It said a lot that I slumped into his embrace despite being in public.
“Misha.” He took my coat, helped me into a sitting room, and settled me on a couch, then yanked the chain of a nearby lamp. The sudden light set his eyes to glowing. “What did he do to you?”
“It wasn't bad, just . . . tedious.”
Kon's broad hands swept down my braids, the touch gentle and in direct contradiction with the vicious growl that rumbled through him. “I will kill him.”
“Don't say that.”
It wasn't that I thought we'd be overheard. Even with the door open, we were off a less-used corridor and, as mentioned, most of the court was engaged elsewhere. I just didn't like the thought of my new lover killing the old.
“This destroysme, Misha. Do you understand how hard it is for me to stand by while you go to him every night? And then to see you like this?” Konstantin snarled as he stood.
Suddenly, he grabbed the arched end of a chaise lounge and, with a movement that made it look effortless, swung the massive thing across the room. It cracked against the stone wall, chunks of wood, metal springs, fabric, and stuffing exploding everywhere.
I flinched, then gaped at the debris that piled on the floor. I knew Konstantin was strong, but . . . dear Lachia, this was beyond my imagining. That chaise had burst apart like a pinata. And the violence of it both startled and—if I'm being honest—thrilled me.
“Kon, please. Someone will hear you.”
Konstantin swung about and stalked to the door to slam it shut. There was no lock, so he yanked a marble-topped table in front of it. It screeched across the floor in protest. I wasn't afraid of him, not really, but a zing ran through me that was close to fear. Fear's sexier sibling. That zing intensified when he turned to face me.
“Konstantin?” I whispered.
The glowing eyes weren't just a trick of the light anymore and the snarl that lifted his lip was for me. Muscles straining, he shucked off the leather jacket that had become too tight. Buttons popped from his shirt as he tore it open and cast it aside. Then his hands went to the fly of his jeans.
I went to my knees, knowing all too well what was expected of me when a man behaved like this. I had thought Konstantin was different but, when it came down to it, all men had a beast inside them, and Kon's had just been roused. I suppose it was commendable that he'd kept it caged for as long as he had. I had asked him to be patient while I fucked another man every night and that was a lot to ask of any man, but especially one as virile as Konstantin Garin. I could forgive him this. Couldn't I?
Baring his teeth at me, Konstantin pulled his thick shaft forth. Holding it in one hand, he spread his legs to straddle my knees like a pirate on a ship and rubbed the weeping tip against my lips. When I opened for him, he shoved forward, choking me with that first thrust. The taste of him exploded across my tongue and made me moan, all my weariness vanishing. This was Kon, my tiger, and despite his roughness, I wanted him. I desired him more than I ever had Niko. My hand replaced his on that velvet rod, and I started to move over him.
Then he took hold of my braids.
“Is this what he does to you?” Kon demanded as he used my hair to pull me onto his cock. His hips started pumping as well, forcing me to loosen my throat and take more of him. “Is this what you want, Misha? Do I have to control you to gain your love?”
Something went liquid inside me. My body filled with warmth and came alive.Dear Goddess, was it true?I loved the freedom Konstantin offered me. I loved the way he worshiped me with his body. And I loved feeling like his equal instead of his possession. But I hadn't felt this deep emotional quaking until now. The clenching in my chest that shivered longing up my throat. A deep ache for him. With horror, I realized that Nikolay had left his mark on me. I needed this now. No matter how much I wanted freedom, there was a part of me that craved a lover who took control.
Shame sent tears sliding down my cheeks, but I couldn't deny the way my heart began to creak open. Just a crack for Konstantin to wedge a boot in and shoulder his way through. I've heard it said that you can't force someone to love you, but my heart was a broken, twisted thing. It longed for love but to feel that elusive emotion, it needed a measure of force. It needed a figurative fist slammed into it to start its beating. It neededthis.
“Fuck me, you do need this,” Konstantin said as if he could hear my thoughts.
I choked on my tears and his cock, but I met his stare with the resignation of the damned. The pirate was shoving me toward the plank, and I was going to jump off it willingly. Would Konstantin want me afterward? Once he saw the mess I was? Once he knew the truth about my fucked up heart?
Something shifted in Kon's expression. Hardened. His grip tightened on my hair. “You don't belong to him, Misha. You're mine. It's time you learned that.”
The glacier of shame, fear, and self-hatred in my chest melted under the blast of Konstantin's heat. Staring up at him was like kneeling before a god, taking his divinity into me, and finding myself through that sacred communion. That acceptance. It was an epiphany but also an awakening. I could be strongandweak with this man. I could be free and enslaved. Treasured and punished. I could have everything. When Kon yanked his cock from my mouth, I gasped in a deep breath and exhaled a blissful sigh. I'd found a master who truly loved me and it made all the difference to my heart.
Breathlessly, I declared, “I love you.”
Konstantin flinched, his lips shivered, and one hand let go of my braid to cup my cheek. “I love you too, my swanling. Now take off your pants and bend over the couch.”
size“Yes, Kon.” I rushed to obey him, my heart racing with joy and excitement. Full of something that even Nikolay had never made me feel. Was this real love? I wasn't sure. Could anyone ever be sure? But I knew I wanted this man with a clawing craving desire that surpassed the needs of my body. I wanted him beside me, not just inside me. And if that wasn't love, I didn't fucking care. It was as close as I'd ever get.
As I knelt on the rug and laid my cheek on a velvet cushion, I heard an odd sound. I turned to see Konstantin squeezing some lube out of a small tube. “You carry a travel-size tube of lubricant with you?”
“Shut up and spread your ass for me.” He wedged a foot between my ankles and pushed forward, forcing my legs apart, then knelt between them.
Meanwhile, I moaned softly and spread my lower cheeks, eyes closing in bliss. When I felt that spear-shaped tip prod me, I shuddered and rolled my hips back encouragingly. Oh, great Gods, to know that the man commanding me also loved me, put me in a state of glorious euphoria. There was a thrill to be taken like this, but no real fear.
Kon slapped my ass. “Hold still. I will enter you when I choose to, Misha.”
