The Prince's Forbidden Lover (The Samara Royal Family #3) by Elizabeth Lennox Read Free Book Online

would we go to your private suite?”
    Rais stopped and looked at her again.  It suddenly occurred to him that this woman might not understand what was about to happen between them.  Could she be…? 
    Impossible!  She was too beautiful and any woman with a figure like hers had been initiated by a man at some point along her high school or university career.  “Don’t tease, Joline.  This isn’t the right place and we have to hurry.”
    Joline recognized something important at that moment, the urgency in his tone broke through and she pulled her hand out of his, shaking her head even as she stepped away from the doorway. 
    “I can’t go with you!” she told him firmly. 
    Rais was becoming impatient.  “Joline, this is going to happen.  I don’t want to have our first time together to be a quickie on my desk.  I want to take my time and enjoy exploring all of you.”
    His words, as well as his gentle touch as his hands cupped her cheeks, the rough pads of his thumbs brushing against her skin, making her whole body tingle again, made her want to go with him, to find out what she’d been missing all this time.  Why shouldn’t she?  Everyone else had had sex and not everyone really liked it.  She was almost positive that Rais would be the perfect lover.  Why was she even hesitating?
    And then reality came back to her.  “No!” she whispered, but with enough feeling that he understood that she was serious. 
    Rais stopped and looked back at her, his eyes narrowing as he took in the determined expression of her lovely features.  “What’s going on?” he asked, taking a deep breath as he tried to cool his raging libido.  It was hard, because her nipples were still pressing against her shirt and all he wanted was to find out what made this woman explode around him. 
    But she wasn’t ready.  He could see that in her eyes and he didn’t want to push her.  Well, he did, but that wasn’t what he was going to do. 
    Suppressing the caveman that had raged so strongly only moments ago, he relented at her panicked expression.  “You need some time to process this,” he commented.  He pulled back and took her hands in both of his.  “Fine.  But you need to accept that this is going to happen, Joline.  You will be in my bed.  Soon.  And I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.” 
    He bent lower and kissed her lips lightly. 
    She pulled away and looked up at him, her mouth tingling with sensations she couldn’t quite figure out how to ignore.  “We leave tomorrow,” she told him.  “It was very nice meeting you.”  A moment later, she yanked open the office door and hurried down the hallway.  She didn’t go back to Shantra’s apartment. She needed to pull herself together again.  She felt as if she was coming apart at the seams and the only way she might…stay together, was to be with that man.  But that idea was crazy!  She couldn’t be with him.  Out of the question.
    She walked into the bathroom and splashed water on her neck, trying to calm down.  There was no way she could go back to the meeting with Keith and Shantra looking like this.  Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen.  Not to mention, her breasts were tingling and…looking at her blouse, she could see where her nipples were still poking against the material.  Sighing, she leaned against the countertop, trying to put the man out of her mind. 
    This was crazy!  She was in control, here.  She was not going to fall victim to Prince Rais’ seduction or Shantra’s matchmaking.  She was her own person!  She was in control! 
    After that pep talk, and several minutes of pacing back and forth, she felt much stronger. 
     

Chapter 4
     
    “House of Jesek, how can I help you?” Joline chimed in, sifting through papers on her desk. 
    “Darling girl, you can tell me that the rumors are true!”
    Joline’s hand froze as the voice on the other end of the line sunk into her frazzled, exhausted