Why hadn’t she told him?
Why hadn’t she said anything?
It made no sense.
But there was nothing he could do about it now. No magic spell to turn back time.
‘I am?’ He frowned. ‘Sorry, I thought... I mean, I know you went to university, so...’
She shrugged casually, her hands trembling as she spoke. ‘I didn’t live in halls. My father bought me an apartment and insisted on my bodyguards going everywhere with me.’
‘So those “others” you mentioned...you didn’t...?’
Imma shook her head. ‘I never wanted any of them in that way. Not like I wanted you.’ She hesitated. ‘Is it a problem?’
She was staring up at him, and the expression on her face made him swear silently. He needed to make this all right, and fast, or risk blowing everything.
Shaking his head, he touched her cheek. ‘Quite the contrary.’ His face twisted. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like it that I’m your first.’
Imma stared at him, her pulse beating out of time.
‘Actually, I’m a little embarrassed by how happy it makes me feel,’ he added.
* * *
Her stomach clenched and blood rushed into her pelvis. Her body was rippling back to life as he pulled her closer.
Breathing out unsteadily, he buried his face in her neck. ‘Imma, do you think it’s possible for two people to fall in love in a single day?’
Her heart lurched against her ribs. His dark eyes were soft and steady on her face, but she could hear the shake in his voice.
She took a deep breath. ‘I do,’ she said softly.
‘And could you maybe see yourself saying I do?’ He stared down at her. ‘If I asked you to marry me.’
‘You don’t have to marry me,’ she said shakily. ‘It was my decision not to say anything. I should have told you I was a virgin—’
‘That’s not why I want to marry you.’
His arms tightened around her, and she knew he was telling the truth.
‘I know it sounds crazy, but I have to marry you—there’s no other option for me.’
The poetry of his words made her heart swell.
She was
too choked to speak, but as he lowered his mouth to hers she leaned into him, her hands threading through his hair, and kissed him fiercely.
They made love again, and afterwards she fell asleep in his arms.
She was still wrapped in his arms sometime later, when she woke in the early hours, and for a moment she lay on her side, watching Vicè sleep.
There were no words to describe how she was feeling. She was happy—had never been happier—but ‘happy’ felt too ordinary, too small a word to describe what had just happened.
It was everything she’d wanted for her first time. He had wanted her for herself, just as she had wanted him, and his desire had made her feel sensual. Confident. Powerful. Even when her body had dissolved into hot, endless need.
She still felt as if she was glowing inside.