Sins of Mine - Mary E. Twomey Page 0,26

barks twice, and then snorts, as if to let him know she does not appreciate waiting to be fed her breakfast.

I reach down to stroke her fur. “Gray is fetching your breakfast, baby. Be patient.”

I can feel my prince combing my body with his eyes as he sips his water. “I haven’t slept that soundly in a while,” he admits.

“It felt right, the three of us back together.”

He opens his mouth to respond, but no sound comes out. Instead, he sets down his glass and spins me roughly around. Paxton kisses me so forcefully, it knocks the breath from my lungs. My polite and proper prince doesn’t hold back as he pushes me against the wall, his hands acquainting themselves with the buttery silk of my pants.

“Of all the times I dreamed about you, my imagination never came up with anything as sexy as this.” His lips find my shoulder, teasing the skin as he slips the strap down my arm. His breath is warm and welcoming, pushing out all the worries I’d been entertaining just last night.

Kissing Paxton has always been a dreamy treat, but there’s an aggressive quality today that tells me he’s been holding himself back for the sake of decorum, waiting until I was ready for more, and less preoccupied.

I adore this side of him. The way he grips my hips over the silk, turning my pelvis to just the right angle, it makes me wonder how much of himself he’s been burying for better days. Now that they’re here, I get to watch him peel up the layers we both know he doesn’t need when it’s just us.

Paxton bites at my lower lip, squeezing my body tighter to test my willingness for such things.

“Where are Charlotte and Cass?” I whisper between kisses.

“Out. Where have you been all my life?”

“Right here.” I grin through the cheesiness of our exchange because it’s exactly the sweetness we both crave. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

The kiss turns more forceful as his body grinds against mine. He pins my arms to the wall on either side of my head, and for the life of me, I can’t believe this gets to be how I spend my morning. Paxton leaves one of my arms on the wall, and uses his other hand to trace along the lines of my exposed ribs. His fingers dip beneath the cropped lace, doing what they like because I’m just ready enough to let him. The smell of him, the taste of him, all of it is heady and goes straight to my pelvis.

When his thumb traces the underside of my breast, my lashes fight to stay open. I’m utterly in the moment, which I didn’t think possible. I’ve been so distracted lately. Maybe this is exactly what I’ve been needing.

I don’t want to wait any longer. My fingers work quickly to trace under the hem of his undershirt, peeling up the fabric to reveal a strapping prince who should only ever go around topless. The heat of his chest against mine as his kiss crushes me to the wall with its fervor serves to rouse parts of me I’ve tried to write off as unimportant.

I’m not sure when the front door opens, but not soon after, the sounds of clapping and whistling breaks apart our heated exchange.

“Well done! I was starting to think you’d forgotten you were a woman,” Cass says rudely after a catcall.

Charlotte giggles through her clapping. “Well done, indeed! Paxton, dessert before breakfast? I never thought of you as a rulebreaker.”

Paxton grabs up his shirt off the floor and threads it over my head, as if both women haven’t seen me in the shower loads of times. “Ha ha. You’ve had your laugh. Good for you. Yes, yes, we were having a snog.”

I curtsy to the women, not minding at all that I’m a bit cheekier than I usually am this morning.

“A snog? Is that all? If we hadn’t interrupted, would there have been a royal baby on the way? The scandal!”

Charlotte’s hand over her mouth does nothing to stem her laughter. “Silly. Royal babies aren’t conceived in a dining room. They’re made beside ancient vases and gold statues.”

Cass smacks her forehead. “I forgot. You’re right. Carry on. Warn us if you have a shag atop the table. I’ll make sure to wipe it down before anyone eats off it.”

My cheeks heat, but Paxton is mortified. “Now, now. Nothing of the sort was going to happen. I wouldn’t make love to Arlanna