Chapter 21 Miko
MIKO
Being with Anika is the single best feeling in the world. And at the same time, my heart is broken for her.
She’s endured a cruelty no one ever should, and I’m determined to prove that I am not the man her first husband was.
That man is dead, buried so deep and far across the water that even the fish won’t find him, so I’m going to do my damnedest to wipe her mind clean of his memory.
All this time, I’ve worried Anika hated me for killing her husband. I thought the distance separating us was something she had against me personally—because of what I’d done.
But the reality is so much more than that.
Anika has scars—no, open wounds that need to heal. I only hope that I’m good enough to help her do that. And in the meantime, I’m determined not to hurt her further.
I’m letting her take the lead, to show me what is safe. It would seem that sex is a good place to start.
Because despite her stiffness toward me when I took her to bed last night, I can tell that tonight is another matter.
She wants this.
She went out of her way to show me.
And, Christ, if there had been a single doubt in my mind, it was obliterated as soon as I felt how wet she is for me. “I want you to do that tongue thing.” I’ve never heard a woman say anything so simultaneously crass and innocent.
It’s unreasonably sexy.
And knowing that my lips are the only ones that have ever had the pleasure of feasting on her sweet pussy makes the act all the more satisfying.
Tangy arousal gushes from her depths as soon as I wrap my lips around her clit, and I lap it up greedily, savoring her excitement. There’s no tension in her body tonight.
She’s completely relaxed, like putty in my hands, and I knead her supple flesh as I enjoy the way she quivers against me.
I keep her knees bent, her thighs spread so her feet won’t touch the bed. I don’t want them to hold any weight or distract her from her pleasure.
Anika trembles beneath me, her core tightening around my tongue as I plunge it into her hot depths.
“Oh god, Miko!” she whimpers, her fingers slipping beneath the covers to comb into my hair.
My cock throbs as her nails scrape lightly along my scalp, her grip tightening as she pulls me more firmly against her swollen clit.
Her arousal is intoxicating, and I thrust deeper, groaning with satisfaction when she cries out and starts to pulse around my tongue.
She’s so damn responsive.
It’s probably from all the years of going without an orgasm.
Her body’s making up for lost time now that she knows the sensation.
I’m more than happy to oblige her.
The sounds of her pleasure are more than addicting.
They’re becoming as necessary as the oxygen I breathe.
Sliding two fingers inside her, I curl them against her G-spot.
Then I move my lips to suction against her clit, drawing out her orgasm as I enjoy the way she clenches and throbs around me.
I can’t believe I’m the only man lucky enough to have experienced this with her.
Because nothing is hotter than Anika in a state of bliss. She might be poised, subdued even, out in the light of day. But in my bed, she’s a wildcat.
I can feel her aftershocks fading, but I don’t let up until the last of them subsides.
Then I slowly work my way back up her body, trailing kisses along her stomach and between her breasts as I lift her silk shirt to make way.
Anika shimmies out of it, arching her back so I can pull the soft fabric over her head, then her fingers go to my waist as she tugs at my boxers.
My cock pulses at her eagerness, and I shove them down around my knees, kicking them roughly past my feet.
When I hitch her thighs around my waist, she grips me, her heels pressing into my back as I align our bodies.
Anika squirms beneath me, moving closer, and my erection twitches, pressing between her folds as her nipples brush against my chest. God, she’s so wet and warm and inviting.
She’s also the only woman I’ve had unprotected sex with, and the feeling is so intense and satisfying, it makes me throb just thinking about it.
Capturing Anika’s lips with my own, I press my raw, aching tip slowly inside her.
She clenches around me, holding me in place before inviting me deeper.
I want nothing more than to thrust inside her, to claim her body and fill her with my cum.
To see her belly swollen when my seed takes root and know that she’s mine.
I want to ravage her until she screams my name, pound her pussy until she can’t walk straight, and know that no man will ever compare to having me inside her.
But I don’t want to scare Anika away. So I’ll take it slow. I’ll be patient—even if it kills me—and I’ll make her enjoy every excruciating moment.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” I groan, rocking my hips as I strain to keep my movements soft and sensual.
Anika whimpers, her body rolling against me as she chases her pleasure.
Her soft lips mingle against mine, our tongues twining, and a shudder ripples down my spine.
It’s hard to restrain myself—it’s the most I’ve ever held back—but it makes the moment feel all the more poignant.
And as I feel every glorious inch of Anika beneath me, wrapped all around me, taking me in and breathing life into my very soul, I know that I’m falling for her. Hard.
I don’t know when it happened, or even how it happened so quickly, but in the brief time I’ve known Anika, I’ve grown crazy about her. She’s become a constant thought that never strays far from my mind, an obsession.
I worry about her constantly, watch for her around every corner. And I’ve never counted down the hours until my day is done like I do now.
She’s perfect, the most beautiful, captivating woman I’ve ever met, and I would sooner cut off my own hand than hurt her with it.
But making her come? I could do that all night long. And I intend to every night for as long as I live.
As I press inside her, I feel the first ripples of her climax and groan.
“Miko!” she gasps against my lips.
I take advantage of the moment to suck her full lower lips between my teeth and lightly nip it. Like a trigger, it makes her explode around me, her orgasm intensifying as her channel floods with slick excitement.
I can’t hold back any longer. My cock is so hard it hurts, and as she milks me, my hips jerk forward as if of their own accord.
With three powerful thrusts, I follow Anika into oblivion, burying my cock to the hilt as I pour hot cum inside her.
Anika shudders beneath me, her fingers pressing into my back as she holds on for dear life.
Then, as her throbbing subsides, she slowly relaxes, settling back into the mattress with a soft hum of contentment.
Her eyes are dreamy when I pull back to meet them, her expression soft in a way I haven’t seen before.
It’s so beautiful, it takes my breath away, and I brush my lips across hers one last time before I ease out of her dripping cunt.
Rolling onto my back, I pull her against my side as I take a moment to catch my breath.
My chest swells as Anika scoots closer, rolling toward me as she tucks her shoulder beneath my arm.
Then she rests her cheek on my chest and slings one leg across mine.
She must be exhausted, because in less than a minute, her breathing slows, growing more steady, and I know she’s asleep. Christ, this woman is going to be the end of me.
I’m honored that she would trust me enough to share her bed with me, and I’m determined to prove worthy of the privilege.
But now that I’m alone with my thoughts, they return to everything I’ve learned about her this evening.
I feel wide awake as I try to process the kind of animal Pyotr must have been to put his wife through the pain he did. That he could raise a hand against her is unforgivable.
It’s blatant, unapologetic physical abuse. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Still, I’m not sure Anika realizes how much psychological damage he did as well.
Perhaps her parents were grooming her long before she was married off to a monster.
But there’s no doubt in my mind that Pyotr managed to convince Anika that his abuse was her fault. She said as much when she was explaining why he hit her the day I slit his throat.
I’m glad I killed the bastard. He deserved to die a thousand painful deaths for all he’s done.
But if he could only die once, I’m glad it was at my hand.
And now that he’s out of the way, I’m determined to be the kind of husband Anika needs.
If only I knew what that would look like.
If I’m being honest with myself, I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.
I’m worried I might hurt her further because I don’t know how to help.
I was raised to be a cold-blooded killer—a protector, sure, but more so in a triage situation than what she needs from me now.
I know a hundred different ways to take a man’s life.
I could keep her safe from any number of physical threats.
But when it comes to helping a woman heal from the kind of trauma Anika has endured?
I’m completely out of my depth.