Finding Emma waiting for him turned him on, no question, but it touched something deep inside him as well.
“You would have just come looking for me.” She smiled guilelessly up at him. “I thought this would be easier.”
“You know me so well.”
She slipped one button undone and smiled. “Oh, yes, I do.”
“You look incredibly sexy in my shirt.” If his voice had an underlying tone of surprise, he could be forgiven.
He’d talked her into the lingerie because he’d had plenty of fantasies about her wearing something like those pieces and yet, he could not imagine being more turned on than he was right at that moment.
Because Emma in his shirt felt right. And it was so damn sexy, his erection was pressing painfully against his slacks.
Her hands stilled in the efforts to unbutton the shirt. “Maybe I should leave it on.” She gave him a flirty look.
And just like that, he was all in.
“Don’t you dare.” He stripped in record time, giving no care for his clothes falling in a wrinkled heap on the floor.
Emma undid the last button, her expression coy, her body sinuous against the bedding. Then she opened the shirt, revealing her gorgeous breasts, their peaks like ripe berries. His mouth watered to taste her.
The bright bit of silk that was her thong barely covered the apex of her thighs, but even that covering was too much.
Konstantin dived for her, his hands busy divesting her of the remaining clothing.
Her laughter cut off as he kissed her and what followed was intense and amazing and so incredibly satisfying.
But still, Emma went back to her own bed afterward like she always did.
Konstantin did not like it, but he did not know how to convince her that he would never let her down again like he had when he’d broken up with her.
And until he did, she wasn’t risking Mickey’s believing they were back together in a romantic capacity.
He respected her need to protect their son from potential heartbreak, but that didn’t make it any easier for Konstantin to accept.
His brother had warned Konstantin he would have to work hard to rebuild his relationship with Emma.
The King had been frustratingly right.
Sitting on matching loungers, Emma and Kon took advantage of their last afternoon by the pool.
They watched their son swim and do tricks interspersed with the occasional, “Watch me, Mom. Look at this, Dad.”
“He’s amazing,” Kon said, his voice heavy with love for their son.
“You know, when I was pregnant, I thought you’d be a great dad and then everything happened with not being able to reach you...”
“And having Tiana threaten you.” His tone still carried guilt over that.
“Yes,” Emma acknowledged, not sure how to alleviate Kon’s guilt over a past that could not be changed. “I convinced myself then you wouldn’t add anything good to Mickey’s life.”
“And now?”
She turned so their eyes met, his fixed on her with intense regard. Her answer mattered.
“Now, I think I was right when I thought you’d be a good dad. You really are, Kon.” He was way more hands-on than she would have ever expected a workaholic like her Prince to be.
The fact he’d delegated responsibilities on both the company and palace front to free up time to get to know Mickey and help him acclimate to the changes in their lives said a great deal about Kon’s dedication to fatherhood.