His tongue lashes at me, bringing me to the brink of my ecstasy far too quickly. My fingers thread into his hair, and I moan his name as his mouth pushes me over the edge. My eyes flutter closed as the entire world stops. My hands fall away from him, and I lie there for a long moment, more satisfied than I can remember feeling in a very long time.

I’m barely breathing as he kisses his way slowly back up my body. He stops when he reaches my neck, kissing it briefly before rolling over to lie by my side.

I want him. More than I ever thought possible. I thought I needed a good, hard fucking before, but now… Now I want him.

I turn to face him, tracing my fingers over his chest, down to his bellybutton, before starting to work on the button fastening his pants.

He grabs me by my wrist, lifting it to his lips and pecking a kiss on it before he sets my hand on his shoulder. “Not tonight, Princess.”

His eyes won’t meet my gaze. Instead, he shifts so that he’s fully facing me, tucking his arm under my head and pulling me toward him. “Tonight, we sleep.”

“You want me.”

His eyes flutter closed. “More than you know.”

I slide my hand from his shoulder down his arm to find the waistband of his pants again. “Then at least let me return the favor.”

He groans, squeezing his eyelids tighter.

I don’t need to do anything to feel how much he already wants me. But I do make a point of grazing the stiffness in his pants as I work at the button again with my free hand.

William takes my hand again, this time threading his fingers through mine. “Princess…” He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it. “You have no idea how many times I’ve fantasized about having your lips wrapped around my cock.”

“Then let me, Your Highness. Let me return the favor.” He still hasn’t opened his eyes—I’m not sure what’s going on. He’s clearly done what he did for me many times before with other women. Surely he isn’t embarrassed about having given me that gift. I just can’t understand why any man would turn down what I’m offering him.

“I can’t.” His eyes open, and he kisses my wrist before setting my hand on his shoulder again. “Like I said, tonight, we sleep.”

My heart twists in my chest. “I don’t… I don’t understand.” He’s rejecting me. My husband is refusing to sleep with me—

“Understand that it isn’t because I don’t want to, Princess.” His gaze finally meets mine. “I want nothing more. I mean it. I…truly—”

“You’ve made it quite clear that you have no intention of fucking me, Your Highness.”

“I don’t.”

“And that’s fine. I’m not asking you to. I’m simply asking you to allow me to… You know…”

“Yes. I do know.” His lips lift into the slightest smile. “And that is the problem.”

I frown just as he beings to grin. “I fail to see where the problem is, Your Highness—”

“The problem, Princess…” His smile widens. “The problem is that if I allow you to do…that…” His eyes shift downward before returning to mine. “If I allow you to do that, I won’t be able to stop myself. I understand that you want to be fucked. And I’d love nothing more than to do that with you tonight. But you need to understand that it won’t be just once, Princess.”

“I don’t believe I ever said it needed to only be once—”

“When I have you…” He slides his hand down my side then back up my front, grazing over my nipple. “And I will have you…”

His hand falls to my breast again, sending a shiver of need throughout my body.

“You may have me tonight, Your Highness. As many times as you want.”

“When I have you, I won’t be able to stop. And you won’t want me to.” His eyes fall closed again, and he wraps his arm around me, pulling me closer. “Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll reevaluate.” He pauses, letting out a long breath, almost as if he’s trying to calm himself. “Tonight, we sleep.”

Being this close to him is doing nothing to make me want him less. The way he smells…the way my body feels pressed against his… I don’t know what’s come over me. I hate this man. I truly do. I can’t understand how I can want someone I hate.

But I do.

“Kiss me, then.” I tilt my head and try to catch his lips, but he pulls away just enough to miss my attempt.

“Princess…” He almost groans the word. “I think…” He groans again as he sits up, sliding over to the edge of the bed. “I think it might be best if I sleep on the sofa again tonight.”

I suddenly feel very exposed, lying naked on the bed all alone. I grab a pillow and hold it against myself as I try to shift enough to get under the covers. My face is hot and my stomach burns with shame.

“Yes, I think it would be best if I just…go.” His voice is uncertain, though, almost as if he wants me to talk him out of it.

My voice is low, almost a whisper. “Is this about the other night?”

His brow wrinkles for a moment—he’s probably trying to remember what happened.

I don’t give him a chance to respond. “Because if this is how it’s going to be—you humiliating me, and me trying to exact revenge—I don’t believe I want to do this any longer.”

“I don’t either, Princess.”

I nod, pulling the pillow tighter to me as I back myself against the headboard. “Fine. I’m glad we agree on something. I suppose you should probably take a sofa in another room. There’s a small sitting room four doors down if you take a right—”

“I’m not leaving the suite, Princess.” His eyebrows are still drawn together.

“I think I’d prefer it if you did.” I grab at the covers and pull them over me as quickly as I can.

“I’ve seen all of you now, Princess—”

“And I’ve seen all of you.”

His cheeks turn ruddy. “Touché.”

“Which is why I do not understand why you’re leaving. Am I really that disgusting?”

“Hardly.” His eyes skim over where he must imagine my body under the covers. “Not even remotely.”

“Then at least come to bed.”

He gives me a small shake of his head. “I can’t. I…can’t.”

“You certainly can. You have the physical capability. You just…won’t.”

He gives me a single nod of his head. “Right. I won’t. But also…I can’t.”

A sound comes from my gut—some combination of a groan and a sigh of exasperation. “William…”

“That, Princess, is why I cannot come back to that bed. The sound of my name on your lips…” He lets out a small sigh. “But you must believe me—I want nothing more than to hear it again and again.”

“And I’ve given you the option—many times. I don’t understand you. Any other man would have already had me twice by now—”

“You don’t know that.” He pauses, his eyes skimming over me again. “You don’t. And that is precisely the problem.”

“What is the problem? I’m afraid you’re going to have to spell it out for me, Your Highness. I suppose I really am the dimwitted noblewoman you feared—”

“At least in this department.” His voice is low, almost as though he didn’t want me to hear his interruption.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” I cross my arms over my chest. “I think we’ve also established that I am not inexperienced. Even in this department—”

“You’ve had one lover.” His frown deepens and something else darkens his expression. “One—”

“And you’re afraid you won’t compare to him? Is that it?”

“I’m afraid…” His brow furrows. “I am not afraid of anything, Princess.”

“Is that what you want, then? You want me to tell you how his lips felt between my thighs compared to yours—?”

“No. That is definitely not what I want.”

I shake my head. “Then I don’t understand—”

“But you’re thinking it. And if you weren’t before, you are now.” He glares at me for a moment before striding to the door. “I’ll be on the sofa, Princess.”

And before I can get another word in, he slams the bedroom door closed behind him.