Destiny's Whisper (22 page)

Moments ticked by slowly, marked only by the harsh, shallow breaths of the two entwined on the tussled bed. Heartbeats slowed and breathing calmed as finally Sergei felt he was under control enough to allow himself to rest against her soft form without wanting to ravish her.

Chloe’s hands reached up and tentatively touched his shoulders, her fingers gently pulling him down until he once against rested warmly over her body, his forehead leaning against her own, eyes closed, their breaths blending as they calmed and were finally able to breathe normally.

The knock on the door sounded a split second before it opened and Aleksei’s tall form filled the doorway. “You were late yesterday, so today you’ll be early….” Aleksei stated firmly, his mind going blank as he saw the two wrapped together on the bed, Sergei sprawled between Chloe’s thighs, her ankles laying over his, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, the scent of passion heavy in the air. “Sergei, you’ve got two minutes to get downstairs,” Aleksei finally managed to say, his tone low and flat, before he closed the door quietly behind him.

CHAPTER 12 

“
D
o you have any idea what the hell you’re doing?” Aleksei asked calmly, his tone vastly different from the emotions that raged through him. A small spark of pride glowed quietly deep in his soul as he remembered the gentleness Sergei had showed Chloe and yet the thought that it could just as easily have been Jordan who’d walked into his room to awaken him made his stomach drop to his toes. It was one thing for fathers to be witness to their son’s sexual prowess; it was quite another thing for their mothers to see that side of their behavior. With a quick prayer of thanks, he cast another dark look his son’s way.

“In all honesty–no–I don’t know anything at this moment,” Sergei answered quietly, running his hands through his hair in obvious confusion.

“Well, you certainly looked like you had a handle on things a few minutes ago,” Aleksei growled, sliding a cup of coffee across the counter toward his son.

Sergei had the grace to look embarrassed, a deep flush infused his cheeks with color as he reached for the coffee, gulped down a huge swallow and managed to gasp, “Nothing happened.”

“This time. What about next time?” “Who’s to say there will be a next time?”

Aleksei choked on his sip of coffee, his penetrating gaze spearing Sergei across the counter. “You may think I’m three days older than dirt, but I still remember what it was like to be twenty-one and ready to jump on any girl willing to stand still for five minutes. You’ve a better chance of outrunning an avalanche than you do of controlling your hormones. It’s not a matter of
if
it will happen again, simply
when
. My question again is, do you know what the hell you’re doing?”

“Yes…No…Shit! I don’t have a clue,” Sergei growled, beginning to pace about the kitchen.

Moments before, upstairs, Jordan had groaned as the alarm went off, interrupting her husband’s drugging kisses and wandering hands. Despite her protests, Aleksei had been determined Sergei make up for his tardiness the day before and he was personally going to see his son up and moving. With promises for a quick return, he left the warmth of their huge bed and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Several minutes later, when Aleksei’s
quick return
didn’t materialize, Jordan decided to remind him of what he was missing. Slipping into her satin dressing gown, she ran a quick brush through her hair, and anticipated luring her husband back into bed and picking up where they’d left off before the alarm had sounded.

Exiting her room, she was surprised to see Sergei’s door tightly closed and frowned. Bedroom doors were always open, except at night, and she wondered if Aleksei had changed his mind about rousing their son. With a smile that bespoke of her husband’s pushover nature, she quietly opened the door and padded silently over to the bed.

Jordan’s feet refused to move, as she spotted Chloe sound asleep in her son’s bed, her arms hugging a pillow and a soft smile curving her lips. Her soft gasp of surprise went unheard.

Jordan stood frozen, her mind whirling with all the possible explanations for Chloe being here, in Sergei’s bed. One by one she threw each thought aside, chiding herself for not seeing it. No, that wasn’t true. She had seen their attraction for one another growing and instead of discussing the matter with them, she’d chosen to ignore it, hoping it was just a passing fancy. Now, she was faced with a girl, she’d known her whole life, who may as well be her daughter, in her son’s bed, and she wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

Chloe’s soft sigh calling Sergei’s name had Jordan swearing quietly and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Her mind swirling in confusion, she made her way down the dawn-lit stairs, the satin of her dressing gown trailing behind her on the stairs. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to find her husband!

Aleksei watched his son stalk about the room, felt the tension and confusion emanating from him in palpable waves and wished he could do something. At the same time, he knew this was a monumental moment in his life and how he handled the situation could dictate the path the rest of his life took. How many times had young men given in to their out-of-control feelings and found themselves having to deal with more than they were ready to? Aleksei could only hope his son had listened to all his speeches about taking responsibility for your actions, and thinking before leaping. He guessed now was going to give him a fairly accurate gauge as to his success. “How do you feel about Chloe?” he asked softly.

Sergei held his breath as he pondered his father’s question. “Confused, antsy, exhilarated, exhausted. Different at any given moment,” he finally answered in a low growl. “I don’t get any of this. One minute things don’t seem any different than they did when we were kids, everything’s calm, no problems, and then suddenly she’ll laugh at something or look at me a certain way and I can’t catch my breath. I feel like there’s a volcano building up inside and it’s about to explode at any time. I can’t stay focused when I’m skating with her and it feels like a part of me is missing when I skate alone. I find myself seeing something and thinking,
Chloe would get a kick out of that
, and I can’t wait to tell her about it. She’s the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last thing at night. I tell you, it’s making me fucking nuts!”

Aleksei shook his head in commiseration, remembering all to well the same feelings Jordan had instilled in him, all the time he’d wasted fighting feelings he had no chance of conquering. When two people were meant to be together, fate took care of things, with or without their cooperation. “Women have a tendency to do that to men; it’s part of their life’s work to make us crazy.”

“Why her?”

“Why not her?”

“What if it doesn’t work out? What’s that going to do to Dani and Chloe’s friendship?”

“That’s between them, they’ve been friends nearly all their lives. If something happens I would hope they wouldn’t let a mere man come between them.” Aleksei offered softly.

“What if it doesn’t work out between us?” Sergei asked quietly, his dark gaze filled with uncertainty, a glimmer of doubt shining deep within the ebony depths.

“What if it does?” Aleksei countered.

Sergei’s shoulders lifted in a minute shrug. The sudden realization of how far their relationship had progressed all on its own and his desire to see if through to the end had him shaking in his proverbial shoes. Suddenly it wasn’t just about being boyfriend and girlfriend; it was about discovering if this was the person that he was meant to be with; perhaps forever. He stopped trying to intellectualize his feelings and instead, listened to his heart, and amazingly enough, the thought of spending his life with Chloe didn’t make him want to run screaming in the opposite direction. Quite to the contrary, he couldn’t wait to see her!

“How does Chloe feel about you?” Aleksei asked quietly.

“The same way I feel about her,” Sergei stated confidently.

“And how would that be?” Aleksei pressed.

Sergei looked at his father, so calm and understanding, ready to listen before automatically judging you, willing to stand beside you in support even if he would have followed a different path. Sergei’s greatest hope was to turn into the same kind of man one day. With a shy smile, he asked, “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

Aleksei’s dark eyes sparkled and a wide grin spread across his face, “The first time’s always the toughest, but trust me, you’ll feel much better once you admit it yourself; releases some of the pressure,” Aleksei assured his son.

The look Sergei cast his father told him he didn’t know whether to believe him or not. But then, having witnessed the love his father and mother displayed every minute of every day, how could he not trust his father’s words. Running his hands through his hair, he quietly offered, “I love her.”

Aleksei turned his head, as if unable to hear his son’s softly voiced statement and mumbled, “Sorry, did you say something?” A devilish glint shone in his eyes.

Sergei’s choked laugh told his father he didn’t believe him and muttered the words again; “I love her.”

Aleksei looked around the kitchen, lines creasing his forehead as he complained, “You know, we’re going to need to re-caulk these windows, I can’t hear a thing you’re saying!”

Sergei fired his father a heated glance, took a deep breath, and without hesitation, confidently stated, “I love, Chloe!”

“Oh, God, no!” Jordan’s startled, disbelieving voice cut through the air.

The two men exchanged looks that spoke volumes. Despite it being not even six o’clock in the morning, the day was already promising to be one none of them would soon forget!

“Is this testosterone talking or have you really given any thought to what you’re getting yourself into?” Jordan asked in exasperation, stalking to her husband’s side, taking the coffee cup from his hand and swallowing a mouthful of the hot liquid, grimacing at the extreme sweetness. She would never understand why her husband insisted on having so much sugar in his coffee.

“Mom…I can’t believe you’d even think such a thing, let alone actually suggest it. This is Chloe we’re talking about!” Sergei stated in astonishment.

“I’m fully aware it’s
Chloe
we’re talking about, and unless I’ve completely lost my mind, which isn’t entirely impossible, I suggest such a thing because I found her sound asleep in your bed!” Jordan fired back.

Sergei had the grace to blush at his mother’s words and the looked to his father for assistance. His father’s returned glance stated
you’re on your own
and didn’t offer any rescue or escape. “She must have fallen asleep,” was all he finally was able to come up with.

“I’m sure you’re right-she’s probably exhausted after spending the night with you! If you’re anything like your father, she’ll be lucky if she can move today!” Jordan blurted out recklessly, then clapped her hands over her mouth as she realized what she’d said. Her quick glance at her husband and the devilish glint shining in his eyes told her he took her words as a compliment and she groaned at her loss of temper.

“Nothing happened, not that it couldn’t have or that it didn’t come close to happening, but
nothing happened
.” Sergei calmly stated, still trying to overcome the amazement of his mother’s words. Her outburst reminded him of times when he had been younger and she’d protected him as fiercely as a mother lion defends her cub, kind of a
take no prisoners
attitude and he wondered if she was suddenly viewing Chloe as the enemy. But then, that didn’t make any sense, it had been Jordan who had literally demanded Chloe recuperate at their home. Why the change of heart?

“Well, thank God, you managed to control yourself this time. But what about next time?” Jordan asked sharply.

‘Who says there will be a next time?”

The question stopped Jordan in her tracks. The disbelief that filled her eyes was brief, but the darkening of her eyes as anger replaced disbelief occurred in a flash and Aleksei shook his head at his son’s ridiculous statement. “Do you think I’m a complete idiot, Sergei. It hasn’t been that many years since we were in the same position you are now,” Jordan stated, her hand waving out to include Aleksei in her statement. “We were young once, too, and we know how emotions can replace common sense in the flash of a heartbeat. We know how quickly things can go from controlled to uncontrolled. Do you think your father and I were immune to the feelings you’re experiencing now?”

“Jordan…” Aleksei warned softly, trying to keep his wife from going into a full-blown tirade. It was too early to be using this much energy.

“Mom, I’ve got it under control. If I say this won’t happen again, it won’t,” Sergei stated firmly, if not foolishly.

She knew better. Despite his best intentions to keep his head and wits about him, it would be impossible to do so when his emotions were running rampant and his blood was boiling hotly. He was so like his father in so many ways; the Rocmanov men were known for their passionate natures, Sergei simply hadn’t realized yet just how powerful his emotions were and how much they would rule his life.

“Sergei, I understand you truly believe that to be the case, but trust me, it doesn’t work that easily. You can’t simply shut your emotions on and off.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Maybe Chloe needs to go home,” Jordan suggested, looking to her husband for support and finding none.

“No!” The answer came simultaneously from both father and son.

“Chloe’s mother’s still away on business. Obviously Manning, Senior is keeping her out of the way and it wouldn’t be safe for Chloe to be alone at the house. You might as well put a point value on her if you send her home,” Sergei stated firmly.

“Sergei’s right. Chloe stays; we’ll put her in with Dani,” Aleksei suggested.

“That’s not necessary. I’ll stay away from her, except when we’re on the ice,” Sergei offered quietly, silently praying he could keep the promise he was making to his parents. “I’m sorry about all this, I never intended for any of it to happen,” he stated softly and walked out the back door of the kitchen into the gardens. Maybe watching the gardens come to life as the new day began would calm his troubled soul and answer a few of the questions that swirled madly through his brain.