Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Ava
I t’s been two months since Viktor confessed he killed Joe. Things have been better, and I’m finally sleeping through the night. Knowing Joe can’t hurt me made me feel safe again, but I’m never left alone. Marco has become my shadow, and something tells me he is more than just my driver. Viktor has been more attentive, too, spending more time in the house. He even makes a point of having dinner with me a few times a week. It’s nice.
The ping of my cell gets my attention.
Viktor: Be ready in five. I’m almost there
Ava: OK
Viktor called earlier, saying he had plans for us. I didn’t think much of it since something has come up every other time he has made plans. I noticed things have been a little tense the last few days. There are men walking the property all the time. Whenever I ask Viktor about it, he says they’re running training exercises, but I can tell he’s lying. Since things have been good between us, I dropped the subject.
I wasn’t sure what to wear, and he didn’t say where we were going. So I decided on a knee-length purple-red sleeveless V-neck bodycon dress paired with black Iriza Christian Louboutin pumps. The weather is perfect for it. The dress hugs my curves, it’s comfortable, and I’ve noticed he likes me in dresses.
Nothing has happened between us, aside from a lot of hot and heavy make out sessions followed by him leaving afterward. I find him constantly struggling with himself. I wish he would just claim me already.
My hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and my makeup is soft. I have butterflies in my stomach and don’t understand why. It’s not like this is a date. This is Viktor I’m talking about. We aren’t a couple and barely friends, more like acquaintances, but I can’t help it. My cell beeps.
Viktor: I’m outside
I grab my purse and a shawl just in case it’s cool wherever we’re going. Taking a deep breath, I make my way downstairs. Why am I so self-conscious? I need to get over myself. The air outside helps calm my nerves a little. He’s on his cell when I approach, so I stand by the passenger door, waiting for him to let me know when to get in. I don’t want to intrude, and I’ve been trying to be more obedient, as he calls it. But it’s more like I just don’t want to argue with him anymore. It’s too exhausting. He looks at me funny and waves me inside as if I should have just gotten in. I don’t get him. I get in and buckle my seatbelt.
“No calls, Oliver. Figure it out.” He ends the call. I keep my eyes forward. “You look stunning.”
I turn, surprised by his compliment. “Thank you.”
“I hope you didn’t eat.” With all my anxiety, I couldn’t eat. But he doesn’t need to know that.
“No,” I answer softly.
“Good.” He smiles, which is rare.
There’s been a shift in our whatever this is. We somehow have become lovers without the sex, which is frustrating. It’s so confusing.
The drive is silent. I occasionally feel his gaze on me, but I don’t look at him. I’m scared to see what his mouth isn’t saying. I don’t know where we’re going.
An hour later, we pull up to a hotel near the beach. This surprises me. It’s not somewhere I’d picture him bringing me to. But I keep quiet. Let him be the one who breaks the silence. My door is opened by a valet.
“Thank you,” I say with a smile.
“Ava,” Viktor’s voice startles me. He’s standing next to me in seconds. How the hell does he do that? But that’s Viktor for you.
He takes my hand and leads us inside. I think that he’s brought me here for dinner, but it’s odd, considering this is the kind of place you bring someone you love on a date. He walks past the restaurant entrance, and I want to ask where we’re going, but I won’t. Finally, he stops at the end of the hall and takes out a key card.
Why are we in a hotel? What does he think we’re going to do? Because as much as I want to and say I do, I know I’m not ready for him to claim me. It will only complicate things further.
He opens the door, and we walk inside. The room is luxurious, with French doors that open to a path leading directly to the beach. I smell the sea salt in the air. On the small outdoor patio is a table set with candles. It looks like the perfect romantic date. He’s yet to let go of my hand as he continues toward the French doors and leads me outside. He still hasn’t spoken, and I can’t take it anymore.
“Why are we here?”
“I thought you were never going to talk.” He gently mocks me.
“Why would you say that?”
“You’re usually more talkative.”
He lets go of my hand and pulls out a chair for me. Who is this man, and what has he done with Viktor Manarch? Are we on a date, and he forgot to tell me?
For the next two hours, we—mainly I—talk and eat. But I can’t complain. The food is delicious. I’m comfortably full and excited for dessert, but it never comes.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
I stand, realizing for the first time how strong my feelings are for him. How much I crave him. How my body yearns for him. I take off my shoes and meet him on the steps. He takes my hand and brushes it against his lips. An involuntary moan escapes me. I try to play it off as if nothing happened. He chuckles.
We walk for a few minutes until we reach an area with candles set up and a bed of rose petals in the center. Odd, we’re on public property, and this isn’t a date, yet he leads me straight to it. He sits on a blanket I hadn’t noticed before and pulls me to his lap. The second I sit on him, I feel his desire for me.
“Why are we here?” I manage in a whisper.
“To live life.”
He kisses me, and I don’t fight it. I let his mouth consume me. I don’t want to think about how we got here. I just want to claim the moment and make it mine. His lips are demanding. Seeking all control. I feel like I’m drowning in the passion he’s giving me. This isn’t the Viktor I’ve come to know. This is a different man altogether.
He softly bites the side of my neck. He works his way down until he’s at my shoulder, biting, kissing, and licking. I can’t even tell anymore. With one hand, he manages to remove my dress. I should probably care about that since we’re in a public place, but I don’t. He makes me forget everything. He softly lays me on the blanket. Every touch is intentional. His lips trace the curve of my breast, his tongue teasing my nipples. Gripping the blanket isn’t enough to quiet my moans. His attention on my breast is out of this world. It’s a sensation I’ve never experienced before.
“Viktor, please.”
He ignores my plea and continues. He’s determined to drive me insane. His hand continues to travel with his lips, and the anticipation is my undoing. I need to feel him. I need to be his. I try to sit up and get some control back, but that just makes him pin me down harder.
“Viktor—”
“You are mine.” As the words leave his mouth, two of his fingers find their way inside me, making me cry out in pleasure. “Feel everything. Let go and enjoy this moment.” He increases the speed of his fingers bringing me closer to the edge. Isn’t this what I want? I’m so confused when it comes to him.
“Viktor,” I whisper.
“Let go, baby girl. Come for me.”
I don’t know if it’s the intensity of his fingers inside me, the beautiful night sky, the romantic dinner, or his command. I let go, and my orgasm consumes me. My body convulses in pleasure, and I’m out of breath, barely keeping myself together. As the high of the orgasm subsides, he picks me up.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to claim every inch of your body. I will be your last.”
His words are clear. I belong to him. Truth be told, he isn’t wrong. If I were brave, I’d tell him I don’t belong to him. I’d tell him I wasn’t his. Instead, I’m in his arms, naked and exposed. He’s a dangerous addiction. I fear I won’t be able to give him up when the time comes. I want him to claim me over and over again. To be his every night without exception. I rest my head against his shoulder as he carries me back to the room.
In the room, he leaves the doors open. The music of the waves plays, and the room is lit by moonlight. He lays me in the center of the bed. I watch as he carefully unbuttons his shirt, belt, and trousers. As he stands in front of me, I admire how beautiful he is despite his scars. The man is a god. I crawl to the edge of the bed where he stands. Our eyes never leave each other. Rising to my knees, I kiss his cheeks, down his neck, to his shoulders, where I softly bite him. I’m letting myself go and allowing myself to live, as he suggested. This might be our one and only night together. I kiss his chest and softly bite his nipples, tasting every inch I can. I make my way down to his stomach. I trace the line of his boxers with my tongue, watching him look at me. His eyes fill with the same hunger I have. I go to help him out of them, but he stops me.
“Not yet.” He pushes me back on the bed. He climbs on, too, and begins to kiss his way up my legs to my thigh.
“Viktor…” Even as the word escapes my lips, I don’t know if it’s a moan or a plea.
Either way, it doesn’t do anything to deter him from his goal. He continues ever upward, moving infinitesimally slowly. It’s exquisite torture. At the inner edge of my thighs, he softly bites. I’m gripping the sheets like they can help me handle the pleasure. Viktor isn’t holding back. The small bites and licks get closer to my center. The anticipation and buildup are driving me crazy.
“Viktor, I’m going to come.”
“Let go, baby girl.”
“Fuck,” I yell, unable to contain myself. My body is trembling, unsure of what is happening. All my senses are on overload. He has claimed me with barely a touch. “I need you inside of me,” I plead.
But I didn’t have to say anything. He’s a step ahead of me. When he takes his boxers off and frees himself, I can’t help but gasp again at his perfection. He’s more than I could have ever imagined. He puts on a condom. Is it crazy to say he looks sexy as hell doing something so mundane?
“Ready?”
I don’t answer. Instead, I pull him to me and kiss him. I kiss him with all of me. What I can’t say with words, I’ll let my body tell him. He’s gentle, sliding inch by inch. He’s so big, and I’m so tight. My nails dig into his back as he stretches me. He takes his time, letting me adjust. When he’s finally inside, he gives me a few seconds to feel how full I am. Then he begins to move, picking up his speed and pushing me to the edge. I try to meet every thrust. I’m sure my screams of pleasure can be heard everywhere, but in his arms, I don’t care. I’m finally his.
“You are mine, Ava O’Brien,” he whispers in my ear.
As if to prove a point, I find release in his words. I bite his shoulder to keep a grip on reality. Being with him is out of this world.
He continues without mercy. His thrusts are harder, commanding my body, and I meet every single one of them. This is where I belong. In his arms. Our first time together, and I don’t want it to be our last. It’s going to be hard to leave when our time is up.
“Come with me, baby girl.”
And I do.
This orgasm is more intense than all the others combined.
After, we lie in bed drenched in sweat. I enjoy the sound of the waves and his breathing. I’ve not seen this side of him before, and it scares me. It’s a side that, if I’m not careful, will condemn me to him. This is not the controlling, demanding man. This is the kind, attentive, sweet man of a fairytale. I’ve already fallen for him. What is this new revelation going to do to me?