Chapter 9 #2
"I hope we will do it again soon." He gave her a disarming smile, no doubt to make up for upsetting her. "And this time, I'll live up to my promise."
With a wave, she drove away.
*****
Telling herself it was not disappointment she felt when she made her way inside and he was not waiting for her, she marched along the quiet hallway and up the stairs.
After all that, the confrontation at the gallery, demanding, no, threatening to find her if she was not here at a certain time.
After all of that, he was tucked securely into some other woman's bed.
Bastard! she thought as she swung open the doors and walked through the sitting room and into her bedroom. And froze.
"I hope you don't mind that I've made myself comfortable.
" The prince, wearing a black silk robe, was lounging on her bed with pillows propped up behind his head.
"I figured you would come home when you're good and ready.
" His eyes roamed over her face, a glint of amusement in the green depths.
"I'm not even upset that you've kept me waiting.
I realize with you, I'm going to have to be patient. "
His deep, slightly accented voice snapped her out of her dazed astonishment.
"You presumed an awful lot. I almost decided to spend the night at Luther's."
He merely lifted one thick brow, his amusement evident.
"Is that right?"
She actually thought about stamping her foot in frustration. The man was too arrogant for words.
"Yes! I told you we're involved."
"What stopped you from er- spending the night? Could it be the thought that I was here waiting for you to warm my bed?"
"I've changed my mind." She lifted her chin and managed a lofty look. "I told you I wanted to choose the time and the fact is, I don't think this is a good idea. So, I would like you to leave. I'm tired and Luther and I made plans for tomorrow." She tacked on the lie for good measure.
Instead of stirring, he lifted his hands and stacked them behind his head. "Where's he taking you this time? The park? One of those abominable fast food places?"
Her eyes flashed at his disparagement of the man she thought of as a friend. "Anywhere is fine with me. It's not the place, but the company, something you would not know. Now I'm really tired and not in the mood for an argument."
"Go get changed. Or if you prefer, I'd like the pleasure of taking off your clothes." His eyes wandered over her face and settled disturbingly on her lips.
"Did you hear me?" she demanded, her knees going weak. "I want you to go."
"Then we have a problem, because I'm not going anywhere."
Glaring at him, she whirled and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door and sliding the bolt for good measure.
Walking over to the double marble sink, she braced her hands on the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. What she saw had her laughing a little hysterically. Her eyes were wide and frightened, and she prayed that he had not seen it. Her heart was racing, her palms clammy with sweat.
And her knees were weak. There was a devastatingly handsome man, a naked man, she was certain, under the robe.
She had seen the hint of flesh when his robe sagged in the front and the evidence of a broad, hairy chest. That had her fingers itching to explore.
He was in her bed, waiting for her. To have sex.
It had been a while for her. Brian had convinced her that they were both too busy to bother. When she had voiced her teasing comments about him getting it elsewhere, he had vehemently denied it. She should have realized then that he was protesting too much.
Suddenly inspiration struck. Here she was, moping around and there was a man, a very virile man lying on her bed waiting to do all sorts of things to her.
Straightening, she studied her image critically.
This time she was going in with her eyes wide open.
No expectations, no promises. It was the perfect revenge.
She wasn't the prince's type. He was used to petite beauties, but somehow he had chosen her, and it was not a pretense. He desired her. Was pursuing her. She had come back to the palace to find him waiting for her.
She would have a fling, make the most of it.
Allow him to do whatever he wanted with her.
And enjoy every damn minute of it. There was another man, a very nice guy interested in her as well.
She was not attracted to Luther, but he would do.
She would see Luther whenever she wanted and sneak around with the prince whenever they had the chance.
She was tired of being the nice girl. She smiled grimly. She had done that for years, only to have her fiancé, a man she thought she was in love with, cheat on her for months. She might even send him a pic of her and the prince. But this time, she was going in with no expectations.
With that epiphany still uppermost in her mind, she selected the appropriate bath oils and went to take a quick shower. The good news was that she had some lingerie stored in a drawer in the bathroom. She was going to choose the sluttiest one and knock his socks off.
*****
He was starting to get annoyed. Here he was, waiting for her like some beggar and she had gone and locked herself inside the bathroom like a bloody frightened virgin.
He did not deserve this crap. If she had the idea of staying there, he was going to disabuse her of that notion.
He would give her a few minutes and if he had to take the door off the hinges, then that was bloody well what he was going to do.
He waited a few more minutes and was about to get off the bed when the bathroom door opened. At first, he could not see clearly because of the steam rising from the room. But then it cleared and when it did, he could not catch his breath. It was as if she had been transformed.
She was wearing some sort of slinky shift in ruby red. The material was so sheer, he could actually see her generous nipples through it. She had not bothered to dry herself off completely, so the material clung in obvious places.
Her hair, all that luxuriant hair, was brushed to one side of her face and tumbled in sexy curls and waves over her left breast.
His body tightened reflexively, his mouth dry. He had thought the desire he had for her was powerful before, but it could in no way or form compare to what he was feeling now.
"You like?" In just a few minutes, she had become the seductress.
"I- er-" He had to clear his throat several times before he could speak. "I thought you were upset."
"No longer." She stood next to the bed. His eyes riveted on the hand she was using to run over her breast and flat stomach. "We want each other."
"Yes. We do." He nodded and felt like an idiot who had lost the ability to form words.
"So, nothing is wrong with indulging."
"No. I-"
She shook her head, eyes holding his as she continued to caress herself. "You're experienced, so what I don't know you will teach me."
He blinked. "Pardon?"
"The art of making love. I want to learn. I don't see why we should deny ourselves. We will be discreet, of course. The servants gossip among each other, so discretion is required."
His gaze latched onto the hand that was sliding the thin straps from her shoulders. She was doing a striptease for him, and he had no idea how much more he could take.
"This will be our little secret. I stood there in the bathroom and reasoned it out. I was jilted by a cheating bastard, so I have no expectations, none whatsoever. I'm not your type and you're certainly not mine. Too pretty," she added musingly. "And a prince to boot."
She laughed, a seductive sound that had his skin heating up even more.
"I will get my revenge on that bastard after all.
I will be having sex with a prince. Oh, and I will be seeing Luther.
He's a nice guy and I like hanging out with him.
" He was so caught up in the fact that she was shimmying out of the lingerie that he almost missed the last part of her sentence.
"What? Wait a damn minute!"
"There are rules." She eased the material off her breasts and wondered at the fact that she did not feel an ounce of shyness.
"What rules?"
"We don't ask each other where this is going. We'll have sex and have fun doing it. Oh, and you can see other people. It won't matter to me."
His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at her. "Is that right?"
"Hmm," she nodded. "You are who you are, and I wouldn't dream of trying to change you. So, no promises, no relationship, just sex." She bunched the material around her waist. "Just lots of sex."
"No commitment." His voice had gone dangerously soft. Tomas felt as if he was existing in a time loop. She was saying the very things he had said to women in the past and it did not sit well with him. Not when he wanted so much more from her.
"Exactly." She nodded, pleased that he understood.
"And if I want more?" he asked coldly.
She stopped in the process of taking it all off. "Why would you want that?" She shook her head before he could respond. "Anyway, that's my deal, take it or leave it."
He couldn't leave it. Damn her, he was willing to have her whatever it took.