Chapter 24
Clothing fluttered to the floor behind them like leaves in the wind, tracing their headlong rush from the back door to Amy’s bedroom. Her shirt and then his were the first to go as she stole his breath with a kiss. He toed off his shoes while she went to work on his zipper before they made it out of the kitchen. When she knelt at his feet to kiss her way down his stomach and then give his erection a quick lick, he almost lost it right there. He tugged her back up to her feet and half-carried, half-dragged her into the dining room, pausing long enough to unfasten her bra and toss it on the table. He captured her breasts in his palms and squeezed.
“God, woman, these are so beautiful.”
He lifted her onto the table and emphasized his admiration by nuzzling his way down the length of her graceful neck. From there, he kissed each breast, working the sensitive tips with his lips and tongue.
Within seconds, Amy was almost incoherent, and he was right there with her. He wanted more, too, and he wanted it now. If they didn’t get horizontal soon, he was going to take Amy right there on the table or up against the nearest wall. Anywhere, anyhow, as long as he could get inside her and forge a connection that would burn red hot even if for only this one night.
She grew more frantic, her nails digging into his shoulders, the small pains only increasing the urgency. Definitely time to move on down the hall to her room. They were both running hot by the time he tossed her onto the bed. At least he retained enough sanity to grab a condom out of the drawer in the bedside table. When sheer desperation had his fingers fumbling, Amy took the packet away from him and gently took care of the matter herself.
Then he was on her and in her, too fast and too quickly, but his lady didn’t protest the rush. Instead, she welcomed him with open arms. Still, he paused long enough to ask, “Am I being too rough?”
Amy caressed his face and offered up a siren’s smile in response. “You’re being perfect.”
Taking her at her word, he gave her everything he had, his hips flexing fast and hard to deepen the connection between them. After only half a dozen pounding strokes, he was almost to the finish line. It was too soon, too much. In an effort to ease off a little, he withdrew completely, forcing himself to remain motionless while he waited for his lungs to catch up with his need for oxygen and his pulse to slow to a more reasonable pace.
“Misha? Is something wrong?”
He shook his head and then nuzzled Amy’s neck again. “Just trying to slow this down a bit.”
She rocked her hips up to increase the pressure against his erection. “But I liked what we were doing.”
“So did I, a little too much. That’s the problem.” He pushed himself up to support his weight on his elbows and remained motionless. “I promise we’ll get back to this shortly, but I have a few other things in mind first.”
His eyes about rolled back in his head when the vixen reached between them to give his balls a gentle squeeze. “And if I don’t want to slow things down?”
It was adorable how daring she’d become. “Let’s see if I can change your mind about that.”
He started by kissing her, keeping it soft and teasing. “Did that convince you?”
She grinned. “Nope.”
“How about this?”
He caught her nipple between his lips and teeth and suckled it hard. She gasped and closed her eyes tightly as he paid equal attention to her other breast, licking his way up the soft curve before once again tugging rhythmically on its beaded tip. Oh, yeah, she liked that all right. Time to move on or, better yet, down.
When he blew on her damp curls, she sighed and spread her legs wider. He accepted her unspoken invitation to taste her. After only a few quick flicks of his tongue, she moaned and kneaded the bedspread with her fingers. From the tension thrumming in her lush body, she was but seconds away from a climax. He intended to make sure it was just the first of many tonight.
He eased a finger deep within her, seeking out her sweet spot. Two licks and one stroke had her body bowing up off the bed. “Misha! Yes!”
His turn. He surged back up her body and buried himself deep within her welcoming heat. A few hard strokes later, she was right there with him and holding on tight as they both shuddered and shouted in release.
While he struggled to find the strength to speak, he tucked her in at his side. “Take a second to catch your breath, babe, because I promise that was just for starters.”
She smiled up at him. “Conceited much?”
“It’s not conceit when it’s fact.”
He loved that she laughed as she snuggled in closer. In fact, he loved her, period. With no idea what to do about that realization, he gave himself over to sleep and hoped he’d be thinking clearer when he awoke.
—
In the dark quiet right before dawn, Mikhail stared up at the ceiling. He was sending Amy a whole mess of mixed signals, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Everything she’d told him about her life before and after her surgery scared him shitless. He’d also told her nothing less than the truth about his concerns about surviving another epic failure to protect someone in his care. Losing his mother all those years ago had left him badly damaged. Losing Amy might just destroy him.
She also didn’t want or need another man in her life who would hover over her and constantly worry about what would happen if she pushed herself too hard. He understood that. Amy deserved better than to live her life completely smothered in the bubble-wrapped worry of her loved ones. A man would have to be strong enough to let her live a normal life, one without restrictions and without lies.
Could he be that man? God knows he wanted to be.
