“Hello, Anna,” he said in his deep, accented voice. “You look beautiful.”
She glanced up shyly at him with a timid smile. “Thank you, Alex. You look very handsome as well.”
His boyish grin lit up his face. “Danke.”
She hadn't noticed he'd had one hand behind his back until he brought it forward, holding a bunch of pink roses bundled in clear cellophane and wrapped with a pink ribbon. “These are for you,” he said, a tremor in his voice as he handed them to her.
Anna's eyes widened at the beautiful flowers. “Oh, Alex, they're beautiful!”
She accepted them from his hand and brought them to her face. They smelled as beautiful as they looked. She was briefly transported back to her mother's rose garden as she buried her nose in the bouquet.
*****
Alex watched in silence as Anna smelled the roses he'd brought her. A thrill ran through his body, seeing that she liked them.
He’d spent the better part of an hour in the flower store that afternoon, looking at every possible combination of flowers, but he kept going back to the pink ones. Finally, he just decided to go with his gut feelings and his gut had been right. It usually was right, except when it came to the precious girl standing in front of him, lost in some happy memory.
He was curious about what the sparkling eyes represented, but hesitant to intrude. She surely didn't have that many happy memories and it would be cruel to deny her something that most people took for granted. Besides, he was perfectly content to simply watch her.
She looked up at him suddenly and her face turned pink. “I'm sorry, Alex,” she said with a trembling voice. “Let me see if there's something to put these in.”
He mentally hit himself in the head; he should have anticipated she didn't have a vase. She walked into the kitchen and he let out a small sigh of relief when she located one in a high cabinet.
It was on the top shelf and he easily pulled it down and handed it to her. When their fingers brushed accidentally, warmth spread through his body like a spring day in his mother’s flower garden.
“I'll unwrap them if you want to fill the vase with water,” he said.
He took the roses from her and laid them on the counter to untie the ribbon as she went to the sink.
Within a few minutes, Anna had artfully arranged the roses in the vase and was tying the ribbon around it.
She stopped as she finished the bow. “Is this all right? Or should I just throw the ribbon away? I haven't gotten flowers since....” She swallowed and didn't finish the sentence.
He suspected since before her parents died, but didn't want to upset her by voicing it. Instead, he gathered her into his arms.
“I like the ribbon around the vase,” he said softly, deeply inhaling her scent of raspberries, vanilla and musk.
She leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, melting into him. Oh, he could stay like this with her forever. It was heavenly, having her in his arms willingly. As he stroked her silky hair, he imagined what it would be like to have her with him all the time.
They stood like that for what felt like a charmed eternity, until she stiffened suddenly and pulled away. His heart broke as she stepped away and looked up at him with frightened eyes.
“I'm sorry, Alex. I shouldn't have—”
“Anna, never apologize for being comfortable in my arms,” he said in a soft voice, stepping towards her and cupping her cheek. “I wouldn't want it any other way.”
He gazed down into her softening green eyes and fought with himself about the wisdom of kissing her. When her tongue darted out to sweep across her bottom lip, he lost the battle and lowered his head to brush his lips against hers. She sighed softly and he slid his hand around the back of her head, pulling her towards him and capturing her lips with his.
*****
Anna clung to Alex's formidable upper arms as he pressed his lips to hers. He took her lower lip between his and sucked gently, eliciting a soft moan from her throat. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and gently invaded her mouth, dancing and swirling around hers. His one hand held the back of her head and the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.
Her mind spun at his kiss. It was a welcome invasion into every part of her: body, soul and mind. As his lips caressed hers, she felt herself melting into him, as if they were becoming one person. He groaned as he thrust his tongue against hers and she imagined other parts of his body thrusting against her.
She stepped closer, her body touching his and feeling the expected bulge against her belly. Would he finally have sex with her? She desired him. She wanted to connect with him on so many levels and she wasn't thinking about him as her Master, but as a lover.
When he pulled away moments later, panting and staring at her, she looked up into his eyes, begging him wordlessly to take her to bed.
He shook his head, wide-eyed, still gasping for breath. “Anna, I can't...,” he said in answer to her unasked question. “I don’t want to begin things in lust.”
Hurt, she started to turn away, but he held on to her hand and pulled her back to him, pressing her head against his chest.
“Do you hear it?” he asked in a hoarse whisper. “Do you hear my heart pounding for you?”
She could feel and hear his heart pounding fast and hard in his chest. She sucked in a ragged breath as she realized his desire for her, and looked up at him.
“Why?” she whispered.
He knelt in front of her and held her hands in his. “I've never felt for any woman what I feel for you, Schatzi. You are my treasure. I want you to know that before...before I make love to you.”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Why does it matter?”
“Precisely because you asked that question, mein Liebe. Because I want you to know the difference between lovemaking and fucking.”
Aaron had made love to her. She frowned at him, hurt. “I know the difference, Alex.”
“Do you?” he asked, firmly but gently. “Do you know that my desire for you is more than physical? I want you. All of you. Body, soul and mind. I won't accept any less.”
Aaron had said similar things to her, but this was different. Aaron could never have her fully. As much as she loved him, there was a very large barrier between them in the form of Devin.
But Alex? Could he truly take her? All of her? The thought was both thrilling and terrifying.
She stared into his passion-filled eyes. The intensity overwhelmed her. She wanted to say yes: that she wanted him to take all of her, but something stopped her from saying the words. Her lower lip trembled.
“I'm afraid,” she whispered finally.
“I am too, Schatzi.”
His admission astonished her. Alex wasn’t afraid of anything, was he? He was too big, too strong for fear. But the apprehension she saw in his eyes told her differently.
*****
Alex studied Anna for a long minute. He wanted her; wanted to possess her as he had the right to, but he didn't want to force her or scare her. It didn’t seem so much that she was afraid of him anymore, only of being taken so completely. But he was afraid too, and he saw that she understood. Maybe it was time.
Her eyes widened as he took her hand and pulled her close to him again. She gazed down at him on his knee, and hesitantly touched his cheek. He closed his eyes as her fingers trailed across his smooth cheekbone and lips. She giggled as he nipped at her fingers as they passed his mouth.
He opened his eyes at the sound and delighted in the sparkle in her eyes. She continued to trace his other cheekbone, then around the top of his ear and along the outside to the lobe.
He could feel his already hard cock painfully throbbing at her gentle touch. He ached for her, both with his heart and with his body. But he would be patient and not make her feel obligated.
That was the crux of the matter: she felt like she had an obligation to have sex with any man who was attracted to her. He didn't want her obligation
; he wanted her desire, and he saw it in her eyes as she trailed her fingers down the pulsing vein in his neck. He trembled like a teenage boy under her hand.
She gave him the sweetest smile he'd ever seen and cupped his cheek before leaning down and kissing him gently on his lips. If he were a lesser man, he would have thrown her down on the floor and fucked her right there. But no, she deserved better than that. He wanted to give her more than that.
He searched her eyes and saw nothing but passion and desire and his resolve melted. It was time. He stood, sweeping her up into his arms, and carried her into her bedroom.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Anna looked up at Alex, wide-eyed as he sat her gently on her bed. Was he finally going to be with her? Why did her heart pound so?
He sat next to her and took her hand in his, gazing into her eyes with such tenderness it took her breath away. He lifted her palm to his mouth, kissing it gently, his lips caressing the sensitive skin. She sucked in a deep breath as he nibbled his way slowly down each finger. Her whole body trembled when he stopped at her fingertips to dart his tongue against the very center of the pads of her fingers.
He trailed kisses back down her palm and to her inner wrist, where she watched his tongue stroke at the pulse point for a long moment. She sighed, trembling at the surprisingly intimate touch. Goose bumps appeared on her arm and she shivered as he began kissing up towards her shoulder. He moved slowly, seemingly in no hurry, stopping to give attention to the spots where she sighed.
When his lips finally met her shoulder, she gave a great shudder. How could such simple touches make her nerves feel like they were experiencing an uncontrollable electrical storm?
He had moved closer to her on the bed and one hand rested behind her hip as he oh-so-slowly kissed his way across her collarbone. He moved her hair aside and gave butterfly kisses up her neck that felt like a sensual stun gun. The electricity shot through her body and she felt it all the way down to her toes.
He stopped just below her ear and pulled away, but not before she drew in the scent of cedar and lavender and some other seductive scent that she couldn’t quite pinpoint...maybe it was just Alex.
He repeated the nibbles and kisses on her other palm and fingers. A soft moan escaped from her throat and he looked up into her widened eyes and smiled, sensual and tender at the same time. With no hurry, he kissed his way up her arm again, goose bumps even stronger this time.
“Alex....” She sighed. He’d barely touched her and she was trembling by the time he reached her neck.
“Are you all right, Schatzi?” His tone was so soft, so sensual, it surrounded her like a warm mist.
“Uh, huh,” she squeaked.
He chuckled softly and met her eyes as he trailed a finger down the side of her neck. His eyes were dark with desire as he moved his finger upwards and across her lower lip.
She leaned forward, wanting to kiss him, and he smiled and pulled away, moving so smoothly it was sensuous. He stood to remove his jacket and tie, placing them carefully on her dresser, and returned to the bed, this time sitting at her feet.
He unbuckled one shoe at a time, massaging her ankles and arches after dropping the shoe to the floor. She saw the calluses on her toes that were beginning to form from dancing and tried to pull her foot away, but he held firm.
“Never be ashamed of having dancer’s feet, Anna,” he said in a soft voice, kissing the rough skin over her stockings. “A ballerina’s foot is the most beautiful thing in the world.”
When she danced before, her feet had never gotten as ugly as Jenna’s had, but they were still rough. A ballet dancer’s ugly bare feet made the beauty of the dance possible.
He smiled and slid his hand up her calf and thigh and her breath hitched as his fingers reached the edge of her stockings, but he stopped there. He moved his fingers in a strange way and it took her a moment before she realized he was unfastening her stockings. He tented her leg so that he could reach the back fastener and then slowly rolled the stocking down her leg, letting it drift to the floor.
Her eyes fluttered closed as he resumed her foot massage.
“Lay back, Schatzi,” he said in a husky voice.
She did and opened her eyes to watch his strong thumbs move in circles on her arch. Another soft moan escaped and her eyes closed again as he pressed firmly.
She cried out softly as a rush of warmth flooded her body and went straight to her pussy.
He slowly moved his hands all around her foot, pausing at certain points and making other parts of her body react. When he set her foot back down on the bed, she was panting and her nipples were hard and aching for his touch.
He slid his hand up her other leg, bringing goose bumps up again, and unfastened her other stocking, rolling it down slowly and dropping it to the floor. He massaged her foot and ankle for a time, pressing on those magic spots like he had on her other foot.
“Alex....” She groaned as he continued the sensual assault on her foot.
Her head pressed back into the bed as a lick of fire erupted from his touch and flooded her body with warmth.
Putting her foot down gently on the bed, he kissed her ankle and moved up to her calf. Her leg muscles tightened as his lips grazed the skin, moving slowly up to her knee.
He kissed the inner side of her knee and massaged underneath. He nipped at the skin with his teeth and warmth spread throughout her body.
Anna trembled as he kissed her legs over her skirt and up to her hip. His breath was hot against the silk and threatened to ignite the skin below.
Who was this man who would take the time to tease her fingertips and toes? Areas of her body that had never been touched in a sensual manner, but ignited strange new sensations that were deeper, more powerful, than any orgasm she’d ever had before.
Her eyes widened as his face came into view, eyes blazing with passion.
“Schatzi...,” he whispered in a voice that went straight to her heart.
This was more than just physical touch. He took her, consumed her, made her his own.
And she wasn’t afraid.
He rested his arms on either side of her upper body and nuzzled her nose with his before nibbling her lower lip. She gasped softly and he smiled against her lips before penetrating her mouth with his tongue, thrusting slowly.
The soft, sensuous movements made her body melt against his and she wrapped her arms around his ribs. She teased his tongue with her own, dancing around lightly and evading his touch. She felt a rumbling where his chest pressed against hers, and his lips tightened slightly.
She pulled away, afraid she’d angered him, but saw the smile in his eyes as he caressed her cheek and kissed her gently. His tongue probed her lips again and she gladly allowed him in.
They explored each other’s mouths forever, it seemed. There was no hurry, no urgency to do anything except know each other in this intimate manner.
Eventually, though, she wanted more. She wanted to know him more; more intimately, more bodily. She wanted more than his tongue in between her lips.
He seemed to feel it too, and broke away from her lips to explore her neck with his mouth while sliding his hand around her back and slowly unzipping her dress.
The slow, sensual burn inside her flared into a fire of need. She worked at the buttons on his shirt as he pulled the straps of her dress down her arms, kissing after them.
He sat up and unclasped his ebony cufflinks. His shirt opened and she licked her lips at the sight of his bare chest. She sat up to caress the skin and the top of her dress slipped down to her waist.
His skin was smooth and satiny. He pulled his shirt off, moving gracefully as it slipped down his prominent triceps and biceps.
“You are so sexy,” she said in a breathless voice, devouring his upper body with her eyes.
He laughed in delight and she blushed, but knew he enjoyed her comment.
“So are you,” he said, turning serious quickly.
He leaned down to place lingeri
ng kisses along the cleavage visible above her silver-gray lace bra.
“So beautiful,” he murmured against her skin.
He gently pressed her back down onto the bed and pulled the dress down and off her hips. His eyes filled with hunger as his gaze slid down from her face to her thighs.
His stomach muscles contracted as he bent down to kiss her belly, swirling his tongue in her navel before tugging on the ring with his teeth.
“Oh!” she cried as he ran his fingers across her lower belly. He pressed firmly on a spot below her navel and she could have sworn it was a button for arousal. Her panties were soaked and her pussy ached for his touch.
He skimmed his finger along the edge of her lace panties and then up to the bra strap that he pulled off her shoulder. He kissed the skin that had been under the strap and then did the same to the other side before reaching behind her and unclasping her bra with one hand.
She ran her hands up his chest as he pulled the bra off and dropped it to the ground. Her fingers circled his pink nipples and they tightened into hard pebbles, making her smile.
His hand trailed down from her collarbone and he cupped her breast, squeezing gently, and then bent down to place butterfly kisses on each nipple.
The lighter his touch, the stronger the fire of need burned inside her. She wanted him to take her nipple into his mouth, but he continued to lightly kiss on and around the nipple.
“Please, Alex....” She moaned as he continued to circle her breasts with soft kisses.
“Please what?” he asked in a raspy voice against her skin. His hot breath teased her nipples further and she writhed beneath him.
“Please...I want....” She moaned loudly as he enveloped a nipple in his hot mouth and sucked on it. His tongue teased the tip as he continued sucking and she clenched her hands. “Yes!”
He feasted on her breast, sucking, licking, devouring until she panted with need, and then he moved to the other breast. He teased the tip with his tongue until she moaned and then took it into his mouth and sucked on it while she writhed beneath him.
The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined Page 31
