Balancing a half-empty box of knick-knacks on my hip, my hand delves into my purse for my house keys. Although my employment at Schluter & Fletcher was short, I amassed enough ornaments on my desk to fill half a box. My items have no monetary value whatsoever, but their sentimental worth was significant enough to push away the desire for a dramatic exit. It was for the best, as I managed to give Michelle, Trent, and Kirk sneaky farewell cuddles before I left Schluter & Fletcher for the last time.
I’m startled to within an inch of my life when a smooth, cultured voice asks, “Can I help with that?” Nikolai curls his body around mine, his movements so agile, I once again failed to register his approach.
After tugging my earlobe with his teeth, he presses a kiss to my temple before scooping the box off my hip as if it is weightless. “You’re home earlier than anticipated. No trips to Margaritaville today?” Although he keeps his tone playful, there is a snip of jealousy in it.
“Who needs Margaritaville when you can buy tequila by the gallon?” I reply, snagging the bottle of tequila I picked up at the store on my way home and wiggling it in the air. Mercifully, my voice sounds as playful as Nikolai’s did, successfully concealing my dire need for a stiff drink.
My steps into my foyer freeze halfway when a disturbing notion smacks into me. “I don’t have any shot glasses.”
An unexpected giggle rolls up my chest. After everything I’ve been through today, a lack of kitchen accessories is a disturbing notion? What the hell is wrong with me?
Nikolai dumps my box of goodies on my entranceway table before curling his arm around my waist and drawing me to his torso. “We don’t need glasses, Ahren. I have all the accessories I need right here.” His finger glides across the dip in my collarbone before dropping to my inner belly button. “Now I can get high and drunk off your body.”
When the stubble on his chin grazes my neck, an excited shiver surges through my veins, clearing away some of the murkiness still lingering from my argument with Mr. Fletcher. Only Nikolai can make me forget an entire world is against us. Only he can make me smile when all I want to do is cry. If the smile creeping onto my face didn’t already justify every decision I’ve made thus far today, the swelling of my heart is a surefire indication I made the right choice resigning from my position.
Being led by both my heart and my body, I spin around to face Nikolai. The fiery amber darkening his icy blue eyes simpers when our gazes collide for the quickest second. His jaw muscle spasms as the width of his pupils doubles. My heart rate quickens to a gallop, spurred on by the hasty shift in his demeanor. He went from playful, flirty Nikolai to a man prepared to go on a murderous rampage in under 2.5 seconds.
My confusion intensifies when he asks, “Did someone hurt you?” His voice is as dangerous as quicksand.
‘No,’ I answer with a shake of my head, the shortness of my reply incapable of hiding my bewilderment.
“I swear to God, Ahren, after the day I’ve had, now is not the time to lie to me. Did someone hurt you?” he asks again as his eyes dart between mine.
Even with tension compressing the air from my lungs, the brutishness beaming out of him hits every one of my hot buttons. His eyes are blazing with the same intensity mine had when battling Mr. Fletcher, his protectiveness at an all-time high. We may have the world against us, but when we stand side by side as we are now, nothing will defeat us. That is how determined we are to protect one another, an unstoppable force that is equally inspiring and frightening.
When Nikolai glares at me, I mumble, “No one hurt me. I just missed you, that’s all.” Because only half of my statement is a lie, it sounds truthful. Nikolai hasn’t left my thoughts all day, much less in the four hours since I saw him last.
When Nikolai curls his hand around my jaw, I lean into his embrace, needing friction against my skin. His touch can erase all the negativity burdening me, so I need it like my heart requires its next beat.
“Soon, Ahren, very soon,” Nikolai promises, reading the plea in my eyes.
Remaining quiet, he dabs his thumbs into the corner of my eyes, ensuring not a drop of moisture is present. Thankfully, my tears dried over thirty minutes ago.
Happy my eyes are moisture-free, his attention turns to the heavy groove between my scrunched brows. He rubs at the spot, soothing it with nothing but careful strokes. I stare at him in wonder, shocked a man who has endured so much pain knows how to be gentle. Just seeing the vulnerability in his eyes as he soothes me soothes me more than I can explain. He will never let anyone hurt me—not even himself.
Satisfied his touch has relieved my tension, Nikolai drops his hands to his side. They soon ball into fists, as if he is struggling not to touch me.
Even though he stands across from me fully clothed, heady lust bristles between us, growing every second we spend in silence. I want him so badly, I’m feeling greedy.
“Nikolai—”
“No, Ahren. Not yet,” he interrupts.
My core tightens in response to the rough command of his voice.
“I know you are lying to me, so I need a moment to work out whether to fuck the truth out of you or beat it out of Carmichael.”
New tears glisten in my eyes. How does he already know me so well he can intuit the person responsible for my bad mood? Because he knows me better than anyone.
My lips quiver when I begin to speak, “I know why you hate Carmichael. I read the court transcripts today. I know what he did to you.”
When a tear spills from my welling eye, Nikolai brushes it away before it gets halfway down my cheek. My heart doubles in size when he draws me into his chest, weaving his fingers through my hair.
Inhaling deeply, he drinks in my scent like it is addictive before muttering, “I don’t hate Carmichael for what happened thirteen years ago.”
When I stiffen, he quickly corrects, “I don’t just hate him for what happened thirteen years ago. I also hate the way he looks at you and how he wants you to be his. But more than anything, I fucking hate that I wanted to slit his throat last night, but for some reason, I couldn’t.”
I firm my grip on his waist as my chest tightens. The feelings I’ve developed for this man in such a short time span are so overwhelming, I struggle to breathe through the concept.
“You’re making me weak, Ahren,” Nikolai murmurs into my hair, proving I’m not the only one besieged by these feelings. He is just as bewildered as me. “At a time where my strength needs to be vital, you’re making me weak. He was there, right in front of me, but I walked away.”
“That doesn’t make you weak, Nikolai. That makes you a man. You knew when to walk away; that’s more courageous than fighting a battle not worthy of your time. Carmichael isn’t worthy of your time. He wasn’t thirteen years ago, and he sure as hell isn’t now.”
Drawing back, Nikolai eyes me with amusement. I don’t know what he thinks is funny. I can feel the fire in my belly growing, my annoyance at the injustice he faced stacking the fire of my anger with more wood. This is not a laughing situation.
“What are you laughing at? This isn’t funny, Nikolai. What he did to you isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing, Ahren. I’m smiling. Not even twenty-four hours ago, you said I was destroying you. Now you are ready to jump in and defend my honor no matter what the cost,” he murmurs, his full Russian accent on display.
“I protect what’s mine,” I reply without hesitation, my voice as possessive as Nikolai’s is when he refers to me.
The grin on Nikolai’s face enlarges. “I’m yours?” he questions, his brow arched as high as his tone.
“Yes,” I squeak like a mouse, suddenly worried he won’t appreciate my clinginess. I’ve only known him for a week; is that too soon to declare him as my own? “If you want to be. . .”
My words trail off when Nikolai pushes his finger to my lips. “No, Ahren. If you go all in, you go all in, no half-baked shit.” His voice is fierce, his earlier amusement null and void. “Am I yours?”
When he stares at me with the same openness his eyes held last night, I realize I misread the innuendo in his voice. He isn’t angry; he’s worried. I don’t know what he has to be concerned about? He couldn’t be more embedded in my skin if he tried. A million years couldn’t erase him from my mind, much less a few measly days.
Suddenly, the truth smacks into me: has anyone ever claimed Nikolai as their own? Malvina’s interests were in abundance, but were her feelings directly from her heart? Or inspired by the prospect of money? I already know Nikolai’s wellbeing was ignored by his mother, so who’s to say Malvina wasn’t dipping her toes in the same murky water?
Determined to show Nikolai I’m not like every other money-hungry woman in his life, I connect my eyes with his before murmuring, “Yes, Nikolai. You are mine—and only mine. I protect what is mine, no matter what the cost.”
He smiles a grin that does stupid things to my insides before sealing his mouth over mine. A groan rolls up my chest when his tongue spears between my lips, his taste too scrumptious for my body to ignore. His kiss is skilled, assertive, and proves without a doubt he isn’t concerned about my declaration of ownership.
Pushing onto my tippy toes, I deepen our kiss. I slide my tongue along the roof of his mouth before dueling with his.
Nikolai draws me in closer before dropping his attention to my neck. He sucks on the delicate skin on my earlobe before possessively growling, “Mine,” into my ear.
His voice carries through my veins like molten lava, stimulating every nerve in my body. I curl my arms around his shoulders when his chin grazes the side of my neck. I’m hot and heavy, my needs more urgent than my next breath. When he cups my engorged breast in his big, manly hand, I arch my back, coercing him to lose control on my body like he always does.
We move through my apartment like drunken teens, haphazardly shredding each other’s clothes like hungry, wild animals. Air hisses between Nikolai’s teeth when my skirt slips off my thighs, exposing my lack of undergarments. He stares at my glistening pussy unashamed, the ardor in his eyes as stimulating as the large bulge in his jeans.
“You told me to be ready,” I murmur against his neck, nibbling at his skin. “You never said when you were arriving, so I pre-prepared.”
When Nikolai stiffens, as if angered by my reply, I add on, “I slipped them off in the restroom of my building. I didn’t travel across Vegas without my panties.”
He growls at my admission. It is a pleasing growl—thank god!
After removing my bra with a flick of his wrist, he traps my erect nipple in his warm and inviting mouth. Sweet tension builds in rhythmic waves in my womb, heightening both my body and my mind with every powerful suck. I love how he consumes my body without reserve, sending me toward a mind-hazing orgasm.
A giggle topples from my lips when I fall onto my mattress, my tumble softened by Nikolai catching our combined weight with his outstretched hand.
“Please, Nikolai. . . oh, God, please,” I murmur when I’m trapped under the utter bliss of his divine body. I love the weight of him against me, pinning me to the mattress in a domineering, controlling way.
When he rocks against me, stroking his hard length along my bare sex, I claw at his back, needing more. No, wanting more. He gives it to me. With one hand clutching my hair and the other on my hip, he plunges inside me. Our kiss made me so wet, he slides in without hindrance, but it isn’t lacking the burn of taking a man his size without preparation.
With my focus on nothing but the insane urge to fuck, I dig the balls of my feet into his ass before raising my backside off the mattress. I grind against him in a frenetic rhythm, encouraging him to take me hard and fast.
Nikolai answers my every want with perfection. He pumps into me on repeat, swiveling his hips with every thrust. “Fuck. . . you feel so good,” he grunts in a low, primitive growl.
He drives into me harder, nailing me to the bed as effectively as he’s ensnared my heart. My orgasm builds like a storm, growing more rampant with every thrust of his densely veined cock.
Gripping my thighs, he spreads me wider for him, taking me even deeper. “Your cunt is so tight and greedy. Can you feel the way it milks me, begging for my cum?”
I answer his question by tightening the walls of my vagina, massaging his thrusting member even more firmly. Nikolai’s breathing quickens along with his pumps. He grips my ass and thrusts my hips higher, drawing me closer to him. I moan on repeat when the crown of his cock rubs the aching spot inside of me, my orgasm charging to within an inch of the finish line.
Mindless with pleasure, I meet his thrusts grind for grind. The headboard of my bed smacks into the wall, our pace so out of control. I have no doubt Ms. Aaronson can hear my screams, but I’m can’t hold back. I no longer have command of my body; it has been relinquished to the man fucking me to oblivion.
“That’s it, Justine. Nice and loud. Scream my name.”
The husky, intoxicating way he purrs my name sets me off. I climax in a hoarse cry, my clutch on his back so firm, I’m confident I’ll leave scratch marks.
“Ah, fuck, Ahren,” Nikolai grunts heavily, his hips pumping into me violently.
The sensation gripping every inch of me intensifies when his groans vibrate on my neck, spurring my climax to roll on and on. My entire body tingles as my lungs are relieved of air. I shudder uncontrollably, every muscle in my body exhausted from the brilliance of my orgasm.
“Oh, God, Nikolai. Oh, God. . .” I moan when my climax refuses to end, the perfect strokes of his big cock too wondrous to stop the sensations. My orgasm is like a freight train, long, powerful, and capable of destroying me.
I’ve barely come down from the clouds of orgasmic bliss when Nikolai’s dark hair dusts my stomach. My body convulses when his tongue unexpectedly runs along the cleft of my pussy, lapping up the arousal shimmering between my legs.
Growling his name, my hands shoot down to his head, striving to pull him away from the oversensitive bud he’s stimulating so expertly, it is almost painful.
Nikolai pins my wrists to the bed before ramping up his efforts. He slides his tongue between the folds of my pussy before swirling it around my clit. He devours my pussy like a man starved of taste, like a man who’s never eaten.
“Give it to me, Ahren. I’ve been dying to taste your arousal for hours; don’t make me wait any longer than I already have.” The heat of his breath adds to the mess between my legs.
My thighs shudder as I fight against the sensation overwhelming every inch of me. “I can’t. Oh, God, I can’t. I’m too sensitive. I’m too. . .”
My words trail off when an unexpected climax blindsides me. Pleasure racks my body, rendering me a blubbering incoherent mess. I was so unprepared for another orgasm to come so quickly, all I can do is surrender to the insanity. I shout Nikolai’s name into the night air, loving the buzz scorching my veins. I never knew sex could be like this: mind-blowing and heart-tethering at the same time.
After bringing me down from climax with a gentler approach than he brought it on, Nikolai crawls up my body, swiping my arousal from his mouth on the way. I taste myself on his tongue when he slips it between my parted lips, which are sucking in air like I’m seconds from fainting.
My lungs’ effort to collect air grows when Nikolai guides his cock back to the entrance of my throbbing sex. He slides in without hindrance, my two orgasms ensuring not an ounce of friction is felt.
“That’s better,” he murmurs against my mouth before thrusting into me harder, taking me to the root of his cock. “Now I can fuck you for hours without hurting your tight little cunt.”
I nearly laugh at his statement until his heavy-lidded gaze collides with mine. He wasn’t being deceitful or stroking his ego. He was being as honest as his tone implied. We may have only entered this room half an hour ago, but we aren’t leaving any time soon.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tickled pink at the idea.
