Chapter 18 - Sienna
OMG.
I actually snuck into Oskar’s warehouse…and rescued Avit.
Was this what daredevils felt after every stunt? Because holy hell, it was exhilarating.
I woke up minutes after Avit slipped out of bed. When I stepped into the hallway and heard the front door close, dread slithered into each of my muscles, constricting them.
I knew exactly where he was going.
I changed in record time, grabbed my phone, shoved pillows under my blanket, and sprinted to the office.
I locked the door, hacked into Oskar’s security system, dismantled his alarms, and put his cameras on a loop.
While the software ran, I ordered an Uber and synced the live feed to my phone so I could track Avit’s movements.
I told myself I just needed to be close in case he needed me.
Turned out, he really did.
And thank God I went, because things could’ve gotten ugly fast. Especially since there was a silent alarm that I had overlooked, and two men showed up.
I’d never done anything that reckless before. I was the girl who always needed a foolproof plan, backup options, and contingency routes. But tonight? I didn’t think, I acted. And it felt damn good.
“Sienna, what the hell was that?” Avit’s voice snapped me back to reality as he sat behind the wheel, driving us home.
Something in his voice was…different. In the short space of time I'd known Avit, I'd learned the difference between when he was angry, frustrated, and trying to hide his annoyance with a bland monotone. But this? It was…more.
This one was low, dark, a furious, restrained growl that vibrated through the air and straight down my spine. It carried authority, raw, commanding authority, and my entire body reacted before my brain could catch up. Heat rushed through me so fast it stole my breath.
I turned to face him.
The moment our eyes met, my pulse tripped.
His gaze was sharper than I’d ever seen it—feral, electric, like he was staring straight through my skin and reading every thought I wasn’t saying.
His irises looked brighter, almost glowing, and the intensity rolling off him made the air in my lungs falter.
And suddenly I couldn’t stop replaying the moment in the warehouse, his body pressed hard against mine as we hid from the guard, his breath warm on my cheek, the gun steady in his hand.
Watching him on a camera feed could never compare to seeing him up close, in the flesh.
It was a million times sexier, and my body hadn’t forgotten it, how he felt against me.
But then irritation slid in. Why the hell was he angry at me when I had just saved his damn life?
“You mean saving you?” I snapped.
“You were reckless! You could've been hurt! You could've died tonight!”
“I wouldn't have! You wouldn't have let me! I've never trusted anyone to protect me as much as I do you! I just wish you felt the same about me!” Then I scoffed. “But, then why would you? You've got a whole lot of Bratva siblings to protect you! All I am is a debt paid!”
Avit veered sharply to the side of the road, and my hands shot out to grip the dashboard as the tires squealed slightly and the car slowed to a halt.
The sudden motion made my stomach lurch.
His seatbelt hissed as he unclicked it, and he turned to me.
He gripped my chin with one hand, forcing me to look at him.
“You don't think I see how you've protected me, Sienna?
How you stopped me from rushing to the location?
How you've been working your ass off to get me the intel I needed?
How you've kept the secret of why we got married in the first place?” His thumb stroked my cheek as he continued, his tone growing softer.
“You've protected me in ways that my siblings haven't.
But this, tonight? I can't…” his voice cracked briefly before settling into a steadier, deeper growl.
“Don't put yourself in danger like that for me again.”
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore his touch and stop myself from swimming in his eyes. We weren't a real couple. This thing between us would be ending soon. I had to put some distance between us.
I yanked my head away and unbuckled my seatbelt so I could turn and glare at him, already missing his touch. “Or what? We'll have another fight like this in the damn car? I'm sure you're well aware that I'm not your puppet and you can't tell me what to do!”
His gaze didn’t leave mine, and I could see the storm of frustration, a dangerous warning, burning behind his eyes.
“As long as you're my wife, you will do as I say, Sienna!”
“Or what?” I yelled. “You'll hurt me? Lock me in my room and throw away the key?”
He gripped the sides of my hoodie, pulling me slightly closer, his thumbs brushing lightly under my breasts.
“I promised your mother,” he said gently, “that I'd protect you, angel. So if that's what I've got to do to keep you safe, I will. And if…”
The more Avit caressed me, the less his words registered. Soon, I’d walk away and never see him again; after all, we now knew who my father was supplying.
And yet, I’d never wanted anyone more than the man in front of me.
If I could slip past trained guards and break into a warehouse to save a Bratva man, I could damn well stare danger in the face again.
I’d done it twice already tonight; I could do it a third time.
I’d never initiated anything with Avit before, but fuck it, now was as good a time as any.
I grabbed Avit’s shirt and yanked him toward me. His eyes widened, just for a moment, before my lips crashed onto his, hungry and desperate. Immediately, he opened up to me, matching the fire and passion I’d let loose, and the world outside the car fell away.
A shrill sound filled the car, and Avit's lips slowly left mine. He dug into pocket, pulled out his phone, and listened.
“Yes, she's with me.”
Shit. I hadn’t really thought about what would happen to Wexler if I managed to go rogue…again.
“Secure the perimeter. We might be here for a while.”
Avit hung up and slammed his phone into the console, barely giving me a second to breathe before his lips were back on mine, crashing against them hungrily.
His hands clawed at my clothes while mine tore at his, fingers digging into every taut muscle, raking over his chest as his thumbs pinched and twisted my nipples, fire shooting straight through me with every frantic, fevered touch.
“Take off your pants. Now, angel. I need you,” he growled breathlessly against my lips.
Reluctantly, we pulled back, my heart hammering so fast it felt like it might explode.
Avit fumbled in his seat, discarding the rest of his clothes, while I shed my sneakers, socks, pants, and panties in a frantic blur.
When the AC hit my bare skin, I didn't even shiver, because the heat that was coursing through my veins felt like a damn inferno.
I scrambled over the console and fell onto him, and he pushed me down, holding me tight.
My hands tangled in his hair, gripping, pulling him closer as I sank onto him.
The car rocked with every impatient thrust, our moans and grunts ricocheting between the walls of the tiny space, feeding our desires.
I felt myself coming apart from the inside.
“Harder! Harder!” I screamed, desperate, grabbing at him, pulling him closer, needing more.
Avit answered with a growl, every thrust driving deeper, harder, until my back arched and my nails dug into him. “Ace!” I cried, my voice ragged, breaking as I tipped over the edge.
He didn’t let up. He slammed into me a few more times, then held me down, rocking me back and forth viciously while his fingers relentlessly moved against my clit, driving me higher, faster, until my vision blurred and stars exploded behind my eyes.
I’d never known it was possible to unravel while completely unravelling.
When the storm finally ebbed, I sagged limp across his chest, my head resting on his shoulder, hands slack on his waist. His strokes along my back softened, and I moaned. His cock twitched inside me.
“Do you know what you do to me, angel?” he asked huskily, goosebumps rippling across my skin.
I looked up at him and smiled. “I think I have an idea, Ace.”
His answering smile was tender. And when his lips met mine this time, it wasn’t frantic or hungry, but…gentle, sweet, intimate.
His hands cupped my ass, guiding me, rocking me slowly over his cock.
The lazy rhythm made him swell thicker inside me, and a soft moan escaped before I could stop it.
He kissed down my throat, across my chest. I leaned back, giving him room to tease my breasts with warm licks and soft nips until he finally took my nipple into his mouth.
I moaned as my body lit up once more under his touch.
This time, when we moved together, it was a quiet, aching rhythm. And when we became undone again, neither of us spoke.
Avit held me in his arms, like he didn’t want to let go. It felt like we both knew this was the last intimate moment we'd share together, one final moment we were trying to stretch out as long as possible.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Good things never stayed in my life for long. Happiness never lasted. I’d learned to accept it, and somehow, I’d learn to accept losing Avit, too.
A lone tear slipped down my cheek as sleep pulled me under, still cradled in his arms.
I woke up the next day in my room—and in my pajamas. After getting ready for class, I made my way into the kitchen, but Avit was nowhere in sight.
I found him instead in the office, glaring at his laptop. I asked what was wrong, but he brushed it off. When I leaned in to peek at the screen, he snapped the laptop shut.
I asked him what he was hiding from me, and he said nothing. And we argued about it. Then, in the middle of it, he slipped.
He’d found a memory card, but it was heavily encrypted, and he couldn’t crack it. He needed leverage to use on Oskar, so he'd know not to mess with them again.