Page 48 of Dimitri
He smiled faintly. "To tell you how I feel. I should have waited. You weren't ready."
"No." She shook her head. Hesitating for a second, she decided. There were factors that needed to be considered. They were not suited. She would never live anywhere else but the states.She loved her job, and fighting for the underprivileged was something she would do until her last breath was drawn. And his vast resources would always be a problem to her. But she had come to realize something over the last week or so, especially last night. She was in love with him. And there was no doubt he was in love with her.
She had seen the way he bent over backward to see to her needs. He held her, comforted her, and allowed her to cry all over him. She could be vulnerable with him, and it was not a problem. He had seen her at her worst and was still sticking around.
"Finished?"
He nodded. "I'll just..." Before he could say the rest, she removed the tray and put it away. Then she simply crawled onto his lap. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she faced him.
"I owe you something else."
"You don't..."
"Shh." She placed a finger over his lips. "Please let me have my say." She inhaled sharply. "I fought the attraction from the very first time I met you. I fought tooth and nail. For obvious reasons. I wasn't looking for a fling, and I figured that was what a manlike you would be after. And you were related to some very good friends of mine. Then when you started to get under my skin, I felt guilty. The image of Michael was fading, and I was desperate to get it back. The more time I spent with you, the more of him I was losing, and I could not afford that to happen." A faint smile touched her lips as she trailed a finger over the stubble. "When you declared your love for me, I panicked. I knew I was feeling much more than attraction and wanted to avoid it or run from it." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his softly. His breath mingled with hers as he uttered a sigh. "But last night changed things or cemented them." She eased back, eyes bright. "I'm in love with you."
She gasped as his fingers bit into her waist.
"Say it again," he urged hoarsely. Oh, good Christ! He had waited so long to hear her say those words that he felt as if he was dreaming.
Her heartbeat thundered as she looked into his eyes, seeing the hope and longing flicker there. The room seemed to shrink around them, the world outside disappearing, until only the two of them remained. She framed his face with her hands, her voice trembling with emotion but steady in its truth. "I am in love with you," she repeated, the words ringing out like a promise in the quiet warmth of the morning.
His eyes glittered and smoldered with emotions clamoring inside him, desperate to be released. His entire body shuddered,his heart thundering inside his chest. Lifting his hands, he framed her face, not caring that they were not quite steady. The naked adoration on his handsome face staggered her, and she felt the insane urge to weep. She had been given a chance. For the first time in her forty years, she was in love. And it was reciprocated.
Whatever she had felt for Michael was so pale it was almost invisible. But she no longer felt the guilt churning through her like a sickness. She felt free, and she wanted to show this wonderful man how much she appreciated him.
"Make love to me. Here and now," she whispered.
For a minute, he did not move. Words had failed him, and his body was unable to move. He was paralyzed by a passion so intense it blinded him. And then he acted. Lifting her face to his, he closed his mouth over hers. The kiss was rough, had to be. With the strength of emotions swirling between them, haste and desperation were needed. Her fingers went around his neck, tangling with his hair. His mouth devoured hers. The taste and texture swamped him.
Pushing her back against the cushions he had heaped onto the blankets, he covered her body with his. His hands were everywhere as if he was undecided where to touch. He wanted to feel her, to memorize every facet of her curves. Shoving the robe aside, he fought to get to her skin, needing to feel the silkiness of her skin on his fingers.
With clumsy haste, he got rid of their clothing. Expelling a harsh breath, he pressed his flesh against hers, his body shuddering. He muttered something in Russian, his mouth trailing over her face and down her neck. Passion burst into flames, but still he was determined to make the moment last. To love her until they were both delirious and maddened by desire.
*****
"I don't think I can feel the lower half of my body," she murmured against his chest.
He chuckled. "It will come back eventually. I think I've lost sight in both eyes."
She curled around him contentedly and felt like a cat who had lapped up the entire bowl of cream. Swinging one leg over both of his, she snuggled even closer. The feel of his hard, lean body against hers was so thrilling, she wanted to hold that position for the rest of her life.
Lifting her head, she met his gaze.
"What is it?"
"Just wondering when you're going to ask me to marry you."
It was said in such a casual manner, he wondered if she was joking. His breath shuddered through his chest, and he had to wait for his heart to settle. "Would you want me to?" he asked carefully.
She shrugged her left shoulder and kept her face sober. He looked as if she had rammed a sword through his heart. "I figured it's the next step. Unless they do it differently in Russia. We're not getting any younger, and I..." She broke off when he seized her lips with his.
Fighting to catch her breath when he released her lips, she stared at him with laughing eyes. "Was that a yes?"
"It was." His voice was hoarse with emotions. "Are you going to allow me to do it properly?"
"You mean with soft music and candles burning? Are you going to go down on one knee?"
"There's a possibility of all of that happening. Spring."
