Page 21 of Cruel King
Of course, he doesn’t. Instead, he reaches his hand out to loosen the belt on my robe, and as I watch, it falls open to reveal my naked body. I don’t know why, but I don’t move a muscle to cover myself like I would with anyone else in the world. It’s like I’m under his spell and I can’t do a thing.
His gaze rakes over me from my face to my feet and back up again before he smiles. I’m almost afraid of what he may say he’s so unpredictable, so I’m happy when he remains silent as he studies me.
I don’t know what to do next, even as thoughts of what I want to happen race through my mind. I’m not a virgin, but I’m definitely not as experienced as he is or, I doubt, as experienced as the other women he’s been with.
Finally, I can’t stand the silence anymore and throw caution to the wind to risk hearing what he’s thinking. “Please say something. I’m standing here naked with you staring at my body. Say something. Anything.”
Matthias smiles and looks into my eyes. “You’re not naked. You still have a robe on.”
The anticipation of not knowing what he’d say makes my emotions unravel inside me, and for a moment, I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry. “Really? You have a naked woman standing in front of you, and you want to nitpick?”
“You do have a robe on.”
“And if I let it fall to the floor and then I’m buck-naked standing here, will you still have nothing else to say to me?” I ask, silently questioning where that bravery came from.
He shakes his head and leans down to kiss me softly before whispering against my lips, “I won’t say anything then either because we’ll have better things to do.”
His words send chills up and down my spine, and my nipples harden to excited peaks. “Oh. You have something in mind?” I ask, surprised since it seems he’s thought this whole thing out between us.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to figure out what the hell is going on. One minute he’s cruel and telling me I don’t belong in his house. The next he’s being sweet and rescuing me from a snowdrift. And then the next he’s back to being cruel and telling me to go away.
Nodding, he doesn’t wait for me to drop my robe and slowly pushes it off my body himself. It puddles at my feet, leaving me naked in front of him.
Again, his gaze slides over the entire length of my body, but this time when he reaches my face, he isn’t smiling. I instantly brace myself for something hurtful to come out of his mouth, sure I’m dealing with a madman who may have mental problems or at least some kind of split personality issue.
“I shouldn’t do this. I’m not supposed to even think about you, Ava.” He stops and lets out a heavy sigh before continuing. “The problem is you’re all I can think about.”
His confession leaves me confused. Relieved he isn’t saying anything that will make me cry again, I ask, “Today, you mean?”
Matthias shakes his head. “No. For so long that I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be right here with you.”
His voice falters as he says that, and it’s all I can do to not ask any more questions. Those can come later. Right now, we have better things to do.
CHAPTERTEN
Ava
Still wearingthat towel that seems like more of a tease than anything else, he lifts me in his arms and carries me back to his bed, setting me down gently like I’m something important he wants to cherish. I know better than to expect much in the way of talking from him, so I simply watch as he climbs into bed next to me, shoving the Playboy magazine away like it’s of no interest to him anymore.
He truly is beautiful lying beside me, his dark gaze fixed on my face like he’s searching for the answer to a question he hasn’t spoken yet. I move my attention to the towel still wrapped around his hips and smile.
“So one of us is naked, but the other is still wearing clothes. Not fair.”
“A towel isn’t clothes,” he says in a low voice as he traces his fingertip over my shoulder.
“Did you go to school to be a lawyer? You certainly do like to nitpick.”
Without answering my question, he leans over and kisses me, and I swear it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. When his lips touch mine, it’s as if he’s worshipping me, like I’m something he adores. I’ve never had anyone kiss me like this. As gentle as he was when he was checking my ankle to see if it was broken, he’s even more tender now.
I slide my hand around his neck and bury my fingers in his dark hair as I pull his mouth to mine. My tongue playfully dances over his, inching up my desire for him to be rid of that damn towel.
He cradles my face in his hands, sweetly caressing my cheeks. When he lifts his head, I open my eyes and see him looking down at me like he could be happy to just stare into my eyes for the rest of time.
“Why didn’t you ever let me know you liked me?” I ask, breaking my own promise I made to myself just a little while ago not to ruin things with questions.
It’s just I have to know before we sleep together.
Matthias shakes his head and frowns. “I couldn’t.”