His mouth sucked in the juice that gushed out of her at her own words and he tightened his hands on her hips. She had learned fast, so fast it made his head swim as she begged him nightly for his body. What she was willing to do for him, and with him, never failed to surprise him. Elise was just as likely to instigate their lovemaking as he was and that thrilled him. He’d been so worried she would be meek and scared of his hunger for her, but she had met his every desire with a matching hunger. Damn it, he was hard for her all over again, and that had been a welcome discovery. Before, he had needed much longer to recover, but with Elise’s body in his hands, and against him, his need had him hard for her again in minutes. Even though he had wanted to enjoy her longer, he needed to be inside her, so he moved up and sucked her clitoris tauntingly.
She screamed when he tortured the tight bundle of nerves. Her orgasm hit her hard and she clung to the edge of the bar.
“I love your sweet little mouth on my cock, but nothing compares to your hot, wet and tight pussy.” He swung her off the bar and turned her around to face the bar and she knew this was the position that always set him off faster than any other. That day in the dressing room he hadn’t lied, he loved taking her from behind and his hands always roamed over her, shaping her ass in his large hands. She leaned forward and pushed her bottom toward him in undulating invitation.
Elise loved it when his excitement overtook him, with everyone but her, he was so calm and cool, and she loved knowing what she did to him. His stroke was fierce and clean until there was nothing between them and she moaned his name, begging for more. He gripped her hips just short of pain and pounded into her. He swelled inside her, and she panted at the pleasure and pain of him stretching her. As it did so often, her orgasm took her by surprise, washing over her and sending her crashing into a sea of pleasure. Her body clutched and throbbed around him sending him after her.
The wood was cool beneath her cheek as she rested against it and worked to even out her breathing. It wasn’t easy, he was still inside her and he held her against him lightly. He knew she loved the feeling of him inside her and he usually stayed inside her for some time after he came. His hands roamed over her, lightly caressing her as he calmed down. At last, he slid from her body and she moaned at the loss of him inside her. She felt him moving behind her and he picked her up and carried her to the long leather sofa that dominated the room.
Settling her onto his lap, her back against the arm of the sofa, she stirred at the cold leather against her back. Taking off his shirt, he wrapped it around her. She leaned back and sighed in pleasure. His fingers ran through her hair as he studied her, “You didn’t like his design, did you?”
It was an order, and she smiled. Lifting her hand and caressing his cheek, she shook her head. “I really did think he would be a she, his name is Sky. When I called to make an appointment, his assistant didn’t give any indication otherwise. He wasn’t really listening to what I wanted anyway, I’ll keep looking.”
“Good.” Taking her hand in his, he brought her fingers to his lips. “I got a call today from Sonia.”
There was something in his voice that brought her eyes up from her hand on his chest. He was tense and she was prepared for the worst. “What was she calling about?”
“She wants to come back sooner than the three months she had originally requested. At least part time for the next month, she says she’s going crazy. She and her husband have already sold their home. They’ll be in Chicago in a week. Her hope was to start back in two weeks.”
Elise went still, her mind working through the implications. Already, since they had moved to Chicago her presence rarely had been needed. Both Gus and Drew had followed them to Chicago and slid into a working team, of which she had no part. Her daily work had consisted of translating documents for Dmitri, mainly from home. The only time she had truly been needed was a three-day trip to review a
company in Spain he was interested in. “Where does that leave me? I already feel unnecessary with Gus and Drew here. You’ve sent me home early or had me come in late several times already and even more often I’m working from home.”
“You are very necessary, that hasn’t changed. I was trying to be thoughtful. Yes, I work too damned many hours a day, that doesn’t mean you have to. Sonia is no longer willing to travel. I spend half the year traveling. You will be needed at those times. Would it be so bad for you to work only part-time? You said before you had no desire to commit to an executive position.”
“Dmitri, all you do is work. When am I supposed to see you? Yes, you come home early now and we eat dinner together but half the week you’re back in your office here at home. What, an hour or two a night and a half day on Saturday, and oh my god, an entire Sunday, is supposed to be it?” He looked hunted and she swallowed hard. “Then again, I guess all that really matters to you is that I’m there at night. Am I right?” She pushed to get off his lap but he caught her arm and wouldn’t let go.
“Damn it, Elise, you know that isn’t true.”
She wanted to shrivel up and die when the tears slipped from her eyes, she did not want to cry in front of him. “Please, let me go.”
He heard the tears in her voice, caught her behind her neck, and brought her to face him. “Please, don’t cry. Don’t cry over me, I don’t deserve it. I’ll find Sonia something else. She’ll take another position if she wants to stay. You are so very necessary to me that whatever it takes to keep you with me, I’ll do it.”
She cried harder, she wanted to tell him then, but she was scared. Would he shrug off the words? Would he even value them? After all, just a little over a month ago she had believed herself in love with someone else. Would he discount her words as those of a woman only wanting to believe in love? He squeezed her to him until she moaned in pain. Her arms went around his neck and she tried to show him how she felt instead.
Chapter Seven
Her hands shook as she tore off the tags, biting her lip she told herself he couldn’t know yet, not yet. She had just figured it out herself yesterday. It had been six weeks since they moved to Chicago and she had changed their diet and now she had gone down a size. Any other time she would have jumped for joy, now her stomach wouldn’t settle from worry. Today she had gone shopping, most of her clothes showed the new loss of weight. She was hoping if she replaced them in the smaller size maybe he couldn’t tell. When he first detected a few pounds lost a few weeks ago, his face had been hard with annoyance. A quick check in the mirror told her that her curves hadn’t gone, as he commanded, but it was visible now.
Stepping out of the walk-in-closet, she prayed the light sundress wouldn’t show and couldn’t believe she was actually annoyed at the better weather in Chicago that made bare arms necessary. Mainly, the weight had traveled down, her arms were smoother and her face was less round. The buzzer went off, telling her the vegetables she was roasting were done.
As she came out of their bedroom, she was surprised to see Dmitri in the kitchen turning off the oven.
“Dmitri, you’re home early.”
“I got a call from the card company because you went shopping and I know you hate to shop. I’m home to confirm what I thought was happening for the last few weeks.” His words were clipped and harsh, his face was hard. His eyes roamed over her and he stalked her. She leaned against the wall for support, her knees weak at what she saw in his eyes. A hand went out and grabbed the strap of the dress, he pulled hard and it ripped. Standing in front of him in just a silky red bra and matching panties she took a deep breath and prepared for the fight. “I fucking knew it! This stops now. I won’t have you changing your body to fit some stupid fucking American ideal of what is appealing when I loved your body as I found it.”
Dmitri’s words slammed into her chest and filled her so full she thought she would explode with it. Her knees went weak and she slid down the wall, her legs unable to hold her up. Tears sprang to her eyes that she couldn’t hold back, she had no idea his words would affect her so strongly. She knew she surprised him. Immediately, she was in his arms, held so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe.
“Damn it, Elise, don’t you dare cry on me. I’m sorry, please don’t cry, if you feel you have to do this, then fine, but as long as you see a doctor and they say you’re still healthy. You aren’t skipping meals, promise me that.” He was wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. As she realized his hands were shaking, she was able to take a deep breath. She loved this man so much.
She ran a hand over his cheek. “I’m not skipping meals, I promise you. It really is simply from eating better. Before, with Steeltech floundering, everything I ate was take out and fast food, the few things that weren’t, were frozen meals. Don’t be angry, Dmitri, please, losing weight wasn’t something I set out to do, but I am happier with it. I feel better and have more energy now. My curves aren’t gone. I’ve only gone down one size. I’m sorry I cried, that was silly, it was just that you said the words I always wanted to hear but never thought I would. Just, don’t be mad when I tell you this, okay? The eating better, it isn’t about me, it’s about you. The same way asking you to cut back on your work hours isn’t a hundred percent about me. I do want to spend more time with you, but really it’s because I’m scared.”
Running a hand through his hair, he fought to control his relief and the riot of emotions running through him, confusion higher than he wanted. Her tears always undid him, “What the hell could you be scared of?”
“Losing you! Jasper had a heart attack young because of his workaholic ways. Don’t look like that Dmitri! I know you have a body women fantasize about, but you hardly sleep, you don’t eat well and you are always under stress. Yes, you come home early but half the week I still have to pull you out of the office to come to bed. No, Jasper wasn’t as in shape as you are, but he still exercised every day, he was found on the jogging path in the park. If it hadn’t been a nurse who found him he wouldn’t have made it.”
Looking into her still watery, dark blue eyes, he saw the fear in them and it tore at him all over again. Not even Sonia and Misha had worried about him before, seeing him as tough and strong as he felt. It was a new feeling to him. “Okay, don’t be scared. I’m not going anywhere, I’ll do better. I promise you that. If I was going to make you see a doctor it’s only fair that I do too. We’ll both go and make sure everything is good. I’ll take a look at restructuring. Drew and Gus have put in the work. Now is the time to give them the ability to show me what they can do. Come here, sweetheart, don’t cry. You know it kills me when you do that.”