She tastes even sweeter when she’s aroused. I push her down beneath me on the bed, my tongue slipping between her lips as she undoes my belt.

Within moments, I’m as naked as she is. There’s nothing between us any longer.

This is the first time we’ve been completely skin to skin. The first time I’ve truly felt her entire body against mine. She soft everywhere—soft and warm and perfect. She trembles slightly under my touch, and I’m sure she can feel the quiver of restraint in my muscles as her hands slide up my back.

My entire body aches for her. It’s a pain I’ve never experienced before—I’ve felt desire, certainly, but this is something deeper than that, something all the way down in my bones. My body belongs with hers—in hers, around hers, everywhere—and every moment we’re apart is like denying ourselves something essential. It’s like the physical pain you feel in your lungs when you’ve held yourself too long underwater.

I pull my face away from her, looking down at her in the dim light. Her hair is spread out against the pillow beneath her head. Her lips are swollen from my kisses. And her eyes are bright and dark at the same time.

Slowly, without breaking her gaze, I push her legs apart. The skin of her thighs feels like silk beneath my fingers, just like the rest of her. I want to kiss my way down her body, to touch my lips to every petal-soft bit of her, but there will be time for that later. Right now, I can’t deny myself—or her—any longer.

Her fingers are digging into my back, pulling me down to her again. I obey, bending over her, lowering my weight once more as my mouth finds hers. Her body is ready for mine, hot and slick against my cock, and I position myself against her.

“You’re beautiful,” I murmur against her mouth. “God, Victoria, you have no idea what you’ve done to me.”

I don’t give her a chance to respond. I thrust into her, drawing a cry from her lips.

I freeze, afraid I’ve hurt her. Afraid I’ve let the desire build up too much, that I won’t be able to have her without hurting her now that I’m finally relinquishing control. Even now, my mind is cloudy with the sheer pleasure of being inside of her, of feeling her tight heat around my cock. It’s taking so much effort to hold myself still that I’m visibly shaking.

But then Victoria pulls my face down to hers. Her legs wrap around me, and her hips rise, urging me onward.

There is nothing left to hold me back.

The haze of need overtakes me. I withdraw and bury myself in her again, reveling in the feeling of her around me, and what little control I have over my body falls away. She’s all around me—her taste on my lips, her scent in my nose, her body everywhere—and I want to drown in it, to lose myself completely in this woman.

Her nails dig into my back. A groan rumbles from somewhere deep in my chest, and my movements become even more eager, more desperate.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to be restrained, to maintain complete control over myself and my desires. But something about Victoria makes me come completely undone. Makes me forget everything else but her.

She’s getting close again. I can tell by the way her body tenses beneath mine—funny, how quickly and easily I became attuned to her body. How I suddenly seem to sense every quiver, every smallest movement of her beneath me. I think I’m more aware of her than I am of myself.

I prop myself up slightly then reach between us, down to where her legs meet. She gasps when my fingers find the sensitive nub there.

“Andrew…” It’s more of a moan than a word, and the sound of my name on her lips nearly drives me over the edge.

“Look at me,” I tell her.

This time, I don’t have to ask her twice. Her eyes open, and they’re glazed with pleasure as they look up at me.

Her body arches and writhes beneath mine. Her hands tighten on me, and she whimpers as my finger rubs across her clit again.

“Let go,” I urge her, my voice hoarse. Let go, so that I might let go.

She arches again, and this time, I feel her body begin to contract around my cock. She cries out, but I hardly have time to enjoy the sound before my own needs take over. The tightening of her muscles around me brings me quickly to my own end, and I slam my hips forward, burying myself in her as deep as I can go, filling her completely with my release.

All the strength seems to seep out of my arms and legs. I lower myself carefully on top of her again, unwilling to move away but unable to hold myself above her any longer. I’m still inside her, still half hard even though I just spent myself completely. My face is buried in her hair, my lips close to her ear.

“My God, Victoria,” I murmur.

Her arms are around me. Beneath me, I can feel the rise and fall of her chest and the rapid thrumming of her heart.

“I know we need each other to sleep,” I continue, “but I’m not sure I can ever just sleep with you again.”

She lets out a breathy laugh. “I’m not sure I can, either.”

“Good. Because I have no intention of letting you get any sleep tonight.” I press my lips against the side of her throat.

Her hands spread against my back. “I don’t want to sleep.”

We don’t say anything for a long moment, just hold each other and try to catch our breaths.

“Andrew?” she says after a moment. Her voice is so soft that for a moment I think I’ve imagined it.

“Hm?” I prop myself up slightly.

She’s not looking at me. Her face is turned away, her gaze on the wall.

“Victoria?” I prompt, my stomach tightening. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she says, a little too quickly.

“It must be something.”

She shakes her head. “It’s stupid.”

“Nothing you might say could be stupid.”

When she still doesn’t tell me, I dip my head and brush my nose against her ear.

“Tell me, Victoria,” I murmur. “Whatever it is. I want to know your thoughts.”

“I…” She clears her throat then starts again. “I was just thinking that…since we’re such good friends…” Her fingers tighten and then release on my back. “I just want to ask you, as a friend…if anything should ever happen between you and Lady Clarissa, or with any of the other women…tell me first. Please. Just so I know…”

I sit partway up again. “I have no intention of doing anything with Lady Clarissa—or with any of the other women—before my wedding night.”

“I know. Just…if you change your mind…”

“I won’t.” God, if I thought spending the night with Victoria would get this out of my system, it’s clear now that I was incredibly wrong. If anything, having her once has only sharpened my hunger for her. I don’t even want to think about other women right now.

“But if you do…”

I slide off of her, but I don’t go far. I pull her into my arms with her back against my chest the way we always sleep. My hand slides forward, my fingers seeking out her breast. My cock is almost completely hard again, and considering the strength of my reaction to Victoria, I shouldn’t be surprised that I’ve recovered so quickly.

My mouth is at her ear once more. “And if you should decide you like my brother William better than me—”

“I don’t. I won’t.”

“But if you do…” I reach down between us and slide my cock between her legs from behind, pushing past the plush curves of her ass until I find the slick wetness where it was sheathed only moments ago. “If you do, then I want you to remember how this feels.”

I push into her, more gently this time than I did the first time we joined.

“I want you to remember how perfectly our bodies come together,” I rasp into her ear as I slide myself as deep as I can go. “How they seem to be made for each other.”

Her response is a soft moan. She lifts her leg and hooks it back over mine, allowing me deeper access.

I don’t say another word. The time for talking has passed. We’re joined again, and now our bodies are in charge, straining and writhing against each other. Finding a new way to join in pleasure.

This time, I take my time. Teasing her with slow strokes, tormenting her with flicks of my tongue on her neck as she pushes her ass back against me. My hand drifts between her nipple and her clit, toying with one and then the other, releasing her the moment she seems to be nearing orgasm again. I want to draw this out, take her to the very limits of her pleasure, explore a little more of her before we finish. Every new sound she makes contributes to some deep, primal need in me.

The room is hot. The air thick with the scent of our pleasure. Our skin is slick with sweat, and her hair sticks to me as I press against her.

Soon I reach my limits. I can’t tease her any longer, can’t draw this out another moment. We move together with abandon, and then I feel her inner muscles contracting around me again. I bite down on her neck as my own release comes.

We lie still for much longer this time, both completely exhausted. Slowly, I feel her body relax against me, hear her ragged breaths slow into something soft and rhythmic. She’s asleep.

I should sleep too, if only for a little while. But I intend to wake her again before dawn, to have her at least once more before we have to return to our responsibilities.

No, once would have never been enough. Now that I’ve seen how it can be, now that I’ve experienced the sheer ecstasy of our union, my desire is only stronger.

You shouldn’t have done this, a little voice in my mind says. You’ve only made things more complicated. You have a duty to fulfill. A wife to find. Mistakes to pay for.

My arms tighten around Victoria. My first duty is and will always be to Montovia—never to myself. I learned my lesson the last time I gave into my baser urges, let myself forget about my responsibilities. I will never forgive myself if Montovia suffers due to my own irresponsibility and selfishness.

But I don’t know how to resist the woman in my arms. Even when faced with my duties, I can’t seem to find the strength to stay away from her.

You must find the strength, I tell myself. For your country. Take your pleasure while you can, but remember that this is only temporary. It must end, perhaps before you are free of this hunger for her. You must be strong.

And I will be strong. Tomorrow, or the day after that. I’ll go down into the city, remind myself of why I must make the choices I do. My life is not my own. It belongs to Montovia and to the people who will one day be my subjects.

Tonight, though, my life belongs to me. And to Victoria, who stirs in my arms. With dawn I must return to my duties, but I am free until then—or at least as free as I can ever be.

Surely I can allow myself to be selfish for one night?