I was confused why Arlo was here… so close and watching me so intently.
“I’d like to take you out to dinner tomorrow night,” he finally said after a long moment of passing silence.
My heart raced faster than it should at such an innocent statement, and I found myself licking my lips. He was so close that I could reach out and touch the stubble along his chiseled, square jaw. “Dinner? Like a date?” I felt stupid right after the words left my mouth, and the way his lips twitched told me he thought it was funny, or maybe cute in a childish way. “Of course I didn’t mean a—”
“Yes, Lina. I’d like to take you to dinner for a date.”
My entire body hummed with pleasure. Going on a dinner date with Arlo shouldn’t have made my body tingle the way it did, but here I was, feeling a blush steal over my face. “Okay,” I whispered and ducked my head, this sudden shyness claiming me. A second later I felt the bed shift as he moved closer to me; then his finger was under my chin, bringing my face up so I was looking at him once more.
I glanced into his eyes that looked far too dark in the shadowy room. And the longer we stared at each other, the more I felt my breathing grow shallow.
“Dlya tebya ya sdelayu eto bezopasnym.”
I almost moaned at the way his deep voice moved over me as he said the Russian words.
And as if he just realized he’d spoken in a language I couldn’t understand, he murmured, “I’ll make it safe for you, Lina.”
“Galina.” My real name fell from my lips almost instantly, and I should have been afraid about giving that part of myself to him. It wasn’t safe, not with the running and hiding, but as I looked into Arlo’s eyes, this inherent part of me knew this man would live up to his promise to protect me. Even from myself. “Please, call me Galina. It’s my full name.” Not a lie, but also not totally the truth. Yes, it was my full name, but I’d made it sound like Lina was a nickname instead of what it really was. An alias.
Things started to feel weird then, more electrified, a charge in the air that had my breathing becoming even more frantic to the point I felt light-headed. When Arlo’s gaze dipped down to my mouth, he moved his thumb along my bottom lip, a slow and steady stroking that had pressure and heat settling between my legs.
“Galina,” he murmured in the sexiest way imaginable. My eyelids started to droop, to close on their own, as my nipples beaded under my thin T-shirt, as my pussy became wet. I ached in the best possible way down there.
“Look at me, moy svet.”
I couldn't help but obey his command as I opened my eyes, my eyelids fluttering. I held my breath as our gazes locked. I knew what was coming. A kiss. I didn’t want to stop it, even though I probably should have. It would only complicate things in the long run. But I’d been thinking about his lips on mine for the last couple of months, and even obsessively since staying at his home. I wondered if his kiss would be soft or firm, gentle or aggressive.
I didn’t care how it was. I wanted whatever he’d give me, virginity be damned.
“You should stop me,” he said, but he was leaning in slowly, maybe to give me a chance to change my mind. I wouldn’t.
“But I won’t.”
The deep, primal sound that rose up from the center of his chest had more wetness spilling between my thighs and had my breasts feeling sensitive and heavy. I wanted his touch, his hands stroking over every single naked inch of me. I wanted his mouth on my body, drawing out all the dark pleasure I’d only fantasized about.
He slipped his hand along my jaw to curl his fingers around the back of my neck, pulling me forward until our lips were now touching. The kiss was soft, barely any pressure, but God, it felt so good. And when a little moan spilled from me, I felt the tension escalate in Arlo’s body.
He groaned, and his fingers tightened on my nape a second before he deepened the kiss, tilting his head to one side as he used the hold he had on my neck to move mine in the other direction. I parted my lips on a gasp, and he used that opportunity to slip his tongue along the seam before delving into my mouth.
His kiss was passionate and deep, his flavor heady and spicy. I could taste a hint of vodka coming from him, and I found myself sucking on his tongue, drawing not only the essence of that liquor from him, but also everything that was Arlo. A rough sound vibrated out of him, and then he was hauling me toward him until I straddled his waist, my thighs split as I braced my knees on either side of his muscular thighs.