“Well, I’m not a patient woman,” I replied and bridged the gap.
Before he’d jumped off the cruise ship with me, he’d asked me if I trusted him. Despite the circumstances of our meeting, I had at that moment and nothing had changed. His promise to take me back to Rome had finally silenced the ‘but he kidnapped you’ voice in my head.
I didn’t want to go back to Rome, to end the little impetuous trip, to face my future married to one of my father’s associates. Not yet, maybe not ever. Even if I did, judging by Alexei’s last words, he’d come for me again at some point. That fact put a stop to any further doubt about what I wanted right now.
Our tongues danced again. It seemed another game to him, more like wrestling than dancing. He sucked in a breath through his nose. Lips left mine and trailed to my jaw. His fingers hooked between my shirt’s buttons. Several clattered to the floor when he tore it open.
“That was your shirt,” I reminded him.
“I have a lot of shirts, can buy many more,” he murmured, eyes glued to my breasts, “but you’re unique. I don’t know how much time I have to memorize the view.”
Transfixed as he was, I couldn’t help but remember Jason, the first guy who saw me topless. He’d had a similar look on his face when we progressed that far on a large bean bag chair in his dorm room. Back then, I’d left quickly. It made me feel like an object, that he was only interested in my body.
With a man like Alexei mesmerized, a different sensation crept up my spine: power, pride. He wasn’t a boy like Jason. Hell, he wasn’t just a man like the suitors my father would have me marry. He was unique too.
His lips trailed down my neck. He shifted under me but then hissed. His head fell back to the floor, eyes pinched. A little pain wouldn’t deter him. His lips found my collarbone. I crawled higher.
“You don’t want to make it worse,” I said, “you need to take it easy.”
“Not as much as I need you,” he whispered, kissing lower.
A hand found my breast. His lips trailed down the other. His tongue darted out, circling my nipple. Fingertips ghosted over the other, surprisingly soft considering what Alexei’s hands had done, could do.
Was there anything he couldn’t do? I’d seen him in action twice, watched how he kept his head when things went wrong. Any good thug had those same abilities, but that was all they had. Alexei had a head on him, full of more interesting qualities. Cultured, intelligent, sophisticated, I’d enjoyed our conversations so far. He’d never bore me like Jason, always playing that damn game.
“That feels so good,” I whispered.
A hand slid down my side. The fingers that grasped my ass displayed their power. The sensation bordered on pain but only fueled my excitement. Something else brushed against my leg. I wasn’t the only one excited.
“We can stop,” Alexei whispered, his expression as serious as someone could look up at me, my nipple an inch from his lips, “if you want.”
“For someone who kidnapped me, you’re surprisingly concerned about my consent.” I giggled and shifted my hips back, lower.
His hand dropped from my breast, fingers gliding over my stomach. I crawled back. His hand guided him in place. It brushed between my legs, hot and firm. I sucked in a breath.
Alexei represented my greatest fear, the reason I’d stayed a virgin. Yes, he’d kidnapped me, but when I got past that, he ticked all the boxes. Hell, a little more than a day with him and I’d discovered new boxes that he of course earned a large check in. None of the men my father was considering could ever surpass Alexei but I knew I’d compare whichever one won his approval to the man under me right now all the same.
At some point, Alexei would steal me again. It wasn’t lost on me that I found the thought of him kidnapping me again in the future more than pleasant. Still, I ignored any worries. Those were tomorrow problems.
“I’m ready,” I said, more for myself than Alexei, “but I want you to promise to come for me sometime in the future, steal me away for another cruise.”
“Oh, I’ll come for you.” The hand on my ass squeezed again.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” I said, poking my finger against his chest.
“If you walk away from me when we get back to Rome, I promise I’ll come steal you back,” he replied. His eyes found mine, unblinking. “Did you really think I’d give up? You’re too interesting to forget about.”
My hips lowered. He brushed against my entrance. I wouldn’t forget him either, for better or worse. You never forget your first time. That’s what Katie said, at least. Now I’d know.
His breath hitched as I dropped even lower. He entered me. Wider than any toy I’d experimented with, he burned with heat. His lips burst into a smile, not his slappable smirk that had become so kissable after spending less than a day with him. No, it had a goofy quality, genuine happiness.
Neither of us had had enough of that in our lives. I thought I might have forgotten how it felt. Maybe it had got walled off with all the other inconvenient ideas in my head. For this brief moment, I knew I shared that grin.
I dropped lower and leaned back. Alexei gazed up at me. His hands caressed my thighs, creeping higher as I got used to the sensation, the fullness. By the time they reached my breasts, I shifted my hips.
Awkward, and with a slow, unsteady rhythm at the start, I kept moving. Alexei’s glazed over eyes burned with desire. He wanted more; if he hadn’t been nursing a gunshot wound to the thigh, he’d have taken control by now.
After only a few moments, I sped my movements. His hands squeezed my breasts, thumbs rubbing over my nipples. My excitement built. Virgin I might have been, but I’d taken care of myself before. But even the most expensive rabbit vibe I could buy hadn’t readied me for Alexei.
