Page 60 of Expecting Royal Twins!
He held her tighter. “Better?”
“Actually, yes.” Isabel ran her fingertip along the scar on his cheek. She shifted against him, stretching until she pressed her lips against the side of his face, against his scar. “So beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.”
“I had help.”
“With or without help, you’re still beautiful.”
He didn’t want to rush, but he wasn’t that patient, either. Unable to resist the temptation in his arms any longer, he lowered his mouth to hers. She arched to meet his kiss.
With no archbishop, no audience and no cameras watching, Niko could do what he had wanted to do at the cathedral—take his time. No racing to the finish line tonight.
He wanted to savor the kiss, to linger and enjoy. She tasted sweet and warm with a hint of chocolate, like fondue. The castle chef used to make the rich chocolate fudge sauce for Niko’s birthday. Just as he had done when he was younger, he soaked up the taste.
As he pushed open the door with his shoulder, Isabel’s eager lips pressed against his. Testing, tasting, hungry. Her arms circled around him. One hand combed through his hair. The other splayed against his back, between his shoulder blades, pressing him forward.
Nothing else mattered but Isabel. Sensation swirled through Niko.
She wanted this. Wanted him.
Heat flared.
Her tongue darted into his mouth to tangle with hers.
Exploded.
Niko moved toward the bed, never letting his lips leave hers. He couldn’t get enough of her kiss, of her. But he had to stop, for just a moment. He lifted his mouth from hers.
Isabel’s eyes opened, her gaze hot and languid, intense and soft. A mass of contradictions. Just like her, his mechanic, his princess.
His wife.
He struggled to remain in control. He wanted to dispense with the niceties, abandon decorum and push up the hem of her gown and take her. But, this was her first time. She deserved better. He needed to go slow, not overwhelm her with tangled limbs and sweaty skin and breathless sex.
Carefully, gently, he lowered her to the foot of the bed so she was sitting on the edge. He stood in front of her, watching her. Waiting for her to look away in shyness.
Her gaze never wavered from his.
Talk about a turn-on.
His chest tightened. His control slipped a notch. Maybe three.
Niko tugged on one of the ribbon ends to undo the bow he’d tied on the balcony. He pushed the chiffon robe off her shoulders and down her arms until it fell over her hands and onto the bed.
He bent over her, kissing her bare shoulder and showering more kisses along her neck and jaw.
Izzy leaned back her head, giving him better access to her graceful neck. He continued kissing her. He loved the smell and taste of her skin. Finally his mouth grazed her earlobe.
A soft moan escaped her lips.
She was ready for more. So was he.
Niko wanted to make her his wife in every sense of the word. He touched the thin straps on both sides of her nightgown, noticing the softness of her skin beneath the rough pads of his fingertips.
She pushed his hands away. “Not yet.”
He stared down at her, confused.
Before he could say anything, Isabel kneeled on the bed. She reached for a button on his shirt. “It’s my turn.”
Kneeling in front of Niko, Izzy’s insides quivered with anticipation as she worked with trembling hands to remove his shirt. Through the cotton, she felt the heat of his skin, the rise and fall of his chest. His breathing was no steadier than hers.
That made her feel better and quieted some of her nerves.
Izzy hadn’t done this before, but she’d overheard the guys at work. She knew what was supposed to happen. She wasn’t about to let Niko do all the work tonight. No way. No how. She wanted him to enjoy tonight, too.
Her fingers shook as she slid another button from its hole.
“It’s taking a long time,” he said.
She moved on to the next button. “We’re still on the warm-up lap.”
“My tires are warm. I’m ready to start the race.”
Izzy placed her palm over his heart. “Not yet.”
His muscles rippled beneath the fabric. So athletic. So strong. He made her feel cherished, special. His. It was all she could do not to sigh.
Was this how a wife was supposed to feel?
