Page 29 of Love, Always and Forever
With a slight tug, she went tumbling down into his lap, his powerful arms cradling her against his bare chest. “You shouldn’t…we shouldn’t…we’re friends.”
And she was babbling.
Mikhail grinned at her, looking more than a bit wolfish. “You’re right on all three counts, but right now this friend wants to kiss you. Are you okay with that idea?”
Way better than okay with it. Afraid she’d start babbling again, she settled for nodding.
“Good answer.”
The man was a tease, though. His lips hovered just short of their intended target, forcing her to close the small distance between them if she didn’t want to wait for him to decide to get down to business. She captured his face with her hands and tugged it down and firmly planted her lips against his. As soon as she did, he smiled against her mouth. Maybe he’d wanted to make sure that she was a willing participant. He nipped at her lower lip and then plunged his tongue into her mouth when she protested. Oh, man, this was no simple kiss between friends. It was…amazing. Full of heat and hunger.
And now those dangerous tingles were back and spreading like wildfire throughout her body. She shivered and didn’t know why. Even if the night air was chilly, right now she was blanketed in Mikhail’s warmth. All that smooth skin over powerful muscles was hers for the touching. For the tasting. She broke off their kiss to go exploring. His cheek was bristly with a day’s growth of whiskers. Nibbling her way along his jawline, she was dimly aware of Mikhail’s hands doing some wandering of their own.
When one cupped her breast, she moaned and leaned into the strength of his palm. So lost in the powerful sensations, she only dimly registered that she was moving as Mikhail maneuvered her down to the cool wooden floor of the porch. He stretched out beside her, his long legs tangling with hers.
He caught both of her hands in one of his and anchored them over her head, the position causing her to arch as if offering up her breasts for his consumption. Maybe she was because she didn’t protest when he leaned down to nuzzle the valley between them.
“You are temptation itself, woman.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Pot, kettle, black, Mikhail.”
Her comment clearly pleased him. Good. Now if he’d only pick up where they’d left off. Instead of kissing her, he gave her a long look. Even in the dim light, she could tell that regret had replaced the passion that had been reflected in his gaze only seconds before.
He released his hold on her hands and then brushed her hair back from her face. “We’re at the crossroads right now with a decision to make.”
She trailed a single fingertip along the sculpted line of his cheekbone and studied the pulse point at the base of his powerful throat. The man wasn’t as calm as he sounded. “Which decision is that?”
“If we keep going in the same direction we were just headed, you’re going to end up on your back in my bed while I make love to you every which way I can.” He lowered his head to brush his mouth across hers. “And I have to say, my friend, I want that so badly I can barely breathe.”
His words and the raw hunger in them stole her own breath, leaving her unable to speak. Evidently, he had no such problem. “But, if we’re going to pull back behind that line of friendship, we need to stop now while I still have the strength to let you go.”
Maybe, just maybe, if they’d been on one of their adventures and ended up here on his porch like this, she would’ve taken what he offered. But he’d been hurting, and she’d come there to offer him comfort in the form of ice cream and companionship. Yeah, he might really want her as much as she wanted him. But if they ever did take that next step together, she wanted it to be when both of them were strong.
“I might regret this for the rest of my life, Mikhail, but I think I should go home.” She smiled up at him. “But not quite yet.”
It was as if she’d flipped a switch of some kind. Between one second and the next, he was all over her, his mouth laying claim to hers, his fingers tangled with hers as he eased his big body over hers. She opened her legs, welcoming him into the cradle of her body as the two of them danced with the devil one last time.
Time passed in a haze of sensations. Touches, teases, and temptations. She memorized the way it felt to be anchored to the world with the weight of a would-be lover pressing against her. And when he eased off to lay by her side, she felt bereft.
A second later, he rolled to his feet with his usual powerful grace and offered her his hand. “Come on, lady, I’ll walk you back home.”
He picked up her banana split bowls and once again wrapped his arm around her shoulders. When they reached her porch, he stayed on the sidewalk and let her walk up the three steps on her own.
“Thank you for coming over tonight. It meant a lot.”
“You’re welcome.” She opened the door, but she wasn’t quite ready to go inside yet or to watch him walk away. Grasping at straws, she said, “I do have one question for you.”
“Which is?”
“Are you really going to hold off eating that piece of apple pie until tomorrow? Because if you have that much willpower, I’m not sure we can still be friends.”
Mikhail’s teeth flashed white in the darkness as his laughter rang out. “Let’s just say my intentions are good, but I seem to have worked up quite an appetite for something sweet.”
He paused to give her a long look, starting at her head and then moving down to her feet and back up again, leaving little doubt what—or who—he meant. “Since I can’t have the dessert I really want, then Mom’s apple pie will have to do.”
Okay, then. “Good night, Mikhail.”
He nodded and disappeared into the darkness. Once inside, she was at a loss as to what to do next. Finally, she headed for the kitchen to put the bowls in the dishwasher. There it occurred to her that she’d worked up an appetite, too. She might not have any pie handy, but she still had some Ben and Jerry’s. Laughing, she got down a clean bowl.
Temptation came in many forms. And if she couldn’t have Mikhail, she’d just have to settle for a second helping of her favorite ice cream.
