28. Ruslan
28
RUSLAN
Her lips touch mine, and something cracks inside me.
Not breaks, cracks.
Like ice giving way beneath your feet when you've ventured too far from shore. That warning sound that tells you you're about to fall through.
I pull Aurora closer, one hand threading through her hair. She feels so small in my hands. So fragile. So fucking precious. Her tears for me are still damp on her cheeks, and I taste them as our kiss deepens. Salt and sorrow and something like hope.
"I've got you," I whisper, not knowing if I'm reassuring her or myself.
She answers by pressing herself against me, her body seeking mine in the darkness. The weight of her, so slight compared to mine, anchors me in a way I haven't felt in nineteen years.
Kansas City. The words ping around my brain, a scrap of evidence I should be gathering, analyzing.
I know what Artyom would say. Dig deeper, find out who she really is. Use this moment of vulnerability to extract more information.
But right now, I don't give a fuck about Kansas City.
All I care about is the soft sigh escaping her lips as I pull her beneath me, the way her hands find my bare shoulders in the darkness. The way she trusts me with her body, even after I've just confessed my darkest failure.
I couldn't protect Leslie, but Aurora is here, alive, warm against me.
And I will protect her.
Her fingertips trace the tattoos on my body, each one a reminder of the awful world I was born to. The awful world that I've been forced to return to.
The awful world that I will keep her safe from.
I deepen the kiss, my tongue finding hers. She tastes like the salt of her nightmare and something sweeter beneath.
Something that is uniquely her.
Something that she gives willingly only to me.
In this moment, with her wrapped in my arms, I understand what I've been denying since the night I first saw her in that alley. She isn't just someone to protect. She isn't just a convenient solution to my bratva problems.
She's becoming essential. Necessary.
" Zarechka ," I breathe against her mouth, the endearment slipping out involuntarily.
Aurora breaks apart from our kiss, breath coming in soft pants that warm my skin. Her hazel eyes lock with mine, curious and searching.
"What does that mean? That word you keep calling me. Zarechka ?"
I stroke her cheek with my thumb, feeling the dampness from her tears. Even with the evidence of her nightmare still present, she's beautiful. My throat tightens.
"It means 'little dawn' in Russian," I explain, my voice rough with emotion I hadn't intended to reveal. "At first, I gave you that nickname because it reminded me of your name, Aurora."
Her lips curve into a small smile.
"But now..." I pause, struggling with the admission. "In the time I've spent with you, I've come to realize that you are exactly that. A ray of light in my world. My little dawn after a very long night."
The words feel too honest, too vulnerable coming from me. In my world, such admissions are liabilities. Yet I can't bring myself to regret them when I see the way her eyes soften.
"I like that," she whispers, and then she's kissing me again.
This time, her kiss is more insistent, hungrier. Her hand, so small compared to mine, begins traveling down my chest and moving lower with each beat of my heart.
I try to focus on the sensations. Her mouth against mine, her tongue teasing, her palm flat against my abs. But my mind keeps circling back to the way she looked at me when I told her what zarechka meant.
Like no one had ever given her a beautiful name before.
Like no one had ever seen her as something precious.
Her hand continues downward, past my navel, and my body responds immediately. My cock stirs to life beneath her touch, hardening against the thin fabric of my boxers.
I groan softly, instinctively pulling her closer.
For nineteen years, I've held myself back from any connection that could hurt like Leslie's death has hurt me. Nineteen years of keeping everyone at arm's length.
But with Aurora, all those carefully constructed walls come crashing down with just one touch.
I slip my hands beneath her silky robe, feeling her tremble at my touch. The fabric parts under my fingers like water, revealing her skin inch by precious inch. Her body radiates warmth as I pull her against me, skin to skin, nothing between us now but breath and heartbeats.
"Ruslan," she whispers, my name a sacred thing on her lips.
Her hazel eyes that haunted me from the moment I first saw her in that alley bore into mine. In them, I see everything she can't say aloud. The fear of being found. The pain of her past. The unexpected hope she's found with me.
With one hand, I cup her face, my thumb tracing the delicate curve of her cheekbone, and I kiss her.
Not with hunger or lust, but with reverence.
My other hand slides down the curve of her spine to the soft swell of her ass, kneading gently, pulling her hips flush against mine.
"I want to know every part of you," I murmur against her mouth. "Not just your body. Everything."
She shivers in my arms, pressing closer, her breasts soft against my chest. "I want that too."
My fingers move along her delicate flesh to seek out her searing hot core, to mark her as mine without leaving a trace. I need her to feel my possession, my protection. I need to feel that she's real, that she's choosing to be here with me despite knowing what I am. What I've been.
This isn't about release or satisfaction. This is about finding pieces of ourselves in each other. About filling the broken places that loss has carved into us both.
"I never thought I could feel this again," I confess, the words torn from somewhere deep inside me.
Aurora presses her forehead to mine, her breath mingling with my own. "And I never thought I could feel safe again."
My heart thunders in my chest as I realize the gift she's giving me. Her trust. Her vulnerability. The chance to be something other than a failure. To be worthy of protecting someone again.
I hold her face in my hand like she's made of glass and pull her into another kiss, pouring everything I cannot say into the press of my lips against hers.
Aurora's hands finally close around my cock, and I groan against her mouth, my entire body tightening at her touch.
Her fingers are tentative at first, then more certain as my reaction encourages her.
I dip my finger into her pussy, finding her slick, hot, and ready for me.
" Zarechka ," I breathe.
She moans against my mouth in response, the sound vibrating between us. I swallow her moan eagerly, wanting to consume every sound, every breath she makes.
Her hand tightens around me, stroking upward with just the right amount of pressure. How does she know exactly how to touch me? The thought that she might have imagined this moment as many times as I have sends a fresh wave of desire through me.
"You're so wet already," I murmur against her mouth, slowly circling her entrance with my finger before pushing deeper inside.
She arches into my touch, her body seeking more. Her thumb finds the sensitive head of my cock, spreading the precum gathered there. The slickness makes her strokes smoother, more intoxicating.
"All for you, Ruslan," she whispers, her voice breaking on my name. "Only for you."
I curl my finger inside her, searching for that spot that will make her tremble. When I find it, her whole body shudders against mine, her grip on my cock faltering momentarily as pleasure overtakes her.
"That's it," I encourage, adding a second finger, stretching her gently. "Let me hear you."
Her breathing grows ragged as I continue to stroke her from the inside, her wetness coating my fingers. Her hand resumes its rhythm on my cock, matching the pace I set with my fingers inside her.
In this moment, there is no bratva, no danger, no past haunting either of us. There is only Aurora's touch, her scent, her soft moans against my skin. Only the knowledge that she has chosen me, despite everything.
Her walls flutter around my fingers as I increase the pace, and I know she's close.
Her face transforms with pleasure.
Every subtle change captivates me. The way her lips part, the way her eyelids flutter, and the way a flush spreads across her cheeks. Soft gasps escaping her lips grow more urgent as I stroke her g spot.
"Don't hold back, zarechka ," I whisper against her ear. "Never hold back when you're with me."
Her hand slips from my cock as her body begins to tremble. She buries her face against my shoulder and bites down on my flesh to muffle her cries of pleasure as her orgasm takes hold.
Her pussy contracts around my fingers, pulsing in time with our racing hearts.
"That's it," I encourage, continuing to stroke her through her climax. "Let me feel you."
She shudders against me, nails digging into my shoulder as she comes. Her body quivers with the most exquisitely delicious force, and I hold her steady with my free arm wrapped around her waist.
"Ruslan," she gasps against my skin, her voice breaking on my name.
As her trembling subsides, I slowly withdraw my fingers from her slick heat. Her eyes meet mine, hazy with satisfaction yet somehow hungry for more. I bring my fingers to my lips and savor her essence.
Aurora's lips capture mine, and her tongue sweeps into my mouth so that she might taste herself on me.
She pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. Her pupils are dilated, her breath coming in quick pants. There's a new confidence in her movements as she shifts her weight, sliding her body up against mine.
"I want you," she whispers, her voice rough with desire. "All of you."
She moves to straddle me, the silky skin of her legs brushing against my hips. I grip her waist, steadying her as she positions herself above me.
" Zarechka ," I breathe, running my hands up her sides, savoring the feel of her soft skin beneath my calloused palms. "Are you sure?"
"I am."
She reaches behind her. When her delicate fingers wrap around my cock, I can't suppress the groan that escapes me. Her touch is tentative at first, then grows more confident as she feels my reaction.
"Don't you want to fuck me?" she asks, her eyes never leaving mine.
"I do," I manage, my voice strained with the effort of maintaining control.
Her fingers tighten, stroking upward with exquisite pressure. My hips buck involuntarily, seeking more of her touch. The sensation of her hand wrapped around me while her eyes hold mine creates an intimacy I haven't felt in decades.
If ever.
She leans forward to kiss me again, her hair falling around us like a curtain, creating a private world where only we exist. Where there is no bratva, no danger, no past haunting either of us. Just Aurora and me, and the connection growing between us.
Her strokes grow bolder, more assured. I let my head fall back against the pillow, surrendering to her touch, to this moment of vulnerability I never thought I'd allow myself again.
She watches me, her breath shallow but steady.
"Then fuck me, Ruslan," she whispers. "Please fuck me."
Without breaking eye contact, I shift our positions, gripping her hips and positioning her until I feel the head of my cock slowly pushing into her wet entrance.
Her eyes widen at the sensation, her hands clutching at my shoulders.
And then, with a tilt of my hips, I push myself completely inside.