Recklessly Royal (8 page)

David didn’t seem to notice my hesitation. He moved behind me, his hands running over my waist while his lips brushed along my bare shoulders. I leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his manhood pressed against me through the thin material of my dress. When his hands moved up to cup my breasts I moaned.

“I want to see you.” I whispered the words, needing to see the desire in his eyes to give me the bravery to go forward.

Gently he turned me around so that I was facing him and I stared into his heat-filled eyes. His hands slid up my bare arms, over my shoulders, and along my neck to cup my face. Tilting my chin upward he studied my face with hooded eyes.

“You always get what you want, don’t you, Princess?” His deep voice rumbled underneath my hand on his chest.

God, I hoped so. Because right this moment there was nothing I wanted more than David’s skin pressed against mine.

“Undress me.” The words came out husky and I prayed he’d do it. I was scared that if I did it myself he would see my shaky fingers.

His dark eyes flashed and he reached behind me to slowly pull the zipper down. Carefully he slid the material off, exposing me in my underwear and shoes. I felt even more naked knowing that he was seeing me in my strapless bra and garter belt.

David let his gaze rake over me and I could feel it like a hot touch. With sharp movements he pulled his jacket off and threw it over a chair before undoing his tie. I watched with short breaths as he knelt in front of me, his messy hair obscuring his face as he pulled one shoe off and then the other. I reached down and unhooked the garters so that he would be able to remove the stockings, but he didn’t roll them down as I expected. Instead, he nuzzled between my legs and my knees went weak. My head fell back against the door and I thought I’d faint.

His hands cupped my cheeks, while his mouth pressed hot kisses through the material of my panties. When he finally stood up, he lifted me into his arms and carried me to my bed. After lying me down on the soft duvet, he undid his pants, letting them fall to the floor, followed by his shirt.

I had been right when I thought that he would be a delicious visual treat naked. The man was an Adonis, with the kind of muscles a man got from hard labor, not lifting weights in front of a mirror. When he crawled onto the bed, covering my body with his, I froze for half a second before sinking into his kiss. When he shifted so that his leg was between mine, my heart stilled.

I was really doing this, finally getting rid of the virgin baggage. And with a hottie who made me laugh. So why did I suddenly feel worried I was making a wrong decision? Was I rethinking this?

With deft hands he undid my bra and his warm mouth found one peak. My doubts dissolved in a rush of pleasure and I closed my eyes to enjoy the sensation. No one had ever touched me the way David was touching me. I let my hands run over his shoulders and down his back. When he leaned up to capture my mouth once more I let my fingers slide over his abdomen and down to his hardened shaft. He sucked in a breath and murmured in my ear something I didn’t quite understand.

His hand followed the same path mine had and his fingers stroked gently along the growing wet spot between my legs. When he moved the fabric out of the way and touched the delicate skin my breathing accelerated. I focused on his kiss as he teased me open and gently slipped one finger inside.

I couldn’t stop the sharp intake of breath or the way my body froze in shock. It wasn’t that I hadn’t done the same thing myself before, but it was entirely different to have it done by someone else. I tensed, unsure if I liked the sensation or not. It was different and slightly uncomfortable.

“Cathy?” David pulled back and looked at me, worry creasing his brow.

“Yes?” I took a deep breath and tried to not look relieved when he pulled his hand away.

“Are you . . . is this your first time?” His voice sounded odd, surprise laced with frustration.

My heart stopped in my chest as I looked at his face. What had I done wrong that he had figured it out?

I
DIDN
’
T SAY ANYTHING
at first. I didn’t know how to respond. Was it really a bad thing that I was a virgin? That I hadn’t taken that step yet?

“Does it matter?” I fought the urge to cover myself up.

“Of course it matters.” Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair.

“Why?” I sat up and pulled a pillow over my chest. Shame was beginning to smother the flames of lust.

“You can’t—you shouldn’t just give that away.” He stood up and pulled his pants on. His excitement was still evident, even though anger laced his words. “That’s reckless!”

“It’s mine, isn’t it? I can do whatever the hell I want to with it!” I stood up and pulled the blanket with me so it saved the little bit of modesty I had left.

“Why the hell would you give it to
me
?” He held his arms open.

What was I supposed to say? That he had made me laugh? That he had treated me like a normal person? Or how about the fact that just the sight of him made me want to pant? I couldn’t tell him that. I still couldn’t believe I’d gotten him into my bed at all. And now . . .

Now it was all falling apart. Turning into the worst nightmare ever. Well, no, that wasn’t quite true. At least I knew he wouldn’t sell the story to tabloids.

Sam would kill him and find a swamp to hide his mangled body.

But here I was, naked in front of a man that I wanted, and he was rejecting me. Shame burned through my body and tears rushed to my eyes.

“Cathy.” He took a step forward and I took one in retreat. “I’m just saying that this isn’t something you should just give away. If you’ve waited this long it should be with someone that is special.”

“I’ve waited long enough to know that I will likely end up with someone that only wants me for what I can give them.” My voice rose and I stomped to the door. “You were different! I thought you just wanted
me
.”

“I did!” He reached for my arm but I shook him off.

“I didn’t realize that my
virginity
would be so damn disgusting.”

“It’s not—”

“Look, don’t worry about it. I’m leaving.” I opened the door and started to walk out.

“No!” He took three steps forward and pushed the door closed. “You’re not going out there like that.” If I hadn’t known better I would have thought his words had seemed possessive.

I looked at him confused, unsure why he would care if I left, until I realized I was still wrapped in the blanket. And then to my utter embarrassment I realized it was my room.

“Get out.” I jerked the material closer.

“Fine.” He picked up his shirt. “But this isn’t over, Cathy. We’re going to talk.”

“Not likely.” I turned my face away from him, scared that he would see the tears gathered in my eyes.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” He pulled his shirt back on before letting his arms hang limply at his sides.

“Just go.” I shook my head. Nothing he said was going to make any of this better.

“I’m leaving, but for what it’s worth I did want you for you.” He started to say something and then thought better of it. “Good night.”

He pulled the door shut behind him and I leaned against the wall. Hot tears ran down my cheeks and I gripped the blanket tighter around me. Humiliation flowed over my body and I couldn’t believe I had actually tried to seduce someone and he had run from me faster than a kid from a haunted house.

Walking to the en suite I dropped the blanket and turned on the shower. If I was going to be this miserable I might as well drown my mortification under the rain showerhead.

What was I supposed to do with myself at this point? I wasn’t interested in sex anymore, which was for sure. Was I supposed to just get dressed and crawl back into bed? After the shower I threw on some of my most comfortable nightclothes and sat down on the small couch in the corner and opened my laptop. There was no way I was going to get any sleep at this point, so I decided I’d get a jump on things for tomorrow.

There would be cleanup from the wedding, media attention to deal with, and the tasks I’d taken on while Sam and Alex would be gone. I answered e-mails, forwarded things to Selene, and uploaded some of the pictures I had taken from the night. I even sent a message to Selene to see if she could schedule a lunch with Meredith and Marty while they were in town. It would be nice to make them feel a bit more involved with the family. Especially since they spent the majority of their time in another country.

I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but I woke to the soft shuffling of feet in my room, and the stream of sunlight coming through the windows. I wiped at the drool on my cheek and turned to see who was in my apartment. Selene was straightening my bed and had David’s jacket draped over her arm.

“Um.” I sat up and blinked the crust out of my eyes. I hadn’t realized he had left it the night before.

“Good morning.” Selene smiled at me. “I got your e-mails first thing and will see if Meredith has any free time. I believe she and her son are staying for a little while to tour the capital.”

“Oh, thank you.” Scrubbing at my face I watched her and tried to figure out how to explain the jacket. “David must have left that last night after we finished talking.”

“Of course.” She leaned over and picked up my dress from the ground and laid it on my bed. “I’ll be sure to get it back to him and see to it that your dress is cleaned.”

“Yes, I’d like to be able to wear that one again.” It had been very flattering. Of course, it would also always be linked in my mind to the night a man ran screaming from my bed.

“Certainly. It looked lovely on you.” She gave me a gentle smile. “I’m glad to see you’ve made a new friend. You haven’t had much time to relax. Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

“Er—no.” I frowned. Well, she knew. Or at least thought she knew what must have happened last night. And in all honesty, I still wasn’t sure what had happened. Well, some parts were crystal clear: David’s kisses, the way his mouth felt against my skin, and his laughter. Then there were other parts that were clear, like the disdain on his face when he realized I was a virgin or the shame I had felt when he backed away from me. If I never saw him again, it would be too soon.

“Okay. Well, your morning is pretty empty. If you have something you’d like to do, let me know and we’ll get it taken care of. Or if you’d rather just relax, that’s a good plan too.” Selene smiled.

“I think I’d like to read for a little while. I can’t remember the last time I read for fun.” Samantha had given me several books that she thought I would enjoy. Getting up, I walked over to my bedside table and pulled the drawer open.
Vain
by Fisher Amelie looked up at me and I touched the pretty cover. A distraction would be a welcome thing this morning. “Would you let me know an hour before our next appointment?”

“Of course,” Selene said. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Thank you.” I took the book back to my little sofa and curled up under a blanket. I read the intriguing synopsis, opened the book, and got down to business. By the time two hours had rolled around, I was so engrossed I could barely think of anything else. I hated Sophie, the main character, before pitying her. Then I fell in love with her and the hero just as quickly.

There was a knock at my door, but I was in the middle of a particularly gripping paragraph and didn’t want to get up. “Come in!”

I didn’t look up until I was finished and that was when I realized that David had entered my room, not Selene. He was wearing jeans and another of his damn flannel shirts and had tucked his hands into his pockets. He looked determined and frustrated. Maybe even a little nervous.

I stared at him, wondering why he was here. What could he possibly have to say that hadn’t been already said? My virginity freaked him out and he’d apologized. Yeah, that pretty much summed up everything we had to say to each other.

However, my mouth was apparently not on the same wavelength as my brain. “You left your jacket. Selene said she would get it back to you.” I shifted in my seat so that my feet were touching the floor. That’s when I remembered I was wearing an old pair of pajamas.

“She brought it to me.” He rocked back on his feet. “How are you—”

“What do you—” I shook my head as our words overlapped. He smiled, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t do that funny thing to my heart. “Did you need something?”

His mouth twitched and I could tell he was doing that thing where he tried to decide what to say. “I think we should go out on a date.”

“What?” My eyebrows pulled together and I frowned.

“A date. Like to the movies or grab some food.” He shrugged one shoulder and gave me a half smile.

“The movies?” I stared at him dumbfounded. Go to a movie theater?

“Or whatever you do in Lilaria on dates.” He scratched at his chin. “I’m willing to do something else.”

I looked down at my bare feet sticking out of the faded night pants and thought about it. Just the idea made my stomach do flips. Could I have a normal night with him after he had turned away from me? After he had seen me mostly naked?

“You’re asking me out on a date?” My brain refused to completely compute what was happening.

“I’d like to see you again.” His head bobbed a little as if he was agreeing with what he had said. “I’d like to get to know you better.”

Maybe it was that last sentence. Or perhaps it was the fact that I really had enjoyed talking with him last night. It could even be the fact that he looked so damn adorable standing there asking me for a date. But my mouth once again took over and my answer burst forth without thought.

“I’d like that.”

“Good.” A grin broke out on his face. “Tonight?”

“Um, I have to check my schedule.” I frowned.

“You know, with any other girl I might think you were trying to find an excuse, but you probably really do have to check your calendar.” He chuckled, but I caught the nervous hint underneath.

“I’m not trying to find an excuse.” I rolled my eyes. “Free time is sometimes hard to come by.”