27. Lexi
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
LEXI
When I wake up, it’s with a deep anxiety, the kind that keeps my mind racing even when I’m sleeping. I have been waiting all day for Valentin, hoping he would come home right away. Each time I called, my heart sank as it went straight to voicemail.
Groaning, I roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling while my stomach rumbles loudly. I push myself out of bed and stretch, making my way across the room. The loft is eerily quiet. It’s late at night, and Valentin should have joined me in bed long before now.
After grabbing a glass of water, I find him in his office, the door slightly ajar.
He’s sitting at his desk. He glances up when he hears me, his eyes deep, piercing black. His expression stays cold, with not even a hint of a smile or any warmth.
“Are you coming to bed?” I ask, dressed in nothing but his oversized shirt.
He checks his watch and sighs. “Tempting, but I’m still working,” he says, raising his glass of Scotch. I can’t help but notice that the bottle on his desk is nearly empty.
“What did you do today?” he asks.
There’s a quality to his tone that makes me hesitate. Tension knots his jaw, and a fleeting, unreadable expression crosses his face, hinting that he’s troubled by something.
“I went to work, but I didn’t stay long.”
He studies me for a long moment. Whatever is going on, it’s weighing heavily on him.
“What else did you do?”
I pause, blinking in mild confusion. “I just came home, here.”
He furrows his brow and crosses his arms over his chest, staring at me. “Did you talk to your sister today?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you call Elise today? Her son is sick. Thought you might want to check on your nephew.”
I exhale, considering his words. Just then, a realization settles in, one I can’t ignore. He knows Elise Savin is my older sister!
He stands, stepping close to me, his hand lifting my chin to meet his gaze—the eyes of a predator. Leaning in, his lips barely graze mine as he growls, “Get the fuck out of my house.”
“It’s not what you think!” I burst out, my voice trembling.
Valentin smirks, running a hand through his hair. “Oh, it’s not? I think you lied to me, and I warned you that if you misbehaved, you’d be punished. If I were you, the way I’m feeling right now, I wouldn’t advise you to hang around to find out?—”
I feel dazed, as if caught in the middle of a bad dream. “It’s complicated.”
“You’ve been lying to me this entire time. How can I believe anything you say?” he growls, closing the distance, his eyes locked onto me in utter disdain.
My heart screams at me to do something, to make him realize I just made a mistake, that’s all. “Valentin, I can explain.”
He shrugs, rolling his eyes in feigned boredom. “Shut up! I said I’m done with you. I have no fucking energy to hear whatever you have to say.”
My blood runs cold. “Fuck you, asshole!” I reply, lifting my chin in pure defiance.
“I told you to shut up. I’ll fucking chain and muzzle you if I have to.”
I recoil at the venom in his voice. It only intensifies the fire that ignites within me.
Marching up the stairs, I hastily grab my purse and shove as many of my belongings into a bag as possible, then toss it over my shoulder. As I take one final look around the room, my eyes catch something that once meant something between us.
I come across Valentin at his desk, filling another glass and quickly downing the Scotch in a rush.
“Here, you don’t own me anymore,” I say defiantly, tossing the collar at his feet.
He hurls the glass against the wall, shards scattering across the floor. In an instant, he pins me hard against his desk. “Are you sure about that? Your collar on your neck says I do,” he says, tracing the V shape on my neck with his finger.
“Get off me, asshole!”
He crawls up my body, his grip firm on my jaw, and his eyes locking onto mine. “You will always belong to me.”
As he leans down to kiss me, I gasp as he forcefully bites my lower lip. His hand slides behind my neck, drawing me even closer. I’m completely lost in the kiss, hardly aware of him gripping my thighs and spreading them wide.
“Is this what you want, little slut?”
“Get off me,” I cry, my voice trembling under the weight of the humiliation, my face fracturing from the relentless intensity of it all.
I clearly should be angry with him, but one touch from him is all it takes to make me feel so dirty and yet so good.
He unbuttons his slacks, and the fabric hits the floor, taking my dignity with it.
He brings his hand to my mouth, pressing two fingers softly against my lips. I part them willingly, allowing his fingers to slide in. I take them deep, savoring each moment as I wrap my tongue around them slowly.
“That’s my good girl,” he whispers, lowering his head and kissing me across my collarbone.
Then he drags them out, moving his hand between my thighs as he slides his fingers along my clit. “You’re soaked,” he groans low in his throat.
His fingers slide into me, fucking me, then curl up to hit that impossible, perfect spot.
“Valentin,” I cry out, my eyes fluttering shut as my nails dig into his back, my body trembling uncontrollably. The wave of pleasure crashes over me, leaving me breathless and spent.
I’m trembling, my breath quick and shallow as I lean against his chest.
“Did I tell you we were done?” he says. His low voice goes straight to my core. He enters me, moving with slow, deep thrusts. My breath catches, overwhelmed by his perfect fullness.
I’m lost in sensation—the strain of his cock deep inside me, the pressing weight of his body on mine, the intoxicating sound of our bodies colliding with a raw intensity.
He growls like an animal. He’s relentless, fucking me with brutal precision. He’s about to shatter me, and I sense it with every nerve, every muscle in me—a primitive, beautiful awareness.
His fingers curl tightly in my hair, yanking my head back to expose my bared throat to his hungry sucking. “Who owns this fucking pussy?” he snarls, voice thick with sadistic pleasure.
“You do,” I scream, my voice cracking with shame and adrenaline.
He quickens his pace, and I can’t help but moan louder, my eyes tightly shut. A tremor begins to course through my legs.
“That’s it, Krasotka,” he groans, voice thick with hunger. “Come on my cock.”
He drives into me again, causing my knees to buckle. The world bursts into stars behind my eyes as the orgasm washes over me—intense, overwhelming, all-consuming. I moan shamelessly as he continues ramming into me with relentless force.
On the edge of his release, he forces me down onto my knees, his brutal grip tightening in my hair, twisting mercilessly until I can’t help but whimper.
He jerks his cock, sending his thick ropes of hot cum splattering across my face.
He looks down at me. “Look at you,” he hisses, his breath heavy and uneven. “You’re nothing but a little slut.”
I stay kneeling, heart racing, and lift my gaze to meet his.
He pulls himself away from me, tucking himself back into his pants, and he tosses a handkerchief at me. “You’re just a fucking toy to play with. That’s all you ever were.”
I climb off my knees, momentarily disoriented. Shame surrounds me like a suffocating blanket, crashing down upon me with the force of a brick wall in the stillness of the night.
As I turn away from him, my legs shake, and his cum sticks to my skin. I slowly wipe the handkerchief across my face, trying to clean the shame from me.
A trembling breath escapes me as I hold onto the door. “Valentin, I love you. I know you love me too.”
“Love and lust aren’t the same thing, sweetheart. Love gets you killed!”
Valentin barely glances at me as he buttons his cuffs and says, “Now, get the fuck out.”
His arrogant dismissal sets something off inside me, making me erupt in anger. I charge at him, screaming in fury and striking my fists hard against his chest.
Just then, Lev appears. He swiftly grabs me and pulls me toward the door. I resist, kicking and twisting, but his grip only tightens.
I spin around to face Valentin, a long moment stretching between us, heavy and suffocating.
My stomach churns. “You’re working with him,” I yell, rage and betrayal twisting in my chest.
His eyes widen, nostrils flaring. “What?”
“Petrov! You sick bastard.” My throat constricts, and my heart feels heavy.
Valentin’s demeanor hardens, a deep pain flickering in his gaze. “Is that what you think?”
“That’s why you’re doing this to me.”
Valentin shakes his head, letting out a sharp breath. “If that’s what you need to believe, then yes, I’m working with him.”
I shut my eyes, struggling to steady my breath, attempting to comprehend the unsettling truth that Valentin has only been manipulating me all along.
“I hate you,” I shout repeatedly, each word filled with rage, until Lev forcefully pushes me out of the warehouse. I tumble onto the cold, hard cement. Lev carelessly drops my bags beside me and slams the door shut, leaving me alone outside in the dark.
As I step into the open air, my heart races, pounding loudly in my ears. Each quick gasp of breath fuels my urgency as I move further away from the warehouse, leaving Valentin behind.
The tears are starting to emerge, but I won’t allow the Bratva to see that they’ve managed to break me.
Stay strong.
Don’t let the tears show.
Not here.
Not where he can watch.