Page 61 of Love, Always and Forever
Chapter 18
Mikhail was no innocent, but that didn’t mean he had any idea of what he was doing right now. His need for Amy went bone deep, but he was a man of his word. If she hesitated at all, he would slow down, even if it killed him. There was no way he was going to rush this.
Once they crossed the threshold of her bedroom, Amy coasted to a stop, giving him a chance to look around. The only light came from the hallway, but it was enough to let him get a sense of her most personal space. The room reminded him of her—bold colors, comfortable, warm, and welcoming.
He considered turning on the lamp next to the bed but rejected the idea. Amy was already nervous enough; bright light might only add to her self-consciousness about her body. Mere words wouldn’t be enough to convince her that her scars wouldn’t matter to him, but his actions in the next few minutes might make all the difference.
She still had his hand in a death grip, so he used that connection to spin her right into his embrace. “Come here, you.”
The abrupt change in their positions clearly startled her, but she settled right into his arms as he claimed her mouth with his. It took little persuading for her to part her lips and invite him to deepen the kiss. He plunged his tongue inside, stroking hers with a rhythm meant to foreshadow how it would be for them once they got horizontal and took this dance to the next level. She rose higher, pressing her soft breasts against his chest as she dug her fingertips into his shoulders.
Time to push the boundaries a bit. After coaxing her tongue into coming out to play, he sucked on it, loving the way she moaned in response. At the same time, he slid his fingers beneath the waistband of her flannel boxers to grab a double handful of her backside, something he’d been dreaming about since day one. Her flesh was firm and her skin so satiny smooth to the touch.
Evidently his lady was growing bolder, because suddenly she was stroking his erection with the palm of her hand. When she gave his balls a gentle squeeze, his eyes about rolled back in his head. Damn, she was a quick learner.
He tightened his hold on her ass and lifted her up. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”
As soon as she complied with his order, he walked them both forward until he reached the side of her bed. He freed up one hand long enough yank the covers farther back out of their way before setting Amy down in the middle of the bed.
“I’ll be right back.”
When she sat up and looked confused, he added, “Protection won’t do either of us any good if it’s in the other room.”
She settled back on her pillow. “Good thinking.”
He charged back down the hall to the living room where he’d tucked his shaving kit in a corner of the bookshelf, making the return trip in record time. After putting the freshly opened box within easy reach on the bedside table, he stretched out on the bed. Amy immediately rolled toward him and tugged his shirt up to splay her hand on his six-pack. To aid her efforts, he peeled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor.
Amy propped herself up on one elbow and looked her fill as she stroked his chest, then in a daring move, she traced the line of hair that disappeared into the top of his pajamas with the tip of her tongue. “I love the taste of your skin.”
It took every bit of control he could muster to remain still and let Amy explore without turning the tables on her. He wanted to get his hands on all that wonderful feminine beauty, but tonight was all about her. Everything would go more smoothly once she grew comfortable touching his body.
After a couple of minutes, he brushed a lock of her hair back from her face, then threaded his fingers through the rest of it. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
She clearly didn’t agree with his assessment, so he offered up some details to support his position. “It’s true. Your eyes are the color of bittersweet chocolate. Your hair is thick and soft.”
He traced the curve of her lower lip, laughing when she nipped at his fingertip. “And your mouth drives me crazy. The way you smile and especially the way you kiss.”
Deciding to follow up his words with action, he kissed her, starting slow, coaxing her closer with nothing more than a gentle brush of his lips. The ploy worked, because she protested when he backed away.
Time to continue with his inventory of her assets. “Did I mention how much I love your legs? I’ve dreamed about how they’d feel tangled with mine.”
He moved his hand from her head down to her thigh, stroking it downward past her knee, past her calf and then back up again, this time briefly slipping his fingers beneath the hem of her soft flannel pajama shorts. “My dreams didn’t do them justice.”
Turning on his side, he scooted closer as he lifted her leg up over his hip. Still moving slowly, once again he caressed her leg. But this time, on the upward stroke, he brought his hand up the inside of her thigh to lightly brush across the damp heat at the apex of her legs.
The slight catch in her breathing was her only reaction. Since she didn’t protest, he did it again, this time a little harder and a helluva lot slower. Her eyes drifted to half-mast as her hips flexed forward. Yeah, the lady liked that, so he continued stroking her in slow circles, gradually narrowing his focus down to the center of her core.
Time to take this up another level. He urged Amy over onto her back and kissed her again with lots of nibbling along her jawline and then down to the pulse point at the base of her neck. From there he moved on to nuzzle the valley between her breasts. Her nipples had beaded up into obvious points beneath the thin fabric of her T-shirt. Damn, he wanted to get skin to skin with her, but it was still too soon.
Instead, he caught the tip of one breast in his lips. He worked it with his teeth and tongue while at the same time cupping her mound and giving it a gentle squeeze. She stiffened briefly and then slowly relaxed.
He brought his gaze up to meet hers. “You doing okay with this?”
That she didn’t hesitate before nodding was a relief. “Let me know if that changes.”
“I will.”
She caught his hand in hers. “Thank you for being so patient with me.”
