Desi nodded respectfully.
Magnus turned and strode up the steps. Desi must have radioed ahead, because by the time he stepped into the house, his staff was in a panicked scramble. He walked from room to room, shaking his head at what they had wasted their time on. The dining room, as well as most of the first floor of the home, was full of white roses and lit candles. A quick glance out one of the windows revealed that a square dance floor had been created on the lawn facing the river. Benito apparently hadn’t gotten the news, because he and his band were still setting up.
Just as he returned to the foyer, Phillip appeared. “A moment, Your Royal Highness.”
“Did anyone clear this with you? They brought in food, flowers, entertainment. Do they understand how many unknown elements they introduced to my house? My house. Nothing happens here without my knowledge and my permission.”
“It appears this was a spontaneous idea they collectively went with.”
“Unacceptable. This will not happen again. We need to do better than this, Phillip. How can I protect her if my own men become unpredictable?”
“I will speak to them.”
“Where did they get the flowers? The candles? Were they delivered? And if so, by whom? I want to know the name and description of every single person who stepped into my home.”
“I’ll have that information for you shortly, Your Royal Highness.”
Magnus ran his hands through his hair. He knew he sounded like an asshole, but nice didn’t keep people safe. “Why? What is the purpose of all of this, anyway?”
Phillip hesitated, then said, “It’s my understanding that Miss Westerly met Zinnia in town today, and the two got on well enough that they hatched this idea in an attempt to please you.”
“Well, get it all out of here.”
“Are you sure? Miss Westerly obviously went to a lot of trouble—”
“You know what I didn’t need today, Phillip? Another fucking surprise. I don’t care how much work went into this. I want it gone.”
A gasp echoed through the foyer. Magnus turned and was sucker punched by a completely different version of Rachelle than he’d left that morning. Dressed in a strapless dark-blue gown that fit her like a second skin, her hair piled on top of her head in a sexy knot of curls, she stood halfway down the stairway, taking his breath away. He’d waited a long time for her, and there she was, wrapped up for him like a candy begging to be devoured. The anger in her eyes only fueled the wild passion burning within him.
“You don’t care about anyone but yourself, do you? And you don’t even bother to hide it.”
Phillip wisely withdrew, as did the rest of his staff.
Magnus spoke as he crossed the foyer to the bottom of the stairway. “You appear to be feeling better.”
“I am—well enough to be able to drive myself back to the city, if you could lend me a car.”
“That’s not how I see tonight going,” he said as he advanced up the steps. He was done playing games. She’d obviously dressed with the intention of pleasing him, and it had worked. He didn’t need roses, candles, and pretty dresses to want her—but he appreciated the effort.
She stood her ground, her chin raising the closer he came. He would have told her how long the move made her neck look but decided the kisses he’d rain on it would deliver that message. She said, “It appears we’ll both be disappointed tonight, because I’m leaving.”
He came to a stop on the step below her, still towering over her by a few inches, but her mouth was deliciously closer. Her breasts swelled with each deep breath she took, reminding him of the first night he’d met her. “Keep the dress on the first time I fuck you.” She raised her hand to deliver a slap, but he caught it easily. “I don’t mind if you like it rough, but let’s take it somewhere private.” He pulled her closer. “You look so fucking hot in that dress. Good choice.”
“Let me go. Are you deaf? I’m not staying. Not now.”
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. “Because I didn’t like the flowers? Because I don’t dance? I don’t give a shit about those things. If you’re looking for someone to romance you and read you poetry, that’s not me. I’m not that man.” He ran a thumb over her lip and loved how it opened for him almost against her will. “You don’t care. All you want is my cock again. Say it.”
Her eyes raged with the same desire flooding him. “No.”
He tasted her lips, teasing them with his tongue until she opened them for him. He lifted her into his arms while continuing to plunder her mouth. Her arms wound around his neck, and their kiss tasted of anger and fire. He didn’t know if he could trust her, and she was obviously furious with him, but none of that mattered, because their need for each other consumed all else.
He carried her up the rest of the steps and down the hallway to his room, kicking the door closed behind him. He walked to the bed and tossed her down on it. Standing over her, he said, “Now is not the time to lie to yourself or to me. We both know this is what you want. All you have to do is say yes.” He stepped out of his shoes, then pulled his shirt free of his trousers. “Yes to me bringing you pleasure.” He dropped his shirt on the floor. “Yes to pleasing me.” He unbuckled his belt and removed the rest of his clothing smoothly. He stood before her, naked and fully aroused. “One word, but you have to say it. Give yourself to me.”
Despite the passion in her eyes, she said, “And if I say no?”
“You won’t,” he said, slipping her shoes off and taking each of her stockinged feet in one hand. “But it is always your right to.” He slid a hand beneath her gown, up her leg, and discovered the stockings ended midthigh. “These stay, too.”
She licked her bottom lip. “You like them?”
“Oh yes.” With one strong move, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and held her legs up and apart at his sides. He followed with the other stocking, then went higher to the satin that covered her wet sex. He lightly ran his hand back and forth over the material. “Did you buy this for me as well?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering and glazing with need.
He eased the material aside and dipped his finger gently inside her. “I like that word on your lips. Say it again.”
“Yes.”
He rewarded her by circling her nub until he found just the pressure and rhythm that made her squirm against his hand. She gripped the sheets on either side of her as he caressed her intimately. He wanted to see all of her, kiss every inch of her, but first he wanted the fantasy from that first night. As he touched her, he told her exactly how much he wanted to fuck her, how beautiful she was, how this was only the beginning of the pleasure they’d bring each other.
When her face was flushed with excitement and she was wet and ready, he hauled her to her feet and kissed her deeply. She was wild for him, her hands grasping for more of him. He stepped back, hiked her gown up, and unsnapped the satin crotch.
“Wait.” She reached into the bodice of her dress, pulled out a condom, and tossed it at him. He caught it and smiled.
It was all on then. He sheathed himself, then lifted her so her dress bunched and her legs wrapped around his waist. He kissed his way down her long neck and across the mounds of her eager-to-be-released breasts. Her sex hovered just above the tip of his cock, teasing, ready. She dug her hand into his hair and raised his mouth to hers. The kiss they shared shook him to his core. Never had he wanted a woman more.
They kissed until there was nothing but a painful hunger that could no longer be denied. With a step, he backed her to the wall and thrust up into her. She gasped into their kiss, then met his thrust with one of her own. Deeper and harder. Faster and more wild. The only sound in the room was her calling out for him not to stop and him swearing because it was that fucking good.