Page 212 of Bride By Coronation
"Kirill."
Several moments pass, and my heart beats harder. He finally turns back, stating, "I hate that you saw it. And I won't lie to you. If I could rewind time, I'd find the bastard who sent it to you and kill them before it ever got into your hands."
I rise on my knees and straddle him, putting both hands on his cheeks, breathing in the scent of leather, rosewater, saffron, jasmine, and all the other notes I still can't figure out. A warmth surrounds me, calming the chaos I haven't escaped since I last saw him.
"Fiona—"
"Kiss me," I order.
Confusion flares in his eyes.
"You don't want to kiss me anymore?"
"I'd never say that," he replies.
"Then kiss me."
"We have to work this out," he claims.
I nod. "Yes. We do. But nothing we can say will erase what either of us saw. It won't change what happened to my parents."
He stays quiet.
I add, "Is there something you have to say to me right now for us to return to where we were?"
He pins his eyebrows together.
Panic hits me. My voice shakes when I say, "You don't want things to be how they used to be?"
He slides his hand up my back and palms my neck.
I inhale sharply, my core lighting on fire.
He gruffly answers, "That's all I want."
Relief fills me. I slide closer, brushing my lips against his, ordering, "Then kiss me and take off your clothes."
His lips curve. He presses one finger at a time on the side of my neck.
I whimper, my breath hitching, but I wait.
He flicks his tongue into my mouth, and all the longing comes to an end.
I rise on my knees, gripping his hair, pressing as close to him as possible, kissing him with every ounce of love I undoubtedly have for him. My other hand reaches for his waist, untying his robe.
He slinks out of it and grabs my hip, then slides me over him.
"Yes," I whisper in a muffled tone against his lips.
He groans, thrusts inside me a few times, then flips me on my back. He lifts my thigh toward the headboard, pushing deeper inside me.
Tingles dance in all my nerves. I moan, "Kirill."
He moves his lips back to mine, urgently flicking his tongue around my mouth. His hand curves around my neck and his fingertips press down one by one.
"Kirill," I breathe through the kiss.
"Hmm," he responds, pressing and flicking with more intensity.
