Destiny's Whisper (21 page)

“Of course we’re friends. You don’t think I go around protecting my enemies, do you?” He tried for an off-handed manner and failed when his voice grew softer as he felt himself falling into her eyes.

“Do friends always protect each other?” Chloe asked quietly, trying to resist the urge to run her hands over his chest and solve the mystery of what his skin would feel like.

“Yes,” he answered, his voice a low purr deep in the back of his throat. He could feel her warmth radiating in waves against his body and he clenched his hands to keep from touching her.

“Do friends kiss goodnight?” her voice was a mere whisper, her eyes the color of midnight, her hands clasped behind her back as she tried to still their anxious movements. The urge to touch him was becoming overwhelming and she wondered how much longer she could resist her need.

Sergei thought he was going to go up in flames at that moment. “Oh, God, Chloe. You need to go back to bed,” he managed to mutter, his heart threatening to explode as blood pumped through his body in a torrent.

“Do they?”

“Chloe,…please.” He was sure he was going to dissolve into ashes at any moment

“Answer me, Sergei. Do friends kiss goodnight?”

“Chloe…” he pleaded, saw a brief glimpse of what he thought was hope and finally gave in. “Yes, some friends kiss goodnight.”

Chloe’s nod of understanding was barely perceptible in the dark room, but her words were perfectly clear, “Would it be all right if I gave you a kiss goodnight?” she whispered hopefully.

Sergei nearly dissolved on the spot. His body went from hot to cold and back again, and he couldn’t put two coherent words together. With a small nod, he gave her his assent.

Chloe’s timid smile made his heart race even faster and he wondered how long a man could survive with his heart rate so high, he gave up any hope of living through the night at her soft words. “I’m not exactly sure how to go about this.”

Sergei’s teeth gleamed brightly in the moonlight as a wide smile bloomed at her comment. Heaving a sigh that drew her attention to his mouth, his low, sexy tone threatened her ability to stand. “I know a little bit about the subject, I’ll be happy to help you.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Chloe whispered, mesmerized by the look in his dark eyes and the sexy smile that graced his full lips.

“Kindness has nothing to do with it,” he stated softly, closing the small space between them and sighing as his their bodies met.

“Then why are you so willing to help me?” she asked in a dazed voice, her sense of balance precarious as Sergei’s heat surrounded her. Her low moan as Sergei’s fingertips ran up her arms from hands to shoulders had her swaying against him and he gasped as the softness of her breasts melted against his straining chest. Unable to resist any longer, her hands lifted to his chest and ran sensuously over his straining muscles and through the dark swirling hair.
Satin and steel
her mind registered dizzily.

Sergei’s hands slid along her neck, his thumbs lifted her chin, the movement bringing her eyes to his, midnight blue and ebony. The pulse in her neck beat erratically beneath his hand, her mouth parted slightly as she sought to slow her racing heart and find a calming breath. His words made her world spin crazily and she felt the ground give way beneath her. “Because I find myself dreaming about your gorgeous mouth and how you feel and taste and it’s driving me to distraction. I can’t think, I can’t sleep, and I can’t quit wondering if you’re real or something from my imagination.”

“I’m just me, plain old Chloe,” her breath whispered against his chin.

“No, you’re far from plain, you’re magical and beautiful and so damn irresistible I haven’t the strength to push you away, even though I know I should.”

“I don’t want to be pushed away.”

“It would probably be the best thing for you.”

“I don’t want to do what’s best for me. Right this minute, I want you to kiss me, not like you think I should be kissed, but kissed the way
you
want to kiss me.”

“Chloe, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Sergei stated, shaking his head back and forth.

Chloe’s hands left his chest and slid over his face, her palms resting against his high cheekbones, her fingertips tingling as they sifted through his wavy hair. “Sergei, I’ve spent so many years afraid to feel anything, I’m tired. I’ve listened to other girls share their experiences and because I knew nothing of what they spoke of, all I could do was wonder if even part of what they talked about was even remotely true. I’m don’t want to wonder anymore. I want to feel dizzy and lightheaded. I want to feel flushed and antsy. I want to feel what it’s like to be desired by a man.”

“Chloe, you don’t know what you’re asking,” he stated, releasing his hold on her, and stepping away, hoping distance would help him stay in control.

“You’re wrong, I know exactly what I’m asking. My only question is do you want me?”

“You already know the answer to that question.” Sergei growled deeply.

“I only know what I hope your answer is.”

“Chloe, you should be in bed,” Sergei pleaded, his willpower nearly gone, his body screaming for her touch.

“One kiss, Sergei. That’s all I’m asking for. One simple kiss.”

“Nothing’s ever simple, Chloe. It starts out that way and then everything gets complicated.”

“Fine, then let’s share a
complicated
kiss. It doesn’t matter to me. I only know I want to feel your mouth against mine again; I want to know what you taste like and how soft your lips feel and then I’ll never ask you for another thing again,” Chloe stated, willing to beg if necessary.

Maybe a change of tactic could stop his headlong flight toward the storm that was threatening his very sanity. “Right. A woman not ask anything of a man? Impossible!” Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave her his most arrogantly condescending look and stated, “What makes you think one kiss will be enough for you?”

Chloe blinked in surprise, confused by his sudden change of attitude. Where only moments before he’d seemed balanced on the same precipice as she, suddenly he was all arrogance and full of himself. With more bravado than she could back up, she coolly asked, “What makes you think it will be enough for you?”

Sergei raised one eyebrow in surprise, pleased by the spark of haughtiness that flared, if only for a brief moment. “Touché,” he stated coolly, a small nod confirming she’d made her point.

“I suppose we could kiss–just once–to satisfy your curiosity,” Sergei offered, trying to keep his tone as bored as possible in the hopes he’d make her so mad she’d drop the subject and leave. He didn’t know how much longer he could act unaffected; it was taking every ounce of energy he had to keep his hands off her.

Chloe couldn’t decide whether to be furious and punch him or take him up on his offer. Her heart told her he was playing some kind of game to keep her away, her head told her he was being an idiot male. Somewhere between the two attitudes, the truth sat quietly. “If it’s not too much trouble, I think I’d like to
satisfy my curiosity
,” Chloe finally answered quietly.

Sergei closed his eyes and prayed for salvation. If he survived the next few minutes, he knew there was a God in heaven. Taking a deep breath, he walked slowly toward Chloe, his eyes holding hers captive, and stopped just close enough to feel her warmth, but not close enough to touch her. His hands reached for hers, his fingers wove between her own, his palms rested hotly against her own. With a gentle pull, her soft curves rested against his muscled form, he wrapped his arms around her slim back, her hands still held tightly in his. Her eyes glowed brightly as she watched him look down into her face, his gaze touching her smooth skin as tenderly as his hands held her own firmly behind her back.

Sergei’s head lowered slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, their ebony depths holding her a willing captive. His lips touched the corner of her mouth, lightly nipped her and then gently kissed the small pain away before moving to the other side and repeating the gesture. Chloe’s world began to spin, the air in her lungs seemed to vanish along with all the muscles in her legs and she leaned heavily against Sergei, the heat from his body scorching her.

Sergei wasn’t sure who was in greater torment, Chloe as she felt the first awakenings of passion or he himself as he shared in her reaction. Just the small, teasing kisses had set him on fire and he wondered at the wisdom of even starting this foray. Chloe’s soft whimpers only added fuel to the fire already threatening to consume them both and in an effort to stop the madness that was pulling them into oblivion, he managed to lift his mouth from her sweet lips.

“Chloe….” her name was a whisper that reached through the fog that surrounded her and made her feel leaden, and she struggled to bring Sergei’s face above her own into focus.

Sergei looked down into her flushed cheeks and glazed eyes and knew she saw the same look in his face. He felt on fire, perched on the edge of a cliff and more than willing to fall into oblivion if it meant having Chloe in his arms. His question was silent, his look said it all and he held his breath as he awaited her answer.

Chloe’s mind spun crazily, her body on fire and screaming Sergei’s name. Rising up on her toes, she pressed her body closer to his and whispered against his mouth, “Sergei, please….”

He needed no more encouragement. His mouth crushed down onto hers, his lips melting against her own and his tongue delved into her sweetness and tasted deeply of her. Her low moan of pleasure stirred him on and he deepened the kiss, his mouth shifting over hers and plundering the warm interior. Time stopped. There was nothing but the two of them in a universe filled with bright stars, and warmth, serenity and passion. It was a place they were loath to leave.

The incessant buzz of the alarm clock slowly broke through the web of passion that was spun about them, leaving them breathless, their chests heaving, their eyes dark and mouths swollen with passion. Sergei glanced at the clock, trying to shake the dust from his brain that refused to work and released one of her hands so he could punch the button that stopped the obnoxious noise.

Chloe moved away from him, her dazed mind refusing to work, and managed to make it nearly to the door before Sergei caught her from behind and whirled her back into his arms. Chloe’s breath left in a whoosh as their chests met and her hands clutched his bulging upper arms as he held her waist, his fingers hot against the light material of her pajamas.

“You were right, one of your kisses isn’t enough!” He growled, his lips meeting hers in a fiery kiss that made her knees buckle. Without a word, he swept her into his arms and walked to the bed, sitting down and holding her in his lap, his kiss growing deeper. He couldn’t get enough of her and suddenly it wasn’t enough to just be kissing her. His hands found their way beneath her pajama top and his fingers skimmed over the silken smoothness of her back, bumped along the straight line of her spine.

Chloe arched into his chest, her body nothing but a bunch of quivering nerves and unknown desires. Her hands grew frantic and she couldn’t touch enough of Sergei, her fingers traced a wild path over his skin, setting his skin on fire, her nails leaving fine lines. She cried out in pleasure when his lips found her neck and left a trail of sharp kisses between her shoulder and ear.

Suddenly she felt herself falling backwards into the soft pillows, her hair falling in her eyes and blocking her view as she felt his body follow. Haphazardly she pushed it away; ignoring the sharp tug as it caught in her fingers. With glowing eyes, she watched Sergei come over her, caught her breath as he covered her body with his own, and settled between her legs. A secret thrill filled her as she felt the heated, hardness that expressed his desire for her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sought his kiss, groaning in pleasure as she felt his hands in her hair and the sweetness of his mouth. The kiss was consuming, stealing away her breath as surely as it lit a small spark inside her that flamed to life. Sergei’s hands slipped beneath her short nightshirt, the heat of his hands brushed across her ribs and he marveled at her narrow waist. Despite his urge to do otherwise, he kept his hands at her waist, satisfied for the moment to simply feel the satin of her skin beneath his hands, content to share her warmth. Chloe’s legs tingled when she ran one calf along his hair-roughened leg, his muscles flexing beneath her curious movement. Her back arched when his mouth placed heated kisses against her throat, a low purr escaped her parted lips and he returned to her mouth to catch the sensuous sound.

Sergei couldn’t get enough of the moist, sweetness that encompassed Chloe’s kiss and the deep growl he made caused Chloe to chuckle deep in her throat, the sound filled with sensual huskiness and joy. Sergei’s body flamed hotter, speeding rapidly out of control and common sense deserted him. Releasing his hold on her face, he pushed himself up on his arms, his heated length pulsing against Chloe’s warm softness and he watched her eyes darken and dilate, all hint of blue vanishing. Her gasp of surprise at the intense sensation had her clutching madly for Sergei’s arms, her long nails digging into his tense flesh.

“Sergei?” Chloe’s voice was a shaky whisper, confusion and excitement blending.

“Don’t move.” Sergei demanded softly, trying to control the consuming need to push against her warmth, trying to find the strength to pull away from her, as he knew he should. His body vibrated with need and his arms shook as he held himself above her.