Chapter Eight
Ivan
It didn’t take me long to follow her. I’d been watching the house ever since Paige texted me that she and Ryan were going on a date. She said Pandora had the alarm off on the window in her bathroom, so if they planned on sneaking out, that’s the way they were going.
When I asked her why she didn’t put the alarm on, she said it was easier to watch one window than all the other exits in the house.
I got dressed after my workout and put on a pair of dark gray slacks and a button-up shirt. I went and sat outside the gate in my black Porsche 911, waiting to see what would happen. It only took about two hours before I watched the girls sneak out of the gate and make a run for it down to the waiting cab. I caught sight of Penelope laughing and my chest warmed instantly.
As I followed them at a distance, I thought about why I’m so drawn to her. I’ve been around darkness and dirt most of my life. There were occasions when I met people who were kind, but more often than not, I kept to myself. I knew the shadows and clung to them. But the second I looked at Penelope, I saw light for the first time. She wasn’t only innocent and pure. She was untouched in her soul. I knew by looking at her that I would never meet another woman with this kind of love radiating from her.
I’d never seen eyes like hers staring back at me. They were emeralds sparkling with truth, and they saw straight to my core. She never flinched at what she found in there. She touched me, and I felt like she cast a spell. The warmth spread to every inch of my body, coating me in her protection.
Was I really the one trying to keep her from danger? How could she undo me like this and still make me feel like she’s holding me together? It’s inexplicable, but I want to cling to her light.
I watch as the girls enter the club without being carded. I pull up to the curb, toss my keys to the valet and slip him a bill. “Keep it close,” I say in his ear as he glances down at the hundred, and nods.
The bouncer lets me in with the same courtesy he extended the twins. I try not to think about how many other underage people he lets in here.
The music is loud, and almost immediately it’s deafening my senses. I ignore it and scan the crowd as I blend into the corners of the room. I don’t want her to know I’m here, but I want to make sure she’s safe.
It takes only a second to spot the redheads on the dance floor. It’s crowded, but they dance together and people leave them alone.
I grit my teeth when the crowd clears enough for me to see what she’s got on. Her dress is so short it nearly exposes the bottom curve of her ass. I walk to the bar, which has a direct view, and order a shot.
She loves to dance.
Her small body moves with the dark beat of the bass as I throw back a shot of vodka. There is no burn as the liquid warmth hits my tongue and melts down my throat. I clench the glass because I can’t put my hands where I want them.
The seductive curve of her waist as it cascades to the flare of her hips… I watch transfixed as they move side to side. Side to side. Her body is like the pendulum inside a grandfather clock, and I can’t look away.
The music is deafening, but if she were to simply whisper my name, I would be at her feet, begging to touch what I shouldn’t, taste what doesn’t belong to me, run my hands along the sweet innocence she taunts me with. An innocence I shouldn’t want but crave. Something so pure and untouched like nothing I’ve ever known before.
Slamming the glass down on the bar, I’m both disappointed and relieved when it doesn’t break. Maybe the cut of the glass could cool the feelings I have pulsing though me but I doubt it. Not with her. I’m not sure anything ever could. I would welcome a pain that’s greater than my ache for her. For there is nothing more powerful than the spell she has me under.
I’ve been hired to protect her.
But as I push away from the bar and walk towards her, I can’t help but think that perhaps someone should have protected her from me.
I watch as Pandora steps away from her and goes to the bar on the other side and grabs a bottle of water. She leans up against the bar, watching her sister as she catches her breath. Penelope still dances, and I can’t stand the distance anymore.
The physical distance between us now, and the distance I put between us last night. I hated how she was so cold to me today. It made me miss every part of her, every look in her eyes. I can’t have her keeping that from me.
I see Pandora’s face when she spots me, and she knows they’re busted. But to her credit, she only shrugs and nods towards Penelope. As if it’s her fault they’re here.
Penelope is facing away from me as I walk onto the dance floor. I don’t know the song that plays, but it’s slow, and her body knows every beat.
I should grab her and drag her out of here. I should make her go home and explain that this isn’t smart or safe. I should do anything but slide my hands to her hips. But that’s exactly what I do.
She tenses when I pull her back against my front. I mold her body to mine and press my lips to her ear. “It’s me, krasotu.”
She stills again, but I run my hands along her hips and start to move. I don’t think she wants to move with me, but she can’t stop herself. She loves it too much.
I feel the energy flowing from her, and it passes to me. The music is dark, and the song talks about diamonds. I want to strip Penelope bare and pour them on her. Her skin should only be touched by something worthy of it. Not me. Not my hands. But selfishly I don’t take them off her.
Her exposed shoulder and neck are so close that I can see the light sheen of sweat on them. I lean down, and I can smell the scent of lavender mixed with her body. I have to use all of my strength not to lean down and taste it.
Instead I caress her warm curves, giving in to the beast inside me, taking what I want without thought to consequence. I’m an animal when confronted with her delicate tenderness, but she leans back into me. She rubs the swell of her ass across my aching cock, and I moan into her ear. She shivers, and I move my mouth lower, pressing my lips to her neck. I can’t stop myself, and I don’t know that I care to try anymore.
I kiss across her shoulder and then back up, licking the shell of her ear. I’m out of control, but it feels right. We are lost in this moment, and I don’t want it to end.
I look down at her, and she turns in my arms. Her hands press to my chest, and I feel the lower half of her press closer to me, closer to my hardness. She licks her lips and tilts her head up.
“Potseluy menya.”
She whispers the words, but they echo in my ears. I should stop and think about what she’s asking of me and how she could know Russian. But none of that matters. I simply give her what she asks for.
Leaning down, I place a hand on her neck and feel her pulse against my palm. Her eyes are wide, but not with fear. There is only passion and need, and it matches my own. She closes them as I press my lips to hers, but I keep mine open. I want to see her when I kiss her for the first time. I want to watch her reaction to me.
I know that I can’t let her go and that I won’t give her up. I’ve done bad things in my life, and I don’t deserve her. But I can’t do the honorable thing when it comes to Penelope. I’ve never been noble, and I’m not starting now.
When her tongue comes out and touches mine, that’s when my eyes close. That’s when I’m thrown over the edge and begin the fall.
I can only pray that when I land, I’m still able to catch her.