He clamped down on the visceral urge to take her in the back seat of the limo.
She was putting him in charge. That she trusted him enough to do that would have to be enough for now.
‘Is that a yes, Jade?’ he asked.
Her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet, but she nodded, her gaze wary but forthright. ‘I... Yes, I want you too.’
He curled his fingers into fists, to stop from grabbing her as the heat pumped into his shaft.
Her forthright attitude to sex was going to kill him.
‘How about after the Christmas Ball, in three days’ time?’ he said, thinking fast, a plan already forming that should satisfy the need for privacy. ‘That’s our last official engagement. It will be easier to keep our liaison private once your state visit is over.’
No one need know that she had not returned to Monrova.
Three more days of having to control his desires and limit himself to PDAs was going to be nothing short of torture—especially now she had agreed to sleep with him. But keeping this next step private was important. Once they had become lovers, he could use their physical intimacy to his advantage in any marriage negotiations, but why expose themselves before it was necessary? Surely, they both deserved a little time to enjoy this
aspect of their relationship first?
‘I’ll make all the necessary arrangements,’ he said. ‘Do you trust me, Jade?’
Guilt flashed in her eyes, surprising him. What could she possibly have to feel guilty about?
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Yes, I do.’
He smiled, dismissing the ripple of unease. No doubt the guilt was subconscious, and a result of her father’s Neanderthal attitude to marriage and virginity. After all, Andreas had boasted about his daughter’s untouched state to Leo on several occasions while trying to promote a marriage between their two dynasties over the years. At the time, Leo had thought the whole concept archaic and frankly sexist, proof of a double standard that he had never adhered to.
But the irony wasn’t lost on him now as his libido responded enthusiastically to Jade’s guilty flush.
Not only was he turned on by the thought of being Jade’s first lover, he intended to be her only lover too.
‘Excellent,’ he said, lifting her fingers to his lips, and buzzing a kiss across her knuckles. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Won’t I see you tonight?’ she said, the disappointment in her voice a sop to his ego. ‘For the briefing dinner?’
‘Not tonight.’ He tucked a knuckle under her chin, stroked the pulse point under her jaw. It fluttered deliciously. ‘I think for the next three days it might be wise if we limit our meetings to public engagements. So we’re not tempted to jump each other ahead of schedule.’
‘Oh, yes, of course,’ she said, the freckles on her nose igniting all over again. He could not wait until he got to kiss every one of those freckles. ‘Then I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said.
He allowed himself one last quick kiss on the tip of her nose, before turning and opening the limousine door himself.
He didn’t look back as he slammed the door then headed across the courtyard towards the palace.
The next three days were going to be agony, but Jade was a precious gift who was worth the wait to unwrap.
Anticipation fired through his system—making him feel like a child on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to arrive, even though he’d never been allowed to believe in Santa as a child.
He would whisk Jade away to his father’s old lodge. It was beautiful and secluded. And would allow them the privacy they needed—heat blasted through his system—to finally feed the hunger that had been building for the last five days. And in the days afterwards, he would have Jade all to himself to get her to accept his proposal of marriage.
CHAPTER SIX
‘JUNO, IT’S SO good to hear your voice.’
Juno pressed the phone to her ear, the sound of her sister’s breathless voice turning the butterflies in her stomach into a battalion.
‘Sorry I couldn’t get to the phone straight away,’ Jade added. ‘It’s... It’s pretty early here. And I thought we agreed we wouldn’t contact each other, just in case?’
Juno had started to panic when her sister hadn’t picked up immediately and the call had gone to voicemail. Why hadn’t Jade answered straight away? Her sister was usually so on it, especially first thing in the morning?