Her Heart's Desire

She bit her lower lip. “Well, whatever it was, I liked it—a lot.”

“You did?”

She ran her hand up his chest. “Heck, yeah. It was…an unexpected pleasure.”

“In that case, you should know that I didn’t want to stop.”

“Me, either,” Tiffany confessed.

He traced a finger down her neck and across the scoop in her shirt. “As much as I wanted to make love to you right here on this table, I think our first time together should be on a surface a lot more comfortable.”

“I agree. I’m glad you came to see me, though. I was hoping you would.”

He kissed the palm of her hand. “You want me to help?”

“That would make this go faster.”

“I’m at your command, milady.”

“Really?” she asked boldly.

Ivan cupped her rear end. “Don’t push your luck, or we’ll finish what we started, and table be damned.”

They worked well together, finishing up her inventory in less than an hour. Ivan helped her lock up afterward.

He walked her back to her car. “I’ll follow you home.”

Tiffany didn’t bother telling him that she was fine and didn’t need an escort. Granted, Ivan was a little overprotective, but it wasn’t worth getting into a disagreement about it. They were just getting used to each other. Pretty soon, he wouldn’t be so attentive, she reasoned. In truth, Tiffany was just happy to be able spend more time with him.

When she got home, she parked her car, and then Ivan escorted her inside. He performed his usual check of her apartment while she waited in the foyer.

“Do you have to do that every time?”

“I feel better when I do,” he confessed. “Does it bother you?”

A part of her wanted to tell him yes, but instead she said, “No, of course not.”

She set her purse down on the table. “What a night.” She sighed.

“I don’t like you being at the store so late by yourself.”

“Ivan, I’m perfectly fine. You installed my security system, and I double-check to make sure my doors are always locked at closing. I’m good.”

He held out his hand. “Come here for a minute.”

She walked over. “What’s wrong?”

Ivan performed a series of movements in the air in front of her so fast that she could barely keep up.

“What was that?” she said in wonder.

“Three strikes you can use in close proximity to render an attacker defenseless. It’s what I’d planned to go over in the next class. I want you to get proficient in these moves—just in case.”

He walked her through blows to the groin, solar plexus and the tip of the chin.

“Now you try,” he instructed.

He let Tiffany move through the exercises, and coached her until her speed im