Free The Queen Revealed by A. R. Winterstaar Page B

a hard, rolling orgasm that lasted forever and no time at all.
    Finally released, Adele fell onto the bed beside Rainere, both of them panting and glistening with sweat. As Adele lay with her eyes closed, she felt Rainere’s hand move gently along her cheek. She smiled and bliss made her silly.
    “Find me a priest,” she said, with a satisfied groan, and trembled from the orgasm that shook her still. “I’ll marry you as soon as we have one.”
    But she didn’t open her eyes, so she didn’t see Rainere’s expression and the pain in his eyes. She didn’t see that, once again, he didn’t believe her.

 
    Chapter Nine
    “To Look Upon Hope and Smile”
    Rainere led Adele back to the apartment, holding her hand the whole way. The empty hallways and corridors were all so dimly lit that the brightness of the lanterns outside the suite doors almost dazzled Adele.
    She pulled Rainere back around the corner so they were in the dark again. Rainere looked at her quizzically and pressed in close so she would only have to whisper. Adele slipped her hands under his untucked shirt, enjoying the smoothness of his tightly-packed muscle under her hot hands, but she forced herself to focus on something else for a minute.
    “Rainere, tomorrow you are going to meet my children,” she murmured. “They might be a bit… if they don’t like you, you must be gentle with them, okay?”
    Adele bit her bottom lip and hoped that Rainere would take her advice in the way that she intended it. If he really wanted them to be together, then he would have to work hard to earn her children’s trust.
    “I will be a perfect gentleman, I assure you, Adelena.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “ Cara mia , I know how important this is to you, and to us.”
    He kissed her in farewell and his tongue flicked lightly in her mouth. Stifling a moan, Adele reached up to pull Rainere closer and felt him stiffening against her in response. She pressed into the kiss and reached between his legs.
    “ Cara mia , no.” He broke away as he pulled her hands off his body and gave them back to her. “We cannot.”
    “It’s not my fault. You started it!” whispered Adele, unable to keep the embarrassed pique out of her voice. “If you didn’t smell so good…”
    Adele could almost feel the smugness radiating off Rainere at her compliment and lack of self-control. She resolved not to kiss him again before she walked away as a petty punishment for his ability to resist her right now.
    “Good night, Your Highness,” Adele said loudly and stepped out from their dark corner, away from Rainere, and into the light of the hallway. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”
    “Good night, Your Majesty,” replied Rainere formally. “I shall look forward to seeing you and the Royal Family tomorrow for lunch.”
    “Very well,” answered Adele haughtily, and didn’t glance back over her shoulder, even though she was dying to. “I shall see if I have the time for it.”
    She almost giggled at his answering growl, and blew him a quick kiss before she opened the apartment door and fell onto Captain Lucky.
    “Oh, Your Majesty!” said her handsome Captain with his customary smile. “We thought maybe the Prince had eaten you, you’ve been gone for so long!”
    “No, no, I’m quite alright,” replied Adele quickly, stepping into the room and shoving Lucky out of the way. She cursed her bad luck, Dammit! Why couldn’t it have been Bear who opened the door? He wouldn’t have said two words to me.
    “Our sympathies have been with you all evening, Your Majesty,” said QG Pepper, standing up as Adele entered the room, and stifling a yawn. “When Mr. Grotto came to tell us that His Highness had taken you up to view the Observatory, we knew you would be doing your duty for the Crown all night.”
    Adele forced a laugh at her young guard’s comment. “The Prince certainly can talk! As soon as we got onto the topic of what the Marchant Family is owed by the