“You did?” I asked as I took a sip of my coffee and waited for him to finish his chewing of food.
“Damned right I did. It’s a side to you I hadn’t seen yet and believe me, I want more of it. I don’t want you to feel embarrassed, ashamed, afraid, or nervous around me. I think I’ve proven to you I’m not in this just to have your body. I want you, all of you.”
“Is that why you’ve refused to sleep with me? To prove to me you don’t want me for a quick shag?” I snapped harsher than I intended, but I held the steely gaze he had pinned my way at my attitude. Funny how I can seem to express my emotions quite easily and naturally around Nikoli without a second thought, but I can’t speak this way around Max. It was something else that was changing about me, that Nikoli was changing about me.
“If that’s what you think, you’re wrong! I had my reasons not to take advantage of you, Raine! I wasn’t trying to prove shit to you!” He snapped back. He dropped his cutlery loudly to the plate and turned himself to face me.
I didn’t flinch at the loud clattering of cutlery, instead I rolled my eyes. “Why didn’t you want me then?”
Standing up slightly, he dragged his chair towards me and when he physically couldn’t get any closer to me, he sat back down and gripped his hand at the nape of my neck, pulling my head closer to him. “I wanted you the moment my eyes met yours outside the studio that day, I’ve wanted you ever since. I wanted you last night, this morning and even now.”
“But?” I whispered as my hand stroked up and down his thigh.
“But I can’t do it knowing you’ll be going back home to your husband and I know deep down you would have regretted sleeping with me, the guilt would have eaten you up. Look how you freaked out over the kiss outside the club, imagine how you would feel today if more had of happened between us last night,” he replied quietly.
I leant forward and buried my face into his neck and inhaled deeply allowing his scent to soothe and calm me. “You’re right, I would have freaked out,” I mumbled more to myself than to him.
“Once you’ve broken away from him, I’m yours in every way you want me, whether that’s today or in two weeks,” he whispered sullenly. He kissed my cheek then untangled himself and moved back towards his original seat at the table.
“Two weeks,” I muttered. I picked up my cutlery and forced myself to eat the breakfast Nikoli had gone to the trouble of cooking for me, while I had sat on the couch, taking my full opportunity of ogling him. He was a welcome sight.
“Two weeks,” he mumbled in agreement, seemingly disheartened by my decision to go home.
As I watched the way his jaw flexed as he chewed, the way his tongue licked against his lips, and the way he periodically brushed his hair from his face, I couldn’t help but feel that these next two weeks were going to be the longest two weeks of my entire existence.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to wait two weeks.
In fact, I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait out the next two weeks. Not now.
I needed to move my plan forward.