Page 36 of Touch Me Not (Manwhore #1)

Lily could barely catch her breath at the rush of sensations that had just destroyed her.

Never in her life had she felt anything like it.

She still ached a little, but his fingers were still buried inside her.

She’d heard him yell out her name, and she loved it.

Despite the fact he was too heavy and made breathing difficult, she refused to ask him to move.

This felt good, it felt right, and she didn’t want to lose this feeling yet.

Didn’t want to lose Nikoli, even though she knew she was going to lose him soon enough.

When Nikoli finally shifted and lifted himself up, Lily dreaded what was coming.

He pulled his hand free of her panties, and she whimpered a little.

The flesh was still swollen and sensitive.

He untied the scarf that served as a blindfold, but she kept her eyes closed.

She didn’t want to see what was in his eyes.

If it was gloating, she couldn’t bear it.

“Open your eyes, Lily.”

She groaned but did as he asked. His were hooded and sleepy, but there was no sign of gloating.

“Are you okay, Milaya ?” he asked, reaching up to untie her hands. He took them in his and rubbed her wrists gently, first one and then the other.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. He was being so gentle, so kind. How could she not love this man? Not the manwhore everyone else knew, but Nikoli, the man no one else ever really saw. How was she going to survive it when he left?

He pulled her up into a sitting position to face him. He cupped her face and leaned in to give her the softest, gentlest kiss he’d ever given her. Lily melted into the kiss. It was so sweet. He had never kissed her like this before, and she savored the feel of it.

“There’s my girl,” he whispered against her lips. He ran his tongue over her lower lip, and she let out a tiny sigh, which caused him to chuckle. “Was that so bad?”

Lily felt her face flame up, and she ducked her head, her mass of heavy, dark curls swinging in her face. Her hair had become unbound somewhere in between all that, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember when.

“Hey, now, my little prude, no hiding,” he chided, lifting her face up. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“It’s just that I…I’ve never…I…”

Nikoli laughed and pulled her into his arms before falling backward so she landed on his chest. “Lily, don’t worry, your virtue is still intact.”

“So, I didn’t lose the bet?” She lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes twinkling. Truthfully, she didn’t care. That would have been worth losing a bet for.

Nikoli burst out laughing, and she found herself laughing too.

His entire chest vibrated with laughter.

“No, Lily Bells, you didn’t lose the damn bet.

Technically, we both orgasmed, so you could say we had sex, but I don’t count it until I’m buried so deep inside you that you can’t tell where you end and I begin. ”

She gasped at the visual he created, and Nikoli chuckled softly.

He started stroking her hair as he pulled her tighter against him.

She snuggled in and let herself relax. For once, there was no fear, no tensing up, nothing but a boneless feeling of contentment.

She didn’t question it; she just enjoyed it.

“Nikoli?”

“Yes?” he said, his voice as lazy and relaxed as hers.

“If I go with you to Miami, do you think you could take me to my mom’s? I haven’t seen her or the twins in over a year.”

“Of course,” he said. “You shouldn’t go so long without seeing them, though, Lily. Family is important.”

She heard the reprimand in his voice and winced. His family was spread out all over, but she knew for a fact he talked to them all the time. He may have loose morals when it came to sex, but he had strong family values.

“I know, but before…well, we always ended up feeling awkward, and my mom blames herself for my phobia, I think, even though it’s not her fault. It’s no one’s fault but my own. I’m getting better, thanks to you. I think maybe…maybe I can hug her without panicking. I’d like to try.”

“I have faith in you, Lily Bells,” he said. “You can do it. I’ll book you a ticket tonight.”

“No, I’ll pay for my own ticket.”

“Lily, I can afford…”

She leaned back and put a finger to his lips. “I don’t care if you can afford it. Thank you for offering, but I’ll pay my own way.”

“You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met and the first who didn’t jump at me buying her things.”

Lily knew exactly who Nikoli Kincaid was. She read the gaming magazines. “Nikoli, all I want is you, not what you can give me.”

“You mean that, don’t you?” he asked, surprise in his voice and on his face.

It was her turn to laugh. She pushed herself up and sat on the edge of the bed, looking for her dress. If she let this conversation go further, it might cause her to say things she’d rather die than confess.

“It’s late, Nikoli, and I need to get back before security locks the door at the dorm.”

“We can stay here tonight if you want.”

Lily glanced over her shoulder at him. He looked satisfied, yet hopeful, like a little boy asking for a new toy. “I wish I could, but I have to be there for the girls. I can’t stay out unless I make arrangements ahead of time for someone to cover my floor.”

“That’s too bad.” He ran a finger up her spine, and she gasped, her skin still sensitive.

She felt the bed shift as Nikoli stood up.

She spotted her dress sticking out from under the bed and grabbed it, slipping her legs in and sliding it up her body.

Nikoli came to stand behind her. He pushed her hair over her shoulder then zipped the dress up.

He bent and placed a soft kiss on her collarbone.

“I want to show you something,” he said. He was wearing his pants, but no shoes or shirt. Taking her hand, he led her out of the bedroom and down a hall. The last door on the right opened into an office.

It was full of dark mahogany wood furniture, and bookshelves lined three of four walls.

A wall of windows overlooked downtown Boston.

Lily skipped the scenery and went straight to the books.

It was a jumbled mess of computer programming books, fiction, classics, and general science.

The man did not know how to organize his bookshelves.

“Leave it to you to beeline to the books.”

“I love books.”

“I know.” He shook his head. “Come over here, please.”

Lily gave the books one last once over and turned toward the desk where he sat turning on the computer monitor. He typed a few keystrokes then hummed as he waited for it to log him in. She walked over to stand beside him. He wrapped an arm around her waist while he logged into a program.

“Lily, you’re a pretty decent gamer.”

She laughed. “I guess.”

“Well, would you want to beta test a new game?” He looked up into her eyes, and she frowned. Was he asking her to beta test one of his games?

“It would depend on the kind of game,” she said after a moment.

“It’s a first-person shooter,” he said. “Zombie game.”

“Sure, if you want me to. I’m a big fan of horror games, and first-person shooters are my favorite.”

“I thought as much,” he said. “You kicked ass today in that game.”

“It had been a while since I’d played,” she said, playing it down. “It was a team effort, really.”

“Bullshit. You took out almost that entire opposing team by yourself. That requires a lot of skill.”

“It’s no big deal.” She shrugged it off.

“Lily, when I said before I could afford to buy you a ticket, I meant it. I own a gaming company.”

“And when I said before I didn’t care, I meant that too. I know who you are, Nikoli.”

“You know?” His mouth fell open, and she laughed. For once, she’d one-upped him.

“I’m a gamer, Nikoli. Of course I know who you are. I just didn’t say anything because I thought you wanted to keep that part of your life private, and it wasn’t any of my business.”

“You knew who I was all this time, and you never asked me for anything…”

“Because I didn’t want anything from you,” she said. “Well, I do want your car, but that’s beside the point.”

“You’re not getting Ellie,” he told her, his eyes still wide with shock.

“That remains to be seen, Kincaid.”

“I think you and I both know you’re not getting that car.” His grin turned wolfish.

“We don’t know any such thing,” she said, her own smile turning slightly wolfish. “I can say no.”

“We shall see, my little prude.”

“So we shall,” she agreed, praying she could say no to him.

He gave her a gentle squeeze and focused on the monitor.

“Is this something you’re working on?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “Luther and I are working on it, and we need beta testers to analyze the weapons, how they handle, glitches, things like that. Could you do that for me?”

“Sure,” she said, jumping up and down inside. She’d heard rumors of this game on the ’net, but their company was being so closed-mouthed about it, no one could get details.

He popped a blank CD into the computer and started the burn process. “I’m trusting you with this. You can’t show this to anyone.”

“I won’t. Not even Mikey.”

A few minutes later, he popped the CD out. He rummaged around for a sleeve and handed it to her. “Come on, Milaya , let’s get you home.”

She cast one last look at the couch, her face flaming, before she followed him out of the apartment. She truly hoped she could say no.

But, somehow, she didn’t think she was going to.