Grabbing his hand, she started for the stairs. “I needed a new me to make myself feel better. Giving you one more night, I might need to go back in for another makeover.”
He paused at the bottom step, almost like he was giving her another chance to kick him out. “It was never my intention to hurt you, Sarafina. Believe me when I say, I’m hurting as badly as you. Why do you think I’m here?”
“No more talking. Are we going upstairs or not?”
Nodding, listening to her advice not to talk anymore, he followed her upstairs. Closing the door behind them, Dax started to undress as slowly as her. They stared at each other, the frenzy to get naked and in bed creating havoc in their bodies, but to rush anything seemed intolerable. Enjoying every moment, every second, seemed crucial.
She undressed first by one article of clothing and hopped into bed. Joining her a second later, he hovered over her sweet body as his hand ran down the length of her.
“I didn’t come here for this. Seeing you again erased everything else from my mind. I swear the last thing I want to do is hurt you. Even in the beginning, I never meant to hurt you.”
Cupping his face in her hands, she brushed her thumbs over his dark stubble and tried to keep a smile on her face. “I know that. Sometimes getting hurt is inevitable and you just have to take each moment slowly, to cherish it. I want you to cherish me now, Dax.”
“I can do that. It would be my pleasure.” Meeting her lips, he kissed her hard, yet with a tenderness that made her want to shed a tear.
He slid his hand down her body with a gentle stroke, finding his treasure with ease. So wet already for him. He’d never get tired of feeling her wet, unyielding—his for the taking.
That was the problem.
She wasn’t his for the taking. Not whenever he wanted. Damn it, that’s what he wanted.
His fingers continued to tease, play, and lift her to newer heights. Her sweet moans as they kissed urged him to stroke her a little faster, a little harder, her body moving sweetly to his touch.
He winced in pain when she bit his lower lip as her orgasm, one of the strongest she ever had, echoed in the room. He continued to caress her, never wanting the bliss to end. Her sounds, body writhing under him was a memory he needed to bottle forever.
“Oh, Dax, that was…”
He kissed her again, tenderly soothing his bruised lips and her words she couldn’t even finish.
“That was only the beginning, sweetheart.” He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a condom.
Sheathing himself with ease, he entered her in one deep stroke. She arched into his body, grabbing his ass to get him even closer. He stilled, taking the time to imprint the moment in his mind. He would need to remember every little thing because that’s all he’d have to survive. Only memories.
“Please, Dax…”
He smiled as he stared into her gorgeous hazel eyes, at the pleading in her tone, the eagerness for him to start the magic. It couldn’t be described as anything else other than magic. No other woman compared to her. Maybe that’s why he never fully gave himself to a woman before. They weren’t the one.
He started to move as that thought punched him in the gut.
The one. Sarafina?
Her soft hands ran up his back and down again as she met each thrust.
Yeah. What a sad reality. She was the one. His one and only.
And he couldn’t keep her. Couldn’t have her. He could only have this night.
Life was unfair.
Her hands trailed the same path, making him increase the movements between them. Her touch drove him to madness. He wanted to possess, claim and mark her body as his. She would know. Any other man to come after him would know.
She was his.
The heat in the room filled as it did between the sheets. Their sounds mingled as one. Their bodies as one. It didn’t matter what way he moved, she matched it perfectly, never falling out of the beautiful sync they created.
Soon, the moment would be over. He felt it, sensed it. Hated it. He never wanted it to end.
Like that, it hit him. Strong, like a rogue wave capsizing an unsuspecting boat. The pleasure coursed throughout, zapping him into a sense of peace he’d never feel again. She tensed beneath him, moaning deeply into his mouth as her orgasm fused with his.
Beautiful. Glorious. Heartbreaking.
He tangled his tongue with hers as the last remnants of the bliss still washed over him. Nibbling on her lip before pulling away, he kissed her neck, then rolled to the side.
Dax pulled her into his chest, stroking her hair as silence filled the room. Not an uncomfortable silence either. One filled with peace and understanding. How was that possible after the mind-blowing sex they just experienced?
Peace, sure.
Understanding. Nothing about this could be understood. He hated himself for falling weak and coming over here. While he didn’t regret the moment they shared, he still felt like a weasel taking it from her.
Without warning, he unwrapped himself from her and ventured to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. And if he was being honest with himself, to regain his composure. What they just experienced was too much. Too much of everything. Too much of a good thing. Something he wanted to experience every day of his life.
Washing his hands slowly, he hesitated to go back in her room. But if this would be his last time with her, he needed to cherish every moment no matter how much it hurt. He dried his hands and then climbed back in bed, pulling her into his arms as if he never left in the first place.
They lay in silence. Until her beautiful voice punctured the quiet. “It felt like you wanted to tell me something when you came over. Care to tell me now?”
Her voice, although spoken in a sweet whisper, rang loudly in his ears as if she had shouted. “Nothing important. Nothing that I want to talk about and ruin this moment.”
Lifting her head, she gazed into his eyes. “That’s very contradictory. It’s not important, yet you don’t want to ruin this moment, therefore it’s something important.”
His initial impulse had been to come over and lay his heart on the line, spill his guts on everything that was about to happen. The moment he saw her, the words on the tip of his tongue, he couldn’t go through with it. Images flashed like a streak of lightning on her world being upturned, making it impossible to speak. He still couldn’t.
“I missed you.”
Cocking a brow, she waited for him to say more.
“I’m sorry for lying.”
Tilting her head, she pierced her lips like she was wondering if that was really what he intended to say.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, inside and out. I wish like hell I would’ve met you under different circumstances…but I didn’t. As much as I would love something to develop between us, it would never work. I would never risk your safety or ruin your life in any way to try to make it work.”
There. He gave her part of what he wanted to say without actually giving her the entire truth.
“I don’t think—”
He shoved a finger over her lips. “If you’re about to say anything about Martin Chilani, stop. I won’t listen to any of your naivety. He’s a dangerous man. You need to start believing that.”
Rolling away from him, she sat up as her face fell into a deep frown. “That was a little harsh.”