Sage

by Talyn Scott

  “There are all sorts of ways to keep warm.”

  Teasing again? After Roman practically implied he’d found a significant other? She narrowed her eyes. Two could play. “I’m assuming you know every single one of those ways.”

  His next step faltered, but he quickly recovered. “You would assume correctly.”

  Scarlett took the glass from his hand, smiling in gratitude before taking a generous swallow.

  “I know it’s still four days away,” Roman said softly, “but I want to be the first to wish you a happy birthday.”

  “Thirty, whoopee.” Scarlett made a face. “Before you know it, I’ll be eighty-five and regretting all the decisions I made in my life.” Like pining away for Roman, even while she was wrapped in another man’s arms.

  “Stop these disparaging birthday thoughts.” He set down his drink and turned Scarlett back to the window. Again, she faced her reflection. “What do you really see?”

  “What I see are dark circles from an entirely too long of flight and — ”

  “You’re not trying.”

  Scarlett sighed, shoving at the tawny wisps layered around her cheeks. “What do I really see?”

  What she really saw was Roman, the man who’d starred in her sexual fantasies for years. But there’d been more than sexual fantasies. She had dreamt of coming home after work, tolling out a pan of lasagna, and sitting down to a family dinner with Roman and their two kids, while maybe sliding food from her plate to an eager and entirely over-fluffy dog.

  She had no idea why tears threatened. Fanning her face, she apologized. “Sorry, I’m tired, that’s what I see.”

  Roman’s chin brushed the top of her head, a few strands of her hair catching in his whiskers. “What I see are two people who’ve spent years trying to find — ”

  “Don’t,” she stopped him, reaching over her shoulder and pressing fingertips to his velvet soft lips. Even hearing one of his lines, one of his promises, would do her in. “Don’t start something that will only end badly for me.” She felt a rush of air leave him. Scarlett tried to turn, but he tightened his hold and kept her facing the windows.

  He took her vodka, setting it next to his. Then his arms wrapped around her shoulders fully, careful of his weight, and brought her back against his front. For a few minutes, he held her there, both staring at the breathtaking winter-wonderland view: The moonlight danced across the trees below, where tiny branches were encased in ice.

  Then, in their combined reflection, they locked on each other’s eyes. And in that moment, she sensed his body burn beneath his clothes, literally warming her as though she stood next to one of his magnificent fireplaces. In his roaring warmth, she picked up on his rising tension.

  Finally, she broke the deafening silence. “So we’ve had our toast. Let’s hear the news.” That heat coming from his body notched up a few degrees, and before she knew what was happening, he’d spun her to face him. “Who is she?”

  “You.” Roman’s lips fastened over hers furiously, almost desperately.

  Yet didn’t she feel the same desperation in her kiss?

  Her mind reeling at the thought of his lips finally on hers, she clawed at him, pulling him closer. In turn, he pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her waist and pressing her against his muscle-over-steel frame. Had she ever felt any man like this, one who seemingly could not break?

  Brushing his tongue over the seam of her lips until she opened on a groan, he slid his tongue over hers, teasing or maybe testing the waters. Another glide followed, this one longer, slower, more possession in the touch. Scarlett didn’t know what to think, didn’t want to think. But she couldn’t stop herself from threading her tongue deeper into his mouth, rubbing it along his teeth until she….

  A slicing burn seared her tongue.

  The taste of Scarlett’s blood filled her mouth.

  “Uh.” She tried to pull back, but Roman’s body hardened beneath her touch. He caught hold of her tongue, sucking it madly while the coppery taste of blood blossomed between them.

  The outline of his cock pressed into her upper stomach. He swiveled his hips, letting her know exactly what he wanted. Then a hiss-like groan left the back of his throat, startling her. She’d never heard anything like that, not even on those televised animal shows.

  “I’m bleeding,” Scarlett breathed when he lifted from her lips.

  “Sorry, I’ll go easier.” Roman kissed a moist trail from her lips to the slope of her jaw.

  “Still, I don’t exactly like easy,” she admitted. Her body weakening by the second, he took her weight in the crook of his arm, his opposite hand fisting at Scarlett’s nape.

  “You don’t?”

  “Not really.’

  When Roman tilted her head back and stared longingly. She blinked up at him, meeting his eyes. But his were not fixed on her, or on Scarlett’s lips. No, Roman’s gaze was hot on the column of her neck, right where her thundering heartbeat pounded.

  “Roman?” His mouth came down hard on her throat. “Roman!”

  Chapter 3

  “Calm down, Scarlett.” Roman reached out to her, but she drew sharply back.

  “I’m trying to.” She opened the door leading to the balcony and a blast of arctic air sliced through her chest.

  “What are you doing?” Roman pulled her inside, locking the door in haste. A cashmere throw caught his eye as he walked past a triple-arched sofa. He snagged it with rough hands, fisting the expensive fabric a second before bringing it to her. “Did a single kiss change your perception of me that much?”

  “No.”

  Roman draped it over her shoulders. What was she thinking, going out into the cold without her coat? She guessed it was fight or flight, and apparently she couldn’t fight whatever was happening between them so she’d flown — or attempted to anyway. “It didn’t change my perception of you.” It changed Scarlett’s perception of herself. For a split second, she’d wanted him to bite her. Hard. To sink his teeth deep into her throat until she came for him.

  What did that mean?

  “Good.” His concern faded into hope. “Then we’re headed in the right direction.”

  When her knees started to wobble, Scarlett found a chair by the fireplace. “What direction?”

  “If I’m not mistaken,” he said wryly as he squatted in front of her, bracing his hand on her chair’s armrest, “you want me.”

  “Yes, I do.” She kicked off her boots, drawing her legs beneath the cashmere. “But I think you’ve known that for some time now.”

  “I suspected.”

  She thrust her hands in her hair, until her fingertips found her scalp and starting rubbing in soothing circles. “But I can’t do an affair. Well,” Scarlett amended, recalling all of the affairs she’d done, “I can’t do an affair with you.” Starting something with him while knowing it had an expiration date would be too painful.

  “You’re still not getting it. I don’t want an affair, Scarlett.” His cheekbones sharpened beneath his pale skin, the fire echoing its flames in his golden eyes. “The question is: What do you want?”

  She blinked a few times, guessing it was the light playing on his features. “I’m not going first on this one, Roman. You started this” — she gestured back and forth — “between us tonight. So you certainly have the floor.”

  “Okay.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll tell you what I’ve wanted to tell you for a couple of years now.”

  Scarlett’s chest tightened, her heart pounding in an unfamiliar beat. “Yes.”

  His hand came down on her leg, his fingers spreading wide without stroking. “I can no longer abide by your brother’s wishes, demands really, by staying in the background of your life.”

  The tightening in her chest spread to her throat, twisting until Scarlett thought she would choke. “My brother is interfering in my life?”

  “I shouldn’t have told you about Bestra, at least, not tonight.”

  His other arm came around as he
hung his head, his dark hair falling over his forehead as he stared at the floor.

  With her caged in the chair by his arms, she normally would have wanted to get naked and sweaty. But the thought of her brother keeping Roman away from her sparked her temper.

  “I’m going to kick his — ”

  “I fell in love with you four years ago, Scarlett.” Roman raised his head, those flames leaping in his eyes. “I’m still in love with you.”

  Maybe she should pinch herself just to be safe. Her hand came over her chest, flattening on her pounding heart. “You really love me?”

  “I’ve never said those words to another woman.” His eyebrows slammed down over his eyes. “And I expected, hoped really, that you would say them back. But I know it’s too much to expect, considering we’ve not seen other another in — ”

  “Roman.” She reached out then, laying her palm against the harsh line of his jaw. “Tell me what this love means to you. What exactly do you want?”

  “It means my heart is yours, my soul, too.” He placed his larger hand over hers, holding it against his face. “And though there’s a lot I have to tell you.” He stopped and sucked in a harsh breath. “I have to believe it’s all going to work out between us, because the alternative is just too hard. I should know, I’ve been living it.”

  She stayed quiet, a million thoughts hitting her at once — the chief one being that she doubted Roman could stay monogamous long enough for them to have a decent shot at a relationship. After all, they were literally worlds apart.

  He turned his face into her palm, kissing her. Then looked back into Scarlett’s eyes. Roman must’ve spotted her contradiction for he continued making his case. “Do we deserve to be happy?”

  “Of course, but — ”

  “Or shall we continue bedding partner after partner — ”

  She had to laugh at his audacity. “When it comes to casual sex, you need to stop judging women.”

  He dared to place his hands on her thighs, pressing them down until her feet flattened on the wood floor. From there, he leaned in until his big body took up all the available space between her legs. “Listen for a second, Scarlett. I asked you if we deserve to be happy. I can safely answer for us both. We should no longer punish ourselves by searching for what we’re never going to find in another.”

  His hand slipped away from her mouth, though his fingertips pressed against the seam of her lips, much the way his tongue had earlier. “I know that you feel it, too.” His opposite hand tightened on her thigh, yet he kept it from traveling upward — where she needed it to go. “Our kiss said what a thousand words could never have accomplished.”

  When he dropped his hand, Scarlett admitted. “I want to jump in headfirst, but I’m concerned about your overall commitment.”

  “I love you. I will always love you until the day I leave this earth, probably beyond even that. What greater commitment can you ask for?”

  “Come here. I want another taste of your lips.”

  He squeezed her knees, then grazed the skin beneath the hem of her dress with teasing fingertips. “Tonight, let me taste you.” Roman brought he hands to her waist, lifting her from the chair. “Let’s relax in my bedroom.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him. “How many women have — ”

  “None have entered this home, Scarlett.” He loosened his tie, unbuttoned the collar on his shirt. “Now, hush. I’m so very hungry, and I’ve waited years to bond with you.”

  A shiver ran through her, but it wasn’t due to fear. “You’re going to torture me, aren’t you?”

  “Count on it.” Roman lifted her completely in his arms, one hand behind her back and the other beneath her knees. “Just like my unfilled fantasies of us have tortured me. It’s time to make them real, Scarlett, starting tonight.”

  Roman took his time carrying Scarlett through the penthouse, encouraging her to discuss her sexuality with him. No matter how he pressed, she was a little too vague for his liking. So he explained what he needed from the physical side of this budding relationship, and Scarlett found herself intrigued.

  “You really do all of that?” she asked, her voice laced with a rasp she’d never before heard.

  Instead of answering her, Roman said, “This is my bedroom,” He placed her on her feet. “Before we enter, I need you to know there’s no going back once you step inside. ”

  Closing her eyes briefly, Scarlett said, “I think you’re trying to scare me away.”

  That same searing heat left his body. “Maybe you should be frightened. Maybe I’m a total dick with no other thoughts than of touching and pleasuring every inch of your delectable flesh.” His chest pressed against her back, his erection against her ass.

  “Total dick, huh?” Scarlett leaned back for a moment, allowing him to take her weight. “Even your voice arouses me, makes me wet. I can’t imagine what you can do with that body of yours, but I cannot wait to find out.”

  “Ah, Scarlett, we’re already attuned.” He nipped her ear, then sucked on the stinging lobe. “You anticipate the pleasure you’ll find with me, a pleasure you’ll find in no other lover.”

  Even his confidence turned her on. “You’re so sure of this?”

  “Absolutely.” Another nip, right behind her ear, then a swipe of his tongue to soothe. His hand cupped her ass, squeezing firmly. “You will come by my hand and only by my hand.”

  “Sorry,” she hissed when he smoothed and then squeezed her other cheek, “I enjoy my toy box too much to give it up.”

  The tip of his tongue shot into her ear, curling on the way out. “Then I’ll spank you so hard” — another squeeze to her ass — “you won’t be able to sit down on your sexy, red ass. Do we understand one another?”

  Her pussy squeezed so hard that Scarlett thought she would detonate on the spot. “While I’m here, yes.” She took a deep breath, wishing she could keep this feeling of his dominance and possession over her needful body forever. “But when we’re worlds apart again, I’m going to need a few things between my legs. But we can hookup on the computer and you can watch.”

  Gently, he toed apart her feet right before a harsh sting reverberated in her pussy, causing it to pound almost viciously.

  “Hey!” She couldn’t believe he smacked her there. Scarlett was going to come before they got started. “Maybe I need a safe word with you.”

  “The word is no. Use it if you want me to stop, and I’ll do so quickly and easily.” Roman moved to her front, holding her upper arms. “I gave you a taste of pussy-spanking because I don’t want you discussing miles separating us before we even begin, Scarlett. That’s not fair, and it’s not even remotely giving us a chance.”

  Chapter 4

  “You’re right.” Still reeling from the smack to her pussy, her nether lips throbbed in time to her heartbeat, the delicious pain even trailing to her ass. “No talk of being on the other side of the world while I’m here.”

  Seemingly satisfied, Roman placed his hand on her lower back and urged her inside his bedroom. “The views are even better from this vantage point, but we’ll check them out later… or tomorrow.”

  He walked to a wide cabinet carved of walnut and parted the doors. Located inside were shelves holding a couple of toys she owned and many she’d never seen. One or two had her puzzled. Selecting a clitoral vibrator she often used, in the exact shade of purple she’d purchased, Roman called her with a curl of his index finger.

  Just the look on his beautiful face, so determined and hotly sexual, amped up her roaring arousal. When she walked the four or five steps to close the distance between them, her thong grew wetter, the lace abrading her swollen clit.

  “I remember you using this” — he flicked on the toy, its tiny feelers vibrating within the suction cup made for a clitoris — “when I last visited you and Bestra in New York.”

  What the hell was he talking about? “I remember the trip… we stayed in a hotel off Times Square. Most of the time you and Bestra attended busine
ss meetings.” Leaving her alone in their suite in the dead of winter, completely bored. Oh! Her hand cupped her mouth, her face suddenly burning. “You watched me, how?”

  Those golden eyes narrowed to slits, a secret smile lifting his lips. “Scarlett, remove your dress.”

  Her nipples pebbled as she reached to her waist and unclipped her clasp. Then because she wanted to savor the way Roman’s gaze narrowed on her, she unzipped her dress in an unhurried pace, allowing each of the zipper’s teeth to rasp in the quietness of the room.

  His hands fisted at sides, one pumping around the clitoral stimulator. “Now, Scarlett.”

  Brushing her hands over her chest as she pushed down the raw silk to her waist, she cupped her overfull mounds in her hands and gave them a good, healthy squeeze. Damn her nipples ached, the tight peaks pointing straight at Roman, but she figured that by the way he was licking his lips, he would soon be sucking them the way he’d sucked her tongue. She twisted her nipples until a rough purr resonated in her throat.

  With a harsh exhale and a couple of colorful expletives, Roman demanded, “I didn’t give you permission to touch what’s mine.”

  Scarlett’s hands froze on her breasts, her breathing just as rough as his. “You want these?” She squeezed again, toying with his control. “You’d have to at least touch them to claim them.”

  With the vibrator still in hand, he stepped forward and gripped her dress at the waist, where it bunched over that little roll of stomach she hated. But that was nothing compared to the size of her ass.

  “You are provoking me on purpose.” He yanked. And in one fell swoop, Scarlett’s dress hit the dark wood floor.

  “I liked that dress.” Her skin erupted in flames, the pressure of her arousal burning through her as Roman ran his eyes up and down her body with a languid, hungry lick.

  When he continued to stare, not even touching her, Scarlett started shifting from foot to foot. Her insecurities about her rounded ass surfaced.