Scorched

Take that! Rachel thought before turning on her heels and running full speed toward the open door.

Chapter Eight

It was a good thing he’d been trained in the military practically from the time he could walk. Adriane dodged the vase at the last second, and it crashed into the wall behind him. Then he just stood, stunned, as Rachel sprinted away toward the door.

He knew that running too hard couldn’t be good for her at this point, but she was incredibly fit and a bit of exercise wasn’t going to damage the baby. The blood pressure, on the other hand, he had to worry about. Maybe he should let her go for a while, cool down.

She wouldn’t be able to escape his castle. It was well guarded. Even if she did manage to get outside the walls, she would be sadly disappointed when she discovered where they were.

He decided to sit back and wait for her return. After contemplating the shattered crystal, he chose a seat that faced the door through which she’d have to return. He didn’t want her launching another item at his head without any warning.

Taking his double shot of bourbon, he sat and waited. It wouldn’t take long.

No more than ten minutes had passed when Rachel came back through the door, her eyes blazing as she stalked closer.

His body pulsed back to life as he saw her chest heaving beneath her shirt and color splashing across her cheeks. She caused his blood to turn to lava, bubbling hot and flowing thickly through his veins.

Rachel was beautiful, and it would be no hardship for him to lead her — hell, drag her — to the altar. It would be his great pleasure, in fact. He’d not been happy when he first learned he’d have to wed because of an unplanned child, but since then, he’d grown more than used to the idea.

He was actually looking forward to it. That meant he’d get her in his bed. Every night.

There would never be a need for other women to entertain him — not as long as he had Rachel by his side every day, and beneath his blankets after the sun went down.

A smile curved his lips at the thought. He could just imagine her reaction if she knew his countrymen didn’t frown upon mistresses — they even thought it healthy for the king to have a voracious sexual appetite. And he did.

The queen was to produce heirs and stand by the king’s side, or rather two paces back. She wasn’t expected to like or enjoy sex. Ah, but his queen certainly enjoyed sex. She would never bore him, just as he would never bore her, or grow tired of their play.

The thought of her beneath him again had his body hardening to a painful degree. He hoped he had her beneath him very soon — tonight if he could manage it.

“Did you have a nice stroll?” he asked, knowing he was pushing his luck with her, but unable to stop himself. Her fire was too bright for him to ever try to dim it. All he could think was that temper of hers would lead to some amazing makeup sex.

“I am going to remain calm and I’m going to refrain from throwing another priceless artifact at your head. However, you are going to show me a phone. You will let me leave.”

She was trying hard to act as if she had it all under control, but she was far from calm. It was too bad he couldn’t push her further. He didn’t mind her flying at him. He’d take her, claws and all.

“What’s so wrong with being here with me? Our week together in Florida was…intense. If you would simply stop fighting me, we could get…better acquainted again,” he said, his eyes flashing with a desire he made no attempt to hide.

Rachel stared at him, trying to figure out whether the man had lost his mind. Did he seriously think she was going to simply walk on over and make his fantasies come true? “Really, Adriane? You are either the dumbest man alive, or you have one hell of a false image of yourself. This may come as quite the shock to you, but you are resistible,” she said scathingly.

“Ouch,” he replied, a grin spreading over his face.

“Wait. You’re King Adriano,” she said in a sugary voice, dragging out the o in the name that he rarely used. “I should, of course, fall to your feet and strip off all of my clothes, and then thank you repeatedly for the honor of being chosen to please you.”

His eyebrows rose and his grin grew even wider. “Well, if you insist.”

“Ugh, you are unbelievable. You take me from my home, leave me for hours on end trapped in this ridiculous castle, and then actually expect me to roll over for you. Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not happening. Not in this century,” she said as she resumed pacing so he couldn’t see the blush overtaking her features.

Sadly, the thought of him throwing her across his bed wasn’t quite as abhorrent as she wanted him to believe.

She blamed the pregnancy hormones. That had to be it, because she certainly didn’t want this man, didn’t want to lie beneath him, not after he’d deceived her, stalked her, and kidnapped her. Her body just needed a little bit of time to be as angry with him as her mind was. Then the desire would die down.

“Nothing inside you is burning up with the need for my touch?”

Rachel jumped as Adriane’s words whispered across her neck. She hadn’t even heard him move, and the shiver that passed through her at his nearness was too noticeable for him to have missed it. Yet though her body was burning, she’d make sure her words were just as scorching.

Turning and looking up into his dark eyes, she smiled, doing her best to put him in his place by humoring him.

“Been there. Done that. It was forgettable. There’s no need to go down that road again,” she mocked, quickly scooting away before her body fully betrayed her and she swayed toward the hard comfort of his chest.

“You know what they say about liars, Rachel?” he said, stalking closer.

“I don’t know, Adriane, but since you are such an expert in that subject, I’m sure you can inform me,” she said with shrug.

“No woman has ever entertained me like you. Being in your presence is quite pleasurable.”

“Get over it, Adriane. Our fling is over and done with, kaput. I have moved on. Maybe you should try doing the same,” she said as she reached the double doors. She thought of going through them this time, thinking maybe it would be a better route, but what good would it do? She wouldn’t be able to get out of the castle. Even if she somehow managed to, where was she going to go?

“You see, Rachel, that’s where you are very wrong. We aren’t even close to being over, you and I. This child may not have been planned, but not once have I felt regret over your pregnancy. I very much look forward to making you my bride. I look forward even more to our nights. The two of us together will continue making magic.”

“You just aren’t thinking. It was an affair, Adriane. A stupid, foolish affair. It doesn’t mean we should be locked together for the rest of our lives,” she told him. She was worn down, exhausted. She had to get away from this man before she did something else that was foolish. Where he was concerned, it seemed to be a regular occurrence.

“It may have started as an affair, Rachel, but now we are locked to each other forever. This child you carry,” he said as he reached out and ran his fingers across the planes of her still-flat stomach, “is very much wanted. It also helps that I want you. It will make our marriage very…pleasant.”

“This just keeps going in circles, Adriane. Why don’t you be the bigger man and let me go while there’s still a chance of our getting along, of our being able to communicate for the sake of our child?” she pleaded with him.

He looked at her for several moments, and for just the briefest of seconds, Rachel thought she might have finally gotten through to him. Then he opened his mouth.

“It’s a good thing you already think of me as an ogre, Rachel, because you are requesting the one thing I am