by Nikki Sloane
“Tomorrow,” he said on a low voice, his lips a breath away from mine, “we start new.”
Because we were leaving Chicago first thing in the morning and making the eleven-hour drive to Maryland. His mouth claimed mine, filling me with heat and love.
When the kiss ended, he pulled back. “Repeat it,” he whispered.
I gave a soft smile. “Tomorrow we start new.”
Luka looked pleased as he led me out into the living room where morning sunlight streamed through the windows, chasing away all the shadows.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“Addison.”
I lifted my head, snapping back into focus. “I’m awake.”
Morning light filtered through the blinds of our bedroom. Luka’s eyebrow climbed and he glared at me from between my legs. “I enjoy what I’m doing, but it’s better when you’re not asleep.” His lips grazed me, teasing my clit, and drew a sigh from me. Damn, what he could do with his mouth.
I smiled, bashful. “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”
He blinked, and annoyance flared. It made me grin widely. Luka wasn’t a fan of me telling him what to do, especially when it came to the bedroom, but sometimes it was fun to get a rise out of him. In the blink of an eye, I was flipped over onto my stomach on the bed, and his hand crashed down against my ass. The warm sting washed over me, and I bit my lip to hold back the moan.
“Awake now?” he growled. “Or do you need more?”
My voice choked with excitement. “More.”
We didn’t get as much time to play once I’d started school. I was spending sixty hours a week studying, and he’d found a job at an accounting firm in Baltimore that was just as demanding, plus he had his obligations to Goran. But at least our cozy two-bedroom apartment was walking distance from the campus, and we had our weekends together.
His second spanking was right at the edge of what I could handle, and my skin burned and ached in the aftermath. This time the moan slipped from my lips and I lifted up on my knees and elbows, readying for more. For whatever he’d give me.
“So fucking perfect,” he whispered, shifting on the bed to kneel beside me. His praise was practically purred, and hearing him pleased turned me on more than anything else.
He rained down the blows against me, leaving my skin inflamed, and then he moved behind and pressed himself deep inside. I arched my back, stretching into his hand that coursed up my spine, loving the feeling when he possessed me.
We’d left Chicago and the Markovics behind. Luka had acclimated to his life without a family better than I had, but held onto his hard edge, and I was grateful. It was what had forced me to fall in love with him, and I was glad the morning in the basement hadn’t stolen him from me.
Vasilije had only called twice since we’d moved. Once to check in, and once to explain that an uneasy truce had been struck with the Russians. It was fragile, and Vasilije wasn’t sure how long it would last, but it allowed Luka to breathe easier. He didn’t want that dangerous life for his brother, but he wasn’t going to stand in the way, either.
The day I graduated, Luka smiled, so I began to count the moments between us in his rare but beautiful smiles. I’d gotten another when I’d asked him to pull over during our drive to Maryland, wanting my hands and mouth on him. And another the morning of my first day of classes at Johns Hopkins. We’d stood in the bathroom, preparing for the day at our own sinks, and his gaze had found mine in the mirror.
It was all so normal, and exactly the life he wanted. The life we wanted. We’d had to go through hell to get there, but we’d done it.
Together.
I came in a spectacular rush, collapsing forward onto the mattress, and braced myself as Luka began to move for himself. His body slid over and into mine, reaffirming our connection with each thrust until he lost himself as well.
His hot chest pressed against my back, and he breathed heavily in my ear. I turned my head to the side so I could look at him.
“Sometimes I love you so much,” he whispered, “it hurts.”
“It’s the same for me.” I kissed him gently. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
A smile broke on his face, and it was absolutely stunning.
To begin reading Torrid, click HERE.