Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Daniil
I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. All I knew for certain was that the plan to use Lily’s body for my own gratification and nothing more wasn’t what was happening.
There was just something about her that drew me in, even when I fought against it. That even when I was cruel or domineering, and she looked at me with those wide eyes, I wanted to comfort her.
I was beginning to have feelings for her, although beginning was probably not the right word. If I were honest with myself, I’d had feelings for her for a while now. I wanted to make her happy, but at the same time, I needed to keep her under my control. It was a double-edged sword.
“Good morning,” I said softly from the open doorway of the dining room. She jumped with her back to me. Her shoulders went from relaxed to hunched just at the sound of my voice.
I couldn’t help but sigh. She was still mad at me for what happened three nights ago on our disastrous date. Maybe, just maybe, I had been a little overzealous in my reaction to seeing her with her ex, Greg.
Even thinking his name was enough to make me clench my fists at my side.
“Good morning.” She placed her spoon down with a clatter. The cereal in her bowl was only half eaten. “I’ll leave you to have breakfast in peace.”
I was behind her in a second. My hands came down on her shoulders to keep her seated. “Don’t go,” I ground out.”
She froze. “Ok.”
She didn’t sound sure at all, but she picked up her spoon and began eating again. It was almost like she was forcing herself to act natural, when in reality, this was as forced as it could get.
“I just mean I would like to have breakfast with you this morning. It feels like a long time since we had some time together.” I stayed standing behind her. My hands balanced lightly on her shoulders.
“We go to work together every day.” Lily’s voice was clipped.
Sighing, I let my hands slide from her body and took my seat. “I know, but that’s work, and this is,” I shook my head. “This is different.”
Her eyes flicked towards me and then scampered away. “Ok.”
It was such a noncommittal answer, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“So.” I tried again. And for the first time in my adult life, I was unsure of myself.
When I’d been with Claudia, it had been easy.
We were always together first as friends and then as lovers, so I never had to worry about rejection, but things with Lily were different.
She wasn’t overly impressed by my station. In fact, sometimes I got the impression she didn’t like it much. She was an independent, mature woman, and she knew what she wanted. I just wasn’t sure if what she wanted was me. But I refused to believe it was the asshole Greg.
She had to realize she deserved better than that, surely?
“I would like us to spend the day together today.”
Her face went slack and then tightened so much that fine lines appeared around her eyes as she frowned at me. “It’s a work day, Mr.—”
“Daniil,” I cut her off. “We are way past you calling me Mr. Popov, I think. I am Daniil. You are Lily.”
You are mine, I added silently. She remained silent.
“So, Lily, I think we need some time alone together.” Reaching over, I covered her hand with my much bigger one and pinned it to the table between us. She stared at it for a moment before lifting her eyes to meet mine.
“There are reports that need—”
Again, I cut her off. She was making excuses as to why she couldn’t spend time with me, and every single one of them was a moot point.
“I’m your boss, Lily.” I reminded her with a smile that she didn’t return.
Her frown stayed firmly on her face. “I can give you the day off. I am giving you the day off”, I added quickly.
“Ok.” She yanked her hand back. “So what help would you like today? Is Timothy in school, or would you like me to care for him?”
“No, I don’t need you to care for my son today. Although you are very good with him. We are all going out later to get some things for Anya’s approaching wedding. I’d like you to join us.”
“I love Anya. That would be my pleasure. Is there something I can do beforehand?”
I stared at her. Oh, there were plenty of things I wanted her to do. I wouldn’t say no if she slipped under the table and gave me head, but I knew better than to say that.
“No. But there is something I can do for you.” Standing up, I scraped my chair back and reached for her hand. Her fingers were warm and dry as she wrapped them around my hand and allowed herself to be pulled towards the door.
“Where are we going, Daniil?” She asked in a breathless voice that told me she knew exactly where we were going.
I didn’t answer her. Instead, I just pulled her past the amused staff and towards the stairs. Neither one of us said a word until I had her back in her room and pinned against the closed door.
“Daniil,” she began, and I crushed my body against hers, silencing her.
“Sssh.” My lips hovered over hers, but I didn’t kiss her. “Don’t fight this.”
Her eyes flashed, and she sighed. “What would you like me to do?”
Not answering at first, I rubbed the hard ridge of my cock against her lower stomach. “Do?” I asked finally. “I don’t want you to do anything but stay right there.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What?”
“Just stay there and let me.” Falling to my knees, I ran my hands up the outside of her body-hugging skirt, slowly letting my eyes drift towards hers as I did so.
She met my eyes with a shocked look. “What are you doing, Daniil?”
The hitch in her whisper matched the slight tremble that rocked through her body. I couldn’t help it, I smiled softly.
“I am treating you like you deserve to be treated, Lily.” This time, when my hands drifted upwards again, it was under her skirt. My fingers traced over the soft skin of her thighs, lifting the skirt around her waist as I went.
“A woman like you deserves to be worshipped.” I edged closer to the lace panties that barely covered her, but kept my eyes on her.
I didn’t want to look away, and she didn’t either.
I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with the heady smell of her pussy.
“Yeah.” Another deep breath. “Any man lucky enough to call you his should worship you. Like this, on his knees.”
Not breaking eye contact, I shimmied her panties down her legs, fully baring her to me.
Curling my hands around her body, I cupped her delectable ass in my hands and squeezed. She rewarded me with a small moan.
“And he should do it all the time:” I drew her closer to my face, my breath flowing over her pink pussy. Again, she trembled.
Thrusting my face into her, I let the tip of my tongue explore her clit, circling it with ever-increasing pressure until her thighs opened and allowed me more access, and her hands came down to tangle themselves in my hair.
She held my head against her core, her fingernails scratching against my scalp in little trails of fire, and I teased at her opening with the tip of my tongue, back and forth, circling hard and then softer until she was sagging against the door and biting her lip so she didn’t cry out.
Grumbling under my breath, I lifted one knee over my shoulder and delved into her. Licking her inside like she was made of cream and I was a cat. I wanted to hear her cry out and scream my name. I didn’t want to see her fight it because that meant she was fighting me.
I couldn’t have that. Not when I loved her—
The thought made me freeze with my tongue still buried inside of her.
Had I really just thought that? Was what I was feeling love?
I knew it wasn’t purely lust but love? That seemed unlikely as well.
I barely knew her. And I had promised my wife that I would only love her my entire life.
To admit I had feelings for another woman felt like a betrayal to her memory.
“Daniil.” Arching her back so her head bumped against the door, Lily called my name. The sound of my voice, said in her moan, snapped me back to reality.
Lifting her, but keeping my mouth firmly over her clit and sucking hard, I carried her to the bed. But I didn’t let her fall. I couldn’t bring myself to tear my lips away from her dripping pussy when she was so close. And anyway, in this position, I could lick so much deeper.
“Daniil put me down. You are going to drop me.”
“No.” My growl was a rumble that vibrated through her clit and made her jerk.
She was crazy if she thought I would ever drop her. She barely weighed more than a feather, anyway. I could hold her to my face and lick her for hours without getting tired. Fuck, she began to jerk against me. Grinding her wet pussy against my lips.
I lapped into her as she continued to thrash, finally suctioning my mouth over her so I didn’t miss a drop.
Lily came hard. Riding against my face, she went boneless, and I only just caught her in time, slowly lowering her onto the middle of the bed.
I crawled up the side of her, hovering above her so I could watch the flutters in her face.
“Daniil.” She whispered my name as she finally came back to reality. Reaching up, she ran her fingers over my jaw. “That was,” she sighed happily. “Unexpected but so good. But why?”
My eyebrows shot up in confusion. “Why?” I parroted back. “Because I wanted to.”
That wasn’t the entire truth. I had wanted to, but it was more than that. I wanted to give her pleasure and worship her on my knees like the goddess she was, but there was also a note of ownership.
No man would ever make her feel like I did. Not ever. Even if she walked away, it would always be me she imagined, even as she lay under someone else. Not that there would ever be anyone else for her. She was mine, and she would continue to be mine.
For years, I’d been pressured to take another wife. Even if it was only for appearance’s sake. A man in my position needed a wife and more than one heir, and for years, I had told them all no.
For the first time, I was beginning to think about it, but only if that bride was Lily. I couldn’t imagine anyone else. I didn’t even want to. She was everything I could ever want: beautiful, passionate, good with Timothy, and above all else, loyal.
Lily Ridgeway was perfect, and I was tired of pretending otherwise.
“We should get ready.” The words were barely out of my mouth before I heard the front door open and my son’s excited squeal. She smiled up at me.
“Before they get here and we are interrupted,” I said and heaved myself upwards.