Fragile Longing

Danilo’s cursing caught my attention, so I stepped out of the bathroom of my old bedroom. It was the day of Emma’s and Samuel’s wedding in Minneapolis. Danilo and I had flown in only this morning because of a late-night meeting Danilo had to attend in Indianapolis. We were staying with my parents and it felt strange to be back in my childhood room as a married woman with my husband. Though the room held no sign of childhood, I felt as if I had been catapulted back to my younger self in my old surroundings.

Danilo was tugging at his tie, glowering at his reflection in my vanity. He had to bend slightly to see himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s crooked,” he bit out.

Raising my eyebrows, I approached him. The tie looked perfectly fine to me, but Danilo had been in a mood all morning. “Let me,” I said, even though Danilo was better at binding ties. He dropped his arms and straightened.

“Is this because your sister is getting married to my brother?”

Danilo grimaced. “I can’t believe she’s getting married today. I know she’s a grown woman, but to me she’s still the little girl I want to protect.”

I smiled. “That’s why Samuel doesn’t like you very much. You took away his little sister.”

Danilo chuckled, his arms coming around me. “Yeah, he and I have the same protective streak. But I’m not giving you back, either.”

My breath hitched at our new closeness, and my fingers curled around his tie.

Danilo searched my eyes.

Kiss me, I wanted to say but I stayed mute.

Danilo lowered his head slowly, giving me all the time in the world to pull back. His warm breath brushed my lips, and my heart beat so quickly that I was worried it might burst through my ribcage.

Of course, I’d heard girls whispering about kissing. That it could be a magical moment that filled your belly with butterflies. When Danilo’s mouth touched mine, it was all that. My body warmed, and a flock of butterflies went on a rampage in my stomach. But that wasn’t even half of it. I’d never thought a kiss could make my core clench with desire, could make me so aroused that my panties stuck to my throbbing skin, but Danilo’s lips om mine managed that. He massaged my scalp as he tilted my head while his other palm rubbed circles on my back. And his mouth and tongue . . . My mind was spinning as my tongue followed his lead. He kissed me without hurry, a languid, savoring kiss, as our tongues discovered each other.

Danilo pulled back to suck on my lower lip. My breathing grew heavier as our mouths slid over each other, as his tongue teased and stroked in a way that made me want to feel it in other places.

When he finally broke the kiss, I was dazed and panting. My panties were soaked, and I wanted nothing more than to get some relief. Danilo’s eyes seemed to have darkened and his chest was heaving. He glanced at his watch and shook his head.

“Damn it. It’s time for us to head out. Your family will be waiting for us in church.”

How could he be so controlled, how could he not want to rip my clothes off? Part of me was glad, the part that remembered our last encounter and clinging to my pride, but the part my throbbing core led had other plans. Still, I stepped back, nodding. I knew my face was flushed.

Danilo grabbed his jacket from the chair at my vanity. That’s when I noticed the bulge in his pants. Triumph shot through me. He slanted a look at me as if he was trying to see how I was dealing with our kiss.

Gathering my courage, I went over to my suitcase and grabbed a fresh pair of panties. Mine felt sticky and I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing them at the wedding, but under different circumstances I would have hidden that fact from Danilo to spare myself the embarrassment. After seeing his arousal, however, I wanted him to know I wasn’t unaffected by the kiss.

Danilo’s eyes never left mine.

I flashed him a coy smile. “Just give me a sec to change, okay?”

His gaze flickered over the panties dangling from my fingers and his nostrils flared, his eyes darkening even more. “Go ahead.” His voice was little more than a rasp.

Almost high with giddiness, I retreated into the bathroom. I didn’t close the door. Reaching beneath my lavender cocktail dress, I tugged down my soaked panties. Danilo hadn’t moved from his spot in the center of my room, and it thrilled me that he was watching me.

My body thrummed under his attention. Pretending I didn’t notice, I stepped into the fresh panties and shimmied them up my legs.

When I returned to Danilo’s side, his arm snaked around my waist. I didn’t pull back.