Page 95 of Final Installment
“Until a few minutes ago, I thought you were going to be the boss of the Beciraj family until the day you died.That’s not the life I want, Luka.”
“And now that I’m not?”
The elevator door dinged, saving me from having to answer.I avoided his penetrating gaze and stepped onto my floor.He trailed me to the door, standing outrageously close.He was trying to get a rise out of me—and it was working.
“Kitchen is that way.”I unbuttoned and removed my coat, hanging it on the hook by the door.I gestured down the hall and locked the door behind us.“Have you eaten?”
“I had something on the flight.I’m still on plain foods for the most part.”He left his carry-on near the kitchen entrance.
“Sorry.If I'd known you were coming, I would have grabbed something other than pizza and a sandwich crammed with pickled vegetables and soaked in a vinaigrette.”I slipped by him as he placed the takeout on the counter and opened the refrigerator door.“I’ve got eggs and bread.I’ve got some oatmeal cups in the cabinet.Oh, and some cereal that I got at this cute novelty shop a few blocks over that sells American brands.”
“Elona.”Gently, he interrupted my nervous blathering.“I’ll be fine.”
I closed the refrigerator door and slowly turned to face him.My kitchen wasn’t very big, and Luka seemed to take up an inordinate amount of space.Our gazes clashed and held.We both were breathing anxiously.We were both waiting, wondering who would make the first move.
Luka took a cautious step toward me, and I flew at him.Our mouths met in a frantic, messy kiss.He groaned with desperate relief, sliding one hand down my back to grip my ass while the other tangled in my hair.He tilted my head back and slowed down, kissing me in that sensuous, wicked way from our night together.
“Luka,” I breathed against his lips.“I missed you so much.”
“I thought I was going to go crazy if I didn’t hear your voice again,” he growled in between kisses.“I tried to let you go, but I can’t.”
“I don’t want you to let me go.”I grasped his shoulders.Like him, I was overcome with lust and need.I clasped the back of his neck and dragged his mouth back down to mine, attacking him with passionate kisses.
He groaned again and started walking backward.I followed, clinging to him for balance while our tongues mated wildly.We bumped into the sturdy table that had come with the furnished apartment.He slid both hands to the backs of my thighs while bending his knees, obviously intending to lift me.
“Stop,” I ordered, breaking away from the kiss.“You’re still recovering from abdominal surgery!”
“I’m fine.”He squeezed the backs of my thighs.“I can carry you.”
“I’m sure you can,” I humored him with a playful roll of my eyes and tugged my skirt up over my hips.I hopped up onto the table and spread my legs, welcoming him closer.
“That works, too.”He crashed his mouth into mine again and started pulling at my dress, trying to work out if it had a zipper or buttons.
“Up,” I said in between kisses.“It’s a knit that stretches.”I lifted my arms, and he yanked the dress off of me.The second it was out of the way, his mouth was on me again, his kisses frantic and messy.Overcome with the same urgency, I shoved his jacket off his shoulders and then reached for the bottom of his tee.I pulled it up and up and let him remove it completely.
My gaze moved over the newly exposed scars on his torso.Puckered and pink, they were still so new and fresh.I ghosted my fingertips over one of them and caught the hitch in his breath.I quickly glanced up at him, but he shook his head.“Didn’t hurt.Sensitive.”
I made sure not to touch the other scar as I let my hands move over the defined muscles in his chest and along his shoulders.He felt a little softer than I remembered, probably from all the bedrest and recuperation.It drove home how close he had come to dying, and my eyes stung with tears.
“Hey, I’m fine,” Luka said, seeing the tears dripping onto my cheeks.“I made it.”
“I should have checked up on you.”Guilt-ridden, I couldn’t meet his gaze.“I got updates from Drita and your sister when she reached out, but I couldn’t make myself call you.”
“Why?”His voice deepened with hurt.“Why wouldn’t you reply to my messages?”
“I don’t know.”I wiped the tears from my face.“Like I said, if I opened that door, I was making myself vulnerable.I was making a choice that might lead me down a path that wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
Luka placed his fingers under my chin and tilted my head back.Peering into my eyes, he said, “I’m on a different path now.I’m walking a new road.Will you walk it with me?”
“Yes.”I didn’t hesitate.I didn’t need to think about it.“I’ll go anywhere with you.”
Luka captured my mouth in a searing kiss.I gripped his shoulders and wound my legs around his waist, hauling him in close and keeping him right where I wanted him.He expertly unclasped my bra and brought it down my arms.
As he tossed it aside, I was reminded of the filthy things he’d said he wanted to do the last time we were together.He must have been reading my mind because he grinned and promised, “Later.”
He palmed my breasts, appreciating the weight of them.He nuzzled between them and then kissed my right nipple.His mouth moved to the left, and he used his tongue and teeth to suck and nip.My legs tightened around his waist at the sharp bite of pleasure, and he moved to the other side, leaving me panting and throbbing.
I fumbled with his belt, unable to make my fingers work as his tongue circled my nipple.He sucked hard, and I keened, crying out at the tugging sensation.I managed to finally unbuckle his belt and moved to his zipper.When I had it open, I brazenly reached inside in his underwear and grasped his cock, making him hiss and growl.
