I lift my hands to settle them on her hips. "But?"
"You’re more than just those things. You’ve protected me like you said you would, you’ve listened…you gave me the garage, Sergey. You brought a part of my life back that I thought I’d lost,” Kat says, allowing me to pull her a touch closer whileshe rests her hands lightly on my shoulders. “I thought you were just an arrogant bastard before, but you’ve proved me wrong.”
A flicker of humor moves through me at the latter, then my throat tightens, and I give her a gentle squeeze. "You deserve everything I can give you and more. But I’m still not letting you go, especially not now. But now, I don’t have to worry about you leaving.”
She smiles faintly, and something in my chest unclenches.
I feel that the tension between us shifts while we relax.
Her hands slide down my arms, gently running her palms along them while I keep her in place between my legs. Finally, I feel at ease again, able to touch her. To feel her body against mine.
"Do you think they’ll come after us again?" she asks quietly. “The rest of Yuri’s men, I mean.”
I shake my head. “No. Yuri will be dealt with and sent to lockup, and the rest of his men won’t act without him. They’ll likely fall apart without anyone to take his place.”
“And you think Roman will keep him contained?”
"I trust my brother," I say gently, lightly running my fingers along the small gap between her waistband and the hem of her shirt. "But more than that, I’m done being reckless. I made a mess of all of this when I was supposed to do something simple. I wanted to control it, and instead, I made it worse. I think Roman’s rage has been quelled now, but I’m sure I’ll be making up for it for quite some time.”
She brushes my hair back gently while those eyes of hers take me in. “You might’ve made a mess of things, but I’m here with you. That has to count for something.”
“So you’re saying at least one good thing came out of this?”
Kat grins and nods, lightly running her thumb along my jaw while she leans in. Her words brush against my lips, making me shiver. “Yes.”
Our lips meet then. It’s slow and deliberate, and I take my time to feel the softness of her on me.
There’s no rush now. Just the warmth of her mouth against mine, and the soft sigh that leaves her lips as I deepen the kiss. It’s tender, careful, and seemingly different from all the times before.
Her hands are in my hair while mine slowly move along her hips and waist. I don’t press too hard. Instead, I let her move how she wants, trusting that she’ll stop me if she needs to.
But she doesn’t.
As hard as I try to keep the exchange light, Kat melds her lips with mine, seeking even more from me. It’s enough to send a spark of need through me, traveling down my spine and causing heat to pool in my gut.
She makes me feel hazy, but it’s too good. I don’t want it to end.
Feeling somewhat impatient, I pull her a bit closer, and she tenses slightly when the tent in my pants brushes against her thigh. It isn’t with disgust, but surprise.
Kat pauses and glances down at my lap, keeping her hands on me. “…already?”
As vague embarrassment cloaks me, I huff to myself and move my face closer to her neck while I brush kisses against her skin, burying myself in her hair. My fingers flex against her hips. “I can’t help it…”
When I gently nip at her pulse point, a soft breath escapes her, then she hums.
A bolt of disappointment runs through me when she pulls back, already missing her warmth, but I don’t say anything as she keeps her eyes on mine and drops her hands. Then, she slowly lowers herself to the floor.
My brows lift fractionally at the sight of Kat getting on her knees and settling between my thighs. I twitch in my boxers, and an even bigger thrill scurries up my spine.
Oh, fuck.
Chapter 30 - Katya
The soft grunt that slips from Sergey’s mouth the moment I take him in my grasp is almost sinfully innocent somehow.
He grips the bedding beneath him, knuckles still vaguely bloody from the fight. His eyes close, and he pulls in a shaky breath, almost like he’s never felt anything like this before.
Every muscle of his seems to flex at once, and his chest rises and falls a bit faster than before.
