Page 26 of Pregnancy Clause in Their Paper Marriage

Not yet.

Not quite yet. He pushed aside her panties, positioned himself, pulsing and so very ready, at her core. She arched up and he waited for one agonising second.

‘Are you ready?’

‘Yes.’

That was all he needed. He drove into her in one smooth stroke, a gasp escaping him as he felt her close around him and they began to move in sync, one stroke after another, each one driving him higher, wilder. He wanted to wait, hehadto wait until he felt her climax, he knew that much, but, heaven help him, it felt near impossible.

He was close,soclose, his whole body shuddering, his breath coming in gasps as she folded herself around him, her lips pressed against his throat, her leg around his hip, her hands roaming almost frantically along his back.

And then Lana let out a cry and her body shuddered around his and Christos let himself go. The release was immense, overwhelming his whole body, flooding his senses.

‘Lana,’ he heard himself saying, over and over. ‘Lana.Lana.’

Eventually, after what surely was only a few seconds but felt like minutes or even hours, the waves of pleasure receded, leaving them both sticky and sated, their clothing and hair rumpled, their breathing still uneven.

With a self-conscious smile, Lana began to untangle herself from him, unwinding her leg from around his hip, and then, to his surprise, sliding slowly to the floor.

She shook her head, a trembling laugh escaping her as she slid right down to the ground, still in just her rucked-up underwear, drawing her knees up to her chest, letting her head fall onto them. Christos watched her uneasily, his heart still thudding from the aftershocks of the most incredible orgasm he’d ever had. What if he hadn’t handled this right? Had he scared her? Hurt her? He’d never forgive himself, he knew that much.

‘Lana...’ he began, and then realised he didn’t know what to say.

Her head was still resting on her knees. ‘I...’ she began, and then looked up, her face flushed as she smiled wryly.‘Wow.’

Christos felt a huge grin spreading over his face.

Success.

‘Yeah,’ he agreed as he held out a hand to her and helped her up from the floor. ‘Wow.’

‘I’ve never...’ she began, scrambling to her feet. She reached for her dress, but only to toss it on a chair. He could get used to seeing her in just her bra and pants, and definitely those garters. ‘I haveneverfelt like that before,’ she told him frankly, and warmth bloomed in his chest, along with the pride she’d accused him of last night. But he knew it wasn’t the macho pride of another notch on the bedpost; no, it was something deeper and more elemental than that. He’dreachedher. He’d touched her, in a way nobody else had been able to, and yes, for that, he felt proud. Proud and touched himself.

And, he realised, a little freaked out, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that particular emotion now. He just wanted to enjoy this moment, in all of its resounding glory.

‘Well,’ he told her as he pulled up his trousers with a smile, ‘I actually haven’t, either.’

‘Oh, come on, you have.’ She spoke carelessly, but with a sting in the words that he felt.

Not this again.

She stood in front of him, her lithe, golden body resplendent in all that black lace, hands on her hips, her hair tumbled about her shoulders. ‘You probably do twice a week, at least.’

‘Seriously, Lana?’ He didn’t want to argue, and certainly not now, but twice aweek?

‘I’m not accusing you of anything,’ she replied, even though it sort of felt as if she was. ‘Just...let’s be realistic. You’re good at sex. I mean, own it, Christos. You know your way around a woman.’ She smiled and shrugged, and it felt, surprisingly, like a rather brutal brush-off.

This, he realised, was another way she distanced herself, and if he was smart, he would take it, so they could both stick to the terms of their deal. No emotional engagement, but yes, lots of great sex, because, hell, maybe he was good at it. So was she, even if she didn’t know it.

This was when he should say,Why, thank you very much, and let me prove it to you again.

But the words, so laughing and light, didn’t come.

‘Actually,’ he told her as he tucked his shirt in, his tone more matter-of-fact than wry, ‘I may be good at sex, but before tonight I hadn’t had it in three years.’

CHAPTER NINE

LANASTARTEDTOSMILE, only to see that Christos was utterly serious. She felt the smile slide off her face like a pancake off a plate as she stared at him, incredulous, uncertain, appalled,hopeful. The jumble of her emotions felt like too much to process.