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~ Tales of Romance ~

Whispered Promises

Chapter 15

"Daddy!" Dani's voice was breathless; her emotions jumbled as disbelief, shock and embarrassment all warred for first billing. It had been bad enough when her father had caught them in literally the same position in the garden, but to be caught a second time was mortifying. She could only whisper a silent thank you that he hadn't barged in a moment before when she'd had her hand plastered firmly against Matt's crotch. That would have surely sent her father over the proverbial edge!

"Mr. Rocmanov," Matt offered with a small nod and a half-smile, reluctantly releasing Dani from his arms, his fingers brushing hers as she stepped away from him and they moved a respectable distance apart.

"Aleksei, was it really necessary to kick the door in?" Jordan asked quietly, nonchalantly entering the cabin and giving the door, now hanging from only two of its hinges a look of disgust. The look she shared with Dani and Matt was casual and held no surprise. "I should have known Dani would bring you here," she stated with a knowing smile, sending her husband another bemused look and shaking her head in a minute back and forth motion.

"If you knew Dani would be here, then why are we here? Marcus wanted us separated," Aleksei growled, sending Matt another dark look as he moved to see how much damage he had done to the door.

"I didn't say I knew she'd be here, I said I should have known she would come here. There's a difference," Jordan explained cryptically, sending her daughter a soft smile.

Matt looked confused at Jordan's statement and glanced toward Aleksei, who stood silently shaking his head back and forth while he fussed with the listing door. "Don't even try to figure out what she just said, just go along with it. It makes life easier that way and you don't go through aspirin quite so quickly," Aleksei explained casually, looking at the ruined top hinge before finally lifting the door back into position and forcing it shut. Clicking the lock into place, he hoped it would hold for the night. "Dee needs a new door," he announced flatly.

Jordan and Dani shared a look of understanding. Aleksei wore many hats and was wonderful at many things, unfortunately, a handyman he wasn't! "Surprise, surprise. Maybe next time you'll try the doorknob before you kick it in," Jordan suggested hopefully, with a smug little smile.

"If the key had been where it was supposed to be, none of this would have happened," Aleksei countered, sending his daughter a questioning look.

"Don't look at me. I got here first and opened the door properly. I used the key," Dani stated with an easy shrug.

"Don't let her give you a bad time, Mr. Rocmanov. The shed door's lucky it's still on its hinges and not a pile kindling," Matt tossed in, taking delight in the fire that flared momentarily in Dani's green eyes.

"I remember that shed door. I wouldn't blame her if she had bashed it in," Aleksei's deep laugh rumbled in his chest.

"See!" Dani agreed, sending Matt an 'I told you so' look and crossing her arms for emphasis, her cheeks flushing softly as his gaze fell to where her breasts lifted temptingly with her movement.

"Oh, yeah. I see," he agreed huskily, his smile sexy and a bit dangerous, his eyes gleaming rakishly as they lifted to meet her embarrassed gaze.

Jordan watched the brief exchange; surprised to see her daughter blush so readily. All her life Dani had been watched; every body line, shape, and movement studied and dissected, and she couldn't ever remember her daughter blushing because a male had looked at her in appreciation. She couldn't even remember Dani ever being embarrassed around Hunter. In fact, as she thought about it, at their first meeting Dani had practically mooned Hunter to prove to her parents that she hadn't bruised her hip after a particularly bad fall. Now, to see her in a full blush simply because Matt had looked at her, (granted, a bit roguishly), Jordan was glad she and Aleksei had decided to come to the cabin, if for nothing else, than to see exactly what was going on between the two of them.

"I would assume we're straining our eyes in this meager light because we have no power?" Aleksei asked suddenly, his gaze shifting from Dani to Matt, a scowl growing when he saw Matt's heated gaze directly on their daughter.

"Dani said the power was probably turned off since the cabin was rarely used anymore," Matt offered.

"Did you bother to check?" Aleksei growled, and stalked across the room to flip the light switch on.

Dani and Matt cast each other disbelieving looks. Neither of them had even bothered to flip a switch and see if by some strange chance, there was actually power running to the cabin. In shock, each of them watched expectantly, and then sighed in relief, when the switch Aleksei flipped confirmed they were indeed without electricity.

"See, Daddy, I was right," Dani offered quietly.

"Fine. But Dee only had one candle around here?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course not, Dee's got boxes and boxes of candles. We just have to get them out and lit," Jordan stated, sending her husband a curious look.

"So why was only one candle burning?" Aleksei persisted, his gaze shifting between Dani and Matt, not at all happy to see his daughter's cheeks flame to life yet again, and Matt looking as if he'd been caught in the cookie jar.

"Daddy, we only got here a few minutes before you and Mama did. We just hadn't gotten around to lighting anymore candles yet," Dani offered weakly, sending Matt a help me look.

"We got sidetracked talking and didn't think about the fact there was only one candle burning," Matt added.

"Yeah, I saw how you were talking," Aleksei growled, sending Matt a dark look. "One candle is more than sufficient for that kind of conversation."

"Daddy!"

"Aleksei!" Jordan gasped at the same time, feeling as if she'd been dumped into the middle of an episode of Twilight Zone without a script.

"Did you, or did you not, have your hands on my daughter's ass when I came through that door?" Aleksei growled dangerously, his ebony eyes flashing fire.

Jordan's eyebrows lifted in understanding.

"No, sir, I did not have my hands on your daughter's ass when you came through that door," Matt stated calmly.

"What!" Aleksei's voice echoed in the rafters, as he listened to Matt's comment in disbelief. "Are you telling me I didn't fucking see what I saw?"

"No, sir, I'm not saying that at all," Matt explained, amazingly calm in the face of Aleksei's full rage. "Yes, I was holding Dani, but I only had one hand on her bottom and it wasn't really on her bottom so much as on her hip, but I've got long fingers and they were kind of wrapped around and touching her bottom."

Dani buried her face in her hands, shaking her head and groaning softly in disbelief and embarrassment at Matt's explanation.

Jordan did everything she could to keep her smile under control and her laughter withheld.

Aleksei scrubbed his face with his hands, trying valiantly to keep his emotions in check when the urge to go ballistic was screaming so loudly he was surprised it didn't have an actual voice. Taking a deep breath, he released it slowly, and calmly, spearing Matt with a direct look. "Are you saying you didn't mean to have your hands on my daughter's ass?"

"Daddy, please drop it!" Dani hissed, mortified to the very soles of her feet, and looking to her mother for intervention. Jordan simply watched in amused interest.

"Not at all sir. I can assure you it was no accident my hands happened to be on Dani; however, I was simply holding her. Granted, my hand may have been in an area that you would rather it not have been, but at the same time, I can assure you, I didn't expect for you to catch me with it there." Matt's statement was made calmly, his expression hinting of arrogance, humor and more than a little defiance.

"Matt&ldots;" Dani gasped in disbelief, unable to believe what he had just said, unable to meet her father's dark gaze that she could feel directed toward her.

Jordan's eyebrows lifted a little higher at Matt's words, and her daughter's shocked expression was so priceless her lips twitched as she fought, and barely won, the battle to keep her smile from blooming. She had to give Matt credit for bravery for saying such a thing to Aleksei and not even flinching as he did it. There weren't many people who willingly stood toe to toe with Aleksei Rocmanov and didn't eventually cower before his powerful persona. Matt, however, looked completely calm, even nonchalant, as he stated his case, and she had to give credit where credit was due. Courageous or stupid, he wasn't backing down. She recognized Matt as a man who knew what he wanted and went after it, and he obviously had Dani in his sights and wasn't afraid to say so.

"So you admit you were touching my daughter?" Aleksei asked darkly, his ebony gaze daring Matt to look away.

Matt didn't. "I do. I also admit if you'd walked through that door a few minutes earlier, you would have seen more than you wanted to, and chances are pretty good that you and I would be doing more than just talking right now," Matt stated truthfully, his gaze steady on Aleksei.

Aleksei's nostrils flared, his chin lifted and his broad chest expanded as his breath caught, all signs that didn't bode well for Matt.

"However," Matt continued, holding up one hand in supplication, "Dani and I made an agreement. Until things are back on an even keel, we both agree it wouldn't be wise to engage in any type of relationship, other than one as friends. We both realize that when emotions are running rampant, the brain isn't necessarily seeing things realistically, and the last thing we need to do is add more problems to an already volatile situation."

Aleksei's look was filled with skepticism. "Are you telling me that because of the problem with Manning you're prepared to maintain a strictly platonic relationship with my daughter?"

"I don't know about 'strictly platonic'. I'm a very tactile person and your daughter is very touchable."

"So I've noticed," Aleksei interrupted him with a scowl.

"I'll be the first to admit that my thoughts are anything but platonic, and I can't promise you I won't ever touch her; that would be an outright lie and I don't make promises that I know I can't - or won't - keep. However, I do promise you that her welfare and happiness are of main concern to me; one that I take seriously, and I will endeavor to see her both safe and happy." Matt cast a warm glance toward Dani, who shyly returned his look. "Mr. Rocmanov, I don't presume to know everything that makes your daughter tick. But I do know that in the short time we've known each other we've found a connection that completes something in both of us." Matt's gaze shifted back to Aleksei. "All I ask is that you allow me to fulfill the promise I made to you to see Dani safe until Manning is found. After that," Matt offered with a small shrug, "we'll see."

"Why should I either trust or believe you?" Aleksei asked quietly, his gaze softening as he watched his daughter send Matt a gentle smile.

Matt sent Dani an exasperated look, ran his hands through his hair and with a lopsided smile stated, "Because I just spent the last several hours driving around, on a motorcycle, in the cold, in the mountains, looking for a cabin with raccoons in front of it. If I hadn't been thinking of her safety, and the promise I made to you, I can assure you, we wouldn't be here now."

"Raccoon house?" Jordan asked quietly, sending her daughter an amused look.

Dani's slim shoulders lifted in a minute shrug.

Matt's calm gaze shifted to Jordan. "Yes, ma'am. She kept insisting as soon as we found the raccoon house she'd know where this cabin was. Amazingly enough, she was right," he concluded with an amazed shake of his head.

"You drove around the mountains all day looking for a house with raccoons in front of it?" Aleksei asked in astonishment.

"Yes, sir."

"Why in the name of God would you do such a thing?"

Matt's steady gaze met Aleksei's dark one. "Because Dani asked me to and because I promised you I would keep her safe," he answered simply.

Aleksei ran his hands through his hair, unable to believe what he'd just heard. His statement had been simple, yet filled with an underlying power that told him he would have done anything necessary to keep Dani safe. Matt's steady gaze silently spoke volumes, and Aleksei suddenly understood how much Matt hadn't said about his feelings for Dani. In that moment, an understanding bloomed between the men and without speaking a word, a united wall was built.

Unsure how to exactly thank the man whom he had caught embracing his daughter, in a manner less than gentlemanly only moments before, and yet who had willingly driven all over the mountains in search of a house with raccoons in front of it in order to keep her safe, Aleksei simply extended his hand to Matt. "If we're going to be stuck in this pigeon hole for the next few days, you'd better call me Aleksei."

* * * * *

Twenty minutes later, dozens of candles burned brightly throughout the room, showing how little the cabin had changed over the years. With the exception of an addition that had added two small bedrooms and one bathroom, the small cottage pretty much remained the same, and now allowed six adults to comfortably occupy the space. The main room still held the huge fireplace, and where once over-stuff sofa and chairs resided, there was now a leather sofa, and love seat to rest upon, along with assorted small tables. The kitchen had been rearranged and was now a bit larger, with the eating area now an L-shaped counter that separated it from the living room. More than enough space to hold the four people whom meandered about the cottage; it felt unusually cramped at the moment.

In an effort to keep her mind occupied, Dani quietly put away the few bags of groceries her mother had had the foresight to purchase, and she scolded herself for not evening thinking about the fact the cottage would have been empty of food. She could just envision herself without any cocoa in the morning, and she silently acknowledged it wasn't a pretty picture. Some people weren't human until they had their coffee. The general rule around the Rocmanov house was no one approached her until she had her cocoa - preferably with marshmallows. Some things she was willing to sacrifice; cocoa wasn't one of them and she sighed in pleasure when she came to two large boxes of cocoa mix in the shopping bag.

When Dani's cellular phone suddenly rang, four sets of eyes turned to gaze at the object as it lay ringing on the table. Uncertain as to who might be on the other end, or what news they had to share had them all on edge and wondering how much crazier things could get.

Jordan reached for the phone, only to have Matt's hand pick it up first and flip it open.

"Hello?" Matt answered quietly, his voice deep and husky, as if he'd been sleeping.

"You'd better have been sleeping alone, Tanner, or you and I have some things to talk about," Sergei threatened calmly.

A smile bloomed across Matt's face, and he choked back a comeback that would have had both Jordan and Dani flushing furiously, and left Aleksei simply furious. "Sorry to burst your bubble, and ruin your wild imaginings, but that's not a concern; at least not yet!" he countered, his eyebrows lifting at Sergei's less than friendly response.

"I'm telling you, Tanner, the only reason you'd better have your hands on my sister is because you're covering her ass!" Sergei growled.

Matt's own wicked laugh had Sergei gritting his teeth. "I'll remember you said that!"

"I meant that figuratively, not literally!" Sergei fired back, frustration deepening his voice.

"I got it, Rocmanov! Chill out!" Matt suggested with a laugh, a devilish light in his eyes still burning brightly. "Besides, I'm sure your father is quite capable of seeing things remain status quo," Matt stated flatly.

"My parents are there?" Sergei asked, a wicked smile lighting his dark eyes. So much for any shenanigans Matt might have been contemplating!

"Alive and anxious," Matt stated, acknowledging Jordan's silent request for the phone with a small nod. "In fact, for reasons I can't figure out, she wants to speak to you," he complained and passed the phone to Jordan.

"Sergei?" Jordan softly called into the small cellular phone.

"Hey, Mom," Sergei answered with a smile. "You holding up okay?"

"We're fine. Better for hearing your voice. How's Chloe doing?" Jordan asked calmly.

 Sergei's gaze shifted to the closed bathroom door. "Pissed as all get out! If she had her way, she'd be out hunting Andrew down right now and personally dragging his butt back to jail!" Sergei stated with a light laugh.

"I don't blame her; I feel the same way! Still, you make sure she doesn't do anything foolish. I want you with her at all times," Jordan demanded.

"That's the plan! Until we hear otherwise, we're staying put!"

"Good!" she agreed with a small nod. "It shouldn't be too long," Jordan added hopefully.

Chloe picked that moment to open the bathroom door, wrapped only a short towel, a seductive smile and blue eyes filled with so much passion and heat he wondered how he didn't go up in flames where he sat on the bed.

"Sergei?" Jordan's voice called softly from the phone's receiver.

"Yeah, Mom?" he answered huskily, his mind on the vision before him as she slowly sauntered his way.

"Sergei, are you okay? You sound strange," Jordan stated in sudden concern, sending Aleksei a questioning look.

Chloe came to a stop only an arm's reach from Sergei and pulled the end of the towel, which had been tucked between her breasts, free. The fluffy fabric fell to her feet with a gentle whoosh, leaving her gloriously naked to his heated ebony gaze. A see anything you like? look shimmered in her blue eyes.

"I'm fine, Mom," he countered in a deep voice, his fingertips teasing a trail down the center of Chloe from her collar bone to her belly button, his smile turning wolfish as he watched her nipples pebble in response to his light touch. "In fact, I'm terrific!"

"Are you sure?" Jordan agreed uncertainly.

Sergei's arm snaked around Chloe's slim waist and pulled her forward, onto the bed. Settling her onto his lap, her bent legs straddled his muscular thighs, her radiating warmth teased his body to near painful awareness. The soft fabric of his worn jeans was a tormenting sensation beneath Chloe's bare bottom, and she squirmed restlessly against the bulge that pulsated against his zipper, as his body reached for hers.

"More than sure! Don't worry, Mom; Chloe takes excellent care of me," he murmured wickedly, one hand running rampant over the rounded firmness of her bottom before pulling her firmly against his pulsing manhood.

Chloe's blue eyes widened in surprise as streaks of electricity rushed through her body, and a small whimper escaped her open mouth as she gasped for air.

"Is that Chloe? Is she all right?" Jordan asked worriedly.

'I'm telling you, Mom, Chloe's just fine. She's right here next to me and she couldn't be better!" Sergei said, his eyes flaring devilishly with delight.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Sergei, but I'd feel so much better if I could talk to her, please," Jordan asked, pacing in a small circle, a worried line creasing her otherwise smooth forehead.

"No problem, Mom," Sergei agreed easily and held the phone out to Chloe. "Mom wants to talk to you," he stated casually, handing her the phone.

Chloe's gaze was skeptical as she looked from Sergei's fiery gaze to the phone he calmly passed her, her eyebrows lifting curiously as she tentatively took the phone from him. "Hi, Jordan." Chloe's voice was filled with warmth and a smile as she greeted her soon-to-be mother-in law.

"Oh, Chloe," Jordan whispered in relief, all signs of worry vanishing from her face to be replaced by a wide smile. "How are you doing? Are you holding up okay?"

"Yes, I'm holding up fine," Chloe murmured softly as she batted away Sergei's wandering hands as they traced tormenting paths up and down her sides, his thumbs torturously teasing the outward curves of her breasts. "How about you? How are you and Aleksei doing? Have you heard from Dee and Frank yet?"

"No, no word from Dee or Frank yet, but you know half the time he forgets to charge his cell phone so it's probably dead in his pocket. I'm sure we'll hear from them soon," Jordan stated hopefully. Sending her husband a warm look, she added, "Aleksei's just fine, as usual. Matt and Dani are fine also."

"You heard from Matt and Dani?" Chloe asked in surprise.

"Actually, we stumbled upon the same hiding place. Pretty funny when you think about it. Out of all the places to go, we go to the same one," Jordan laughed softly, shaking her head in amusement. It simply proved how much mother and daughter were alike.

As Chloe laughed softly in agreement, Sergei chose that moment to roll to his side, trapping Chloe beneath his muscular body on the large bed. Her surprised gasp echoed in the room.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" Jordan asked worriedly, clearly having heard the sound.

Chloe's eyes narrowed as she sent Sergei a warning glance to behave. His dramatic shiver left no doubt in her mind that he was neither worried, nor of the mood to behave, and she shook a warning finger at his nose. "Nothing. I just spilled some water in my lap," she offered lamely, sending Sergei another warning look as their gazes met.

"I hate when I do that," Jordan murmured in understanding, and continued to chat about inconsequential things that obviously helped calm her and alleviate the stress of them being apart.

The fact that Sergei took the opportunity to take advantage of his mother's need to talk and reassure herself that her children were safe had Chloe teetering on the edge of sanity as Sergei settled between her thighs and began to slowly torment every inch of her with his hot, questing mouth. His ebony eyes held a smug look that said he was thrilled to have her under trapped between his mother and himself, certain she'd never tell Jordan what was happening to her yet burning up with anticipation.

His teeth grated against the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, while his hands tormented her swollen breasts, his fingertips grazing across her nipples in a caress that was so fleeting her skin could have been touched by a butterfly. His hot breath teased the auburn curls that hid the secrets of her womanhood, and yet she helplessly lifted her hips in wanton abandon and invitation as his mouth drew ever closer. And when his seeking mouth touched the center of her heat, her gasp of pleasure could not be brooked and she sighed in Jordan's ear.

"Chloe?" Jordan murmured her name curiously.

In the background, the sounds of Chloe's soft whimpers and Sergei chuckling in what could only be called a sensually wicked manner came clearly to Jordan's ear and she stood frozen in place, her eyes wide in astonishment.

Only seconds later, Sergei's deep voice came on the line, his tone husky and filled with seductive quality she had never heard in his voice before. "Mom, we have to go now. We'll call again soon."

Jordan's eyes suddenly lit with understanding, and a soft flush colored her cheeks as she managed to mumble, "Okay," before she heard the phone go dead against her ear.

"Well?" Aleksei asked softly, his gaze curious as he looked at his wife's embarrassed face.

Jordan cleared her throat. "They had to go. They said they'd call again soon. They're fine," she answered in short, brief statements, suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that her baby boy wasn't a baby at all, but a full grown man with the same desires (and obvious appeal) as his father. He was a man full grown, with the same desires and needs associated with it. It wasn't that she thought he had never had a sexual experience before; that very thought was ludicrous. He was so much like his father it was nearly scary. Aleksei's reputation was one for the books. Thank God Sergei hadn't sought to surpass that particular record of his father's! She simply hadn't expected to be quite so literally introduced to her son's seductive powers.

"Mama?" Dani called softly in concern.

"Yes?"

Dani looked at her mother's embarrassed and dazed expression and shook her head in disgust. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what her brother and best friend had been up to that had left her mother unsure exactly just how to react. "I swear, those two are worse than rabbits!"

"What!" Her parent's voices gasped the question at the same time, and three sets of eyes were all directed at Dani; her parent's gazes filled with disbelief and Matt's filled with humor. Nonchalantly, Dani walked into the small kitchen, poured bottled water into a pan and turned on the gas range, setting the flame to medium to heat the water for cocoa.

"Don't ask me to keep you filled in on your son's sexual exploits. I'm his sister, not his baby sitter," Dani grumbled, holding up the box of cocoa mix. "Anyone for cocoa?" she asked brightly.

Aleksei's head shook back and forth. "Thanks, pumpkin, but I need something more than a cup of cocoa!" Aleksei stated, shaking his head tiredly at all the day had brought, yet sending his wife a secretive glance before he headed for the small bedroom.

"Thanks for the offer, but maybe later, Dani. I think I'll just go lie down for a short while. It's been a harrowing day," Jordan added, following her husband, her gaze a bit flustered when she met her daughter's eyes, and read understanding in them. With a final soft smile, she closed the door behind her.

Matt had silently watched the interchange and was surprised at the nonchalance Dani displayed as she continued to fuss with envelopes of cocoa mix. It wasn't every day you saw parents who were still so obviously engrossed in one another and actively sought each other out. Too many times he'd seen parents who barely tolerated each other, and that was on a good day.

With a final look at the closed bedroom door, he crossed the room and took a seat at the counter, watching as Dani poured the contents of the instant cocoa from the envelopes into two mugs and continued to wait for the water to heat. Dani cast her own quick glance at the closed door and shook her head in exasperation. "I don't know why they should be surprised at Sergei's behavior when they act the same way. We've spent our whole life watching them touch each other every chance they got. Why should they be surprised to find their children act the same way?" Dani grumbled.

"It's just the way parents think," Matt answered with a small shrug of his broad shoulders. "Since the beginning of time it's always been, 'do as I say, not as I do'; sometimes it's hard to see yourself in your children. Especially when they're as physical as all of you obviously are," he concluded sardonically, his eyes filled with humor.

"What's wrong with being physical?" Dani asked.

"Not a damn thing. In fact, I particularly enjoy that particular trait in you. In fact, I can't wait to see how physical our next private encounter might be!" Matt's statement was made in a low, seductive voice that had Dani's heart skipping a beat and made her hands a bit shaky.

"Shhhh," Dani whispered, hazarding a glance at the still-closed bedroom door. "As agreed, we're not going to explore that particular avenue again anytime soon. Remember?" She needlessly reminded him, the pitch of her voice rising as she struggled with a bag of marshmallows that refused to open.

"That was before your parents showed up," Matt countered with a lopsided smile and eyes sparkling with mischievous delight. Taking the bag from her hands, he carefully opened the top, sneaking a small handful of the soft, white marshmallows for himself before he handed her back the bag.

Dani frowned in confusion. "Pardon my confusion. But why is it different now that my parents are here? We agreed that things were too confused right now to even contemplate anything beyond a friendship&ldots;"

"Friends can't be lovers?" Matt asked slowly, his gray gaze rapidly darkening to deep steel gray, his lips tenderly capturing the soft marshmallows he fed himself, before disappearing into the warm cave of his mouth.

"I didn't say that," Dani whispered breathlessly. Pulling her gaze from his mouth was nearly impossible, and she wished for the first time in her life that she were a marshmallow. She knew every inch of his wonderful mouth; every taste, every silken texture, and longed for the oblivion she knew she would find in his kisses. At the same time, she knew each kiss they shared lead her one step closer to the category that would label them 'lovers'. And she wasn't sure if she had the courage to take that final step just yet.

Matt watched as confusion crossed her face, felt her gaze on his mouth, and tormented her mercilessly as he carefully ate one small marshmallow after another, until they were all gone, knowing it was unfair, but helpless to stop himself. Her very presence made him yearn to feel her in his arms; this was simply giving back a little of what he suffered. After all, all was fair when it came to foreplay!

"You didn't answer my question." His deep voice interrupted her mind's meandering thoughts and she blinked in surprise as she returned to reality.

"You really expected an answer?" Dani countered quietly, taking the hot water from the stove and pouring it carefully into the waiting mugs.

"Color me weird, Darlin', but I'm one of those people who prefer my questions answered."

"Well," Dani sighed, mixing the cocoa in the steaming water, and carefully placing another handful of marshmallows on the top of each mug and placing Matt's on the counter before him. "Considering I've never had a lover, I couldn't truthfully answer it," she stated honestly with a small shrug, her eyes never leaving his.

Lifting his mug of cocoa and carefully taking a sip, Matt's eyebrows lifted in surprise and he gulped a mouthful of the hot drink, gasping in both pain and astonishment at her words.

Dani daintily sipped at her drink and smiled cynically. "Yup, you're looking at an official Rocmanov virgin!"

* * * * *

"I am never going to be able to look your mother in the face again," Chloe murmured languidly, stretching along his side, the silken skin of her calf running along Sergei's shin, the rough hair of his leg sending delicious jolts of sensation racing through her body. Her long tawny, gold hair lay tussled against the pillow the two shared. Her breasts pressed warmly against the side of his chest where she snuggled closer to his warm frame, and one hand idly played with the thick, dark hair that covered his muscled chest.

"Sure you will. And being the fine, understanding lady that she is, she won't even mention your scandalous behavior!" Sergei teased softly, his fingers sliding gently over her flushed cheek and into her silken hair as he shared a long, deep kiss with her that left her breathless and wanting him all over again.

Chloe's pink tongue slid a sinuous path around her swollen lips, and she smiled sensually as she tasted Sergei on her mouth. Her eyes the color of midnight, and her expression dazed, she felt herself melting beneath the onslaught of Sergei's ebony gaze. "You're a terrible influence on me, Mr. Rocmanov. You make me do things I wouldn't have even contemplated doing in a million years and then want to simply turn around and do them all over again," Chloe explained slowly, her voice a husky whisper.

"Good. Then I've done my job properly," Sergei stated deeply, his voice just hinting of danger and seduction, his gaze filled with a fire that should have worried her but simply fueled the energy that was beginning to race through her body.

Carefully he rolled over her, nudging her legs apart and settling warmly between her thighs, his breath catching as he sank into her warmth and felt her surround him. His hands laced with hers and held them securely against the pillow and over her head. With tormenting slowness, he huskily spoke of all he planned to do to her; his words leaving her dizzy and breathless, his mouth taunting her with nipping bites and soothing kisses, pushing her ever closer toward ecstasy and oblivion.

Time ceased to be, and the world outside their room dissolved into a blur of color and sound. Reality was cast aside as fantasy and magic took its place and the lovers rode waves of sensation and emotion, seeking and finding a level of fulfillment they had never attained before, let alone imagined. Higher and higher they climbed as one, reaching for all the universe had to offer, crying out together as they hurdled into the blinding oblivion of fulfillment as wave after wave of sensation washed over them, leaving them weak and breathless.

Sergei carefully shifted to his side, bringing Chloe with him, loathe of feel her leave him, even for a moment. Gentle fingers brushed aside her tussled, damp hair, as he gazed into the flushed face of his soul mate, still amazed by her beauty, and astonished to think she was truly his. "I love you, Chloe Spenser," he murmured softly, gazing into her eyes, and seeing the love she felt for him returned.

"Me, too," she whispered back, lifting her lips to meet his for a gentle, searching kiss that was filled with emotion and sweetness, yet stirred her in a different way. There were so many sides to Sergei; this was one of her favorites: kind, gentle, considerate, and so damn sweet it made her want to cry. "Do you know how amazing you are?" she asked breathlessly, her fingers tracing a gentle path down his cheek, and across his full lips.

Softly he kissed her searching fingers. "Only half as amazing as you," he murmured in return.

"We sound like a mutual admiration society," she teased, her smile widening when she felt his teeth nip at her fingers that still traced soft paths across his silken lower lip.

"I'll back you up if you'll back up me," he offered.

"It's a deal," she agreed, yawning widely and offering a sleepy apology at her bad manners.

"Tell you what. Why don't we take a short nap and then we'll see what kind of influence I have over you when you're wide awake and in complete control of your faculties?" Sergei asked devilishly, sending her a wicked look at had her heart thumping at the suggestion.

"Make it a long nap and you're on," she countered, accepting his kiss as agreement and snuggling closer to his warm body.

In the quiet aftermath of their sensual journey, while fantasy still blurred the edges of reality, and dreams and wishes were all powerful, a tiny spirit deep within the two flared to life, joining the sleeping lovers for all time, wrapped safely and surely in each others arms.

And in the center of their small universe, three hearts beat as one.*

Copyright © 2001-2002 C.E. Moynihan

*All Rights Reserved

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