Here I Am (Arabesque) - By Rochelle Alers Page 0,79
going to ask one thing from you as my girlfriend,” Brandt said after a comfortable silence.
Ciara felt her heart kick into a faster rhythm. Now it’s time for the other shoe to drop, she thought. “What is it?”
Brandt’s hand moved from her breast to her hip. “Why do you make it sound as if I’m asking you to do something you don’t want to do?”
“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”
He kissed her forehead. “You are precious to me, baby. What I’m asking is for you to give yourself to me and I’ll give you all of myself in return.”
Ciara stared at the attractive cleft in his strong chin. “Is that it?”
“If you want me to ask for more, then I can come up with a laundry list, baby,” Brandt said, chuckling softly.
“No, Brandt. I don’t have a problem with what you’re asking for.”
He sobered, meeting her eyes. “It’s just not your body I want, Ciara.” The seconds ticked by as they stared at each other.
“You want me to love you,” Ciara said perceptively. To her surprise, Brandt showed no reaction, and she knew that she’d read him correctly.
“Am I asking too much from you?”
She felt a momentary panic before it disappeared like a wisp of smoke. Brandt was asking her to love him when she’d used everything in her emotional arsenal to fight her deepening feelings for her patient. She’d rationalized, telling herself she had no time for love and that when she walked away from Brandt she would take her love for him with her.
“No, darling. You aren’t asking for too much.”
Brandt’s gaze softened, becoming a caress when he stared into her eyes. “I love you, Ciara, and because I do I would never do anything to hurt you.”
Ciara placed her fingers over his mouth. “Let’s enjoy what we have.” Her mouth replaced her fingers when she caressed his mouth, silently communicating her love for the man holding her to his heart.
Reaching down, Brandt placed Ciara’s leg over his. He bit down on his lip when his penis hardened quickly. He still couldn’t make love to Ciara using positions that would bring them maximum pleasure, but at least now he didn’t have to rely on her straddling his lap.
He longed for the day when he could place her on her back and he would start at her neck and taste every inch of her fragrant body until they experienced the full range of lovemaking. Grasping his erection, he guided it between her thighs, closing his eyes and moaning when her moist heat closed around his sex.
Making love facing each other made Ciara feel vulnerable. She wasn’t able to hide her reaction to Brandt’s lovemaking from him. He hadn’t put on a condom because she was now using a contraceptive, and without the barrier of latex the sex was more intense.
Brandt raised her leg, resting it over his waist, while he angled his lower body for deeper penetration. He rotated his hips, pulled back and pushed, each time deeper, harder. If it were possible, he wanted to stay inside her until hunger or forces of nature forced him to pull out. Whenever he made love with Ciara he felt as if he’d come home. She was safe haven, a sanctuary where he found a peace he hadn’t known was missing in his life.
“Open your eyes, baby.” He smiled at the dreamy expression on her face. “I want you to look at me when I tell you that I love you.”
A rush of tears filled Ciara’s eyes, spiking her lashes. “I’m listening.” The two words were whispered.
Brandt clamped his jaw and went completely still in an effort not to release himself inside her, but not making love to her for weeks had tested his resolve. He went to bed wanting her, woke with an erection and craved her throughout the day. There were days when he deliberately avoided her because he feared forcing her into a situation she hadn’t agreed to. He always wanted their coming together to be by mutual consent. She was not his possession, something he could use, put away and use again at his whim.
“Not only do I love you, but I’m also in love with you.”
Ciara smiled through the watery tears threatening to overflow. Her chin quivered. “I hate you for making it so easy for me to fall in love with you.”
“You love me and you hate me. What’s up with the ambivalence?”