Whatdoessurprise me is the completely redone interior. Cold, sterile white has been replaced with soft, muted colors that introduce a sense of warmth and intimacy to the entire place.
“You changed it.” I turn around as I take in the new space.
“I did,” he replies. “The fire did its work a little too well. A full remodel was needed after. Not everything was saved, but the important things were.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“Like this.” He walks over to a bookcase and pulls out a book.
The edges of the book have the telltale signs of charring. But even without the damage, I can tell the book is old, older than either of us. Blocky Russian letters decorate the cover, and beneath it are two men tugging at a chair.
“It’s an old children’s book from the Soviet days,” Pavel explains as he opens up the book. “CalledThe Twelve Chairs. Viktoria used to read it to me when I was little. The same way I’ll read it to our child.”
The mention of Viktoria leaves a pang in my heart as I take the book gingerly from Pavel’s hands.
“I know how much she meant to you,” I say. “I’m so sorry, Pavel.”
“You’re too sentimental,krolik,” Pavel replies in his best imitation of Viktoria before casting his gaze back at the book. “She would’ve loved to see this, to see you. To see us.”
Sighing, he places the book back on the bookshelf and stares at it for a few more heartbeats. I slide up and hug him from behind, wrapping my arms around his broad chest. Our fingers cross into each other, and he places a kiss gingerly on my hand. A tiny burst of electricity radiates out from the spot where he kissed, and my other hand slowly drifts down until it rests above the bulge in his pants.
“Would you like to see the rest of this place?” His voice is husky as he slowly turns around. “The layout is the same, but I’ve made some additional updates.”
I stand up on my tiptoes and plant a delicate kiss on his lips before my own lips curl into a smile, my hand still cupping him as I press my lips close to his ear.
“Maybe later,” I whisper. “But what I could really use right now is a long hot shower.”
There’s no mistaking the look in his eyes as he walks me wordlessly through the familiar path to the bathroom.
***
Steam curls up all around us, and I sigh contentedly as the warm pitter-patter of water falls against me. Pavel’s hands move along my body, slick with soap, tracing circles that leave my skin feeling flushed and sensitive. I close my eyes and savor each sensation.
God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed him.
We had plenty of shower sex on our way home. But nothing can come closer to this. Here, everything is familiar—the indescribable feeling ofhome.
The familiar scent of the soap—so uniquely his—invades my nose and brings with it a flood of memories. Pavel’s body envelops mine, his cock hard and pressing insistently at the small of my back. But he remains patient as he continues caressing and stroking my body. Hands trace the outline of my shoulder. Now they move along my hips, stroking down my thighs, cupping my ass, and finally sliding back up around my legs.
My own hands start moving. One reaches up to grasp him by the nape of his neck as he opens up my body, while the other fumbles until it grips his erect cock, giving it a gentle squeeze that teases out a slight whimper near my ear.
“So eager,” he whispers as he nibbles at my earlobe.
I give his cock a slow stroke, and my fingers gently squeeze the head. “Not as much as you,” I reply, feeling his heartbeat pick up at the motion.
Pavel plants another small, gentle bite on my ear before his mouth starts kissing along my neck. Once. Twice. Three times. His scorching lips settle at the crook of my shoulder as his hands rise up from my body to cup my breasts. Skillful fingers take hold of my nipples, giving them a gentle squeeze. Hard enough to send a jolt through me, but not enough to hurt.
“Oh,” I breathe as the water runs down our bodies, rinsing the soap away. His hand roams down the valley of my breasts, over the bump of my belly, and finally settles in the warm, throbbing center between my thighs—slick with my lust and desire for him.
A finger finds my excited nub and draws out a moan from my throat as he traces tiny circles around the sensitive flesh. Warm water washes over us, and I return the favor as he continues to toy with me. His other hand reaches down as well, and with a single deft motion, he turns me so that we face each other without his finger ever leaving me.
I see my reflection in twin pools of emerald, arousal evident on my flushed face. My lips part of their own accord and he claims my lips, swallowing my lustful moans. A single finger pushes past my folds and reaches a place where no man but him has touched. A place that only he is allowed to know.
At his insistence, my feet move me until my back is pressed against the cool tiles of the shower enclosure. I don’t let him go, feeling his own arousal flooding my fingers. His tongue pushes into my mouth and I reciprocate the motion, greedily tasting him as I deepen each stroke along his shaft.
Vibrations of pleasure radiate from my core. My free hand reaches up and runs through his hair. Fingers tighten in response as the first tiny burst of pleasure bubbles to the surface, and Pavel releases my lips so that he might taste the rest of my body.
Reluctantly, I release my grip on his cock and tilt my head back as he takes a nipple into his mouth. Desire floods my veins as he laps at my nipple. One finger turns to two as they continue thrusting between my legs, but they don’t hold a candle to the real thing. A clashing world of sensation spreads across me, and I feel myself rising higher and higher under his touch, his tongue, his fingers, and the softly rushing water that continues to run down our bodies.