"Sophie." My name came out as a warning.
I did it again. Shifted. Pressed. Let him feel exactly what I was doing.
His hand on my hip tightened to the point of pain. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to communicate. Stop. Don't. We can't.
But I could feel how much he wanted to. Could see it written in every line of tension in his body.
"We don't have to—" he started.
I kissed him.
Cut off whatever he was going to say with my mouth on his. My hands sliding into his dark hair. My body pressing against his with clear intent.
He resisted for half a heartbeat. Stayed rigid. Controlled.
Then he groaned and kissed me back.
His hand fisted in my hair. His other arm banded around my waist. He pulled me tighter against him, angled my head so hecould deepen the kiss, claimed my mouth with an intensity that made my brain shut off completely.
His tongue swept inside when my lips parted. Tasting. Exploring. Claiming. I melted into him. Let him take control. Let him kiss me like he was drowning and I was air.
My hands tightened in his hair. Pulled slightly. He made a sound deep in his chest that vibrated through me. Made my core clench. Made me arch against him seeking friction.
His hand slid from my hip to my ass. Squeezed the sore flesh through my leggings. I gasped into his mouth. The sensation was sharp—pleasure and pain mixing together until I couldn't tell the difference.
"Daddy," I whimpered against his lips.
The title seemed to undo him. He stood with me in his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. I could feel him hard against my core now. Could feel exactly how much he wanted this.
Wanted me.
He walked us toward the leather sofa against the far wall. Each step made me aware of the burn in my bottom, the ache between my legs, the way my body was singing with need.
"Are you sure?" he asked between kisses. His voice was wrecked. Barely controlled. "We can stop. We can wait. I don't want you to think you have to—"
"I'm sure." I kissed him again. Fierce. Claiming. "I want this. Want you. Please, Daddy."
The please broke something in him. I watched his eyes go from grey to nearly black. Watched his careful control shatter completely.
He laid me down on the leather sofa. Followed me down. His weight pressed me into the soft cushions, his body covering mine, his hardness exactly where I needed it.
"Please," I whispered again.
And he gave me what I was begging for.
Chapter 11
Sophie
Heshiftedhisweight.Moved from covering me to kneeling between my legs on the leather sofa. The change in position made everything feel more deliberate. More intentional. Like we were crossing from desperate kissing into something else entirely.
I lay there looking up at him. My breath coming too fast. My heart slamming against my ribs. The leather was cool against my back where my pink sweater had ridden up. My bottom still burned from the spanking. The ache was a constant reminder of consequences and care and being held accountable.
But now—now something different was happening. Something I'd wanted since that first night when he'd tucked hair behind my ear and I'd felt the electricity of his touch.
Nikolai's hands settled on my waist. Just resting there. His palms were warm through the cashmere. I could feel them shaking slightly.
He was nervous. The realization sent something warm through my chest. This powerful man who commanded an entire bratva, who'd just spanked me with perfect control, who never showed weakness—his hands were trembling as he prepared to undress me.
