to halt her confession. She didn’t even want to. She wanted—needed—him to know the truth. ‘I’m not Juno Monroyale.’
‘What?’ While his eyes widened, their focus was laser-like.
‘I’m her sister.’
For an endless moment neither moved. But beyond his unnatural stillness she knew he was processing and she could feel his reaction rising. A howling heat emanated from his tense body, while loss welled in hers. She’d broken his trust, so now she braced for his fury.
But what emerged was almost a whisper. ‘You’re not Juno.’ He stared so hard he paralysed her. ‘If you’re not Juno...’
She was Jade. She was the Queen of Monrova.
Confessions were supposed to relieve, instead desolation slid deep, painfully making hidden cuts, as she watched him make the connection.
‘Then that means...’ He trailed off again, his focus still intent upon her. But as he blinked, the reaction behind his frozen countenance flared and she saw a blaze of emotion heating his whisky-amber eyes.
‘If you’re not Juno,’ he said harshly, ‘then I’m not your boss.’
He suddenly stepped forward and that desolation was swept away by a tsunami of something so much hotter. So much more that she couldn’t think to answer.
‘I’m not your boss,’ he repeated angrily, almost to himself.
And she realised that he’d just let something within himself go.
His hand hit her waist in a firm, heavy hold that made her heart thud. She couldn’t tear her gaze from his—couldn’t move, or speak. Her lips parted, yet she still couldn’t breathe as an enormous wave of want tumbled over her again, drenching her with a desire so powerful it knocked over any hesitation, any caution, any reality. All she could hear was her heated blood beating, all she wanted was the touch she’d craved for days.
Just a taste.
She still couldn’t speak as he pulled her so close her breasts were pressed against the sizzling strength of his chest, nor could she speak as he slid his other hand to cup the nape of her neck. And she still couldn’t say a thing as she leaned against his hold, arching her neck to maintain that impossibly intense contact with his gaze. And then, beneath that penetrating stare, she realised she didn’t need to speak. Nor did he. They both knew the answer was obvious and undeniable. In reality, there wasn’t even a question.
His head lowered and her breath released on a gasp just as his mouth slammed on hers, his strength making her knees buckle. His hold instantly tightened, and he hauled her fully against him. The impact of collision—chest to breast, hip to hip—destroyed her. His heat, his arousal, made hers burn hotter. She was literally caught up in his passion and his vitality and she could do nothing but be carried along the road he’d chosen. The sensuality poured from him, filling and stirring her, until she had no choice but to release her own, kissing him back as best she could beneath his onslaught, clutching his shoulders, not just to touch, but to hold—to keep. Because she needed more of this. Of him. She needed so much more. She burst with the need to race with him, to beat him, to hit some near-but-far dizzying destination. Oh, she was suddenly so, so desperate.
Somehow he spun them both and moved her back until the wall was behind her. It was literally the hard place supporting her while he—like a rock in front—crushed closer, caressing her, kissing her sensitive lips with unrestrained passion. And it was so good because he was so big, so powerful and every muscle, every movement was utterly focused on her. Initially she’d been stunned, rendered immobile, but with each sweep of his plundering tongue her response rose, drawn out of her like a release of a power she’d not known she had. And then she didn’t just open for him, she met him with a seeking, demanding slice of her own force. Every particle within her tensed and tingled, filled with energy that couldn’t be contained.
These weren’t soft, gentle, teasing kisses. These devoured. Fast and long and hot as pent-up passion exploded. It was an almost animalistic seeking to sate long aching hunger. He kissed her as if he’d been thinking of nothing else for eons and she kissed him back just like that because for her it was true. She tightened her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his unruly thick hair and holding him to her. His fingers slid beneath her shirt, caressing her waist, lifting higher to