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  The sky had lightened to pink and blue pastels and in the distance one star shone, heralding the arrival of dusk. As they strolled down the stretch of beach, he kept them away from the water. After a moment, he stopped and then let her hand fall down his arm until he grasped it and laced her fingers with his.

  “Talia…” He sighed and brought her hand up between them so it rested against his chest. “I brought you here with a purpose. Perhaps, looking back, it was the wrong approach. It’s difficult to explain really so I’ll need to provide some back story.”

  “O-okay.”

  Her voice stuttered out in a whispery rush.

  “I’ve been rather preoccupied with you since the first day I saw you in my office and you knocked over the vase. You were all of eighteen years old and I knew my attraction was inappropriate and yet I couldn’t help myself.”

  Her eyes widened in shock and she stared back at him, mouth open at his admission. What he was saying was insane. Princes didn’t become preoccupied with girls like her. Definitely not grubbily attired girls who’d been working in the garden.

  “I inquired about you and when I learned of your mother’s condition and that you’d foregone university to take odd jobs to pay for your mother’s treatment, I knew I couldn’t allow it to continue. Even if it meant sending you away for a period of time.”

  This was becoming more bizarre by the moment but it explained so much because her biggest question had always been why? She’d assumed that he was just a benevolent benefactor, that he’d wanted to do good. And he had. She certainly wouldn’t take that away from him.

  “With your mother making so much progress and you graduating from university, I knew that I could very well lose you…to another man.”

  He grimaced then and looked abashed.

  “I would have done anything to get you to come to me and I used the promise I extracted from you when I saw you last to get you here. The contract was so you’d know what you were getting into. A way out I suppose. I wanted you to have no surprises. I’m not proud of the way I summoned you to the island but I don’t regret having you here. You should also know that I had no intention of limiting this to a six-month period of time together. I didn’t want to overwhelm you from the onset so I put a time frame, hoping you would think six months wouldn’t be too high a price to pay for what I’d done for you.”

  “You certainly had that much right,” she murmured. “That was precisely the way I looked at it. Six months of my life, my pride, my honor was nothing compared to the life of my mother and the education I was able to gain.”

  He flinched. “Is being here with me so abhorrent, Talia? Can you look beyond the way I got you here to why? Can you possibly understand and forgive my deception?”

  She swallowed and met his gaze directly, butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach. “You said you had no intention of keeping to the six months, Xander. What did you mean by that?”

  He cupped her chin, tilting her face upward. His lips hovered over hers, so close she could feel the brush of his breath across her lips.

  “I meant that I have no intention of letting you go. Ever.”

  Chapter 13

  Talia trembled in Xander’s fingers. As his statement settled over her, she stared up at him, uncomprehending what she’d heard.

  “And the others?” she blurted out. “Are they just part of the charade or is this the way you want things?”

  His thumb smoothed over her cheek. His expression was serious, his eyes dark and searching. “They are part of who I am, Talia. I didn’t lie or mislead you about that. Everything you were informed of prior to your signing the contract is true and indicative of what being with me will be like.”

  “Oh,” she said softly.

  “You agreed before. You asked for them to be present when I make love to you the first time. What’s changed?”

  She shook her head slowly. “Nothing. It’s just…different now. It’s hard to comprehend. You wanting me. I’m still not sure what it all means.”

  “I think what this all means is that I need to be asking you how you feel…about me.”

  He kissed her then. Warm and gentle. Almost tentative as if he worried she would pull away. She leaned into him, enjoying the hard strength of his body. The way he seemed to encompass her. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her in even tighter while his other hand tangled in her hair.

  “Xander.”

  He slowly drew his mouth away, though he still held her tightly.

  “I’m ready for you to make love to me,” she whispered.

  All the nervousness of earlier, the feelings of awkwardness and the sensation of the entire episode being clinical and cold had evaporated once he’d given his earnest confession.

  She was still a little dazzled and unable to articulate her feelings—how could she? What she knew was that she was ready to give herself unreservedly to this man on his terms.

  He turned back toward the house, her hand gripped in his. Several times he slowed to adjust his stride to hers as they walked through the sand, but she could sense his impatience. Tension coiled in his body. She could feel the tightness of his muscles, how hard he gripped her hand.

  When they reached the steps, he didn’t bother with their shoes but simply whisked her onto the veranda and then inside the doors to the villa.

  As soon as they reached the top of the stairs on the second floor, he swept her into his arms and carried her toward his suite. He nudged the door open with his shoulder and went straight toward the bedroom through the sitting area.

  He paused just inside the door and turned Talia so she could see.

  Garon stood by the window while Nico was sprawled in an armchair in the corner. Sebastien was on Xander’s bed, leaned against the headboard with his feet propped at the end. They all turned their gaze on Talia and she shivered at the raw hunger in their eyes.

  Excitement hurtled through her veins. She didn’t fear this. It should terrify her by all rights. What she was doing just wasn’t normal. It wasn’t done.

  It was erotic, forbidden and wickedly enticing.

  Sebastien scrambled up and Xander strode to the bed where he placed her on the mattress. The simple sundress he’d had her wear for dinner suddenly didn’t seem like much of a barrier when four hungry-looking men loomed over her.

  She stared up as they circled the bed, standing, looking down at her with lust in their eyes. The feeling of helplessness was delicious. It sent a shiver of delight straight up her spine. Who knew that it would be such a huge turn-on to have sex with multiple men?

  “Undress her,” Xander said in a silky voice that sent a wave of goose bumps chasing over her skin.

  Suddenly he was commander again. The authority. Gone was the earnest, almost vulnerable man who’d reluctantly admitted his feelings just moments earlier. In his place was a dominant, self-assured man who was incredibly aroused and ready to stake his claim.

  For a moment, Xander was solidly in the background as the other three men descended on the bed. Sebastien was to her right, Garon on the left while Nico crawled up and hovered over her body.

  Then Nico leaned down and swept her mouth into a tender kiss. His lips were firm, strong. His kiss was a reminder of all he’d promised.

  As he drew away, his eyes flashed and he touched his hand to her cheek.

  “We’re here to make this very good for you. Whatever you want, whatever makes you feel good, you only have to say it and we’ll make it happen.”

  She inhaled through her nose, her mind about to explode. This couldn’t be happening. It was simply too mind-boggling to compute. This was a fantasy. A dream. It couldn’t be real.

  Garon slid his hand beneath her neck and lifted her upward while Sebastien slipped the straps of her sundress down her arms. Nico pulled slowly at the bodice until it pushed over her breasts, freeing them from the slight restraint of the elastic binding.

  Nico worked backward, taking the dress down her body as he moved closer to
the end of the bed. At any other time she’d be cursing the fact that she had nothing on underneath the dress, but she was far too eager to experience this ultimate fantasy.

  Garon’s big hand glided over her belly and then up to cup one breast. She sucked in her breath when he lowered his head and traced a line around her taut nipple with his tongue.

  On her other side, Sebastien stroked one hand over her hair before bending down to tease her nipple with his tongue as Garon was doing.

  And then Nico kissed the flat of her belly, just over her navel.

  She closed her eyes, reveling in the sinful decadence of having three men worship her with their mouths. Nico kissed a path down to her pelvis and then pressed his mouth to her mound, just above where her slit began and her clit already throbbed.

  But he didn’t touch her more intimately. Instead he carefully parted her legs and bent her knees so she was completely open and spread wide. Then he backed off the bed and walked around on Garon’s side, but he went higher, climbing on the pillows next to her head.

  He kissed her forehead and smoothed his hands through her hair while Garon and Sebastien continued to lavish attention on her breasts.

  Xander stared at the erotic site of Talia being pleasured by the men he called friends. When Nico left her parted legs, Xander’s gaze drank in the sight of her spread out. For him. His to claim and possess.

  He had to remind himself that she was a virgin. She needed gentleness and patience from him. She didn’t need him to be a raging sex fiend who fucked her into unconsciousness even if it was what he was dying to do.

  He shrugged out of his clothing, his gaze still riveted to Garon and Sebastien as they sucked and toyed with her nipples. Their hands were splayed out across her body, possessive, a stark contract against her pale, fragile skin.

  He wanted her like he wanted his next breath. He was afraid to touch her for fear of losing control. For a moment he stood transfixed by the sight before him, drinking in the sheer eroticism of hearing her soft sighs of pleasure.

  As if sensing that Xander would stand back no longer, Garon and Sebastien pulled away and Talia lifted her head, her gaze meeting Xander’s.

  There was magic in that moment. It was like a fist to his gut. Trust. Shining in her eyes. Answering desire. But most importantly, trust. That he wouldn’t hurt her. That he would bring her pleasure.

  He put a knee onto the bed and pushed himself up and then crawled between her wide-spread knees. Planting his hands on either side of her body, he moved upward and then lowered himself down so that their mouths met in a heated rush.

  Her breasts pressed into his chest. Her tongue met his, eager and impatient. Her legs closed around him, soft and silky against his skin.

  She rubbed feverishly against him and made a purring sound deep in her throat that nearly sent him over the edge.

  He closed his eyes and then slid his mouth down the side of her jaw to her ear where he licked and nibbled at the lobe. Just below it, he nipped and then sucked at the soft flesh.

  She tightened immediately, her body convulsing against him. He smiled. He’d found a weakness. One of her sweet spots.

  He grazed his teeth over the area again, and she moaned. He did his own amount of shivering when she slid her hands up his arms and then dug her fingers into his shoulders, holding on as he continued his relentless assault on her neck.

  Methodically he worked his way down her body, tasting every inch of her flesh on his way to her breasts. The plump swells were delectable. Firm but plush and so satiny to the touch.

  Her nipples were hard and puckered, dark against the paleness of the flesh that had obviously never seen the sun. His Talia didn’t sunbathe in the nude or self-tan as many women did. If the area of paler skin was any indicator, her bathing suits were extremely modest.

  It made him a flaming hypocrite that he found satisfaction in the fact that other men hadn’t been able to look upon her curves when he himself kept her naked at every opportunity and on display for him and the men he’d trusted to pleasure her.

  He already knew he would be a possessive lover. Jealously guarding her from other men, or rather Garon, Sebastien and Nico would be charged with protecting her from all others.

  All he had to do was look at her and he was seized by the insane urge to lock her in his bedroom and keep her naked and at his beck and call every moment of the day.

  He sucked gently at her breasts, alternating between the two. He was hot and incredibly hard. His erection was painful, and it was difficult not to thrust himself into her body to seek relief.

  Forcing himself to hold back and calm the roaring in his ears, the voice that told him to take her over and over, he instead continued to lick a path over her belly and lower to her sweet, feminine flesh.

  He’d already seen the evidence of her virginity when he’d used his mouth on her before. He’d been careful then, not to breach the opening or cause her pain. But now he was ready to push inside her with a cock that was much bigger than the small opening made much smaller by the thin flap of flesh that signaled her innocence.

  Sliding back until his knees were dug into the very edge of the bed, he nuzzled the velvety folds and then used his fingers to spread her farther apart so he could trace her sweetness with his tongue.

  With the tip of his finger, he traced the nearly transparent flap of skin that covered part of her vaginal opening. He tested the strength, sliding his finger inside and pushing gently.

  She immediately went tense and her head came up, her eyes flashing in alarm.

  “It’s okay, Talia,” he soothed. “I’m going to be gentle, my love.”

  Sebastien moved close again and caressed her breast, his palm smoothing over her body in a comforting gesture. Garon also resumed his position and leaned down to suckle again as Xander continued his gentle exploration of her pussy.

  He wanted her eager, aroused, nearly desperate for his possession. It was inevitable that he would cause her hurt. Her opening was small and he would have to break through the flesh to gain full entry into her body.

  He lowered his mouth and licked sensuously over the sensitive flesh and working upward to tease her clit. She quivered beneath his mouth and he smiled, enjoying her reaction.

  His men were doing their best to offer her comfort, support and pleasure. He wanted her to feel secure, never afraid. He wanted her full trust and he wanted her to know who owned her.

  He sucked lightly at the tiny bundle of nerves until she writhed and moaned a desperate, needy sound.

  “Xander, please,” she whispered hoarsely.

  He couldn’t have denied her anything in that moment. He raised his head as Sebastien and Garon pulled away. Their gazes met and she was pleading with him with her eyes.

  Carefully, Nico reached down, grasped her wrists and pulled her arms over her head. He threaded his fingers with hers, holding her hands in place.

  Xander rose to his knees and positioned himself between her legs. He could barely stay upright. His erection was heavy and aching, so hard it was painful.

  Sebastien took one of her hands from Nico and held it on the pillow next to her head. Garon cupped her breast possessively as Xander fit himself to her small opening.

  With his thumb, he caressed her clit, rubbing it lightly in a circular motion as he began to push forward. She tensed again as he felt her began to stretch around him to accommodate his size.

  Her forehead creased and uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

  “Do it quickly, Xander,” Sebastien muttered. “It’ll be less painful that way.”

  Xander couldn’t bear the thought of just plowing into her, but he also knew that Sebastien was right. Moving this slowly and stretching her until her flesh tore and opened for him was only going to prolong her discomfort. Better to have done with it.

  He went still and she made a small sound of pain that sounded like a whimper. She was snug around him and he had yet to break through the flesh guarding her entrance.

 
“Hold on to them,” he said in a strained voice. “I’m sorry, Talia. I do not want to hurt you more than necessary.”

  Before she could respond, he pushed through in one rapid motion. She cried out, but he felt the flesh give away and he was inside her snug passageway.

  Tears glistened on her eyelashes and his chest caved in at the distress on her face.

  He bent down, gathering her in his arms as he lowered his body to hers. It took all he had not to move within her but he was determined not to savage her with a mindless fucking when she was still adjusting to having a man inside her body.

  He kissed away her tears. “Do you want me to stop?”

  She shook her head and then raised her lips to his. “No, please. Just give me a moment.”

  He took what she offered so sweetly, sucking her tongue into his mouth and licking over it with his own. His body screamed at him to move, but his heart and mind told him to take care and to cherish the woman in his arms.

  Breathless, melting kisses. The feel of her body against his. Her warmth surrounding him. The smell of her. The taste of her on his tongue.

  His pulse echoed loudly in his ears, pounded at his temples. His jaw was tight as he pulled away from her swollen mouth. He stared down at her, drowning in her eyes, losing himself in her beauty and gentle spirit.

  Very carefully, he pushed himself upward, gauging her reaction the entire way as he pushed the tiniest bit farther into her body.

  Nico pressed his mouth to her forehead, taking up where Xander had left off and raining tender kisses over her face.

  As Xander put more space between himself and Talia, Garon and Sebastien began to caress her belly, breasts and sliding up and down her midline, petting and soothing.

  Talia gave a little sigh and seemed to relax. The tension that had been so readily evident in her face was starting to disappear and her eyes once more wore the glaze of passion and desire.

  He slipped his hands underneath her bottom and cupped her buttocks and then carefully began to withdraw.

  Her eyes went wide and then she closed them, breathing in deep when he inched his way forward once more.