Touch Me Not(44)

Nikoli leaned in, so close he could smell the strawberry and vanilla scent of her shampoo and body wash. It drove him slightly crazy every time he was in close proximity to her.

“Would you be okay if I kissed you?” He inhaled the sweet scent of her that was sure to drive him mad.

“Maybe.” Lily drew in a ragged breath, but didn’t move away. She moved closer to him, and Nikoli groaned. He’d been fantasizing about her lips all day. Just the thought of actually kissing her nearly sent him over the edge right then.

He lowered his head to hers, his nose brushing hers. She didn’t flinch. She went completely still, but she didn’t flinch. He heard her gasp, the soft intake of breath. His eyes looked into hers. He saw the desire. Saw the fear, but mostly he saw trust. She trusted him not to force her to do anything she couldn’t do. She trusted him not to become angry if she couldn’t do it.

That, more than anything else, made Lily Holmes the most dangerous creature he’d ever encountered. She could break him, and he didn’t care.

His breath feathered across her lips. He waited. She still hadn’t moved, but he could see her fingers tearing at each other. She was scared and nervous. He’d go slowly if it killed him. And it just might. “Are you good, Milaya?”

“Yes,” she whispered. He could smell the peppermint on her breath.

“Good girl,” he said and started to move closer, to close the tiny gap between their lips…

“Lily!” The pounding on the door started seconds after the bellow. Nikoli groaned.#p#分页标题#e#

“Ignore it,” he pleaded, even as Lily started to move away.

“I can’t.” She sounded just as frustrated as he did, but she got up and answered the door.

Nikoli sighed and let himself fall backward on her bed. So close. So damn close. He wasn’t sure if she’d let him try again. She’d been so nervous to begin with, she might have seen the door as the proverbial bell that saved her. Not kissing her might even set them back in their progress, dammit. She’d get all nervous and start having doubts. He had to keep her in the now, not let her past haunt her.

The two girls at Lily’s door kept peeking around her to catch a glimpse of him, and an idea started to form. A grin slid across his face. She wasn’t going to remember her own fears. Nope, she was going to remember laughter instead. He sat up and pulled his shirt off. The girls’ eyes widened, and one of them stammered. Lily turned her head toward him when the girl in question didn’t answer for the third time. Lily’s own eyes went round. She glanced from him to the girls, her face flaming. Nikoli chuckled. Well, he’d laugh, anyway. She might go to bed screaming in rage.

He watched as she hurried the girls up and then shut her door, before turning to face him. She stayed where she was, but that was okay with him. He loved watching her reactions.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded after a minute.

“Doing?” he asked innocently.

“Put your shirt back on!” She did the whisper shout thing, which only caused him to laugh.

“I don’t want to,” he told her and then grinned. Her eyes widened. She knew his I’m-up-to-no-good grin. He bounced the bed.

Lily’s mouth dropped open in a silent O. He bounced it again, the mattress squeaking.

“Stop that!” She ran over to stand in front of him. “I mean it, Nikoli, stop it right now. You know they’re out there listening.”

“Make me.” He started to bounce the bed again, harder, forcing the old mattress to groan in protest. Lily looked mortified, and when he groaned loudly, using his hand to knock the headboard against the wall, he thought she might faint.

“This isn’t funny!” she seethed. “People are listening!”

He knew that. He’d heard the footsteps and the whispering too. He chuckled and bounced the bed faster and harder, his hand forcing the headboard to hit the wall repeatedly. He let out another long, deep moan and said, “Lily…”

She grabbed him and hauled him off the bed, falling with him. He turned mid-fall so his back hit the floor, and she landed on top of him. Her leg landed between his, and it took every ounce of control he had not to hiss. He was hard, and the simple touch actually hurt.

Lily stared nonplussed at him, and Nikoli bit back a groan. She moved and rubbed along his length. “Lily, if you move, I won’t guarantee you’ll walk away unscathed.”

“I…” She shifted, trying to push away from him, and her knee pressed in on him. It was too much. He rolled, keeping her safe until the last minute. She hit the floor and he caged her, careful not to touch her. “I told you not to move,” he bit out.