Chapter Seventeen
He moved across the room and found her sitting up in bed. Though her face was shadowed, he could hear her hushed breathing.
“What are you doing here? You were supposed to stay on the island,” she whispered fiercely.
“Then who would protect you?” He moved in and rested both hands on either side of her body. The clean scent of her skin held a hint of crushed grass, reminding him of the afternoon they’d spent together. He wanted to lie in her arms this night, no matter what the danger was.
Captain Feldmann had led him to Serena’s room, but all else was up to him. If he were caught, Karl knew that there was no escaping the retribution.
He didn’t care. Serena had given herself to him, allowing him to love her. No woman had ever wanted him, save this one. He’d walk through a storm of bullets if it meant being with her.
“Did you think I would give up on you that easily?”
“Someone could come in at any time. It’s not safe for you here.”
He knew it. But the rush of danger only made him more intent upon seeing her. “I locked the door when I came in.”
She tried to protest again, but he covered her mouth with his, cutting off her arguments with a kiss. “I know you don’t want me here. But I won’t allow him to hurt you again. I’ll be damned if I stand by and let it happen.”
“Instead, you’ll risk being caught?” Dismay and worry mingled in her voice, even as she pulled him into an embrace.
“You’re worth any risk, Serena.” She let out a soft gasp when he lowered his mouth to the soft place between her nape and shoulder. Gooseflesh broke over her, and he grew aware that she was only wearing a thin nightdress. He tasted the pulse of her heartbeat, and promised, “I’ll take you away and no one will see us.”
“And we’ll be caught before we even get to the end of the hall,” she said. “They’ll take you below and lock you away. My father will condemn you to death, no matter what your family might do to interfere.” Her voice quavered, and she insisted, “You have to go. Let me make my own escape.”
He leaned in and pressed her back against the pillow. “Don’t ask me to abandon you.”
“The way your family did?” she whispered. “Is that what this is about?”
For a moment, he rested with his face against her hair. She held him close, winding both arms around his neck, and he gripped her fiercely.
A tightness rose up within him, for how could she ever understand? When she’d admitted that she loved him, it was as if the earth had cracked beneath his feet. If something happened to her, he might as well be dead.
“You’re all I have left to fight for, Serena. I don’t belong anywhere anymore. Not in Lohenberg. Not here.”
“You belong with me,” she said. “Just as I belong with you.”
Before he could speak, her hands were moving over him, loosening his shirt. When her palms touched his bare chest, he couldn’t stop the crashing wave of desire that started to push away common sense.
“There isn’t time for this, Serena,” he protested.
They needed to get away now, while most of the castle was abed. But when she took his hands and moved them beneath her nightgown to her bare breasts, his mind went blank. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him so close, he lost himself to her.
“Touch me,” she pleaded. “Let me remember what it was like.”
His brain reminded him that this was foolish, that she ought to be getting dressed and fleeing with him while they could. But he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
He kissed her, their mouths mingling with heat and the forbidden fear of discovery. His hands moved over her skin, caressing her. Against his better judgement, he raised the hem of her nightgown and exposed her to the waist. Between her legs, he found her wet and swollen.
“Please, Karl,” she begged.
He shut his eyes tightly, trying to gather the control he didn’t have. But she moved her hands to his trousers, unfastening the buttons. When her hand moved over his erection, he reached in to touch her womanhood, finding the place of her own arousal.
Knowing that anyone could walk in on them at any time seemed to drive his arousal even harder. But he wanted to make this moment good for her.
With his thumb, he pressed against the area of her pleasure, slowly circling as he coaxed her to welcome his intrusion. He kissed her hard, and against her mouth, he demanded, “I’m notletting you go, Serena. You belong to me, and our kingdoms can go up in flames for all I care.”
Serena took him in her palm, guiding him to her slick entrance. Her breath caught when he settled there, gently probing.
