Stealing Kisses With a King (Kings of Carolina #3)- Sylvie Stewart Page 0,50

if he pushed me away, at least I’d know for sure that anything between us was never meant to be.

What felt like an hour—but I knew was merely a second—passed before I felt Malcolm’s abdominal muscles contract against my hip as he lifted his head and captured my lips with his.

The first touch was soft, almost hesitant, but the second and third grew increasingly fervent until his hot tongue swept across my bottom lip and I eagerly opened to him. My nerve endings lit with electricity at the long-awaited feel of him against me and his mouth on mine, devouring me. Adrenalin pumped through my body as I shifted for better access.

Malcolm quickly came to my assistance, pulling me so my breasts pressed against his chest and my hip brushed the evidence of his arousal. The knowledge that I’d made him hard was so exhilarating I swept aside any and all hesitance and climbed fully on top of him, our legs tangling as we continued to explore each other with lips and tongues.

His fingers speared through my hair, loosening it from its topknot and spilling it over us like a curtain, sealing the intimacy of the moment. I reciprocated by running my own fingers through his soft, thick hair as I’d wanted to do so many times. Every inch of my skin that touched him caught fire under the surface, driving a liquid need to my breasts and between my legs. I wanted this man—had wanted him for so long it had nearly driven me mad.

Malcolm’s hands skimmed my shoulders, arms, and waist, finally settling on my hips where he effortlessly shifted us so he was now on top, his leg thrown over my thighs as I wished with my entire being that I’d chosen anything but a restrictive pencil skirt to wear this morning. But I quickly set that thought aside when his lips dropped from mine to trail down my jaw and neck and drop hot, wet kisses on my collarbone as he deftly undid the first few buttons of my blouse.

I arched my back under him, tilting my head back and holding his head to me as a plea to continue his ministrations. My nipples strained to feel his touch and my breasts felt as if they were swelling to meet his hands.

But instead of stripping off all my clothes and taking me on the sofa, Malcolm retraced his lips’ journey back to my mouth and placed a soft, lingering kiss there before lifting his head to look at me.

I was certain my appearance was that of a well-shagged woman, my hair an untamed mess and my skin red from passion and need. My lips burned as if they’d been assaulted, but the feeling was anything but unpleasant. I blinked up at Malcolm, searching for some sign of his thoughts after such an unexpected encounter. Oh, God. What had I done?

His eyes searched mine and then traveled every inch of my face before settling on my lips where he gently pulled at my bottom lip with his thumb, causing everything in me to clench tight.

“Wow.” The word was practically a croak, as if he’d just woken from a long sleep. And then his lips spread in a wide smile that had me heaving a pent-up sigh.

I immediately followed this by pulling both hands up and covering my face as the realization of what I’d just done truly settled over me. I’d just taken everything past the point of no return. From now on, everything would be divided into two realms: B.K.S.M. (Before Kissing the Shite out of Malcolm) and A.K.S.M (After Kissing the Shite out of Malcolm).

But what was Malcolm thinking? Or was he thinking anything at all? Was he intending this as the beginning of something or as a one-off tryst of little consequence that served to amuse him for a few minutes? The man had never pursued a relationship in his life, so what on earth had made me think he’d want one now—and with his assistant, no less? And on top of that, the man would be crowned king of a nation two weeks from now. What a complete and utter prat I was!

But he seemed in no hurry to separate his body from mine as he let his thumb drop from my mouth and skim my jawline while his eyes followed.

“Your skin is like silk. I’m afraid I’ll bruise you just by touching you.”

“Thanks,” I eked out, immediately regretting the word. It wasn’t