You Are My Air: Breathless Book 1 (9 page)

"David..." I began to warn him, knowing that sometimes George had a problem with strangers and would take a swat at them. However, the next thing I knew, David was scratching the cat's head, and heavy purring filled the room. I stared at David in shock. "What?" he asked in confusion as he gave George a few more good scratches around his ruff before straightening.

"I'm just happy that George likes you," I said with a smile.

"Let's go," he announced with a huge grin, and stuck out his hand. I took it automatically, and shivered at the feel of his fingers on mine. If he noticed he didn't say anything as he led me out the door. We got into the elevator, and we were headed downstairs when he spoke again. "So," he began with a huge grin, "did I pass the test?"

"What test?" I asked in confusion.

"The George test."

"The what test?" I asked, still perplexed.

"Your cat," he explained. "Did he sign off on me?"

I laughed. "Well, you're not bleeding so I'm thinking you're good, but you haven't passed the hardest test yet."

"Which one is that?" he asked curiously.

"The Natalie test," I explained. "If you pass that, then you're golden."

"I had better bring my 'A' game then." He smiled wickedly. "I can't afford to mess that up." He lifted my hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of my hand. Another round of shivers traveled down my body, and this time he noticed with darkened eyes. "How's that?" he asked in a deep sensual voice as he lowered my hand.

"An 'A' plus so far," I said breathlessly. "Keep up the good work and you'll get far."

"I'm hoping to make it all the way," he said as his eyes dilated and traveled down my body again. I felt myself getting wet already. Maggie was right I was totally going to be a ho tonight, and I was so looking forward to it.

**********

"Are you the Transporter?" I asked David, eying his beautiful black Audi as we approached his car in the parking garage of my apartment building.

"That would be a no," he said with a wry grin as he unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for me. "And the car in those movies was an Audi A8. This is just an A6."

"That's too bad," I said as I moved past him to lower myself into his car, the pleasant scent of leather filling my nose. "Because I have a major crush on Jason Statham."

David leaned down into the car so his face was inches from mine. "Jason Statham has got nothing on me," he deadpanned, his eyes fixed on mine. I rolled my eyes, snorted out a sudden laugh, and watched as his eyes danced with humor. "Too much?" he asked as a huge grin lit up his gorgeous face.

"Just a little," I admitted with a twist of my lips as I held my thumb and index finger a few inches apart.

"Alright." He nodded. "Note to self, be a little less cocky." He winked at me, acknowledging his word choice, then straightened and closed the car door. I watched him walk around the front of the car, noting that he moved with an easy grace that I found unbelievably hot. I also found his calm self-assured demeanor very attractive. I was lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of his perfect ass as he lowered himself into the car next me.

"I hope you like Italian," he said as he started the car.

"Why, are you Italian?" I asked him with a smile as I glanced down at his body.

"Well, I'm half Ukrainian, but I'm not sure about the other half," he said with a wicked smile as he pulled out of the parking spot. "I could be."

"I've never had Ukrainian," I confessed. "Is it any good?"

"I haven't had any complaints yet." He laid his right hand on my lower thigh and glanced over at me with dark hooded eyes. A zing of heat shot straight to my aching core, and I had to stop myself from gasping.

I had felt sexual tension before, but nothing like what was going on between David and me. Everything we did or said to each other seemed to ooze with sexual innuendo, and I was hot and bothered before we even made it out of the parking garage.

He drove with confidence, and we shared an easy flirtatious banter all the way to the restaurant. He pulled up to a little Italian hole in the wall that I had never been too. I was excited, usually the little out of the way restaurants were the best.

"I've never been here before," I told him with a smile.

"Me either," he said, returning my smile with a warm one of his own. "A friend of mine recommended it to me a few times. Now we can both try something new tonight." I sensed a hint of innuendo again, and felt a rush of pleasure course through me. He climbed out of the car and came around to open the door for me. I thought it was sweet. So many guys didn't bother to do that anymore. I took his outstretched hand, and let him help me out of the car.

"Thank you," I told him with a slight nod.

"You very welcome." He smiled, then closed the car door and offered me the crook of his elbow. I happily hooked my arm in his, relishing our close proximity, and his intoxicating scent again. I placed my opposite hand on his upper arm, and almost moaned aloud at the feel of the hard bulging muscle of his bicep. If the rest of his body was like this, I was going to end up a pile of goo on the floor when I finally got to see all of him.

He guided me to the door of the restaurant, and paused to open it for me, letting me walk in ahead of him. Then I felt his warm hand take mine in his again as we approached the hostess at a small counter.

"Hi," David said with confidence. "We have a reservation for two. It's under the name Mazur." The young hostess smiled brightly at both of us and asked us to follow her. The place was oddly packed for a Sunday night, which made me even more sure that the food would be very good.

David motioned for me to go ahead of him, and placed his hand at the small of my back as he followed close behind me. His chivalry was refreshing, and I could really get used to being treated like this all the time. That thought led me to tell myself to calm down. I wasn't hurrying into anything serious this time. This time I was going to take it one step at a time and enjoy myself, even if this didn't lead anywhere but to some really hot sex.

We were seated in an out-of-the-way booth that gave us a little privacy. The hostess handed us our menus and stepped away after telling us to enjoy our meal. A few moments later, a middle-aged blond waitress approached the table to take our drink order.

"How about some wine?" David offered.

"The soft red?" I asked.

He turned his attention to our waitress. "You heard the lady. We'll have a bottle of the soft red, please." She nodded and said she'd be back to take our orders shortly. There were a few moments of silence as we looked over our menus. I noticed that sexy furrow on his brow again as he tried to decide what he wanted. He just kept getting hotter by the minute, and I was starting to feel a little warm.

"What are you going to get?" I asked him to distract myself from my dirty thoughts.

"I'm thinking about the lasagna," he answered as he glanced at me over the edge of his menu.

"Wow." I smirked. "That's boring and predictable. I thought you were bringing your 'A' game tonight."

He threw a glare my way as he lowered the menu. "And what are you getting?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs," I answered with a shrug, my grin widening.

He snorted out a laugh. "I guess we're both going to be boring and predictable then."

"For now," I said salaciously.

His eyes widened as his smile became wicked. "Are you saving the wild stuff for later?"

"Something like that," I answered vaguely as wild wanton sparks fired across the table between us. He stared at my lips with heated eyes, like he wanted to devour me. It made me squirm in my seat to try to soothe the warm ache between my thighs. I didn't care if we ate at all now. I had a sudden image of him taking me on the table right here, right now. I was saved from my overactive imagination by the waitress returning with our wine to take our orders.

We ordered our entrees, and the rest of the meal was a blur of sexual tension and suggestive dialog. It was getting harder and harder for me to concentrate on anything but David and my desire for him. When the waitress finally cleared our plates and offered us dessert, David immediately turned her down and asked for the check. He got his wallet out before she even gave it to him, and then gave her his debit card before she could walk away again.

The next thing I knew we were back in his Audi driving to my place. This time he placed his hand higher up on my thigh, and kept it there the entire drive, periodically squeezing my leg firmly or caressing me softly. It was driving me absolutely insane, and I couldn't wait to get him in my bed, so he could touch me like that on my bare skin.

By the time David parked in the garage under my building, I was almost out of my mind with lust. I felt a loss as he moved his hand away from my leg, so he could get out of the car. He opened my door and pulled me up out of his car, trapping me between his body and the open door. I could feel the heat from his body rolling into mine. His right hand came up to caress my cheek, his blue eyes like liquid fire as he stared hungrily into mine, his fingertips gliding across my skin.

"Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?" he whispered, his lips mere millimeters from mine. "I've been thinking about kissing you since yesterday." His hand slid down until he was gripping my chin firmly. "May I?" he asked breathlessly. The stark contrast between the dominant way he was holding my chin and his quiet request for permission jolted me to my core, making me want him even more.

"Yes," I whispered, parting my lips in invitation. His soft lips pressed against mine, gently at first as he explored my mouth with his tongue. His short beard and mustache felt soft and rubbed against my skin in the most delightful way. Then with a low growl, he wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled my body flush against his, delving his tongue deeper into my mouth and kissing me fiercely. I could feel the hard steel of his cock through our clothes. I kissed him back with all the pent-up sexual frustration I had been holding inside me all night. I had never felt this way when I kissed Lucas, had never felt a desire like this with anyone really. It was both electrifying and terrifying all at once. We fed on each other like we were animals, with no control and no thoughts of anything but each other's bodies and the fire burning wildly between us.

David finally broke the kiss, gasping for air and clutching me against him. I swear I saw a flash of terror in his eyes before he focused his lust-filled gaze on me again, the heat in them raw and undeniable.

"Can I come upstairs with you?" he asked, his voice hoarse and needy.

"Yes," I whimpered with a need of my own.

He stepped back reluctantly, guiding me away from the door, so he could close and lock the car. He gripped my hand tightly in his, and led me into the building then onto the elevator. He pressed my back against the elevator wall and stopped with his lips barely brushing mine. "I'd kiss you in the elevator, but that's such a cliche. Don't you think?" he commented with a smile. I couldn't help laughing at his unexpected levity. It made him that much more attractive, and a little more human than his almost intimidating gorgeous face made him out to be.

"Fuck cliches," I said harshly and grabbed the soft curls on the back of his head, crushing my lips against his instead. His eyes widened in shock for a moment, and then he was right there with me, our lips, tongues, and teeth doing all the talking between us. The ding of the elevator reaching my floor jolted us back to reality long enough for David to lead me down the hall to my door. I unlocked it swiftly and he pushed his way through the doorway, dragging me with him and shutting it behind me. Then he locked it before trapping me between the door and his solid hard body.

He raised both hands and buried them in my hair, moaning as he held my head still and started kissing me again. My answering moan seemed to spur him on as he thrust his hips against mine, then reached down with one hand to lift my left leg up and wrap it around his hip. I had to put my arms around his neck for support. I could feel his erection grinding against my pelvis, and it was so big and so fucking hard that it made me gasp.

"Where's your room?" he growled out between kisses, his voice harsh and demanding now. It was so fucking hot.

"The right," I whimpered. "It's on the right."

He lifted my other leg until they were both wrapped around his waist, and a deep shuddering groan rumbled through his chest. He carried me across the hardwood floor toward my open bedroom door, and into my room, kissing me the entire time.

The next thing I knew I was falling down onto my bed, and I heard a hiss and a thump, then the scrabbling of claws on the carpet as George scurried out of the room. David shut the bedroom door with an apologetic smile after George had fled.

"I think I just flunked the George test," he said with amusement, his eyes still dark with arousal.

"Fuck, George." I raised myself up on my elbows and looked back at him. His smile morphed into something dark and wicked.

"I'd rather fuck someone else," he growled as one corner of his lips lifted in a feral snarl. Then he stalked toward me, pulling his sweater off in one fluid motion and tossing it to the floor. His upper body was absolutely breathtaking, the muscles of his arms and chest lean and defined and perfect. His abs were phenomenal. I had never seen a six-pack in real life before, and I couldn't wait to touch it.

He came to the foot of the bed, slipped his shoes and socks off, then reached over to pull my boots and socks off for me. He climbed up onto the mattress and crawled toward me. His body moving with sinewy grace as he came toward me and ended up hovering above me.

"I have to warn you," he whispered seductively. "I like to bite."

A flood of desire rushed through me at his words. "Then bite me already," I whispered back, wanting his teeth and every other part of his body on me.

"I also like control," he growled as he brought first one wrist and then the other above my head on the mattress. He held them there with his right hand, and the flood of desire became a fucking tidal wave. "Can you handle that, Natalie? I can stop if you can't."