“Come in,” she said, stepping back to give him room.
“Thanks.” He grinned as he stepped through the doorway. “I was hoping I was still welcome.”
“Of course,” she said as she closed the door behind him. “Told you I’m terrible at entertaining.” That’s when she noticed he was carrying a bag. He set it down beside the couch and pulled out a bottle.
“I brought wine. The other bottle that we didn’t get to at my place.” Could his grin get any sexier?
“Awesome. With any luck, we won’t get to it tonight, either.” Then she was stepping into his space while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She heard the bottle drop onto the couch behind her. She slid her hands up his hard chest and over his shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips met, her eyes closed, and she felt as intoxicated as if she’d downed the entire bottle. He tasted incredible, as if he’d taken a sip of cool, clean night air before coming in. They stood kissing in front of the couch until she felt lightheaded. When he broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard.
“Sylvie,” he murmured as he ran his hand through her hair. “I’ve missed this. So much.”
“So have I.” She ran her fingers over his stubble and then they were kissing again. When he stopped her a second time, he pulled her down onto the couch, setting the wine bottle on the floor. He pulled her into his lap and just stared at her while he sank his fingers into her hair.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Fine. Very fine. I’m enjoying just being with you right now. The stillness of this moment compared to the chaos that’s always around us otherwise. I want to make every moment with you last as long as I can. There’s never enough time to take you in. To appreciate that you’re real and not just a fantasy.”
Fantasy. Now that he was here, her skin tingled and her stomach fluttered. When he called and said he’d be in Lyons and asked if he could see her, she had asked him to bring something special, something they’d played with over the phone. Did he have it in the bag? And if he did, could she go through with it? She’d fantasized each time she got into bed how the cord would feel against her skin. Imagined the intensity of Alex’s stare as he looked into her eyes, judging her level of trust at each step. And the bliss of letting herself go, knowing she was in his capable hands. No need to make decisions or wondering if she was doing the right thing. No self-consciousness and no holding back. She wanted to experience everything with him, give him back as much pleasure as he gave her.
Her music played softly in the background, William Topley singing about a hurricane room for lovers landlocked far too long.
“Do you ever miss the ocean?” she asked him.
The corner of his mouth quirked up at her unexpected question. He glanced toward the speakers letting her know he was listening to the lyrics too. “For someone like me, the ocean isn’t something I can miss, because it’s always inside me. It ebbs and flows inside my soul.” He ran a finger down her arm, raising gooseflesh. He traced the curved shape of a wave on the inside of her sensitive wrist. “I can still feel it rocking me at night the way it did whenever I was out on the water. I can feel it when I’m with you.”
He lifted her wrist to his lips. He closed his eyes and smelled her skin before laying a kiss there. “You smell like Maui, like the sun and the sand and the flowers.” He kissed her again and she felt the lightest brush of his teeth against her skin. “You taste like the blue water, the good, clean salt of it. You ask if I miss the ocean. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m out sailing, navigating the dance between the wind and the waves. Communicating with something so beautiful, so much bigger than I am, that I’m filled with awe that any of this exists, and I feel humbled I can be a part of it.”
“Alex,” she whispered. No one had ever spoken to her like this before.
“It’s true, Sylvie. From the moment I saw you, I was attracted to you. You have a deep-seated strength and yet you can be light and fun. You’re driven, passionate about what you love. It’s in your every gesture. I loved watching you move in class. So confident and natural. In control.”
“I have to be.” She shook off old memories—easy to do now and even easier since meeting Alex. “There were a lot of times when I had no control over my life. Plus I have a job where any mistake I make can hurt someone, including me. So, I have to be cautious, hold my impulses back sometimes.” She ran her thumb over his lips and he kissed it. “But I don’t want to do that tonight. As much as I know we shouldn’t be together right now, I want you here. I want to be able to let go in your arms.”
He pulled her close and nuzzled in her hair. She felt him whisper against her ear.
“Do you trust me?”
Her belly flipped over. “Yes,” she said quickly before she could chicken out. “Did you bring…anything else?”
His chuckle turned to a deep growl. “Yes.” He reached for the bag and pulled out a cord. Not like the one she’d seen wrapped around the sinuous piece of driftwood. This was made of silk and dyed the colors of the sunset. “Now, take me upstairs.”
Sylvie was pretty sure her feet didn’t touch a single step on the staircase and now she felt like she was in a dream. Alex didn’t say a word as he slowly undressed her. He pulled the zipper in the back slowly down her spine then turned her to face him as he slipped the shoulders of her dress down over her arms. It pooled at her feet and she stepped out of it.
“I love watching the firelight play on your skin,” he said.
“The other reason I bought this townhome was for the bedroom fireplace.”
“Good choice.” He looked her up and down as she stood completely naked in front of him. She should have felt vulnerable, but instead she felt beautiful…desired…and that made her feel powerful. This amazing man standing in front of her cherished her, body and soul.
Alex started to unbutton his shirt and she moved to help but he gently lowered her hands to her sides. Then he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. He cupped her face in his hands.
“Just relax and enjoy tonight,” he said, and she nodded. “This is for you.”
“I want to give this night to you as well.”
“Oh, you are, baby.” He glanced away and something passed over his face, darkening his eyes. An old memory maybe, or a regret? But when he turned back, his eyes burned as brightly as the flames behind them.
Alex finished undressing. His erection curved gracefully back against his belly, showing her how excited he was. Then he picked the coiled cord off the bed. Sylvie took a step toward the bed but Alex laid his hand on her upper arm to stop her.
