2 0. STORM

My heart is galloping like a race horse as I pull off the dress I bought specifically for tonight. All through dinner, I was hoping this was how the night would end. When Nick invited everyone to stay over, I thought it meant nothing was going to happen .

I’m so glad I was wrong .

Nick’s eyes roam all over me as he finishes undressing, and mine roam over him. The tattoos, the rippling muscles heavily shadowed by the light of the antique lamp. That intense stare that makes me feel like he’s looking right into my soul .

I climb up to my knees on the bed and look him in the eye .

“Come and put those fingers to work,” I growl .

He does as he’s told, reaching behind me and unhooking my bra. My breasts pop free as the straps slide down my arms. Instantly, his hands are gripping my ass and his hot mouth is on my nipple .

“Oh God, Nick,” I pant. “I’ve been fantasizing about this all night .”

He pulls me up off the bed and I wrap my legs around his chiseled torso, my bare breasts pressing against his rock-hard chest. The crotch of my panties is already damp against the skin of his belly as he envelops me in his arms and squeezes, his lips sealed against mine .

Our tongues greet each other hungrily. Nick’s breathing is hard and fast now, and I can feel his heart hammering against mine. His mouth works its way down to the nape of my neck, then the hollow of my throat, then up to my ear .

“I want you more than anything,” he hisses .

“I want you ,” I gasp. “So much. But I’ve never – I mean, it’s my first …”

“I know. We’ll go slow. Make it good .”

Make it good . It’s caveman talk, but it conjures up so many thoughts of pleasure that I almost come without him even touching me down there .

“What should I do?” I ask in his ear. “Just tell me and I’ll do it .”

“Everything you do to me feels good,” he says. “Just follow my lead. You’re doing great .”

Nick maneuvers his shorts off with one hand while holding me tight to him with the other arm, until his huge erection is finally free for me to grab. He moans in my ear as I stroke the hot shaft tenderly .

“Like this ?”

His hitching breath is all the answer I need .

We stay like that for a while before he lowers me back to the floor and drops to his knees. His big thumbs slide into the waistband of my panties and pull them slowly, teasingly down to my ankles. As I stand there, quivering, his face is right at my groin level .

“Hello again,” he whispers before kissing my mound and sending an electric current right through my core .

My hands grasp his shoulders for balance as his tongue goes to work full force. My head drops backwards in pleasure and I moan to the ceiling above us. I want time to stop and for Nick to keep doing this to me for the rest of eternity. But I know there’s even more to come .

After what seems like forever, I finally pull away from him, knowing that if I don’t, I won’t be able to hold off my climax if I let him keep going. He responds by standing while I take my own place on my knees in front of him .

“And hello to you, too,” I say as his cock throbs at my touch .

The hardness and softness and heat of his shaft combine into a single, thrilling sensation in my mouth. Nick’s fingers tangle in my hair as I take more of him, until I can’t go any farther. His moans spur me into more action, bobbing up and down while my hand grips the base and tugs gently .

“Do you like that?” I gasp, looking up at him .

“Yes,” he pants. “So much. But we have to slow down .”

It’s so good to know that I push him to the edge as much as he pushes me. I stand up and Nick wraps his arms around me again, lifting me and carrying me to the bed, where he lays me on my back on the soft, ancient cotton of the antique coverlet .

My senses are reeling at the warmth of his touch, at the feel of the bed, the sight of this huge, opulent suite, so different from the tiny bedrooms I’ve had in my life. And Nick’s loving arms, so strong and safe after all those years of uncertainty and chaos. My heart swells, overwhelmed by the joy of it all .

“Are you okay?” he whispers as he lies down beside me .

I nod, trying to hold in the tears. “So much better than okay .”

We kiss and hold each other, our hearts beating against the other’s chest, his fingers stroking me tenderly between my legs until the heat becomes unbearable. I’m practically dripping with anticipation .

“I can’t take it anymore,” I sigh, opening myself to him. “I want you inside me. Now .”

Nick reaches into the drawer of the night table next to the bed and produces a small square, tearing it open with his teeth .

“Can I?” I ask .

His eyes flash with naked lust as he hands me the condom. His eyes close with pleasure as I apply it to the tip of his cock and roll it slowly, sensuously down to the base of his stiff shaft. It bobs appreciatively in my hand .

“You’re sure?” he asks, kneeling between my open legs .

“I’ve never wanted anything so badly .”

Nick lowers himself down with those powerful arms until his face is hovering above mine. He kisses me softly as the tip of him touches my opening. My fingers clench around his neck as he gently slides the rest of himself inside .

My eyes go wide as the sensation of agony and ecstasy at the same time makes me gasp. I feel Nick start to pull away and I cling to him, wrapping my legs around his hips .

“Don’t stop,” I beg. “Please .”

The pain is exquisite, but soon it’s over, replaced by the sensation of being filled . Then Nick starts to move, and things get even better. He ends each slow stroke with a kiss on my lips. Once, twice, three times. Each time is better than the last, until the rhythm starts to catch and I start to feel a deep thrill with each thrust .

My eyes lock on his in the dim light of the bedroom lamp and my fingers entwine around the back of his neck .

“Is it good?” I ask .

“It’s heaven,” he pants .

Suddenly the closeness, the intimacy between us, makes me feel brave, just as it did that afternoon in the pool. With that confidence comes a newfound hunger deep inside. I want more of him, all of him. And I’m not afraid to ask for it .

“I want you to fuck me hard, Nick,” I growl. “Give it to me. All of it .”

His eyes go wide at my dirty talk, which makes me even wetter. Who knew confidence could be such a turn-on ?

He props himself up on his hands as I raise my hips to meet his thrusts, and soon we’ve got a matching rhythm of passion that becomes more and more effortless as we build toward release. In all my fantasies, I never thought it could be this good, this right .

Even as I see the ecstasy on Nick’s face, I feel the gathering storm in his shaft inside me. I let myself go, so happy that I’ve made him feel that deep pleasure, that indescribable joy that he’s given me .

With one final, deep plunge, he explodes as our bodies convulse together with passion and pleasure. I pull his head close to me and kiss him with all my waning strength before I finally collapse backward onto the bed .

Nick lies on top of me, holding himself up with those steel-cable arms, panting in my ear. I grip him tighter with my legs, not wanting him to leave me .

“Storm,” he whispers. “It was… it was …”

“I know,” I sigh. “Everything I hoped it would be, and so much more .”

We lay like that for a long time, feeling each other’s skin, kissing and nuzzling, just feeling each other. For the first time in my life, I feel like everything is right with the world. That everything is going to be okay .

I know that might just be the afterglow talking, but I want to believe it. And I think Nick does, too, the way he’s holding on to me .

But the human body can only take so much, unfortunately, and I finally unwrap my legs as he slides out of me. I can’t hide a little pout as he withdraws, but my mind is already on the next time, when it will be even better .

Nick rolls onto his side and I snuggle into the crook of his shoulder. His massive fingertips stroke my belly and breasts with an amazingly delicate touch, considering their size and the roughness he’s developed from years of martial arts training .

“Well,” I whisper. “I definitely can’t go back to my own room after that. I don’t think my legs would carry me to the door .”

“Good,” he says. “I wouldn’t let you, anyway .”

“Is that right, Mr. Tough Russian? How would you stop me ?”

He presses the heel of his palm against my groin, prompting an unexpected shiver of excitement I wouldn’t have thought possible so soon after finishing .

“Okay,” I gasp. “That’s enough to keep me here .”

He grins .

“I like it when you smile,” I whisper .

“You make me smile .”

We lie there in comfortable silence for a while. I look around the room, wondering if he truly wants me to move in here with him. A few weeks ago, I was living in a broken-down flat in Newark. Now I live here .

It’s like a fairy tale. Sure, the prince is a grim, bearded Russian with attack dogs, but it’s still a fairy tale .

As if reading my mind, I hear a scratching at the door .

“That’s either the dogs or Chad is trying to find the bathroom,” I whisper .

Nick chuckles as he climbs out of bed and pads to the door. The dogs amble in as he opens it and lie down on the rug in the center of the room .

“I’ve been spoiling them since you showed up,” he says. “They’ve never even tried to come into my bedroom before .”

I grin. “Then you’re about to be really angry,” I say as I pat the coverlet .

Samson and Delilah leap onto the bed and cover my face with kisses, making me giggle like a little girl .

Nick shakes his head, but he’s smiling in spite of himself .

“Years of training and discipline down the drain,” he sighs, joining us on the bed .

“Are you talking about them or you ?”

He turns to face me with an incredulous look .

“That is it ,” he scowls. “You’re going over my knee right now .”

“Finally!” I hoot, turning over to show him my ass .

He gives it a playful little smack, which gets Delilah riled up. She leans in and licks his nose, making him grimace .

We fuss over the dogs for a few minutes before Nick finally orders them off the bed and takes his place by my side. We pull up the covers and snuggle in together, allowing me to build up enough courage to ask the question that I can’t get out of my head .

“So you want me to stay in this room?” I ask nervously. “I’m being serious now .”

He looks me in the eye. “Yes, I do. And I’m being serious, too .”

His answer is a relief and yet frightening at the same time. So many things have happened over the last few weeks that it’s hard to process it all .

“All right, then,” I say. “If you’re sure there’s enough room .”

He snorts a laugh, which makes me smile .

“I think we can make do,” he says. “I’ll give you three of the five wardrobes. How does that sound ?”

“I don’t have enough clothes to fill one of them .”

“We should fix that. Maybe tomorrow, after we feed our guests breakfast .”

Our guests. The thought still gives me the warm fuzzies. And yet I can’t help but feel like the other shoe is going to drop. I guess that’s what happens when you live almost your whole life under the gun .

“I don’t feel right having you buy me everything,” I say. “I should get a job .”

“You already have a job. You’re my piano teacher .”

I give him a sardonic grin. “A real job. I should pay my own way .”

“What else am I going to spend my money on?” he asks. “Besides, someone with your talent should be performing .”

As always, thinking about performing brings a little twinge of shame .

“Maybe,” I say .

“You must have played for people before. It would have been a crime if you didn’t .”

I turn to face him. “So you’re saying it’s time we started talking more about ourselves ?”

“Only if you want to .”

I sigh. “Okay, I guess. What do you want to know ?”

Nick takes my chin in his hand and pulls me in for a kiss. I sigh as my heart swells at his touch. Finally, he pulls back and looks me in the eye .

“Let’s start with your name,” he says .