Royal Line (Tattered Royals #1) - Carrie Ann Ryan Page 0,43
can’t fucking stay away. Every time I’m around you, my control slips.”
“You’re trying hard not to kiss me.”
“How am I doing?”
Her laugh was light and filled me with warmth. “You’re failing miserably.”
“Right. Let’s work on that.” She did that thing with her tongue again, and heat shot straight down to my dick. I swallowed hard. “London, you and me, that’s probably a recipe for disaster.”
Her gaze searched mine. “I know. It’s just you’re the first person I’ve had a real connection to in so long, I can’t even remember.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t want to want you because I’m terrified you’re going to get hurt.”
“You see a grown woman in front of you, right?”
My lips quirked into a smile. “Absolutely grown.” My gaze dipped down to her breasts. My mouth went dry.
“I’m not sure what the hell is going to happen. Hell, I’m not even sure what I want. I just know how I feel when you touch me. And how I feel when you stop.”
How could I tell her that I was scared? That deep down I was afraud that this pull, this connection, was even stronger than the one I’d felt for Phoebe. With Phoebe, there’d been love and experience and trust. I’d known this woman not even a full three days, yet she fired all my instincts to protect her, to take care of her. It felt dangerous.
“Isn’t there some kind of law against royalty and commoners?”
“Funny you should ask that. It’s one of the laws Roman’s trying to change.”
I stared at her. “You deserve all the things you want.”
“Right now, what I want is you.”
I knew what I should say. I knew what I should do. I knew that I should stop and walk away and not touch her again. The problem was, I also knew that I couldn’t stay away from her. I’d known the woman for three days, and she already had a claim on a piece of me. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want it. But it was the truth. And there was no point trying to hide it.
I swiped my thumb over her bottom lip. “Do you know how good you taste?”
“No. But you can tell me.”
There it was again, that smile spreading over my face before I could even think about it or control it. This woman, who also drove me absolutely batshit crazy, was quietly working her way under my skin. Claiming a piece of me.
Maybe that was telling me something. You didn’t feel crazy over people you didn’t care about.
“If you were smart, you’d stay away from me.”
“Well, sometimes I do the things that I want, not the things that are expected.”
“Last chance, princess. I think you see now that if I drag you into the bedroom then I’m not going to let you out until well into the morning.”
I watched her swallow hard. But her chin lifted, and she met my gaze levelly. “Who says I’m going to let you out of the bedroom?”
With a chuckle, I slid my hand to cup her cheek and then slid it into her hair. This was the first time I was kissing her because I really wanted to, not because my control snapped. This was the first time I was kissing her when she expected it. And instead of a crushing snap of control, I felt the warm easy surge of want and need. Something inside my body reached for hers. And the only thought in my mind was mine.
Chapter 11
London
A princess never falls.
I couldn’t not touch him.
His tongue stoked mine and sent shivers through me. This kiss was different than the others. It was slow and deliberate and not at all rushed. It was all seduction.
At the top of the stairs, he pulled back, his heavy-lidded gaze on me. “Are you sure, London?”
I knew what my answer should be. I knew I should stop this, knew I should pull back. But the truth was I didn’t want to. I’d spent so much of my life being somebody’s appendage. The sister, the princess, never having an identity of my own. And I knew it was even bullshit to whine about it, because I loved my life. But I was lonely. Ever since Mom and Dad died, I’d felt like I was on an island by myself. I didn’t feel the same kind of loneliness that Kannon did, but I recognized him as a kindred spirit. It was like I knew him in the dark, our myriad of pain and disappointment