Page 69 of Chris

“Shhh,” he whispered against the seam of Valeria’s lips when he pulled away, and she opened her mouth to speak. “Just relax, yeah?”

Valeria let out a shaky breath, her dark eyes darting up to his. “Kind of hard, so excuse me.”

He grinned crookedly, a thumb sweeping the line of her jaw. There was something silky about her skin—warm and inviting. She had to feel the hard ridge of his erection pressing against her body tucked into his, but she said nothing about it. That was the proof, though, about just how much this woman affected him, even if he didn’t understand why.

All it took was kissing her.

Stroking her jaw.

And all of him wanted to discover as much as he could about the rest of her. Peel off these thin, soft bed clothes she had put on, lay her back, and explore. With his mouth, and his hands, and his cock. Learn how she enjoyed being loved, and the kinds of sounds she would make when he found what she liked the most.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she mumbled, her bottom lip trembling when he dropped a soft kiss to her mouth again. “What are you doing?”

“I shouldn’t be, you’re right.”

He could do the job without this. God knew he had no business messing around with a married woman, even if said woman didn’t want to be married, or in her current situation. There were vows in life a man didn’t need to break, and this was one of those.

The problem for him was that it wasn’t the forbidden that drew him back to Valeria, or even the thrill. No, it was simply her.

Something about her had him coming back, wanting more, and willing to risk it all.

Was it stupid?

Entirely.

It also might be worth it.

Chris would chance it.

“Jorge took off in one of the Jeeps with a woman,” Chris said, still stroking the line of Valeria’s jaw with his thumbs as he spoke to keep her calm, “and said he wouldn’t be back until morning, likely.”

Her gaze drifted away from his. “The servant?”

“Seemed so.”

“Hmm.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly.

Valeria barked out a laugh, her dark stare coming back to his with a fire lingering there. “Look at me—in a bedroom with a man who isn’t my husband, with his hands on me, and still able to taste him in my mouth. What are you apologizing for?”

“That look in your eyes,” Chris responded, “that sadness I wish you didn’t feel.”

She stiffened, her chin quivered, but just as fast as that threat of her vulnerability came on, it left. Replaced instead by something colder, and stronger. Life had a funny way of doing that to people—of shaping them into a better version of themselves, even if it hurt a lot along the way to get to the end result.

Chris was proof of that.

“There are still people—guards—in this house that could get me in trouble for this,” she said.

Chris shrugged. “They’re busy.”

“What does that mean?”

“Seems like when the king is away, the court will play.”

Valeria’s gaze burned. “He is no king.”

“Agreed.” Chris sighed, tipping Valeria’s head back so he could stare down at her, and enjoy the sight of this woman in his hands for a moment. “You understand, don’t you?”