Free Royal's Wedding Secret by Sophia Lynn Page B

that was hard for her to look at. Instead, she looked away and tugged at his clothing.
    "Take these off. I think you've had them on for far too long …"
    He stripped, more economically and quickly than he had removed her clothing, but she was still entranced. The body he revealed was athletic perfection, lean and muscled with a thoroughbred grace. Just as she had matured, so had he, and she wasn't sure she had ever seen a man who was so attractive.
    "Come here," she whispered, her voice aching with desire, and they fell together onto the bed.
    When she was in his arms, it felt like no time at all had passed. She remembered how to kiss him, how to hold him, how to touch him, and his groans told her that she had remembered right.
    "Condoms on the nightstand," she said, breathing harder.
    When he reached for them, he shot her an amused look at the brand new, unopened box. "Did you have expectations for tonight?" he teased, and she laughed at him.
    "A gentleman might not want to presume, but a lady should always act in her own best interests," she said loftily.
    Soon enough, Marnie rolled over on her back, pulling him on top of her. The weight of his body felt like heaven on her, and when she felt the blunt tip of his cock at her entrance, she whimpered with need.
    He eased into her slowly with a series of slow thrusts, each one entering her a little deeper. She thought that he was going to drive her crazy with desire.
    "Please, please, give me more than that," she whispered. "I need you, please …"
    Philip's voice was harsh with desire, roughened by effort. "I don't want to hurt you," he said. "That's the last thing I want …"
    "You won't hurt me," she said with utter certainty. "You can't. You won't. I know you."
    It was as if her words had freed him. He sunk into her to the hilt before pulling halfway back and thrusting into her again. She whimpered with need, throwing her legs around his to try to bring him closer to her.
    He set a hard and punishing rhythm, one that sang to her. It called to the primal part of her that she had so long forgotten, the woman she had been who had once been content to make love all day and sleep it off afterward.
    When Philip's rhythm grew more erratic and even more forceful, she knew he was close. She tightened her legs around his waist, needing to be as close to him as she could. When he finally shuddered to a stop, his face buried in her neck and his powerful body shivering with his release, Marnie could have cried at how good it felt.
    "Perfect, you're perfect," he whispered in her ear, and in that moment, she felt as perfect as he said she was.
    She never wanted the moment to end, but finally, he had to pull away. She watched through pleasure-filled eyes as he rose up, slipping into his boxers to make his way to the bathroom. When he returned, he discarded them again, slipping into bed with her before looking suddenly concerned.
    "What is it?" Marnie asked, alarmed. Had he decided that he regretted what they had done? Had he simply found her unappealing and only now noticed?
    "Nothing, I hope," he said. "Marnie, is it going to be a problem for me to sleep here? I'll be honest, I want nothing more than to stay. We can get up whenever we like, grab some breakfast, maybe walk down to the park again … but would it be strange for Victoria to see me?"
    Marnie bit her lip. A part of her could have cursed the idea of needing to kick her lover out of bed, but the greater part, the part of her that was Victoria's mommy and always would be, wondered at whether her daughter should find Philip there when she woke. She bit her lip, but finally she made her decision.
    "I think you should stay," she said firmly. "Victoria knows how important you are to me, and she's already had a sleepover at a friend's house. She knows that sleepovers are reserved for friends that you care about very, very much."
    "Oh, am I a friend that you care about very, very much?" Philip teased, and she hit him lightly with a