Livia stepped into the penthouse, wondering where in the world Stefan might be. She might be terrified of what he could do to her, but she still…missed him.
Yes, she could admit it. He’d been gone for four days now. And after only one night in his arms, she wanted to be with him again. Forget the possibility of anything else, she wanted this man.
Glancing through the mail that that the housekeeper had left on the table, she wondered what had happened to the mail she should have been getting for the past several weeks. She used to get tons of mail but after her wedding, she’d shifted all of her bills to online delivery and canceled all of her subscriptions.
She felt lonely, she realized. She might have tried to hide from Stefan after the wedding and that overheard conversation, but he’d been gone for four days now and she missed him painfully!
Her feelings didn’t make sense, but she was too tired and miserable to try and figure them out. She had even started sleeping on his side of the bed and wearing one of his shirts at night, just to feel closer to him.
He might have blackmailed her into coming back to him but her body didn’t care. And she was starting to accept that her heart didn’t care either.
She wandered over to the enormous glass windows that looked out over the trees and London skyline. Her mind sifted through her feelings, trying to identify what was going on and how she could reconcile all of her issues.
And as she stared out at the birds racing after each other, she realized that she was still in love with Stefan. Darn it, how pathetic was that? She was so confused! Her feelings didn’t make any sense, but then again, emotions rarely made sense. She loved him so much and one night in his arms was not nearly enough. But what would be enough? What would make her be able to have a relationship with Stefan and still feel safe?
She wasn’t sure. She had no idea how to talk with this silent man. Well, an absent man, she realized, looking behind her at the enormous penthouse that contained only her.
Was this how Stefan had felt after she’d left? Had he felt this desolate loneliness? Her heart ached to think that he had felt…abandoned. She’d been so scared of him, she hadn’t had the energy to think about what he might be feeling. Other than anger.
But now, looking around, she wondered if he’d felt even a little bit of this loneliness. She’d left without any sort of explanation. Now she realized that she’d been wrong. Very wrong. She should have had the courage to stand up to him, to tell him that she would never put up with him hurting her in any way! She’d thought she’d been so strong, so in control of her destiny. But she’d been very very wrong! She’d been a coward, just walking out like that! She should have told him why and then walked out! She should have found a safe place to confront him and told him exactly why – then walked away from him!
Livia sagged into one of the leather chairs, not seeing anything except for her cowardice. She was ashamed now that she realized how her actions could be perceived. She should have stood up for herself. Or even better, she should be taking self-defense classes! She should learn to defend herself and show him that she’d never allow herself to be hurt like her mother had endured.
But there was so much more to that sort of warped relationship. Besides the slaps and punches, her father had also verbally abused her mother for years, tearing down her self-esteem.
Something twisted inside of her as she realized that Stefan had never done anything like that to her. The complete opposite, actually.
Her head fell back against the leather cushion as she vacillated between anger, resentment, excitement over the pleasure he could give to her body and…love?
One thing was certain despite all of her crazy emotions. She needed to talk to him. She needed to tell him what was going on and why she’d left him so abruptly. That was the only fair thing to do. He deserved to understand her concerns.
She also needed to apologize for simply leaving him like that. She’d felt justified at the time, just running scared because of all the times she’d heard or seen her father smack her mother around. Her mother had stayed with her husband for years, living with the abuse because he’d manipulated her emotions, telling her that she was to blame. So she’d worked harder to please him, to keep his world peaceful so that he wouldn’t hit her again. And there were times when Livia was younger that she’d heard her mother laugh. Her father could be charming when he wanted to be.
Unfortunately, those times were rare now. Well, non-existent actually.
Livia just hoped that her father wouldn’t come back into the picture.
All of that was for another time, she told herself and stood up. Today, she would find out where Stefan was and she would explain the problem, explain why she’d run away and demand that he seek anger management classes. Or she’d have to leave him again. She’d stay through her mother’s recovery, but she’d clearly tell him that she couldn’t be with him if he thought that hurting a woman, or any person for that matter, was okay. Violence was not okay, she thought as she walked up the stairs with grim determination.
Calling his office, she reached his administrative assistant.
“Hello, Mary?” she offered. “This is Livia, Stefan’s wife.” She said those words with a sick feeling in her stomach. What if Stefan hadn’t told anyone that he was married? Their wedding had been small and private, not many in attendance. But the woman’s next words reassured her.
“Hello, Ms. Kozlov. How can I help you?”
Livia sighed with relief. “I was wondering if you could locate my husband for me. I was trying to…” she had no idea what she was trying to do, but the other woman efficiently stepped in.
“He’s in a meeting right now, Ms. Kozlov. But he should be finished in approximately a half hour. I can get a message to him if there is a problem.”
Livia stopped in the middle of the hallway, stunned by the assistant’s words. “He’s here? In London?” Stefan had told her that he would be gone for a few days. Well, he’d told his housekeeper who had told her. So why was he here in town? Shouldn’t he be in some other fabulous city?
“Yes, ma’am. He has meetings until approximately six o’clock, but I don’t expect them to be much later than that.”
Livia’s eyes narrowed even though there wasn’t anyone around to see her anger.
“Thank you for that information,” Livia replied. “If you could just pencil in another meeting to begin when his others finish, I’ll be there. But do me a favor and don’t let him know who is meeting with him. Would that be okay?”
The woman chuckled softly. “It would be my pleasure.”
Livia got the impression that there was more to that woman’s statement than she was willing to explain.
An hour later, she stood in his dressing room, looking at her image in the full length mirror. The black wrap dress she’d chosen clung to her figure, making her feel strong and confident. It wasn’t the most expensive of dresses and she knew that Stefan was used to seeing women dressed in the latest designs with matching accessories and shoes, but he’d never complained about her clothing before their wedding. So she suspected that he wouldn’t complain too much about it now.
At least, she hoped that was the case.
As she stepped off of the elevator at fifteen minutes before six o’clock, her nerve suddenly began to wane. All of her fears, her anger and her anxiety surfaced and she trembled as she walked towards Stefan’s office.
How many times had she walked down this hallway before their wedding? She’d been so eager to see him, so excited about him taking her into his arms and kissing her. She’d been so naïve back then.
“He’s all yours,” his assistant said as she packed up her purse and pushed her chair underneath her desk. “If you see him, would you remind him of my grandson’s play?” She chuckled as she shook her head. “He’s been such a beast the past few days.”
And then she was gone. Livia stood in the reception area, not completely sure what she should do.
Peering into his office, she felt like a woman in a horror movie, looking into a room to make sure that the psychopath wasn’t in there, just before said psychopath jumps out and drags her body through the door.
Rationally, she knew that wouldn’t happen, but Livia wasn’t really rational right now. She was nervous about seeing Stefan, hurt that he hadn’t called or texted her to let her know that he was back in London, angry that she suspected he might not have been gone at all, and her body was also intensely tingling – aware that the man was going to step through those doors and possibly sweep her into his arms!
And deep down, she knew that all the other feelings were just masking her excitement over the idea of seeing him again after that one night. She was nervous about that! She was nervous about seeing her husband! Good grief, how ridiculous!
A horrible thought occurred to her. Had he not told her he was back in London because that one night together hadn’t been as magical for him as it had been for her? She stepped into his office, just wanting to be surrounded by his things, by his aura. The man was powerful, strong and amazingly handsome. Maybe the other women in his past had been more…adventurous in bed. Maybe they’d been more knowledgeable or creative! Oh goodness, she’d just laid in his bed, letting him do all of those…wonderful things to her body but…
Stefan walked past his assistant’s desk, irritated that it was empty. He had a lot of work he wanted to get accomplished tonight. But then he remembered her grandson’s play and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He dumped a pile of documents on her desk, knowing she’d understand what to do with them in the morning. Walking into his office, he wondered what Livia was doing right about now. Was she in her bath? Was her soft skin turning pink from the heat of the water?
Damn, his body was reacting to just the thought of her there, alone, without him.
Rubbing his neck, he realized that he truly hated this! He wanted his wife but he didn’t understand why she’d left. He was furious with himself for even hanging on, for creating a situation where she had to be with him.
Which was why he’d slept on the sofa in his office the past two days after returning from Boston. Hell, he should just get a hotel room if he wasn’t willing to spend the night in his house. Or even better, he should let her go. He’d pay for Livia’s mother’s care but he needed to start working her out of his system.
Finding her in his dressing room several nights ago didn’t help. He’d thought he’d had this all figured out. He could work her out of his system and stop thinking about her.
Unfortunately, making love to her that one night had only embedded her more fully into his brain. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, wanting her, wanting to just talk to her, see her smile or laugh.
He stepped into his office and stopped dead in his tracks. Livia was here! And damn, she looked beautiful! The stretchy material of her dress pulled against her tiny waist and round bottom, making his hands itch to feel her body, to pull her against him so that he could enjoy all of her lush curves.
Good grief, no other woman had ever made him react so quickly. Only Livia.
Then she looked at him. He saw the way her eyes moved over his body, caught the hungry gaze. All of his thoughts about letting her go, of being the bigger man and let her move on with her life disappeared from his mind. No way in hell could he let Livia go.
Slamming the door shut behind him, he held her eyes as he walked across the expanse of his office. Her purse fell to the floor, unnoticed while their eyes clashed and he knew! She might try to deny it, but he knew that Livia wanted him just as badly as he wanted her! And he was damn well going to stoke that fire! Maybe if he showed her how good they were together, proved to her that he was going to give her the most mind-blowing pleasure…
He didn’t finish that thought. He’d never begged for a woman before and he wouldn’t start now. But he would show her all the different ways they could be together.
Starting now.
Pulling at the knot in his tie, he dropped it onto one of the chairs in front of his desk. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he watched with increasing desire as she leaned back against his desk, her eyes watching his fingers intently. When her mouth fell open, he could no longer resist the temptation to touch her.
Bending low, his lips captured hers even while his hands reached out and pulled her close. Absorbing her moan in his mouth, he deepened the kiss.
There were no words spoken. Only touches and sighs, gasps of surprise.
Her fingers took over where his left off, pulling at the buttons on his shirt while his hands moved to her waist, efficiently tugging on the belt of her dress. As protection, her choice of dresses was pathetic but perhaps this was what she’d intended all along.
He groaned when he felt her hands on his chest. When she pulled her hands back, he shook his head and put them right back where they’d been. “Touch me,” he growled into her ear as his hands lifted her up onto his desk. He pushed the papers to the side, making room for her as his hips moved between her knees, spreading her legs wider.
He almost lost it when Livia leaned towards him and placed her lips on his chest. He was so close, so wound up just by her presence here and now because she was willingly, eagerly, touching him that he had trouble pulling back from slamming himself into her soft heat. But this was Livia and he would make this perfect for her. Better than the last time they’d been together, which seemed like eons ago. Damn, he wanted her.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t slow down so the only solution he could think of was to make her find her pleasure faster. And just the thought of what he could do to make that happen made his erection throb. Ripping her delicate underwear off, he pressed her back against his desk. When she was there, spread out before him, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. She was so perfect, so beautiful!
Bending lower, he kissed his way down her stomach, stopping to nibble whenever he found a sensitive spot, like that place right by her hip bone or the juncture of her thigh…oh yeah, that was a good one he thought. But not as good as when he covered her heat with his mouth, tasting her essence. She gasped but couldn’t pull away. His hands on her hips held her in place and he almost laughed with delight when her beautiful hips lifted up to his mouth, proving that she was just as into this as he was. Well, not quite as into it. Not yet, he thought.
Slipping one finger into her heat, he continued to lick and nibble, listening to those sexy sounds she was making while he pressed his fingers to the top of her heat, increasing the pressure while his mouth worked the outside.
At the first press, he heard her gasp out and arch one more time, then silence and Stefan knew from their one night together what that silence meant. And he gave it to her. Taking her right over the top, he heard her soft little moans as her body clenched against his fingers. Tasting her release on his mouth, helping her prolong the pleasure, was possibly the best moment in his life.
When he felt her whole body sag with relief, he stood up and unzipped his pants. Without waiting, he pulled her against him, watching her mouth open up as he filled her. Yes, those sexy legs wrapped around his waist and her eyes popped open. “I like it when you look at me like this,” he growled, moving in and out of her tender heat. Every time he pulled out, he could feel her body trying to bring him back and he was more than willing to accommodate her body’s silent commands.
Livia felt his fingers tangle in her hair, pulling her head back. When she felt his teeth on her neck, she lost it. The friction against her already sensitive body plus that added stimulation was too much and she exploded apart once again. She felt his own body stiffen and tried to show him how wonderful he felt, but all she could do was ride along with him, feel his body clench against her own.
A long time later, her arms still wrapped around his neck and his body intimately connected to hers, Livia felt like laughing with relief. This man and the way he touched her was just amazing. She was going to have to show up at his office more often!
“Damn!” she heard him and most of that happiness melted away. Lifting her head, she looked at him, trying to figure out what she’d done wrong.
“I just attacked you on my office desk!” he grumbled, lifting her to a sitting position and adjusting his clothing. “I’m sorry, Livia. I didn’t mean to do that.”
She shifted, adjusting her own clothing as well. “I’m…uh…”
“You didn’t deserve that,” he told her, lifting her off of his desk and carefully setting her down on her feet. “Come on, I’ll take you home so you can shower.”
She looked around, frantic now because she’d thought their time together had been amazing. He was looking like he was going to fire himself!
“Is there a bathroom? I can just…”
“Over there. Through that doorway,” he told her, pointing to a door with wood paneling, just like the rest of his office.
“Thank you,” she whispered and walked across the thick carpet carefully. Inside the bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, shocked to find her lips were swollen and her hair a mess. There was also a strange look to her eyes, something that made her pause before picking up a washcloth. Who was this woman? She looked…wanton!
Livia smiled, thinking of how incredible it had felt just moments ago when he’d been inside of her, moving in that special way that, even now, made her body want more. He might be angry that he’d just made love to her on his office desk, but Livia had loved it. And what’s more, she wasn’t going to feel bad about it at all! If the man wanted to be ashamed, let him! She was going to…well, she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do but it didn’t matter. She’d enjoyed the interlude and was even thinking of trying another possible location.
She found a washcloth and turned on the faucet, rinsing off the cloth so that she could clean herself up. She was shocked to find that she was still tender and turned on. Just by thinking about making love with the man again? Crazy, she told herself, but she still had trouble wiping the silly grin off of her face.
When she looked somewhat more presentable, she stepped out of the bathroom to find that Stefan had buttoned his shirt once more and pulled on his jacket. The tall, handsome man looked exactly as he had when she’d walked in earlier. Glancing at her watch, she was stunned to find that over an hour had passed since she’d arrived. Goodness! The man was thorough.
“Let’s go,” he commanded, looking as if he was angry for some reason. Well, perhaps having sex on one’s desk violated his personal code of honor.
She only smiled slightly and moved to his side. She wanted to lean against him, reach up and kiss his jaw but the hard look on his handsome features held her back. So instead, she moved by his side, maintaining several inches between them as he led her to the elevators. It occurred to her that Stefan wasn’t acting like her father would be at this point. He was…gentle. Concerned? Maybe even…caring?
That was such a strange revelation, she wasn’t sure how to interpret Stefan’s actions and demeanor against what she’d witnessed growing up. It was such a startling eye-opener that she had to mull the thought around in her mind, not sure how to handle the strange way it made her feel.
The office was quiet now since it was so late and, when the elevator arrived, they were the only two going to the lobby. She wanted to speak up and say something to him, but she wasn’t quite sure how to break through his angry demeanor.
But hadn’t her whole reason for coming here today been to speak to him? To demand an explanation? She’d been so brave initially, but faced with the real man, her courage disappeared.
Besides, it was kind of nice to just walk beside him. He was so tall and handsome and, despite her fears about his temper, she truly did feel protected when she was near him.
Shouldn’t that be a signal that her perception of that conversation had been wrong? That thought made her eyes glance up towards his. And she found him staring right back down at her.
“Are you okay?’ he asked gently.
She smiled, and again, there was that silly sensation that made her heart go pitter patter. “I’m fine,” she replied, emphasizing the word. “You?” she teased, shocked that she would even dare.
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Better,” he replied.
Livia wondered if he was “better” because they were no longer having sex on his office desk or if he was better because they had.
Stepping out of the elevator, she shivered as his strong hand moved to the small of her back. As they walked, she moved slightly closer to him, almost the way they used to walk before their wedding and…
Sighing, she pushed that from her mind. She didn’t want to deal with that right now. That conversation was a long way away.
“Livia!” a female voice said to her right.
Livia glanced around, her mouth falling open when she saw her friend racing towards her. “Donala! What are you doing here?” she demanded as the two women embraced.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you! Where have you been?” Donala, a pretty woman with dark skin and jet black hair shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re just in time. What are you doing tonight?” She laughed and took Livia’s hand. “Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t care. You’re coming to my engagement party.” She glanced at the tall man standing behind Livia. “And this must be your husband!” she laughed and moved around her friend, taking his hand and shaking it. “I heard you’d gotten married Livia, but this man is hot!” she said, smiling as she continued to shake Stefan’s hand.
Stefan chuckled slightly, enjoying the way Livia’s eyes flashed with instant jealousy. And it was even better when Livia pulled her friend’s hand out of his and moved closer, leaning her softness against his side. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer.
“Yes, this is Stefan Kozlov, my husband,” Livia said.
“Yum!” Donala exclaimed as she watched the two interact. She sighed, then shook her head like she regretted something. “Well, you found him first so I guess you get to keep him.” Her bright smile lit up again as she looked over at Livia. “And besides, I’m marrying the most wonderful man in the entire world! So you have to come to our engagement party tonight! You always said you wanted to experience a real Indian-style wedding, well, now is your chance!”
Livia laughed, her friend’s enthusiasm contagious. “I’m excited for you, but there’s no way I’m going to crash your engagement party at the last minute.”
“Nonsense! You won’t believe the amount of food we’ve already had sent over. And you know my family.” She turned to Stefan. “My mother and father have been married for over sixty years,” she explained. “I’m the last of twelve children to be married. My whole family will be there, all the ladies are getting hennaed while the men sit in a corner and drink.” Turning back to Livia, she warned, “My mother will be furious with you if she finds out that I saw you and you didn’t come to the party. Especially when we’re only a block away.”
Livia looked around. “A block from where? There aren’t any places to have a party of that size!” she laughed. “Aren’t there something like forty grandchildren now?”
“Forty-three,” Donala corrected. “The last one was born only two months ago. And you know how much my mother loves you, so that’s the end of this conversation,” the bright, smiling woman said with finality. “You and this gorgeous hunk of man are coming. And you’re going to get your first taste of a true Indian party with all of the fixings.” With that, she led them two blocks down the street, chatting the whole way about the latest happenings with her family. Livia glanced at Stefan, worried that he might not want to come to something like this. Donala’s family took a bit of getting used to. They were loud and boisterous and adopted everyone that came into their house like they were long, lost children. Livia had loved going to her friend’s house in high school because it was so different from her own silent and ominous-feeling home.
When they reached the parking lot, Livia glanced back and noticed his driver and bodyguards following at a discreet distance. “Stefan, if you don’t want to be here, I’ll make an excuse to get out of tonight.”
He looked down at her lovely features, still flushed from their office encounter and shook his head. “This is the first friend of yours I’ve met. I wouldn’t miss tonight for anything.” And he nudged her inside. Donala was already being surrounded by her relatives, many of whom were talking and setting up long tables that looked like they might collapse with the amount of food being laid out on top of them.
When Donala’s mother saw Livia, she broke off from the people she’d been conversing with and walked over, enfolding Livia in a huge hug. “You’ve been gone too long! I can’t believe Donala finally found you! It is good that you are here.” She looked straight into Livia’s eyes. “How is your mother?” she asked solemnly. “That last time,” she said and shook her head. “Your father should be shot for what he did to that woman!”
Livia’s heart broke. Her mother had tried so hard to hide the reality of her life from the neighbors but her efforts obviously hadn’t worked very well. “Yes. She’s doing fine,” she replied, fighting back the tears.
Donala’s mother shook her head. “She’s not fine. I can see it in your eyes. I will call you tomorrow and we’ll discuss this. But tonight, you need a drink and you need food.”
The rest of the night was just as fun and rambunctious as she’d always remembered. The food was delicious, with spices and curry permeating every bite. The wine and spirits were flowing heavily and, when the music started playing, the dance floor was crowded with people moving and laughing.
“Come!” Donala commanded, taking Livia’s hand and pulling her towards a group of women sitting in the corner. “You’re getting your arms done,” she announced and nudged Livia into a chair. The woman doing the designs smiled at Livia. “What message do you want?” she asked.
Livia had just opened her mouth to reply when Donala shook her head. “I have it,” she said and leaned in, whispering to the artist. The woman smiled and nodded her head. “Both arms?” she asked and Donala nodded instantly.
“What have you done?” Livia asked, looking at her friend warily. She spotted Stefan over in the corner, surrounded by other men. They all seemed to be arguing about something, but the noise from everyone closer made it impossible to hear anyone that far away.
That was when Stefan did something outrageous. Lifting his glass, he winked at her. Livia’s mouth dropped open and she couldn’t believe that the ever-serious, always stiff and formal Stefan Kozlov, had just winked at her! How outrageous! How unprecedented!
She felt the pink coming up her cheeks, and the other ladies around her noticed as well. The henna artist smiled, looked over to where Livia was staring, then back down at Livia’s hands. “You’re right, Donala!” she said, laughing as she went to work.
Thirty minutes and another sweet and most likely lethally intoxicating drink later, the artist lifted her head with a huge grin. “All done,” she said.
Stefan walked over at that moment and lifted Livia’s hands. Livia had no idea what was written on her skin, but she loved the intricate details. Donala was next and, as the bride, she was getting her arms and legs done. So she’d be there for a while, Livia realized.
Stefan lifted her out of the chair, his eyes moving across the designs. “Do you like it?’ she asked.
Stefan continued to peruse the design of a moon in the shape of a crescent with a star shooting towards her thumb. The artist had drawn the moon on her palms which Livia thought was strange. She normally saw the henna done on the back of a woman’s hand, but what did she know?
“What does it mean?” she asked.
Stefan only looked down at her with that subtle amusement that she used to love putting on his handsome features. But it had been missing since she’d come back. Understandably.
“Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Dance with me,” he commanded and pulled her closer, making his way to the dance floor.
Livia thought that was a lovely idea. She’d eaten so much of the delicious, spicy food and had several glasses of whatever potent drink Donala or another member of her family pressed into her hands. Movement was a good idea, she thought.
However, movement with Stefan was a completely different activity than any sort of normal movement. Stepping into his arms, she remembered their wedding. There hadn’t been dancing and she’d been too nervous and excited to really think about too much, but now, knowing what she did about him, about all sides of him, she still moved easily into his arms. It felt good, she thought. She wanted to rest her head against his hard chest, but resisted, not sure how he would take that movement. There was so much confusion between them, so many unanswered questions. She needed to explain, to ask him about the phone conversation and just get everything out into the open.
But right now, this moment, everything seemed too perfect. She loved standing in his arms, the music flowing around them as they swayed gently to the rhythm. It was a moment in time that she would savor, even if the explanations later didn’t go well. So the moment was made even more precious because of the insecurity between them.
“Are you going to tell me what the design meant?” she asked, leaning against him as she tilted her head back to look up at him.
“No.”
She didn’t like that answer too much. “Why not?”
He laughed softly and pulled her closer. “Because.”
She waited for him to explain, but his silence told her that he was keeping the information to himself. “Would you explain why you won’t give me the information?”
“No.”
At her continued frustration, he chuckled. “It is a henna design, Livia. Not a prophesy.”
“So if it isn’t important, tell me what it means.”
“Why don’t you ask your friend?”
Livia glared at Donala, who waved merrily right back, unabashed by her mischievous prank. “Because Donala is a troublemaker. Sweet and lots of fun, but still a troublemaker.”
He laughed softly at her response. “You two seem close.”
Livia sighed, knowing that he wasn’t going to release any information until he was good and ready. “We are. We were, at least. She was the one who got us into trouble most of the time. She loved to flaunt the rules in school.”
A dark eyebrow went up with that declaration. “But I’m guessing you were a willing participant, weren’t you?”
Livia laughed. “I suppose I might have been a good comrade in arms.”
“Are you ready to leave?” he asked, thinking that he wanted to make love to her, again, but this time with her wearing just the hennaed designs.
The look in his eyes made her catch her breath. Oh my, she thought as her mind absorbed the promise in those silver depths. “I guess so,” she replied. Stepping out of his arms, she walked over to Donala. “We’re heading out,” she explained to her friend.
Donala jumped up and hugged Livia, then scooted over to Stefan and reached up, kissing him on both cheeks. “Take care of her. She deserves a break from…” she waved her hand in the air. “Well, you know.” A moment later, a series of happy screams broke through their conversation and Donala’s eyes swung over to the other group. “Gotta go!” she said and hugged Livia again. “Talk to you soon!”
Stefan led Livia out into the cool, night air. His limousine was sitting right outside, ready for them to just dive into the back. Livia noticed the confused look in Stefan’s eyes and cringed, thinking he was going to ask her about Donala’s comment. After a nice evening with friends and lots of laughter, she didn’t want to delve into the shameful side of her family.
“Livia,” he started to say as the vehicle started rolling down the street. She knew exactly what he was going to ask her and she didn’t want to mar their night with that question. So she did the only thing that she knew would distract him from the questions. She reached up and kissed him, her hand running down the rough side of his cheek. She loved the way his jaw felt by this time of the night, all scruffy and bristly, just like the man.
When she pulled away, she saw the flare of heat and knew that she’d succeeded. He started to say something else, but she simply repeated the process, knowing that if it worked once, it would work again.
This time, it accomplished her goal more thoroughly than she could have dreamed possible. Just as she was about to pull back, to gauge his reaction, he simply plucked her off of the seat next to him and lifted her onto his lap, his fingers diving into her hair to kiss her more thoroughly. Livia thrilled to the feeling of his strong, demanding mouth, kissing her as if he needed her more than air. And she loved it.
The limousine pulled into the underground garage of his building and he stepped out, lifting her with him and then he tugged her along behind him into the private elevator. He barely took the time to press in his code before he turned back to her, starting up the kissing all over again.
When they reached the penthouse, he didn’t wait any longer. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom and the intensity only grew from that moment on. Livia would have laughed, delighted with her distraction, but as he stripped her naked and pressed her onto the bed, filling her up with his heat, she couldn’t say the words or spare the attention from the sensations he was giving her to form a thought.