“Why did you stop?” Katya asked, fixing her bleary, pleasure-drugged eyes on me in frustration.
“Condom,” I bit out, quickly sliding it down my shaft.
“I’m on the pill!” she shrieked, her legs moving restlessly.
I ripped the condom off and threw it to the side, eager to slide back inside her heat with nothing between us. I grinned, feeling the urge to tease her now that she seemed so desperate for my cock. “You want this, Katya?” I asked, sliding my unsheathed cock up and down her slit.
Her arm reached out but was quickly caught by the chain. Growling in frustration, she used her strong legs, wrapping them around my waist to pull me inside of her. It didn’t work, but I slapped her ass for trying. I was running the show. She groaned, but I couldn’t tell if it was from pain or arousal. Maybe both.
After rubbing the head of my cock around her clit for a minute, but finally relented. “Okay, baby,” I whispered. Leaning in, I kissed her pouting mouth, while biting her lower lip, then sliding my tongue in her mouth the same time I hammered into her pussy. Her moan of satisfaction was muffled by my mouth on hers. God, she felt amazing. I’d never had sex without a condom, so the sensation was nearly unbearable.
I lifted my mouth. “Is that what you need?” I asked, slamming my hips against her.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she replied almost as a chant, her body eagerly responding to my insistent pounding.
I couldn’t get enough of her, my hands roaming all over her body. I held her ass in my tight grip, my mouth sucking on her neck, my hips never stopping their driving rhythm. I got to my knees and wrapped an arm under her hips, holding her up for my marauding cock, her hands held by my cuffs. My hands skated up her midsection to grip her waist, hammering inside her as she screamed and strained in ecstasy.
Katya squealed, her legs spreading wide again. I lowered her to the bed and leaned forward, my teeth capturing her hard nipple, pulling and sucking on it. Her pussy tightened and I knew she was close. I moved to her other nipple giving it the same treatment, my hips never stopping their thrusting motion. I needed her to come—soon. Knowing she was on the edge, I reached down between her legs and slid my fingers on either side of her clit in a rough caress while sucking hard on her nipple, giving her a hint of teeth—that did it.
Katya let out an agonized scream as her body tensed and arched. Her pussy tightened around me like a boa constrictor, and the heavenly sensation of pushing through her body’s natural resistance had me unloading in her. My teeth sank into the soft flesh at the base of her neck as I shoved my cock in her as far as possible and came for what felt like ten minutes.
Still breathing heavily, I turned my head and kissed the side of her sweaty neck. I reached up and unbuckled the restraints, but her hands didn’t move. I propped myself up on my elbows to make sure she was okay.
“Katya, baby, you okay?” I asked, my voice low with relaxation and exhaustion.
“Mmmhmm,” she replied wordlessly.
I chuckled and started to pull out, my cock bucking at the unfamiliar, but incredibly erotic, sensation of Katya’s body filled with my come. My possession nature reveled in the evidence of my claim.
She groaned at my exit, slowly pulling her legs together. I ran to the bathroom, grabbed a wet washcloth and returned to the side of the bed, stopping short as my eyes scanned Katya’s exhausted form—she looked wrecked in the best possible way. Her body was still flushed with orgasm and exertion, her skin covered with bites and bruises. Her nipples were stiff and red, and her hands were still where I’d placed them above her head. She looked fucking amazing, and my exhausted dick twitched with interest.
I reached down and gently wiped between her legs. She gave a small murmur of protest but was otherwise motionless. I threw the washcloth aside and lifted her so that I could put her under the covers. She didn’t utter a sound of complaint. I pulled her to rest her head on my chest, my hand threading through her soft, tangled hair.
“Thank god, you’re on the pill.”
“Mmhmm.”
“You could have mentioned it a little earlier,” I grumbled, but my mood recovered quickly when I realized I didn’t have to use condoms any longer.
Katya propped herself up on her elbow and shot me an incredulous look. “I wasn’t exactly in my right mind.”
I smirked, remembering how out of her mind she was. “True.”
She slapped me lightly on the chest. “Don’t be so arrogant.”
“Why not? I like you out of your mind. You should have seen yourself when I spread—”
She slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oh my god, shut up!” she said but laughed even as she blushed.
She was so fucking adorable. Moments ago, she had been writhing on this bed, begging me to fuck her, and now she was bright red at the mere mention of it.
A shadow suddenly crossed her face, and she turned her head back onto my chest, attempting to hide.
Concerned, I reached down and tilted her face to me. “Katya, what is it?”
“That was…crazy,” she murmured, her eyes still struggling to meet mine. “I can’t believe I was like that. That I actually wanted to have sex after watching you torture someone.” She shuddered delicately in shame and self-recrimination, her hands coming up to cover her face as she once again buried her face in my chest. She had looked pale and sickened.
“No, Katya, you won’t do this,” I said, rolling on top of her and grabbing her wrists so she couldn’t hide from me.
I saw tears well in her wide, green eyes, the shame crushing her. “What kind of person am I? Who does that? Who sees a man’s ear cut off, hears his screams of pain, and then wants to have sex?” she asked, more tears sliding down the sides of her temples and into her red-gold hair. I released her wrists and wiped them away with my thumbs.
“Katya, would you agree that I know more about dealing with the aftereffects of violence than you do?”
My reasonable sounding question had her brow creasing, her tears momentarily stopping. “Well, yes, of course.”
I kissed the creased skin of her brow, eager to relieve her of her guilt. “Kotyonok, this is a very common reaction to shock, trauma, distress, violence. Adrenaline was surging through your system, mine too, and it needed a place to go. I know it seems…strange to want a sexual outlet after experiencing what you did, but it is entirely normal. You needed a way to calm down. Remember, after the thing with the Turk? You kissed me in response to the stress, to feel better. It’s the same general idea.”
She nodded her head slowly, remembering, and as she gave my words thought, her brow smoothed out. “So, you have sex every time you’re violent or witness violence?” she inquired, her brows snapping back together.
I sighed. This wasn’t going to go anywhere positive, so I had to shut it down. “Not necessarily, but it’s one way of dealing with it.”
I could tell she wanted to ask me more about my sex life before her, that she probably felt guilty and wanted to pick a fight with me to distract herself from her own remorse. When she opened her mouth, I quickly covered it. “No, kitty,” I said, calling her the English version of my pet name for her. “No more of those questions.”
I heard her chuckle behind my hand and frowned.
“What are you laughing at?”
“When you say that nickname in Russian, it sounds sweet and cute, but in English…” She wrinkled her nose.
“What?” I said, smiling in relief that her mood had shifted to more manageable territory.
“It sounds more like the name of a stripper.”
I snorted but couldn’t disagree. “Perhaps I will stick with the Russian version, yes?”
She smiled. “Yes.” She cocked her head. “Why do you call me that—kotyonok? Just because it’s a common endearment in Russia?”
I looked at her sweet face, debating whether to answer honestly because it revealed the extent of my sentimentality. I could have pacified her easily by telling her it was a random name I pick
ed out of many Russian endearments. But that wasn’t accurate.
I stared into her soft, inquisitive eyes and told her the truth. “When I saved you from Demer, I saw him before I blew him away. He was covered in bloody scratches, his clothing messed up and not because he had been taking them off. You did all that. You fought and scratched and tore him up as much as you could. I couldn’t wait to put a fucking hole in his head after I saw what he was trying to do to you. When I pulled you out of the car, and you looked at me with those golden-green eyes, those cat eyes, and then I saw how you clawed that piece of shit, how could I call you anything but kotyonok? You will always be moya kotyonok.” The side of my mouth kicked up slightly, and I scratched her lightly under her chin. “My little kitty.”
She giggled at my silliness, but her eyes were shining with pleasure and joy at what I had revealed. The way she was looking at me was fucking me up, making my chest hurt and my throat tighten.
“I love you,” she said, her hand reaching up to stroke my face, and my breathing stopped for a moment. I knew she loved me, but to hear her say it with that fucking look on her face was nearly too much.
I pulled her in my arms, burying my head in her neck. I wanted to tell her over and over how much she meant to me, but all I could utter were tangled words in Russian. “Ya lyublyu tebya, moya Katya, moya kotyonok. Ya tak tebya lyublyu.”
Her arms tightened around me. Although Katya didn’t know Russian perfectly, she knew what I was saying to her, and they were words I’d never said to anyone else in my life. Words I would never say to anyone else but her.
Chapter 26
Katya
I woke up with a start, realizing that Drago was gone already. He told me last night he had to go to his office early and then he was finally meeting with Callahan.
My mind was still reeling, trying to process what had happened yesterday. I was still a little squeamish about both what I saw at the warehouse and how I responded to it. Although Drago made me feel better about my chosen coping mechanism when it came to stress and trauma, I still felt twinges of guilt for having sex so quickly after what happened.
I rolled and reached over to the pillow Drago had used last night, my hand running over the depression left from his head. I pulled it to me and buried my face in it, immersing myself in his scent.
Drago finally told me he loved me. Well, he told me in Russian, but I knew the sentiment was the same. I was going to have to study up on my Russian just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
I reached for my phone and found messages from Hannah and Anya. Hannah had sent me a series of messages with increasing hysteria.
Hannah: What did you hear?
Hannah: Katya! If you don’t write me back, I’m going to lose my mind. What is happening??
Hannah: I am frekaing out!
Hannah: Freaking
I chuckled at Hannah’s need to correct her typo even when she was having an apparent meltdown.
Hannah: Okay, I made Nikolai call someone to make sure you’re alright. Call me later! I still sort of want to know what you heard.
I grimaced when I read her last text. I could guarantee she did not want to know. Anya texted to ask me how my first official night in Drago’s apartment went, obviously sent before she found out about our excursion to the torture warehouse.
Despite that, my lips curled in a dreamy smile. All things considered, it was a wonderful night. I looked at my wrists to see if there were any lasting indicators from being restrained, but they looked totally normal. A little zing of lust raced through me and wondered how I could get Drago to use the cuffs again.
I hopped out of bed and nearly screamed when I saw myself in a mirror. My wrists may have been spared, but I could not say the same for the exposed flesh of my neck and upper chest. I was covered in hickeys and bite marks, particularly the crease where my neck met my shoulder. Thank god, the weather was still a little chilly. I was going to need stock up on turtlenecks.
I ran back into the bedroom after taking shower and found a text from Drago.
Drago: I spoke to your brother this morning, he will be flying in this evening.
Katya: Oh, good! It will be so nice to see him, although I wish the circumstances were better.
Drago: Agreed. How do you feel this morning?
I blushed recalling all the things we did last night. Was he referring to my body or my mind?
Katya: I feel good.
Drago: Is your face red remembering all the things I did to you last night? I plan to do them again soon, and much more.
Katya: Good lord! You can’t text me sex stuff in the same conversation where you mentioned my brother!
Drago: Fair enough, kitty. I’ve got to get back to work.
I snorted.
Katya: Are you still meeting with Callahan today?
Drago: Yes.
Katya: Ask him about Anya!
I asked this as a joke.
Drago: No.
I chuckled; I knew he wouldn’t agree to it.
Katya: Haha. Okay, see you later <3
Drago: I’ll see you later. Be good.
I smiled down at my phone. I was going to have to take a picture of Drago, so I could make him my screensaver. I chuckled thinking about how annoying he would find such an overt display.
So, Ivan was coming to town. We had spent precious little time together since his re-emergence from the dead nearly three years ago. I missed him and wished he lived closer, wished we were closer. He had changed so much since his return. He hadn’t exactly been warm and cuddly before, but we could talk and joke. He had become remote and painfully serious while he’d been gone, no doubt due to whatever he had endured. I was going to have to ask Drago about what happened to him. I wanted my brother back.
I pulled on a pair of cropped skinny jeans and grabbed one of Drago’s soft black t-shirts. It hung well past my waist, but I loved being wrapped in his scent. I heard some noise coming from the living room and ran out to find Will and Boris dropping off my luggage.
“Oh, thanks guys.”’
They murmured that it was no problem and turned to leave.
“Hey, if I ordered some stuff for the apartment, do you think you could pick it up for me?”
They wouldn’t be thrilled at the thought of becoming glorified errand boys, but I imagined Drago would be less thrilled if I left the apartment.
They looked at me in annoyed exasperation, particularly Boris, but ultimately agreed. They also knew how Drago would react to me leaving the apartment and probably figured it was less of a hassle if they went out without me.
I had been thinking about how I wanted to redecorate Drago’s condo ever since he told me I was moving in. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, how I wanted it to look and feel. It was so dull and austere; it was like working with a clean slate in terms of interior design.
I started to write a list of everything I wanted to get. After finishing the list, I grabbed my laptop and hopped online to Pottery Barn, Cost Plus, and other stores looking for items to realize my vision. It was easy enough to order everything and arrange for it to be picked up.
“Will, what’s your email address?”
He was leaning against the counter, staring at his phone, but his head jerked up, his blue eyes full of confusion and alarm. “Why?”
“I’m sending you guys all the notifications for the stuff I ordered. You have to pick it all up.” Will muttered in Russian under his breath and ran an aggravated hand through his military short, black hair, and Boris’s heavy eyebrows dropped over his dark eyes, even though they’d just agreed to go out and get this stuff. Both he and Boris were getting tired of watching me. I got it; it wasn’t exactly a thrilling assignment for them. However, they were terrified of Drago, so they took their job seriously.
“You know I would do it myself, but Drago…” I reminded them. Will held up a hand, waving me off. He knew Drago wouldn’t want me wandering all over the city, picking out throw pillows and scented can
dles.
I sent an email to Will laying out all the things they would be picking up. He grumbled when he read it but motioned to Boris and headed for the elevator.
They got on the elevator, but Will put a hand out to stop the closing door. “I don’t have to tell you to stay here, do I?” Will asked, shooting me a hard look.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He gave me a brief nod and let the door close.
I rubbed my hands together, excited to have the apartment redecorated by the time Drago got home. I was about to get my bags and start unpacking when I got another text from Anya.
Anya: Hey, Katya, can you please come up here to my place. I really need to talk to you.
I frowned at my phone screen, surprised by Anya’s request.
Katya: Um, I think you know Drago will kill me if I even think of leaving his place.
Anya: I know, but I really, really need to talk. Please!!
I stared at the phone, my stomach rioting as confusion and concern warred for dominance in my gut. It was really out of character for Anya to beg for my company.
Katya: Are you that upset about Callahan??
There was a notable pause. Was she embarrassed? Was I a bad friend by not simply rushing over to her?
I finally saw bubbles appear.
Anya: Yes, this is about Callahan. I really need to talk.
What the hell was going on with her? My stomach tightened with dread and anxiety. I couldn’t tell if it was intuition and I should stay home, or guilt because I was thinking about doing something that Drago would kill me for even considering. I mean, Anya was acting out of character, but when had she ever had real guy problems? Never, as long as I’d known her. This thing with Callahan must really be messing with her head.
Katya: I’m sorry you’re upset. I really want to come and talk to you, but Drago will go nuts.
Drago (Dangerous Love Book 3) Page 14