Chapter 12
Zoya
I’m too hot when consciousness returns, trapped under an arm, pressed against someone’s body. Air stirs against my nape with each exhale, and momentarily, nothing else registers except an odd sense of security.
Then I remember. I’m in Alexei’s house.
I shift carefully, trying to pull away without waking him, but his arm tightens reflexively, dragging me closer against his chest. I can feel the steady thump of his heartbeat through my clothes.
This time, I push harder, making my intention clear.
His breathing changes, and a low sound rumbles in his chest. “Planning an escape, Vedma?” Sleep roughens his voice, drops it lower, creating unwanted sensations in my abdomen. I’m pretty sure it’s moths.
“Bathroom,” I say shortly.
His grip doesn’t loosen.
“Alexei.”
Nothing happens at first, then his grip loosens and falls away.
Without glancing at him, I leave the bed, his stare burning into my back as I walk to the bathroom. Through the open doorway, I see a bathroom that dwarfs my former home, marble spanning the floor, dual vanities, and an enormous soaking tub.
The shower is a stark, open-concept glass box - three transparent walls without a curtain or a door, leaving me completely exposed to the bathroom and the bedroom beyond.
I stop and consider my options.
He claims he won’t lay a finger on me without permission, that he’s content to wait, playing the long game until I’m the one begging for it.
Fine.
Let’s test that promise.
I step into the bathroom, leaving the door wide open, and the mattress rustles behind me as he shifts.
I reach for the hem of my blouse.
“Zoya.” His voice drops, carrying an edge of warning. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a shower.” I pull the blouse over my head and drop it on the floor. “I need to wash off the stress.”
Silence comes from the bedroom.
I reach behind my back and unhook my bra, letting it fall. Cool air hits my bare skin.
“There’s a door,” he says, his voice sounding tight. “Use it.”
“Can I?” I unbutton my trousers, shoving them down and kicking them aside. “You said this was our room. That means sharing the space, not just when it's convenient for you.”
I hook my thumbs in the waistband of my underwear and pause. “So why should I hide?”
I slide them down and kick them aside.
Naked now, I avoid looking back. There’s no need when his heavy gaze feels like a hand pressing against my skin.
I step into the shower and turn on the water.
The initial splash is cold, forcing a sharp breath as my skin prickles, before the heat arrives with a rush of steam.
I tip my head back and let it soak my hair, closing my eyes, pretending I’m alone.
I hear him approach, his footsteps measured and steady.
My eyes stay closed.
He stops at the edge of the shower, his presence a heavy weight radiating warmth through the mist. “You’re testing limits here.” Alexei’s voice drops, roughened and barely controlled.
“You think so?” I look at him finally.
He’s right up against the glass, his breath probably fogging it up. He’s just in his boxers and undershirt. There’s nothing relaxed about him.
But his eyes, his eyes are devouring me.
His gaze tracks every curve and drop of water as it slides down my skin. He looks hungry and desperate. The cold control from last night is gone, replaced by a raw, dark intensity.
“You said you wouldn’t touch me.” I turn to face him fully, giving him the view he wants. “You said you’d wait until I begged.”
“That’s correct.”
“What’s the issue?” I move closer to the glass, my breath fogging the other surface. “Watch all you want, Alexei. It’s been your hobby for five years, hasn’t it? Just observing me.”
His jaw twitches visibly. “You have no idea what you’re starting.”
“I’m fully aware.” I flash an innocent smile. “It's my bathroom too, I'm just using it.” I tilt my head. “Care to join?”
Bending, I retrieve the underwear from the soaked tile and throw it in his direction through the opening.
His hand flies up, catching them from the air.
It’s quick and automatic, like a pet snatching a treat.
The realization of what he’s holding hits him, and his expression shifts.
His features darken, a fierce hunger flickering across his face as his grip tightens.
I can’t stop the laugh that comes.
“Such a good boy.”
His eyes snap to mine, dangerous and sharp, as his control slips further. “You find this entertaining?”
“I think it’s hilarious.” I turn back to the water, presenting him with my back. “The big bad Pakhan, catching panties like a well-trained pet.”
Silence.
I peek back and find him still there, the panties in his fist, staring as if he’s deciding whether to leave or pin me against the shower wall. “You’re trying to break me.” His voice is barely a whisper. “Trying to make me go back on my word.”
“Is it working?”
He pulls the wet fabric to his nose and takes a deep breath, never once breaking eye contact. My stomach drops, and I feel a flush of heat spread through my face and down my body. He wears a slow, dark smile as the panties hang from his fingers.
“This game has two players, beautiful. And I’m keeping these.”
“You’re a pervert.”
He grins wider. “And you’re the one who threw them at me, Vedma. What does that make you?”
I don’t have an answer for that, so I turn back to the water.
He laughs quietly, before a rustle ensues. I’m mid-rinse when the distinct sound of fabric hitting tile makes me glance back. Alexei stands at the edge of the shower. His undershirt lies in a heap on the floor, and his hands are at the waistband of his boxers. I forget how to breathe.
His body is a map of violence with scars crisscrossing his torso like rivers on a landscape, some old and faded, some newer, pink and raised.
And the tattoos cover nearly every inch of skin the scars haven’t claimed, Orthodox crosses, cathedral domes, stars on his shoulders, Cyrillic script winding around his forearms, the traditional markings of the Bratva, each one telling a story I can’t read but understand.
He grabs the elastic of his underwear.
I should probably look away. Turning around would be the smart thing to do. Honestly, doing anything else would be appropriate. But instead, I’m just standing here staring like he’s a five-course meal and I haven’t eaten in a week. Because, damn, his ass looks good.
My eyes stay exactly where they are. The boxers drop, and I look down. My foot slips on the wet tile. His hand snaps out, catching my arm and yanking me upright until I’m slammed against his chest.
Without our clothes, I’m pressed flush against him beneath the pouring water, my hands splayed over his scarred skin, feeling everything.
His cock is thick and hot where it presses into my stomach, throbbing with each heartbeat.
My gaze drops, and I can’t stop myself. My eyes go wide, taking in every inch of him. Fuck! How did I take all that in me?
He notices, and a laugh rumbles through his chest. “Careful, Vedma. If you keep looking at it like that, it might get the wrong idea.” He tilts my chin up with one finger, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Or the right idea. Depending on how brave you’re feeling.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “I wasn’t… that’s not…”
“You were. You did.” His smile is insufferable. “Don’t worry. Most women have that reaction. It’s a lot to take in.” He pauses, letting his eyes drop to my lips. “Literally.”
I find my voice, straightening my spine. “Please.” I scoff, pushing against his chest. But he doesn’t budge. “I’ve seen bigger dildos.”
Alexei arches a brow.
“Even used a few,” I add, lifting my chin.
The humor vanishes, replaced by a dark, lethal intensity. “Is that so?”
“One hundred percent.”
He leans closer, water streaming down his face and chest, pooling where our bodies press together. “You’re such a pretty liar, Vedma.”
“I’m not…”
“You are,” he says, moving his hand from my chin to my neck.
He fists his fingers in my wet hair and pulls my head back.
“Your eyes are wide, and your heart is pounding so hard I can feel it through your skin.” His thumb presses into my pulse.
“You’re shaking because you want me to pin you to this wall and fuck you stupid.
That makes two of us, Vedma.” I can feel his dick throb hard against my belly.
It’s true. Fuck him! It’s true.
“The water’s cold.”
“The water is hot, Vedma.”
I have no response to that.
He smiles again, pulling us apart a bit. “Touch it.”
“Is that thing even hard?” I ask before thinking.
He laughs quietly. “No. But you already know what it looks like at full capacity. We had sex, remember?” His hand gestures toward himself. “You certainly seemed satisfied after. You’ve been staring since I got in here. Touch it if you’re so curious.”
My hand twitches against his chest, a traitorous thing.
“I’m not going to…”
“Chickening out?”
“No.”
“So touch it.” He lets go of my neck and steps back, giving me just enough room to breathe. “I’m not touching you. That hasn’t changed,” he says, his gaze drifting down my body before meeting my eyes again. “But you… You can put your hands wherever you want.”
I stare at him, caught by the challenge in his eyes and the way he’s just standing there, completely open to me. He’s calling my bluff, turning my own game against me again. “I hate your guts.”
“You’ve said that already.”
“You need to hear it more.” It’s funny how the whole city fears this man. And then, there’s me…
“Touch my cock, and you can call me anything.”
My hands ball into fists. Everything in me yells to walk away and prove he has no power over me. Except he does. And he knows it. It shows in the arrogance of his grin that I’ll back out.
Alright. I’ll play too.
Maintaining eye contact, my hand slides south over his torso and belly, following the dark trail down to his cock. His smile falters, just slightly. My hand closes around his dick, and fuck, he’s massive. He sucks in a breath, his whole body going tense.
Not so controlled anymore, are you?