Page 97 of Royally Matched

Emboldened, I lean closer and murmur softly in her ear. “I can’t stop thinking about you, day and night. You fill my head, my heart, my soul, and I want nothing more than to claim you as my own, my beautiful, wonderful Sofia.”

She lifts her gaze to mine, her full, pillowy lips parting farther as she lets out a ragged breath, and it’s all the invitation I need to show this incredible woman how much she’s come to mean to me in the short time she’s been in my life.

I close what’s left of the distance between us, her womanly body pressed against mine, and I slide a hand around her waist. I take a beat, allowing myself to be fully present in this moment, a moment I’ve fantasized about since I first met her at the ball. The moment I know will be indelibly etched into my brain for eternity.

“Marco,” she breathes, and my response is to press my lips softly against hers, the feel of her touch sending forksof electricity through me. I close my eyes to drink in every last drop of this moment with her. The softness of her lips. The feel of her body against mine. Her scent. The taste of her.

She finds the base of my neck and tangles her fingers in my hair, her need for me growing, just as mine does for her. Not caring who sees us, I lift her up off her feet and press her against the town wall, taking full advantage of the blanket of darkness around us as we deepen our kiss.

With my mouth I claim her as mine and mine alone.

All the pent-up passion I have held for this woman is finally expressed in the sweetest, most wonderful way, and in a flash, we become a tangle of hands and lips and the very deepest pull of attraction for one another, almost spiraling out of control.

“You have no idea how long I have wanted to kiss you,Principessa,” I murmur against her lips, our breath mingling.

“Nor I you,” she whispers back.

I trail kisses along her jawline and down her neck before I return to her lips, kissing her once more with every last drop of passion I hold for her, finally able to show her what she means to me, and what I hope with all my heart we can become.

Chapter 26

Sofia

My heart is thrashing in my chest like a fish on a hook as I pull myself from Marco’s arms. It takes all my strength, but I know I must do this before it’s too late. Before I lose myself completely in him.

“Sofia, what’s wrong?” he asks.

I take a shaky step back from him. I smooth my hair and take a deep, steadying breath, fighting to gain control over myself.

It would be so easy to get lost in him,all my feelings simmering to the surface, ready to break free, to show him how much he means to me, how much I want him. To tell him what I have begun to fear so fiercely.

That I’m falling in love with him.

I can’t let that happen. I must protect my heart. A man like Marco? He’s nothing short of dangerous. Losing myself in him would be incredible—and an abject disaster.

He’s the embodiment of the very reason why I want to choose an arranged marriage with the very opposite sort of person. A man like Marco is the reason I had all those boxes to be checked on my spreadsheet in the first place.

Marco is none of the things I know I need in a life partner. He’s unpredictable, spontaneous, his heart filled with passion and excitement. He lives in the moment, encouraging me to eat whatever I want, buying dresses for me, and giving me the most passionate and heartfelt kisses of my life, under the lanterns on this most romantic of nights.

But it can't be Marco.

I need a man with a steady character, someone who doesn’t get swept up so easily in the moment. Someone who is calm and predictable. Someone mature, older than me. Someone who knows who they are and what they want out of life.

Marco is young and still working all that out. Sure, he’s following his passion for nature in his new career, but he’s only been pursuing it for a couple of months. What’s to say he doesn’t change his mind next year, next month, next week?

What if he changes his mind aboutme.

I close my eyes and suck in a breath.

Loving Marco—as wonderful as I am sure it would be—can only ever end in heartache.

I know. I’ve been down that road before. Reynold waspassionate and got swept up in things, full of the joys of life. It was exciting for someone like me, who has to follow the rules, always be self-contained, keeping my true self in check. But ultimately, Reynold’s passion led him to another woman, leaving me behind, sad and broken.

That’s why, of the two brothers, Enzo is the one I should choose. He would never get swept up in anything. He’s responsible, steady, the kind of man I could always rely on.

With Enzo my heart isn’t involved. It’s safe. Protected.

As I look at Marco, with his messy hair, stubble lined jaw, and soft eyes, I know what I must do. Even though it breaks my heart.