Yes, she should have invited him to the meeting, or at least consulted him afterward. But his reaction to her error in judgment had been extreme. He should have thought it through a little more before speaking his mind and then storming away. He was, Michael realized uneasily, having more trouble than usual governing his passions – both positive and negative.
He felt his face flush at the thought of what had happened in their room last night. The inactivity of his recovery at base camp had become irksome, and he had had nothing to do that evening other than ache for Sophie. When she’d walked through the door, he’d been deliberately provocative, rolling over to show her how much he’d missed her those last hours.
The feel of her mouth around him, looking down to see her pleasuring him, her tongue finding all his sensitive spots with wicked accuracy…he’d come in less than a minute like a sixteen year old getting his first blowjob, biting back a shout. And then had spent much of the night making love to her, fiercely and possessively. His body was pleasantly sore today as a result.
If she’d brought up work at any point, he would have cut off the conversation as quickly and erotically as possible. He could barely remember his own name when he was buried inside Sophie, let alone remember to follow up on something work related. How fair was it that he had expected her to feel any differently?
Why must we always do this to one another?
He had thought of little else as he had wandered around the airport for the last few hours. How could they be together, love one another, when impulse and pride so dominated? They were, as Carter had frequently pointed out to him over the years, utterly unsuited for one another. Fire and ice.
Perhaps it stops when we finally put our love first.
Michael boarded, climbing the steps to the upper deck of the 747. The first class cabin attendants welcomed him with warm smiles. He saw her right away, leaning against the window beside her seat, lost in thought. Her attendant asked her a question, but she did not respond. The woman asked again, and Sophie looked up. And saw him. She had been crying.
It stops here. Now. He would cause her no more tears.
“Mana mila.” He waved away the champagne the attendant pressed on him as he sat down beside her.
She leaned over to wrap her arms around him. “I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?”
Michael shook his head. “The mistakes have been mine. I have nothing to forgive you for beyond a minor slip of your memory.” He buried his face in her bright hair and inhaled her scent. “It is your forgiveness I require.”
Sophie sighed again his neck, her voice filled with conflict. “I have lived my whole life without you, without anyone really. I am used to planning and making decisions on my own. So much so that now, when you are finally with me, I find it easier to exclude you.” Her cheek rested against his neck, and he could feel her tears against his skin. “I’ve never been good at working with you – working with anyone, really, except Will. I haven’t been any better in the last few weeks. How will we make this work when we’re home?”
“We have not had a conventional relationship, love. Neither of us is conventional.” Michael pulled back and traced her lower lip with his thumb. “We have been friends. We have been enemies.” Sophie smiled. “We have saved one another’s lives. And we are the most passionate of lovers.” She shivered in his arms. “Now it is time for us to be equals. This will take practice on both our parts.” He kissed her, relishing the feel of her lips. He’d meant it to be chaste, but was unable to prevent it from becoming more. Eventually, polite throat clearing beside them brought him back to reality.
“Dr. Trent? Ms. Swenda?” The attendant stood nearby, her eyes politely averted. “I apologize for interrupting. We’ll soon be taking off. Could I ask you to put on your seatbelts please?”
They broke apart, blushing. Michael buckled his seatbelt, forced himself to watch the safety video, and fantasized about sex at thirty-six thousand feet. As the jet took off in the winter twilight, he turned back to Sophie.