Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) (19 page)

She couldn’t take anymore. Nikki tugged at his shirt, forcing him to stop what he was doing to oblige her as she pulled it over his head. Before he could toss the shirt aside, she had already started to unbutton his jeans. His bare chest distracted her, and she started kissing down the indent before giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Her tongue snaked along his hardened nipples, raising the tiny hairs surrounding it into goose bumps. Adrian rocked his head back, eyes closed, squeezing her shoulders. She pressed up against him, feeling how ready he was despite his teasing. Her hands roamed along the curve of his back and down over his blue-jeaned derriere. He had the nicest one she had ever seen, tight, small and firm. With his jeans unzipped and loose, she was able to slip her fingers beneath his briefs to the soft skin beneath.

Adrian’s muscles tensed beneath her touch, and she realized that every muscle in his body was rigid and ready.
Every
muscle. She slid his jeans down over his hips, and he stepped out of them. His briefs slid down with them, and with a startled realization, she was standing there with a completely naked man. A gorgeous one. She could only stare at his body with all its ridges, muscles and tan skin.

Adrian took that moment to slide her panties down and pull her against him. His flesh was hot, and wet where she had plied him with her tongue. Pressed against his nakedness, she was all too aware of his desire.

After a minute, he leaned back and touched her cheek. His eyes were intense as they took her in. “BlueFire,” he whispered.

She took a deep breath, fighting the trembling that shook her insides. He kissed her again, turning her toward the bed and laying her down. His hands touched her everywhere, and she explored him in the same way.

He nudged her inner thighs apart, then trailed his finger around the most highly charged part of her body. She sucked in a deep breath at his touch as the bubbles of a thousand bottles of champagne burst inside her. Still, he stroked, though she knew he must be in agony with waiting. His erection rubbed against her stomach, leaving a sticky trail. She reached down and stroked him, feathery touches at first, and then wrapping her fingers around him. He let out a groan of pleasure. She marveled at the feel of him, soft skin, hard shaft, and those lovely sounds she could get him to make.

He gave her a quick kiss and leaned to the side where he grabbed his wallet and pulled out a condom. She watched him roll it down the length of him. Her stomach tightened at the thought of him inside her, both scary and good.

He positioned himself above her, gently pushing against her entrance. “Nikki, I don’t want to hurt you.”

She didn’t want to tell him right then why she was so tight. “It’s okay.”

“You’re not—”

“It’s been a long time,” she said. A real long time. “I’ll be fine.”

He very gently entered her, and she prepared for a jolt of pain. Yes, it hurt, but not enough to overshadow the feeling of him filling her. Strangely, it was at that moment that she realized she loved him. Or was in love with him. She wasn’t good at any of this stuff, but she did know that he filled her more than just physically.

She was so tight, he couldn’t move easily inside her at first. It didn’t take long for her body to accommodate him. He kissed her, watching her expression. Once the pain subsided, she gave him a smile. It was a signal to him that he could move faster. The rush of feelings before couldn’t begin to compare to the volcano building inside her.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and matched his rhythm, every stroke feeding the volcano, pushing it closer to the surface. He kissed her just as hers erupted, shattering her insides into what felt like a million pieces of red-hot lava. She felt the tremor through his body, and he squeezed her so tight she thought she might break. After a few moments, his grip relaxed as he let out a long breath.

He bracketed her face with his fingers, then kissed her fiercely when she expected a softer kiss. She felt him throbbing inside her, sending the vibration through her entire body. No regrets, no doubts. Nothing had ever felt so right.

Emotions shot through Adrian’s mind that he’d never felt before. Nothing to do with lovemaking itself, but … love? He wasn’t even sure what that emotion was, or if it was valid. Nikki looked up at him, her eyes filled with wonder. Their bodies were slick with sweat where they bonded together. Her blond hair was splayed out all over the pillow around her, reminding him of an angel again. She wasn’t an angel anymore. He was pretty sure she wasn’t as innocent as she had been an hour before. Obviously she hadn’t wanted him to know, but the thought of it tightened him down to his core.

He let out a satisfied groan as he pressed his entire body against hers. Feeling every inch of her, damn, it washed over him like no other lovemaking ever had. Fearing he would crush her, he rolled to the side so she lay on top of him. She snuggled into his shoulder where she fit perfectly. Her hair washed down over her shoulders and ticked his chest.

He rubbed a strand of it between his fingers. “Nikki, you are so beautiful.”

She smiled. “Why did you call me ‘BlueFire’?”

“That’s what I called you before I knew your name. Did you think it was some other woman’s name I was calling out?”

She shook her head. “No. I knew it was me. I don’t know why, but I just knew.”

“Good, because I couldn’t have thought about anyone else but you.” He didn’t want to think about anyone else ever again, but he had to know. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, it was wonderful. Well, maybe a little right at the beginning.” She looked at him strangely, tilting her head. “Could you tell? That it was my first time?”

His heart clenched. “I wondered, because you were so tight.”

She smiled, those soft lips tantalizing. “You were so gentle. You took your time, even though I knew you wanted to…” She nodded her head.

He traced a finger down her slick skin, between her lovely breasts and down to her belly button. The shell necklace made her look exotic. “You were incredible.” He gave her stomach a gentle pinch. “Especially for a first timer.” He kneaded his forehead, something from reality forcing into his conscience. “I didn’t come here expecting to”—
fall in love
. He couldn’t mean that, could he?—“seduce you. I had to see if you were real. When I found you, I wanted to help you. I still do.”

“You can’t help me. There’s nothing you can do.”

“I’m not leaving you alone here.”

“I’ve been surviving by myself on the streets for two years now. In two more years I’ll be free, if I can remember how to live in society again. Maybe…”

He took her hand and squeezed it. “Maybe you’ll look me up then? Is that what you were going to say?” She shrugged. “Nikki, you’re coming back to New York. You’ll stay in my apartment with me. That’s far enough away from here.”

“I can’t live off you, depend on you to take care of me and keep me safe. Besides, that’s a lot of responsibility for you to take. Devlin’s good at finding people. He’s always been vindictive. A former friend of his borrowed money and then took off. Devlin used his connections—that’s how he put it, anyway, when he was bragging about it—and showed up on the guy’s doorstep in Chicago. Devlin didn’t say how he got his money back, but he intimated that it was through force. I wouldn’t feel safe, for you or for me.”

“But you’re closer to him here.”

“He’d never think of looking for me here, especially in the streets. I know you don’t understand, but I’m truly safer here. I’m comfortable here, and I’m taking care of myself for the first time in my life.”

He wasn’t going to give up that easily. Now that he had her trust, he would convince her to come back to New York with him, someway, somehow. It was too early in their relationship for him to force his will on her.

After they washed up and shared a piece of chocolate cake, they settled back into bed. Nikki drifted right off to sleep, and Adrian followed soon after. As tired as he was, though, he woke a few hours later, sometime before dawn. She was lying only a few inches away, on her side, facing him. He wanted to touch her but didn’t want to wake her. There would be time for that later.

He realized that the fierce protectiveness came from something deeper than humanity. She was special, delicate and brave. For some reason beyond their understanding, their souls were connected, a connection that had led him here to help her. She needed him, even if she didn’t know it yet.

He found himself envisioning her in his apartment, wearing one of his white terry robes with a mug of coffee in her hand. The scary part was that she fit into that picture so well. He had never imagined a woman in his life, because he’d never wanted to imagine one there. Having a woman—a wife—meant trusting her with all his secrets and fears, meant being trustworthy as well. He had never wanted to expend that effort because it never seemed worth it. Now, as he looked at Nikki, he wondered if he’d found a woman who was worth it. She already knew his deepest secret. Heck, she
was
his deepest secret. Maybe he knew hers, too.

Adrian wanted more than anything else to give her a life again, and he was willing to do anything to accomplish that. Then they could see what was left for them. He shook his head, surprised at his thoughts. When he looked at Nikki, he saw a lonely person struggling to stay alive, living through the days without love. He realized that when he looked in the mirror, he saw the same thing. Sure, he was surrounded by luxury, had a great career and plenty of money. Deep inside, he was just as lonely.

CHAPTER 12

What a wonderful dream, Nikki thought, as the sun woke her. Then she felt the weight of an arm slung possessively across her middle. She slowly turned her head and found Adrian asleep beside her. There was nothing innocent or angelic about him, not even in sleep. She felt strange, waking up next to a gorgeous, naked man with whom she’d made love with the night before.

But now what? He couldn’t stay here, and she couldn’t stay there either. Not in his house. She felt an ache in her heart, wondering if falling in love with Adrian wasn’t the dumbest thing she’d ever done. As if she had a choice.

She thought of a finger of lightning shooting down from a stormy Hawaiian sky, stilling his heart long enough for his soul to travel to hers at the moment her life shattered.

Adrian’s thick, dark lashes opened. He smiled sleepily at her, reaching out to touch her cheek. She touched his, too, feeling the beginnings of that beard he used to wear. She liked him clean-shaven.

“Stay here,” he said, his voice husky. “I don’t want you to go back to the city.”

“Adrian, I can’t.”

“I’ll rent a place somewhere else, then. Farther away from your old house. Wherever you want.”

“You have to go back to New York.”

“Yes, I do.”

She felt a strange disappointment in that, though it had to be. She started to get out of bed, but he pulled her back into his arms.

“How can I help you, short of proving Devlin guilty? Is that the only way?”

“No. Don’t go near him. Adrian, promise me you won’t see him again.”

After a pause, he nodded. “So there’s nothing I can do?”

“I’m afraid not. But thank you for trying to be my knight in shining armor. I’ve never had one of those before.” She smiled, trying to shove the dark mood away. The memory of the maiden in the castle waiting for her prince shot into her mind, and she closed her eyes for a second. She hadn’t known then just what a prince he was.

Crackers put his paws up on the side of the bed, ears perked up. Adrian leaned over and pet him, and Nikki could swear the dog was smiling.

“I’d better go.” She searched for her clothes on the floor. Thoughts of the night before rushed like fire through her body. “I have to get some photographs made.” She also had to move her van from the country club parking lot at the end of the street.

Adrian sat up, combing his fingers through his silky dark hair. “As much as I’d love to convince you to stay, I promised Dave I’d be at the shelter early this morning.” He glanced at the clock. “I’m already late. I’ve got some bagels for breakfast.”

They sat at the table covered with her photographs and ate a toasted bagel with cream cheese and lox. It was a luxury she hadn’t experienced in a while. Adrian wore baggy white pants and a sweatshirt that made his shoulders look broader, strong enough to hold the weight of the world on them. Oh, how she wished she could unload her burdens on him. His hair was straight and tied back, and his face was smooth and clean.

“Nikki, we’re not done,” he said after they’d finished eating.

She eyed him warily. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t expect me to go on like nothing happened, not after last night. I’m going to find a way to get you out of here.”

How could she tell him how much last night had meant to her? She didn’t want him to know anyway. It would only cause trouble. “I’ll come by tonight,” was all she committed to. “What time?”

“I’ll knock off about six.”

“Okay.”

He took a key ring from the peg next to where she’d taken the shell necklace and handed it to her. “This is the key to this house. Come anytime you want. You can park the van in the back, if you want. Or did you already?”

“No, it’s down the street. I’ll see you tonight.”

The bells on the door jingled as they always did when she walked into The Garcia Gallery, a bit of familiarity in her strange life. Ulyssis smiled when he saw her, closing his checkbook and walking around the white counter.

“Hello, Nicolina. You look lovely, happy.” He eyed her suspiciously. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Well, okay, something. But I don’t want you to worry about me.”

“It’s that man, isn’t it? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from him?”

“I didn’t listen to you, and see what happened?” She lifted her arms. “I’m perfectly healthy and alive.”

“And in love,” he said, touching his chin. “Oh, boy, do you have troubles, young lady.”

Nikki leaned against the counter. “I know, but it’s not the kind you think. Adrian Nash is Adrian Wilde, and he was the man who came in here. He’s not working for Devlin, and he doesn’t want to do me any harm. In fact, he wants to take me away from here.”