His lips crush mine, his tongue probing, his hand splayed flat against my back. I can’t stop the whimper that escapes me or the way my hands grip the front of his shirt as he pulls me even closer and crushes me against his chest.
The anger, pride, and hurt… It all disappears beneath the rush of lust this kiss sparks off through my body. More than lust. Another word—deeper, thicker—that I’m not sure I can name just yet lingers at the edge of my psyche.
Before the waves of need coming off him turn my brain to mush, I pull away.
I lick my burning lips and ignore the heat in my face. “That’s a good start. Next…I want to meet your family.”
His fingers twitch against my back. “What? Why?” Confusion and alarm flicker in his cold eyes.
“Because if I’m going to live in your world, I want all of it. If they’re important to you, and I know they are, then I need to at least get to know them. I won’t stand on the precipice of life, not anymore. I’m in, or I’m out. For real.” I swallow around a tight throat. “And you have to be too.”
He doesn’t blink. “I’m all in. For you.” He cups my face with huge, careful hands. His lips find mine again in a kiss so gentle, a fissure inside me shakes loose.
Sparkles rain down behind my eyes, like I’m showered in glitter. Light returns to the dark I’ve been buried in since he abandoned me.
When he pulls back a little, our foreheads touch.
“Does that mean you love me?”
The loaded pause drags.
I smile, brushing my fingers against his neck. “You can be honest, Kirill.”
A deep laugh rumbles from his chest.
Then his mouth curves against my forehead. “Yeah. I love you.”
I can’t help it. I gift him a quick, rough kiss, then retreat just enough to lay my hands atop his, which still cup my cheeks. “I love you too. Partners?”
Joy sparks in his eyes, and this time, he answers without pause or hesitation. “Partners.”
I grin and drag him to the couch. Pushing on his shoulders, I force him down. The lumpy cushions sag beneath his weight. He’s too tall, really, his legs pushed up at an odd angle as he sits.
But he just gives me that almost-smile, staring up with a brightness in his eyes that I’ve never seen before.
This man…
I straddle his waist and run my fingers through his short hair. “Those energies are all mixed up again, Mr. Shark. You should let me do something about that.”
He huffs out a short laugh, his hands settling on my waist and digging into my hips just the way I like. “I guess you’ll just have to align my aura.”
I bite back my own smile before leaning in to trail kisses across his jaw. “Yourchakras, Kirill. You can’t align auras.”
“I’m new to that stuff.” His hand slides down my thigh, his fingers pressing close to my aching center. “This, though, I know well.”
I shudder as those fingers dance and pull him in for another kiss.
Namaste.
Chapter 40
Kirill
Morning slashes through the windshield, merciless and precise as I drive away from the congested streets of downtown and head for Roman’s compound. Jordan dozes in the passenger seat. Neither of us got a lot of sleep last night.
Who knew that having years of yoga practice would turn out to be so useful? Jordan’s flexible as hell, and I’d like to encourage that.
I’m already planning to set up an entire room devoted to her yoga. Straps, balls, blocks, bolsters, knee pads, hammocks and slings, even crazy benches with weird cutouts and several padded layers…
