But it wasn't as simple as that. Minka might be more than willing to sleep with him, but he knew she was inexperienced with men. Was it right for him to take her to bed knowing he could get sent back to his A-team at any time? No matter what she thought she wanted, she'd be devastated.
Even though it was as hard as hell, he dragged his mouth away from hers. Minka looked lost and confused for a moment; then she frowned.
"I was right," she said softly. "You're worried about taking me to bed because I am a virgin."
"What? No!" he said.
Then he realized that, in a way, he was.
Angelo sat back. Thinking would be a lot easier if Minka moved her thigh off his lap. It was hard to concentrate with her warm, soft skin so close to his cock.
"Okay, maybe that is it-a little," he said. "But I don't care that you're inexperienced. I just don't want you to get hurt."
She laughed and ran a hand down his chest. "You're big, but I don't think you'll hurt me if we make love."
He gently brushed her hair back from her face, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. "I didn't mean I would hurt you that way. I meant that if we sleep together, it might make it harder on you when I have to leave. I'd rather not put you through that."
Minka was silent, considering that. "Angelo, you are the kindest, most honorable man I have ever met. I want very much to make love to you. And not sleeping with you won't make it hurt any less if you leave."
Angelo didn't miss the fact that she said "if" and not "when," but he didn't correct her. He couldn't have even if he'd wanted to because Minka swung her leg over his lap, her bare thighs against his and her panty-covered pussy directly on top of his cock. Her warmth seeped through his jeans, making his shaft harden painfully.
Talk? He could barely think straight.
Minka leaned forward and kissed him. Groaning, he buried his hand in her hair and pulled her tighter to him, surrendering to the need to be with her. Who the hell was he fooling? It wasn't like he'd ever had a chance to resist.
Her taste made him drunk, and he ran his other hand up her bare thigh, sliding under her skirt. The feel of her taut muscles quivering under his fingers was so damn sexy that he found it hard to go slowly, but he knew he had to. For all her passion, Minka was still new at this. He was damn well going to take his time and make sure this was the most amazing night of her life.
When he reached the top of her thigh, he teased the silken skin at the edge of her panties with his finger. She moaned and rotated her hips, grinding against him rhythmically, in counterpoint to what he was doing with his fingers. The urge to slide underneath her underwear was powerful, but instead, he moved his hand around to her ass, caressing her perfect, womanly curves. Minka started breathing harder, but he kept his mouth on hers, continuing to kiss her no matter how aroused she became.
But it must have been too much for her because she broke the kiss as he slipped his fingers into the back of her panties and tickled his way down from the base of her spine to the cleft between her ass cheeks.
She let out a soft sound halfway between a purr and a growl. "I think you're teasing me."
Angelo chuckled and moved his hand around to slide a few fingers underneath her panties, playing in the damp curls there. Her breath hitched as he reached her clit, and he swore he caught a little flash of color in her eyes, though if it was red or green he couldn't say.
"Maybe a little," he admitted, making tiny circles right there on her most sensitive spot.
Minka closed her eyes, her lips parting as she gasped. She pressed her clit against him urgently, grinding her hips in tight circles and making the sexiest sounds he'd ever heard. She was so wet and hot, her breathing so ragged, that he had no doubt he could make her come if he wanted to.
But it was too soon for that. He wasn't intentionally trying to tease her. It was just that the first time he made her come, he wanted her to be completely and gloriously naked-and preferably writhing all over his equally naked body.
Angelo eased his fingers out of her panties and urged her off his lap, then stood and swept her into his arms. Minka rested her head on his shoulder as he started for the bedroom, a purr of approval escaping her lips.
When he reached the bed, he placed her gently on her feet, then gazed down at her. "You sure about this?"
She nodded, a smile curving her lips. "Very sure."
He slid his hands up her hips until he got to the edge of her tank top, then slowly pushed it up and over her head. She had on a simple satin bra with delicate lace trimming the cups, and he wondered briefly if they matched her panties. He'd find out soon enough.
Thumbs skimming the underside of her bra, he slid his hands around to unclasp it, then took it off, leaving her bare to the waist, her beautiful breasts rising and falling in her excitement. Her nipples had already hardened into firm peaks, and he gently cupped her breasts, teasing their rose-red tips between his thumbs and forefingers.
"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he asked hoarsely.
Minka didn't answer. She simply reached up and tangled her fingers in his hair, urging him down for a searing kiss.
* * *
The whole day had been like a dream.
Minka had known that kiss a few minutes ago was leading here the moment their lips had met. There was an urgency and intensity that hadn't been there the night before. She knew Angelo had felt it, too. And yet, he'd still been hesitant to make love to her. She understood his reluctance, but that was part of the reason she wanted to be with him so much. He was the kind of man who would always worry more about her than himself. She might not have much experience with men-okay, she had none-but she knew men as amazing as he was didn't come along very often. She wasn't going to waste the chance to be with him.
Still, her heart was beating like crazy. She wanted to be with Angelo more than anything in the whole world, but she was still nervous about the act itself. There were so many things she didn't know about men. What if she was so inept at making love that he was disappointed in her?
But when he'd stripped off her top and removed her bra, the awe-filled look on his face had taken her breath away. Then he was cupping her breasts and teasing the stiff peaks, and tingles rushed through her body like she'd been struck by lightning. He said something about her being beautiful, but she was too consumed by the need to kiss him again to be sure.
His strong arms wrapped around her naked back, and she shivered at the feel of the rough texture of his shirt rubbing against her nipples. She would have much preferred to press her bare breasts against his naked chest, but she wasn't bold enough to pull off his shirt like he'd done hers. And she certainly couldn't tell him what she wanted, either. Her face flamed at the thought.
So she lost herself in his kiss, moaning as his hands slid over her back and shoulders, occasionally moving around to squeeze and tease her breasts. She clung to him, afraid she'd fall if she didn't. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and there was a pulsing need between her legs she'd never experienced before.
She was so focused on the sensation, she didn't realize Angelo had unzipped her skirt until the fabric hit the floor. Then he was kneeling down in front of her, slipping his fingers in the waistband of her panties and pulling them down. The move was so sudden she had no time to even consider trying to cover her nakedness.
But for some crazy reason, she had no desire to hide her body from Angelo's gaze. After saving her life so many times, it was like he'd already seen into her soul. Why would she worry about him seeing her like this, too?
So she stood there while he kneeled before her, devouring her with his hungry gaze. He was mere inches from that secret place on her body that no man had ever seen before. Did he think she was as beautiful there as he claimed the rest of her to be?
Angelo put his big hands on her hips and leaned forward to press his warm, soft lips on the sensitive skin of her stomach, kissing her. She grabbed hold of his shoulders to steady herself. She'd never felt anything so amazing.
As his lips traced back and forth across her quivering stomach, his hands did the same to her bottom, caressing and squeezing, holding her firmly as his mouth wandered ever lower. Just when she was sure the sensations could not get any more incredible, he moved his mouth or hands somewhere else, proving her wrong.
When his tongue teased the skin just above the curls at the juncture of her thighs, she couldn't help but wonder how much lower his mouth would go. Would he lick her there? The thought alone was enough to make her legs go weak. She remembered talking with her girlfriends back in Tajikistan about men doing that to women. She'd never imagined wanting a man to do that to her, but now she found herself silently begging Angelo to do that as well as many other things.