His hair was tangled, half of it hanging loose of his rubber band. His white button-down was untucked and wrinkled, his slacks dirty and stained. His face was wan with exhaustion, his eyes tired.
And was that…blood on his shoulder?
I waited for him to explain what the hell was happening, but he never unclenched his jaw enough to speak. Before I could even get a word out, he stepped into the pool, fully clothed.
Without the slightest pause in his movements, he descended the steps until the water reached his waist, eyes remaining locked on me. He was breaking through the surface so forcefully that water crashed against his body, creating small waves in the pool. I’d never seen the golden fires in his eyes blaze so hot.
He was like a shark stalking its prey.
The closer he came, the better look I got at his shoulder. Definitely blood. My wariness rocketed up to alarm in an instant.
“What happened to you?” I demanded. “Are you all right?”
He said nothing.
Just continued to wade through the water at an unrelenting speed. That’s when I noticed those fires in his eyes weren’t being fueled by mere anger or even lust—they were burning with rage.
And resolve.
And maybe…possession?
His footsteps never faltered until he stopped directly in front of me and positioned himself between my legs. Still, he remained silent. Then again, his body was doing all the talking for him.
I just needed to figure out a way to translate it.
“Nico?” My voice was shaky. I’d never seen him this undone before, and it was freaking me out. “What’s going on? Talk to m—”
My words ended on a gasp when his hands grasped my thighs and shoved them wide. And in the black and white bikini I was wearing, there wasn’t much to cover me down there. Nico’s eyes glazed over as he stared at my barely-covered sex. I swallowed back my rising nerves as that penetrating gaze pinned me in place. I was frozen under his piercing perusal.
“Krasotka,” he whispered.
My lungs seized. The Russian word meant “beautiful” or “beautiful girl.” “I didn’t think you spoke my language.”
He lightly petted my swimsuit bottoms, right over my entrance. “I don’t. But I figured I should at least know how to tell you that you’re beautiful in your native tongue. The most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
Where the hell had this guy been hiding? And where was all this coming from?
He didn’t bother waiting for a response. He placed his hand in the center of my chest and shoved me backward until I was lying flat on my back again.
My bottoms were yanked to the side.
My thighs lifted up.
My slick folds licked.
“Oh, God.”
Nico’s guttural groan vibrated against my flesh as the flat of his tongue dragged along my slit. It danced along my lips, driving me crazy when he hit pressure points along the way but gave nothing more than teasing swipes. Oh, the man knew what he was doing, all right. He hadn’t learned how to use his tongue in such toe-curling fashion without copious amounts of practice.
He reached my clit, laving it at first with gentle strokes, as if revering it. Then he mercilessly wrapped his lips around it and sucked it into his expert mouth, sending my hips arching up into the air. He tightened his grip on my thighs, keeping me stationary, without letting up on his ministrations. He rolled his tongue over the bundle of nerves several times, driving me absolutely out of my mind.
“Nico…” I was breathless, senseless. “That’s so good.”
Tension coiled in my belly as the pressure built. My hands slapped onto the concrete, my fingers curling inward, but there were no sheets to clutch. I needed something. As if sensing my frustration, Nico reached up with one hand, snagged both of my wrists, and placed my hands on top of his head.
My eyes found his.
Those infernos raged on as scorching and decimating as ever.
Sliding my fingers through his hair, I held onto the roots as he worked his tongue inside. Not with a swift thrust as I would have expected. No, he was far too perceptive and experienced for any clumsy techniques. He gave attention to every inch he covered, massaging my inner walls with that rolling tongue motion again.
He’s going to kill me with the rolling.
The moment he got as deep as he could, he added a finger and began to drive it in opposition with his tongue.
One in, one out.
In, out.
I didn’t even know how he was managing such a feat.