“I have no intention of talking you out of moving to New York.” He eliminated the distance between them with deliberate strides, letting passion incinerate his fear of losing her. “I only want what’s best for you.”
He hadn’t meant for his words to upset her, but suddenly she looked stricken. Moving with slow tenderness, he slipped the dress from her body and worshipped her soft skin with his fingers and lips. The catch on her strapless bra popped free, no match for his expertise, and she sucked in a sharp breath as he took one breast in his hand.
With his desire spiraling in ever tightening circles, Christian dropped to his knees before Noelle and hooked his fingers in her white, lacy panties, pulling them down her thighs. The vibration in her muscles increased, threatening her stability. To keep her upright, he framed her slender hips with his hands. Her flat stomach quivered as he trailed kisses across it.
He’d missed the chance to watch her belly grow round with his son. He set his forehead against her, overwhelmed by how much more he stood to lose if he couldn’t win her love. His sudden stillness prompted her to ride her palms across his bare shoulders and dragged her nails through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her and set his cheek against her abdomen.
“Christian?”
He’d never fully appreciated the power of her soothing touch. How her quiet voice and fervent embrace created a sanctuary that let his worries slip away.
“I wasn’t completely truthful when I said I only wanted what was best for you. What I really want is what’s best for me. And that’s you.”
“Make love to me.”
Not needing to be asked twice, Christian lifted her off her feet and set her on the mattress. Together they stripped the comforter away, exposing the cool sheets. Noelle knelt on the bed and snagged the waistband of his trousers, drawing him toward her. Moving with confidence, she unfastened his belt and slid down his zipper until she’d freed him.
He had the package open and the condom ready, but when she began to slide it down his erection, the heaven of her strong fingers closed around him ripped a groan from his lips. Rolling her fingers over his sensitive tip, she gave a half smile as his hips bucked forward. Shuddering, too aroused to withstand her ministrations for long, Christian sucked in a sharp breath and freed himself from her grasp.
“You drive me crazy,” he growled a second before claiming her lips in a hot, fiery kiss.
Tenderness vanished beneath the onslaught of her answering passion as she pushed her breasts against his chest and drove him crazy with the seductive sway of her hips. Filling his hands with her adorable butt, he shifted her off the mattress and coaxed her thighs around his waist. With his erection hardened to the point of pain, he laid her on the crisp sheets and moved between her thighs.
But he didn’t enter her as she’d expected. Instead, his lips grazed over her mound, causing her head to lift off the bed and her gaze to sharpen. Enjoying the play of emotion on her face, he dipped his tongue into her sizzling heat and tasted her arousal. With a groan, her head fell back and her hips strained forward. Christian grinned as he began again, finding the rhythm that she liked and coaxing her toward climax.
She came against his mouth, her back arching, his name on her lips. In the aftermath, she lay with her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with each unsteady breath. Smiling, Christian kissed his way back up her body. He settled between her thighs and kissed her with all the longing that filled his heart. Then, at her urging, he eased into her tight heat. She burrowed her fingers in his hair and set the soles of her feet on the mattress, tipping her hips to meet his slow, deep thrust.
Now it was his turn to cry out. Burying his face in her neck, he began to move. Pleasure swept over him in a stormy rush. He set his teeth against the glorious friction, fighting against the orgasm that threatened to claim him. By slowing his movements, he was able to regain some control, but the provocative sweep of Noelle’s hands over his hot skin wasn’t making things any easier.
“Faster,” she murmured, her teeth catching at his earlobe. “I want you to come hard.” Her throaty voice and the flick of her tongue over the tender spot where she’d nipped him caused him to shudder and almost lose control.
“Damn it, stop that,” he growled, cupping one butt cheek and adjusting his angle just a bit to allow his pelvis to rub her just so.
With her eyes closed and her lips curled into a satisfied grin, she yielded to his pace. Content to watch her, Christian barely noticed the heat building in his groin until it threatened to engulf him.
“Come with me,” Christian said. It was a plea rather than a command.
He thrust more powerfully. Her lashes lifted and her eyes met his. This is what they were good at. Connecting at this intimate level. Her vulnerability had taught him openness. Her strength had made it safe for him to let go. She’d never judged or demanded. Just given. It had made him want to give in return.
Fighting against his orgasm until she started to go over the edge, Christian felt something inside him struggling to get free. Noelle’s beautiful eyes widened as the first spasms of her climax began. Wild with relief, Christian drove forward into his own release, the force of it ripping a harsh cry from him. Blackness snatched at him as stars exploded behind his eyes. Dimly he heard Noelle call his name.
For what felt like an eternity, wave after wave of pleasure pounded him. At last there was only peace and ragged breathing. Weak and shaky, Christian shifted his weight off Noelle and gathered her into his arms. She returned his hearty embrace with matching energy. They lay entwined for several minutes before Christian went to the bathroom and came back with a towel and her nightgown.
She’d never liked sleeping naked, which was fine with him because he enjoyed gliding his hands over her silk covered curves and stripping her bare each time they made love. Once her glorious breasts, tiny waist and slender hips were concealed beneath the pale green fabric, Christian set the alarm on his phone to wake them at 5:00 a.m. and pulled the covers up over them both.
This would be the first time they spent the night together since reconnecting, and Noelle’s lack of protest made Christian wonder if she’d changed her mind about his proposal. If he could spend the rest of his life with Noelle, he would be happier than he deserved to be.
He stopped resisting the pull of exhaustion. Keeping up with Marc’s boundless energy had taken its toll. Content in a way he hadn’t been for a long time, Christian buried his nose in Noelle’s fragrant hair and sighed.
“I love you,” he murmured and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Christian’s words lanced through Noelle, shocking her to complete wakefulness. Before the echo of his voice faded, his deep breathing told her he was unconscious. Her first impulse was to shake him awake and force him to repeat the words. Had he meant them? Had he even realized what he said? Why was it the man couldn’t speak his heart unless he was semiconscious?
Noelle lay awake for a long time, her cheek on Christian’s bare chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. She pondered the impact her expanding business was about to have on her son and her love life. Was it wrong to want it all? Success with her ready-to-wear line? The family she’d longed for with Christian? The thought of reaching out and grabbing nothing but air worried her, but she wouldn’t see stars without overcoming a fear of the dark.
No solutions revealed themselves that night. She awoke to an empty bed and a brief note on hotel stationery from Christian, letting her know he had taken Marc to his suite so she could get ready in peace. The note was brisk and informative, lacking the romantic overtones left over from the previous night.
Heaving a sigh, Noelle got up and went to shower. Had all her what-ifs and how-tos from the previous night been a waste of time? Perhaps in the hazy aftermath of some spectacular lovemaking she’d only imagined what she longed to hear Christian say.
No. Noelle refused to believe that. She knew what she’d heard. Christian loved her. Based on how he’d protected her from his friends and pulled strings to get her on the path to a fabulous career, he’d loved her for a long time. That he had a hard time being vulnerable didn’t surprise her.
Not only had he run with a condescending group of entitled troublemakers who tormented anyone who showed weakness, he’d also been the youngest of three princes, far from the throne with no expectations placed on him. Christian had once shared that he often felt like an afterthought. Noelle suspected this was what had led him to act out.
On the way to her first meeting, Noelle called her assistant back in Sherdana to check on her appointment for later in the week and was delighted to learn that the bride had postponed until the following month. This opened up the rest of the week, and more than anything Noelle wanted a quiet dinner with Christian and to spend a day roaming New York City with him and their son.
Knowing that Christian had cleared his entire schedule so he could be there for Marc, she sent him a text asking if they could postpone returning to Sherdana. He responded with a photo of him and Marc cheek to cheek, both giving a thumbs-up. Warmth spread through her, and she clutched the screen to her chest. Loosing a ragged sigh, she sent back a smiley face and spent the rest of the ride organizing a romantic dinner for two.
* * *
At a little after four in the afternoon, Christian carried his sleeping son across the Four Seasons lobby and into an elevator. Along the way he caught several women watching him, their expressions reading isn’t that sweet. He resisted smiling until the elevator doors closed. He wasn’t accustomed to women approving of his deeds and found he rather liked it.
Noelle was working at the desk in her suite when he let himself in. She started to rise, but he waved her back. In the past couple of days, he’d grown accustomed to caring for Marc and enjoyed it a great deal.
After taking his son’s shoes off and tucking him beneath a light blanket with his favorite stuffed dinosaur, Christian returned to the living room. Noelle had put away her laptop and was standing near the wide windows staring out over the city. As Christian drew near, she smiled at him over her shoulder.
“Another hectic day?”
