingers through hers and lifted her hand from his chest. He turned her hand over until it was palm up, and he pressed a kiss into the center.
Simmering heat ricocheted through her body like a pinball before coming to rest between her legs and leaving a subtle ache of need.
“I often wish I had not been born a royal.”
Clearly he expected the soft confession to surprise her, but it didn’t. She might not be a royal, but she could understand the pressure that came along with being from a family that was constantly under the spotlight. The expectations and pressure.
She took a step closer to him in the water. “You don’t like being a prince?”
“What’s not to like? I can have anything I want, right? Fame? Money? Power?” He shook his head. “Or am I just the tail-end decoration of the royal family? The last-born son who will never be a king.”
Maybe she wasn’t completely certain on how royal ranking worked, but she knew the king was still on the throne, and that Kostas had an older brother.
“Would you want to be king?”
“I haven’t given it much consideration since childhood. My father is alive and healthy. When he passes on, which no one foresees for decades to come, then my brother will ascend the throne. I am the spare that I’m referenced to be.”
A lump gathered in her throat at the way he spoke the words. They were without bitterness. Without resentment. Simply stating a fact.
“I hate that tacky label. The spare. It seems offensive. You can’t write a human life off to being a spare to the heir.”
“It’s not offensive, glykia mou. It is simply the truth.”
“Well I doubt your parents chose to have you for that reason alone.”
“Alone.” His lips twisted. “Your word choice indicates the truth. While perhaps it isn’t the only reason my mother chose to have me, it is one of them.”
The lump in her throat grew. That was the secret, she suspected, that he would never share with the world. She knew it wasn’t his confession, but rather the hint of sadness behind the words he spoke to her.
The sadness wasn’t part of the image people held of Kostas. There was nothing soft or vulnerable about him to be seen from how he portrayed himself.
She didn’t know what to say to that, and was afraid her words would just end up hurting him again. She just needed to distract him from the sadness. To interrupt those kinds of horrible thoughts he’d spoken aloud. Because she could argue it all she wanted, but he was probably right. While she didn’t doubt his parents
loved him, his presence in this world had likely been due to needing to secure the throne of Mykorini.
Another micro step in the water closed the distance between them, until her chest pressed against his. She tugged her hand free from him and slid her arms around his neck.
After lifting herself onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips gently to his. He stiffened, making no move to return her kiss, and she knew he’d seen through her move. Knew he’d seen the sympathy in her gesture and probably resented the heck out of it. Had she angered him?
Ready to withdraw, she gasped as he crushed her wet body to his. His mouth effortlessly parted hers as his tongue plundered inside the depths to conquer. While she may have initiated the kiss, he was making clear who would control it from this point on.
While she may have initiated the kiss, he was making clear who would control it from this point on.
Chapter 13
The ravaging need to claim her overwhelmed Kostas. To strip her of the swim costume and take her here in the pool. To sate this need that had ridden him since he’d first encountered her on the beach this morning.
Had it not even been a full day since they’d met? Dismay stung him, almost penetrating the fog of desire that enveloped him. Then she gave a cry of pleasure and stroked her tongue against his and he was drowning again.
He smoothed his tongue against hers. Advancing and teasing before retreating and making her cling to him and whimper for more.
God. He needed more too. So much more.
Sliding his hands down her waist, he cupped the soft swells of her bottom and lifted her. He didn’t break the kiss as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
The need to take her was overridden by his conscience urging him not to do it in the pool. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d made love to a woman in a pool, but it didn’t feel right. There was a prickle of guilt warning him that this time he needed to do better with Eva. At least for their first time making love.
He moved them out of the pool and the sudden rush of cool air against his wet skin warned him the temperature had dropped and the wind had also picked up.
This time he sensed that the shiver that ran through her was not from desire, but from the cold.
He lifted his mouth from hers and rasped, “Let’s go inside and get more comfortable.”
She didn’t open her eyes, but drew in a ragged breath. She bit her lip and gave a tiny nod. Relief slid through him, though he couldn’t say why. With the passion and tension at an explosive level between them, he would’ve been more surprised if she’d said no.
Kostas bypassed the loungers and walked them inside the house, nudging the door shut behind him with his foot.
Within minutes he’d made his way through the silent house to the large bedroom. The only light was from a scented candle burning on the coffee table, and the moon shining through the skylight.
When he reached the bed, he slowly lowered Eva back to the floor. Her eyes were still closed as she moved her hands to his shoulders, her fingernails digging lightly into the skin there.
Another stab of uncertainty hit him, and he blinked, struggling to understand where this was coming from.
“Eva…”
“Don’t ask me if I’m certain I want to do this, because I am.” After another moment, her lashes drifted up and her gaze held his. “I really am, Kostas.”
Kostas’s chest swelled with the breath he took, and how fast his heart thundered. Her words eased the tension and doubt lingering inside him. All that remained was the hot, driving need in his blood to have her.
Slowly, Kostas. You will not lose control.
He cradled her face between his palms and lowered his head to kiss her again. The restraint not to ravage her mouth, or to completely lose himself as he had in the pool, had his hands trembling.
The taste of her was addictive. Beneath the champagne there was a sweet hesitancy. Almost as if she were discovering every inch of his mouth as he was hers.
Despite the fact that they were both in swimwear, there was far too much fabric between them. He lifted his head, dragging in a ragged breath.
Eva must have had the same thought, because before he could reach to tug down her straps she reached up to do so herself.
His breath caught as she peeled the clingy green fabric inch by inch downward. More and more smooth flesh came into view. Soon there was so much more than just the tantalizing swell at the top of her breasts. The pale flesh was interrupted by taut, berry-colored nipples and his mouth went dry.
Beneath his swim trunks his flesh hardened further. She pulled the fabric off her breasts, baring them to his hungry eyes.
She hesitated after that, seeming suddenly shy to go any further.
He held her gaze, trying to reassure her silently that she had nothing to fear. Reaching for her, he cupped one perfect breast in his palm, grazing the nipple with his thumb.
A tremble rocked her body and her lashes fell over dilated pupils. Wanting the rest of her naked, and knowing she couldn’t be comfortable in the wet swim costume, he curled his fingers in the fabric and peeled it down the rest of her body until it fell to the floor.
She stepped out of it and kicked it to the side, giving a small, unsteady smile.
For a moment he thought she would cover herself. She lifted her hands as if to do so, but then stepped close so their bodies brushed, blocking his view of her that way. He couldn’t be disappointed, though, as she reached up to touch his chest. Beneath her fingers, his skin tingled. The hairs lifted.
“You’re so hard here,” she whispered.
He grimaced. “That’s not the only place I’m hard.”
“Here too?”
She wrapped her fingers around his erection and he let out a hiss of pleasure.
“I will not last long if you do that, glykia mou.”
“What does that mean? Will you tell me?”
He threaded his fingers through her wet hair. “My sweet.”
There was a pause, then she turned her head just enough to press a kiss to the skin just above his collarbone.
The small action snapped the feeble thread of control he’d held onto. With a low growl, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, blinded by nothing but this passion between them and the need to satiate it.
He lowered her onto the plush comforter and then straightened to take a moment to remove his swim trunks. While his hands were preoccupied undressing, he touched her with his gaze.
She entranced him. Creamy skin with freckles sprinkling her body like an afterthought of an artist painting a work of art. She was not voluptuous, but the curves she had were understated and perfect, gracing her body wonderfully. The only place she was a bit curvier was her backside—which had tempted him from the beginning.
He wasn’t the only one making observations. Her blue-green gaze moved over him, alight with desire and maybe a hint of apprehension.
Her gaze lifted again, colliding with his, and just like that the apprehension vanished and nothing but need lingered. Her lips were swollen from kissing, her hair disheveled and damp. She was a goddess in his bed.
“Beautiful. You are so beautiful, Eva.”
The words seemed a cliché. And maybe they were. He couldn’t deny he’d spoken them before to other women, but he couldn’t be sure now that he’d ever been sincere before. That he’d ever been so captivated at the sight of a woman.
“So are you.” She blushed. “Handsome, I mean. A Greek God come to life to be my f…” She lifted her chin and gave a small smile. “My fantasy for the evening.”
Undressed now, he joined her on the bed and eased onto his side next to her.
“Only this is no fantasy.” He traced his fingers over her ribcage and slowly upward. Her body trembled beneath his fingers and her nipples tightened further. “Everything is real, and tomorrow—”
“Shh.” She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled his head down toward hers. “I don’t care. I don’t even care t
hat you’re a prince. I only care how you make me feel right now.” She kissed him softly. “Make love to me, Kostas.”
Chapter 14
Eva didn’t want to tell him this was her first time. She’d considered it, briefly, but the fear of him calling things to a halt had her biting her tongue.
There was a fairly good chance he wouldn’t even notice anyway. She was twenty-five. Any physical evidence of her being a virgin was long gone.
Before she could second guess her decision, he crushed his mouth down on hers, driving her lips apart with his and kissing her until she couldn’t form a coherent thought.
Then his mouth lifted from hers and he began a trail of kisses downward, tracing the curve of her jaw to the hollows of her throat.
Each sensual kiss sent liquid heat through her body and she moaned softly, her hips arching. He pressed a kiss to her furiously beating pulse and cupped one hip, holding her still.
Her breath locked in her chest as he moved lower. Kissing the tops of her breasts and then moving achingly slow south.
She wanted his mouth there. Needed it. But he couldn’t be rushed.
His breath warmed her nipple and she bit her lip, trying not to cry out. When his mouth finally closed around the tip, she lost all restraint and gasped.
He suckled her breast, each flick of his tongue against her making the sweet ache low in her belly increase.
“Kostas.” She blindly delved her fingers into his hair, clutching him as her legs moved on the bed.
More. Oh God, she needed so much more. For the first time in her life she wanted a man to the point where the idea of putting a stop to this would’ve been insanity.
He switched his mouth to torment the other breast, while at the same time he trailed his fingers toward her aching center. When he cupped the sensitive flesh between her legs she released a shuddering moan.
Never had someone other than herself touched that spot. The intimacy of it, and the sensuality, had heat stealing up into her cheeks.
Corrupted by the Prince (A is for Alpha Book 5) Page 5