Feeling the Heat (11 page)

She missed the caress of a man’s lips against hers, the graze of a male’s knuckles across her breasts, the lick of a man’s tongue and the soft stroke of masculine fingers between her legs.

There was nothing like the feel of a man’s aroused body sliding inside, distended and engorged, ready to take her on one remarkable ride. Making her pleasure his own. And giving all of himself while she gave everything back to him.

Her breathing quickened and her pulse rate increased at what she could now admit she’d been missing. What she had given up. No other man had brought her abstinence more to the forefront of her thoughts than Micah. She felt hot, deliriously needy, and she stood there a moment in silence, fighting to get her bearings and control the turbulent, edgy desire thrumming through her.

Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. All it took was for her to close her eyes to recall how it felt for Micah’s hands to glide over the curve of her backside, cup it in his large palms and bring her closer to his body and his throbbing erection.

The memories were scorching, hypnotic and almost more than she could handle. But she would handle them. She had no choice. She would not let Micah get the best of her. She had no qualms, however, about getting the best of him—in the area right below his belt.

She rubbed her hand down her face, not believing her thoughts. They had gotten downright racy lately, and she blamed Micah for it. She was just about to turn to go back inside when a movement below her balcony caught her attention. A man was out jogging and she couldn’t help noticing what a fine specimen of a man he was.

The temperature outside had to be in the low thirties, yet he was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. In her opinion, he was pneumonia just waiting to happen. Who in their right mind would be out jogging at this hour of the night, half dressed?

She leaned against the railing and squinted her eyes in the moonlight. That’s when she saw that the man who’d captured her attention was Micah. Evidently, she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. She found that interesting and couldn’t help wondering if perhaps the same desire that was keeping her awake had him in its lusty clutches, as well.

Serves him right if it did
. He had spent a lot of his time this week trying his best to tempt her into his bed, but apparently he was getting the backlash.

He was about to jog beneath her balcony, so she held her breath to keep him from detecting her presence. Except for the glow of the half moon, it was dark, and there was no reason for him to glance up…or so she reasoned. But it didn’t stop him from doing so. In fact, as if he’d sensed she was there, he slowed to a stop and stared straight up at her, locking in on her gaze.

And he kept right on staring at her while her heart rate increased tenfold. Suddenly there was more than a breeze stirring the air around her, and it seemed as if her surroundings got extremely quiet. The only thing that was coming in clear was the sound of her irregular breathing.

She stared right back at him and saw that his gaze was devouring her in a way she felt clear beneath her robe. In fact, if she didn’t know for certain she was wearing clothes, she would think that she was naked. Oh, why were the sensual lines of his lips so well-defined in the moonlight? Knowing she could be headed for serious trouble if their gazes continued to connect, she broke eye contact, only to be drawn back to his gaze seconds later.

He had to be cold, she thought, yet he was standing in that one spot, beneath her balcony, staring up at her. She licked her lips and felt his gaze shift to her mouth.

Then he spoke in a deep, husky voice, “Meet me in the staircase, Kalina.”

His request flowed through her, touching her already aroused body in places it shouldn’t have. Turbulent emotions swept through her, and from the look in his eyes it was obvious that he expected her to act on his demand. Should she? Could she? Why would she?

She was bright enough to know that he didn’t want her to meet him so they could discuss the weather. Nor would they discuss their inability to pinpoint the origin of the deadly virus. There was no doubt in her mind as to why he wanted to meet her on the stairs, and she would be crazy, completely insane, to do what he asked.

Breaking eye contact with him, she moved away from the balcony’s railing and slid open the French doors to go back inside. She moved toward her bed, tossed off her robe and was about to slide between the sheets, when she paused. Okay, she didn’t like him anymore, but why was she denying herself a chance to have a good night’s sleep? She had needs that hadn’t been met in more than two years, and she knew for a fact that he was good at that sort of thing. She didn’t love him, and he didn’t love her. It would be all about needs and wants being satisfied, nothing more.

She drew in a deep breath, thinking she might be jumping the gun here. All he’d asked her to do was to meet him at the stairs. For all she knew, he might just want to talk. Or maybe he merely wanted to kiss her. She gave herself a mental shake, knowing a kiss would only be the start. Any man who looked at her the way Micah had looked at her a few moments ago had more than kissing on his mind.

Deciding to take the guesswork out of it, she reached for the blouse and skirt she’d taken off earlier and quickly put them on. She knew what she wanted, and Micah better not be playing games with her, because she wasn’t in the mood.

Heaven help her, but she was only in the mood for one thing, and at the moment, she didn’t care whether she liked him or not just as long as he eased that ache within her.

As she grabbed her room key off the nightstand and shoved it into the pocket of her skirt, she headed toward the door.

* * *

Micah paced the stairway, trying to be optimistic. Kalina would come. Although he knew it would be a long shot if she did, he refused to give up hope. He had read that look in her eyes. It had been the same one he knew was in his. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He had been playing cat-and-mouse games with her all week, to the point where Theo had finally pulled him aside and told him to do something about his attitude problem. He’d almost laughed in his friend’s face. Nothing was wrong with his attitude; it was his body that had issues.

So here he was. Waiting. Hoping she wouldn’t walk through the door just to tell him to go to hell. Well, he would have news for her. As far as he was concerned, he was already there. Going without a woman for two years hadn’t been a picnic, but he hadn’t wanted anyone except her and had denied himself because of it. It was unbelievable how a man’s desire for one woman could rule his life, dictate his urges and serve as a thermostat for his constant craving. He was feeling the heat. It was flooding his insides and taking control of every part of his being.

Over the past several days, he’d thought about knocking on Kalina’s door but had always talked himself out of it. He wouldn’t have been so bold as to ask her to meet him on the staircase tonight if he hadn’t seen that particular look in her eyes. He knew that look in a woman’s eyes well enough: heated lust. He’d seen it in Kalina’s eyes many times.

He turned when he heard footsteps. It was late. Most normal people were asleep. He should be asleep. Instead, he was up, wide awake, horny as hell and lusting after a woman. But not just any woman. He wanted Kalina. She still hadn’t told him whether she’d made a decision about going home with him, and he hoped that no news was good news.

He heard the sound of the knob turning and his gaze stayed glued to the door. Most people used the elevator. He preferred the stairs when jogging, for the additional workout. He drew in a deep breath. Was it her? Had she really come after two years of separation and the misunderstanding that still existed between them?

The door slowly opened, and he gradually released his breath. It was Kalina, and at that moment, as his gaze held tight to hers, he couldn’t stop looking at her. The more he looked at her, the more he wanted her. The more he needed to be with her.

Had to be with her.

But he needed her to want to be with him just as much. Deciding not to take her appearance here for granted, he slowly moved toward her, his steps unhurried yet precise. His breathing was coming out just as hard as the erection he felt pressing against his shorts.

Micah reached her and lifted his hand to push a lock of hair from her face. Knowing what she thought was the truth about him, he understood that it had taken a lot for her to come to him. He intended to make sure she didn’t regret it.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she placed a finger to his lips. “Please don’t say anything, Micah. Just do it. Take me now and take me hard.”

Her words fired his blood, and his immediate thought was that, given the degree of his need, he would have no problem doing that. He tightened his hand on hers. “Come on, let’s go up to my room.”

She pulled back and shook her head. “No. Do it here. Now.”

He met her gaze, stared deep into her eyes. “I wouldn’t suggest that if I were you,” he warned. “You just might get what you ask for.”

“I’m hoping.”

He heard the quiver in her voice and saw the degree of urgency in her expression. There was a momentous need within her that was hitting him right in the gut and stirring his own need. He drew in a deep breath. There was no doubt in his mind that he was about to lose focus, but he also knew he was about to gain something more rewarding.

He then thought of something.
Damn, damn and triple damn
. “I don’t have a condom on me.”

His words didn’t seem to faze her. She merely nodded and said, “I’m still on the pill and still in good health.”

“I’m still in good health, as well,” he said and thought there was no need to admit that he hadn’t made love to another woman since her.

“Then do it, Micah.”

He heard the urgency and need in her voice. “Whatever you want, baby.”

Reaching behind her, he locked the entry door before lifting her off her feet to place her back against the wall. Raising her skirt, he spread her legs so they could wrap around him. His shaft began twitching, hardening even more as he lowered his zipper to release it. He skimmed his hands between Kalina’s legs and smiled when he saw there were no panties he needed to dispense with. She was hot, and ready.

So was he.

He lowered his head to take her mouth, and at the same moment he aimed his erection straight for her center and began sliding in. Her hands on his shoulders were used to draw him closer into the fit of her.

She took in several deep breaths as he became more entrenched in her body. She felt tight, and her inner muscles clenched him. He broke off the kiss, closed his eyes and threw his head back as he clutched her hips and bottom in his hands and went deeper and deeper. There was nothing like having your manhood gripped, pulled and squeezed by feminine muscles intent on milking you dry.

His lips returned to hers in a deep, openmouthed kiss as he began thrusting hard inside her, tilting her body so he could hit her G-spot. He wanted to drive her wild, over the edge.

“Micah. Oh, Micah, don’t stop. Please don’t stop. I missed this.”

She wasn’t alone. He had missed this, as well. At that moment, something fierce and overpowering tore through him and like a jackhammer out of control, he thrust inside her hard, quick and deep. Being inside her this way was driving him over the edge, sending fire through his veins and rushing blood to all parts of his body, especially the part connected to her.

“Micah!”

Her orgasm triggered his as hard and hot desire raged through him. He plunged deeper into her body. The explosion mingled their juices as his release shot straight to her womb as if that’s where it wanted to be, where it belonged. She shuddered uncontrollably, going over the edge. He followed her there.

Unable to resist, he used his free hand to push aside her blouse and bra and then latched his mouth to her nipple, sucking hard. At the same time, his body erupted into yet another orgasm and a second explosion rocketed him to heights he hadn’t scaled in two years.

He now knew without a doubt what had been missing in his life. Kalina. Now more than ever he intended to make sure she never left him again.

Seven

K
alina slowly opened her eyes. Immediately, she knew that although she was in her room at the villa, she was not in bed alone. Her backside was spooned against hard masculine muscles with an engorged erection against the center of her back.

She drew in a deep breath as memories of the night before consumed her. Micah had a way of making her feel feminine and womanly each and every time he kissed her, touched her or made love to her. And he had made love to her several times during the night. It was as if they were both trying to make up for the two years they’d been apart.

Considering the unfinished business between them, she wasn’t sure their insatiable passion had been a good thing. But last night she hadn’t cared. Her needs had overridden her common sense. Instead of concentrating on what he had done to betray her, she had been focused on what he could do to her body. What he had done last night had taken the edge off, and she had needed it as much as she’d needed to breathe. He had gone above and beyond the call of duty and had satisfied her more than she had imagined possible. Now all she wanted to do was stay in bed, be lazy and luxuriate in the afterglow.

“Hey, babe. You awake?” Micah asked while sliding a bare leg over her naked body.

If she hadn’t been awake, she was now, she thought when the feel of his erection on her back stiffened even more. She drew in a deep breath, not sure she was ready to converse with him yet. With the sensation of him pressing against her, however, she had a feeling conversation was the last thing on Micah’s mind.

“Kal?”

Knowing she had to answer him sometime, she slowly turned onto her back. “Yes, I’m awake.”

He lifted up on his elbow to loom over her and smiled. “Good morning.”

She opened her mouth to give him the same greeting, but that was as far as she got. He slid a hand up her hip just seconds before his lips swooped down and captured hers. The second his tongue entered her mouth she was a pathetic goner. No man kissed like Micah. He put everything he was into the kiss, and she could feel all kinds of sensations overtaking her and wrapping her in a sensual cocoon.