Once again, Fate was mocking him. It wasn’t possible to find another bride, and Serena would learn of his lost title, soon enough.
It was growing dark outside, the trees casting shadows over the path. Serena wouldn’t look at him, and she’d clutched both hands against her chest. In the fading light, her dark blonde hair held tints of gold. She looked fragile, and in that moment, he wished he weren’t such a bastard. An honorable man would do what he could to help her, to let her go.
You haven’t a shred of honor. You tried to use her, and this is what you deserve.
“You despise me, don’t you?” he said quietly.
Her face turned back to his, confusion in her green eyes. “No. You might be overbearing and stubborn, but you aren’t that terrible.”
He didn’t believe her. “I stole you from the palace and brought you to the most forsaken place on earth.”
Serena’s mouth faltered as if she didn’t quite know what to say. In the end, she offered, “It hasn’t been easy, that’s true. But it’s not so bad on the island.”
“And your reasons for not wedding me…is it only because you don’t want to be a princess?”
She walked alongside him to the water’s edge, her shoes pressing footprints into the damp sand. “If you were an ordinary man and I, an ordinary woman, you’d want nothing to do with me.”
“You underestimate yourself.” He reached out to her, his hand grazing hers. “Though I already know you want nothing to do with me.”
Her eyes were studied him with nervousness and interest. “Youarean overbearing tyrant.”
“I don’t like it when I don’t get my way,” he said, stopping in front of the water’s edge. The air had turned cooler, the afternoon shifting into evening. The setting sun slid behind a cloud, the golden rim haloing Serena’s hair.
“I’m not marrying you,” she whispered again, her gloved hands touching his.
“I know.” He drew her hands around his waist. “You’d never want a man like me.”
“What kind of man are you?”
“Demanding.” He moved in, touching his nose to hers. He could feel her tremble, the fear he’d conjured by his nearness. “You’re right to stay away.”
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“I’ve already ruined you,” he said against her cheek. “It seems unfair that I should be blamed for your undoing…and I’ve never even kissed you.”
“That’s unnecessary,” she said. But though he’d released her waist, she didn’t try to escape him.
“I disagree. I think you should at least be forced to kiss a tyrant. Before you decide that I’m not what you want.”
Her eyes were wide, and she started to glance over her shoulder when he leaned to brush of lips upon hers. He’d already butchered any attempts at courtship or good manners. He had nothing else to lose.
Serena stood like a stone pillar, too afraid to move. Karl lifted her hands to his shoulders, guiding her into the embrace. He framed her face with his hands, sliding his fingers into her hair. She didn’t know how to kiss, and her innocence pleased him. There was a sweetness to her, an awkwardness that made him want to teach her what he wanted.
Her mouth softened, and he took her deeper, winding her arms around his neck, bringing her body against his. The softness of her feminine shape against him was like a rich liquor, intoxicating and sweet. He kissed her fully, capturing her mouth and giving her no chance to pull away. She was entirely at his mercy, and he could taste the shock against her lips.
He didn’t care. If he was to be incriminated and refused as a bridegroom, he wanted it to be about him, not his nonexistent throne.
For a long moment, she did nothing except stand motionless, accepting his mouth upon hers. But as the kiss went on, she suddenly caught the rhythm. When her lips moved against his, kissing him back, he was caught by the tantalizing warmth of her mouth.
He wanted to show her that there could be more between them if she’d allow it. With his palms, he caressed her spine, drawing her close, until her chest was against his. She was starting to soften beneath his onslaught, and when her mouth opened wider, his slid his tongue inside.
A soft moan of surprise came from her, but he didn’t stop. He invaded her mouth, not allowing her to catch her breath. When she dared to slide her own tongue against his, instinctive needs pulled at him, to bare her skin and feel her softness against his hard length.
Serena broke away from him at last, her hands pressing against his chest. Her shoulders were tense, and he felt the slight tremor in her body. “I shouldn’t have let you kiss me, Fürst Karl.”
“Karl,” he corrected. “Just Karl.”
“I cannot call you by your first name. It isn’t proper.”
