Not just the protection, though that burned in my blood. Not just the dominance and submission we'd explored last night, though my body was already responding to memories of her saying "Daddy" in that breathy voice. This. These ordinary moments that weren't ordinary at all because she was in them.
I wanted to watch her play with our cats in the morning light. Wanted to see her smile at small victories like Malysh being brave enough to attack a feather. Wanted her clothes mixed with mine in the laundry, her coffee mug next to mine in the kitchen, her scent on my sheets.
"Stay tonight," I said. The words came out rougher than intended, more command than request.
Maya's hand stilled on the feather wand. She looked up at me, and something in her eyes told me she understood exactly what I was asking. Not just tonight. Not just sex. Everything.
"In my room," I clarified unnecessarily. "With me."
She set down the toy, rose to her feet with that grace she still carried despite everything. Crossed the space between us, stopped close enough that I could feel her body heat.
"Yes," she said simply. Then, softer, with that trust that destroyed me: "Yes, Daddy."
The title in her mouth sent heat straight to my cock. Last night had been about discipline, about establishing the dynamic, about breaking down walls. Tonight would be different. Tonight I'd show her exactly what it meant to be mine. Would take her apart piece by piece and put her back together with my hands and mouth and cock. Would make her understand that this wasn't just scene or play or temporary arrangement.
This was everything.
Chapter 13
Maya
ThedoortoKostya'sroom closed behind us with a soft click. Every nerve ending I possessed went on high alert, cataloging the shift in air pressure, the way the hallway sounds muted, the sudden intimacy of being alone with him in his private space where the kittens were probably still destroying their new toys.
My breath came too fast, too shallow. The medical part of my brain noted the symptoms—elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, increased skin sensitivity—while the rest of me vibrated with anticipation.
We'd been building to this all day. Through the PetSmart trip, the walk on the boardwalk, the careful setup of kitten supplies. Every accidental touch, every weighted glance, every moment of forced normalcy when what I really wanted was his hands on me.
I turned toward him, already reaching, already leaning in for the kiss that would break this unbearable tension. My bodyknew what came next—he'd grab me, press me against the door, devour me the way his eyes had been promising since breakfast.
"Stop."
The single word froze me mid-motion. Not harsh, but absolute. Command wrapped in two consonants and a vowel.
"Stand in the center of the room," he said, moving past me without touching. "Hands at your sides."
I blinked, processing the shift. This wasn't the desperate passion I'd expected. This was something else. Something controlled. Deliberate.
I moved to the center of his bedroom, hyperaware of every step. The hardwood was cool under my feet. My hands hung awkward at my sides, fingers twitching with the need to do something. Touch him. Touch myself. Fidget with the hem of my shirt.
"Good," he said, and began to circle.
He moved with dangerous grace, slow and deliberate, each step measured. Not touching. Just looking. I could feel his gaze like a physical thing, cataloging every detail. The way my chest rose and fell with increasingly rapid breaths. The flush spreading down my neck. The visible tremor in my hands.
"We're going to do this my way," he said from behind me. His voice had dropped to that register that bypassed my brain and went straight to my core. "Slowly. I've waited too long to rush."
"Kostya—"
"Did I say you could speak?"
The question wasn't angry. If anything, he sounded amused. But the authority in it made my mouth snap shut, made heat pool low in my belly.
He completed his circle, stopped in front of me. Close enough I could smell him. Close enough I could feel his body heat. But still not touching.
"I'm going to undress you," he said, gray eyes locked on mine. "You're going to keep your hands at your sides. You're not going to touch me. You're not going to move unless I move you. Understand?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"Words, kitten."
