I sagged back against the door, sliding down onto my ass as my head continued to spin. That man should come with a warning attached, something big and neon, with flashing lights, maybe. The dinner had been perfect, the night clear and cool enough to enjoy after another sweltering day. And don’t get me started on the food. Every course had been better than the last, and when dessert had arrived, in the form of tart cherry pie and ice-cream, I was pretty sure I’d moaned out loud while licking my spoon clean.

And, wow, he had a way with words, everything that came out of his mouth sounded like a husky innuendo, designed with one purpose: to drive me insane! My thighs clenched at the thought of him using that mouth in some of the ways he’d insinuated. He was a barbarian, all right, but tonight he’d behaved like a complete gentleman, not even sneaking a kiss at the door before he bade me goodnight. His words, not mine.

Sweet dreams, min älskling…

Holy guacamole with a sprinkling of hot peppers. He’d given me a look that was pure hunger, before turning on his heel and striding away. And, yeah, I’d ogled his ass every step of the way, admiring his powerful thighs and broad shoulders, the innate strength he carried with the ease of someone fully aware of it. He was devastating. To my libido, which was right this moment torn between jigging a happy dance and shooting poisonous arrows at me for not dragging him into my room and straddling his muscular body.

Pushing off the floor, I stripped off and donned my nightclothes, slipping under the cool covers with a sigh. Maybe this was all a part of his evil and diabolical plan? But, why? It wasn’t like there was a shortage of women in the palace, and even in my short stay, I’d seen many a supermodel type come and go. A challenge? Well, I was certainly that, since I didn’t intend on falling into bed with him. Or against the wall. Or over a desk.

My mind stuttered as the image of him pressing me down over a desk flew into my mind, his large body crowding me as he lifted my skirt and pushed my legs apart. I could almost feel the cool wood against my cheek, his hands biting into my hips as he sank into me, his groan low and harsh.

I gulped, fingers digging into the sheets as my legs twisted unwittingly. Okay… I was horny, that’s all. It had been a while. The last man I’d been intimate with had been Tony and by the end of our relationship it had come down to a rushed fumble and a perfunctory orgasm. For him, not me. Of course, he’d also been getting his kicks elsewhere, so why the hell would he want to come home and lavish his girlfriend of two years with multiple orgasms? Miss Bit-on-the-side had been getting everything I’d been entitled to, including a good percentage of his paycheck. Ramon noodles had tasted better without a sprinkling of reality for flavoring.

I’m not bitter. I wouldn’t let Tony have the satisfaction, even if he didn’t know it. I wished him well. And crabs.

At least thinking about Tony had taken my mind off the barbarian king. I turned onto my side, tucking my knees up and plumping the pillow, as I compared the two men in my mind, well aware of how this contradicted my earlier thought, but the vicious—hell, still wounded—part of me couldn’t resist. There was just no comparison. Nick was twice the size of Tony, and it was pure muscle to Tony’s attempt at a gym body. And although Nick looked like he lived in a gym, I had the funny feeling his physique was honed in other ways, like cage fighting, perhaps? I fought back an almost hysterical giggle. I was objectifying Nick and it wasn’t fair. He’d shown me another side of himself tonight, we’d talked and laughed and shared stories from our past, the evening quickly turning to night, until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Damn. He was sexy and appealing. I yawned, snuggling into the pillow. Why the hell am I fighting this? It could only ever be a fling, so what would be the harm?

* * *

I woke early the next morning and went about my day as if nothing had changed, but a low-level tension hummed deep inside my stomach, building as the day progressed without a sighting to be had. Was he avoiding me? Despite firm instructions not to, the thought had crossed my mind enough times to make me wince, drawing a tiny frown from Alex, who was finishing up his evening meal before bath time. I loved bath time with Alex, but more often than not I ended up just as drenched as he did. So, when we piled into his gigantic bathroom, the bathtub already chugging away and bubbles doing a good job of trying to take over, I bundled my hair back into a scruffy knot on the top of my head and rolled up my metaphorical sleeves. “No splashing this time,” I instructed, waggling my finger at him. I had to bite back a chuckle when he nodded his head, affecting an air of innocence I knew would last about the five seconds it took for his feet to hit the water.

The wave of water hit me in the chest, the next straight in the face. He doggy paddled around the large tub, bobbing around, diving in and out of the bubbles, squeals and shrieks accompanying his antics.

Wiping water out of my eyes, I took a seat on the floor, far away enough to avoid being soaked, but close enough to still be responsible for the little merman scooting around the tub. Fishing my phone out of my pocket, I checked my emails, scanning through the many emails advertising leggings and vacations and occasionally sex aids, hitting delete as I went. My hand froze, hovering over a familiar name. What the hell did he want? It was as if by thinking about Tony last night, I’d conjured him into contacting me.

Alex erupted from the tub, waving his hands in the air, his little body covered in bubbles. “Uncle!” Before I had a moment to process, he launched himself from the tub, skin wet and slippery.

My heart lurched into my throat and I leapt to my feet, swinging around to see Nick catch him in his arms and hold him out, as if for inspection.

Alex squirmed, legs kicking, but a big smile was on his face. “We go for a run?”

Nick shook his head, sparing me a glance, then settled him on his hip, ignoring the fact that he was dripping wet. And now, so was he. I’d only just managed to force my heart back into my chest, and now it was misbehaving again, thudding in my ears. Nick’s black t-shirt clung to his chest, the drenched fabric outlining every ridge of muscle in exquisite detail, but it was his face that captivated me. The brooding, hot as hell, bad boy king had left the building, and in his place stood a family man. He was still just as handsome, but his face had softened with love as he joked with his nephew. And there was nothing like seeing a man cuddling a cute baby, even if the baby happened to be a very precocious two-year-old. Damn. I hadn’t known this man could get any sexier, but he’d managed it.

“Tahlia?” Nick was peering at me, concern furrowing his brow.

Alex patted him on the head, managing to muss Nick’s hair and leave a streak of bubbles. “Lia,” he corrected his Uncle with an imperious air.

“Sorry, Lia,” Nick amended, shooting me a grin that had my insides melting and tingles shooting through my core. “I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

“It’s fine,” I blurted out, cutting him off. All of a sudden, the steamy air of the bathroom was making it hard to breathe, and now that Alex was safely out of his bath, I escaped into the cool bedroom. The pair followed me, Alex now back on his own two feet and racing off to pull on a pair of pajamas.

“Read to me, Uncle!” he ordered, sounding every inch the prince. He hopped into bed and raised his eyebrows, the gesture so clear a mimicry of his Uncle’s favorite expression, that I had to bite back a giggle. Must be a royal thing, I decided, sneaking a glance at the man in question.

He was still smiling as he made his way over to the bed, throwing himself onto it with the grace of a cat. “What are we reading?”

Alex scooted into the middle of the bed and snuggled into his Uncle’s shoulder. “Lia knows.”

After setting them up with the book and finding the right page, Alex’s hand caught mine in an insistent tug, and I ended up sprawled beside him. Nick’s eyes found mine over the golden halo of curls, and his grin widened. “Not quite how I imagined getting you into bed for the first time,” he murmured, before launching into the story, without giving me chance to formulate a witty comeback.

Which was a good thing, since my brain had short circuited. I was used to men flirting, but this just took the cookie and smashed it into tiny pieces. To take it one step further, Nick was the kind of cookie that was made of sin and melted on the tongue, dark and rich, with layers that tempted a woman to overindulge. I was a woman used to the plain kind, where, if you dunked them in milk, they tasted sweeter. And, of course, milk was a metaphor for taking matters into your own hands. Literally. Most men wouldn’t be able to recognize a g-spot if it sat up and shouted boo at them.

And that metaphor had been taken way too far, and now I was hungry.

The book closed with a soft thud and I yanked myself out of my musings, plastering an innocent smile on my face. Beside me, Alex snored softly, his dark lashes hugging his cheeks and lips parted. Sliding off the bed, I padded to the open door and slipped through, not waiting to see if Nick followed. Nerves fluttered inside me, prickling my skin as the door closed with a soft click.

“I was wondering if you’d like to watch a movie with me?” His hands were stuffed in his jean pockets, his voice low and husky.

I was about to make up an excuse, when my mind flashed back to the email from Tony. I really didn’t want to spend the evening on my own, I’d only end spending the whole night trying to stop myself from reading that damn email. “No funny business, remember?”

His mouth curved up in an easy grin. “Of course.”

I followed him out of the room. “Who gets to pick the movie?”

“Lady’s choice,” he replied, without missing a beat, though the corner of his mouth twitched as he held a door open for me, ushering me into a darkened room. Flicking on some lights, he revealed a small home cinema, set up to seat around twenty, with large, comfy reclining chairs and couches. They even had cupholders! On the wall hung one of those huge screens that used a projector. Guiding me over to a laptop, I quickly selected a movie and pressed play. The opening credits to Grease lit the screen and all around me, music poured out of the walls. He didn’t protest, or even groan, which scored him brownie points.

“Wow!” Taking the seat he indicated in the center of the room, I laid my head back and got comfy. The lights flicked off, then he returned clutching popcorn and sodas. I greedily helped him unload, sighing with pleasure as he sprawled down next to me on the couch. “This is amazing!” And how did I not know we had a cinema? “How come it’s empty?”

“Because we’re using it.” He grunted, throwing a piece of popcorn into his mouth and chewing.

“Because you’re using it, you mean.”

He turned his head, dragging his eyes away from the screen. “There are certain perks when you’re dating the king.” When my mouth fell open, he lobbed a piece of popcorn at me. It bounced off my forehead.

“We’re not dating,” I hissed, then added, “And your aim sucks.”

Blue eyes laughed at me. “Sorry, sometimes my English fails me. This is a date, no?” His accent had thickened, along with the amusement tugging at his mouth.

“A date without benefits,” I grumbled.

“And my aim is excellent.” He sounded completely serious, until he added, “But not with popcorn, it’s too small.” The look he gave me was pure mischief.

“You’re kidding, right?” I threw a handful of popcorn at him, leaving smears of butter on his cheeks. “You’re seriously alluding to the size of your … your…” I waved my hand in the direction of his crotch, “While we have a no-funny-business, no benefits date?” The Pink Ladies from Grease sang along in the background, light flickering off his face and highlighting his strong jaw. It gave the whole conversation a surreal feeling, like we were existing outside of the real world for a precious moment.

He picked one of the stray pieces out of his lap and popped it in his mouth. “Ah, but that was your decision. Let me know when you change your mind.” He smirked when I whacked him on the arm and caught my hand as it bounced off his bicep.

“Nick…” I warned as he tugged me closer.

“Cuddling in a movie theater isn’t funny business,” he said, shushing my protests and wrapping his arm around me. “In fact, from watching these American films I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a requirement.”

“Hmmm,” I replied, but I didn’t pull away. He relaxed with a sound of contentment, trailing his fingers back and forth over my shoulder, and I melted. Like, literally melted into him, my body unknotting and tension draining away, until all that was left was a tight swirl of sensation inside my stomach. I hummed along to my favorite songs, which happened to be every single one of them, and chuckled as the familiar storyline amused me for the hundredth time. When Olivia Newton-John appeared dressed in her famous skintight catsuit and proceeded to knock John Travolta’s socks off, I snuck a glance at Nick, watching him from under the safety of my lashes. His mouth was moving ever so slightly. “You know the words!”

I expected him to flush or make excuses, but he just shrugged, his massive shoulders bumping my head with the movement. “Watching movies is an easy way to practice English.”

“But … Grease?” I narrowed my eyes at him. Most men I’d met would deny ever having watched the ultimate chick flick.

“Are you questioning my masculinity?” His voice had deepened with amusement. “Because I’m happy to convince you otherwise.” Before I could answer, he continued, “In American culture, isn’t it another requirement that the male steals a kiss from his date before the movie ends?” His fingers had curled around my shoulder while his other hand came up to push back my hair, sliding down to cup my cheek. Turning into me, he traced the corner of my mouth with his thumb, waiting for my answer. Hunger shone from his eyes, but it was tempered with hesitation. Or was it respect? He was conceding the choice to me, giving me control.

I tilted my head up, closing the gap until our breath mingled, but lips didn’t quite touch. “Yes, but it’s not stolen if you wait for permission.”

He swooped in, branding me with a featherlight kiss, his lips gliding over mine. I expected him to pull me closer, but he continued the sweet slide of flesh against flesh, his tongue finally dipping into my mouth, but in a sensuous glide, exploring not conquering. Teasing and tasting. I opened up to him, tugging him closer, but it was like trying to move an anchor driven into rock, his muscles taught and unyielding beneath my hands as I gripped his shoulders, his biceps, then eventually slid my hands into his hair on a frustrated moan.

He groaned, the sound low and harsh, his control finally teetering as he deepened the kiss, his tongue lashing against mine. Then he stopped, breaking away, breath ragged and eyes hooded. “No funny business remember, min älskling?” His mouth curved up into a smile as he pressed a chaste kiss to my mouth, lingering and stroking the curve of my neck. “Let me walk you to your room and I’ll take my leave.”

Astonished, nope, more like gobsmacked, I allowed him to do just that and when he released me from where he’d pressed me against my door, devouring me like a man thirsty for water, I ached. When he winked and walked away, I almost threw something at him.

The devious, conniving, barbarian asshole. He’d just upped the ante and, worse, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Apart from horny, that is.