Alexei #2
Her eyes warm at the memory.
“She was gettin’ older and wanted to retire, but she couldn’t just hand it over to anybody. So, she started showin’ me everything, little by little.” Her fingers trace the edge of her glass. “One day she handed me the keys and said she was ready to step away and wanted me to take it.”
“You said yes.”
She smiles. “Didn’t even think about sayin’ no.” Her eyes lift to mine, softer but certain. “I love those animals too much to leave them. Feels like if I don’t fight for them, who will?”
There’s no doubt in it.
“It’s not just a job,” she adds. “It’s mine. And I’m gonna save as many as I can.”
I believe her.
“What about you?” she asks after a moment. “Your parents.”
I reach for the bottle on the table and refill her glass without asking, then set it back before leaning into the sofa.
“My father built what we have. My brother expanded it.”
“And you?” she asks, tipping her glass slightly toward me.
“I made it mine.”
She watches me over the rim of her glass, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Well, that sounds nice and vague.”
“It works.”
“Mm-hmm.” Her eyes brighten with amusement. “I’m guessin’ there’s a whole lot more to it than that.”
“There is,” I say, my attention staying on her as I take a slow drink.
She tilts her head, studying me now, not backing off. “Shipping, right?”
“Yes.”
“What does that actually mean? Because I feel like that could mean just about anything comin’ from you.”
“It means I decide what moves. When it moves. And who it moves for.”
She turns fully toward me on the sofa, her knee brushing closer to mine as she takes that in.
“Well,” she murmurs, a smile on her lips, “that’s not vague at all.”
“No,” I say, focused on her.
She’s closer now, her knee brushing mine like she doesn’t realize it. It seems she’s trying to figure me out instead of keeping her distance. She lets out a slow breath, her fingers sliding along the stem of her glass before she sets it down on the table.
“I should probably go,” she says, almost reluctantly. “Gotta be up before the sun. Shelter doesn’t wait on anybody.”
“I’ll take you.”
Her eyes meet mine. “Okay.”
Neither of us move. The room goes quiet, the air tightening between us as if waiting for one of us to break it.
Her body angles toward me more, instead of away. I follow without thinking, closing the small space between us. My arm comes up along the back of the sofa behind her, not touching but close enough that if she leans back, she’ll feel it.
She notices. I see how her breathing changes and how her eyes dip to my mouth before lifting again.
“Maggie,” I say.
“Yes?” she answers, her voice low, but there’s heat in it now.
I don’t answer right away. I watch her, noting that she doesn’t pull back and stays exactly where she is, even knowing where this is going.
That’s enough.
My hand comes up slowly, brushing along her jaw, my thumb settling just under her chin as I guide her face toward mine. Her lips part just enough, and she doesn’t stop me.
I close the distance.
The moment our lips meet, everything else drops away. The kiss isn’t rushed. I take my time with it, testing the line before I cross it.
She answers it.
There’s softness there at first, just long enough to feel it, before it deepens, her hand coming up to my chest, gripping my shirt like she needs something to hold onto.
That’s all it takes. Whatever restraint I had left gives way under the feel of her leaning into me. I pull her closer, my hand sliding from her jaw to the back of her neck, holding her there as I kiss her again, deeper now, taking more than I did the first time.
She follows, not pulling back. Her hand moves from my chest to my shoulder, her fingers pressing in, pulling me closer like she’s done thinking about it.
The heat between us builds fast, burning hotter with every second. I drag my mouth from hers just long enough to look at her. Her lips are parted, her pupils wide.
“Maggie,” I say, my voice rough.
She swallows, her eyes dropping to my mouth before meeting my eyes again. “You gonna stop?” she asks, and there’s the faintest hint of a smile there, like she already knows the answer.
“No.”
I kiss her again before she can say anything else. This time there’s no space left between us, just heat and pressure and the way her body turns fully into mine, her knee pressing closer, and her hand sliding around my neck like she’s trying to keep me right where I am.
I pull her closer, my hand firm at her waist as I stand, bringing her up with me in one smooth motion. She lets out a small gasp, her hand tightening at the back of my neck as she comes with me.
“Alexei—” she starts, her voice low.
“This is a mistake,” I tell her, even as I pull against me.
She looks up at me, her eyes holding mine, not backing down. “Then why don’t you look like you wanna stop?”
I don’t answer. I take her hand and lead her down the hall.
She follows, her steps matching mine, her hand still in mine, holding on. The distance to my bedroom is shorter than it should be. At the door, I stop just long enough to look at her again, giving her the choice.
She holds my eyes and doesn’t pull away.
I open the door and pull her inside. I push her against the wall and kiss her hard, my hand sliding behind her neck while the other braces at her waist, holding her there against me.
I part her lips with my tongue, taking my time with her mouth, and the breathless sound she makes goes straight through my chest. Her hands slip from my neck to my shoulders, gripping tightly as her body presses into mine, warm and willing in a way that strips the last clean thought from my head.
I want more of her than I should. More than I need.
I expect her to pull back. To put space between us and tell me this has gone far enough.
She doesn’t.
Her fingers slide into my hair instead, holding me closer as she kisses me back with a fire that strips the restraint right out of me. The kiss turns deeper, rougher, both of us chasing more from the other, and when I press her harder against the wall, her breath breaks against my mouth.
I feel it everywhere. The warmth of her wrapped around me, and the way her body arches into mine instead of away. The quiet sound that leaves her throat when I drag my mouth along hers again, slower this time, taking what she gives me and wanting more anyway.
My fingers tighten on her waist. It’s too much, and not enough. My hands slide down her body before I lift her against me, her legs wrapping around my waist as a quiet breath leaves her lips. I hold her there, pinned between me and the wall, and I just look at her.
Fuck. She’s beautiful.
Hair a mess from my hands, lips swollen from my mouth, eyes dark and fixed on me like she feels this as hard as I do.
I should’ve kept my distance from her the moment I walked into that shelter. Instead, I haven’t stopped wanting her since the first time I saw her standing there in those ripped jeans, looking at me like she wasn’t impressed by a damn thing.
I drag my mouth across hers one more time before I push away from the wall, keeping her against me as I carry her farther into the room.
Her hands stay locked around my neck, her breath against my skin, and every few steps her lips find mine again like neither of us can stop what we’ve started.
The room is dark except for the low light from the lamp near the bed, throwing a golden glow across the sheets and the pale stone wall behind us, but I barely notice any of it with her wrapped around me like this.
I lower her onto the mattress before she can put distance between us. Her hair spreads across the pillows, her cheeks flushed, and lips swollen from my mouth. Seeing her there does dangerous things to my head.
She looks up at me with fire in her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, I feel the dangerous pull of wanting more than one night.