by Donna Grant
“I would stay a week or so in one spot, learning all I could about a culture. I wasn’t a treasure hunter or a fame seeker. I just wanted to see what life was out there for me.”
She smiled. “And have you been happy with what you’ve been given?”
“Most certainly,” he answered without hesitation. “The lessons I’ve learned, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the friendships I’ve formed are irreplaceable.”
The smiled died on her lips and her gaze lowered to the bed.
“What is it?” he asked.
She shrugged and lifted her eyes to him. “All my life I’ve been told how privileged I am to be a princess, how fortunate I am to have the world at my feet. Yet, the world isn’t at my feet. It’s at yours.”
He didn’t know what to say to her.
“A long time ago I heard a man tell my father that nobility and royalty weren’t a birthright but characteristics defined by one’s actions,” she said. “I didn’t realize what he meant then, but I do now.”
Jensen reached out and ran his thumb over her lips. “Don’t sell yourself short, Princess. You are traveling the world as well.”
She snorted very unprincess-like. “I wanted one trip before my marriage. It took me nearly a year to convince my parents that I would be safe traveling with my bodyguard and the royal guards. One week in the Amazon is all I was given. Not so much a traveler, I’m afraid.”
“Who says you can’t travel later?” He’d almost said “after your marriage,” but he hadn’t wanted to remind her of the other man any more than he had to.
She lifted her brows as she considered his words. “You’re right, of course. I’ll make sure that I go to every city and country that is on my list.”
“Good for you, Princess.”
He stared into her violet eyes, eyes that saw straight into his soul, and yearned to pull her against him and taste her lips.
Somehow he had kept from kissing her when they had made love. At the time, he had been trying to keep his distance from her to keep his heart safe. But his heart knew then what he just now realized—his heart had never been safe from her. She had claimed him, heart and soul, the moment he had first seen her four years earlier.
Letting her go would be the hardest thing he had ever done. When she left the Amazon, so would he. He would never be able to look at the rain forest again without thinking of his time with her.
When she had asked to stay, he had told himself to keep a wall between his heart and her, but it had been useless. One beautiful smile from her and he had been lost, telling her things he had never told a soul before.
It was so easy to talk to her, to tell her of his fears when he’d been traveling and how difficult it was to leave some places behind. She had given him encouraging smiles and understanding nods as he spoke.
His heart clutched in his chest.
Dear God, he’d gone and fallen in love with his princess.
6
Arian opened her eyes to find it night outside. She must have fallen asleep after their supper. She recalled Jensen pulling her back against his chest and stroking her hair, and she must have dozed off after that.
Her first day with him had gone by as if on the wings of a bird. She wished she could stop time and stay with him for several weeks or months, but she had seen his hesitation in letting her stay at all.
She took a deep breath and felt something on her breast. She looked down to find his hand cupped her nipple between two of his fingers.
“I’ve been waiting for you to wake,” he murmured in her ear just before his lips grazed the sensitive spot on her neck.
A chill raced across her skin. “I wouldn’t have minded being woken in such a manner.”
“You’re giving me ideas, Princess,” he said as he continued to kiss her neck.
Arian moaned when his fingers pinched her nipple, sending waves of pleasure down her body to pulse at her sex.
“I like when you have ideas.”
He groaned, the movement vibrating against her skin. “You taste so good. I could lick you from head to toe.”
“Sounds wonderful. Then I could lick you.”
“You’re tempting me again.”
His finger circled her aching nipple, coming closer and closer to it each time he went around. Her breasts swelled, eager to feel his touch.
“See what you do to me?” He rubbed his hard rod against her bottom. “I don’t think I’d ever get tired of touching your body.”
Arian pressed her bottom against his cock as he flicked a finger over her straining nipple. She squeezed her legs together and felt a jolt as her sex throbbed.
“My body hungers for you,” she confessed. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
In an instant, his hand was at her sex, parting her curls with his fingers. He sighed into her ear. “You’re already wet.”
“For you. I’m wet for you.”
He groaned and slipped a finger inside her. He knew just where to touch, just how much pressure to apply to send her body spiraling into an abyss of desire.
Arian gripped the covers as pleasure swarmed her body, making her blood heat and her heart pound. He added a second finger to his first, stretching her more.
She moaned and arched into him. He began to move his fingers in and out of her, brushing against her pearl as he did. She gasped at the waves of bliss that ran through her.
Though she longed to touch him, he had her pinned, unable to do more than lay there as he pleasured her body with skilled hands and lips.
“Jensen,” she whispered when his teeth grazed the skin at her neck.
“Shh, Princess. Let me love you.”
She was more than willing to let him do what he wanted with her. That glorious feeling began to spread through her, letting her know she was close to peaking. She closed her eyes and gave her body to Jensen.
Her breath hitched as he moved his thumb over her pearl before thrusting his fingers deep inside her. And then suddenly, his hand was gone. A heartbeat later, he lifted her top leg and pushed the head of his cock inside her.
Arian moaned and shifted her hips to accept more of him. Her hand reached around to touch him, connecting with his hip. She felt him clench his buttocks as he pushed farther into her wetness.
Once he was fully sheathed, he lowered her leg and began to move with long, slow thrusts. The feel of him from behind was deliciously wicked and completely different from their first time.
He thumbed her nipple with one hand while he gripped her hip with his other hand to help hold her while he thrust. The pleasure was almost too much for Arian. She wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. With each stroke of his cock, she felt herself rising higher.
“Come for me, Princess,” he whispered in her ear as he found her pearl and gave it a gentle tug.
Arian screamed as her body convulsed with her orgasm. On and on her climax took her as Jensen continued to plunge into her until he, too, finally let out a shout and pulled out of her, his body jerking with his orgasm.
Little tremors racked her body, making her long to have him inside her once more. Was she becoming a harlot? It was never enough for her. She had to have more of Jensen.
She turned to face him. “Why do you pull out?”
He touched her face gently. “I don’t want you to have to worry about carrying my child.”
When you leave. He hadn’t said it, but Arian knew that’s what he meant.
He was thinking of her, but she wished she could feel him spend inside of her, to hold his seed against her womb. She swallowed nervously as she realized that she wanted very much to have his child. Children had never been something she wanted.
Until now.
Until Jensen.
“What is it?”
She shrugged and lowered her gaze from his. “It’s odd how you think you know what you want, then something crosses your path that makes you rethink everything.”
“What’s made you rethink things?”
She lifte
d her eyes to his hazel ones. “You. The thought of your child growing inside me is something I would like very much.”
His gaze filled with pain and regret. “You’re only saying that because we’ve made love. A few days away from me and you’ll regret ever saying that.”
She didn’t argue with him because she saw how painful her words had been, but she knew she would never regret saying such words to him. They had come from her heart, a place that she rarely let anyone see, and it was a place Jensen had wormed his way into easily.
He pulled her against him to rest her head on his chest as his arm encircled her. It wasn’t long before his breathing evened into sleep, but Arian stared into the darkness for a long time as she considered her future.
She had promised her parents she would return from her trip. She hadn’t understood then why they had extracted that vow from her, but now she knew. They had known the temptation the world offered, and they had known how she longed to get away from the palace.
But had they been worried she would never get tired of traveling or that she might find someone she wanted to be with?
Her hand caressed Jensen’s muscled abdomen, and she listened to the steady beat of his heart. It seemed natural to be in his arms, almost as if they were destined to be together.
Yet he was right. She had obligations as a princess, obligations that couldn’t be ignored. Still, she found herself contemplating doing just that if it meant she could stay with him. She would give up her title if she could spend her life by his side.
Jensen made her feel like a beautiful, erotic woman. She often found him staring at her as if he were trying to remember every detail of her face.
A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. She was a princess, given anything she had ever wanted, but she wanted nothing more than the man in her arms—a man she could never have.
Jensen tossed his princess her clothes. She rolled over and rubbed her eyes. She glanced from her gown on the bed to him.
“If you want to see what surprise I have for you, you’ll need to put on your gown.”
She blinked into the morning sun and sat up. “You want me to get dressed?”
“I would be more than happy if you’d like to stay naked, but I don’t think you will want to walk through the village without your gown on.”
“I agree.” She grinned as she scooted from the bed and reached for her clothes.
He watched her, trying to memorize her every action, her every word, so he could recall them years later. He had once thought to find himself a wife and have a few children, but after having loved his princess, he knew there would never be another woman that could touch his heart so.
“Why are you frowning?”
He looked up to find her standing before him. “Just thinking,” he answered and took her hand as he led her from his hut.
His gaze scanned the village. He wondered how she saw it. Would she see the beauty in how the tribe lived off the land, how they made use of everything the Amazon could provide them? Would she see the grace and skill the warriors had, the kindness and acceptance the women offered?
He wanted to ask her what she thought, but decided against it. She was from royalty. He could only imagine how she liked living in a small hut with dirt as her floor.
Jensen cursed inwardly. He had been a fool to keep her in the village. He should have released her the instant he realized who she was. Now, he feared he might never be able to let her go. And she deserved so much better than him.
Sure he could get a fortune from his emerald, but money wasn’t everything. It certainly wouldn’t get him his princess. He was a commoner, far below her in status. No one would accept him as her husband, least of all his princess. She might give it a try because she enjoyed the way he made love to her, but it wouldn’t be enough to last a lifetime.
Fingers threaded with his and he turned to look down at her. He smiled, surprised at her willingness to touch him when everyone could see.
“Keep to yourself whatever thoughts you’re having that make you frown. I don’t want anything to mar our time together.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “As you wish, Princess.”
“Good.” She gave a quick nod of her head and smiled. “Now, tell me where we’re going.”
“I would rather you see it.”
He caught Yuso’s gaze as they walked from the village. His friend’s eyes held a note of concern. Did everyone know how strong a hold his princess had on his heart?
She raised a brow at him, and Jensen masked his frown with a smile. He tugged her behind him as he pushed through the thick rain forest. As they walked, he pointed out the many plants he had discovered, describing how each one affected the rain forest and the animals.
“Amazing,” she said, a hint of awe in her voice.
Jensen grinned inwardly. He doubted there were many things he could tell her that would inspire such a voice, and he was glad he had shared it with her.
“I enjoy it,” he admitted.
After a moment, he stopped in front of a plant with leaves as big around as he was tall. “Are you ready?”
She giggled, her violet eyes alight with excitement. “Yes. Please, Jensen. I can hardly stand it. I’ve never been good at surprises.”
His heart clenched in his chest as emotion welled up inside him. How he wanted to drag her to his chest and slant his mouth over hers, tasting her sweetness. If only there was some way they could be together.
“Please,” she begged and pulled on his hand.
Jensen let out a sigh and nodded. The kiss would have to wait. He pressed aside the leaves and gave her a slight push forward.
He heard her sharp intake of breath as he came to stand behind her. In front of them was a magnificent waterfall that cascaded down a high cliff to a pool in what amounted to utopia.
“I’ve never seen anything so breathtaking,” she murmured.
He took her hand and started toward the waterfall. “I thought you might enjoy it.”
They ran toward the water, her laughter filling his heart. Jensen could feel her enthusiasm, and he reveled in it. There wasn’t much he could give a princess who had everything, but this was something no one else could offer.
She stood at the edge of the pool, looking into the clear blue water. She raised her skirts in her hand as she dipped her toe into the water and glanced over her shoulder at him.
Jensen leaned against the tree and captured the image of his beautiful princess with her mane of black hair loose about her shoulders, her violet eyes dancing, and her body framed against scenery so beautiful it almost didn’t seem real.
“Is it safe?” she asked.
“Yes.”
His cock began to thicken when he saw her kick off her boots and pull her gown over her head. He had meant to let her have some time to herself without his hands pawing at her, but as he looked at her delectable body, he found himself imagining what it would be like to take her in the water.
She stepped into the pool and glided out to the middle before she turned to look at him. “Aren’t you going to join me?”
Only a fool would refuse such an offer, and Jensen was certainly no fool.
7
Arian licked her lips as Jensen swam toward her, her blood quickening by the desire she saw in his hazel eyes. After just one look at the paradise Jensen had brought her to, she knew there was no way she would swim in such an exquisite place and not share it with him.
She wrapped her arms around him as he came alongside her. Ever since she had woken that morning, she had seen a difference in him. It was almost as if he was distancing himself from her, and she didn’t like it.
“You weren’t going to swim with me, were you?”
He shook his head and placed his hands on her waist. “I thought you might want to have some time alone.”
She pushed off his chest and went under water. She swam away from him before surfacing. “I spend all the time I want by myself when I’m in Tulso. I would rat
her spend what time I have with you. Unless there is someone who needs you.”
His hazel eyes scolded her with their intensity as he slowly swam back to her. When he reached her, he brought her against his chest, one arm wrapped tight around her while the other cupped the side of her face.
“You are the only one I want to be with,” he whispered.
She saw the truth of it in his eyes, and it made her heart ache. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to stay. Their gazes held as they searched each other’s eyes. His head moved toward hers, and her breath lodged in her chest. She wanted him to kiss her, to give that part of him he had held back.
Her mother had once told her a kiss was like tasting a part of someone’s soul. And Arian desperately wanted to taste Jensen’s.
Her eyes drifted closed as his gaze moved to her mouth. Then he leaned down and kissed her.
Arian’s heart skidded in her chest at the first contact of his lips. He slanted his mouth over hers, nibbling her lips until she parted them. Then he swept his tongue inside and swirled it around hers.
She melted against him as he deepened the kiss. She tasted his urgency, his need for her. It made her blood run hot in her veins and her sex clench in need.
Her nipples brushed his chest, sending ripples of pleasure down her body to center at her sex. She wrapped her arms around him, sinking into his kiss as if it were quicksand.
His mouth was hot and insistent as he stroked her tongue with his own, daring her to give as much as she received. Arian was quick to return the kiss and impatient to have more of them.
With each touch of his lips, he took part of her soul with him, but she gladly gave it in exchange for the pure unadulterated pleasure his mouth gave her.
His lips moved down her neck as the water swirled around them, teasing her breasts and her sex. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his cock, hot and thick against her stomach.
Her hands delved into his hair as his mouth scorched a trail to her chest. He lifted her so that her breasts were even with his face.
She looked down to find his eyes on her, a wicked gleam in his hazel depths, as he flicked out his tongue to lick her nipple. She moaned and held on to him as if her life depended on it.