A CONTRACT ENGAGEMENT

His mouth brushed her cheek, sweeping along her cheekbone till she could feel his breath warm on the shell of her ear then moving back, back to her waiting lips, slowly, deliberately until only a whisper separated them, till his mouth was so close to hers that she was giddy with expectation, filled with want -deep, burning want, a want that suffused her, a want she had never, even in their most intimate moments, experienced, and he hadn’t even kissed her. Her breath was coming in short, unyielding gasps, his chest so close to hers that if she breathed any deeper their bodies would touch.

It was the pregnancy, she thought. Everything seemed to be heightened.

She was torn between want and dread, her body longing to arch towards his, her nipples stretching like buds to the sun, his hand still on the wall behind her head, and all she wanted was his touch.

As if in answer, his mouth found hers, the weight of his body pushing her down, his lips obliterating thought, reason, question, his masterful touch the only thought she could process, his tongue, stroking hers so deeply so intimately it was as if he were touching her deep inside, his skin dragging hers as his mouth moved against her, the sweet, decadent taste of him, the heady masculine scent of him stroking her awake from deep hibernation, awareness fizzing in where there had been none.

His power overwhelmed her, the strength of his arms around her slender body, the hard weight of his thighs as he pinned her to the wall and a vague peripheral awareness of a warm hand creeping along the length of her spinal column then sliding around her rib cage as his mouth worked ever on. A low needy sigh built as it slid around, his palm capturing the weight of her breast, the warmth of his skin through the sheer fabric of her dress had her curling into him, needy, wanton, desperate, swelling at his touch, her breasts engorging, shamefully reciprocating as the pad of his thumb teased her jutting nipple. So many sensations, so many responses, his tongue capturing hers in his lips, sucking on the swollen tip, his body pinning her in delicious confinement, his masculinity capturing her, overwhelming her. Yet she was hardly an unwilling participant- fingers coiling in his hair, pulling his face to hers as her body pressed against him, his touch unleashing her passion, her desire, flaming it to dangerous heat, a heat so intense there was no escape, and neither did she want one. His kiss was so intense there was no escape, and neither did she want one. His kiss was everything a kiss should be, everything she’d missed.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

And just as she dived into complete oblivion, just as she would have given anything, anything for this moment to continue, for him to douse the fire within her, he wrenched his head away, an expression she couldn’t read in his eyes as he looked coolly down at her.

“I should go, Red.” he said, his voice husky.

Words failing her, Nina couldn’t even nod, embarrassment creeping in now. He could have taken her there and then-with one crook of his finger she would have led him inside, would have made love to him, would have let him make love to her. What was it with this man?

Emotionally he troubled her, terrified her even, yet still she was drawn to him, even after everything, she physically couldn’t resist him.

“I will see you tomorrow.” His voice was completely normal and his hands were still on her trembling body. She stared back at him, unable to fathom that he could appear so unmoved, that he was still standing after what they’d just shared. Blindly she nodded, her hair tumbling down around her face, eyes frowning as Julian reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a handful of chocolate mints, the ones he knew she liked so much.

“I bought these on my way to the hospital. Sorry I was kind of in a hurry so I wouldn’t miss your appointment with the doctor, so I didn’t really package them well…” Taking her hand, he filled it with the sweet chocolate delicacies. She could feel them soft and melting through the foil as he closed her fingers around them. “I know how much you like them!”

An incredulous smile broke onto her lips at the gesture, a tiny glimmer that maybe things were OK, that things might actually turn out well. That she didn’t really have to worry so much. That she had been so worried about the things that didn’t really matter. That Julian didn’t think any less of her because of what had happened. That he still cared.

“You really brought them… My favorite. You didn’t really have to go through the trouble of doing that” She gave a tiny half-laugh, suddenly feeling happier than she had felt in a while. Even over something so small.

“Oh, no.” He shook his head, and grinned at her, a boyish grin that made her heart flip and sent chills all over her body. She wished he would kiss her again. “It was no trouble at all really. You’re having my baby. You’re going to get everything… Anything you like or want. I would gladly do it”

He leaned closer and planted a kiss on her forehead, and then he was gone.

———————-

“I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” Julian said as he walked towards Nina.

Three weeks had passed since the doctor’s appointment and that kiss, and she and Julian were getting along fine. Working together when it came to Standard Gate and Mart Enterprises and making plans for the baby. She didn’t move in with him as he requested, but she let him visit her and spend time with her. He was being very helpful and she appreciated that, but nothing intimate had happened between them since then. Today she and Abby had visited him, and Abby had gone out to buy groceries, so Nina decided to have a little picnic while working on her laptop, only that she’d fallen asleep after a while.

“It’s fine. You didn’t disturb me” Nina attempted, struggling to sit up, slightly disoriented and extremely embarrassed that Julian had found her in the middle of the day, hot and filthy in nothing more than the skimpiest of shorts and a crop top, lying on a blanket with her eyes closed.

“Where’s Abby?” he asked

“Out buying groceries” she said.