Isn't It Bromantic (Bromance Book Club #4) - Lyssa Kay Adams Page 0,86

capture in the written word what this felt like? “This— I’m sorry. Oh, God, I’m sorry. I can’t stop.”

She clung to him tighter and urged him on. “Don’t stop. I just want to be with you.”

Not yet. Not yet. He chanted it in his mind, but it was no use. Atoms collided. Stars exploded. He choked out her name and shuddered as wave after wave released inside her. He collapsed in a heap of weak knees and stunned muscles. She sought his kiss with a shuddered breath, and still nestled inside her, he feasted on her mouth languidly. Atop the blanket, he found one of her hands and laced their fingers together. Tenderness swelled in his chest, and the urgency of desire faded into a sweeter ache to simply hold her, breathe her in, finally stretch out the seconds.

“I waited so long for you,” he whispered. A tear dripped from his eye to her cheek as he pulled back to gaze at her. “There’s never been anyone else for me, Elena, because I never wanted anyone else.”

A muted sob tore from her throat. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

He silenced her with his lips. He didn’t want any more regrets between them. Not tonight.

Vlad gingerly rolled to the side, careful not to wrench his leg. She leaned over him, placed a soft kiss in the center of his abs, and told him she’d be right back. He lifted his head so he could watch her naked body walk across the room. When the bathroom door closed, he sat up and undid his brace so he could finally remove his pants. Then he returned to bed and reclined against the headboard. When the bathroom door opened, his entire heart walked out with a shy smile.

“Come here,” he said, holding out his arm. “I need to hold you.”

She crawled across him and then stretched out along his side. With her hand pressed to her chest, she traced a lazy circle atop his heart.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Happy. How do you feel?”

“Pushkin himself could not find the words.”

She sighed and pressed her cheek to his chest. “You are absurdly romantic.”

“Elena, I don’t know how to tell if you . . . Did you . . .”

She kissed his chest. “No, but it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me. I want you to feel everything I do.”

“I do. And it was perfect.”

“Next time, I will take care of you first.”

She rose up on her elbow and grinned down at him. “There’s going to be a next time?”

He scowled playfully. “There’s going to be a next time in about twenty minutes. Sooner, if I can recover quicker.”

She laughed and lowered her brow to his. “We have to be careful with your leg.”

“I don’t care about my leg. You healed my heart.”

She lifted her head, lips trembling. “There you go again. Being absurdly romantic.”

“Not romantic. Just happy.” A tear rolled down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb.

Then he held her against him, heart to heart, stroking away her pain and scars, until finally, at long last, husband and wife fell asleep together for the first time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Elena couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well. No bad dreams. No jaw-clenching headaches. No middle-of-the-night anxieties. Just a deep, cleansing sleep. Waking up was even better, because she opened her eyes to find a pair of soft brown pools of molasses staring down at her.

“Hi,” she whispered.

He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. “Good morning.”

“How long have you been awake?”

“About ten minutes.” He brushed a curl from her face.

“Have you been watching me sleep?” Her cheeks heated at the thought. She was not a cute sleeper. She drooled and made weird noises sometimes.

“I have,” he said smoothly. “I’ve waited a really long time to wake up next to you. I wanted to remember it.”

He kissed her again, this time with a little more intent. “I wish we could stay in bed all day.”

“What time do you have to be at the arena?” He was supposed to start longer rehab sessions today with the on-site trainers.

“Ten.”

“What time is it now?”

He nuzzled her neck. “A little before nine.”

“I missed my plane again,” she whispered.

“Money well wasted.” He hauled her across his lap. As he crunched to a sitting position, his arms came around her, and he kissed her deeply. And before long, he was hard and insistent between her legs. But when Elena reached between them to guide him inside her, he shook his head. “You