The Pieces We Keep(34)

Tears filled her eyes, fed by a pool of stupidity. Falling this hard for a man, much less one on another continent, made her worse than foolish.

She rushed to the ladder, starkly aware she had brought this on herself.

“Now, hold one minute.”

When she ignored the plea, Isaak grabbed her by the elbow. She struggled to continue, but he pulled her off from behind and bound her with his arms. “Just calm down and listen.”

“Let me go!”

“Look at me,” he ordered. He released her just enough to twist her around, and her arm flung free, striking his face. He stood there, stunned.

A budding of fear opened inside her. She recognized the edge in his eyes that had always lured her in. Before she could act, he pressed her back against the ladder. He charged forward to retaliate, but with a kiss. Flared with such hunger, it dizzied her thoughts.

No ... she would not be manipulated so easily.

She salvaged just enough will to wedge her hands between their bodies and pushed against his chest. Yet he gripped her wrists and raised them to the rungs above. He stilled her head by pressing his cheek to hers and whispered raggedly by her ear.

“I do love you, damn it. So much, it’s hard to breathe when we’re apart. I’d marry you tonight if I could. You have to know that.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, told herself not to listen. But the heat of his skin, the raw yearning in his tone, weakened her resolve.

“Look at me,” he said again, and relinquished his grip on her wrists. “Darling, please ...”

She felt his thumb wipe a trail of moisture from her cheek. He leaned into her, his leg touching her thigh, paralyzing her. His mouth brushed her forehead. He stretched slow kisses toward her temple, and the space in her lungs constricted. Every breath took concerted effort.

“I’ll go.” He spoke almost too softly for her to hear. She expected him to pull away and ascend the ladder, before he added, “I’ll go with you.”

She digested the words, the full force of their meaning. Her eyes opened and found his face only inches away. “But-you just said-”

“For Christ’s sake, Vivian. I think I deserved a moment to take it in. Until a few weeks ago, you had me convinced you were in no hurry for anything serious.”

Until a few weeks ago, she had convinced herself of the same. Still, she remained leery of escalating her hopes. “And ... your family?”

His gaze fell to the side, a long quiet beat. “I don’t know. But there has to be a way.”

“Of... ?”

He looked at her. “To take my mother back to the States. Then I’d know she’d be safe.”

Vivian wished her father would help, but his opinions of Germans, particularly after today, would make him utterly inflexible. It was otherwise a wondrous plan. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

One side of Isaak’s mouth hinted at a smile. He tucked away a strand of her hair and again pressed his lips to hers. Vivian’s fingers joined behind his neck, drawing him closer. His hand slid beneath her sweater, over her dress, just below her breast. With his other hand he stretched her collar to the side, and his tongue traced over her shoulder in moist, rapturous strokes. Indescribable heat flared through her middle, arching her back, sending a moan from her throat.

Soon, his fingers left her collar, brushed past the side of her waist and hip, and started their way up under her dress. They traveled over her right stocking and beneath her slip. Once at her garter belt, he slowed his pace as if waiting for her to stop him.

This was the boundary they never crossed, despite the pulsing of temptation. Out of habit, her hand indeed layered over his, but this time she surprised even herself by guiding him to continue.

He complied for an instant but then resisted. He peered into her eyes, his forehead creased. “Are you sure?”

A fresh wave of desire surged through her. More than that, the need to prove just how certain she was-not only of their intimacy, but of her commitment to their future. It was just a matter of time before they would trade vows of forever. Perhaps deep inside she had known this the minute they first met.

Reinforced by the notion, she returned to their improvised blanket. She faced him before removing her shoes and sweater. The lantern light flickered over his captivated features, reducing her modesty to cinders. Unbuttoning her dress, she let the garment fall. She did the same to her slip.

Isaak’s hunter-like gaze roamed over her figure. She fought the instinct to cover herself, already feeling naked, but then he came closer. He said nothing as he stripped away his clothes, picking up speed with each article.

Acutely aware of his arousal, she felt her entire body flush. He finished undressing her, leaving a trail of sensations over every area he touched, and guided her to lie with him. The ground should have been cool through the burlap cloth, yet she scarcely registered the temperature. His mouth, his fingers, sloped over her breasts and down the tautness of her belly, causing her knees to bend.