Chapter Fifteen
Leonid
The mooring line snaps taut against the cleat as Elena hauls it into place. She straightens for a moment and wipes the back of her hand over her forehead before returning to the task she delegated to herself.
She doesn’t notice me standing on the deck across from her, or if she does, she doesn’t acknowledge me.
I’ve been standing here for about ten minutes, maybe even longer, drinking in the way her thick thighs contract under her pants each time she bends over and fighting the image of her bent over my desk beneath me while I fuck her crazy.
Except I don’t just want to fuck her, I want to take her slowly, filling her mind with thoughts of me until she’s moaning my name through those tempting lips of hers.
It’s her thing to never acknowledge me or tense like everyone else does when I’m around. The only time my presence ever draws a reaction from her is when our fingers brush or our eyes meet abruptly.
I hate that any contact with her stirs me in ways I don’t like but can’t resist. I’m not entirely certain how much longer I can pretend she doesn’t affect me in more ways than one.
My self-control hangs by a thread each time I’m around her.
God.
Dropping my hands into the pockets of my pants, I walk up to her, and the scent of her soft, floral perfume pummels my senses. “That’s the third booking you’ve moved this week.”
My shadow falls across the deck right in front of her, but she doesn’t look up. “That’s because the client changed their arrival time,” she says, narrowing her eyes at the manifest in her hand. “You’d know that if you read the report you asked me to send you.”
I read every report, email, or anything else that pops up about my business. When it concerns the bratva and its members, everything needs to be perfect. Or close to perfection. But I don’t bother correcting her. “I prefer hearing the explanation from you.”
She pauses, her fingers smoothing down the edge of the manifest before she raises her head and gives me a searching look. Her warm, sea green eyes lock onto mine. Her expression is defiant, yet a faint blush creeps up her neck.
“Okay. The client is paying a premium to have their arrival window adjusted.” She pauses and swallows, trying to steady her voice but failing. I can see the rapid pulse fluttering at the base of her throat. “I needed to make sure everything was in order myself.”
She straightens up and brushes a strand of honey-brown hair back from her forehead before shifting her weight to one leg, her curvy frame resting in a way that tests the absolute limit of my composure.
I should simply nod and walk away before I lose control and do something I shouldn’t, but I don’t. Instead, I step closer, intentionally crowding her space until that floral scent completely overtakes the salty marina air.
“Let me see the manifest.”
Her tongue swipes over her lips, followed by the subtle movement of her teeth digging into her lip as she hands me the manifest.
I reach out, deliberately letting my fingers brush against hers. A sharp jolt of electricity skitters between us from the contact, causing her breath to hitch, but she doesn’t retreat.
“When are you letting me go?”
The question comes out so suddenly that it catches me off guard. I thought we’d come to an understanding, but it looks like my little bird doesn’t fully understand the situation, so it’s my job to make sure she does.
“Never.”
Rage turns her sea green eyes almost red. “Never? Leonid, I can’t be your prisoner forever. You have to let me go eventually.”
“You’re not a prisoner here, Elena. You’re my wife.” My voice drops into a low rumble. “And as my wife, there’s no escaping my world. There’s no escaping me. Even if you run, I’ll turn the world upside down to get you back.”
She scoffs. “Your wife? That sounds like I’m a prisoner in a shiny cage. I miss my parents and my best friend. As your wife, would you let me travel across the world if that’s what it took to see them?”
“No.”
Her glare grows sharper, as if my one-word answer somehow agitated her even more. Her chest heaves with fury. “You see? A prisoner is all I’ll ever be to you.”
“That’s not it, Elena.” I place the manifest on the crate beside me, closing the distance between us until I can feel the heat radiating off her. “I have enemies, Elena. Enemies who won’t hesitate to hurt you just to get to me.”
She lets out a short, sardonic laugh, her eyes flashing with a stubborn courage that makes my blood run hot. “So you care about me? Interesting.”
I hate to admit it, but this woman, who should’ve been nothing more than a distraction, now means so much more to me. The thought of losing her scares me more than death itself. I’m not sure how that happened, but I can’t stop my thoughts from rotating around that new nightmare.
“Assume whatever you wish, ptichka, but I’m never letting you go, and that’s final.”
Her hands ball into fists at her sides and she tilts her head, challenge bubbling in every word she says.
“Fine, but keep this in mind: I’m going to leave.
You can feed me apples and promise me a new job, but that doesn’t change that you kidnapped me.
Whether dead or alive, I’ll escape you. And if luck is on my side, I might bring you with me to the afterlife. ”
Tension crackles between us, seeping through my veins right to my heart. The sheer absurdity of her threat—and the flicker of doubt in her eyes as she says it—snaps the last thread of my restraint.
I grip her jaw, my fingers digging into her soft skin to keep her from pulling away as I slam my mouth down onto hers, kissing her hard enough for her to feel the frustration etched in every inch of my being and the agonizing want I’ve been suppressing from the first day I met her.
She doesn’t shrink away from me. Far from it. She lets out a sharp gasp and leans into me, her hands gripping the lapels of my suit jacket to pull me closer. She meets my aggression with a fiery hunger of her own, moaning into my lips as if she’s been dying to do this for a long time.
I pull back a fraction of a second, scanning her for any signs of discomfort. The uneven, ragged breaths escaping her lips are all the permission I need, but before I can act, she’s already up on her toes and grabbing a fistful of my hair, and then her lips collide with mine again.
Fuck, she’s even more intense than I expected.
I groan against her lips, and with a sudden surge of protectiveness, I scoop her up from the floor, her thighs instinctively wrapping around my waist. “We’re going home.”
***
We’re both wild with desperation when I carry her into our bedroom and lay her gently on the bed, the black sheets framing her hair like a dark halo.
For a moment, I freeze, just looking at her, at how beautiful she is, soaking in the way my heart does a strange, terrifying dance that defies every ruthless rule I’ve ever lived by.
My attraction for this woman burns beyond just sex. It’s something deeper, something even I can’t wrap my head around yet.
She sits up, grabs my hand, and pulls me down. Our lips clash again and again as we kiss each other with passionate need, stripping until we’re both naked.
My cock throbs as her nipples press against my chest. I slowly part her legs until I can feel her opening pressing against the tip of my erection. A slow shiver travels down my spine.
Christ.
The slide of my cock against her is a slow, agonizing burn…and a reminder that we’ve reached the point of no return.
I cup her cheeks, looking into her eyes as I slowly slide into her wet entrance.
A groan tears from my throat at the same time a soft cry rips from hers. She’s so fucking warm and tight. The feeling of her walls clenching around my erection is closer to heaven than anything I’ve ever felt.
“Leo,” she moans, wrapping her arms around me. “Fuck.”
I kiss her ear and her neck, then I grab one of her boobs and pinch her nipple. She shudders, her moans growing even louder. Her eyes darken softly, her lips parting as she takes me in completely.
“God, baby.” I thrust deeper inside her, grunting at the sensation of my cock hitting her cervix. “You’re so delicious.”
I take her nipple in my mouth and suck on it, sliding my fingers through her hair and caressing her face.
Our bodies move with frantic desperation. Every soft gasp she utters against my skin shatters another piece of the cold walls I’ve built around my heart, leaving me entirely exposed to her.
She’s a weakness I didn’t bargain for.
And one I can’t ignore.
Pressing my fingers to her lips, I go in faster and deeper with each thrust, reveling in the sight of her breasts bouncing with each movement and the way her face has nothing but pleasure and desire written all over it.
She bucks her hips and spreads her legs wider, and I squeeze her ass. Her soft voice comes apart in a string of breathless, broken gasps.
The pleasure builds to an agonizing high, and her moans turn into loud, desperate cries of pleasure, her fingers digging into my back as she tightens around me with a shuddering release that tears a ragged groan from my chest.
Yebat.
The scent of her orgasm fills the air and triggers a primal part of my senses I didn’t know existed. The last of my restraint shatters, sending me over the edge into a fierce, blinding climax that leaves me completely undone.
My grip on her ass tightens, my heart rate increasing dangerously as ecstasy courses through my veins. I thrust into her a few more times, emptying inside her before collapsing onto the matress and burying my face in the crook of her neck to listen to her rapid heartbeat.
We lie in complete silence as the realization of what we just did dawns on both of us.
I regret nothing, but it’s impossible to ignore the weight of reality settling into my bones.
Our marriage has been consummated, and Elena is no longer just an enemy or bait; she’s my wife in every way that matters.
And in my world, that makes her the most dangerous piece on the chessboard.