“Really?” Lily sat up, treating him to a flash of thigh before she hurriedly smoothed her thin cotton robe.
Alex frowned. “Yeah, but we can go out if you want.”
A wide smile stretched her lips, highlighting a cute set of dents beside her mouth that he hadn’t noticed before. “No, dinner in the room is perfect.”
Her voice strummed along his nerves, playing him like a master court musician. And the way her eyes caressed him… Alex suppressed a violent shudder and concentrated on keeping his hands clenched behind his back.
A knock on the door was a welcome interruption, and he answered with alacrity. A young man wearing a white uniform wheeled a trolley into the room. He unloaded the covered plates from the trolley along with stemmed glasses and the bottle of wine, and set the table ready for them to eat. Alex watched in silence as he placed the final item on the table—an apricot rose-flower in a glass vase.
“Thank you.” Alex handed the man a money-note on the way out.
The door clicked as it closed, while the wheels of the trolley squeaked until the man reached the bank of lifts.
“That smells wonderful. What did you order?”
“The man in the restaurant recommended the lamb.” Suddenly Alex wished he’d never had the idea. All he’d wanted was to make things easier for Lily. But right now, he felt as if he waded through knee-deep trouble. The setting was romantic and, dammit, that wasn’t what he’d intended.
“Let’s eat,” Lily said, still beaming.
Alex tried not to look directly at her as he gestured for her to sit. He pulled out a chair, seated her then strolled around to sit opposite with a calmness he didn’t feel. Every breath he dragged in overloaded his senses with Lily’s scent, torturing him with reminders of how much he wanted her. The bonding ties tightened like a rope around his neck, slowly squeezing his willpower, but he refused to give in to the siren urge. No messy emotional entanglements for him. No, majesty! He intended to remain free to pursue his dreams. No way did he intend to hitch himself to a woman only to discover that she changed when she discovered he was a royal prince. He chanced a glance at Lily. Hard to say if she would be like that or not, but he didn’t intend to take the risk.
“Is there something wrong with your meal? You’re frowning at your plate as though it’s full of worms.”
Alex jerked his gaze off the roast lamb to study Lily. A soft glow made her eyes particularly beautiful. He stilled at the emotion he discovered in them—deep and mysterious. Her expression reminded him of the palace consorts when they managed to wear him down and drag him off to bed.
Please don’t let her chase me
. Heck, he had to get a grip on himself. With the spell the old crone had given him, he was as ugly as a newborn undergrown. But Lily was a problem because she seemed desperate to prove her value. And that bloody ex-male of hers. He’d mucked up her self-confidence and now she’d decided to test her wiles on someone safe. Him. Well, comet-flash—she’d picked the wrong male, and he sure as hell wasn’t feeling harmless.
“What did you think of the sights you saw today?”
When Alex risked another glance, he saw her normal, cheery expression. An innocent set of blue eyes framed by wisps of brown hair combined with a sprinkling of brown dots on her nose and cheeks and a gentle smile.
Take her at face value, he decided. He thought of all the sights he’d seen and immediately his enthusiasm bubbled and plans filled his mind with a pleasant buzz. “I want to include Rotorua on my itinerary. There are so many different things to see. We don’t have anything like this on Dalcon or the neighboring planets.”
“Are you trying to appeal to adventurous travelers?”
“Not necessarily. I’d like to offer alternative activities in each stop-off point. And I’d like to cater for both male and female clients.”
The discussion carried Alex past his awkwardness and suspicions, letting him relax and float all his budding ideas past Lily. By the end of dinner and the bottle of wine, they’d mapped out the stops for Rotorua and worked out a list of possibles for Taupo.
Lily cleared away the plates, stacking them outside the door for room service to collect. She stepped back inside the room and engaged the security lock with a metallic snap. Alex felt trapped with temptation.
“Do you want to use the bathroom first?” she asked.
The tension inside him ratcheted sharply upward. It seemed the minute he forgot to focus on his dream, visions of Lily and sexual relations crowded his head.
Okay. Lily could go first. He’d continue with his planning then take a cold shower and massage away some of the sexual tension. By the time he emerged, Lily would be asleep.
Simple solution.
He forced a smile. “You go first.” His gaze darted to her cleavage as her cotton robe gaped. Round, soft curves tempted him to close the distance between them. The little brown dot on her breast beckoned. A whimper built in his throat. Alex bunched his fists and concentrated on deep breaths. By the Goddess, he hoped she was quick because he really needed that shower.
Lily had switched off the main lights and only a single bedside lamp burned when he exited the shower, dressed in a short robe provided by the hotel. Good. She seemed to be asleep. Alex eyed the couch. It looked short, but he’d make do.
“Alex?”
Damn.
Lily sat up and patted the expanse of bed beside her. “I hope you’re not thinking about sleeping on the couch.”
“Yes, I was,” Alex stated baldly.
“That’s silly. The bed is huge.”
But not big enough.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t bite.”
“But I’d like to,” he muttered in an undertone.
“Get in bed.”
Bloody hell. Alex sat and perched on the edge of the bed. Not a terribly masculine pose, but she terrified him. Her voice had turned masterful but sultry with it. A lethal combination.
“We have a lot to do tomorrow. You need a decent night’s sleep.”
“I’m not going to sleep if I’m in the same bed as you.” No point pulling his punches.
“Good.” Clear satisfaction rang in her voice. “We can use the time to explore each other.”
Fuck. He’d stepped right into that one. “I don’t think—”
“No thinking required.” Lily’s breasts rose and fell abruptly. “Just lie back and think of Dalcon.”
A dare.
Lily’s heart thudded so loudly it was a wonder Alex didn’t pounce on her fear and issue a return challenge. She needed to act before he called her bluff and climbed off the bed. Quick! But what should she do?
Alex made a move as if he might try to flee. Lily bit her bottom lip. Did she disrobe? Did she jump him? What? Heck, this was plain embarrassing. She might be female and she’d had sex before, but she had no idea how to seduce a man. At least she didn’t need to worry about contraception. As long as he didn’t have any nasty diseases, the Pill should suffice.
Then he turned to face her with an anguished expression that tore at her heart. He was going to move.
Ditch the nightie later. Naked later. Judging by his face, she needed to work on persuasion first. In the light of the bedside lamp, determination laced with something that resembled fear replaced the anguish. No, that couldn’t be right. Why would she scare him?
She blinked. Alex still looked as though he wanted to run. A picture of a wrestler sailed into her mind. Oh, yeah. She could imagine jumping him all right. And luckily, he was big and solid so she wouldn’t crush him. From the corner of her eye, she saw the muscles bunching in his calves.
Emergency! She launched herself across the bed before Alex moved. A wall of hard muscle flattened her breasts before his hands manacled her wrists and held her away so they no longer touched. She fought back taking him unaware and threw herself at him again. Lily bumped her nose on his shoulder so hard her eyes smarted, but it was worth the pain. Alex’s arms came around her, clutching her tightly to his chest.
His robe had loosened during their struggle, and Lily smiled as she nestled closer to his naked form. He gripped her upper arms with a painful intensity before he pushed her away to scrutinize her face. The man looked every inch the predator as his gaze bored into her, transfixing her with his golden glare.
Panic rose to savage Lily. He was going to push her away. Lily stopped fighting the strength in his arms and went boneless. As she’d gambled, he let up on his grip and she went in for the kill.
Seduction.
Lily was willing to use every weapon in her arsenal because she couldn’t take much more of the physical push and pull games. She ached for him, his full possession. Lily wanted the slow slide of his shaft massaging her deep inside. Whenever she glimpsed his chest, she wanted to lick and bite at the golden, hairless flesh. She wanted to tease and torment the flat discs of his nipples. The taste during their lunch break had left her hungry.
So, this was a test. If he really meant it when he said he found her attractive, now was the time for him to prove this.
Lily kissed him, sliding her lips over his in a slow dance of seduction. Alex stilled, his mouth motionless beneath her questing lips. No. No! Her mind screamed her frustration and helplessness. This wouldn’t work if he didn’t cooperate. She put everything she had into the kiss, moving her lips and tracing the seam of his mouth with her tongue. Still, he remained motionless. She gulped inwardly as she rained kisses on the corner of his mouth, across his jaw and pondered failure. A block of clay had more animation. Ambrose had kept telling her she lacked sex appeal.
Moving her kisses down his neck, Lily paused to enjoy the soft, tender skin below his ear. Was it her imagination or had Alex tensed? Lily swallowed. Maybe Ambrose was right about her sex appeal, or the lack of it. Tears formed at the back of her eyes and she squeezed them shut, trying to save embarrassment. Lily pressed another moist kiss across the pulse point below his ear then scraped her teeth over the same spot.
A low heartfelt groan cracked like a whip in the quiet room. Lily froze. Her heart pounded. Her eyes popped open.
Then she repeated the move. Slower. A bit more bite. Yeah. Her breath hissed out in celebration. That was a definite groan. Lily sucked, drawing on his neck. His hands gripped her shoulders tighter, drawing her close and allowing her free rein. She drew on the same spot for as long as it took to mark him. The idea of the golden cat prowling about with a hickey—her mark on his neck—thrilled her. It smacked of possession but that was exactly how she felt.
Lily wriggled closer to kiss his mouth. This time was better. Her mouth met warm, responsive lips. Masculine fingers threaded through her hair and hands cradled her skull. She moaned softly, writhing against him in silent demand.
“We shouldn’t.” Alex nibbled at her mouth. “Do this.”
Time to pull out her A game. No way was he stopping while she had breath in her body. She tugged free, whipped her nightie over her head and sat proudly naked, despite her inner anxiety.
A tic sprang to life at his temple. His hands clenched and unclenched.
“You’re so beautiful.” He touched one nipple with the tip of his finger. She trembled, closing her eyes against the zap of spine-tingling sensation that shot to her pussy. Unbidden, her hand reached to soothe the achy, almost painful jolt. The feeling intensified as her finger cruised over her clit.
“I have to touch you. Can I?”
Lily’s eyes fluttered open to see him watching her touch herself. She nodded, suddenly breathless at the hot gleam in his eyes. She felt a swooping pull in her lower belly. Her vagina contracted sharply. Feminine juices gathered beneath her finger.
“My turn,” Alex whispered, his voice low. Smoky.
Realization had hot flags of color exploding in her cheeks. She’d touched herself in front of Alex.
“Did it feel good when you touched yourself?”
How did he do that? Read her emotions before she knew them herself. Her attention dropped to the hand resting on her thigh. Her juices coated her finger and it shone. Her heart thudded hard as if a fist closed around it, squeezing tight. This was the new, go-getter Lily. She didn’t lie.
“Yes.” Lily’s chin lifted. “I liked it.”
Alex shifted, repositioning them on the bed so they reclined fully. Then he leaned over her and traced a finger across her lips. Lily opened her mouth and sucked his digit inside, soothing her tongue over the tip. Their eyes met and held.
“Lily.” Her name came out as a low groan, coated with passion and possibilities.
Teasing now, she gave his finger a final lick and released it with a loud smacking sound. She hoped the next thing she had in her mouth was his cock. A shiver shot through her at the thought. “You have on way too many clothes.” The words burst from her in a low breathy voice. A sexy voice. Surely, that wasn’t her?
Alex stared at her for a long drawn-out moment. He propped himself up on his elbows then swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His hands went to the tie at his waist. “Not for long.”
Lily licked suddenly dry lips as Alex stood. The huge bulge at his groin drew her attention.
“For me?”