Temptation

"Wrong," he growled in my ear. "You are tempting."
I shook my head in doubt, though my heart recoiled at his words, I fought to believe them.
"Yeah right," I snorted.
"Hmm," he purred, his soft lips moving delicately on my neck.
My hands grabbed fistful of his sweater. "You smell so good," he murmured, the trail of kisses he was leaving on my neck to my collarbone were hot against my skin, his breath stalled for a second.
"Uhm... Roman?"
He growled in protest. "Fuck, Nuru. I told you not to say my name like that."
"Um... okay?" I gasped.
His lips were suddenly a mere inch from mine. Almost touching mine. I hadn't seen the movement. He was just there. He moved that quickly. My knees grew weak, I was very grateful when he reached around my waist and pulled me up. I took a step away from him and he follow. I continued to retreat and he came closer, but the wall stopped me from going as far away as I desired.
My heart was already in a chaotic mess. I barely inhaled. It seemed the only thing I was capable of was exhaling — maybe a little to weakly.
He lifted his arms so that the other would support my weight and the other held my face. I felt the disorientating heat of his body reach out to mine. He dipped his head lower. I closed my eyes waiting for his forehead to rest against mine but that didn't happen. I opened my eyes and realized that tonight was different. Tonight things have changed.
I had the reckless urge to touch him but I resisted. My hands were numb by my sides.
What was he waiting for? Why was Roman in so much control? Didn't he understand how much I wanted this? Didn't he crave it as much as I did? With a crippling urgency? Where did he get his patience from?
He hesitated and then asked, still staring at my lips. “Nuru?” he whispered invitingly, his warm breath caressing my lips. They trembled. "Would you mind very much — for experiment purposes — if I kissed you right now?"
"Please..." I gasped.
And then it happened. His lips found mine. They were demanding, impatient, but I couldn't move, my body was frozen, I didn't even breath.
He moved back slowly. “You can open your eyes now.”
I shook my head, I didn't want the dream to end.
"Uh-oh. You're pale. Upset. That doesn't look good," I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Was my kissing expertise that bad?"
Roman started to shake his head and managed a faint smile. "I'm just wondering why I waited for as long as I had. I'm very angry with myself."
"How was the experiment?" I asked instead.
He looked at me with amazement in his eyes. Then, after shaking his head slightly, he slowly began to smile. "I'd like to kiss you again," he told me impatiently.
"I thought that's what you've just done."
"Well... I wanted to make sure it was as amazing as it is in my dreams."
"And?" I whispered.
"And now I'd like to kiss you... as my girlfriend."
My eyes popped open. "Oh! I'm Roman's girlfriend?"
The moment he started lowering his head, I felt the breath catch in my lungs. My thoughts came to a halt as he dipped lower still.
I swallowed, calming my chaotic breathing and misbehaving heart.
He moved closer still, I groaned, he was moving too slow for my liking.
And so, I reached forward, clutching a fistful of his hair and yanked him to me before bringing my lips to his.
My lips moved blindly over his, it took him a moment to react to my sudden assault. His lips broke free from mine and he stared down at me with a heated gaze.
“Y — You…kissed me,” I gasped, knees still weak, heart still throbbing, lungs still contracting, and breathe still labored.
"No, you kissed me."
He moved away from me and as we cooked dinner together, I felt the difference. Something had changed in him. Our future so uncertain before had been sealed with the touch of his lips.
“You haven’t touched your food,” he said disapprovingly.
“I was occupied,” I mumbled, unwilling to move away from him. I was sitting on his lap, my face pressed against his neck.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
I sighed. “Yeah.”
Roman's arms slowly dropped from my waist and he moved a foot back. I didn’t know what to do with my hands now that he was gone. He smiled and offered me food. We eat silently.
When I glanced up he was watching me, his expression unreadable.
“You’re different than anyone I’ve ever met.”
I thought for a moment “Is that a bad thing?”
A moment passed as he assembled his thoughts and then he smiled but his face was mortified. “Even the way you chew your food fascinates me. When you smile your lips tremble for a second.”
“I do that?” I asked, looking at the mashed potato.
“Yes. Your eyes twinkle for a millisecond when you look at me, it’s really interesting. ”
We sat silently, looking into each other's eyes — trying to read each other's thoughts. I broke the silence first.
“You know so much about me," I took a deep breath and stared into his gaze. "I don't get why?"
"Knowing everything about you is a part of who I am now." He ran the back of his hand down my cheek.
I caught a look on his face that gave him away — he knew exactly what his touch did to me.
"Your face is warmer than usual,” he mumbled. Slowly he sandwiched my face between the tight grips of his hands.
He slowly leaned towards me. I shivered and I heard his sharp intake of breath. His breath was uneven, his heart racing — I could hear it bang against the cage of his chest.
“Don’t!” I warned him, slightly dazed.
“I wasn’t going to kiss you again, Nuru.” He was amused by my terror.
I sighed in relief. “Good.” My voice was still cracking. “I wouldn’t have survived this time.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I just want to do this…” and then his nose skimmed along the length of my face. He stopped only when our noses were touching.
“See, not so bad,” he sighed.
“That’s easy for you to say,” I said, breathless.
"You need to practice, too.” He winked and then he was leaning towards me again.
I was so still that my breathing ceased.
He laughed. “I was kidding.”
I sighed nervously. “You want me to have a heart attack?”
He frowned. “That would be too unpleasant.”
He was silent for a long moment. His eyes were staring off in a distance, his expression unreadable.
We were at the bed at the point.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“You have to sleep.”
“Don’t remind me.” I groaned.
My phone rang. I jumped. Roman shook his head, chuckling.
"Hey, Nuru," called a smooth voice over the other side of the line.
"Mel?" I asked, squirming away from him.
"You haven't forgotten about tomorrow, have you?"
Uh-oh. I had no idea what she was talking about.
She laughed. "Remember we're going shopping tomorrow?"
"Oh yes, I remember," I lied. "See you then."
"You don't remember do you?"
I sighed. "Honestly, no." I was ashamed.
She laughed again. "I figured. You were so traumatised that day," she told me. "What was wrong?"
Now I remembered the day she was talking about. When she'd asked me to be her maid of honor.
"Er, I'm afraid of thunder," I confessed.
"Oh!" I imagined her classic stunned face. "Okay then, I'm sorry. Goodnight."
"Night, Mel. See you tomorrow."
She chuckled.
"Mel?" I asked, concerned, my eyes pulling together.
"Yes Cla?" I could imagine her grinning in encouragement.
"Are you okay?"
"Not really," she confessed, voice breaking. "But I'll get better."
"I'm glad," I said with a smile. "I was so worried."
"I knew you'd worry. I'm sorry."
"Stop worrying about me," I said trying to sound angry. "Sometimes you have to let us worry about you. I'm so happy you're okay. Promise you won't let this destroy you."
"I promise," she assured me, voice cracking.
"How's Chad?"
"He's doing okay. He didn't know. It shocked him. I was planning on telling this weekend but..."
"Are you guys going to pull through?"
"I'm optimistic. He didn't call off the wedding."
A smile broke across my face. "That boy loves you, Mel. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks," she said in her usually calm voice.
"See you tomorrow."
"Love you."
My heart filled with warmth. "As I do you."
He pulled me against his chest, naturally, automatically. I closed my eyes and relaxed against his body.
I woke up to a drizzly cloudy day just before noon. I lay with a pillow across my eyes, still dazed from the dreamless sleep. Voices coming from the lounge struggled to break through my reverie. I groaned and opened my eyes. Reality hadn't fully sank in yet.
And then I heard my name.
I sat up straight and pressed my ear against the door.
"Anton, man, I've got to go get ready," Roman was saying.
"But I just got here," I heard Anton's gruff reply. "I barely see you these days."
"I've been busy."
"With what?" there was a long pause. I hoped I could see them. I opened the door and crept down the hallway, just before turning the corner I halted and craned my neck so that I could see into the lounge.
The mere sight of Roman had my heart galloping.
Anton's eyebrow was raised.
Roman deliberated for a moment. "I've met someone."
"Who?"
"Nuru."