Chapter 18 Alina #2
“Sure.” I quickly closed my pad and asked, “What do you have in mind?”
“That’s up to you. What are you in the mood for?”
“I don’t know. How about some of that Italian takeout that you had Malcolm pick up for us before? We could eat and watch a movie.”
“Yeah, we could do that.”
With that, Sergei picked up his phone and called Malcolm. Half an hour later, I had changed into pajamas, and we were eating in front of the fire. Once we were done, Sergei found us a movie, and we settled on the sofa. Sergei placed a pillow against his thigh like an invitation, and I took it.
I curled up next to him and placed my head on the pillow. I felt utterly content as I lay there next to him. Maybe that was why I felt like I could ask the question that had been weighing on me for weeks. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah. You can ask me anything.” He chuckled as he added, “I’m not sure I’ll answer, but you can ask.”
“Well, then there’s probably no point in me asking.”
“Won’t know unless you try.”
“Why didn’t you tell Viktor that I was here?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Try.”
“Let’s just say I had my reasons.” He shrugged. “Some good. Some not so good.”
“How so?”
“At first, it wasn’t intentional. I just needed time to get things in order and make sure you were out of harm’s way.”
My eyes narrowed. “And after that?”
“Then, it got complicated.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I knew this wasn’t easy for him. Sergei wasn’t one to open up easily, but eventually he said, “Because once Viktor knows something, he acts on it, and he does it without thinking it through. I wasn’t having that. Not with you.”
I was about to push him once more, but he cut me off by adding, “Trust me, Lina. I’m not good at sharing.”
“Sharing?” I couldn’t help but smile. “So, it’s true. You really are keeping me prisoner.”
“If that’s what it takes.”
I laid my head back down on the pillow as I giggled, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”
“Exactly.”
When the movie ended, neither of us moved. We just waited for the next movie to start. It was some old western that I had zero interest in, and it wasn’t long before I dozed off.
I had no idea how long I’d been sleeping when I felt myself being lifted off the sofa. Startled, I opened my eyes and found that I was safe and secure in his arms.
I slipped my arm around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder as he carried me into my bedroom.
I let out a contented sigh. I couldn’t help myself.
I loved being this close to him, and when he lowered me down onto the bed, I couldn’t seem to let him go.
I wanted him to stay with me, to kiss me like he had before.
He started to stand, but I kept my arms around his neck, holding him tight as I whispered, “Sergei.”
His eyes locked on mine with a heated look that sent a chill down my spine. Sergei leaned forward, and I thought he was about to kiss me, but he stopped just inches above my lips. “You need to know I can’t keep playing cat and mouse with you. If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop.”
“But I don’t want you to stop.”
“You’re not getting what I’m saying here, Lina. I want you too much. I’m not sure I can keep control.” He took a step back as he said, “I want to touch you, taste you… Hell, I want to bury myself deep inside you. And once I have you, I’m going to want to have you again and again.”
His words washed over me like a wave of heated desire, coursing through my veins with a burning need that nearly took my breath away.
Every nerve in my body tingled, making it impossible to think.
As I lay there staring up at him, breathless and aching for his touch, I finally managed to respond, “I want you, too, Sergei.”
“You need to be sure,” he warned. “I’m not a good man.
I may have saved your life, but I’ve taken plenty of others.
You can’t imagine the things I’ve done. As much as I’m not proud of it, I’d do it all again to be here with you.
” He stood up and looked down at me with a fierce expression as he continued, “I’m broken, Lina.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever truly be right again.
So, listen to me when I say you need to think this through.
Because once we start, there’ll be no turning back. ”
With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving his sultry words echoing over and over in my mind.
They haunted me as I pulled the covers over me and curled into bed.
When I closed my eyes, I could almost feel the heat of his breath prickling against my skin and the rush I felt when his eyes dropped down to my mouth.
I’d never longed for a man’s touch like I did his, and it had me feeling completely flustered and desperately wishing he would finish what he started.
Sadly, that didn’t happen. When the storm of hunger and need started to fade, I found myself wondering if it was simply lust that I was feeling.
It would be totally understandable. Sergei is an extremely attractive man, but deep down, I knew it was more than that.
I’d known it all along.
I also knew that he was wrong about not being a good man.
He had a dark past, but it didn’t define him.
He still had a good heart that was filled with compassion and warmth.
I’d seen it when he was with Moya, when he took me shopping, and when he gave me the sketchbook. And I’d felt it every time he was near.
He might’ve had a fierce exterior, but from the moment I showed up at the casino, he’d shown me nothing but kindness.
I felt safe with him, which only made me want to be with him even more.
Having no idea what I was doing, I eased out of bed and quietly started down the hall, being careful not to trip over the stupid table again.
I reached his door and stopped. I took a deep breath, and with a sense of determination, I knocked.
When I heard him coming towards the door, I let out the breath I was holding and tried to prepare myself for what was to come.
He opened the door, disheveled and wearing only a pair of boxer briefs, and he looked incredibly hot.
A look of concern crossed his face as he asked, “You need something?”
“I thought about it.”
“Oh?”
“Um-hmm,” I mumbled.
“And?”
Unable to form the words, I placed the palms of my hands on his chest, and his eyes locked on mine as I pressed my mouth against his, kissing him softly. I felt his back grow rigid, making me worried that he might resist.
He didn’t.
Instead, he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me in even closer. His hand dove into my hair, and a low, needful groan vibrated through his chest as he delved deeper into my mouth. The kiss quickly became heated, and it was all I could do to keep my footing as my hands clung to his chest.
I let my fingers trail along the curves of his ever-so-defined chest and relished in the sensation of having him so close.
I didn’t know I could feel like this. So alive.
So reckless. I’d never been kissed like I was something a man ached for.
I’d spent so long believing desire was something men took, not something I could feel.
But here I was, wanting and craving every touch like I’d been starved for it my entire life. I was becoming completely lost in the moment when Sergei pulled back, breaking the kiss long enough to ask, “Are you sure about this?”
I nodded, and that’s all it took.
He kissed me again, and from the moment his lips touched mine, I knew he was done holding back. Like a man possessed, his hands became rough and impatient as they roamed over my body. Seconds later, I found myself inside his room, pinned against the wall with him towering over me.
Every single nerve in my body came alive as he took both my breasts in his hands, caressing each one through the thin fabric of my top. There was something about his touch that made me feel wanted, so unbelievably desirable.
The warmth of his breath caressed my skin as he spoke in a hushed tone, “I’ve spent my whole life without a single weakness, and now, I finally have one.”
My breath quickened as his hand inched its way down my stomach and slipped under the waistband of my pajama pants and lace panties.
His fingers continued to drift lower, and my entire body shivered with anticipation as the tips of his fingers slipped between my thighs, slowly inching towards my center.
“It’s you… You make me weak in the fucking knees. ”
I inhaled a deep, torturous breath and tilted my head back, relishing the sensation as he moved his fingers in slow, methodical circles. This man had cast a spell on me, and the rest of the world ceased to exist. It was just him and me, and something told me there was no going back.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.