The Price of His Redemption

‘My father?’ Libby blinked. ‘And tell him what a bad girl his daughter is?’

‘No.’ Daniil smiled. ‘To say that I will go next weekend.’

He waited for her smile to widen, for a dart of triumph in her eyes now that she had got her way, but he was slightly taken aback when instead she frowned.

‘But you said that you didn’t want to go.’

‘I know that I did, but I’ve given it some thought and...’ He wasn’t about to tell her about the letters—that was way too personal to him—so he shrugged and was vague instead. ‘Maybe it is the right thing to do.’

‘Not if...’ She was clearly uncomfortable with his choice. ‘Daniil, I knew, almost the second I said I’d do it, that it was wrong to try to persuade you...’

‘You didn’t persuade me,’ he said. ‘I decided to go by myself.’

‘You’re sure?’ she checked.

He nodded.

She was like no one he had ever met. He could tell that she was uncomfortable with her part in it all.

Up till that moment he had thought she might be playing a game and that the reason for her visit would contain another attempt to change his mind.

He moved her up his lap, just slithered her unresisting body closer to his.

‘Someone might come in,’ she said.

‘No one ever comes in without Cindy’s say-so.’

‘Even so.’

But remembering that he had sent Cindy to lunch, Daniil went into his drawer and pulled out a tiny remote and there was the thunk of the door locking.

She wanted him but hadn’t expected this.

For a week there had been nothing. No phone call, no flowers, no anything and now here she was, sitting on his lap facing him.

Their one night Libby could never describe as a mistake but, despite her bravado, it had rattled her.

A lot.

She had found it hard, no, impossible, to believe that was it and, guiltily, even if the present had been left at Reception she had hoped it might serve as a prompt, to remind him about what she could not forget—their night.

‘I can’t kiss you,’ Libby said, revelling at the feel of his solid legs between her thighs. ‘I’m not walking out of here with my face all smeared.’

‘Don’t...’ He was about to say, ‘Don’t come here wearing red lipstick next time, then,’ but changed his mind. ‘Don’t kiss me, then, but I can still kiss you.’

She closed her eyes in bliss as his lips met her neck and her skin nearly wept in relief as finally Houston made contact again. His lips brushed her tender skin and then there was the warm wet slide of tongue. As he kissed her neck he undid the wrap of her dress and then lowered the little cami she wore so one breast was exposed, and he kissed her there. He swirled round her nipple with his tongue, making little nips with his teeth.

‘Oh...’ Libby squirmed in his lap at the pleasure and held on to his shoulders. His tongue was cool on her breast at first and then warm, the tiny nips and sucks were making her feel faint and she was incredibly, rapidly, turned on, especially as he slid down in the seat enough so that his hands moved her hips over his erection.

‘This could go far too far...’ she breathed, as his fingers burrowed into her panties.

‘Good.’

It did go far too far because he took a letter opener and dealt with the lacy threads of her underwear so she was completely naked to the hand that stroked her.

‘Daniil...’ she whispered into his ear, ‘I’m not on the Pill...’

‘Get yourself on it, then.’

She blinked.

She wanted to dash out and find where Cindy kept the fire extinguisher just so she could put out the sudden hope in her heart that flared. The hope that said that there would be more, that he and she...

‘What?’ he said, as he felt her still.

‘I went to the doctor this morning. It’s okay, I wasn’t hanging out for you to call me or anything...’ She hesitated and then, what the hell, she chose honesty. ‘Well, of course I was, but really I was a little worried by my lack of morals the other night. I don’t regularly fall into bed...’

‘You didn’t fall,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t let you.’

In between words he was flicking her nipple with his tongue and it felt as he was doing the same to her clitoris as she remembered her legs resting on his shoulders as he’d made magic with his mouth.

‘The other night was...’ Libby attempted to explain that it had been an exception but it was hard to form a sentence as his fingers moved faster inside her and the suction of his mouth around her breast had her frantic in his arms.