No One to Trust - Iris Johansen [47]
His heart was beating hard against her palm, sending a ripple of vibration through her. “You’re being … very kind to me.”
“The hell I am.” He opened her shirt. “We both know I’ve been wanting this.”
“But I’m not … You may not like it.”
“I’ll like it.” His eyes were glinting with sudden humor as he raised them to look at her. “If you don’t break my neck.”
Incredibly, she found herself smiling. Replace bad memories with good.
She knew that the memory of the guards would never be quite as bitter after tonight. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Good.” He dropped down on the bed. “Then let the play begin.”
“I don’t want you to … I’m … damaged. I want you to get something out of this, and I’m not sure how to make sure of that. It’s not fair to you.” She moistened her lips and said unevenly, “I could pretend. I’m good at pretending.”
He drew her down beside him, leaned over her, and slowly, carefully spread her short hair on the pillow. She had never realized what an intimate gesture that could be. Suddenly she was aware only of the darkness and the heat and his eyes glittering down at her. He whispered, “Don’t you dare.”
8
“It wasn’t good for you, was it?” Elena stared into the darkness. “I cheated you.”
“It was good.” He pulled her closer. “And it will get better.”
“I told you that I should pretend.”
“I’ve never been fond of fakes. I like the real McCoy.” He kissed her temple. “My ego again. When we finally make it, I don’t want there to be any doubt about it.”
“You were … very good. I think.”
“Thank you. I value your opinion.” He chuckled. “Even though you have only a sadistic son of a bitch and a young kid to compare me to.”
“Do you want to do it again?”
“Definitely. But not right now. I’m enjoying holding you too much.”
“You are?”
“Yes. I like touching, and I’ve wanted to have my hands on you for a long time.” He stroked her back, from her shoulders to her buttocks. “You have wonderful muscles, strong and smooth.…”
She lifted her head to look at him. “That’s a weird compliment.”
“I like strength. I think it’s sexy.”
“I wasn’t very strong tonight.”
“Sure you were. You had the strength of your convictions and determination.” The tips of his fingers grazed lightly up and down her spine. “You were bloody wonderful.”
“And you’re lying.”
“No, it doesn’t all have to be about frantic urgency. There’s truth and trust, and you gave me both of those. I feel honored.” He playfully pinched her butt. “Of course, frantic urgency can be nice too. We’ll work on that.”
She stiffened. “You’re acting as if this is a long-term project.”
“Am I? I sometimes have difficulty letting go even after I’ve solved a problem. But I’m sure you’ll make sure I don’t get too possessive.”
“I will. I have to do that.”
“But that’s down the road a bit.” His smile faded. “I think it’s time I had a progress report. How was it for you?”
“Scary. At first, I wanted to fight you.”
“I know. I felt your muscles tense.”
“But when I managed to relax, it was better.”
“Did you think about him?”
“Yes, of course.” She swallowed and blocked out the memory. “Not toward the end. He was gone then.”
“Why?”
“I was distracted.”
“Hallelujah.” He chuckled. “Distracted is good. Though I never thought I’d be grateful for that description of my sexual expertise.” He gave her a quick hard kiss. “Now all I have to do is worry about distracting you from step one.”
“It may never be good for you.”
“Don’t be a pessimist.” He paused. “If it was never any better than it was tonight, it would still be worth it. Remember, you told me that men just think of women as vessels. Do you still believe that?”
Not Galen. She’d learned a good deal about him tonight. His patience and humor and the protectiveness that had enveloped her like a velvet cloak. He had taken a long time to arouse her and a longer time to try to keep her from being frightened when he’d entered her. “Maybe not all men.”
“Maybe?”
“Okay, not you.”
“Because I’m truly exceptional,” he prompted.
She suddenly smiled. “Because you’re truly too egotistical to let any woman pigeonhole you