"Well, what do you like?" she asks, reaching out to run her fingertips down the front of my Henley shirt. She presses her body against mine. "I thought you liked to watch," she whispers in my ear before nipping my earlobe, catching it between her teeth and pulling it to the point of pain.
I pull back sharply and glare at her. "Is that what this is about?"
Katerina gives me her signature smirk. She thinks she has me all figured out, but she has no idea. I haven't told anyone my real issue with women, not even Lucien.
"You don't know me," I snap.
"And you don't know me," she snaps back.
Her mouth looks delicious, painted in red lipstick that's smeared off to the one side from her make-out session with Wraith. My blood starts boiling again at the sight, knowing her lips have been on someone else's.
I want to be the one to smear her lipstick. I want to be the one who makes her gasp. And I want to be the one who makes her call out my name.
I cup her cheek, my thumb skimming over her full lips, further smearing the red lipstick onto her cheek. She stares up at me with wide eyes, her panting breaths drifting over my skin.
"Tell me what you want," I demand.
"I want you to kiss me," she whispers. Her full lips come together, kissing the palm of my hand.
Throwing all caution out the window, I allow my fingers to sink into her silky, blonde hair, gripping and pulling her closer. And then our lips meet in a fireworks-explosion kinda kiss that sets me on fucking fire.
Her mouth is so soft, her lips like two, fluffy pillows. The lipstick has a hint of berries, and she tastes like mint. And as my tongue plunders into her mouth, it reaches the perfect combination of flavors, and I want more of it.
Katya's hands tentatively grasp my biceps, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away, like I'd have expected.
We both want this more than we'd ever admit to one another.
Breaking from the kiss, Katya's eyes meet mine as she tells me, "I want you in my mouth."
How the fuck can I say no to that? My cock is practically bursting from my jeans, and right now I'm not thinking straight since all my blood rushed to my lower body a long time ago.
I suppose that's why I don't stop her when she drops to her knees in front of me. And seeing this gorgeous girl on her knees, unzipping my jeans has me groaning just from the magnificent picture she's painting before me.
She tugs down my jeans and boxer briefs in one, swift yank, and my cock springs upwards towards my belly.
Her eyes widen, and I think I hear an audible gasp coming from her mouth when she gets an eyeful of my rock hard cock. I can't help but grin. She was used to old-man dick for far too long…
I don't even have a chance to dwell on that fact, because her tongue flicks out over my head, tasting a bead of pre-cum. "Oh fuck," I groan loudly.
She tentatively wraps her ruby lips around the head. She's acting so shy and innocent right now, and it's turning me the fuck on. My hips buck on their own accord, shoving my cock a little deeper into her soft, velvety mouth.
"Feels so good," I manage to say. It's hard to talk when my brain feels like gray mush inside my skull. All I can focus on is her mouth and the pleasure she's giving me.
Katya takes me deeper, swallowing down as much of my length as she can before pulling back and gasping for air.
Fuck, that's hot.
And when she wraps her mouth around me again, she doesn't stop this time. Her tongue slides down my shaft as she sucks me like I've never been sucked before. And when her dainty hand comes up to cup my balls, I almost fucking lose it right then and there.
"Oh, shit," I hiss at the sensation. It feels incredible. My fingers spear into her soft hair, but I don't pull or tug. I simply guide her to the speed I want, not forcing her to do anything she doesn't want to do.
"Fuck, Katya," I groan. "Your mouth feels amazing."
My words seem to spur her on, and she begins to double her pace, sucking me straight into heaven. My hips begin to move, because it feels too damn good to stand still. I fuck her hot, hungry mouth until I'm close to going over the edge.
"I'm gonna…" Those are the only words I get out before I explode on her wet tongue and fireworks are lighting up underneath my eyelids like the fucking Fourth of July. Katya keeps an amazing rhythm, never stopping, just swallowing whatever I give her.
Collapsing back against the wall, I struggle to breathe after the most powerful orgasm I've ever had in my life.
I can't believe what just happened. I've never experienced something so intimate with a woman before, and it was freaking amazing. I've always only participated in threesomes, and having my dick sucked is part of it — but only as the woman's boyfriend or husband is banging her from behind, of course.
And it's never felt like this. This was…incredible.
However, when I open my eyes and see Katya still on her knees with an apprehensive gaze, the euphoria instantly vanishes. Did she even want to do that, or was she just playing me again? I don't know what her fucking game is, but she has something in mind. And she's using me to get to it.
I can't possibly trust her.
And I just let her do something I've never let any woman do before — have me alone and vulnerable.
Feeling strange and, quite frankly, a little bit pissed off, I quickly tug my boxer briefs and jeans up and tuck myself back into them. "We…we should not have done that," I tell her quickly.
She stares at me with wide eyes as she slowly rises to a standing position. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you shoved your dick down my throat," she snaps angrily.
Fuck, she's mad. And she probably has every reason to be mad, but, hey, she's the one who initiated it. It's too late to cry foul now.
But instead of making things right or trying to make anything better, as I should, I turn and leave her there. Alone.
CHAPTER 20
KATYA
EVEN THOUGH I want to stay in bed all day and cry, I force myself to go to the gym the next morning. There's something I definitely need to do, and it can't wait any longer.
Wraith is running on the treadmill, barely breaking a sweat even though he's running faster than I've ever seen anyone run before. He's more than human — he's like a machine.
When I walk over to him, he doesn't so much as glance my way, and there's a sour look on his face like he can't even stand to be in the same room as me.
And I hate to admit it…but it hurts.
Wraith was beginning to become a friend to me. Perhaps my only friend. Ever. And I ruined that by being selfish and using him when I had no right to.
"Listen, I'm sorry about last night," I begin, but he doesn't let me finish.
"You used me to get to Jackson," he explains. "I understand why you did it, Katya," he says, spitting my name out like it's a curse, "but that doesn't make it right."
Wow, I really pissed him off. Yes, I did use him last night, and I feel sorta bad about it, but he understands why I did it all the same. "I'm sorry," I tell him sincerely, placing my hand over his bulging forearm.
He shakes off my touch and hits a button on the treadmill. The belt begins to slow as well as his pace until he finally comes to a dead stop. "Don't do it again," he warns.
"I won't," I promise. And I'm being honest…this time. I feel bad for hurting his feelings. Perhaps I was leading Wraith on to reach my end goal to get to Jackson, which only partially worked. Yes, we ended up making out and I ended up on my knees…but he left me afterwards like I was just some used-up whore. The moment he got off, he was out the door, leaving me confused and definitely unsatisfied.
I could see the look of regret on Jackson's face, and it hurt me deeply — way more than I'd ever admit to him.
"Mats," Wraith growls, pulling me from my thoughts, before trotting away to the other side of the gym.
Sighing, I reluctantly follow him. Today's lesson with him isn't going to be an easy one. In fact, he's probably going to end up le
aving bruises.
But in all honesty…I deserve them this time.
CHAPTER 21
JACKSON
I FUCKED UP.
Katya has been ignoring me for the past couple of days with a look on her face that can only be described as wounded.
But instead of making things right, I've been ignoring her right back. I have bigger things on my plate right now, and I can't even begin to sort through the shit that's going on with Katya.
This morning, when I made my usual trip to Lucien's room, he moved his fingers. It could have been an automatic reflex to stimuli, but I'm hopeful that it's a sign he's regaining consciousness. I've lessened the drugs that could inhibit him from waking up.
And so, there's nothing else to do but wait.
Wraith and I visit Lucien's room together late that evening. Maria excitedly springs out of her seat to tell me that Lucien's eyes were fluttering. I don't want to get her hopes up just in case everything doesn't work out, so I just listen to her and nod and give her a forced smile.
All of his movements could be simply automatic reflexes. He could still have extensive brain damage. Hell, he might not even be Lucien when he wakes up. He could be a different person entirely.
And even though that thought fucking guts me, I try to hold on to positive thinking…even when it feels like I'm grasping at straws.
He's gonna be fine, I tell myself over and over again as I raise his eyelids to check his pupils with my penlight.
Maria leaves the room, and then I feel another presence join us. A presence that I've become so accustomed to over the past couple of weeks. She brings in with her a scent of peaches — Adeline's body wash.
And it drives me insane.
I've been going off the deep end every day that we don't find Adeline, and Katya is a constant reminder that she's here instead, in her place, wearing her clothes, using her things.
Gritting my teeth, I turn to glare at Katya. "What are you doing in here?"
She looks taken aback by my tone. But then she quickly schools her features and glares right back at me. "I didn't realize I wasn't allowed to be in here. I'll leave if you want."
Fuck, I shouldn't be berating her. I should be apologizing. But I just can't seem to force myself to do it. I'm clearly wound too damn tight, and there's a point coming probably really soon when my strings are gonna finally snap.
But when I hear a groan coming from Lucien, the world around me stops. I turn my attention back to him. "Lucien?" I ask, and I can hear the hopefulness dripping from my voice. I want him so badly to wake up and join the rest of us in the land of the living.
"Lucien, can you hear me? Luc?" Glancing up at Wraith, I joke, "You would think he would want to wake up after sleeping for so long."
"Maybe he's not ready to wake up," Katya whispers. "He'll wake up when he's ready."
She's right. Lucien will wake up when he's ready. Maybe not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But I need him to wake up soon.
Sighing, I stare at Lucien's face. His stubble has grown into an almost full beard. Maria has been meticulously trimming it, but she let it grow out some. It would drive Lucien insane if he knew.
And then I see Lucien's cracked lips open. "Ad…"
"Wait. He's trying to say something," I say, gripping his hand. "Luc, you need to wake up. Do you hear me? Adeline needs you."
There's no response for a long time after that. No automatic reflexes, no more lip movement, nothing.
"Do you think he can hear you?" Wraith asks.
"I'm going to find out," I answer determinedly. "Luc…Adeline is gone. She was kidnapped, and I lost track of her. I need you to wake up and help me find her," I tell him, feeling desperate and hearing the desperation leaking into my voice.
That gets me a response. Lucien manages to crack one eyelid open. He squints and grunts, and closes it again quickly.
"Turn off the lights," I tell Katya. When she obliges and the room is bathed in only natural light from the windows, I squeeze his hand again. "Luc, please wake the fuck up." After a deep sigh, I tell him, "I need you. I can't do this without you." And then I add, "Adeline needs you."
A guttural moan escapes Lucien's mouth. And then his reactions begin slowly — first with his fingers twitching and then his toes under the thin blanket.
And then…finally…he squeezes my hand.
"He's waking up," I whisper breathlessly with tears in my eyes.
Every twitch of muscle, every single movement has me practically sobbing with relief. It feels like I've been waiting for this moment for so damn long.
Lucien's eyes move rapidly under his eyelids, and I have to wonder if he's remembering what happened.
I stand when I notice how hard he's gripping my hand. It's to the point where he's going to start breaking bones.
And then his entire body convulses and a scream rips out of his throat, shaking me to my core.
"Easy, Luc! Easy!" I yell at Lucien, wrenching my hand from his grip and holding him down against the soft mattress.
Gasping for air, Lucien's eyes snap open, unfocused. He's wheezing like he's struggling to breathe.
"It's all right. You're safe now," I say hurriedly, gripping his arms tightly.
"Adeline!" he croaks, his voice gruff and hoarse.
"We're going to find her," I tell him assuredly. "I promise you we'll find her."
His dark eyes scan the room, but he seems visibly upset when he sees the IV in his arm. He begins to tug at the tubes, but I quickly stop him. "Easy, tiger," I chuckle. "You still need this stuff to get back to a hundred percent. And if you pull your IV out, I'll just have to poke you again with a new needle," I explain to him, knowing that my words will profoundly affect him given his aversion to needles and, well, almost everything.
He grimaces, and then falls back against the mattress, shaking his head. I watch his heart rate on the monitors, and his breathing picks up as his pulse accelerates. The monitor begins beeping to convey his elevated blood pressure and erratic heartbeat. He's going into a full-blown panic attack, and I can't afford to have him having a stroke or worse at this point.
"Luc, calm down!" I yell at him. "You're safe now. You're going to be okay." I squeeze his arm gently before letting go. "Breathe nice and deep for me. Try to calm your breathing."
His eyes snap shut as he sucks in air, rapidly at first, but then more deeply and evenly as he goes along, trying to calm himself down. It takes several minutes, but eventually his breathing returns to normal and he visibly relaxes.
"How…long?" he bites out, his voice gravelly.
I hesitate before I answer him, because he's not going to like the answer. "You've been out of it for a little over two weeks."
My answer seems to floor him, because he sits up quickly, too quickly, and he grips the bed after what must be a bout of dizziness. "Fuck," he grates out, slumping back against the bed.
"It wasn't easy bringing you back. Trust me," I say with a tremor in my voice that I can't conceal no matter how hard I try. The fact that I almost lost my cousin, my best friend, the man who is like a brother to me, is all I've been thinking about for weeks. "We're just lucky Wraith got to you in time."
Lucien's eyes meet the tall, burly Russian in the corner of the room.
Wraith is standing perfectly still with military precision and regards Lucien with stone-cold blue eyes. "I was on my way back to the island when I received your distress call. I made it just in time to save you. I pulled you out of the pool and gave you CPR until Jax arrived." He grits his teeth as he bites out, "But I couldn't stop them from taking Adeline."
Lucien glares at him. "You should have gone after her! You should have fucking saved her, not me!" he yells.
"He saved your life, Luc!" I tell him sternly. I don't care how sick the bastard is — I'll still kick his ass for acting like a jerk. "He couldn't fucking save you and her. Don't you get that? If he wouldn't have pulled you from the water and stopped you from bleeding out until I could get
here, you'd be dead. And you're the only chance we have of finding Adeline. So, I would have lost you both," I say, my voice breaking on the last word.
Lucien's eyes meet mine, and I'm sure he can tell by my expression that I'm fucking torn up inside over the whole ordeal.
"Wraith was only doing his job," Katya speaks up, and it's full of anger.
Lucien's gaze falls upon Katya standing near Wraith with her arms folded across her chest, a cocked brow and looking like she's ready to take on the whole world. She gives him an unforgiving and hard glare, and Lucien simply stares at her in confusion.
"This is Katerina," I tell him, answering the question that's written all over his face.
"Katya," she corrects me, giving me the side eye.
"Katya is my…my girlfriend," I say, knowing full well it will only piss her off even further. I can't help but love when she gets all riled up. That's the Katya I know, not the sweet, innocent girl she was pretending to be.
"In your dreams," Katya snaps, and I grimace.
Oh, her little innocent act is definitely over with now.
"She's clearly not ready to put a label on us yet," I say with a sly grin. "She's just avoiding the inevitable, though." Then I add, "Besides, I think our couple nickname, Katson, has a certain ring to it."
Katya dramatically rolls her blue eyes to the ceiling, and it makes Lucien smile. The bastard. He's totally smitten with her already, just like I was.
"He kidnapped me, you know," Katya reveals with a cocked hip and a snarky attitude.
Lucien raises a brow at me, but I simply shrug my shoulders.
"It looks like I have a lot to catch up on," he tells me.
"You have no idea," I answer with a shake of my head.
CHAPTER 22
JACKSON
AFTER MAKING A phone call for a full-time physical therapist to come to the island as part of Lucien's therapy, I find Katya sulking in the library.
Watching Her: A Dark Romance (Keep Me Series Book 3) Page 8