Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Lily
I haven’t slept this soundly in years. Being tucked up against a beast of a man does that, it seems. Having his arms around me makes my brain finally switch off. The constant fear. The endless what-ifs. The quiet terror that someone could break in and hurt me while I sleep.
With him beside me, none of that exists. There’s just warmth. I feel the exact second he slips out of bed. The mattress shifts, the air cools, and then the soft press of his lips against my back. I smile and drift right back under.
When I wake again, I drag the covers off and pull on one of my oversized T-shirts. As I open the bedroom door, I hear the edge in his voice.
“What unit was it?” he hisses down the phone.
I pause.
Then his eyes meet mine.
The anger drains from his face instantly, replaced by something softer. Something that belongs only to me. He smiles.
“And how many died?” he asks, not breaking eye contact with me.
My heart sinks.
This is the reality of his life. The one my father didn’t want for me. The more I see it up close, the more it makes sense why he let me go with my mother all those years ago. And selfishly, I want Drago to leave this life.
He nods to whoever he’s speaking to and crooks his finger, silently telling me to come to him.
And I do. Because resisting him feels impossible.
I stop in front of him, and his arm snakes around my waist, pulling me flush against his body. I rest there, letting myself be held, while his fingers slip under my shirt and grip my ass like he needs the grounding.
“I’ll be back tomorrow, Declan,” he says firmly.
I slide my hands up his bare chest, feeling his heart beating beneath my palms. Ignoring the ache I feel, knowing this little blissful bubble we’ve created in Monaco isn’t going to last.
That when we get back to America… It’s all death and destruction.
“No, I haven’t had contact yet. As soon as I do, you’ll know.” His jaw tightens as he listens. I look up at him through my lashes. “Ask Lev to pull the feeds from my office.”
He runs a hand over his jaw, tension written into every line of him, and I start peppering kisses along his skin, biting back a smile when I feel his fingers dig harder into me.
He presses a finger to his lips.
I nod. I kiss him lower and lower, until I’m on my knees in front of him.
He blows out a slow breath, his gaze darkening, setting my entire body on fire.
“Yeah… look, I’ve gotta go,” he says into the phone. “Lily has her meeting soon.”
It’s a lie. My meeting isn’t until this evening. We’re renting a jet ski this morning.
I trace the waistband of his boxers with my fingers, but I wait. Always wait. Letting him lead. Letting him choose. He ends the call, tosses his phone onto the kitchen counter, and threads his fingers through my hair.
“Good morning, my beautiful girl.”
I look up at him from the floor, my heart racing. “Am I in trouble?” I ask, biting my lip.
“Trouble?” His mouth curves. “Far from it.”
He pushes his boxers down, and his cock springs free, already hard, all for me.
“You can do whatever you want to me, baby,” he whispers. “Use me when you need me. I’m yours.”
The sincerity in his voice hits harder than anything physical ever could. This isn’t just sex. It never is with him.
“I thought you said never to give someone permission like that,” I murmur.
He shakes his head. “No. I told you never to give someone control over you.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “But me? I’ll gladly be at your service every single minute of every fucking day.”
I inhale shakily. Everything about this feels right. Too right.
“When I’m in,” he grins, “I’m all fucking in.”
I lick my lips. “Yeah. Me too.”
And then I take him into my mouth, and make this powerful, dangerous man fall apart under my touch.
And somehow, in doing that, I rebuild a part of myself I thought was gone forever. I’m starting to be comfortable in my own skin. Finding my own power.
I really need to stop eye-fucking him. But it’s impossible not to, especially when he’s topless in swim shorts. He’s laughing with the jet ski guy at the kiosk, relaxed in a way I’ve never really seen before, and it does something dangerous to my chest.
“Lily, baby,” he calls out. “Did you want your own? Or do you want to hold on to me?”
I glance at the green jet ski bobbing on the water. Then I look at his abs and grin. “I’ll go on the back of yours,” I say, stepping closer.
The guy starts explaining routes and safety instructions, but I tune it out almost instantly, letting the sound of the waves pull me under instead.
Drago’s arm slides around my waist, yanking me flush against his side, as he steers me to the jet ski.
I’m digging this possessive thing he’s got going on over me.
“Can I trust you to behave back there?” he murmurs.
“Don’t give me ideas, sir.”
His spine straightens as he swings onto the jet ski. He holds out his hand and helps me climb on behind him. “You ready?” he asks, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.
“You’re going to go really fucking fast, aren’t you?”
He bites his lip. “Maybe. But you’ll be safe, I promise. We can get you a life jacket if you want.”
I rest my hand on his bicep. “I trust you. Just don’t get my hair wet. Washing salt out is a nightmare.”
“Yes, baby,” he murmurs.
I settle in behind him, my cheek pressed to his back, arms wrapped tightly around his waist. At first, it’s almost calming… until it isn’t.
He accelerates, and suddenly we’re skimming over the water, bouncing across the waves as he spins us around. I squeeze my eyes shut, clinging to him.
“Both hands on the steering wheel!” I shout.
His body shakes with laughter. “There isn’t a steering wheel, Lily.”
“You know what I mean!”
After a few minutes and the realization that I haven’t been launched into the ocean to meet creatures I have no business encountering, I relax.
I close my eyes, focusing on the vibration beneath me, the way it hums through my legs and up my spine.
My hair whips around my face as I let my hands wander along his solid body.
He takes a sharp turn, his hand shooting back to keep me in place.
I scream, and he slows, his hand sliding down my side before settling on my thigh. Heat ripples through me.
“How you holding up back there?” he calls.
“Good,” I hiccup.
He steers toward open water, coves rising on one side, endless blue stretching out on the other. As he picks up speed, I slide my hand down the front of his swim trunks, feeling how hard he is beneath my palm.
“Lastochka,” he warns, voice rough. “I promised to keep you safe. Jerking me off on a jet ski goes against that rule.”
I bite my lip, grinning where he can’t see.
“Is that why you’re already hard, Drago?” I tease, stroking him slowly.
The jet ski slows, the low hum vibrating between us, making my body ache.
“How was I not going to be?” he gruffs. “You pressed up against me, hands roaming all over me. You think I don’t feel how turned on you are?”
My strokes get bolder, but he eases us toward the coves, the very place I’m sure we were told not to go.
“Drago,” I say nervously. “What if there are monsters in here or something?”
He chuckles. “You wanted to misbehave in open water. It’s a risk you take playing with monsters, lastochka.”
My heart jumps. He may do bad things for a living, but the man beneath the armor isn’t bad. Not to me.
He cuts the engine, and we drift, water lapping softly against the rocks. The quiet wraps around us.
“Get that sexy ass in front of me,” he orders.
He pulls my hand free from his trunks and twists smoothly, maneuvering me until I’m straddling him, facing him, so close our noses nearly touch. His eyes sweep the area before his hands push my thighs wider.
“Let’s see how wet you are.”
He nudges my swimsuit aside and drags a finger through me. I clutch his shoulder as a shudder tears through my body.
“Are you sore from last night?” he asks.
I nod. “A little.”
His grin is wicked. “But you still want more.”
“Yes, sir.”
He slips his fingers inside me carefully, drawing a cry from my throat, then leans in to kiss me as he brings me right to the edge.
“I can’t get enough of the sounds you make for me,” he murmurs. Then he pulls his hand away. “Turn around, gorgeous. You’re taking us for a ride while I fuck you.”
My mouth falls open. “You want me to operate this thing while you’re inside me? Are you insane?”
He laughs softly, mouth brushing my jaw, then my throat. “Insanely desperate for you. I trust you to keep us safe.”
I grab his hair and pull his face back. “Your trust might be misplaced. I’m terrible with my hands.”
He tuts. “Your hands work perfectly around my dick. You’ll be just fine.”
My heart pounds. He’s unhinged, and I love it. Seeing him like this, free, feral, and turned on, sets me on fire.
On shaky legs, I rise and turn as he holds my waist, helping me balance. His hands slide down, gripping my ass hard.
“Fuck, Lily,” he groans. “Fuck.”
“Ouch!” I yelp as he bites me.
And I know, without a doubt, this is about to be one hell of a ride.