He reached out to her. His fingers traced her cheek. Her skin was soft and subtle. “Is this what you wanted?”
“No.” But her voice lacked conviction.
“I think it is. Remember how good we used to be together?”
Her gaze never left his as his fingers trailed down her jaw to trace her lips. Her eyes dilated as she inhaled a swift breath. The little voice in his mind that said he shouldn’t be doing this became more and more distant—like the night he insisted they elope. He’d ignored that little voice then and he ignored it now. He had to prove to her that she’d made the biggest mistake of her life when she’d walked away from him. This time he’d be the one doing the walking.
His free hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her voluptuous curves snug against him. Her soft jasmine scent teased his senses. Every time he detected that scent, he thought of her—of her body next to his. It had been so long—so terribly long since he’d been this close to her. She wanted him, too. The passion was there in her eyes.
Buried emotions, desires and longings bubbled to the surface. He needed her—wanted her. The breath hitched in his throat. His head dipped, replacing his fingers with his lips. Her mouth didn’t move at first. His touch was gentle, holding back the powerful rush of desire raging through his veins. His heart hammered against his chest.
His mouth brushed over her petal-soft lips. Just as sweet and tempting as he remembered. He wouldn’t scare her away—not again. She just needed a moment to remember how amazing they’d been together. No one could forget that—not even him.
The next thing he knew her hands slipped up over his chest and wrapped around the back of his head. Her nails scraped up over his scalp as she pulled him closer. A moan swelled in the back of her throat as their kiss intensified.
He knew it. She still wanted him. If there was one thing they always had going for them, it was chemistry. The distance they’d endured had done one very obvious thing—it’d intensified the sparks arching between them, making them combustible.
Her lips moved with frantic need under his. Her excitement only aroused him more. Somewhere along the way the kiss became less about teaching her a lesson and more about him filling that empty spot in his chest. How had he lived so long without her? Her kisses were like a wellspring of life. They sealed the hollow spots in his scarred heart.
Not about to let this moment end, he scooped her up in his arms. Her hands braced on his chest. She pulled back. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of rousing desire and confusion.
“I thought you might want to continue this inside.” His voice came out deeper than normal.
“Sì...um, no.” She struggled against his hold on her. “Put me down.”
“But, Zoe—”
“I mean it. Put me down.”
With great regret, he did as she asked and lowered her feet to the ground. His jaw tensed. His back teeth ground together.
The moment had slipped through his fingers just like the whirlwind marriage had slipped past him. One minute they were whispering sweet nothings to each other in their palace suite—the next he was returning from a meeting with the king to find their rooms empty except for a note on his pillow that said, “Sorry. This was a mistake.” A blasted note! That was all she had felt it necessary to leave him.
“That shouldn’t have happened.” Her fingers pressed to her lips.
His gaze challenged her. “You certainly seemed to be enjoying it.”
This time she didn’t turn away. “I did, but it wasn’t right. We can’t recapture the past.”
How was he supposed to argue when she was the only one making sense right now? He was the one who was supposed to be saying these things. All it’d taken was one kiss and everything had become mixed up and turned around.
He raked his fingers through his hair. They needed to finish this here and now. This time he wouldn’t let himself get distracted, no matter how sweet her kisses may be.
“You’re right. We can’t go back in time.” He mentally kicked himself for trying such a stupid stunt. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t owe me an explanation for running out on me—on our marriage.”
“It’s too late to get into all of that.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Fine. If you want to know the truth, it’s simple. I left because I’m not right for you. I never was and I never will be.”
Frustration churned in his gut. “That isn’t an explanation. That’s an excuse.”