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finish? How could she live with herself, having won Karl’s interest, his humour, his friendship—and, goddammit, his unbelievably perfect body and unsurpassable sexual skills—only to carry on as if men like Prince Karl Thorberg walked into her life every day?
    ‘I’ve been a fool, Astrid.’
    ‘ You’ve been a fool?’
    ‘I couldn’t see what was under my nose.’
    ‘A woman who acted badly and who is still fiercely determined to get her own way?’
    ‘A woman who puts everyone before herself—’
    ‘And who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal?’ If she was going to make this work, she had to be totally honest.
    ‘When that goal is to stand up for the people of your country, I’ll go with that. I wouldn’t have you any other way, Princess. Weak and malleable has never held any appeal for me. I’ve loved you from the moment I first set eyes on you—’
    ‘Stop right there,’ Astrid commanded. ‘You love me?’
    Karl shrugged, the wicked smile she loved playing round his lips. ‘Didn’t I just say so?’
    ‘Well. That’s convenient.’ Astrid shook her head as if surprised.
    ‘Convenient?’ Karl queried.
    ‘Yes. Because I love you, too.’
    ‘The similarities between us just keep growing, Princess.’
    They shared the wry beginnings of a smile.
    ‘Truce?’ she whispered. ‘For the sake of the baby?’
    ‘For all our sakes,’ Karl growled, dragging her close.

    They decided to talk more over tea but somehow didn’t make it farther than Astrid’s bedroom.
    ‘Can you forgive me?’ Astrid’s voice was tense with excitement and anticipation as Karl backed her into the room.
    He kicked the door shut behind them. ‘I already have, though I can’t forgive you for not having heating installed in the palace.’
    ‘We managed just fine in the polar tent,’ she said suggestively.
    ‘We were restricted,’ he argued, nuzzling her mouth as he steered her towards the bed. ‘I was hoping to unleash something a little wilder, now we’re not huddling together to keep warm.’
    ‘But I like huddling. So that doesn’t sound like much fun to me.’
    ‘Don’t jump to conclusions, Princess.’
    ‘Don’t make me wait.’
    ‘First I’m going to light the fire.’ He glanced at the empty grate.
    ‘Tease.’
    ‘Always.’
    Astrid’s glance took in the bulge in his jeans.
    ‘Forget the fire. This may take some time,’ Karl warned.
    ‘Lucky for you, I cleared my diary.’
    ‘You talk too much, Princess.’ Karl laughed as he swept her into his arms and gently laid her down on the bed. He frowned. ‘Do I have to be gentle with you because you’re pregnant?’
    ‘No. You have to be gentle with me because you’re so damn big.’
    Karl was gentle. He was gentle and sensitive and tender to the point where tears started pricking the back of her eyes. ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ she asked with a sigh of contentment.
    Karl, who was using his hands and tongue quite inventively at that moment, raised his head. ‘This is selfish work, Princess. I’m only interested in preparing you so I can enjoy you all the more.’
    ‘Liar.’ Catching hold of his shoulders, she lured him up the bed. ‘You’re doing it because you love to hear me beg.’
    ‘Possibly.’
    ‘Definitely,’ she argued, claiming a kiss.
    ‘Then let me see what I can do.’
    She gasped as Karl grabbed her hips, positioning her exactly where he wanted her. ‘Go carefully with that thing. You’re not just big, you’re enormous,’ she warned.
    ‘And you love it,’ he growled, driving deep.
    ‘Well, maybe not too carefully.’ Exclaiming with shocked pleasure as the unexpected and violent release shook her, she screamed Karl’s name as the waves of sensation rocked her back and forth.
    ‘Thank goodness one of us is in control,’ she managed a long time later as they lay side by side.
    ‘Not me,’ Karl admitted as he rolled over and began to kiss her again. ‘I want wild, I want hot, I want hard and fast.