“Yes, sir, you can rely on me.”
Cameron patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll be tied up in meetings all day tomorrow, but if you need to tell me anything don’t hesitate to call.”
Chapter Nine
Ten minutes later, Brig
watched
Cameron approach, noting that he’d washed his hands and face, but his clothes were still streaked with dirt from the cavern. She looked at him with new respect, both for his work ethic and the concern he showed for his people.
Yes, he was still the flashy prince surrounded by fawning minions, but there was depth of character that negated the playboy facade.
“So what do you think, Miz Brig? Are you up for a picnic?”
The bodyguard in her was keen to get him back indoors. “You have a lot of cuts and bruises, maybe you should return to the palace.”
He shook his head. “The medics looked at me. I’m fine.” He swept his gaze over the clear blue sky. “It’s still a beautiful day, and I’m inclined to take some time for myself. What do you say?”
She shrugged. “It’s your call.”
His smile broadened into a grin. “I know the perfect spot.”
Ten minutes later, with the palace guards instructed once more to stay at a discreet distance, Cameron left the horses to graze near a small lake, and walked back toward Brig who knelt on the soft grass, spreading a tartan blanket that Crawford had supplied. She’d picked a spot close to some trees so they wouldn’t be out in the open.
“I think I’ll take a quick dip in the lake before we eat and wash off the dirt from the pit.”
Brig’s head came up sharply, her pulse jumping at the thought of him stripping off.
Sitting down to pull off his boots, he cast her an amused glance. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my clothes on and wash them at the same time.”
Moments later, he dove in, cutting speedily through the water to the far side of the lake. Brig busied herself unpacking their lunch from the hamper. It was traditional picnic fare, cold chicken, potato salad, green salad and crispy rolls. There was fruit for dessert and a bottle of red wine. Unfortunately, Brig had no appetite at all, probably because she was all too aware that in bringing her here, Cameron was probably planning to try to seduce her again.
By the time he reappeared ten minutes later, dropping down on the grass beside the blanket, Brig could only be grateful the water had temporarily washed away the virile scent of him that had teased her sensitive nostrils all day. Then she realized that with his clothes plastered to his body, she could clearly see the outline of his arms, bulging with muscle, and the dark pattern of chest hair beneath his white shirt. Quickly, she looked away from the temptation of him, and poured them some wine. “Are you ready to eat?”
“In a while.” Taking the wine glass she handed him, he sat with his broad back resting against a tree trunk with one knee drawn up.
Brig settled herself across for him and waited it out, wondering if he would finally mention last night.
He drank wine while his eyes studied each feature of her face. “Tell me about yourself, Monroe. You know quite a bit about me while I know almost nothing about you except that you’re good at what you do.”
She shrugged.
“I don’t know as much about you as you might think, just the basic dossier stuff.”
“Okay, what did it say?”
She forced herself not to look into his eyes. “Well, it mentioned your discovery of Zexus ore, of course, and it said that you’re well respected among your peers. That you speak several languages…and you’re reputed to be an excellent polo player.”
He laughed at that. She imagined he rarely had time for the sport these days, if he played at all.
“So it didn’t touch on my personal life?”
She shook her head. “No, it didn’t mention the hordes of women who regularly throw themselves at your feet.” She hoped that didn’t sound as if she was flirting.
He shrugged. “Nature of the beast, I’m rich and titled, so women hunt me.” He paused and smiled. “You’re evading the question, Monroe. I want to know about you.”
She could feel the heat of his large body radiating toward her, inviting her. When
his gaze drifted to her mouth
, she looked away. “Okay, firstly, I work in partnership with my two sisters at Monroe Investigations. My elder sister, Kat, used to be with the Boston PD. Now, she heads up the company while my twin sister, Lexine, specializes in bounty hunting.”
“You have a twin?”
She looked back into his surprised gaze. “Yes, we’re identical, but people who know us say they can tell us apart.”
He nodded. “Personality shines through. So you’re a twin, and you’re well respected in your field. That’s surface stuff, it doesn’t tell me what makes you tick?”
“In what way?”
“In ways relating to the opposite sex, do you have someone special waiting at home for you?”
Evidently, he must have wondered if that was the reason she’d held him at bay. If she said yes, would he stop pursuing her? She wavered… “No, there’s no one special.”
His gaze flickered. “Recently or never?”
“Privileged information.” She told herself to change the subject.
He leaned forward and refilled their glasses, looking up into her eyes. “
Did some man hurt you, and you’re running scared?”
She snorted at the idea. “Just because a woman is independent, and doesn’t do slushy stuff at the drop of a hat, doesn’t mean she’s hard-hearted or suffering from a broken one.”
His eyes were interested. “
So there aren’t any ghosts from the past influencing your feelings?”
“No.” As she spoke she realized that somewhere in her disarray of emotions she’d unconsciously made her decision. Even if it proved to be the worst mistake of her life, she would take as much of him as he and time allowed. She glugged the rest of her wine and put the glass down. “Okay, since you keep asking, I’m stepping over the line. Let’s do it.”
She watched his eyes fill with surprise. They lunged at each other, mouths fusing as he rolled them away from the picnic food. She caught handfuls of his now damp hair, her mouth as hot and hungry as his. She couldn’t get enough of him. The taste of him surging through her system as his tongue thrust deep into her mouth. She writhed beneath him, positioning herself into the spread of his long legs, moaning with wanton pleasure when his erection bucked against her pussy. At the same time, her greedy hands pushed at the soft fabric of his shirt, she couldn’t make her fingers move fast enough, fumbling with buttons before she shoved the fabric aside, making low humming sounds of pleasure as she moved her hands over his warm muscled chest.
Duncan broke the kiss and lifted her top. “I want to feel you against me.” She helped him to strip off her clothing. Both of them breathing raggedly by the time he’d unsnapped her bra and pulled down her panties. His hot gaze swept over her breasts, along her torso and down to the triangle of her sex. “Jesus, you’re beautiful.”
The look in his eyes gave her a heady feeling of power. No man had made her feel so alive, so female.
“Your skin’s so soft.” Gently his strong fingers brushed her breasts, circling the curve before he thumbed her nipples into hard tingling peaks. When he bent to close strong white teeth over a distended ruby bud, she shut her eyes in pure pleasure, each tug of his mouth sending hot charges to her melting core. All the while, she could feel the exciting press of his rigid cock.
Suddenly, he rolled with her again so she was straddling him. “Do what you want,” he rasped.
She looked down into his narrowed eyes and then at his chest, which gleamed in the sunlight. She ran her fingers lightly across his skin, enjoying the smoothness and hardness as his amazing muscles flexed beneath her fingertips. He watched her as she traced a finger along the sexy line of hair leading down to his belt buckle. When she unzipped his fly, he sucked in a breath, his belly contracting as his penis sprang free. She made an approving sound as she circled him with her fingers. He was big and hard and throbbing with incredible heat. Quickly, she slid downward and took him into her mouth, hearing the hitch in his breathing as she swirled her tongue around his large cockhead. She savored the feel of his warm satiny flesh, and the hardness beneath, making an appreciative sound at the pleasant taste of his arousal. When she sucked, he groaned deeply. She glanced up from under her lashes. His handsome features had frozen into an arrested expression, his breathing shallow and fast. She lapped at his ridges and caressed his balls to find that sensitive spot that drove men crazy. When she circled it with her finger, his hips bucked uncontrollably. For some reason, her mind pictured the couple she’d seen in the garden, prompting her to take him deeper. Listening to him hiss through his teeth as she sucked his large girth in as far as she could. When she felt him pulse in her throat, she knew he was close to coming. She sucked rapidly.
“Ahh…stop. I’m gonna come before I get to you.” He caught her arms to stay her motion, breathing in pants as he pulled out of her mouth. Then he held her still as he slid down beneath her, his hands stroking over her bare bottom while his mouth moved over her neck and shoulders and the tips of her breasts.
Brig clutched the blanket, her heart beating in an increasing rhythm as she waited in sweet agony for what was coming next. When his hot breath puffed over her navel and then her inner thighs, she spread her legs wider, rising up slightly on her knees so she wasn’t lying completely on top of his face. She felt his fingers delve between her thighs and stroke over her swollen mound. He parted her springy hair and circled her clitoris with the pad of his thumb before he flicked her nub rapidly with his nail. Her pussy clenched sharply, desperate for satisfaction. By the time he pushed a finger through her damp folds into her slick crevice, she was painfully aroused, her blood pumping like a boiling river.
He shifted, so his mouth replaced his hands. Her breathless moans grew louder as his tongue and teeth worked her bud of swelled flesh faster and firmer until she was thrashing wildly in delirious ecstasy. “Oh God, Duncan…it’s…I’ve never—”
Her words were lost when he rolled with her again, lifting himself off her briefly to shuck off his pants, then moving over her to settle himself between her thighs. His mesmerising eyes were hotter than she’d ever seen them. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she breathed. This was what she’d been waiting for. As much as she enjoyed oral sex, there was nothing to compare with a big cock surging inside you. When the hard mushroom-shaped head probed her sleek opening, she could hardly catch her breath. He pushed and she arched, her mouth opening on a soundless cry.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, yes, keep going.”
He eased out of her slowly and plunged again, groaning in erotic pleasure. “God, you’re so tight. You feel incredible.”
“So do you.”
He began a steady, careful rhythm, as if to give her time to adjust to his engorged size.
Desperate for him to move faster and give her the wild hard ride she was longing for, she pressed on his muscled buttocks, sinking her teeth into his shoulder.
He groaned, upping his pace to a driving rhythm, thrusting harder and deeper. Their bodies making sucking sounds while the cadence of Brig’s breathing turned frenzied. She clung to his slick skin, aware her nails were digging into his skin as she used her strong legs to arch and meet each powerful pump of his cock.
His expression was strained as he stared down at her, his eyes like blue fire. “Almost there,” he panted. “Come for me again, baby.”
Brig bucked harder against him as the pleasure peaked, the shock of renewed ecstasy causing a scream to rise in her throat. She stifled it and held on to Duncan, squeezing her inner muscles to increase his pleasure as he thrust forcibly to completion with a harsh shout.
Brig lay still gulping air. Her vision was blurry, and she felt as if she’d melted from the inside out. Somehow, this man had tapped into a place deep inside her where she’d never looked before, where she’d never wanted to look. It frightened her because this fleeting moment was all she would have of him. She’d leave in a few days and never see him again.
Seeking to break the spell, she patted him on the shoulder. “We’d better get going before your guards start worrying and come looking for us.”
* * * *
“They won’t come barging in.” Releasing a deep sigh, he nuzzled her neck. “Let’s stay like this for a little longer.” He wanted more time with her, time to lick and taste every inch of her fantastic body, ignoring the small voice in his head telling him the lovemaking had released a dynamism that would be impossible to control.
When she shifted upwards, he tightened his arms around her.
“Come on,” she murmured. “We have to go.” She pushed his arms away and stood upright.
Duncan lay still for a moment, enjoying the sight of her naked body before she gathered up her clothes and quickly dressed. With her scent still in his nostrils and her taste on his lips, he tried to gauge her thoughts. Was she regretting the episode already, or was it something else?
Chapter Ten
As Brig and Duncan mounted their horses, ready to ride back to the palace, she sensed he was thinking about them, maybe wondering how to distance himself now that he’d had her. She reminded him again, “You’d better alert your guards that we’re on the move.”
Cameron met her gaze for a moment, then pulled out his com-link, frowning as he looked down at the screen. “That’s odd. There’s no signal.”
Simultaneously, Brig’s parasenses lit up like a beacon. Instantly, she comprehended that Duncan’s guards were lying dead in a clearing about seventy meters ahead. Although her mind couldn’t bring the picture fully into focus, she could sense shapes moving away from the scene. Adrenaline surged. “Your guards are dead,” she hissed.