of place and almost otherworldly. The helmet cast his brow into shadow, the peaked front helping to intensify the power of his gaze. Warm weather had allowed him to wear a short sleeved shirt, strained to almost breaking point by his biceps. His stab vest curved over his shoulders, adding a bulk to his chest that wasn't needed but made him look totally imposing. His uniform trousers barely contained his powerful thighs, and Olivia wondered if he had to have them specially made with extra width in the leg. They fit too well to be standard issue, that was for damned sure. Michael had always been proud of his strength and size and wasn't shy about showing it off.
“ I'm disappointed, Liv. This is not what we agreed.”
“ I'm sorry.”
Michael shoved his hands through the gaps at the edge of his stab vest, a gesture he no doubt did a hundred times a day. “I thought you said you could handle this?”
“ I ... I can.”
He shrugged and looked towards the door, as if preparing to leave again. “As I said, you're a good girl at heart. I should never have asked you to do something you weren't comfortable with.”
“ What the fuck do you mean by that?” How dare he treat me like some terrified virgin?
“ That's not a criticism, Olivia. You aren't the first to have a problem with it, and you won't be the last.”
Her anger dissipated the instant she realized Michael seemed disappointed in himself, not her. Didn't he know that she would do anything he asked? More than that, she wanted to. But her nerves had gotten the better of her. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was just that she no longer looked like she had all those years ago. Her skin was not as firm, her breasts not as pert. Her arse had held up, but she couldn't very well stand with her back to him the whole time, could she?
“ I don't have a problem.”
Olivia smiled and turned around before she could read his eyes and see his disbelief. If he didn't believe that she meant what she said and misread her self-consciousness, they'd be standing here all bloody night! She shrugged the robe from her shoulders and tossed it onto the bed. Taking a step towards the dresser, intent on following his instructions, she reached behind her to unhook her bra , which she dropped to the floor then reached down to slide off her knickers.
“ Wait.”
Michael's command echoed off the walls although it was no more than a whisper. He crossed the room and spun her into his arms, crushing his lips against hers in a kiss that caught her by surprise and made her lightheaded.
Olivia realized in the part of her mind that was still able to focus on anything but his lips, that he had moved them nearer to the dresser at the edge of the room.
His mouth left hers , and he clasped her shoulders to turn her around, sliding his palms down her biceps and along her forearms to guide her hands onto the dresser as he dropped a kiss on her nape. “You don't know how much this means to me ... how long I've waited to be with you like this.”
Olivia found his gaze in the mirror on the wall above the dresser. “Show me.”
Michael's hands glided over her breasts, his palms barely grazing her nipples. His fingers slid farther down her torso, tracing the shape of her body as they travelled over her heated flesh. She felt the elastic of her knickers tighten and realized as his knuckles dug into her hips that he was wrapping them around his fist. He tore them away and slid the flat of his palm down the crease of her backside, pushing his hand between her legs and nudging them further apart. Olivia spread her thighs, eager for his touch. The second his fingers brushed across the throbbing nub of her clit, her knees gave way.
Michael wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her steady.
“Oh, God, Liv. You've been a dirty girl, haven't you?” He chuckled against her ear. “Just how many times did you masturbate today?”
“ I ... I lost count.” She tried to wriggle