“Anything you can?” She chewed over the words, those earnest eyes narrowing. Even in her vulnerable state, that calculating mind kept perfect time. “A lot of guys would go further, say they’d protect me from anything and anyone, guarantee my safety.”
“I’m only human, Olivia,” I answered. My hands left her thighs with my shrug but they returned after, slipping up at a creep. “‘All I can might not be enough. But you’re smart enough to understand that. You’d laugh at my arrogance, maybe even bring up the patriarchy or something.”
“You have no idea how much I hate that you are right,” she snapped, dropping her head back to the bed with a huff. “I would have laughed at you if you’d promised me the moon, been insulted you thought such happy talk would mollify me. Crazy as it sounds, you make me feel safe.”
Her head twisted to the side, breaking our eye contact. Desire had darkened her cheeks, but they grew redder. In a lot of ways, our relationship had been a battle of wills, a wrestling match for control. An unfair one. I held most of the cards. Even so, her admission gave up ground.
“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I said, voice light, more teasing than mocking.
My legs straightened. I kicked off the pants that had been around my ankles and dropped to the bed beside Olivia, on my side. My hand rested on her stomach, under her breast.
“And not to toot my own horn, but when I said I’d do everything I could, well I’m a man of means with talents.” My fingers crept up, thumb brushing the bottom of her breast. “There’s not a lot I can’t do to protect you.”
“And you’re so modest,” she chuckled.
Her movement jostled her chest. My hand slid north, squeezed her through her clothes. She reacted by grabbing my wrist. For a brief moment, I worried she’d drag my hand away. She held it there instead.
“Don’t go thinking you’re off the hook,” she said with a mock glare, one brimming with desire. “Your empress still demands pleasure.”
She kicked her leg and rolled over. The momentum pushed me to my back, Olivia on top of me, legs to either side. She snatched my free hand and slapped it to her other breast. Her hips shifted, grinding herself against me.
“You seem to have me at your mercy.” My fingers moved up, over the neckline of her blouse, tips brushing against her bare skin.
She didn’t, not really. If I had any want of escape, I would. Her side-eyed glance told me she knew that too. Still, her hands kept mine on her breasts, her gyrating hips started to wake me down below.
That didn’t escape her attention either. Those eyes shuddered and her grinding rhythm sped. Her fingers around my wrist tightened.
“You really are full of surprises. I thought a second round would take a lot longer,” she said, breath shallow.
“I’m pretty sure it has more to do with you than me,” I admitted.
She loved hearing that. A lopsided but beaming smile appeared on her face. She kicked off the bed and unzipped her skirt. Once she’d shimmied out of those bright red panties, the bed rocked when she leaped back onto it and me.
Her exuberance had her tumbling forward. She grabbed my shoulders as her breasts pressed against my chest. The action stopped her face inches from mine. Pushing up, she rocked her hips, sliding against my rising cock.
I hadn’t been lying. Without her closeness, her attention, it would have been at least a half hour until I was ready again, at least. My fingers tugged at her blouse, fumbling for the buttons. She leaned back and arched her back, giving me better access.
Once I had a few open, my hands slid back to her breasts, only the bra, its red color matching the discarded panties, in between us. With a chuckle, she opened the rest and shimmied the silky top off her shoulders. It fluttered through the air when she tossed it to the side. Her hands stretched behind her back. With a single movement, her bra popped loose.
I gazed up at her in all her naked glory. When I’d overseen the brothels for the Bratva or managed the massage parlors I’d snatched from the fallen Triad, it had brought me in contact with a lot of beautiful women with amazing bodies. Olivia’s held my interest more than all of them. My lust addled mind didn’t have the focus to answer why.
My expression gave it away. She’d been watching me closely. A dazzling smile grew on her face, her shoulders squared. One hand grasped me between her legs. I let out a breath when she opened for me, so warm and inviting.
“That’s it,” she muttered, fluttering her eyes as her hips dropped.
Our first encounter in the kitchen hours after the attempted assassination had been frantic. The sort of life affirming sex you could only have after a close encounter with death. Last night, the danger might have been gone, but we’d kept an athletic pace. Now, with Olivia in the driver’s seat, she took it slow, savoring the sensations, physical and emotional.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt more than lust for a partner. Those fleeting moments together offered nothing more than the mechanical act of sex, no stakes, no commitment. They were like listening to a song with a missing member of the band compared to being with Olivia.
Her sedate pace sped, but agonizingly slowly. Just as I’d teased her with my fleeting touches earlier, it seemed she wanted to extend the moment. My hands cupped her breasts, thumbs flicking her tight nipples. A breathy moan escaped her lips.
My teasing fingers had the effect I hoped. Her hips shifted quicker. I matched them with my own thrust. Her eyes shot open and her hands snatched at my arms. I’d almost bucked her off. Nobody wanted that.
She squeezed my arms tightly, the muscles in her forearms flexed. The frenetic pace we’d kept before neared. The bed underneath me shook, its springs squeaking. Our twin movements reached a pace where my hands moved to her sides, holding her steady.
“Fu…” she started but the word became a high pitched groan.
Her face scrunched before her mouth widened and her head dropped. Those dark curls tickled my chest as she giggled. The power of her grasping fingers never let up despite her relaxed position, her hips never stopped moving. I was so close.
