Smolder (17 page)

“And not another professional with a mental health problem,” she finished.

“Has he called, or come by?” I hadn’t seen or heard from Owen since the cafeteria, yesterday afternoon.

“Nope, all quiet and peaceful. A girl could get used to this.” She gestured including the non-ringing phone, her computer, and the empty waiting room.

Dmitri walked in as I finished my food. “Good afternoon, ladies. Seems calmer today.”

“Yes, let's keep it that way,” Lee said.

“Ellie, would you let me cook you dinner tonight?” he asked.

“Of course, she would. I would, and I’m happily married.”

“Yes, Dmitri, and I’ll fill Lee in on it tomorrow so she can feel like she was there.” I winked at her.

“I’ll pick you up at your place around six?” he asked.

“I’ll be ready.” My stomach instantly became home to an entire swarm of butterflies while my knees threatened to give out.

The memory of our last date’s final kiss flashed, and I wanted to do that again. Dmitri made me feel different than anyone else I’d been involved with. I was used to the rushed intensity of passion coupled with the knowledge that I would get hurt at the end. With him, I knew there was a possibility I could be happy in the end and it made me a little dizzy. Happily ever after wasn’t something I saw often in my work. I had begun to think it couldn’t happen for me.

The paperwork from today's patients needed to be completed before I left for the day. Lee filled a tray on my desk with progress note forms, and I went to work. As I wrote about these parents and their children, my mind wandered to Dmitri and what kind of father he was. I recalled the way he smiled when he talked about his children. His face lightened up and even when he mentioned how much he missed them, his smile stayed put. He truly enjoyed being a father and loved his children immensely. I had to wonder if he wanted more children. With him I could see myself being a mother.

The notes finished, I headed to the house.

Chapter Sixteen

Josh wasn’t home. The smells from the hospital clung to my clothes and hair, so I got into the shower and used the rose scented bath gel. Once clean, I pulled my hair up into a bun and wore dangling earrings that brushed my shoulders. An off-the-shoulder dark green tunic top and skin-tight black jeans both hid and hugged my figure. I pulled on knee–high, black leather boots as the doorbell rang.

A quick check of my makeup in the hallway mirror, and I opened the door for Dmitri and took a step outside. He stood with his hands on his hips as my eyes took in the sight. Midnight black hair tousled by the wind fell over his face just above his deep blue eyes with specks of gold in them. His button-down shirt was well worn, and opened just enough for me to get a peek at his collarbone and a small tuft of black hair.

My eyes traveled from his beautiful smile to the jeans that hugged his hips and accentuated his lean form. Cowboy boots finished off the outfit, and my eyes wandered back up to his. He enjoyed my appraisal and began one of his own.

As his gaze slid down my body, I fought the urge to fidget as nervous tension built up. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I was certain he would pick me up and carry me to my bedroom. He reached behind me and closed the door behind me, pinning me against it.

“You are a very beautiful woman, Ellie.”

Something in his voice made me weak, and I leaned into his chest. I could smell his musky cologne, and as he pulled me closer, I heard his heart beat. We stood there for a few moments until one of the neighbors coughed to get our attention as he walked by with his small dog. I waved at him, and he waved back, obviously relieved that all of our clothes were still on.

On the ride to Dmitri’s, I tried to memorize the route. He slipped his hand from the gearshift to my leg and rubbed his fingers over the sensitive spot at my knee. I don't know how he kept his mind on the road during that drive because all I could think of was pulling over and sliding into his lap.

He waved at the security guard, and we were let in to his neighborhood. There was no doubt this was where people with money lived. The houses and yards were gorgeous. The kind you see on magazines and secretly think were created with software.

Perky women jogged down the road with headphones on, while older couples meandered hand-in-hand with a dog pulling them forward.

We stopped in front of his house, and I blinked. It was a castle. All grey brick with a small moat— a
moat
—and a huge wooden door. He drove slowly around the side, and a modern garage appeared, covered in trellises and vines. The doors opened, and he parked in a space that was large enough to fit my entire house. There was the Mercedes Benz, an SUV, and the beat-up pickup truck we were in. All fit with room to spare.

He came around to my side and let me out, and I must have looked like a kid at an amusement park because he started to laugh.

“It’s huge. You live here?”

“And you can too," he said.

We walked behind the car and out of the garage. On the way, I noticed one corner of the space was set up as a gym with a heavy bag, mats, mirrors, and free weights. The door closed behind us. I assumed he had a control on his key chain. There was a pathway from here around the back of the house. He took my hand and led me into the garden. We entered through a trellis covered in wisteria. Azaleas lined the sides of the walk. Over them, I could see a large grass lawn with an in-ground swimming pool, pool house, and a view of the marsh that looked like it stretched to the Atlantic Ocean.

I had stopped to stare, and Dmitri pulled me gently to the back of the house. The entire view was glass surrounding a sunroom that ran the length of the home. I could see a large kitchen behind the sunroom on the right, and the rest appeared to be the largest living space I'd ever seen.

“You live on a movie set,” I said.

“Wait until you see the inside,” he said.

We turned left to go inside and passed a small Koi pond with a fountain. The fish stopped and looked up like they didn't expect to see me there either. A door at the end of the sunroom stood open. He put his arm on my waist guiding me inside. I walked carefully so I didn’t miss anything.

The sunroom ran off to my right as I turned to enter the den area. Two L-shaped couches sat in front of a fireplace with enough room to fit an entire pig for barbecuing. Overhead hung a wide-screen TV that had to be six or seven feet across. On the left-hand wall were pictures of Dmitri and his children. I walked over to look. His son looked just like him, with green eyes, and his daughter was stunning with deep brown hair and green eyes. Dmitri stood between them by the pool house from the back yard.

“They look happy,” he said.

“They
are
happy. You can’t fake those looks. They love you.”

“I miss them terribly every day. This place echoes quiet without them.”

I held his hand as we walked to the kitchen. He poured two glasses of wine and handed one to me.

He proposed a toast. “To new beginnings and safer nights.”

“I’ll toast to that.”

He whistled while he cooked. I wandered around the space to keep out of the way. His kitchen table could seat both of our families. A smaller, more intimate table caught my attention. It sat in the sunroom and was set for two people.

“This is so open and airy. It's lovely,” I said.

“It also has motion sensors and security cameras for your protection.”

“You added those for me?”

“The motion sensors were in place when I moved in, and I added the security cameras because, as you said, this is very open and I have two teenagers I don't want running around and cavorting the backyard when I’m asleep or get called in to work.”

“You’re a wise man.”

He laughed. “My daughter calls the system Rapunzel because she can’t leave without climbing out her window.”

“Sounds like a smart girl.”

“Too smart. One day, she’ll figure out how to reprogram the system and get me trapped inside for payback.”

His expression showed how much he loved her and I’m sure, although she would be in big trouble, he would brag to everyone that she beat the system. The smell of baking bread pulled me away from the window to where he was putting dinner on our plates. Homemade lasagna with garlic bread and a salad never looked better. He remembered how much I loved it at the picnic.

We took our plates to the intimate table. He pulled my chair out for me, and then sat down. There were no candles or flower arrangements to obscure our view of each other, only a small shaker of Parmesan cheese.

I took my first bite of lasagna. “This is delicious, Dmitri.”

“Cooking and sewing, I know.” At my glance, he continued. “People and clothes. Once you can sew up a wound a tear in a shirt is easy. I also know how to repair cars, fix things around the house. We learned that growing up in the Soviet Union. My father showed me how to repair and build airplane engines. I’m quite a handy man to have around the house.”

I smiled at him and again thought what an idiot his ex-wife was for leaving this man.

When we finished dinner, we walked into the den and he turned on the fireplace. I was nervous and took a large sip of wine.

“I’m sorry, I’m being romantic here and forgetting you have been living in fear for a while.” He started to button up his shirt.

“Don't do that.” He stopped. “I’m shaking because of you.”

He took my hand leading me to the couch, putting our wine glasses on the coffee table. I sat down and expected him to sit next to me. Instead, he knelt in front of me and took my face in his hands. His soft, gentle lips met mine, and I kissed him back. He ran his hands behind my head and pulled me closer as his tongue explored the inside of my mouth. I found the edges of his open shirt and I ran my hands along his chest. With my fingers, I pulled gently at his hair as he moved his hands down my back to my waist. I pushed my hands inside of his shirt and around his back, and held on as he pulled my hips against his.

A soft moan escaped him as our bodies met, still now except for tongues that wound around each other and explored sensitive lips. He kissed my nose, my brow, each cheek, and when he kissed my chin I tilted my head back. He moaned louder as he buried his face in my neck. I gasped as he sucked on my neck just below my ear. I pulled him with my hands, urging him on, and scratched him gently with my nails.

He moved his hands down to cup my ass, and he squeezed and rubbed himself against me. I gasped as desire rushed through me, and I wanted more of him. All of him. I pulled my hand from his shirt and grabbed his ass and pulled him against me. He kissed me so hard my head tilted back, and he kept pressure on until I lay down. He briefly pulled away to push my hips and legs onto the couch and then lay next to me, one hand between my breasts and the other behind my head.

I rubbed his back and pushed gently, encouraging him to remove the space between us.

“I want to look at you for a moment,” he said. “This memory will stay with me forever.”

I knew it would stay with me as well.

When he leaned down and kissed me again, it was less urgent. He gently teased my tongue and nibbled on my lips while keeping his hand between my breasts. I pulled his shirt from his jeans and ran my fingers along his spine. As I teased the back of his neck with my nails, he moved his hand to cup my breast. I moved into the caress, and he laughed in the kiss. He pulled my top over my head and removed his shirt.

I looked up and felt my heart skip. This beautiful, sexy man wanted me. It was clear from his expression he enjoyed this as much as I did. Even if the foreplay didn’t lead upstairs, I knew I had it bad. Falling the rest of the way for him sped up my breathing more than the passionate embraces. There was no pulling away for me now. I knew in that instant I wanted to be with him for as long as he would have me around.

He rolled on top of me running his hands down my back to my ass. He pulled my hips up to meet his as he ground against me. I gasped and pulled him against me harder. He began to rock against me, and I matched his rhythm. He caressed and teased my nipples. I gasped, and he stopped for a moment, smiled at me and kissed my lips.

“You enjoyed that,” he said.

“Very much.” The words barely audible in my gasps of pleasure.

“I like making you happy. Being with you, pleasing you, makes me happy.”

He kissed my lips and nibbled on them. I moaned and opened my mouth wider.

“Your lips are so soft,” he said. “I could kiss them all night.”

“I’m not going anywhere tonight,” I replied.

He smiled and looked me in the eyes. “Stay as long as you want, Ellie. You have captured me, and my home is open to you.”

I felt the tears in my eyes. He meant every word. I wept as relief washed over me. He was so different from the men in my past, when he said he wanted me to stay, to move in, to be with him, it wasn’t a line he used, it was sincere.

He kissed my tears away with a questioning look in his eyes.

I explained. “You are the first man to say that to me
and mean it
.”

“I mean every word. You are a unique lady with charm, intelligence, and beauty. My life would be better if you were in it every day.”

He kissed my lips again and with his hands he took my nipples between his fingers and pinched slightly each time he began to rock against me again. I felt my desire rising as we continued to grind our bodies together. More urgently this time, we rocked, and my hands moved to his chest. I traced his muscles and gently pinched his nipples as he did mine. He groaned and moved faster. We were in perfect rhythm, and I no longer cared that we still had our jeans on—I didn’t want this to end.

He caressed my hair and placed soft kissed on my face. I looked into his eyes and saw him watching me. Each time I moaned, he smiled. He paid rapt attention to my expression as if he took mental notes on what I liked and the things that made me gasp.

“You’re watching me very closely.”

“I want to please you. When you like something your eyes change color. They are almost purple now. I wonder how dark we can make them.”

He grinned mischievously and thrust harder. I held onto his belt loops and pulled him against me; faster we moved until he grasped my hips and slowed down. He teased me, alternating between fast and slow until I no longer knew anything but the rising and falling of my desire. Then he began to move quickly. He pinned me down and thrust faster than before, until I cried out in release. He kept moving, his rhythm didn't change, and soon I felt the desire growing in me again.

I reached down and ran my fingers inside his jeans, and he slowed. He slid from me onto his knees at the edge of the couch. With one hand, he spun me so I straddled him again. He picked me up, and with my legs wrapped around him, he carried me to his bedroom. We made love for hours.

The alarm on my phone rang. I leaned over to turn it off falling out of bed. I remembered I was at Dmitri’s just before I hit the floor with a thud.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”