The Prince’s Forbidden Lover(31)

“We will be married in a month’s time,” he stated as if she hadn’t even spoken.

Joline wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. Marriage to a man like Rais? No, that wasn’t her destiny. Tall, dark, handsome? Wonderful. Arrogant, irritating and domineering? Nope! A man who lived in the limelight? Definitely not!

“We are not going to be married Rais,” she told him firmly. Turning around, she swung the clutched his shirt around her and looked at him. Her eyes couldn’t help but travel down his body and she held her breath for a long moment, trying to control the surge of desire that shot through her when she realized that he was once again hard and ready for her.

Rais stood up and walked over to her, taking her into his arms, one hand twisted into her hair as he gently pulled her head back. “We will be married, Joline. In one month’s time unless you can give me one good reason why marriage would be wrong.”

Joline could think of two right off the top of her head. Three actually. “First of all, I won’t marry a man who doesn’t listen to me.”

Half of his mouth went up into a smile of amusement. “I listen. I just choose to ignore ridiculous statements that don’t make sense. Like the denial that we won’t be married when you know it is true.”

Joline shook her head. “Why aren’t you asking me why we can’t be married? Don’t you respect my intelligence enough to realize that I know my own mind?”

His eyes traveled over her lovely features, enjoying the way her eyes shifted from hazel to green when she became angry. “Yes. I think you are a brilliant woman who has accomplished a great deal in a very short period of time. Which is something that I like and respect more than you might think.”

Joline felt something inside of her chest relax with those words. “Thank you. I love my job.”

“And after we are married, you can stop selling someone else’s products and start buying anything you’d like.”

That was a startling statement. “What do you mean?” she demanded, trying not to assume she understood. She’d give him a chance to explain, she thought silently. Surely he didn’t want her to give up her job, could he?

“You won’t need to work after we’re married.” He kissed her neck and started pushing the sheet down so that his hands had unhindered access to her breasts. “In fact, you can quit right now and I’ll take care of you.”

Joline shuddered when his hands cupped her breasts. She tried to push his hands away. She really did. But when her hands found his wrists and wrapped around the muscular arms, she wasn’t sure that she was pulling away from him so much as directing his hands. “I won’t quit,” she told him. “I’m one of the owners.”

“I’ll hire someone to take over for you. You can oversee them.” And with those words, he lifted her into his arms, high enough so that her breasts were at the same level as his mouth. He captured one nipple with his mouth and teeth, completely distracting Joline from making any argument.

As he laid her back down on the bed, he looked at her with her long, dark hair spread out behind her and her eyes filled with desire, he knew that it would be a good life with this woman. They would have many children together.

“One month,” he promised a moment before he bent over her again and captured her other breast, even while his hands were making their way down her body, sliding against all of those sensitive spots he’d found the first time he’d made love to her.

When he entered her this time, standing by the bed and looking down into her beautiful green eyes, he pulled her legs onto his arms so that he could slide into her more deeply. He’d thought about not using protection this time, wanting her to become pregnant so that she wouldn’t be able to argue with him about marrying him any longer. But he couldn’t do that to her. He didn’t think it was ethical to force her into marriage. Not that she would get away from him, he told himself as he reached down and helped her find her fulfillment. And then he couldn’t think any longer. Her body convulsing around him and those screams as she arched her back with her climax took him over the edge. All he could do was hold onto her slender body as waves of pleasure hit him full force.

When it was all over, he lifted her into his arms and settled her against him as he felt her drift off to sleep. As she slept, her soft breath tickling his chest, he made plans. There were many details he’d have to take care of in order to get this woman to the altar in thirty days.





Chapter 7




Rais walked into the salon, relieved to find his youngest sister alone. She was usually the first to arrive to these family gatherings, and he’d shifted his schedule so that he could fly home and talk to her alone. He had several meetings as well, but talking with Shantra was high on his list of priorities.