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

her like that, so forceful and yet, still a surge of kindness behind his touch.  And passion.  Always that crazy, erotic passion that was never far away when they were together. 
    “I have secrets,” she told him, thinking about protecting Shantra as a business partner as well as her mother’s indiscretions.  “It would be too difficult to be with you and maintain my secrets.”
    “So tell me your secrets.  I’m very discrete, I promise.”
    She laughed despite the strange sensations he stirred within her.  “I can’t.  But I appreciate the offer.”
    He smiled slightly.  “We’re going to be together, Joline.”  And he kissed her.
    She knew she should back away, avoid his kiss.  But the way he made her feel circumvented any kind of rejection of his touch.  When his tongue touched hers, she moaned and pressed against him, her body unconsciously needing his touch everywhere.  His strong hands pulled her even closer, lifting her onto her toes as he deepened the kiss. 
    Joline felt the world spinning out of control and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.  All she knew was his kiss, the way his mouth moved against hers and that she didn’t want him to stop. 
    Rais looked around and almost roared with frustration that she was once again clinging to him, her body begging him to make love to her and they were not in an environment conducive to continuing. 
    “Joline…”
    At that moment, his driver pulled up next to him and he mentally thought to give the man a raise.  But he didn’t have time to do more than think the thought before he was pulling Joline into the back of the vehicle.  Her eyes were clouded and her body still straining towards him.  He loved the way she looked right now and wanted to see that look when he entered her for the first time. 
    When the limousine was once again pulling away from the curb, heading towards his penthouse, he pulled back, wanting Joline to understand and make the decision to be with him without the cloudiness of desire to muddy her choice. 
    “Joline, I’m taking you back to my place,” he told her.  He watched carefully, saw her hazel eyes in the dim light of the interior but couldn’t see if the color changed to green again.  “Do you understand what that means?” he asked her. 
    Joline heard his words.  She pulled back, not sure what to think.  On the one hand, this man was everything she might want in a lover, even though they could never have a long term relationship.  He was royalty and she was…well, the daughter of a woman who basically sold her body to the highest bidder.  She was also the business partner to his sister, a sister that he was extremely protective of but had no idea was in business. 
    It was a fabulous, tangled web and she didn’t know how to extricate herself, other than to enjoy this one night with him. 
    No future, she reminded herself.  No promises, no declarations of feelings.  Just one night of beautiful bliss, mutually enjoyed. 
    Taking a deep breath, wondering if she was making the biggest mistake of her life, she nodded her head.  Ignoring the warning bells clamoring in the background, she accepted his hand.  “We make love tonight,” she finally said out loud.  Shivering at the sound of her voice as well as the commitment she was making with those words, she moved closer to him, allowing him to pull her onto his lap.  She was trembling with the momentous decision but the moment he kissed her again, the ever-present desire flooded away all of her doubts. 
    When the limousine pulled up into an underground parking garage, he lifted her out and set her feet carefully on the ground.  “This way,” he told her and led her to the elevators.  With a single button, they were swept upwards to the top floor. 
    When they emerged into a beautiful penthouse, she had only a moment to take it all in before he swept her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom.  She had a brief