Free Christmas in His Royal Bed by Heidi Betts Page A

with equal enthusiasm.

    His hands raked her sides. Then he was caressing her thighs, both outside and in.

    His knuckles brushed the triangle of curls between her legs as he began to explore. He stroked and teased, groaning when he found her already damp.

    She writhed beneath him as he used two fingers to plumb her depths. She was panting now, and her breathing grew more shallow as he traced his fingertips over the tiny nub of pleasure hidden within her folds.

    He touched her there, and she exploded. The orgasm washed over her like a wave of heat.

    His smug, satisfied smile greeted her when she opened her eyes. Her cheeks heated at his close scrutiny, and she felt suddenly self-conscious about her wanton response to his touch.

    “You blush beautifully,” he told her, kissing the corner of her mouth.

    He didn’t give her a chance to respond, but immediately began caressing her again, his hands filled with magic as they danced across her flesh, leaving no part of her unsatisfied.

    The tip of his erection pressed against her opening, and she spread her legs wider, inviting him in. Little by little, he entered her, his heat and hardness filling her. The deeper he went, the more she responded, any signs of discomfort overpowered by the delight shivering through her.

    But when he thrust forward in one powerful motion, what had been a minor tenderness turned to a sharp stab of pain that had her gasping aloud.

    Nicolas jerked back, brows knit and eyes narrowed as he scowled down at her.

    “Alandra,” he said, his breathing slightly labored as he held himself perfectly still. “You’re a virgin? ”

    Nine

    S he was a virgin?
    How in the name of all that was holy could she be inexperienced?

    Nicolas’s mind raced back over everything he knew about Alandra. All the times he’d been with her, spoken with her, observed her from across a room without her knowledge. Nothing in her demeanor so much as hinted that she was an innocent.

    And what about the scandal she’d been involved in back in the States? His mother had been only too pleased to share the details of Alandra’s indiscretion—a love affair with a married man.

    A love affair with a married man that had left her a virgin? Nicolas could feel his brow furrowing, the skin of his face tightening as he continued to study her. And all the while he was powerfully aware of their physical connection, of the fact that he still ached and throbbed inside of her.

    “How can you be a virgin?” he demanded, his tone brittle and more accusing than he’d intended.

    Alandra’s eyes grew wider, but passion still filled them. “Forget about my virginity and finish what you started.”

    To drive home her point, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her hips just enough to send lightning bolts of sensation through his rigid length. He sucked in a harsh breath, using every ounce of willpower he possessed not to start moving, and thrust himself to a glorious but premature end.

    His nostrils flared as he took several measured breaths, counting to ten, then twenty. When he could finally speak without groaning or sweating too profusely, he said, “I’m all for carrying on, but as soon as we’re done, I will want to talk about this.”

    She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I fully expect you to make my first time memorable, though.”

    A grin flashed across his face and the mood in the room instantly shifted to a less intense level. There must be traces of royal blood somewhere in Alandra’s ancestry. She had the imperial air down pat.

    “Oh, darling,” he murmured, leaning in to cover her mouth with his, “you can rely on it.”

    He occupied her with kisses and featherlight touches on her breasts and abdomen. And at the same time, he began to move his hips, slowly and carefully.

    By now, her body had adjusted to his size and invasion. Her muscles were relaxed, warm and silky smooth with arousal.

    He used long, gentle strokes to start, not wanting to do