He cradled the back of her head in his hand and kissed her softly across her cheek until his lips found hers.
His arms tightened around her.
From there, her passion stoked his, and the feel of his heating body drove her crazy. She pulled at his shirt, dragging the tails out of his pants and slipping herhands under the cloth to feel the ripples of his abdominal muscles running up his torso. He stroked her sides, running his hands over her curves to her thighs. She clutched him as she kissed down his neck, the faint rasp of stubble under her lips, and she unbuckled his belt and yanked apart his fly.
He whispered beside her ear, “I don’t have a—”
“I don’t care.” She wrapped one of her legs aroundhis hips, dragging him toward her.
He dipped his head, bending to push aside her shirt and bra and catch her breast in his mouth.
She arched, pushing toward him, and struggled to keep from moaning aloud. She dug her fingers into his hair, the military-short strands rubbing her hands, and she teetered on one leg as he ran his fingers up her thigh to her sex. He moved her panties aside, slippeda finger inside her, and slicked her up, grazing her clit with his fingertip.
Flicka dug her fingernails into his shoulder and tightened her leg around his hips. Her slight gasp and the faint rustle of their clothes were the only sounds in the tiny, dark room.
He chewed on her neck and pushed into her core, his breath hot on her throat.
The invasion, the suddenfullnessof him inside her, droveall thought out of her mind. His hard body straining against hers, the cinnamon scent of his cologne and warm male musk, and the rasp of his breath by her ear and on her neck, consumed her.
There was no fear. There was no memory.
There was only herLieblingwächterand this dark, silent moment.
Dieter grabbed her other leg and wrapped it around his waist so that he was holding her waist andass in his arms and taking her against the wall. Gravity pulled her down harder on him,deeper,and she bit her lip as he ground up into her.
In the dark, he flowed around her—his arms encompassing her and his body thrusting deep inside her and his breath misting her neck with warmth—and she was overcome. Her life and mind fell away, and he became everything in the world.
And then it all blewaway with a surge of white fire. She was gone, her life was here, and her body pulsed around him.
The closet’s darkness seeped back, first around the edges, and then rushed back into her eyes.
She was grasping Dieter’s shoulders, holding on as he panted on her neck.
“Shhh,”he whispered.
She nodded.
He mouthed her neck gently, found her mouth, and kissed her slowly and thoroughly.
Flickamelted into the kiss, one last moment of bliss before they had to run again.
He broke it off. Beside her ear, he whispered,“Durchlauchtig.”
She laid her cheek on his shoulder. That one pet name of his for her held all their history, every moment of their time together in London, all their friendship before and after, and the fact that he had never torn her down emotionally. He raised her up.She had always been his queen.
She held him as tightly as she could, arms and legs wrapped around his strong body, until he withdrew from her and set her on her feet.
Flicka patted her clothes to straighten her bra, button her shirt, and tug her skirt down around her thighs. Thanking goodness for the dark, she rearranged her wedgie.
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness as much as they could.
Dieter’s dark form was by the door, the light from the crack shining on his shoes and pants legs. He was pressed against the door, listening.
Silence filled the dark closet except for their breathing and the scuff of her shoe on the cement floor.
Flicka waited while Dieter listened at the door. His hearing was better than hers, probably from standing on the perimeter of large parties insteadof on the dance floor in the center of the speakers or right next to the orchestra.
She gripped her hands together, praying. Her folds were sore and swollen, and her thighs slipped against each other. It all felt so good.
After a moment, Dieter whispered, “I think they’re gone.”
He took her hand while he twisted the locks and cracked open the door.
Flicka clutched his hand, but she was readyto drop his hand and step out of the way if he needed to fight.
He looked first and then pushed the door open and led her out. “We need to go check on Alina.”
“God, yes. We can slip out through the bar. If we go that way, I’ll even be able to grab my purse.”
He frowned. “Too bad about those chips. I was up five hundred dollars.”
