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“It’s a lie,” Juliana told herself as she stormed back to her own suite and locked the door behind her with a savage twist of the bolt, so she didn’t usually do “A damned lie” A lie she was shocked to discover Andre had told Dirk Why are you shocked? she asked herself Aabout it shouldn’t be a shock But it was Andre had never lied to her—not in so many words And he’d never lied to Mara as far as she could recall In fact, she couldn’t think of a single instance when he’d lied “Except by his actions,” she reminded herself with a cynical twist of her lips “Except when he let you think he loved you the night he made love to you”
No, he didn’t make love to you, she corrected herself He had sex with you That’s all Love on your part, yes But just sex for him Fantastic sex, maybe, but sex all the same
Still, she couldn’t deny Andre’s growing tension and possessiveness The edge of coery, was clear beneath his royal restraint And she was responding to it To him Since the moment she’d seen Andre at the reception, she’d wanted hihtand every nized what it wanted, what it needed, even though her brain said no What she feared most wasn’t that Andre wouldn’t take no for an answer—he would never force her—but that her traitorous body wouldn’t take no for an answer And that he knew it
Still thinking about ways and means to protect herself from herself, Juliana wandered into the bedroom, where the bed had already been turned down by the ned to her from the palace staff She et ready for bed It was early, but it wouldn’t hurt her to have a quiet night She shut the drawer, laid the nightshirt on top of the dresser and unbuckled her belt She’d just unbuttoned the line of tiny buttons running froht ain one corner She turned toward thesharply around Andre stood there in theher as she undressed
She was so startled to see hie and fear—of her oeakness where he was concerned—surged through her in a riptide Then she found her voice “Get out!”
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’tfro on her bared skin, and then back again Juliana clutched at the bodice of her dress, holding the two edges together in sudden desperation Only then did he ait She backed away, unable to tear her eyes away froo before she backed up against the wall
She wanted to say, “Don’t touch et the words out because he was already touching her, caressing her cheek with fingertips like the brush of a butterfly’s wings Not an overtly sexualall the same
“Do not be afraid of me, Juliana,” he said “You knoould never hurt you”
“You are,” she whispered “You did”
“When?” he asked softly, his hand sliding down to cup her breast through her dress, and the nipple tightened of its own accord beneath that sure but gentle touch His breath rasped in his throat “When did I hurt you? When I took you that first time? But I made it beautiful for you first, yes?” He kissed her just behind her ear, then her neck Then his lipsher between her breasts but o further “You knew there would be pain the first tiain? And did I not prove it to you that night, twice over?”
“Don’t” It was just a thread of a sound, and it was directed more to her treacherous body than it was to hi Don’t let hiain But his words, his touch were bringing all those memories vividly to life, and she shuddered as a wave of heat began in the core of her being and swept outward, bringing her body to life along with the memories
His war hand left her body, but he didn’t move away “‘Don’t?’” he asked softly “‘Don’t?’ That is not what you toldher he knehat he was doing to her His headinch away from hers when he whispered, “‘Please’ That is what you said to ht ‘Please’ Do you remember, Juliana? I do ‘Please, Andre’”