Inching the door open so as not to look too eager, I smiled at the unsure grin he gave me when our gazes connected. In jeans again, and a pale blue sweater, the darkness of his hair was intense, his eyes revealing a little defeat. No, this insecurity wouldn’t do. Yannick Ischmov was a self-assured man and he would remain so if I had anything to do with it.
“Come in.”
Yannick squeezed past, his aftershave making me briefly close my eyes as I shut the door behind him. Giving myself a little shake, I turned to face him and took a long hard look at him. He stood in front of me, hands in pockets, head slightly bowed, his shoulders not as high as they should have been. I waited him out because it was up to him to go first.
Taking a step toward me, he apologised, a rumble of a sorry I felt right down to my toes. I shook my head. “You are not responsible for what other people do.”
“I know,” he agreed. “But I’m the reason and she had no right to lay a hand on you.”
I cut him off from saying anything else, closing the foot of space between us. I took what I wanted far more than the apology, throwing my arms around his neck and fusing my mouth to his. Pulling his hands from his pockets, he didn’t hesitate to pin me to his chest with his arms around my waist. His heart raced as fast as mine did and I revelled in the fact I affected him just as much as he did me. And I’d forgotten how intoxicating his mouth was. Damn, I didn’t want to stop the little celebration I was having with his warm lips and succinct tongue which knew all the right ways to set me on fire.
There were a myriad of things to talk over but right then I needed what he was giving, needed it so much more than his words. On panted breaths, I pulled back and ran my hand down his cheek, fingernails scratching the short beard he’d taken to growing out, until I cupped his chin.
“Take me to bed,” I whispered.
He didn’t ask if I was sure, nor did he hesitate to tug me through to the bedroom where at the door he scooped me up into his arms and ravished my mouth once again. The curtains were still drawn, the bed a mess, but it was perfect. Throwing me down on the bed, I laughed as I bounced on the mattress, the messy covers scattering to the floor. Flattening his body over mine, Yannick sifted his hands through my hair then held the back of my head.
“I kind of miss the pink.”
“You do? I wanted to go back to my natural colour. Growing up, I guess.”
“I don’t know which I like better.” He nuzzled into my neck, feeling warm and scratchy against my soft skin. “You want this, Bunny?”
I loved when he called me Bunny, such a shame he seldom used it. Others may have adopted the nickname, but it never sounded as special as it did when it came from his mouth, like he said it with a hint of wonder.
“Umm, yeah. Did I not make myself clear?” Wiggling my hips upwards, Yannick pushed down, leaving me no room to move.
“I don’t want just another quick bit of action, Jolie.”
That wasn’t what I had in mind either. The action very much yes, quick and only once - no. “Not just this, I want more. Would it be too greedy to ask for it all?”
His smile was small but satisfying. “I’ve waited a long time for someone like you, a long time. I can hardly believe my luck. I thought for a while I’d blown it, my ugly world making it impossible. But it’s not, not with you. I want this more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. I want you, I want us.”
It was a line any red-blooded man would say to a woman he was hoping to get naked, except he was being genuine, was telling me the truth. He’d been waiting patiently, never pushing the boundaries I’d put in place. Along the way, we’d both opened up and let the other unfurl brief parts of who we were without fully committing to anything.
“I just had to make sure you’re not a one-trick pony,” I giggled, using humour to lighten the heavy mood that had no place in this bedroom between us.
“One-trick pony?” He huffed, tickling my side. “Not a chance and I’ll prove it to you.”
“You don’t need to prove anything to me, Yannick.”
My t-shirt was hauled over my head roughly, pyjama bottoms pulled from my legs in a hurry until I lay naked underneath a fully clothed Yannick. The friction of his soft jumper and rough denim against my heated skin sparked an inferno of rivalling sensations. I’d never get enough of the way he made my body hum.
“So beautiful.” His hand grazed my collarbone, his eyes darkening as he thumbed across the half-moon indentations Irina’s nails had left behind.
“She doesn’t matter.”
I didn’t want her in the room with us, his past was not up for debate when he had me naked and almost begging and we were on the edge of a future together. There were other times to talk about the dark secrets of his past.
“Yeah,” he breathed as he leaned in and licked across the marks. “You taste like candyfloss. Mmmm…”
Laughing again, I took a fistful of his thick, dark hair and dragged his head back. “And you are entirely too dressed for
