The Naked King (26 page)

He kissed her lips and then kissed her belly. She spread her legs more and arched to encourage him. Her emotions were still tentative, but her body was not. It knew exactly what it needed.

Stephen knew what she needed, too. His tongue touched lightly, teasingly, the sensitive nub hidden in her curls until she was frantic with desire.

“Stephen.” The sensation she longed for was so close. “Now.”

He did as she wished and moved over her.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the exquisite feeling of him sliding deep inside her.

Nothing happened. She flexed her hips to remind him what he was about.

“Anne.”

This was hardly the time for a chat.

“Anne, look at me.”

She opened her eyes. Stephen’s face was so serious.

“Anne, I’ve never said this to any woman—I love you. I want to marry you not because of any scandal, but because you hold my heart.”

“Ah.” Her chest hurt, she loved him so. “And you hold mine.”

He came into her then, slowly and deliberately. She felt every lovely inch of him. In, out, in—and that was enough. She came apart—and felt his warm seed pulse into her as she did.

When he was done, she held him tightly, feeling a little desperate. “I wish you never had to leave me.”

He leaned up on his elbows, keeping them joined. “I’ll never leave you, Anne.”

“But you will.” She tried to smile. “Aren’t you off on another expedition very shortly?”

“No. I’ve decided to take my mother’s advice for once and stay home to manage my estate.” He grinned. “To plant”—he flexed his hips and she felt him stir inside her—“and tend my own garden. To help you raise our children.”

“Oh, I am so glad.” She kissed him, running her hands down his back to his hips. She was crying again but with happiness. She tried to laugh. “And will you give up your crown as well? Cease being the King of Hearts?” She cupped his jaw and looked up at him. “Will it be enough to be king of only one heart—mine?”

“Yes,” he said and turned his head to kiss her palm. “For you are queen of mine.”

Dear Readers,

The Naked King
concludes—at least for now!—my
Naked
series. I’ve had a wonderful time exploring this
Naked
world, and I hope you have, too.

While all the books stand alone, I’ve had fun discovering new characters and weaving former characters into whatever my current story is. For those of you who are interested, here’s the chronology of when the stories “happen.” The year in parentheses is the year the book was published.

1816—Roughly concurrently:
The Naked Duke
(2005),
The Naked Baron
(2009), “The Naked Laird” in
Lords of Desire
(2009)

1816—A few months later:
The Naked Marquis
(2006)

1819—Roughly concurrently:
The Naked Earl
(2007),
The Naked Viscount
(2010)

1820—
The Naked Gentleman
(2008)

1821—February: “The Naked Prince” in
An Invitation to Sin
(2011)

1821—April:
The Naked King
(2011)

Thanks so much for “reading
Naked
”! Please visit me in cyberspace at
www.SallyMacKenzie.net
or on my Sally MacKenzie Facebook page or Twitter @Sally_MacKenzie.

Sally

ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Copyright © 2011 by Sally MacKenzie

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

Zebra and the
Z
logo Reg.
U.S.
Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-1-4201-2430-9