Chapter 20 - Victoria
I was fully prepared to be miserable for the entire night and to let myself wallow in the agony of having to put up with the gala, along with its attendees. I thought it would take a year off my life to be convincing.
But one way or another, Roman put me at ease. His strong, commanding presence provided the anchor I didn’t know I needed, and something about the possessive edge to his touch helped me discover something new.
I didn’t know I had it in me…but for the first time in my life, I felt powerful.
It had nothing to do with survival or taking the steps to be a properly adjusted adult.
No, there was something different about it. Something so electric, it almost became addicting.
Being by Roman’s side, regardless of how reluctant I had been about it, allowed me to step into a different version of myself.
I wasn’t just Victoria…a school teacher from California. Instead, I was Victoria Lukov…the wife of the most influential, successful man in the state.
For the first time, I was perceived by the elite, and I didn’t squirm for long.
As much as I was putting on a show for Roman’s sake, and to get a kick out of watching him try to grapple with that sudden change, it wasn’t entirely fake. At least, the attraction had been there all along, and being able to catch him off guard let me feel such a rare sense of control.
In turn, the playing field was finally even—like he was reduced to a man with carnal urges and the desire to be wanted by me.
I never intended to tell him about the pregnancy tonight out of fear, but his reaction and enthusiasm quickly quelled my worries.
With his face buried in my neck while his lips run along my skin, kissing and nipping as he goes, I can feel that hunger coming to life. I can feel how badly he’s needed this, and how desperately he wants to dive in.
Letting go of a sigh, I can’t escape the warmth consuming me—and I don’t want to.
His hands roam, making quick work of my zipper before guiding the silk down my body.
With every inch of skin he reveals, Roman’s attention becomes more rapt, his touch more reverent.
As much as I want to believe my earlier teasing was forced, and I don’t reciprocate that need, I know damn well that isn’t true.
I’ve been trying so hard to fight my attraction to him due to everything he’s done, but I know it’s a losing game.
He’s too gorgeous to ignore…too scandalously dangerous to get over.
“Never in my life have I ever had anyone do that to me,” Roman murmurs while trailing down my neck, roving over my chest while his hands brush against my ribs.
His lips find my breast, and he rolls his tongue over my nipple, making me shiver.
He hums. “Never has anyone made me as speechless as you did…”
Something about that admittance brings me another rush of satisfaction, and my fingers move to his hair while he kisses over my stomach. The soft dress rustles as it’s pulled away, set aside, and immediately forgotten about.
“Maybe it was about time someone put you in your place,” I murmur, feeling every sensation rippling through my body while his hands glide along my thigh, squeezing in that possessive way.
“Perhaps…” Roman says, breath ghosting over my hip while his fingers slip beneath the elastic in my panties to pull them down next. “But I know exactly the place I want to be right now.”
As my breathing grows heavier, I half expect him to dive right in, but instead, my breath catches as he grips my thighs and pulls me closer.
With near-expert precision, Roman maneuvers us so that he’s on his back while he guides me to straddle his chest. From beneath me, his eyes fill with absolute hunger.
My pulse quickens as I grip the back of the sofa, somewhat stunned by the sudden change. “Roman…”
His lips pull, apparently amused by my fluster, and then he yanks me even closer until his words fan against my core. “Relax. Let me take care of you.”
Despite myself, my cheeks warm, and I brace myself. I feel oddly exposed above him, but I don’t argue as he draws me close enough to run his tongue through my heat.
My hips twitch involuntarily at the contact, and my breath hitches before ebbing into a soft moan. While this isn’t entirely new, the angle and positioning make it feel completely different…more heightened.
“Jesus Christ, Roman—”
At my weakened words, Roman chuckles while he kisses my inner thighs before lightly squeezing them. He lets a hand glide up my back. “I told you…just trust me. And don’t hold back.”
Initial hesitation aside, I swallow hard and watch as he leans in again, letting his tongue and lips work in tandem against me. He doesn’t let up, especially not while I squirm from the influx of addicting sensations.
Everything in me melts, and with the heat building, there’s no use in holding back my appeased sounds.
Roman growls against me in response, tightening his hold on my thighs while he commits himself to delving in, not at all shy about the way he consumes me.
Every warm stroke of his tongue and the resulting sparks have me arching and instinctively moving my core closer, seeking even more of the delicious feelings. I can’t stop myself from rotating my hips and building a sinful rhythm. To this, he hums, almost like he’s starving and can’t get enough.
Roman’s dark lashes sit heavily above his cheeks while he moans into me, feasting like it’s his last chance.
Despite trying to hold on, I can’t take it as my thighs begin to shake. Tossing my head back, I feel as he reaches up and paws at my chest.
Everything happening at once heightens the experience, and before long, I border on my first orgasm of the night.
Bringing a thumb down to trace along my clit, Roman doubles his efforts, sending blinding sparks through my entire system.
With stars behind my eyes, I writhe. One hand grips the couch while the other threads through his hair, guiding him and urging him on.
Thighs caged around his head, they tremble with the mounting pressure inside me, and with a breathless moan, I come undone.
Another satisfied sound escapes him while he guides me through it, savoring every second. His grip on me loosens by a touch, as if aware of my sensitive state, and he leaves soft kisses around my thighs.
Panting quietly, I try to catch my breath. But the moment I glance down at him, I know I’ve made a mistake.
His eyes are dark and stormy, and a veil of insatiable desire is cloaking them, almost like he’s holding on by a thread. At once, that need kicks up in me again, and I know I’m far from done.
We pause like that for a moment while we stare at one another…almost like we’re taunting the other to move.
At once, we spring to action as I’m shuffled down his body again, and I reach for his belt while Roman undoes his tie and shirt. In a flurry of limbs and panted breaths, unable to deny what we both want more than anything, we work to get him as bare as I am.
His once-perfectly pressed shirt is tossed to the side, along with his pants, and before I can fully catch my breath, he’s yanking his boxers down.
As his hands find my hips again, Roman pulls me against him without missing a beat, and our bodies fit more perfectly together than I ever wanted to admit.
Our lips mesh in an impatient tangle, seeking out every inch and every sensation we can find. The heat is overwhelming, but I walk into it heart first, lightly tugging on his hair and letting myself be as greedy as I want.
He hums into it, growing more and more impatient as his tongue swipes against my lower lip, asking for the access I grant him immediately.
Appeased by this, his one arm wraps around me, pulling me impossibly close while our mouths move in such a dazed hurry that I can’t even keep track of how long we stay like this.
But it doesn’t matter…time doesn’t matter.
It’s only the two of us, and that raw desire neither of us can pretend doesn’t exist.
As the room grows hotter and stickier, Roman’s hands lower, with one reaching the back of my thigh while the other grips at my ass with a hungry insistence. I moan into his mouth and allow him to guide me until I’m straddling his hips.
The brush of our cores together makes me shudder, and before I know it, I’m rolling my hips against him. Our breaths turn more frantic while he urges me to continue, nearly drowning us in endless waves of pure lust.
“Fucking hell…” Roman utters while gripping my skin and moving his hips at the same time, as he slides between my thighs. All traces of his previous smugness have completely vanished, leaving him with an almost desperate expression. “You really want this, don’t you?”
“Yes…” I murmur, barely getting the word out while I move against him. My lower stomach flutters from the friction, and I can’t get enough. My fingers drift over the tight muscles along his abdomen and chest, wanting and needing to feel so much more. “I do…please.”
“Asking so nicely,” he hums, positioning my thighs while he nudges himself against my begging heat. His eyes nearly roll back at the sensation alone. “It’s fortunate I’m feeling generous tonight…”
Before I can beg him to give us both what we want, Roman edges forward and slips inside. Given how worked up I already am, he faces little resistance, and my breath catches in my throat.
That insertion…slow yet not agonizingly so…feels like a blooming of warmth through my body, shocking me to life.
Roman drops his head back against the armrest while he slides in further, filling me completely before letting me still above him. His chest heaves a bit harder while he looks up at me and squeezes my hips. Swallowing hard, the color in his cheeks from the heat of it all is almost endearing.
“Keep going, milaya ,” he murmurs, letting the word slip while wrapped in need and affection. The intensity in his eyes never falters. “Ride me…”
Anticipation races through me at his request, and as I regain my bearings, I place my hands on his chest before I start to move.
Lifting my hips, I feel every agonizingly delicious spark of gratification course through me, soaking in how he stretches me. I watch his expression falter and how those heavy breaths leave him like he has never felt anything like this before.
“Fuck…that’s it,” Roman utters, letting his eyes close while he supports me, urging me to continue. He subtly lifts his thighs, as if cradling me from beneath.
Seeing him this way…so consumed by the pleasure and taking in everything I have to offer, empowers me to continue. To lean into that side of me, I don’t often explore.
Moaning in return, I feel that pleasant haze flooding my mind, and I try to focus on my movements. On moving up and down his shaft in a way that makes us both grip each other with a desperate undertone.
I gradually build a pace as I grow accustomed to the position and the way it offers me a sense of power over him, letting myself move in a way that feels the most natural.
All the while, Roman holds me tightly, trying to swallow back his sounds despite mostly failing. He resists the urge to move for me, watching almost breathlessly instead.
Before long, we’re both pulling in ragged breaths, focusing on every point of pleasure exchanged between us while the room thickens. It’s almost suffocating, but it feels far too good to stop.
As a low sound escapes him, he wraps his arms around me completely and pulls me closer to crash our lips together again. His fingers move up until they’re in my hair, gripping it for support.
Roman groans against my mouth, giving in as he lifts his hips and thrusts into me. His breath catches while he quickens his pace, looking far too gone to think about anything else.
“You feel…far too perfect for your own good…” he utters, holding me like he’ll never get the chance again while he pushes us both closer to the edge.
By then, I’m a rambling mess while I cling to him in return, being force-fed wave after wave of such intense feelings.
The depth of him inside me, hitting every perfect spot, mounts that pressure inside me, and before I can even come up with the words, I’m clenching.
“Shit,” Roman says under his breath while he continues, keeping up that relentless pace.
As my fingers dig into his shoulders, my eyes squeeze shut, and I can’t take another moment of it.
All the tension in me releases at once, and I gasp while burying my face in his neck. My thighs tremble while I break, tipping over into that state of pure, blinding euphoria.
Through my daze, I catch as Roman grunts from the pressure, then ruts into me a few more times before his breathing becomes more labored, and he stills against me with a final thrust.
The warmth that pools between us, filling me to the brim, overwhelms my senses, even in my boneless state.
Sucking in a deep breath while I lay on top of him, it takes a moment for the static to clear from my vision, but by then, I don’t want to move.
Our panting mingles as the room quiets, leaving behind only an echo of our lovemaking in my mind. Through the aftershocks, I feel only bliss…only genuine heat and satisfaction.
Roman’s heart races against mine as he holds me close, and his fingers gently run through my hair.
Leaning in, he presses a gentle kiss against my forehead.
“Rest now…you’re going to need it…”
I shiver at the hidden meaning behind his words, well aware of what he has in mind…