The work he started on her nightgown, she finished with an unceremonious tug of her fingers. The fabric slid down her smooth skin, tracing her curves, before finding itself gathered at her waist. He told her that no man in his right mind would say no to her tempting offer, and he was exaggerating then. But even exaggerations were founded on truths. Unknown to her that when she tugged on that strap of her nightgown, she also tugged the last string of self-control that his better judgment was clinging to. 

Luke answered without really answering. His eyes were a darker shade of blue as he watched her lips move. It invited him in, and it would be stupid not to say yes. Therefore, the prince shifted his weight, leaned forward and conquered her ruby lips. Both his hands tenderly touched her neck, guiding her chin to a tilt that would maximize the contact. He kissed her, teased her lips, stepped out of his comfort zone and into the territory of the enemy. She had reached out to him, enticed him with her beautiful face and body, until he was willing to forget who he was and who she was. Rhiane had told him that she liked Luke without the crown. If only for a few hours, she could have the Luke that was not the prince.

“I want you was enough,” he whispered to her ear as he moved his attention, not because he was tired of kissing her, but because there was a lot of her that he had to discover. He continued his exploration of her neck, while his hands lightly traced the curves of her waist, the softness of her feminine body, taking note of every gasp and every delightful sound she made. 

It was too late to turn back. He was breathing hard, his heart drumming in his chest. The crown prince had tossed all his cares to the wind the same time that she did. The time they spent that morning being just Luke and just Rhiane was something he would come to regret in the days to come, but he did not care. When he met her, Luke was confident that he would be able to go through the breeding ritual without involving emotions. That she agreed that they would live separate lives except when their mutual duty to produce and raise an heir called, should have made being professional easier. What he did not expect was the force that attracted opposites to each other. 

When his hand found the curve of her breast, he had to pull back to quickly pull his shirt over his head. The bruises on the side of his torso looked better than it did the previous day. The color had faded, and some had completely healed. When her eyes were lured to it, Luke cupped the side of her face and guided it so she would not stare. His thumb stroked her cheek tenderly. “It’s not your fault,” he grinned. “But if you feel guilty, you can make it up by kissing me again.”

His other hand continued to search for places that felt good for her. He liked the feeling of her heart beating frantically under the palm of his hand, how her breath occasionally caught on her throat. It was difficult to say the exact time when she started to matter to him, or when was the exact moment that he started to care for her. As much as he would want to clear their complicated relationship, he could not completely disentangle himself from his nature and his family’s tradition. He did not verbalize his answer, because he had no real answer for her. What he had was the present, where he wanted her as much as she wanted him. The future, however, was never certain.