his hands through her simple black cocktail dress and shivered in pleasure, wanting more; she twined her fingers through his thick short curls, pressed herself snugly against him, tasting the sweet wine and the elderflower sorbet on his tongue, losing herself completely.
Her eyes closed, and she felt her nipples stiffen against the light silk fabric of her bra. The sensation was delicious. It had been so long since Lori had let herself be carried away like this, to eat a three-course meal, drink wine with every course, to kiss a man and feel her whole body respond. She had been measured in her response to Joachim previously, echoing his decorous kisses, unsure of what proper etiquette was with a king when she wasn’t even his official girlfriend, but knowing that she certainly didn’t want to seem in any way too eager, a vulgar American girl who didn’t know that European kings pursued their courtships with gentlemanly restraint.
But now, his hand was behind her head, holding her tightly against him, his other hand caressing the upper slopes of her bottom, and the relief was overwhelming. Joachim
was
capable of passion, as she had secretly begun to doubt. Now that they were engaged, he could allow himself to show her how much he wanted her as a woman. And Lori was more than ready. She’d spent the last two years training exceptionally hard, had broken up with her college boyfriend because he was resentful of her commitment to making the US Olympic team, and had barely got laid since. Being courted by Joachim had been a fairy tale, but she was a red-blooded girl who definitely enjoyed sex; if he had made a pass at her days ago, she would have been overjoyed. She certainly wasn’t the kind of woman who would have made him propose before she agreed to go to bed with him.
And it’s so important to make sure that you’re sexually compatible before you get married,
she thought seriously.
I couldn’t marry anyone who I didn’t enjoy having sex with!
Joachim’s penis was now pressing between her legs; their relatively equal heights meant that it fit, almost exactly, where she wanted it, and a soft moan issued from her lips as she felt it rub up against her. She couldn’t quite feel how big it was, but it was hard and ready, and her thighs parted a little, her feet shifting apart, so that his leg could drive in between them, his cock butt closer into her. The black silk thong that matched her bra was damp; she longed to be alone with him, to unzip her dress and see the appreciation in his eyes for her body, hard and toned in sexy underwear she’d worn tonight in the hopes that he would see it, want to peel it off her, finally crack the perfect-king façade and –
kiss me like he’s dying to get me in the sack, twist his fingers into my hair . . . yes, just like that . . .
Eagerly, Lori pulled back, looking at Joachim’s gleaming eyes, his pink cheeks. She drew her hand from round his neck, reaching up to stroke his face, saying: ‘Shall we—’
But it was the hand with the ring on it, the gigantic, heavy rock of a diamond. Its facets scraped Joachim’s cheek, and he let out a little squeal, flinching back.
‘I’m so sorry!’ she said, laughing. ‘It’s just so big! I’m not used to wearing anything so huge.’
‘You will become used to wearing many large jewels before you realize it,’ he said fondly, taking her hand and kissing the palm. ‘My Lori. Tomorrow, after we have made the announcement, we will visit the vault and I will show you the tiaras.’
Her eyes widened.
‘And now—’ Joachim drew her arm through his and folded her hand against his chest, a charming, old-fashioned gesture with which Lori had become very familiar – ‘now I will walk you to your rooms, my dear. It will be a big day tomorrow. We will return to Hafenhoffer—’ this was the King of Herzoslovakia’s official residence, overlooking Valtzers, the capital – ‘and tell my mother. She will be delighted! Overjoyed!
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