We waste no time. His hands are on my face, and mine are at his waist, the moment urgent and hurried. I don’t need him to tell me he shouldn’t be in here, that he’s wanted by the others, and I’m not his for the taking. I moan into his mouth when his lips meet mine. We’ve been through so much in such a short time, and we have no idea what happens next. We could be torn apart from one another at any moment.
His mouth is both hard and soft, his rough whiskers scraping me at the same time the tenderest touch of his lips makes me moan. Gently, his tongue explores my mouth, sending a thrill of pleasure rippling through my core. My skin prickles with awareness, my heart races, but it’s more than physical affection. I held my breath until he came back to me. Now I can breathe again.
I sink into him and he holds me, lifting me up into his arms and to his chest but not taking his mouth off mine for a minute. I inhale his cleansing, powerful scent, and let my arms roam over his shoulders and back as he holds me. Somehow, feeling his strength and power soothes me, reminding me that I’m his and he will fight to the death for me.
The room is nearly silent save our breathing, both of us quiet. I don’t want anyone to hear, even Yvonne. I’m vividly aware of how stolen our time together is, how easily we could be discovered. Will I ever be able to speak freely to him?
Finally, he pulls away, his forehead pressed up to mine. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he draws me onto his lap. “Are you okay?”
My body has already begun to respond to him, my need to be filled by him and irrevocably tied to him masking everything else I’m feeling. I take his hand and place it at my breast, sighing with deep satisfaction when he cups my breast and grins.
“I’m fine,” I whisper. “How are you?”
“Fine.” He breathes in and out, as if the very scent of me somehow brings him life. “I’m better now that I have you again. Are you alone?”
I shake my head. “This room is attached to a second, and Yvonne is on the other side.”
“Yvonne?”
“The blonde woman taken by… your friend.” Are they friends? Another one of the woman brought to the Bratva. He doesn’t speak at first, but kneads my shoulder with his fingers.
“I have to go soon. We have our induction tonight.” He drops his voice and brings his mouth to my ear. “And we know what that means.”
We do. He needs to play by the rules if we’re ever going to survive this. I have so many questions I want to ask him, but I don’t want to risk being overhead. Will any of the men recognize him? Have I been brought here to be shared by the others? What if someone knows who he is, and how we know one another?
I want to escape, I think, my forehead pressed up to his, our breathing mingled, and I almost think he hears me, for he takes my hand and squeezes it. Holding me to his chest, he presses my hand to his heart.
“This heart beats for you,” he whispers. “And only you. No matter what happens, I want you to remember that.”
“Come back to me tonight?” I whisper. The hope of a secret rendezvous, just the two of us, makes my heart sing with joy.
“I’ll come back to you,” he promises. But he doesn’t say when.
I mouth, “I love you.”
He gives me a sad smile before mouthing back, “And I love you.”
“I have to go,” he repeats. “But I’ll be back.”
I whisper in his ear. “And I’ll be waiting.”
We make promises to one another we have no idea if we can keep.Chapter 18Nicolai
I exit the hallway, trying to get my bearings. I’m still learning the layout of this new facility, and I’m not allowed much freedom until I’m formally inducted. Yakov meets me in the hall, his eyes tight, his jaw clenched.
“She’s in there,” I tell him. “Just on the other side of the door.”
He shakes his head. “And why go to her?” he scoffs. “So I can share her cunt with the rest of the brotherhood?” But his protest holds a bitter note I don’t miss, and speaks of the same fears I have.
I shrug. “You don’t know what they’ll demand.”
Yakov sighs and falls into step beside me as we head to the exit. “But we do.”
“We have an idea,” I tell him. “We’ve been told to bring a tribute, and we’ve followed every instruction so far.”
Even though I hardly know this man, having been through what we have already together makes me feel a sort of kinship, and the same is with Erik even if he is a bastard.