Chapter 23

 

London, England

 

Viktor lay with his princess in his arms, absently stroking her silky shoulder. After another night apart, his need for her had only increased.

So had his desire for answers. Simple things such as where she practiced climbing shouldn’t have been a difficult answer. Lying about a climbing wall in her palace had been easy enough to confirm. Though not all the facts of the palace would be common knowledge, it still seemed doubtful her family would have had such a thing installed. It added to his unease that she would lie about such a small aspect of her life.

If she hadn’t looked ready to dart away at his questioning, he would have demanded to know more. He didn’t like not knowing what he was dealing with. He only knew something was wrong… off. The fact that her family seemed content to gift her to a monster like Jean Luc only added fuel to his protectiveness.

She’d jumped into his arms as she’d entered the room mere hours ago. There’d been no talking, and he’d had no time or desire to coax information from her. He had a suspicion her urgency had been at least partly to do with keeping her secrets—secrets he planned to learn whether she wished it or not. He intended to find out why his princess was setting off all his warning instincts. Not for himself, but for her.

He felt the moment she woke. Her soft cheek rubbed against his chest, making his lips quirk at the feline way she moved. He’d never been as tempted with intimacy as he was with her. Having her in his arms pleased him in ways he never questioned.

She seemed determined to force every single sexual experience into the time she mistakenly believed they had together, and he had no intention of discouraging her. Let her mark it all off on her naughty little checklist.

If that made him a bastard, he didn’t care. Giving her things he instinctually knew she’d never had with another gave him a primal sense of satisfaction. He wanted everything from her. And he intended to have all of her for far longer than the end of her London trip.

He hated the stony look in her eyes as she’d left him each morning. The expression said how much she dreaded leaving his bed. She didn’t want it to end any more than he did, but for some reason she’d convinced herself it had to.

She was becoming his, whether she realized it yet or not.

He stared up at the ceiling, unconcerned with how fast it had all happened. He’d never been a man who questioned his desires or instincts, and they all said she belonged to him.

“What time is it?” The soft murmur against his skin roused him easily.

He didn’t need to glance at the clock. “Two.”

The pleased little noise she gave made his lips curve. Her warm fingers roved over his chest and down his stomach, lightly teasing the line of hair she seemed to love.

“I’m going to tell you a secret.” Her whispered words held a hint of something he couldn’t decipher without seeing her face. It was her eyes that bared her thoughts to him, but if he had to guess, he would say she was being playful with him.

“Mmm. Tell me.”

She moved, sliding over his chest to stare at him with a crooked smile on her beautiful lips. “I have fantasized about you since I was a teenager.”

His brow rose at her admission, and he couldn’t help but smile at her expression.

“Ever since that first time I saw you get out of the helicopter to see Feliks at La Couronne, I may have become a little obsessed.” She shook her head ruefully and diverted her gaze from his eyes to his chest. It was more confession than she’d likely intended. He would’ve bet she’d meant the words to be teasing.

He quickly assessed the math. “You would have been sixteen.” It had taken him nearly six years to end things with his uncle and cousins while building an empire of his own. He’d moved his brother to several boarding schools through those years, but around that time, he’d been free to spend more time with Feliks. Their mother had died not long after their father, leaving Viktor to keep his brother safe.

Any threats that had come toward his sibling had been dealt with swiftly and violently. In his family’s world, brutality had been the only language that held meaning.

She nodded at the assessment of her age during that time.

He watched her closely. She seemed to want to share more, yet she’d stopped herself.

“I asked Feliks about you that night in Paris.”

Her mouth gaped prettily. “Why?”

“Because I’d spent the night before watching you climb a four-story building like a thief in the night. You were nearly interrogated as a security threat by Ivan and me.” He shook his head before continuing, “I was equal parts furious at your recklessness and impressed by your skill.” He was cajoling her because he wanted her trust.

“What did Feliks say?”

“That he thought you’d had a crush on me.” That was not all his brother had said, but the rest wouldn’t have made her cheeks flush so prettily.

She frowned. “The whole school probably knew it if Feliks did.”

That made him smile. He shouldn’t have been amused by her chagrin, but the frown that marred her brow was adorable. He wondered about the sweet little princess she’d been as a teenager. He hadn’t noticed her interest then, but he’d been a fully grown man with no interest in children.

“What else did he say?”

“That you were always kind and were smart.”

Her lips turned up, and that sweet smile warmed her eyes. “He was a good kid. I’ll give him that, even though he divulged my secrets.”

His lips twitched at that. Feliks was only two years younger than she was.

Her smiled faded. “What did you tell him?”

“Only that you were staying in the same hotel.” Viktor didn’t like the worry creasing her brow. His fingers slid to that slight indent and tried to smooth it away. “Only my men know you climbed that wall, and they would never speak of it.”

She was assessing him closely, looking for a lie she wouldn’t find.

Only people he trusted knew about her at all. He had shared some information with Titian and Daire because she was using equipment she shouldn’t have had—a matter they still hadn’t discussed but would in time.

After a moment, she nodded, but there was a hint of regret in her eyes that he didn’t like seeing there.

He wanted to get her back to the playfulness she was showing him. “Aren’t sweet little princesses supposed to have crushes on princes?”

She laughed, and he enjoyed the sound. “Maybe you looked like a prince to me.”

His brows shot up.

“You were only twenty-four, but you were so commanding. If only you would have looked at me.” The last was said with a hint of reprimand.

He shook his head, frowning. “You were a child.”

“You didn’t notice me later, either. And I was definitely not a child then.”

The sweet, offended look on her face made his grin widen. “Is that what you believe?”

“Considering all the times I nearly tripped over potted plants in hotel lobbies because I was watching you, I’d have to say yes.”

His bark of laughter seemed to surprise them both. “I may not have noticed the entire time, but for the last couple of years, I was very aware of a beautiful little princess who gazed at me with lust in her eyes.”

“If I was so beautiful, why not take me up on the offer?”

“I hate to disappoint you, but beauty isn’t enough reason to make me go to the trouble I’ve gone through to have you in my bed. I thought you an innocent princess who likely didn’t know what she was offering or who she offered it to.”

She scoffed at that. “So climbing a wall was truly the key to gaining the elusive Viktor Popov’s attention?”

“You obviously haven’t seen the picture you make.” Imagining her on that wall made his tone grow lower.

*****

Her Russian was sexy when aroused and playful, so much so that she wanted him again. But she found she wanted even more that evening. She wanted this teasing part of him. Their days were too numbered, and every morning when she left his bed, she felt the loss. She shook off the morose thoughts.

“I swore I felt your eyes on my ass that night.”

The rumbling in his chest vibrated against her fingers as she rose over him. There was no mistaking the darkening of his gaze. The air grew charged between them, sending a tremor of desire through her.

“I’m very interested in your ass.”

The way he looked at her made her ache. The raw intensity between them couldn’t possibly last much longer. It would have to burn out at some point, but thank God it hadn’t yet.

Before she could respond, he’d rolled so that she was beneath him.

“What did you fantasize about when you were tripping over plants?” His eyes seemed to catch on her lips, on every breath, and on the way her body responded to his weight on her. “The pretty flush to your cheeks says you dreamed of me doing very dirty things to you.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“You already know. I haven’t hidden the things I want.”

“The ‘everything’ you said you’d give me?” he taunted.

“Yes?”

“Are you ready to give it to me now?”

He had dropped the challenge, and she was more than willing to pick it up. “Yes.”

He took her lips in a savage kiss, his tongue demanding entrance before tangling with hers. She was aware only of pleasure as he devoured her mouth and rocked his cock against her clit. Her thighs slid up his legs and hips as she attempted to grind against him. His body felt so good, so warm and strong against hers.

When he broke the kiss to look down at her, she wasn’t sure what she’d see looking back. The sheer level of possessiveness should have stilled her, given her pause, but it only incited her.

“Roll onto your stomach and put a pillow beneath your hips.” His voice was pure gravel as he moved from her.

Her mouth dry, she could only nod. She hesitated for a split second. A part of her knew there would be no pretending she hadn’t fallen for him after giving this one last piece of herself, but she refused to let fear stop her from having it all.

He assessed her closely as she made her final decision. She wanted every experience she could wring from him because these memories would have to sustain her. Those secrets he so badly wanted from her were something she could never share. There was far too much at stake, and other lives were involved, so London was all she would have.

She could trust him with what she was free to give, but that was all she could offer.

At some point, it had stopped being about amazing sex and relieving the tension in her life. Maybe she’d been kidding herself from the start; maybe she’d never been in it for the pleasure alone. It didn’t matter, though. What mattered was that she wanted to give him everything. He was hers for at least the night. There were no guarantees that they would have more.

As he watched, she moved very deliberately and seductively into the position he demanded of her.

There was no mistaking the animalistic noise that left his lips as he watched her submit to him.

Her nerves buzzed with anticipation as she listened to the sound of a drawer opening and closing, wondering exactly what he planned. She held her breath as the bed dipped with his weight. His warm breath at her ear sent delicious shivers all over her body. “I’m about to stretch your beautiful ass. Tell me that’s what you want.”

She moaned as nervous excitement pulsed in her veins. “Yes.”

He lifted away, making her miss his warmth. The sound of crinkling and ripping packages filled her ears, and she looked over her shoulder to see what he was doing. Her eyes landed on a toy and a bottle of lube.

His wicked gaze slid to hers then to the shifting of her hips on the pillow. The pleased look on his face shot more electricity between them.

“You tempt the devil, Котёнок.”

Before she could think about the fact that she loved him calling her kitten, he was over her, straddling her thighs, his warm body heat washing over her back. She felt him shifting her hair to the side, and then his warm lips were on her neck. She moaned and angled for more. He moved, pressing hot kisses to the sensitive spot between her shoulder blades. Her back arched as sensation rocked her from touches nowhere near where she needed them. He took his time, destroying her mind with every dip he made down her spine. Her heated flesh felt branded by the time he’d made his descent.

Her fingers dug into the bedding when he nipped at her bottom before spreading her for his gaze. She couldn’t see anything, could only wait and feel whatever he’d do next. He gripped her hips, angling her up until she felt his tongue on her pussy. That warm glide arched her ass higher. After she begged for more, he slid his fingers in to play. Her forehead rocked on the bedding as those wet digits dipped inside her.

The noise of approval made her already wet body weep for more.

“That’s it. Get my fingers wet.”

He removed them slowly, torturing her with the time he was taking. She stilled as she felt a wet digit circling her ass. Gently, he coaxed her. “Relax for me, Sophia.”

The sheets twisted in her fists, but she did as he said.

“Good. Just let it feel good.”

She nodded and allowed him to play. The sensation was so good that her hips pushed back of their own accord.

“My princess needs more.”

The approving rumble of his voice made her stomach flutter.

The bed dipped again, and his weight shifted. When she felt his knees spreading her thighs wider, she sucked in a breath. His hands left her, and she heard a cap pop. Wet dribbles of liquid fell on her crease and rushed all the way to her already aching pussy. His fingers were there a split second later, massaging that tiny hole. It felt so incredible that a haze of dizzying need washed over her.

“Take my finger, Sophia. Push against it.” His accent had thickened in that way she loved.

She rotated her hips uncontrollably before pushing back. He slipped inside, and she groaned. That single finger was nearly her undoing. He rocked it in and out with more lube easing his way.

“That’s good,” he praised before urging, “Take more.”

He pushed in farther, and she felt stuffed with only his finger inside her.

He didn’t stop. More lube slid down as he toyed with and stretched her until she was pushing back for each thrust. “Good girl.” The strained edge to his voice gave her a sense of power.

“More,” she moaned.

A rumbling sound slid from his lips. “Can you take another?”

She wanted to. “Yes.”

Another finger eased inside, widening her almost painfully. “Let me in, Sophia,” he coaxed as more fluid slicked his way. “You have no idea what this does to me. What you do to me.” The tone was so low she almost didn’t hear him.

She wasn’t sure how long he played with her, easing her open until she felt the cool metal of a plug replacing his fingers.

She felt the cool fullness of it along with the added stretch before it finally settled into place.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, and then his hands lifted her hips until her knees propped her up. “After this, you’ll be able to take me. But right now, you’re going to come for me.” It was a command and promise both.

She wasn’t sure what she expected. His mouth? His fingers? What she felt was the hot glide of his cock at her entrance, sliding in while her ass was already filled by a plug. She gripped the bedding and made a sound that even she couldn’t decipher. She was already so full. But this… this was so much more. It was something wicked and so erotically charged that she couldn’t form words.

He seemed equally affected as he hissed at the tighter fit. She could feel her channel gripping and throbbing with every inch he gave her until he was finally seated deep inside her. His fingers tightened around her hips as if he were fighting the need to come, but he stayed still inside her, allowing her to get used to the stretch.

When she finally couldn’t take any more waiting, her hips bucked. “Please.”

He grunted before slowly gliding back. It was torture so good she couldn’t stand it. “Come for me,” he demanded. He thrust into her at the same time she felt the plug shift. The man was playing with the toy as he fucked her, and that was what finally made her explode. She cried out into the bedding as her body jerked, gripping him tight.

Dazed and impossibly still aroused, she felt him ease from her body.

She was still gasping for air when she felt his kiss on her shoulder and neck.

“How can I want more?” she whispered without realizing she’d said the shocked words out loud.

He didn’t answer, but she felt him still before rewarding her with more kisses and firm caresses along her shoulders and back, down to her hips. His touches lulled and aroused her so completely that she barely noticed her hips rocking back for more.

“I want inside you, Sophia.” It was as much a warning as it was a request. She sucked in a breath as he gently pulled the plug from her body. “Are you going to let me have you here?”

The tension in his voice said just what it had cost him to wait. He hadn’t come inside her. He’d only gotten her off, which meant he’d been waiting for this.

“Yes. Do it.” He’d taken so much time, she was ready to come all over again and wondered if she would the second he got inside her.

He growled, and then she felt his slicked cock against her ass. “So beautiful.”

She pushed back, feeling just how different it was. He was bigger and hotter than the toy had been as he stretched her to the point of pleasure-pain. More liquid slid between them as he poured more lube until she could fully accept his slow, torturous glide.

The only sound in the charged room was their heavy pants as he claimed the part of her that she’d only given to him. It was the only way she wanted to be ruled, and he was the only man she would allow to have all of her.

Only him.

He groaned as he praised her in Russian, his hips thrusting as she pushed back.

He rocked in and out of her body, taking what she offered. She felt the threads of her orgasm rising. She hadn’t realized it was possible to come like this without his fingers on her clit, but apparently it was. It was as if her body had a mind of its own. Her hips jerked, and she pushed back for more of his demanding thrusts until her entire body rocked with the sheer force. She climaxed harder than she’d ever come before. She was still crying out when she felt and heard him come with his cock buried inside her.