Page 55 of Shadowed Agenda
“It’ll be too tempting to fall asleep,” Regan smiled. She would cherish two minutes of peace but knew that wouldn’t happen. Until Emmeline was safely in her hotel suite with two people keeping her safe, she couldn’t relax. Nothing else mattered. “You have things to discuss with Drake. You no longer have to worry about me. They need me. Remember? They won’t try anything.”
Pavlo leaned over and swung her feet onto his lap in response.
“Hey,” Regan objected.
“If you fall asleep, I’ll carry you to your bed. There isn’t enough room for the two of us on the couch.” He held up a hand. “Don’t argue. I’m spending the night on the couch.”
Regan covered her face with her hands, giving up.
Pavlo pulled off one of her black heels. She heard the shoe’s muted thud as it landed on the floor. The second one followed.
Regan opened her mouth to tell him he worried too much, but the words were lost as Pavlo gently placed her left foot in his hand and ran the other hand lightly up and down the top of her foot. Tension seeped out of her pores.
Her body sank into the couch, and she stifled a moan as his thumbs made a path down her foot, then moved to her toes, stroking upward, relaxing Regan’s body more. Pavlo applied light pressure to the tips of her toes.
“Where did you learn to give a foot massage?” Regan asked. Manicures, pedicures, and anything remotely related to self-pampering weren’t part of her budget. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a foot massage.
“In my much younger days, I went out with a massage therapist,” Pavlo said, his words a faint background to the soothing yet stimulating pressure of his fingers releasing her pent-up stress. “She eventually ditched me. I was left with a broken heart and some amazing massage skills.”
“Mmmm,” Regan said. Her eyes closed as his fingertips gently massaged the soft skin between her toes, allowing her to indulge in the moment of serenity. “Absolutely amazing massage skills.”
Pavlo’s hands stopped massaging her foot, and Regan murmured, “The other foot. Don’t forget the other foot.”
He laughed as he moved on to her other foot. Regan drank in the moment’s calmness and the gentle pressure of his fingers moving across her foot.
He increased the pressure of his thumb as he massaged the pad of her big toe. An unexpected ripple of pleasure moved up her body. His thumb slid to a pressure point beneath the toe, and there was no suppressing her moan as a second ripple shot through her.
Pavlo’s chuckle drifted through the air as he moved his hand along the outside of her foot, stopping beneath the bone on her ankle. He pressed his thumb into the depression beneath the bone, and deep pulses of desire shot through Regan. Pavlo gently lifted her feet off his lap and slipped off the couch.
She opened her eyes as he kneeled at her side. His mouth descended over hers. The light, erotic pressure of his lips sent fresh waves of ecstasy rolling through her. Without thinking, she reached out, tangled her fingers in his thick hair, and pulled him closer. The kiss deepened. His tongue possessed hers, swirling and thrusting. Regan was dimly aware she was losing her self control.
Pavlo nuzzled her neck and nipped her earlobe. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Emmeline. Trust me,” his warm breath whispered in her ear.
His lips reclaimed hers before she could respond, and his hand dipped under the crop top. Regan drew in a sharp breath as his calloused thumb slipped under her bra and traced the circle of her breast. He ran his thumb across her nipple, and she felt it harden.
Pavlo grasped the bottom of the crop top and pulled it over her head. He eased one lacy bra cup aside and moved his mouth to her breast. His tongue swirled around the bud, teasing her before he sucked the nipple into his mouth. Regan arched up at the exquisite shivers that traveled up and down her body.
Goosebumps prickled her arms and back as he dragged his teeth along the hard bud before attending to her other breast with the same sensual dedication. Then he worked his way back to her neck. The series of slow feather-light kisses burned into her soul.
Regan tugged at Pavlo’s shirt, pulling it free, and slipped her hands under the silky fabric. They explored the hard muscle, memorizing every curve and valley. He was perfection.
Pavlo growled and slid on top of her, his body covering hers. His arousal pressed against her. Pavlo’s lips descended upon hers once more.
His hands moved under her, releasing the catch on her bra. It joined her shoes on the floor.
“So beautiful,” Pavlo murmured, licking one hard nub and then the other. He looked up, and their eyes locked. Something flared between them but was gone before she could put a name to it.
He skimmed a finger from the hollow of her neck down to the waistband of her skirt and slipped a finger under the wide band. “The skirt will have to go.”
Pavlo stood and scooped Regan up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he headed for the bedroom.
“What about spending the night on the couch?” Regan asked as he laid her down on the bed.
“Was never going to happen,” he replied.
The witty response on the tip of her tongue vanished as he undid the billowy skirt’s zipper and slid it down her legs.
Chapter twenty-six