The Sanctuary (3 page)

He embraced me, wrapping his hands around my body. “What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart.”

His fingers were strong and inviting. He pulled me gently toward him for a kiss.

Suddenly, there was a loud click and a flash of light upon us, disrupting our interlude. A string of firm but unintelligible words were spoken by a man in an official suit. Val grabbed my arm to follow him. He turned and laughed.

“I guess we’ve been caught.”

We ran toward the elevator, hand in hand, security following in our wake. Val put his face close to mine. “Our first date and I’m already getting us in trouble.” He sweetly kissed my cheek as we made our downward descent to the car.

The sunlight stroked my face, but it was the smell of brewing coffee that awoke my senses. I opened my eyes, not knowing where the aromatic scent could be coming from. I tried to get up, but my head felt as heavy as a watermelon. Not wanting to move from my hangover, I rolled over and realized the bed linens were disheveled. I scanned my hotel room. Val’s black jacket was on the chair in the living room, his shoes, shirt, and socks on the floor. I eyed my own attire; I was in nothing but panties, my bra, and a T-shirt.

“Good morning, darling.” Val’s words fell to my ears.

I turned to the magnificent man who stood before me in half-naked glory. He was thinner than I’d imagined him to be, with lovely ripped abs and protruding hip bones that led straight down to a half-zipped pair of jeans. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and offered it to me.

“How are you feeling?” He sat down, seeming concerned.

I managed to sit up and take his offering of caffeine, but I was confused. “Forgive me for asking this, but…” I stopped myself. I didn’t want to offend him and ask him if we’d slept together because, if we had, I didn’t remember a thing.

Reading my mind, Val responded. “No, we didn’t. You fell asleep in the car, and I brought you up. When I went to lay you down, you woke up and made a beeline for the bathroom.”

“I’m so sorry.” My face suddenly flushed with embarrassment.

“Don’t be. I’m glad I didn’t leave. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. It was my fault for ordering more liquor than either of us needed. I hope you don’t mind. I sent your clothing down to be dry cleaned.”

I rubbed my eyes. This was completely embarrassing, and I fully expected him to make a beeline out of the hotel room now that I was awake and functioning. I wanted to crawl under the covers and never leave the room again.

“Don’t worry. Let me tell you a story.” He placed his hand on my leg, rubbing it slowly. “When I was thirteen, I kissed my first love. Not only was it my first love, but it was my first kiss too. I didn’t have the courage to kiss her, and we were at a party, so I got drunk. Because I was nervous and drunk, right after the kiss, I threw up,
on her
. She never spoke to me again.” He smiled as if he understood my dilemma.

I returned his smile. “Thank you.” I took a sip of the coffee. It was as perfect as the man sitting next to me. “I have a confession to make. I’m not a drinker.”

“Obviously.” His tone was sarcastic.

“Seriously, Val. I hardly drink. If I’m attending a function, I’ll have a glass of wine or champagne, but I’ll only sip it. I don’t know what I was thinking last night. I didn’t want to not drink what you ordered because it was the proper thing to do. I’m a smoker, not a drinker. If you want me intoxicated, pot is my vice of choice.”

He chuckled at my statement. “If I would have known that, I would have cooked dinner and entertained you from the comfort of my living room.” He reached for his cigarette pack, which was on my end table. He opened the pack, lit a cigarette, and pulled out a joint. “Will this make you feel better or worse?”

“Probably worse. I would love nothing more than aspirin and a hot bath. Unfortunately, I can’t locate an available suite with a bathtub anywhere in Helsinki, or I would be there.”

“Get dressed.” He tapped my leg and got up, and his gorgeous manliness showed with every move of his skin. “I have a wonderful soaking tub and a sauna. You are welcome to anything in my home.”

My gut reaction was to decline his invitation because we’d just met, but I stopped myself. After all, how bad of a guy could he be? He’d taken care of me while I was sick. “A bath would be lovely.” I scooted off the bed and began to throw a few things in a bag.

“By the way, someone named Vicki called several times for you. Your phone woke me up. I assured her you were alive and you’d call her when you got up.”

“Where’s my phone?”

Val tossed my phone across the bed. He began to dress as I dialed Vicki. The way he moved his body and the way his clothing touched his skin were instant turn-ons. I wished he’d stay undressed.

“Hello?” Vicki said. There was a brief pause. “Eve? Hello?”

I was too distracted by Val’s sexiness to pay attention to her words. “Sorry. I’m here. You called?”

“Having a bit of Finnish fun, are we?” The sarcasm from Vicki’s voice was as thick as molasses.

I had no time to entertain her. “Does this have to do with business, because, if it doesn’t, I am currently busy at the moment.”

“You have tea at four p.m. with the president today. Is that business enough for you?”

“Please respond that I am unable to make it due to being under the weather.”

“I’m sure you are,” Vicki said coolly. “We have a ten a.m. meeting on Friday, New York time. Please don’t forget.”

“Did you have to be somewhere today?” Val questioned as I closed the phone.

“I had a meeting, but it was rescheduled.” I figured the less Val knew about my personal affairs, the better off we were. I had no interest in telling him the president of his country was calling.

“I’m ready when you are.” Dressed, he was as handsome as he was undressed.

I pulled on jeans and a sweater. I tossed the bag over my shoulder and headed toward the door.

Val followed closely behind, removed the bag from my shoulder and placed it on his, scooping my hand into his.

“Let’s get you used to Finnish life,” he said as we walked out of the hotel. “The tram is a few blocks from here, and my home is a twenty-minute ride. You may want to remember it’s the number four.”

“And I’ll need to remember this why?” I teased.

“Because home is where your heart lies.”

“Welcome. My studio is there.” Val gestured to an adjacent building as he opened the front door.

I studied his house. It was dark and covered with dead ivy branches. The harshness of the weather had beaten the ivy down, and while the bricks underneath were old and worn, the windows had been rehabilitated to their original luster. It was so aged I wasn’t sure if this could be considered a home, and I was positive that inside would be the complete opposite of the opulence I was used to.

I stepped inside. I was wrong. The interior mixed Old World charm with sleek, Euro modernism. The first floor was one massive room, divided by furniture. Everything was clean and contemporary except for what I assumed was the original fireplace.

“Your home is marvelous.” I walked around observing the few pictures and knickknacks he’d decorated with. It was quite clean for a man’s home.

“I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable.” He strolled up the stairs.

I sat on a sleek black couch in the living room and continued snooping. There wasn’t much art work or anything exceptionally remarkable to investigate. As I scanned the room, my gaze stopped at an aged wooden door. I wondered where it led to.

I heard Val descend the stairs and approach from behind. I felt the heat of his skin as he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I have the perfect cure for your headache.”

He extended his hand and I took it, allowing him to guide me around the couch. He led me to the second floor, into his master suite. It was as gorgeous as below, but I could tell this was the part of the house he lived in.

“Pardon the mess, I was out all night and didn’t expect company.” He winked at me as he led me through a maze of clothing, books, cigarette packs, papers, and a guitar, all strewn chaotically about before we’d reached the bathroom.

The bathroom was luxurious, with imported limestone and beautiful poured concrete countertops. And there, in the corner, was a soaking tub, large enough for two, overlooking his picturesque town. He had drawn a bubble bath, lit candles, and, in lieu of a glass of wine, a joint was on the ledge ready to be burned.

“You spoil me.” I turned around, ready to invite him to join me, but the door clicked shut.

“Enjoy, I’ll be downstairs.” His voice was muffled through the bathroom door.

I undressed and slid into the warm water. It flowed around me, relaxing my muscles and my mind. I lit the joint and inhaled, anticipating feelings of euphoria and relaxation. I was supposed to dive into writing and freedom. Instead, I’d stumbled upon a romance. It wasn’t what I’d come here for, but it had found me. Should I let it play out, or should I stop the game?

As I continued to smoke, thoughts rolled through my mind. After Jude, I’d sworn off men. I knew I didn’t want to be blindsided again, but Val ignited a spark that caused every inch of my body to tingle. My reaction to him was completely out of character. Whatever we shared, I was curious to explore it.

Perhaps it was only sexual attraction. I hadn’t had sex in several months, and the weed was weakening my inhibitions. Should I seduce him? Step out naked and ask for a towel? I closed my eyes and drifted into a blissful daydream.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a piano in the distance. I wrapped a towel around myself and stealthily peeked out the door. I scanned the master suite; Val had cleaned up the mess. The only light was the sun’s rays through the far window. I saw him at a piano, which I must have missed earlier.

I crept farther into the room. I didn’t want to disturb him, and I wanted to watch him without being watched. I hadn’t been able to stare at him since we’d first met at the coffee shop.

His hands glided over the keys, stroking and caressing each one. His eyes were half closed and his lips slightly parted. He looked sated, and I imagined that was how he would appear after we made love.

Seizing the moment, I strolled toward him, stopping inches away from the piano bench, pausing to catch his eye.

“Why, hello, Eve…”

“Would you mind if I joined you?” I dropped the towel to the floor.

He scanned my body with lustful eyes. “You are beautiful.” He gently tapped the bench, inviting me to take a seat next to him. “Your mother named you appropriately. Oh, how you tempt me.”

I sat and faced him. “Temptation is nothing until you taste the forbidden fruit.”

It was the invitation he was looking for. With a quick swoop, I was encircled by his arms, his lips pressed into mine. His touch electrified me and caused me to lose my breath. He kissed my mouth with such fervor I was positive the lion could not be tamed. His hand slid slowly from my waist to the underside of my breast. But before he reached my erect nipples, he stopped and pulled himself away.

Breathing heavily, he spoke. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.” His eyes searched mine for an answer.

I laughed at his remark. Take advantage of me? If anything, I would be using him. He would be my Finnish lover.

I knew his bed was nearby, and seducing him would be easier if I was in it. I rose from the bench and sauntered to the bed, my ass swaying with each swaggering step.

I felt his eyes on me with each move I made. Eyes that were hungry for
me
. I sat on the bed. “Come here.”

My words interrupted his visual inspection of my body. He rose from the bench and moved toward me, raising his shirt over his head and exposing his perfectly delicious skin. Val leaned in for a kiss, but I shifted my body backward toward the center of the bed. “Join me.” I motioned him closer with my finger.

With a predatory smile, he crawled on his hands and knees across the bed until he was hovering over me. He lowered himself, kissing me passionately, and his hand cupped my breast as his thumb traced my areola before tweaking my nipple with his finger.

He leaned down to kiss my nipples and forced my legs apart with his body to make room for him. My body shuddered in delight as his warm tongue flicked on my skin.

“Oh…mmm…Val…” I was in heaven.

He moved his way to my mouth, kissing me along the way. “You are beautiful,” he murmured before kissing me again. “And you taste like bubbles.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “I wonder why.”

“Hmm…” He lowered himself onto me and began to kiss me again, but he did not rest his weight on me.

“Val…” I purred as I traced my fingers down his perfect chest until I found what I was searching for, the button of his pants. I quickly got irritated and groaned my displeasure at being unable to undo his jeans and get to what I wanted.

He relieved my frustration and solved what I could not by getting up and shedding them.

His body was stunning, and there was much more of him than I’d thought there would be. In point of fact, he was bigger than any man I’d ever dated. I grinned, pleased with the Adonis before me. My body ached for his touch.

“Beautiful…”

He moved up my body, leaving not one inch of skin untouched. His mouth painted my lips with lust. His weight nudged my legs farther apart until I could feel the heat of his groin pressed against mine.

“You are gorgeous.”

“Are you trying to persuade me to sleep with you?” I teased.

“I hardly think persuasion is necessary.” He winked.

“And what makes you say that?” I asked, playing innocent.

He moved his hand down my body, sliding his hand between my thighs. “This…”

“Oh…I think you may be right…mmm…”

His fingers worked magic on my clit. I was going to orgasm at any second. He withdrew his hand from my pussy and moved his focus to my breasts, fondling and sucking them until I thought I would explode. And suddenly he stopped again, drawing himself off of me.

I opened my eyes in wonder; he was taunting me with sex. His green eyes were hypnotic; I wanted to submit to his spell. I heard the rip of foil and glanced down. He was unrolling a condom.