Chapter One #2
He feeds me another bite, then another, each one delivered with deliberate slowness. His eyes never leave my face, watching every flicker of pleasure that crosses my features. It feels decadent. Intimate. Like he's learning every one of my reactions and filing them away.
On the next bite, a bit of whipped cream catches on the corner of my mouth. I start to reach for it, but Dmitri catches my wrist.
"Let me."
He leans in close—so close I can feel the warmth radiating from his body—and his tongue traces the cream from my skin.
I gape at him, unbelievably aroused by the gesture. My skin suddenly feels too warm, my heartbeat too loud. Dmitri must have seen something in my face because his eyes darken further in response.
“If you keep looking at me like that, kukolka…” He leans closer, his voice dropping. “I'll be forced to give in to the urge to kiss you senseless.”
My chest tightens at his words, and a million butterflies erupt in my stomach.
I swallow hard, unconsciously pulling my lower lip between my teeth.
Dmitri’s heated gaze falls on my mouth, and before I know it, he pushes the dessert aside and closes the distance between us, his eyes boring deeply into mine.
Then slowly, he leans toward me. My heart erupts like a drum in my chest. He dips his head, and all of a sudden, my mind goes blank. I can't think. Or breathe. Just pure, electric sensations shooting through my veins.
Blood roars in my ears as he closes the last sliver of space between us.
It isn’t fast. Not like I’ve seen in the movies…
He doesn't swoop in aggressively. No. I watch his face inch closer, his gaze moving from my mouth back to my eyes several times, studying me, watching my reaction.
Then he raises his hand to gently cradle my face.
My pulse jumps, my heart settling into a chaotic rhythm. The warm rasp of his palm on my face feels so gentle yet so…possessive.
“You tempt me badly, kukolka,” he whispers, and before I can say anything, his mouth settles on mine.
I melt into him, a soft sigh of relief escaping my chest. Being in his arms feels like home, and a wave of peace washes through me.
But the sentimental feeling doesn't last for long.
Dmitri's mouth presses harder on mine, and all tentativeness vanishes.
The kiss becomes deeper, more demanding, sending delicious chills through my nerve endings.
Still holding my face with one hand, Dmitri moves the other one to the small of my back, pulling me even closer. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I shudder in response, opening my mouth to let him slide in. I grip his large shoulders, my fingers digging into his flesh.
I lose all sense of reality, so there's just his mouth, his hands…him.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathing hard. His forehead rests against mine, his thumb tracing my jawline.
“Come here,” he murmurs, and before I can respond, he lifts me off the stool and into his lap, settling me so I’m straddling him.
I gasp at the new position, my dress riding up my thighs. Now, I can feel the growing evidence of his desire pressing against my core, making me giddy and boneless. There is no mistaking his intention, and the realization is both exciting and frightening.
Can I really do this? Now?
“Wait,” I breathe, pulling back slightly. “Please.”
I swallow nervously, ducking my head. My heart is beating fast. Too fast, and I can't seem to string my thoughts together.
“What's wrong, moya kukolka?” His voice is gentle, but his hands grip my hips with unmistakable possession. “Did I hurt you?”
I shake my head, fighting the urge to ignore the voices in my head and just throw myself back in his arms.
“N-no…” I trail off, swallowing down the nerves in my throat. “It's just, I…I've never…”
“You’re a virgin.” It’s not a question.
I snap my gaze back up to his in surprise. “H-how did you know?”
Something dark and hungry flashes in his eyes. “I knew the moment I kissed you.” His thumb strokes along my hipbone, a possessive sweep. “The way you tremble when I touch you. The way you gasp like every sensation is brand new.” His voice drops lower. “It makes me want to ruin you, beautiful.”
My breath catches. Heat floods through me at his words.
“I- I'm sorry,” I mutter with a weak shrug, dipping my head.
Dmitri's fingers grip my chin—not hard, but firm enough that I can't look away. “Don't,” he says, an edge of command in his voice. “Don't apologize for something that makes me want you more.”
He holds my gaze for a beat, then he dips his head and kisses me, capturing my bottom lip with his teeth. My chest tightens, my belly releasing another flutter of butterflies. His teeth release my lip, and he licks the tender flesh.
“Your innocence doesn't make you less, Mireille.” His lips brush against mine as he speaks, his voice a low rasp. “It makes you mine to teach. Mine to pleasure.” His grip on my chin tightens just slightly. “And I intend to be very thorough.”
My cheeks flame. It's almost hard to breathe now. I can feel myself melting from the heat in his eyes. “It's just…I don't think I'm ready to go all the way yet. But I don't want to stop.”
I regret the words the moment they leave my mouth. I drop my gaze from his, biting my inner cheeks as embarrassment washes over me.
What will he think of me now?
“Look at me, Mireille.” The softness is gone. It's a command, pure and simple.
I raise my head slowly to meet his heated gaze. His hand moves from my chin to cup my cheek, his thumb stroking my flushed skin.
“You set the pace tonight. But make no mistake—” He leans in, his breath hot against my ear. “I'm going to make you come so hard you forget your own name. And when you're finally ready for all of me?” He pulls back, his dark eyes boring into mine. “I won't be gentle.”
A shiver races down my spine. My throat is so dry, I can barely swallow.
“So, tell me, kukolka…” His voice is quiet but commanding. “What do you want?”
“I-I want you to kiss me.”
He leans forward to brush his mouth against mine. Briefly. A tease. “And?”
“Touch me.”
“Where?” The word is a growl.
“Everywhere.” The word is barely a whisper of breath.
“As you wish,” Dmitri says, and before I can say anything else, he kisses me deeply. His hands slide down my sides, gripping my hips, and suddenly he’s lifting me onto the kitchen island. The cool marble beneath my thighs makes me gasp against his mouth.
He steps between my legs, pushing them apart to accommodate his broad frame. The hem of my dress rides up, exposing more skin, and I should feel self-conscious, but all I feel is want.
“Lie back,” he says, his voice a low command.
I hesitate for only a moment before obeying, lowering myself onto the cool surface. My heart is pounding so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
Dmitri’s hands slide up my thighs, pushing my dress higher until it’s bunched around my waist. He looks down at me—spread out on his kitchen island in nothing but my underwear—and the hunger in his eyes makes me dizzy.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he murmurs, hooking his fingers into the waistband of my panties. “How long I’ve wanted to taste you?”
Before I can respond, he drags the fabric down my legs and tosses it aside. Cool air hits my most intimate places, and I instinctively try to close my legs, but his hands grip my thighs, holding me open.
“Don’t hide from me, Mireille.”
He lowers his head, and the first stroke of his tongue makes me cry out.
My hands fly to his hair, gripping the dark strands as he devours me with a single-minded focus that steals my breath.
He licks and sucks and teases, learning what makes me gasp, what makes me moan, what makes my hips buck against his mouth.
The pressure builds impossibly fast. I’ve never felt anything like this—this consuming, overwhelming pleasure that radiates from my core outward. My legs start to shake, my moans growing louder.
“Dmitri—I can’t. I’m going to—”
“Let go,” he growls against my flesh. “Come for me.”
The command pushes me over the edge. I shatter, my back arching off the marble, my entire body trembling with the force of my release.
When the waves finally subside, I lie there gasping, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember how to breathe. Dmitri places a gentle kiss on my inner thigh, then rises, looking down at me with a satisfied smirk.
“That’s one,” he says.
I blink at him, still dazed. “One?”
His smirk deepens. “We’re just getting started, beautiful.”
Before I can process what that means, he scoops me off the counter, and I wrap my arms around his neck as he carries me toward the stairs. When we enter his bedroom, he lets me down gently, but his arms remain loosely wrapped around my waist.
“Let's get you out of this properly, kukolka,” he says, reaching behind me to slowly pull down the zipper of my dress, his knuckles grazing my naked flesh as he goes.
Then he slides the dress off my shoulders, letting it slip off my body and pool on the floor.
Now, I'm standing in front of him in nothing but my pink bra—my panties lost somewhere in the kitchen.
I wrap my arms around myself, immediately feeling self-conscious. But Dmitri pushes my arms apart, settling them at my sides.
“Don't hide from me,” he says, his voice husky with blatant desire. “You are perfect.”
He leans forward and kisses my shoulder, trailing his mouth slowly up my neck to my jaw, backing me toward the bed until my knees hit the edge. I sit without realizing it, a gasp catching in my throat.
“Lie back,” he commands.
I obey, and he settles beside me, propping himself on one elbow. “We don't have to do anything you don't want to, moya kukolka,” he says, trailing his finger down my neck to the hollow of my chest. “Do you trust me?”
My eyes become hazy, my breathing more rapid than before. I nod, unable to get any word past my parched lips.