She closed her eyes and answered her own question.
Because you’re not gross, Regina. You actually care about other human beings.
That fact hadn’t meant she’d always been treated with the same care and respect she gave to others. She didn’t play games, at least not usually, and that seemed to be a major turnoff to the men that crossed her path. If she was interested in something long-term, she didn’t try to trick men into being with her. When you grew up living in someone else’s shadow, appearing invisible to others was a fate worse than death. So she made a habit of saying exactly what she meant. At least then, potential suitors would jump ship early, and she wouldn’t have to go through the heartache and hurt of falling for someone who didn’t want what she wanted and didn’t see the value in her.
“Ms. Devereaux.”
The king’s voice pulled her out of her head and made her focus on him. That same fire was still there burning between them, no matter how she fought to douse it.
“Please know that you can absolutely reply no to this question, and there will be no reprisals for your company and the business you do on Obsidian Island.”
Intrigued, she nodded, wondering what the king would say next.
“Would you be amenable to me kissing you?”
The woman with home training should’ve said no. The accomplished businesswoman and scientist should’ve said no. But when she opened her mouth, the only thing that toppled out was, “Hell yes.”
A satisfied smile curled his lips as he reached for her, pulling her into his lap and locking his mouth to hers.
She went willingly, and matched his enthusiasm, opening for him with the slightest pressure of his tongue against her bottom lip.
His fingers threaded into her braids, making the sensitive flesh there tingle. Her resulting moan was rewarded with his hand tightening on her thigh, holding her securely against him.
He was a king, a man who was polished and refined to shine like new money. But he kissed like a street brawler. His movements fierce, lacking the poised control and elegance his station in life demanded. He was consuming her with that kiss, and simultaneously remaking her one cell at a time. She would be forever changed after this, and judging from the way her nipples hardened and her sex throbbed, she was perfectly okay with that as long as he kept doing what he was doing.
God, please let him keep doing what he’s doing.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Aléxandros tore his mouth away from hers, leaving them both panting. There was a slightly feral look in his gaze that did nothing to quench the heat and the need for this man building inside her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she preempted him, holding up her hands.
“Just in case you want to ask me if it’s okay to invade my personal space even further, and God willing, in much more detail, just know I am one hundred percent amenable to whatever you have in mind.”
He closed his eyes as he pulled her closer to him, the hard swell of his flesh pressing against her thigh and letting her see for herself she wasn’t the only one affected by their unexpected chemistry.
He pressed his forehead to hers and groaned as if he ached for something, anything to satisfy whatever this was building between them.
“From the moment you captured my notice, I knew two things, Ms. Devereaux.”
She pulled away, locking into his gaze as he continued to speak.
“One, you are the most alluring woman I’ve ever seen, and two, you’re dangerous.”
Chapter Two
She gathered whatlittle of her senses remained and whispered, “Does that mean you’d like me to leave?”
He shoved his hand under her knees and his other arm around her waist just before he stood with her cradled against him like she was a real-life Disney princess.
“The only place I want you is in my bed. If you don’t want that too, I need to know now.”
She circled her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts into the hard wall of him.
“One hundred percent amenable. Isn’t that what I said?”
She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said it. She was ready for anything and everything this king wanted to do to her.
If she were thinking with her brain, she’d acknowledge how bad an idea sleeping with this man was. He was a whole king, a man with unbelievable power who, if he chose to, could use that power to make her life a living hell. Not to mention, one-night stands with men connected in tangible ways to her business made this uncharacteristic “to hell with it” attitude she was currently sporting problematic and unwise. That rational thought was trying to gain some traction by tugging at the back of her mind. But then he looked at her, and rational thought left the building with no plans on returning anytime soon.
