Taisiya
As I place my chosen clothes on the countertop, I wonder what fresh absurdity arrived at the bedroom door. Deciding I will ignore whatever it is, I pull on jeans and a long-sleeved black top.
I tie my still-damp hair back and open the bathroom door.
Vadim is by the dresser, taking his watch off with short movements, his expression thunderous.
“Bad news?” I ask.
“Nothing important.”
“Liar.”
His eyes narrow. “I thought you were meant to be mentally exhausted? That usually entails a lack of thought.”
“I am. My exhaustion doesn’t affect my bullshit detection.”
“Well, it’s none of your business.”
“Right,” I say, not enjoying being put in my place, but accurately so. It’s not my business. None of it is.
“Ready?” he asks, dropping the watch into a box and slamming the drawer closed.
“Yes. Why did you take your watch off?”
“It cost half a million pounds.”
“Oh,” I mutter, but then press my lips together. “We aren’t going deep-sea diving, you know. I’m sure your half-a-million-quid watch can survive the rain.”
“Of course it can. It would probably also still work at the bottom of the sea. Not the point. Just because it can doesn’t mean I want it to.”
“Fair enough. You are very possessive about your watch.”
“I’m possessive about all of my belongings, including you.”
“Ouch. Now we are back to being a dick again.”
“Never stopped.”
I ignore that and head for the door before he can double down on the ownership talk. The hallway is silent as we descend the stairs, our footsteps swallowed by the heavy runners. Vadim doesn’t try to touch me, but he stays close.
Something is bugging him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. He is creating an atmosphere which I will do my best to rise above.
Vadim leads me toward the back of the house.
We step out into the grey afternoon. The drizzle is fine, more of a mist that clings to my eyelashes and settles on my skin.
It feels amazing. I take a deep breath of the damp air, trying to flush the scent of expensive cologne and old secrets out of my lungs.
My soles prickle as I step barefoot onto the wet grass.
The garden is a masterpiece of controlled nature—perfectly manicured hedges, stone paths that curve into the shadows of weeping willow trees, and a sprawling lawn that looks like velvet.
“Better?” he asks.
“I’m outside. That’s a start.”
“You’re thinking about the Kaverins.”
“I’m thinking about how I lived twenty-nine years without knowing my dad, and now it might be the reason I’m trapped in a gilded cage with a man who thinks he bought me with a plate of chicken.”
Vadim catches my arm, spinning me around. The rain is starting to pick up, darkening his hair and making his blue eyes look like chips of ice.
“I didn’t buy you, Taisiya. I claimed you.”
“Did you? Because from where I’m standing, it feels like I’m just the latest… watch in your drawer.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box that looks older than both of us put together. He doesn’t open it. He just holds it between us, the rain beads rolling off it.
“You made an impression on Baron and Irina. Your lasagne was a winner, but it was more than that.”
“They liked the lasagne?” I ask, ignoring the box as best I can while my heart slams against my ribs.
“Baron says you are welcome in his kitchen anytime.”
“I’m honoured.”
“You should be. Baron is a difficult man to impress—with anything. Irina is far worse. This is…” He holds up the box a little higher. “… a sign of that.”
“What is it?” I whisper.
He opens the box, and my eyes automatically go to the enormous sapphire and diamond ring nestled inside. “Jesus,” I mutter. “I can’t take that.”
“You don’t have a choice. In my world, a gift like this is a message. It tells everyone you are off-limits.”
“And what does it tell me?”
“That you’re officially a problem I’m willing to go to war for.”
My fingers hover over the ring. “This is your aunt’s?”
“It’s a family heirloom. Rumour has it that she is descended from the Romanovs…” He shrugs.
“Are you fucking joking?” I croak and scrunch my hand into a fist. “This is absurd. Romanov or not, I can’t accept that.”
“You can. If you turn it down, Irina will be offended and believe me when I say you don’t want that.”
I glare up at his smirk. “That’s blackmail.”
He shrugs again and pulls it out of the box, holding it up. He puts the box back in his pocket and reaches for my left wrist. I’m stunned into immobility as he lifts my hand and places the ring on my finger.
“Vad,” I say softly, admiring it despite my reservations. “Is this normal Bratva behaviour?”
“It’s normal Voronov behaviour. Get used to it.”
I gulp. “What if I lose it?”
“It’s insured.”
“Not the point.”
“Then don’t lose it. Why would you take it off anyway? It stays where it is, Taisiya. You are my wife.”
“We haven’t gotten married yet.”
“Yet. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me you are mine.”
“You’re all insane.”
“It’s been pointed out already.”
“Ask me, then.”
“Ask you what?”
“Don’t just slip an heirloom on my finger and expect me to accept it without the proper protocol.”
His sexy lips turn up on one side. “Will you marry me, Taisiya?”
“Yes,” I reply instantly, knowing it’s stupid, crazy, the very thing I’ve accused him of being. But I also know it’s right, in more ways than it will protect me. He has treated me better than anyone else has in my life. He has fought for me, protected me, accepted me, faults and all.
He grips my chin and tilts my head back, dropping his lips to mine.
The kiss is heavy. His mouth is hot against mine despite the drizzle. My fingers curl into the wet fabric of his shirt. The rain slicks my hair to my skull and runs down my neck. I stay standing because of the man holding me.
Vadim pulls back. He rests his forehead against mine. He looks at me with a focus that makes my legs tremble. “Good answer,” he says.
“I didn’t have much of a choice,” I retort. My voice shakes. “You’ve already put a Romanov’s ring on me.”
“Supposed,” he corrects.
I look at the ring. It reflects the dull light from the grey sky. It is huge and ancient. It means I’m officially unavailable. I’m safe from the world because of it.
“Let’s go back inside,” he says. His hand slides down to interlace with mine. “You’re shivering.”
I nod as he leads me back toward the house.
The wet grass is slippery under my feet.
He holds me steady. I am a Voronov now. The thought makes me walk faster toward the warmth.
Ivan has laid out a towel for me to dry my feet as we head back inside.
I snicker as Vadim gets down on his knees and dries them one after the other.
“You don’t want to muddy the marble,” he murmurs and then rises to sweep me off my feet. He carries me upstairs to his bedroom—our bedroom— and straight into the en-suite where a hot bubble bath is already drawn in the corner tub.
“I might have to ditch you and marry Ivan instead,” I say as Vadim sits me on the countertop.
“That is just rude after the ring I’ve given you.”
“Technically, Irina—”
“Finish that sentence at your peril,” he says and hits a button on the side of the tub that fires up the jets.
“Fancy,” I snort and pull off my top and bra.
“Only the best for my bride.”
“Does this mean this is our honeymoon? If you’ve already decided we’re married?”
His eyes darken as he undoes the button on his shirt.
He rips it off and drops it on the floor before he unbuckles his belt.
I slide off the counter, reach for the waistband of my jeans and shove them down along with my underwear.
They hit the floor in a damp heap, and I step into the tub.
The jets hit my skin and force a sigh out of me.
Vadim drops his clothes, climbs in, and pulls me against his chest. I straddle him, feeling his hard cock pressing against me.
I shift my weight to settle more firmly against him, the heat of the water rising around us.
He grips my hips and thrusts upward without warning, filling me in one hard motion that knocks the air from my lungs.
I bite back a moan and dig my nails into his shoulders.
His mouth finds mine again, rough and demanding, while his hands move lower to guide my movements.
The jets pulse against us as I rock forward and take him deeper.
He breaks the kiss to bite at my throat.
I gasp and grind harder. The only sounds are water slapping the sides of the tub and the low growl that escapes him every time I clench around him.
My release builds fast and sharp. I chase it without shame, riding him until my body locks up and pleasure crashes through me.
My blood rushes through my veins as I cry out. My pussy clamps around his cock, and he groans.
“Fuck, Tai, yes.”
“Vad,” I pant and ride him harder, my thigh muscles straining as my orgasm doesn’t quit.
“Tai,” he rasps, wrapping his arms tighter around me. “That’s it. Ride my cock like a dirty girl. Take what you want from me.”
I grind down harder, my thighs burning as I take him deeper with every roll of my hips.
Pleasure spikes sharp and hot through my core.
I chase it without mercy, clenching around his cock until my vision blurs at the edges.
His hands clamp tighter on my hips, guiding me faster, and I bite his shoulder to muffle the cry that rips out of me.
He groans my name and thrusts up to meet me.
The water sloshes over the edge of the tub.
He grips my hips tighter and slams into me.
His breath is hot against my neck, his fingers digging into my hips hard enough to leave bruises.
I don’t care. I want the marks. I want the proof that this is real, that I’m not just another problem he’s solving with violence and money.
He pulls back just enough to look at me, his blue eyes dark in the steam. “Mine,” he growls, and the word vibrates through me like a twisted vow that I accept with no shame.
I don’t argue. I can’t. Not when my body is still trembling from the force of my orgasm, not when his hands are possessive and sure on my skin.
He lifts me off him, water dripping from our bodies as he stands. He picks me up and doesn’t let me go as he steps out of the tub and carries me back to the bedroom.
“We’re soaking wet,” I murmur as he lowers me to the bed.
I scoot back before he parts my legs and dives on my pussy like a starving man. “You are,” he murmurs. “So fucking wet.”
His tongue flicks over my clit, slow and deliberate. I gasp, my fingers twisting in the sheets as he teases me. The heat from the bath still clings to my skin, but it’s nothing compared to the fire he’s building inside me.
“Vadim,” I breathe, my voice breaking.
He doesn’t answer. His hands grip my thighs, holding me open as his mouth works me over. Every stroke of his tongue sends a jolt through my body. I arch my back, pressing myself closer to him. He growls against me, the vibration making my legs shake.
I can feel another orgasm building, faster this time. My breath comes in short gasps, my fingers tightening in his hair.
“You taste so fucking good,” he murmurs, his voice rough. “I could do this all day.”
I whimper as he dives back in, his tongue swirling around my clit before dipping lower. He slides his tongue inside me, fucking me with it until my hips buck against his face.
“That’s it,” he growls, withdrawing. “Come all over my fucking face, wife.”
The word wife echoes in my head, sharp and final. I feel wanted and not alone in this scary world. His tongue works slow circles that make my thighs tremble. I try to pull away as the pleasure is too intense so soon after coming, but his hands clamp down, fingers digging into my skin.
“Vad,” I gasp, but he only growls, the sound vibrating against me. The vibration sends a jolt straight to my core. I arch my back and give in, pressing myself closer. My fingers tangle in his damp hair, pulling hard enough to make him hiss.
He lifts his head just enough to look at me. “You’re mine. Say it.”
I don’t hesitate. “I’m yours.”
His eyes darken, and he drops his mouth back to my pussy, sucking my clit hard before nipping it gently.
The sensation is too much, too fast. I cry out, my back arching off the bed as the orgasm tears through me.
He doesn’t stop, his tongue working me through the aftershocks until I’m trembling, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
He pulls back and crawls up my body, his cock hard and dripping. I reach for him, but he catches my wrists and pins them above my head.
“Not yet,” he growls. “I want to hear you say it again.”
I swallow hard, my pulse hammering in my throat. “I’m yours, Vadim. Your wife.”
He smirks, then lowers his mouth to my ear. “Good girl.”
I gasp as he thrusts deep inside me. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. He sets a brutal pace, each thrust driving the air from my lungs.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” he groans, his voice rough against my skin. “So tight. So perfect.”
I can’t think. I can only feel. His cock fills me, stretching me, claiming me with every thrust. My nails dig into his back, leaving marks I hope stay for days. The sheets are damp beneath us. He shifts his weight, changing the angle so he hits that spot inside me that makes my vision blur.
“Vadim,” I gasp, my voice breaking. “I can’t—”
“You can,” he growls, his lips brushing my ear as he presses my hands harder into the mattress. “You will come all over my cock.”
The pleasure is too much, too intense. I can feel myself spiralling, my orgasm building fast and relentless.
“That’s it,” he murmurs, his voice dark and possessive. “Come for me, Tai. Show me how good you take my cock.”
His words push me over the edge. I shatter, my pussy convulsing around him as I scream his name. “Yours!” I pant without prompts this time. “All fucking yours.”