The man was a born kisser. That kiss had been more than worth an eight-year wait.
But the memory of what had happened next had the heat flushing through her system again. She cupped her swollen breast, felt the molten spot between her thighs where his hand had pressed for a few terrifying seconds of bliss.
A light tap sounded on the bedroom door, jerking her out of the erotic trance.
‘Your Majesty, it’s Serena, I’m here with Jennifer. Are you awake?’
Serena? Jennifer? Oh, yes, her sister’s personal assistant and her personal maid.
‘Yes. Give me a minute,’ she said, dragging her still-aching body out of her sister’s bed.
She checked her sister’s phone.
It was past noon. Leo and his entourage had been due to leave by noon.
A strange combination of relief and disappointment echoed through her confused body. It was for the best, she told herself staunchly—as soon as he had told her the time of his departure she had intended to avoid seeing him again at all costs.
Leo was a dangerous man. Not just observant, but demanding and so hot he had incinerated her control and her common sense last night. One kiss and she had been his, revelling in his touch, his taste, her body not her own. She couldn’t afford to get that close to him again.
She tugged on a silk robe. Tied her hair back, so that neither woman noticed it was shorter than her sister’s, and tried to calm her racing heartbeat. Not easy, considering she was hopelessly jet-lagged, she was still struggling with last night’s kiss bombshell and, unlike Jade, she had never been a morning person.
‘Come in, Serena,’ she called out.
The middle-aged woman hurried into the bedroom with a harassed look on her face, followed by the younger woman who was carrying a tray loaded with...
Breakfast... Yum.
And coffee.
Praise the Lord.
‘Your Majesty, are you well?’ Serena said, clutching a bunch of the morning papers, while Jennifer proceeded to put the tray on a small table by the window and set out her breakfast. ‘I have taken the precaution of making an appointment with the palace physician.’
‘I’m great, Serena, no doctor needed,’ Juno said, grabbing a slice of toast off the tray and slathering on some butter.
Note to self: set an alarm tomorrow.
Her sister probably got up at dawn no matter what time she’d been up the night before.
‘You can cancel the appointment. Sorry I overslept. Last night was...’ What? Intriguing? Astonishing? Terrifying? Dangerously exciting? ‘Quite tiring,’ she said, as she sat down in one of the room’s armchairs. After finishing the toast in a few quick bites, she grabbed the coffee cup Jennifer had just finished pouring.
‘Thank you, Jennifer, you’re a lifesaver.’ She inhaled the delicious scent before swallowing a life-saving gulp. ‘Perfect.’
‘Thank you, Your Majesty.’ The maid curtsied. ‘Would you like me to add the cream and sugar now?’
Juno plopped the cup back down on the tray. Oops. ‘Oh, yes, of course.’
She’d totally forgotten her sister’s sweet tooth.
Juno watched, dismayed, as the maid loaded the coffee with enough cream and sugar to give any normal person tooth rot. She took another sip and tried not to gag.
‘Mmm, lovely, Jennifer. Thank you, that’s just how I like it.’
Really, Jade?
Serena finished talking on the phone. ‘I’ve cancelled the appointment, Your Majesty, if you’re absolutely sure you’re well?’
‘Yes, really.’ She could not risk getting examined by the palace doctor. She and Jade were identical, but she had a small scar on her knee she’d got skidding into home base aged twelve—and a unicorn on her hip.