Chapter 43 #2
The thought of her sweet demeanor being trampled into the ground, of her fieriness being beaten out of her, angered me all over again.
The waste of her passionate nature on a man who would never treasure her the way I did left me feeling empty.
If the Romanovs had their way, she’d be a slave whore to the Fedorovs.
What I wouldn’t give to be locked in a room alone with him or her uncle.
As anger pumped through my veins, I stormed to the garage.
“Boss, you need to go somewhere?” Marcus asked, popping out of the office.
“No, I need to clear my head. I’m going to take my bike out.”
He leveled a worried expression my way but said, “Sounds good.”
I prayed he wasn’t going to try to hug me too. Sighing, I couldn’t stop thinking about Kinsley. The grip she had over me was infuriating, and I was fucking clueless about how to fight it. I snapped the helmet into place, the familiar click grounding me more than it should have.
The world dulled to a low hum inside the shell, everything else fading but the thrum of anticipation crawling beneath my skin. I swung my leg over the bike, gripping the bars like an old habit. One twist of the throttle, and she roared to life. The feel of my bike did wonders for my mood.
Riding gave me the ability to just be. It was the easiest form of a steady adrenaline release I could find. But it was the aftermath that I longed for this evening. With each twist of the wrist and lean of my body, I let go. I focused on the road under me and sought peace.
With no set place in mind, I rode aimlessly, or so I thought.
Imagine my surprise when I pulled my bike up to the guard gate at my parents’.
I had no idea when I’d made a mental turn and found my way here.
My body still hummed from the ride, and all the endorphins released had me feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
“Good evening, Master Ivan. I’ll buzz you on in,” Oliver, the guard gate, greeted me.
I needed to see her, make sure she was okay.
Nightmares were always hard on her, and I used that as an excuse to try to rationalize my behavior.
She was being stubborn; she didn’t have to be alone.
Alek and Nik could have easily readjusted our schedule.
But her adamant statement about leaving the third night open made that impossible.
A part of me loved her even more for it.
Walking inside, I found my father laughing outside the media room.
He motioned me closer, and I ambled over, not sure what was going on.
I paused in the doorway, the sound of offbeat laughter pulling me in.
Surprise would be an understatement. I wasn’t sure what I expected to find, but this was not it.
There the two of them were, twirling across the media room floor like it was a damn stage. Champagne flutes half-empty. Faces flushed. Joy written all over them. They were a mess. A beautiful, ridiculous mess.
I should’ve walked away. But all I could do was stand there, letting the sight of Kinsley spinning barefoot undo me a little more.
“You missed the most comical ‘Genie in a Bottle’ performance. Your mother taught Kinsley the original dance from the video. Oh god, I wish I would have recorded it,” my father said, laughing as he watched them dissolve into a fit of giggles.
“Mother has had quite a bit to drink.” I chuckled.
Right then, Kinsley spoke up. “Okay, my turn to teach you a dance.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as she showed my mother how to do some viral dance from social media.
And unlike my father, I actually pulled out my phone and recorded it.
The guys would never believe me in a million years.
I studied my little love in her element and broke into a soft laugh, shaking my head in amusement.
“What?” my father asked.
“That look right there on her face. I’d know it anywhere.” The music had her slightly aroused, and the alcohol only enhanced it.
“I need a break,” my mother exclaimed. She collapsed on the couch and grabbed her glass of wine. Kinsley filled it and then sat down next to her.
“Tell me, how did you and Christopher meet?” Kinsley’s light voice was filled with curiosity, and I rolled my eyes. This was one story my mother loved to share every small, little detail of, and it could easily take her an hour to tell.
Kinsley’s flushed face lit up as my mother talked, and I realized that no matter what happened between us, there was no way I could walk away from her.
The reality of it resonated deep down in my soul.
I’d probably been in love with her since the first day in the war room.
When she sucked the blood from my cut, she seamlessly integrated her very essence with mine.
It was pointless to continue to fight it. I needed to beg her forgiveness.
“Well, I’ve seen that same look on your brothers’ faces over the past two days. So, does this mean you’re staying the night as well?” my father asked, clapping me on the back.
“I need to make a phone call. Don’t tell her I’m here,” I told my father, excusing myself. He shook his head but continued smiling as I walked down to my old room. I dialed Marcus.
“I need a few things from the house. Think you could bring them to me? I’d like to not let the others know.”
“Absolutely, Boss. What do you need?”
I gave him my list, and he chuckled.
The shit-eating grin on his face thirty minutes later made me laugh. “Not a word, Marcus.” I snatched the bag from him.
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he teased as he climbed back into the car.
I set up and then went to find my father. “I need your help with something.”
“Son, she’s quite inebriated,” he said, warning me.
“I can tell, thanks to Mother. However, I have no intention of sleeping with her tonight. I will, however, indulge her wild side a little.”
“I don’t need to know details,” he said, narrowing his eyes and looking slightly horrified.
I chuckled. “Didn’t plan to give you any.”
“I suppose you want me to collect your mother, then?”
“Yup.” A rush of anticipation raced through my veins.
My father went into the room and took my mother into his arms. “Dear, I think you’ve had quite enough for this evening.
How about we take that dancing to our bedroom?
” The affection between my parents was and had always been something I admired.
Even after all these years and the heartache, they were still going strong.
Kinsley giggled. “Lucky, lucky girl.” She hugged my mother.
“We’ll have to do this again, honey. I haven’t had that much fun in ages,” my mother said, as my father held her.
“Thank you for a lovely evening, Sophia. I’ll never forget it.” Kinsley stepped out into the hall, and I ducked into a room.
Peeking my head out, I had to chuckle. She danced her way down the hall and headed for the stairs.
Staying a safe distance behind her, I flashed a crooked smile.
The wine had her in such a relaxed mood that she belted out the lyrics to the song they had been dancing to.
Damn, her voice echoed beautifully off the walls.
I got chills listening to her, and my cock stirred. As soon as she closed her bedroom door, I pulled out my phone. I strolled to my old room and dialed her. Time to play. She answered before the third ring could register.
“Iv…Ivan?” She sounded so small, her uncertainty like a knife to my gut.
“I just left my parents’ house. I had to speak with my father about something. I think you’ve surpassed your limit, don’t you, young lady?” Purposefully keeping my voice rough, I waited to see how she’d respond.
“Yes…Yes, Sir. I’m s-sor-sorry.”
I grinned, the corners of my mouth twitching as I pictured her standing in the middle of her room, tipsy and compliant. My fingers tightened around my phone as I leaned against the wall, savoring the moment. The silence stretched as I made her wait just a heartbeat longer.
I chose my next words carefully. “What should I do with you?”
“Anything you want,” she whispered. Her breath sounded airy and desperate, still dripping with that hint of arousal I noticed earlier.
“Anything?” I lowered my voice to the octave I reserved for speaking in her ear.
“Yes, Sir. I would do anything for you.”
“Careful, little love.”
She gasped. I hadn’t called her that in, god, weeks? A month? It seemed like forever. I took a deep breath.
“We’ve talked about using vague words and sentiments before, have we not?” I warned.
“Yes, Sir. We have, but I really mean it. I’d do anything for you.”
My heart leaped in my chest. “We’ll see about that. In your closet is a tripod. Set it up at the end of your bed with your tablet and FaceTime me, naked.” I hung up before I even heard her response.
Ten minutes later, my phone rang. I answered, and she sat breathless in the middle of her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. It took everything in me to remain stoic, and I turned my camera off so she couldn’t see me.
“Ivan?” she called out.
“No talking. Lie down on the bed.”
She hastened to obey. The camera was set up perfectly. Her body was breathtaking. She shivered slightly but lay with her hands at her sides.
“With a slow, delicate touch, I want you to caress your stomach.”
Her hands moved almost immediately.
“Use those nails gently on your skin,” I breathed, watching her every move. “Listen and do as I say. Circle the outside of your nipples, but don’t touch them.”
Her pink nipples stiffened as she caressed her breasts.
“Beautiful. Now rub them. Feel how hard they are? Pinch them for me.”
“Oh,” she moaned while she played with her chest, her eyes wide.
“Stop,” I ordered her. She moved her hands back to her sides, still peering into the camera. Her stomach rose and fell rapidly. “Trail both hands down your stomach and spread those legs wide for me. I want to see how wet you are.”