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He gave her a feral smile, drowning in her half-closed eyes. “You aren’t leaving this bed,” he growled. Her lips lifted, amusement in her eyes as she smoothed her hand across his chest, appreciation in her gaze.
“Check that one. I’m starving for you and I want you now. I’m more than ready…”
In some ways, Nik felt as if he were in an unfolding vision he’d dreamed so many times while away from Daria. They’d spent hours on Zoom, talking and learning so much about one another when he had to work with the CIA, but in his dreams at night? She was in his arms and he was exploring her just as he was doing right now, his lips caressing her tight nipples, slipping his hand around that curved flesh, hearing a sharp intake of her breath, feeling her press urgently against his hips, wanting him, wanting the pleasure she knew he would give her.
The languid warmth of the afternoon and the semi-darkness of the bedroom surrounded him along with her aphrodisiac-like scent, combined with the subtle woodland fragrances drifting through the nearby opened window. Nik moved his hand downward across her rounded belly, felt her tense as his fingers moved across those black curls, sliding downward, easing her open, testing her, seeing if she was ready. And she was, his fingers coated with her slickness, the scent touching his nostrils, making him groan with animal need. As he stroked her folds and entrance, she quivered in his arms, soft sounds emitting from her throat, letting him know she liked what he was doing. He was going to do so much more. Capturing the nipple, he suckled her strongly, easing a finger into her entrance. Daria tensed, her hips thrusting upward, wanting more of his lavish, teasing touch. He felt that swollen bud awash with her thick fluids and knew without a doubt that she was more than ready.
He became lost, wrapped within her scent, the soft curves of her body, as he focused on her. More than anything, Nik wanted Daria to come first. He knew that a month without having her would make it incredibly tough to control himself as completely as he might want. Her body was damp, twisting and turning as he eased a second finger within her, sliding deeper, finding that second spot within her that was so connected with that bud at her entrance. She gave a sharpened cry, her back arching upward, her fingers digging into his shoulder as he teased that inner flesh of hers, feeling her begin to constrict around him. Taking his lips to her other nipple, lightly rasping his teeth against it, she suddenly cried out, her entire body bucking against him. He smiled, continuing to stroke that sweet spot within her, feeling her entire tunnel contract tightly around his fingers. Her cries were hoarse, her fingers opening and closing frantically against his shoulder as the orgasm burst through her like an overflowing dam.
Daria pressed her face against the column of Nik’s strong neck, sobbing, clinging to him as he continued to milk her sensitive body, trusting him. His heart swelled with love for her as he felt the convulsions seizing around his fingers over and over again. His chest flooded with such joy that he thought he might truly die from happiness. The sweet, gasping sounds tearing out from between her lips was music, bathing his heart and his soul. This woman utterly trusted him. Without question. She had already put her life on the line for him, protecting him in that firefight. There was never any question in Nik’s mind that Daria didn’t love him just as fiercely as he loved her. And, this afternoon, he was going to show her just how much he did. She was a living feast, a beautiful banquet before him, sweet, ripe, and ready to be eaten, savored and worshipped by him.
Daria floated betweenheaven and unknown, colorful galaxies around her that she saw behind the lids of her closed eyes. Her body was glowing and satiated. Nik held her in his arms, his long, hard body curving protectively around hers, holding her in the aftermath of their second round of love-making. The clock read fourp.m. Sex with Nik was mind blowing for her. She had never had a lover as skilled as he was. And he was more than welcoming of her wild woman ways and needs, smiling, urging her on to pleasure herself with his body. To say they were sensual and earthy together was an understatement. Her body hummed with a level of satisfaction it had never known.
His skin was still damp as he lay with her in his arms, his long, hairy leg across hers, holding her flush against his hips. Daria could feel him becoming harder, longer, her belly resting against his erection. And she smiled, sliding her fingers against his powerful neck and broad shoulders in the aftermath. Nik was still breathing raggedly, his heart pounding beneath her palm. His hand moved in a caressing gesture across her shoulder and down her long spine, memorizing her. She nuzzled against his neck and jaw, placing soft kisses along it, hearing a low growl of satisfaction in his chest that reverberated through her. Everything about this man was pure, unadulterated pleasure. And they’d only just begun to explore the sexual landscape with one another. Daria was glad he was remaining here, with her, to rest, to decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
Nik eased her onto her back. Daria gazed up at him. His hair, although military short, was mussed and she smiled, sliding her fingers through those strands, taming them back into place. She saw the stormy look in his eyes, knowing Nik was aroused once more. So was she as his fingers slid through her wet, slick folds, gently teasing her entrance once more. “Who’s more hungry?” she asked, her voice husky, her hand stilling against his cheek, watching that predatory look come to his eyes as he felt how wet she had become once more.
“Mating heat between two jaguars,” he growled, stroking that bud once more. “Did you know they mate for life?”
“Mmmm… whatever we have between us… I like it… don’t stop, Nik…”
Nik slowly awoke,aware of Daria in his arms, her body against his. What time was it? He barely lifted his head, looking at the clock on the dresser opposite the bed where they lay tangled against one another. It was ninep.m. They had fallen asleep in one another’s arms. Delicious, stolen hours with each other. His body was utterly sated and he greedily absorbed Daria against him, her breasts pressed against his chest, her arm languid and relaxed across his torso, her one leg crossed over his. She was sleeping deeply and he lay there cherishing this moment with her as the full moon sent shafts of light around the edges and the opening of the curtains at the window.
Nik inhaled her sexual fragrance, the scent of her skin, and felt the cool silk of her hair against his neck and shoulder. He loved this woman with his life. They’d been through so much in such a short, concentrated amount of time. There was no question she loved him even though neither had spoken the words to one another… yet. Nik felt he knew Daria well enough to understand why she hadn’t. They’d known each other less than three months. Both of them were mature and knew the value of waiting. As he lightly grazed her shoulder, feeling the cool velvet of her flesh beneath his fingertips, he was more than content to wait. They had silently shown one another through their love making that they did, indeed, cherish one another. Daria had already given him her heart, her body and her beautiful, fiery Russian and Mongol soul.
The joy that filtered through his heart were feelings he had never thought possible. This woman had walked into his life a stranger, on a mission. A contact. And she’d sat down in that church next to him and he’d felt his whole life altering in those brief minutes she’d spent with him. He was still amazed and stunned by that singular event. Nik had never thought that he’d ever meet a woman that he would feel like this about. Daria consumed his soul, fed his starving heart, sent him spinning into unparalleled happiness with her just being herself. He knew this was love.Real love.Unquantifiable, unmeasurable because their hearts would have the time now to leisurely explore one another fully and completely. His hand curled protectively around her shoulder as he felt his way through all of the bright, glowing feelings now quietly consuming him.
Daria stirred, made a happy sound in her throat, stretching languidly against him, nuzzling him. He opened his eyes, staring up at the darkened white plaster ceiling, enjoying her awakening beside him. A smile drifted across his mouth as he felt her hand move languidly across his chest and ribs, as if silently delighting in touching him with such intimacy. Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbow, watching her awaken, her eyes barely open, their gold depths drowsy and cloudy. His mouth stretched in welcome as he lifted his hand, easing the curtain of hair away that had fallen across her face so he could see her expression fully. She was like a mysterious, beautiful orchid whose petals were shyly opening before him. Nik once more felt like he was in some incredible dream that he never wanted to end.
“When I first met you,moya kotya,” he began in a low, dark tone, “you shook my world apart. I didn’t know what to think about you. All I could do when you sat down next to me in church, was feel emotions I never knew I had until you awakened them with your nearness.” He saw her eyes widen a little, a bit more of awareness in them as he spoke in Ukrainian to her. His voice was gravely with remnants of sleep. “For whatever reason, you trusted me from the beginning. I could feel it, Daria,” and he brushed his thumb across her pink cheek, savoring her growing more and more aware of them here together, the sleep slowly dissolving from the depths of those glorious jaguar-gold eyes of hers. “I felt like a man starving in a desert until you came and fed me the richness of your love, from your heart. You fed me in ways that I’m going to share with you from now on. I want to show you in small and large ways how much you mean to me, Daria. I never realized just how starved and dying I was until you entered my life. That five-year nightmare of being with that drug team, had taken me down.”
She sighed softly and caught his hand, taking it and nestling it between her breasts, studying him in the lulling silence. “You carried your brother on your shoulders for those five years, darling. It was one of the first things I realized about you, the many loads you wore on these broad shoulders of yours. I know you don’t see yourself, Nik, your strength, your heart and love for Dan. You were more than willing to sacrifice yourself for him because you loved him. I know he didn’t ask that of you. You willingly gave it to him because he is your brother. It says something so incredible about you, my warrior, that it leaves me breathless just thinking about what you’ve accomplished.” Daria brought his hand to her hip, released it and slid her fingers through his hair, watching his eyes change, grow darker with arousal, with wanting her again.
“You were worth pursuing, Nik. And I didn’t go down to Peru with any thought of a relationship with you. It just happened.” Daria caressed his cheek, the stubble making her fingertips tingle. “You walked into my life, and I’m forever grateful…”
He took her hand, placing a wet kiss in her palm. “I’m not the only one carrying wounds, Kitten. You have your own, and I want to help to heal them as you’re healing mine.”
She relaxed in Nik’s arms, content to be devoured by his warm, loving gaze that embraced her in the quiet of their bedroom. Somewhere outside the opened window, Daria heard an owl in the darkness, hooting, a counterpoint perhaps to their deep, searching and offered heart thoughts they were sharing with one another. Nothing was more important to Daria than this.
Nik was vulnerable with her, open, without ego or defense. Her soul hungered for such honest talk, bathing her with the intimacy that had done nothing but grow stronger and deeper with every minute spent with this man. Her warrior. Her wounded soldier. Her heart. The deepest scars Nik carried were mostly invisible, the ones that really counted. And Daria could see them.
“We’re both wounded and shattered in different ways,” she quietly agreed, stroking his jaw, allowing her fingers to trail down his neck to its nape. “We have all the time in the world now, Nik. I don’t want you anywhere but living here with me. We’ve earned the time to get to know one another fully, without danger surrounding us.”
“I agree,” he growled, kissing her parting lips, her nose and then her brow. “But what do you want, my beautiful jaguar mate?”
She frowned and then shook her head. “My life changed when I met you, Nik. I didn’t know it was going to at the time, but I see that now.”
“Your leg?” and he reached down, caressing the puckered wounds gently. “You still have healing to do. You shouldn’t be going out on another mission, Daria.”
“I hear you and I don’t disagree.” She slowly eased out of his embrace and sat up, crossing her legs, remaining in physical contact with him. “You’ve shown me things I’ve never had before, Nik and I want… need the time… to digest all of them. I want to appreciate all of you, in every way. I don’t want to be running off around the world on another mission right now.”
Her brows fell and she said, “I’m twenty-nine years old. My body has taken a lot of physical stress and punishment as a sniper over the years. Meeting you has made me realize what I want out of my life. Every time I think of having to leave you here and take off on an op, my heart crumples in my chest, Nik. It cries. I want to cry.” Daria gave him a pleading look. “Maybe I’m in love for the first time in my life and I never knew what love was until I met you?”
His heart leapt from her softly spoken words. Giving her an adoring look, he rasped, “I didn’t know what love was until I met you, my sweet jaguar woman. I really didn’t.”
Daria reached out, stroking his torso, feeling each rib beneath her fingertips. “I think we’re both asking for time alone and at home with one another?”
“Yes, and frankly? I’m glad you won’t go out on another mission, Daria.” Nik gazed into her half-closed eyes. “Perhaps we have earned the right to have a life with one another, instead? Happiness has eluded both of us. Perhaps it’s our turn to have it now? With one another?” And he caressed her lower lip with his thumb, watching her gold eyes grow dark with need of him once again. To be wanted, to be loved were two things he never thought he’d ever have in this lifetime. His had been a life of sacrifice, not largesse.
