Royally Claimed - By Marie Donovan Page 0,31
but he didn’t notice and beamed at her.
“Oh, the French toast!” She rescued it just in time to flip and he poured them both a cup of coffee. “How did the island do with the storm?”
“Eh, we didn’t do too badly.” She thought it was cute how he referred to himself and the island as a pair. “Some branches down, a door blown off a garden shed, but I got the electricity going again.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
He shrugged. “I’ve done it many times. No big deal.”
He’d think it was a big deal if he got shocked, but try telling him that now. She shook her head and pulled the French toast off, popping it into the oven to keep warm. “Ready for an omelet?”
“Always.” He grinned at her and raised his cup of coffee in a toast.
A couple minutes later, they were sitting at the center island eating breakfast together. Maple syrup wasn’t a staple in Portuguese houses, so they used local honey and jam for the French toast instead. “I really like pineapple jam on this,” she told him, cutting a bite.
He grabbed her wrist and ate the bread off her fork. “I agree.”
She shook her head in amusement and cut another piece. “Eat your own food. Didn’t I make enough?”
“It tastes better coming from you.” His big brown eyes melted her heart.
She sliced a bit of omelet and offered it to him. “Delicious,” he said, after chewing and swallowing. “Here.” He gave her some French toast with orange marmalade and honey. The tartness and sweetness mixed perfectly.
They fed each other the rest of breakfast. Julia dabbed at the corner of his mouth with her napkin. “You have honey here.”
“So do you.”
“I do?” She touched her mouth.
“Pure honey. But not from the jar.” He moved her hand away and kissed her.
He cleared the dishes into the sink with a rattle and set her on the wood table. “All throughout breakfast, I’ve been watching your breasts sway, your dark nipples hardening against the fabric when you fed me.” He slid his hand up her blouse and smiled when he found her bare breast. “Naughty Julia, where is your bra?”
She gestured helplessly at the tumbled blankets on the floor. “I couldn’t find it.”
“I’m not complaining.” He unbuttoned her blouse and pushed it off her shoulders.
She automatically covered herself, not being used to daytime nudity. He made a chiding sound and pulled her arms away. “You’re equally beautiful in the sun as the firelight.” He rested his cheek against her heart. His hair was warm and silky on her skin. Her arms came around him and she twined a black wave around her finger. He smelled of wind and water and his own unmistakable spicy scent.
“Oh, Julia.” He turned his face and kissed her breast. “Let me please you.”
“You already do,” she murmured. She felt him smile against her skin.
“A few years ago, I found several personal diaries of the previous Dukes of Santas Aguas. They discovered rather interesting ways to pass the time when they visited this island.”
“They took up tennis?” she quipped.
He laughed. “More of an indoor activity. They would sail to São Miguel and find the prettiest young women on the island, then bring them back to Belas Aguas.”
“To cook and clean?”
“To do whatever the Duke wanted.”
He wasn’t joking—she could tell this was a true story. “And they went along with this?”
Frank grinned. “It was considered an honor to have the attention of the Duke and he would send them back with a hefty dowry. The happier the girls made him, the bigger the dowry.” He winked.
“What if the Duke didn’t make them happy?”
“Oh, that was never an issue.” He kissed her soft belly. “The young ladies were always very pleased with the Duke’s particular skills.” He circled his tongue around her belly button.
“But they couldn’t go home.” Her heart was pounding like crazy as he unbuttoned her denim pants.
He raised both eyebrows. “Did they want to? Back to washing and cooking and cleaning when they could be doing this?”
Julia automatically lifted her hips as he slid the capris off. The wood was surprisingly warm against her bare bottom.
He stroked a finger around her clit. “Do you want to go home? Shall I take you back?”
“No.” She affected a disappointed sigh despite how his finger was driving her crazy. “Since you can’t offer me a dowry, I suppose I can accept other means of exchange.”
“I am grateful for your understanding. Perhaps I can make it up to you.”
He stopped for