by Dawn Kunda
* * * *
Alina’s mind and body hummed with delight as she nestled her face into his warm and strong body. The wait had been worth it, and she wouldn’t let him slip away again. Rustling her face against him, she tipped her mouth to his ear. “Love me, love me.”
Vic scooped her off her feet. “I always will.” He looked around the kitchen.
“My bedroom is down the hall.”
“I was just thinking that I’d like to take you to our house first, but I can’t wait that long.” His smile radiated sexuality. She dove in for another tongue-tangling kiss while he carried her to the bedroom.
She felt as if she soared on a cloud in heaven as he plunked her onto the soft bed. “You were so sure of us that you have a house waiting already?”
He knelt at her feet and pulled off her boots. “Not at all.” He kissed her feet and licked up to her ankles. “I only hoped and wished that I could fall at the feet of a beautiful woman.”
Her back reactively arched with the tickle of his sensual tongue. “I would never want you to fall for me, unless you are wrapped in my arms.” Sitting up, she tugged her sweater overhead. He tried to hide his glimpse at her breasts when she unhooked her brassiere. He tingled with the love and need for her that his eyes couldn’t disguise.
They unbuttoned and unzipped their own pants, watching every move of the other. When only fresh, spring air stood between them, Alina marveled at the sculpted man standing confidently over her. His muscles twitched beneath his breath, highlighting the tightness of his body.
She could watch him for hours and etch his movements in her mind. He knelt at the edge of the bed. She purposefully didn’t close her eyes and sat in front of him. He softly kissed the inside of her thighs with small moans of ecstasy sending warm breaths to her core.
It wasn’t till he centered his mouth between her legs that she threw her head back. The tightness gripping inside her, ready to be released, sent a wave of energy up and down her body. She drove her fingers through his hair, pulling his head against her.
He rocked her body with the small movements of his lips and tongue. His hands rubbed up and down her thighs, squeezed her breasts, and then ran back down her belly.
“Come up here. I need you in me. Hurry.” She gasped her wants between short breaths before he took her too far too early. She pulled on his shoulders willing him on top of her.
He seductively lifted his head and trailed his tongue up her stomach. He licked the underside of one breast, then the other. He rubbed his excitement on her belly as he sucked her nipples.
She gripped his waist and fruitlessly pulled on him to enter her. Her legs wrapped around his thighs wanting him closer. With his resistance, her urges climbed higher.
“Be patient. I want to get to know what every part of your sexy body wants.” He kissed her mouth, his tongue swimming deep inside.
“Mmm…I have been patient for months,” she mumbled between swipes of his powerful lips. “I can’t help but want all of you instantly.”
* * * *
“And that you shall have, all of me but not instantly.” Vic’s body heated with every piece of flesh he touched and looked at. He’d waited so long for the unknown, and now he had it. He couldn’t let it end quickly. This was different from their first time when he knew her only as a face and hard-to-resist body.
He plunged his mouth down for another escapade of her soft skin, up and down her form. The more she arched and reacted the harder he got. The pleasurable pain in his groin always surprised him, as if it had never happened before. He assured himself that it hadn’t to this degree as he slid against her stomach again.
He could only hold off so long. He was a man in need, in need of the woman who’d captured his heart. He kept one hand touring her body as he reached for his jeans.
“What are you looking for?” Her body continued to encourage him as she turned her head to his wandering arm.
“Protection. I won’t be stupid even if I am crazy in love.”
“You gave me a third ring. I don’t think we need protection, unless you’d rather wait.”
He glanced at his own body, surprised at his reaction. She excited him more than he remembered possible. Whether due to his imagination or reality, he took it as a positive sign, dropped his jean pant leg, and hovered over her body.
“I don’t want to wait for anything with you anymore. We’ve both waited long enough.”
He slid his chest down hers and pulled up. She jerked with the sensation as he pushed inside her. He swung his arm under her thigh and lifted her leg, giving him further entrance. He ground his hips, lifted, and plunged.
Her breath came faster as he drove his love deeper every time. With her legs twined around his hips, they moved feverishly. Oiled with the heat of passion, he synchronized every pulse of her with a thrust of his desire.
“Vic, I can’t hold back. I love you so much. I don’t want you to stop.”
He pulled on her hair. An ecstatic scream escaped her as he drove deep and held her tight. Her back arched and her legs held his waist like a vise. He swiveled his hips and stayed far inside her until her body slumped.
“I’ll never stop, my love. For you, anything.”
In return to his words, she squeezed her legs and lifted her butt off the bed. He grabbed her buttocks and pushed his torso down hard. A rumble from his chest grew louder as he buried his face in her bosom and held her while his body shook. He thrust down again, then again. He wanted her to have everything he could give.
His strength released, and he slumped onto her. Rolling onto the side of her, he hugged her tight. “You’re everything to me. I would’ve chased around the world to find you,” he whispered.
“No more chasing. I’ll never hide from you.”
His eyelids drooped. “I’ll crown you with flowers on our wedding day.”
“Wednesday.”
“Our wedding day will be a Wednesday.” He tucked her head to his shoulder. Their eyes closed simultaneously.
Chapter 39
The clip of the English tongue was the closest Bret would get to America for a long time. He sat back in the taxi as the driver wound through the narrow, paved streets of London. The cars have rights, not the bikes and pedestrians. He could smell the mud and stale water of the Thames only a block away from his destination.
The cab pulled up to the Park Plaza Hotel at 1 Addington Street. Bret slid from the backseat, yanking his grip off the seat as he opened the back door. He paid the driver in pounds and didn’t wait for the change. The concierges, tailored in light gray-and-black trimmed coats and pants, waited at the revolving door to help their new guests. Bret nodded to the first man while he pulled his grip tighter to his side. He carried very little on his missions, but what the black case held could not be replaced on a moment’s notice in his business.
Standing on the wide sidewalk, he glanced up and down the street purely out of habit. You never know when someone is watching. He knew the underground thrummed with more than the coast of the subway. Agents assigned to Vic Grant held positions in the United Kingdom. Bret needed to find out where they bellied up before their life met an unlawful and unexpected cut off according to orders directed by the bastard Agent Kreis. Kreis held a high and powerful office, yet at this time, had no knowledge of another joining force with Vic Grant. That would be himself.
He didn’t play by the rules. He played to win. He and his fellow agents would not go down without a roll of thunder and the scream of bullets. His ventures never ended quietly. He was a successful agent, and he dared not miss out on what might be the most important mission of his career and life.
Bret deposited his grip next to an outdoor dining chair and sat down. A young waiter, probably making less than he needed to live on in the world’s most expensive city, came, left, and then returned with a half cup of coffee. The coffee was thick and dark, leaving plenty of space for the unwanted cream.
He briefly considered the change in his posi
tion with the CIA. As agreed, Eben Eikem could be his go-to man back in the US. Bret would have to test Eikem before he could fully trust the lives of his comrades to an agent who might switch sides at any time. Trust had to be earned.
Bret leaned to the neighboring table and snagged an abandoned Times. He’d spend the next twenty-five minutes or so reviewing the crime waves of London before entering the chosen hotel. Local crime always put him at ease.
* * * *
Eben Eikem looked down at Melay Shehata as she shyly took his hand and pulled him through the gated courtyard. “You must meet my father before you leave for your country.” Her chocolate-brown eyes assured him it was the right thing to do.
He appreciated the invitation since his plane to the United States didn’t leave for five hours. He’d indulge in the relaxation of not looking over his back as he’d done for the last week. The sultan’s estate was one of the safest places he could imagine being at right now. “I’d be glad to. You’re in my custody until I see you with your father again, so my duty is still operational.”
When she turned to speak with a short man from her father’s staff, he couldn’t help but let his eyes travel up and down her slender form. Even with the creased and well-worn clothing, she had a seductive air.
He grimaced and corrected his stare. He knew she was out of his reach for several reasons. Sultan Abasi Shehata would never approve of a relationship between his daughter and himself, and he had new obligations he intended to honor.
It was worth the seconds of imagination.
“Ah, a true hero!” Abasi Shehata’s voiced boomed against the hard walls and floor tiles that decorated the covered patio. Shehata reached out as he crossed the floor. He gripped Eben’s reactive hand and then pulled him into a strong hug. Shehata turned to Melay, smiled and held her shoulders, and then hugged her tightly.
“Good evening, sir,” Eben responded.
“We are now friends. Call me Abasi.” Shehata kept an arm around his daughter.
“I’m honored to meet you, Abasi.”
Abasi Shehata invited Eben and led his daughter to the chairs around a table. “I will get right to the point as I know you have a flight to meet.” Eben sat, keeping his back erect. “I know you are headed back the United States, but I would like to offer you a position in my intelligence cabinet along with a considerable bonus for the return of my beloved daughter.”
Eben hadn’t expected the offer. He raised his brows, and then cleared his expression. “Thank you, Sultan Shehata –Abasi –but I will be returning to the States.”
“Yes, well, you have a friend here. Don’t hesitate to call on me if you need me for anything.”
Later, reclining in his seat on the plane, Eben recalled his meeting with the sultan. Astounded with the unacceptable offer, his thoughts repeatedly detoured to Melay’s almond-shaped eyes.
He’d get over her eyes once he returned home.
* * * *
Alina’s eyes popped open. Quickly looking to the pillow next to her, he lay in the flesh. His head faced her with his eyes closed. A single cotton blanket covered his waist, but left his chest bare. She silently watched the thick muscles rise and fall in long, slow breaths. His leg hung over the edge of the bed. She loved the dark hair that covered his calf and thigh.
She leaned over, running her fingers over his quads. The soft hair contradicted the firm muscle beneath. She loved the feel of his body.
“You like me?”
She jerked back to see a smile cover his face. The morning sun brightened his eyes like a blue sky. She pushed her face into his followed by a full contact kiss. “Mmm…yes, I like you. More than anything.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her closely.
Nearly out of breath from the bear hug, she said, “Vic, you got me a three-band ring.”
“It took me a while to find the perfect one.”
“You said you know what the three bands stand for.”
“And that’s why I wanted you to have it.”
Her heart danced in her chest. “Motherhood. The third ring stands for motherhood.”
“I hoped I had it right.” He pulled her tight against him. His strength assured her of a life of love and protection.
She spoke in his ear. “We don’t have to do everything traditionally.”
“But you will have a crown of myrtle, a beautiful white dress, and my love forever.”
Tears came to her eyes. “You’re too perfect.” She wiped her wet cheeks on his dry and stubbly face.
“Do you want to get married here? We might be able arrange something to bring your family.” Her eyes shot open wide. “I want your family involved, but we have to make sure it’s safe for them and you.”
“You’re right. I almost forgot about reality.” She rubbed her hand across his chest, her head now tucked into his shoulder. “What if we go away to get married? Somewhere far like London, or Ireland?”
It took him a moment before he said, “That might work. Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you want.” He rolled her over and kissed her neck. With his hands roaming her body, he kissed her in all the right places.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a former private investigator with a BS in political science and attendance at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Dawn Kunda has reopened her legal books to create suspense in her writing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Kettle Moraine Writers’ Guild. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and dogs. Dawn would love her readers to visit her website at dawnkunda.com and contact her with questions or comments at [email protected].
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