Page 44 of Claimed By the Crown Prince

Dax seemed to take pity on her. He put down the protection and led her over to the bed.

He stood in front of her. ‘Laia, I don’t want you to regret this. You’re about to become Queen. Life for you and my brother is different. When you meet the man you’ll marry he’ll probably expect you to be—’

‘Pure?’ Laia cut Dax off. ‘I’ve done my best to get out of one medieval marriage arrangement. I’m not going to keep myself pure, like some sort of sacrificial offering for my husband. I’m a modern woman, Dax, and the only reason I’m still a virgin is because I’ve never had the opportunity to lose my virginity. Most men are too scared to come near me—they’re put off by the fact that I’m promised already—and if it isn’t that they’re just intimidated by my status. Apart from all that, I have practically no privacy. I’m watched over day and night. Here...with you... This is the first time in a long time that I’ve been truly on my own. And it’s not just that you happen to be here and it’s an opportunity.You’rethe man I want. The man I’ve wanted for so long. The fact that you’re here is...serendipitous. It’s like a gift...you’rea gift.’

Everything in Dax rejected her assertion that he was a gift, while at the same he was inordinately moved by her words.

Dax wasn’t anyone’s gift. He brought with him a legacy of guilt and tragedy. A debauched reputation. And yet here, now, in front of Laia, who was looking at him with such pure desire, he felt ridiculously that he was being reborn on some level.

He reached out and touched her jaw. So delicate, yet strong. Like her. He felt humble all of a sudden. This woman was a queen—maybe not quite yet, but she would be, very soon. And he could imagine her being a great queen. Strong and proud, but also soft and compassionate.

Ari had been a fool not to take more care to make her feel wanted. She would have been a great Queen of Santanger. But she wasn’t Ari’s, and in that moment Dax felt a surge of emotion as he fully acknowledged that she wanted him.

‘I don’t deserve you...this.’

Laia shook her head. ‘Why would you say such a thing? Of course you deserve me. I’m really not that—’

Dax put his finger on her mouth, stopping her words. ‘Don’t you dare say it. You are a woman descended from great women, who have endured all manner of things to be Queen of their land. And you are about to become Queen. You’re already a queen.’

He saw Laia’s throat work as she swallowed. And then she took a step closer to him and put her hand on his wrist, pulling his hand away from her mouth.

‘Can we just...stop talking? And make love?’

Dax couldn’t help huffing out a laugh. No woman had ever accused him of talking too much. But of course with this woman everything was reversed and upside down.

‘Yes, we can.’

He took a step back. He wanted nothing more than to rip that excuse of a dress from her body and sink so deep inside her that all the things she made him feel and all the contradictions would be eclipsed.

But now was not the time. He would have to go slowly, even if it killed him.

‘Undress me, Laia.’

She looked up at him, her lip caught between her teeth. Dax curled his hands into fists to stop himself from touching her. She brought her hands to his shirt and started to undo his buttons. He saw how she concentrated. He also saw the almost discernible tremor in her hands. She was nervous. He’d never had to worry about that before, because his lovers had always been experienced.

He let her undo all the buttons on his shirt. She pulled it out of his trousers. Then her hands went to his belt buckle and his every nerve-ending was tingling. She opened the belt. Then the top button of his trousers. The zip.

Dax held his breath. He could hear Laia’s breath coming faster. The dress dipped down between her breasts and he caught tantalising glimpses of soft, plump swells. Her nipples were hard. He imagined the silk material of the dress brushing against them. Sensitising them even more.

Unable to hold back, Dax reached out and cupped Laia’s breast through her dress. She sucked in a breath and looked up. He kept his eyes on her and took his hand from her breast to pull down the other strap of her dress. She lifted her arms free. The dress gaped and Dax tugged it ever so slightly, until it dropped all the way down, exposing one breast.

‘You are...beautiful,’ he breathed in awe.

Her skin was luminous, dark golden. Her breast was perfectly shaped. Pert and plump. Succulent. The nipple was hard, pouting forward from the areola. Dax cupped her flesh and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the hard, straining nipple.

Laia was very still. Hardly breathing now. He looked up. Her eyes were unfocused.

He reached for the other strap and pulled it down, exposing her other breast. The dress clung to her hips.

Dax finished taking off his clothes until he was naked before her. He felt something reverent move through him, as if he was offering himself to her for her delectation.

Her eyes moved over him, shy at first, and then avid. Over his chest and waist and then down. Colour suffused her cheeks as she took him in. Took in how much he wanted her. How hard he was for her.

He ached.

Her eyes were wide. He could see in them something that looked like trepidation. He took her hand and put it on his chest, over his heart. She looked up.

‘Don’t think about it. Just let it...happen.’