The Tycoon's Toddler Surprise (11 page)

A part of him thought he should be angry at Kristen for talking to her sister instead of her husband.  But the rest of him felt good that she had a confidant, especially one that was on his side advising her to re-engage their sex life, to put it in a nicer way than she had. 

Kristen looked around and Mikhail noticed she was trying not to be noticed doing that.  He smiled as he realized she didn’t want
him
to know that she was looking for him. 

She loved him.  That realization made losing past three years feel a bit better. 

Kristen watched as Mikhail walked into the great room from the deck, worriedly calculating how far he might have been from the swing she’d been on earlier.  Had he heard what she’d said? 
She fervently hoped not. 
That conversation had been for
Debbie’s
ears only. 

“Tory, don’t put that in your mouth, honey.”  She extracted the large block anyway, knowing that her daughter would still feel the need to stuff the wooden block into her mouth simply because her cousin told her she couldn’t. 

When Mikhail walked up and plucked her into the air, Kristen stepped back, slightly dizzy from his proximity.  “Where did you come from?” she asked. 

“From the kitchen.  Dinner is almost ready I understand.”

Kristen looked around his tall frame to see that her mother was putting the chili onto the counter as well as the toppings.  “I guess you’re right.”

“You look beautiful tonight, by the way.”

Kristen flushed and her hand automatically moved to smooth down her hair.  “I look a mess,” she argued.

“You look lovely.  I like that sweater on you.”

Kristen glanced down at the bright green sweater, then back up at him suspiciously.  “Why are you complimenting me?”

“Can’t a man compliment his wife?”

Her eyes narrowed and she stepped slightly closer.  “You know we’re not thinking in those terms,” she
whispered
harshly. 

“I am,” he said and bent down quickly to kiss her. 

The movement was over before she could react and he was walking away with Victoria laughing with her tiny hands covering her mouth over his shoulder as he walked in the opposite direction. 

Kristen’s fingers shook as she lightly touched her lips.  She wanted to lick them, to taste him and feel his arms around her as he kissed her more thoroughly.  But she held back, wanting to be firm about getting to know him
before
she slipped back into their old relationship. 

They’d both been hurt, but he hadn’t trusted her enough to find out where she’d gone.  He’d thought the worst of her and that hurt just as much as the fact that he hadn’t been there for so many years and so many crises. 
She wasn’t guiltless either.  She hadn’t understood him enough to know why her absence had created his reaction so it was in her best interests to get him to tell her about his past so she could avoid future problems. 

With a sigh, she bent down and picked up the blocks now that all the kids had stampeded to the kitchen for their dinner.  Tossing the blocks into the plastic container, she shoved the whole thing back into
its
place on the shelf, safely out of tripping distance. 

Dinner was a festive, if mostly crazy event.  The kids ate quickly, then rushed off to play with their toys again.  The adults sat at the table as they ate and joked about everything.  After dinner, the men picked up the dishes and cleaned the whole kitchen, including Mikhail although he looked a bit confused as to where to put all the dishes. 
The other guys
had already been in the house and knew where everything went but they just nudged him towards the correct cabinet and Mikhail figured out the rest.

That night, tucking
Tory
into bed, Kristen wanted to stay by her daughter’s bedside for as long as she could.  Staring at the little curls as they tumbled across the pillow, Kristen realized that she was terrified of being alone with Mikhail. 

“Come on out, Kristen,” his deep voice said from behind her. 

She stood up and turned, seeing him in the doorway with the light from the hallway shining around him, making his face unreadable in the shadows. 

She stepped out into the hallway and Mikhail closed the bedroom door slightly. 

She tried to step out into the family room, but he pulled her into his arms, his mouth covering hers before she could protest. 

After about half a second, she didn’t want to protest any longer.  She felt good in his arms again.  She’d desperately missed feeling his strength surrounding her and making her feel pretty and feminine.  Her face instantly
turned
up to kiss him back, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as she stood on her toes to feel him against her body. 

His fingers dove into her hair from behind, tilting her head back so he had better access while his other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her more tightly against his long, muscular length. 

With a groan, she melted even more into his arms and he took that as permission to continue. 

Mercilessly, he kissed her, making her dizzy with desire and the need for him to touch her.  She wanted to touch him as well, her hands moving over his body, unbuttoning his shirt with frantic fingers, then pushing it off of his massive shoulders.  When she felt his warm, smooth skin on his shoulders, she sighed with relief and moved down his arms, feeling the muscles flex under her fingertips, jumping whenever she moved to a new place. 

She’d missed this, feeling this alive, this hot and bothered to have a man touch her and touch him back.  She’d spent way too many nights thinking back to their nights together and she didn’t want to miss it again. 

Her fingers fumbled with the belt on his jeans and she almost cried when she couldn’t get the buckle undone quickly enough.  But he pushed her hands away and did it himself, then brought her fingers back when he’d undone the device. 

She sighed happily when her fingers felt his stomach, reveling in the ridges and muscles as she unbuttoned the top, then slowly lowered the zipper, her anticipation at what she would find making her hold her breath. 

When she released him and he was fully in her hands, she wrapped her fingers around his length, once again amazed at how large he was, how long
and thick
.  Even with both hands, she couldn’t cover his entire erection and she closed her eyes, shuddering with anticipation.

Mikhail endured her gentle, teasing touch for as long as he could but when he heard her shuddered intake of breath, he couldn’t take it any longer.  He pulled her hands away and pushed her back onto the bed, following her down but holding himself above her with his arms. 

“My turn,” he growled and with one swift stroke, he ripped the green sweater over her head, tossing it behind him, uncaring that it landed on top of the rocking chair in the corner.  He didn’t have as much trouble with her jeans as she’d had with his and within moments, they were gone, tossed behind him somewhere.  As he stared down at her, he looked at the woman with the black lace bra and matching underwear, wanting both to continue looking at her while at the same time, plunging himself into her heat and finding the release that only she could give to him.

Instead, he bent down and unsnapped the front closure of her bra, releasing her magnificent breasts from their enclosure.  When the lace was pushed away, he couldn’t resist the allure of her pink nipples, already hard and begging for attention. 

When he took the first one in his mouth, he smiled as she arched into him, pushing her breast deeper.  He sucked and nibbled, blew on the wetness left by his mouth and teased her until she was pushing his head away.  Only then did he move on to the next breast, giving it the same attention.  This time, when she pushed him away, she pulled him back to the previous nipple and for a long moment, he gave in to her demands.  But it wasn’t enough.  He wanted it all and she was slowing him down on his ultimate reward. 

When his hands moved to her thighs, she didn’t hesitate in opening to him, her legs moving against his thighs, his waist and he accepted the invitation, moving closer to her, but not giving her what she wanted.  Not yet anyway. 

He continued to kiss her, moving to her neck, her shoulder, then back to her mouth, teasing her and delving into her sweetness until she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hips moving upwards, demanding that he fill her up.

He didn’t wait for a second invitation.  When he smelled her, felt her wetness, the waiting was over.  He couldn’t have teased her anymore if he’d had a gun to his head.  Thankfully, it was only the softness of her pillows surrounding his head at the moment and he pulled her legs higher a moment before he plunged into her warmth, feeling her body close around his erection and he groaned with how good she felt. 

He heard her rapid breathing, smiled slightly before starting the age old rhythm and moved slowly at first, then picking up speed as he heard her sharp gasps, pressing her harder, faster, making her body jump to his timing.  She was almost there, he knew and he wanted her to scream out like she used to when he took her in the past, but at the last minute, he remembered that Victoria was in the other room.  With one more thrust, he covered her mouth with his own and took her scream in his mouth, pounding as he felt her climax overtake her, enclose him more tightly and he gritted his teeth in an effort to continue the incredible pleasure.  But in the end, her climax brought him over the edge and he couldn’t hold back any longer, joining her as they splintered apart together. 

For a long time later, he held her in his arms, stroking her hair as their breathing came back to normal.  He felt her shiver and pulled the covers up over their naked bodies, enjoying the way she curled up in his arms, wrapping herself around him a moment before she fell asleep with her head cradled on his shoulder. 

Chapter
6

“Move in with me,” Mikhail said the following morning, the grey dawn starting to lighten the horizon through the curtains that she’d forgotten to close the previous night. 

“I can’t, Mikhail,” she said and pulled out of his arms.

“You
will
,” he said after a long moment. 

“Yes,
that’s probably true
.  And I realize that I’m sending out mixed signals, but I’m not really sure what I feel any longer.”

“You love me,”

She was startled for a moment, but nodded.  “Yes.  I do.  But that doesn’t make our relationship any stronger.”
  She stepped out from beneath the covers and quickly grabbed her warm robe, needing a bit of space between them to get her head in the right place. 

“You love me.  That’s all I need to know.”
  He started to reach for her, to pull her back into bed so he could make love to her again but she was too fast for him. 

She quickly stepped out of his reach.  “But do you love me?  Do you trust me?  Will you promise that no matter what I do, no matter what happens in the future, you’ll always love me and trust me?”

He looked away from her, rubbing his hands over his face and feeling the night’s growth of beard.  “
I can’t promise that,” he said.  “I won’t.”

“I’m not asking for blind loyalty, Mikhail.  I’m asking that you trust me and not put us through the last three years again.  I’m asking to get to know you and find out why you are like you are, and for you to know me better.  So that if someone like Ellen ever enters our lives again, you’ll come to me first and ask questions, find out why I’ve done something.”

“I trust you now.  Let’s just take it one step at a time.”  He started to
reach
for her again, but Kristen stepped away again, not daring to let him touch her because she knew she’d melt in his arms
just like she had the night before
.  It was taking every ounce of her control right now to not jump back into his arms and throw herself at him. 

“We can’t do it that way.  We tried it your way once.  How about if we do it my way for a little while and see where this leads?”

“What would your way be?”

“Let’s get to know each other.”

“I won’t tell you about my p
ast,
”
h
e said adamantly
, his gaze hard and unflinching
. 

“Why not?”

“Because it’s over and done with,” he said and picked up his
jeans, sliding them on despite the cold air in the house
.  “Kristen, we’re married and we have a daughter
together
.  Tomorrow I have a meeting with a real estate agent to look for a new house because this one is too small.”

“You’re moving here to Minnesota?” 
She
was so surprised she felt just a bit numb. 

“Of course I’m moving here.  You had trouble in New York so I’m moving my headquarters here.  I’ll still have to travel but I plan to start delegating most of my
responsibilities
out to subordinates.”

She smiled.  “Mikhail, that’s a nice sentiment, but I don’t think you know how to relax.   Or to delegate for that matter.”