The Prince's Forbidden Lover (The Samara Royal Family #3) (7 page)

Rais waited, watching as she tried to decide.  Was she going to hide her reactions and hold his hand?  Or was she going to be brave and release him? 

The seconds ticked by and he continued to wait, hoping she’d make the right decision.

In the end, he felt her fingers loosen and, a moment later, his wrist was free, his hands able to move over that perfect part of her that he craved like a mad man.  “Beautiful,” he whispered as his thumb rubbed against the extremely sensitive peak.  “You’re beautiful,” he told her. 

When he felt her shudder, he moved his attention to the other breast, pushing the lacy material of her bra out of his way as he looked down at her.  She was stunning with her mouth slightly open and her eyes closed, waiting for him to give her whatever pleasure he wanted.  When his thumb flicked over the other peak, he felt her body tremble, her pretty, white teeth biting down on her lower lip as she tried to control her body’s reactions to what he was doing to her. 

“Open your eyes,” he commanded, wanting to see the desire in her eyes. 

When she complied, he felt as if his body was going to explode with the need to fill her up, to feel her tighten around him as she convulsed with her first orgasm.  Damn, he wanted this so badly!  But once again, he’d started something that he couldn’t finish. 

Then again, who was to say he couldn’t help her, show her what her body could do?  He would love to see her body throb to a climax.  It would almost be as good as him joining her.  That would happen, he promised himself.  But for the moment…

With that intent in his mind, he pushed her backwards until she was sitting on her desk.  She wasn’t sure what he was going to do but she was his to command, he realized.  And with extreme gentleness, he lifted her up and pressed her further back.  “Just relax,” he told her with a soothing voice. 

Joline would have laughed at his command if she weren’t so tied up in knots with the way he was touching her.  But she fell backwards slightly until she caught herself on her hands behind her back.  Looking up at him, she wasn’t sure what he was going to do.  All she knew was that she didn’t want him to stop.  He couldn’t stop!  She was so wound up, so desperate for anything he might do to her, she didn’t care what it was as long as he kept touching her. 

But then his mouth latched onto her breast, his tongue flicking against her nipple and she almost screamed out as the friction from his tongue drove her crazy.  The only reason she didn’t cry out was because he’d anticipated her reaction and his hand covered her mouth.  Moving higher, he covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply for a long, drugging moment.  When he lifted his mouth, he looked down into her eyes.  “You have to keep quiet, Joline.”

She didn’t understand, but bit her lip again, trying not to make a sound.  But then his mouth latched onto her nipple and he used his teeth this time.  She wasn’t able to hold back, her body shifting uncomfortably against her desk, wanting more but not sure what to ask for.  She panted slightly, her mind exploding with the crazy pleasure.  But it wasn’t quite pleasurable, she thought as his hands and mouth moved over her body. No, she could never qualify this as pleasurable.  But she didn’t want him to stop.  She might cry if he stopped! 

When she felt his hands move under her skirt, she thought she was going to light on fire.  His expert hands tossed her shoes behind her then reached under her skirt once more, pulling her pantyhose down.  “Lift your hips,” he told her urgently. 

She followed his order blindly, so caught up in the torrent of feeling that she would have done anything he told her to do. 

“Open for me, love,” he encouraged, his hands moving between her knees.  He pressed against the inside of her legs until he was able to move his hips between them.  Then his hands slid slowly, sensuously upwards, his thumb rubbing against the lace edge of her underwear.  When she felt his fingers there, in a place where no other person had ever dared, her eyes flew open and she started to panic. 

“Trust me,” Rais coaxed, his voice soothing even as his fingers brushed back and forth against her tender skin.  “Just relax.  I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.  And if you don’t like anything that I do, just tell me and I’ll stop.” 

Joline’s fingers relaxed ever so slightly.  She shivered once again when the triumph flared in his eyes but she didn’t have time to dwell on that look.  All of her senses were focused on his fingers, the way he was touching her. 

When one finger slipped underneath the lace, she inhaled sharply, her whole body tense as she waited, anticipating what he might do to her. 

“Relax, Joline,” he soothed, his finger moving back out even as he watched her.  When his finger moved back underneath the fabric, he dove in and captured her lips, distracting her from his fingers this time.  When his touch found her heat, discovered how wet she was, how ready for him, he almost lost control.  But he held on with a fine thread, watching and finding extreme pleasure in her excitement. 

When his finger slid inside of her heat, he moved lower, his mouth nibbling along her neck, teasing her ear and collar bone.  Almost immediately, he started to feel her tighten around his finger.  He added another one, moving in and out, feeling her body respond to his unspoken commands.  She was so ready, so hot and tight, her body clenching and hovering at the cliff, he flicked his thumb against that sensitive bud, over and over again, feeling her body and when she finally convulsed around his fingers, he kissed her, absorbing her cry of passion into his own as he felt her climax in his arms.  He thought it was the headiest experience of his life. 

Ever so gently, he brought her back to reality, his finger smoothing out the lace as he stood up, still holding her tightly in his arms as he felt her body’s trembling slow down. 

“You okay?” he asked while rubbing her back, feeling her body tremble less and less. 

“I don’t know,” she whispered, awed and amazed by that experience.  Joline wasn’t really sure what she was feeling.  There was embarrassment at how completely she’d come apart in his arms, not to mention shame at what she’d let him do to her body.  But there was also an amazing exhilaration as well.  She’d never felt this…astonished, invigorated, wonderful!  She wanted to laugh and cry, to jump into his arms and kiss him or maybe even dance around in her office.  She doubted he would appreciate being slobbered by kisses and she wasn’t brave enough to dance around with giddiness.  So instead, she buried her face in his chest, not sure what to do or say.  She’d never experienced something like this and so she was unsure of the protocol afterwards. 

Rais laughed softly, hugging her as she tried to hide from him.  “You’re beautiful,” he told her again.  “And I loved the way you came apart at my touch.”

“Stop!” she whispered, pressing closer to his chest, so embarrassed that she wished there was a way to disappear into a puff of smoke.  “Let’s not talk about it.  I don’t want to talk about it.”

His hands moved to her hair, trying hard not to mess it up, but the strands were silky soft against his fingers.  He couldn’t wait to feel her hair against his chest when she curled up against him after they’d fully made love. 

“We’re going to talk about it, Joline,” he argued but he kissed the top of her head.  “And we’re going to talk about doing much more.”  Not only were they going to talk about what had just happened, he thought with relish, he was going to ask her what other types of activities she liked, how she wanted to be touched and all the various positions they were going to try.  Ah, this woman was in for a storm of passion. 

If he could just get her alone and in a bedroom instead of a place where someone could walk in on them! 

Joline pulled out of his arms, pretending that her face wasn’t red with her embarrassment.  “No.  I have to work.”  She looked around and gasped, suddenly realizing that…  “You just…we’re in my office!” she said with a hiss as she jumped off of her desk.  “Anyone could have walked in here!”

He looked around and then down at her pink cheeks, enchanted with her surprise.  He’d never been with a woman who so completely lost track of herself like Joline had a moment ago.  “Yes, and I’m sorry for that.  I didn’t mean for things to get so out of control.”  He pulled her right back into his arms, ignoring the slight resistance.  “So I’ll pick you up tonight for dinner.  Seven o’clock.”  And with that, he kissed her very lightly and stepped away from her.  “Seven o’clock, Joline,” he said with a tone that implied a warning. 

Joline watched as he walked out of her office, shivering at the memories of how she’d felt in his arms.  She couldn’t believe she’d let him do such intimate things to her!  And in her office!  Just a few feet away, there could be a dozen people walking around, looking at clothing, just on the other side of that wall!  Any of the employees working the floor might have walked in with a question!  Good grief, she thought, covering her still-red cheeks with her hands. 

She couldn’t go back out there.  Not with the way she was feeling right now.  She walked around her desk and sat down, trying to sift through the paperwork that needed her attention but she couldn’t focus.  Not on the papers or on the questions her assistants asked when they walked into the office during the rest of the day.  No matter how hard she tried to pull herself together, she felt flustered and confused by her actions. 

Her mood vacillated between fury that he’d done something so intimate – and in her office!  And embarrassment that he’d done something so intimate – in her office!  Well, it wouldn’t matter if it had been in her office or in her apartment, she still would be embarrassed.  And the way she’d reacted!  Goodness, her eyes practically rolled into the back of her head as she remembered the incredible feelings that raced throughout her body.  Never had she felt anything so…incredible! 

Giving up on working in her office, she stepped out onto the sales floor and smiled, feeling that same sense of satisfaction that she always felt when customers were milling about, looking at the clothes and, especially when there was a line at the checkout!  It was a good sales day, she thought with relish. 

She took a deep breath and tried to push her interaction with Rais out of her mind.  But by four o’clock that afternoon, she suddenly remembered that he’d said something about dinner. 

She couldn’t go to dinner with him!  No way!  In fact, she would be happy if she never had to face him again!  She could just picture the knowing, satisfied expression on his hard, raw features the next time she had to face him.  She didn’t want to see that look, thought she might just smack his face if he looked at her with a smug, victorious grin. 

By six-thirty that night, she was pretty much a basket case.  The evening shift had started and she’d retreated to her office, but all she wanted to do was call Rais and tell him that she couldn’t meet him for dinner that night.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have his phone number!  Nor did she dare call Shantra to ask for her brother’s contact number, afraid of what her friend might think.  Shantra was already excited about Rais’ interest in her while they’d been at the palace.  Nope, there was no way she could call her friend and ask for her brother’s cell phone number.  She was positive that Shantra would provide the number, but the questions that would ensue would be too difficult to answer.  She wasn’t even sure what the answers might be! 

Goodness, now she was making up conversations? 

Joline sighed, realizing that it was quite possible that she was losing her mind.  The man certainly made her crazy. 

Maybe she could just leave the shop, head out of here and go back to her apartment.  Of course, he probably had the resources to find her home address.  And she really didn’t want him to see where she lived.  She was embarrassed by the tiny apartment but it suited her needs.  Especially since she was rarely there.  She worked here too many hours to even consider having a larger apartment.  Besides, the smaller size meant lower rent.  And lower rent meant she could put more money back into the business. 

Her cell phone rang and she grabbed it, hoping that it would be Rais calling to cancel for some reason.  Any reason!  “You haven’t called to ask me where we are heading tonight,” Keith said without any greeting at all.

Joline closed her eyes.  It wasn’t frustration that pumped through her body.  No, it was relief.  Relief to be hearing Keith’s voice instead of a deeper one would mean something she didn’t want to investigate.  Not today, anyway.  She didn’t have the mental capacity to figure out what she was feeling right at the moment.  In fact, she might not ever have the mental capacity to think about what had happened earlier today.  She was more than a little messed up about this morning’s events.  “Keith!  Sorry, I got caught up in stuff today.  I would have eventually called.”

She heard her friend’s laughter at the other end of the call and felt even worse.  “I know.  I’m just teasing you.  Was it a good day today?” he asked. 

He wasn’t talking about Rais’ visit earlier, she had to remind herself.  He was only asking about the business.  It was just her own mind that was wrapped around a single event. 

“Yes,” she sighed, clicking the keys on her keyboard to check the sales total for the day.  The two of them discussed numbers for several moments even though Joline was trying hard to get off the phone.  Her plan to hide away was the best she could come up with, but if she didn’t get out of here soon, Rais was going to show up and she’d be caught.  She definitely didn’t want to get caught!  Not by Rais!  Nope!  That man was completely out of her league and so wrong for her future in so many ways.  And she was definitely wrong for him!