Chapter 30
CHAPTER
THIRTY
SOFIYA
My eyes flutter open, sunlight streaming through the window like an unwelcome guest. A pounding headache greets me, and my ankle throbs. But I notice something else unexpected and not entirely unpleasant: the heat of a body beside me.
I turn to be greeted by Nikolai’s sleeping form. For a moment, I wonder why he’s in my room before realizing I’m in his.
Memories trickle into my consciousness: getting lost in the woods, the cold rain cutting through me, the sharp pain in my ankle, and Nikolai, my unlikely savior, carrying me up the stairs into his room. And then the bath. Oh god, the bath.
Beyond Liza, Roman, Daria, and Alex, I can’t think of the last time someone actually cared enough to fuss over me. But Nikolai did. He hovered like a mother hen, ignoring the doctor’s reassurance that I’d be fine, ensuring I was comfortable and didn’t need anything.
The doctor said it was nothing serious—a rolled ankle—and that I’d be fine with some rest and ice. But that didn’t stop Nikolai from insisting I sleep in his bed as if keeping me close was the only way to make sure I stayed safe.
Now, in the light of day, I feel stupid. Running off was reckless, exactly what Roman and Liza wouldn’t want me to do. But I was desperate to escape Nikolai’s hold, knowing full well how much harder it was getting to resist him.
He’s the cause of my family’s misery, and yet I’m here, feeling all sorts of fucked-up things for him.
Nikolai Zhukov isn’t just under my skin—he’s in my veins.
And the scariest part is I’m done fighting it.
With Nikolai still sleeping beside me, I take in his unfairly chiseled jawline, the sexy stubble that shadows his face, and the way his dark hair falls across his forehead. It makes him look softer, less like a big bad mafia boss. It’s a side of him I really, really like.
I’m frozen, unable to pull my eyes away. My heart races as my gaze drifts lower, tracing the hard planes of his chest, the ridges of his abs, and… fuck. The covers barely conceal the sculpted V-shaped muscles that angle downward. I’m pretty sure he’s naked under there.
Okay, wow. I quickly reach down to confirm that I am not naked. Nope. Still wearing the sleep shorts and tank top that the doctor and Yelena helped me into last night. I don’t even know why I thought I might not be. Maybe because waking up in his bed, feeling his presence so close, makes me hyperaware of how vulnerable I was last night.
Taking care to move gingerly, I turn on my back and stare at the ceiling. Will it be weird for us to wake up together? Emotions were heightened yesterday, but yeah, it will probably be weird this morning. Maybe it’s best if I show myself out.
I carefully slide one leg out from under the covers, the cool air hitting my skin. I pause, holding my breath, but he doesn’t stir. Emboldened, I inch my other leg out, shifting my weight toward the edge. As I’m about to lift the sheet and make a break for it, an arm coils around my waist, and I’m yanked back, flush against Nikolai’s very naked, very hard form.
“Where do you think you’re going, moya sladost?” His voice is a low murmur in my ear, making my core clench.
“I’m going back to my room. I’m feeling better, thanks.” I try to wiggle out of his arms, but he doesn’t allow me to move a muscle. Being restrained in Nikolai’s arms feels very familiar. Except this time, I don’t totally mind it.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Am I imagining the huskiness of his voice? Maybe, but I’m definitely not imagining his thick length pressed against my ass.
“I think it’s best if we… we, uh…” I stumble over my words. Okay, this isn’t going well. I can’t help but respond to his touch. “Niko—you’re naked. We better not…”
His growl drowns out the rest of my sentence. “I like it when you call me Niko.” I hadn’t realized I’d called him that. I look up and find him watching me, his gaze uncharacteristically soft. “And, for the record, I’m not naked. I’m wearing underwear. Only for you, wife, because I usually do sleep naked.”
I swallow hard. “Well, thank you again for everything yesterday. I’m feeling better… I, uh, can you let go?”
“Not yet.” In one deft move, he rolls me onto my back and leans over me, one arm bracing beside my head while his other hand glides along my cheekbone. In this position, he’s staring into my eyes, and I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. His fingers brush over my cheek. “Your color is much better. But you’re not going anywhere until the doctor checks you again.”
My eyes flick to his mouth and then back to his endless blue gaze. I’d never noticed the ring of yellow around his irises; it almost made him look predatory. I shake my head, trying to come back to my senses.
“She can look at me in my room.” Realizing I need to make a move now if I’m going to get out of here unscathed, I inch my leg toward the edge of the bed in an attempt to wriggle out of his grasp.
Big mistake. His hips slide right between my thighs, and just like that, I’ve managed to trap myself in the worst way. A low groan slips out before I can stop it.
Nikolai’s gaze turns molten. “Is that an invitation, wife?”
My cheeks burn. I should be putting space between us, not dragging him closer. But when he rocks against me, his erection dragging over my pulsing clit, all rational thought flies out of my head. Sensations take over, the blistering heat building between us threatening to consume me whole.
He makes an amused sound. Gathering my wrists above me in his huge hand, he lowers his lips until they’re right beside my ear. “How are you feeling? Any pain?”
“No, no pain.” My ankle was throbbing minutes ago, but now it’s my clit throbbing in a rhythm that’s impossible to ignore.
“That’s my girl. How about you tell me what you want so that I can grant your every fucking wish.”
The question hits harder than it should. Because what I want is simple and impossible all at once—I want him. This dangerous man who holds my world hostage. Who threatened everyone I love. Who’s using me like a chess piece on his board. I'm not naive enough to believe he wouldn't follow through on every one of his threats. Yet here I am, craving his touch like oxygen. No one’s ever made me feel what he makes me feel. It started in that little chapel in Greece, and no matter what I do, he’s still here, impossible to shake.
But I can’t admit that, just like I can’t admit how the thought of him touching Eva, or anyone else, makes me want to scream.
“I want you to get off me.”
He knows I’m lying. I can see it in the tilt of his lips. The way my hips move in needy circles against him gives me away.
He chuckles, the sound rich. “I don’t think that’s true. Your pussy is soaking my cock through your shorts and my boxers. I think you’re aching for me, just like I’m aching for you.” He punctuates his words with a slow, deliberate grind of his hips, and I practically convulse beneath him. I have to stop my eyes from rolling up in my head. “Now tell me. What. Do. You. Really. Want?”
I bite my lip, not trusting myself to say anything more.
Everything that’s happened between us until now carried an undercurrent of hate. I told myself I had no choice. Not really. But this right here? I have a choice.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to hold on to the last fraying threads of my control. But it’s no use. He’s stripped me bare, peeling away all my defenses until only my desperate need for him remains.
He must see the longing in my eyes because another slow thrust is all it takes to shatter my resolve. I arch toward him, craving the spark of contact.
Nikolai’s answering groan is pure male satisfaction. He drops his head into the curve of my neck. “Oh, sweet wife, you have no idea what you do to me. Your smell, your skin, the sound of your goddamn voice haunts me. It’s like every sweet inch of you was made to drive me insane. Now I’m going to need you to hold on tight because I’m about to fuck you so hard, you’ll feel me for days.”
His mouth crushes mine, demanding and possessive, as our tongues tangle in a kiss full of need. He releases my wrists to explore my body, his rough palms sliding under my shirt to cup my breasts, his fingers plucking at my nipples until they’re stiff and aching. I arch into his touch, silently begging for more.
I’m dimly aware that this is a mistake I can’t come back from. After this, I won’t have the strength to resist him. Niko’s hands on me, his mouth devouring mine, and his hard form pressing me into the mattress have reduced every coherent thought to ash.
“Tell me what you need.”
“Keep doing what you’re doing. Just like that.”
Meeting his gaze, I spread my thighs wider, offering him better access. His dick presses against me through my sleep shorts. His eyes darken as I moan from the pressure against my clit.
“Good girl. Get this shirt out of the way so I can make you feel good.”
I shift enough for him to lift my tank top over my head. The blanket slips down, and Nikolai—no, Niko—stops, his eyes heavy-lidded as they take me in.
“You’re perfect,” he murmurs, cupping my breasts. His mouth descends on my left nipple, sucking the areola into his mouth.
“Ohhh!” The sensation burns through me, racing to my toes before pooling low in my belly. My back arches, desperate for more contact.
His skilled mouth alternates between my breasts, his tongue swirling around each peak, teasing me while I’m pinned beneath his delicious weight. I want him to consume me whole.
I clutch his taut ass, bringing him closer, his hard cock pressing into me as I try to soothe the ache in my core.
“Yes, don’t stop. Please, I’m almost—” The words escape me in a breathless whisper. The rhythm of his hips and the heat of his mouth on my breasts have me teetering on the brink of release.
Niko releases my nipple, his eyes dark with lust. “Ask me nicely to come, and I might let you.”
“Let me?”
“Yes, let you. Now ask nicely, moya sladost.”
My fingers dig into his shoulders as his tongue tangles with mine. He releases my wrists to grip my ass, holding me firmly in place. I'm beyond rational thought—I need more than this teasing friction. I need to feel him deep inside me.
“Please, Niko, fuck me and make me come.”
The plea escapes before I can think better of it, but I don't care. I need this. I need him to claim me like I need air to breathe.
“Christ,” he groans, his eyes rolling back. “Extra points for calling me Niko. You better be damn sure because I’m about to spread these legs wide and fuck you senseless.”
His words hit me like a physical force, and any lingering doubts dissolve. I want this. I want him with an intensity that should frighten me. Instead, it thrills me.
He shifts back onto his knees, dragging my sleep shorts down my thighs. I feel exposed under his intense stare, but the raw need in his eyes as he drinks in the sight of me makes me feel powerful. His rough hands glide between my inner thighs, urging them apart.
“Dripping wet,” he growls, his thumb ghosting over my slit. The teasing touch makes me buck against his hand, a desperate sound torn from my throat.
“Please,” is all I can manage.
Rising briefly, he pushes down his boxer briefs and kicks them free before settling back between my spread thighs.
He slides one leg over his hip, careful to avoid my bad ankle, his other hand cradling my head.
“This okay?” he murmurs, his voice hoarse with restraint. I nod, too far gone to speak. His dick notches at my entrance and then he sinks into me, inch by delicious inch, sending shock waves through my body. My breath catches, the stretch heightening every sensation.
When he’s fully seated inside of me, he pauses, allowing me to adjust to his size. My inner walls pulse around him, and his jaw clenches with the effort of holding still.
“So full,” I mumble.
He groans, his forehead dropping to mine. “You were made to take my cock.”
He drives into me, slow but unrelenting, stealing what little control I have left. My nails bite into his shoulders as bliss pulses through me. I’m so close to shattering.
“Faster,” I plead, rolling my hips to meet his.
With one hand gripping my ass, the other slides between us to circle my clit. With every stroke, I’m trembling on the edge.
“That’s it,” he breathes against my neck. “Come for me, moya sladost. Let me feel you milk all the cum out of my cock.”