Later that night, the elevator dings open, and I step into the penthouse. Vivian is there, waiting in the living room, arms folded, her silk nightdress catching the dim light. She’s a visionof calm fury, but I can feel the storm radiating off her like heat from a furnace.
“Why are you distant again?” she demands, voice sharp, eyes blazing. Way to hit the nail on the head.
I freeze for a fraction of a second. She’s fearless. Bold. And somehow, that makes my chest tighten. “I’m not distant,” I growl, though I know it sounds hollow.
“You are!” she snaps. “All day, you’ve shut me out. After everything, you still act like I’m a problem.”
Her words hit me, and for a second I want to close the distance between us and pull her into my arms, but the memory of the meeting, the Kovals, the blood, the risk—it claws at me. I can’t let myself soften. Not yet.
“I have work to do,” I say, voice clipped. “Threats, enemies, your family’s involvement. You think I can just switch that off?”
She steps closer, the anger in her eyes softening into something fiercer, more personal. “I don’t care about your threats! I care about you shutting me out. I care about you acting like I’m…expendable.”
Her words sting like fire on raw skin. I swallow, trying to regain control, but guilt gnaws at me. “You’re not expendable,” I mutter. “You’re—” I cut myself off, the words too much, too close.
“Your words mean nothing when your actions say otherwise,” she spits, eyes bright with hurt. Then she turns, like she’s done with me. Done?
No.
I catch her arm before she takes a full step, and in the next breath I’m pinning her back against the wall. The silk of her nightdress rustles, her breath stutters, and everything inside me snaps.
“You’re not walking away from me,” I growl.
She opens her mouth—maybe to fight, maybe to scream—but I don’t let her. I cup her jaw and crush my mouth to hers, kissing her like I’m trying to erase every accusation, every wound, every mile that’s formed between us. It’s not gentle. It’s not careful. It’s a wildfire trying to burn through the ice I put between us.
She pushes at my chest once—anger, frustration, pain—but the second my tongue brushes hers, her hands curl into my shirt, pulling me closer, like she wants to drown in me just as much as I want to bury myself in her.
She pushes at my chest once—anger, frustration, pain—but the second my tongue brushes hers, her hands curl into my shirt, pulling me closer, like she wants to drown in me just as much as I want to bury myself in her.
As I kiss her, I push her dress up her thighs, burying my hand in her heat. My fingers sink inside her, thrusting in and out of her until she’s moaning into my mouth. Impatiently, I flip her, pressing her front against the wall and arching her back, while the other hand unzips my pants and takes out my painful erection. I want her so badly, I’ll go insane if I don’t bury myself inside her in seconds.
She pushes back against me, and that does it. I bury myself inside her in one thrust, and she screams, planting her hands on the wall to steady herself as I pound her from behind. I know I’m not going to last long this time, not when her ass jiggles and recoils anytime I slam into her. But we have all night.
I reach around her body to twist her nipples, and she explodes, whimpering and trembling in my arms as the orgasm pushes her over the edge. I surrender to mine, holding her against me and pressing my lips against her shoulder as I whisper her name like a prayer.
“Dimitri…” she whispers, turning in my arms to wrap hers around my neck.
I trail kisses down her neck as my dick rages into another erection.
“We’re not done yet,krasavitsa. I want to make love to you all night. Surrender yourself to me.”
She smiles up at me and leans up to whisper into my ear. “I surrender.”
Chapter 16 – Vivian
I wake up the next morning to absolute quiet. No rustle of Dimitri’s movements, no low murmur of him whispering my name like he does every morning. Just the faint hum of the city outside, the sheets slipping from my shoulders, and the quiet rhythm of my own heartbeat.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, bare feet brushing the cold floor, and glance around the room. Empty. No sign of him.
My chest tightens. Part of me panics—did he leave? Did something happen? My thoughts start spinning like they always do when he’s not right there, like I might lose him if I even blink.
I’m about to rise from the bed when I notice a folded piece of paper tucked in the bedside table. My fingers tremble slightly as I pull it out. The handwriting is sharp, precise—Dimitri. “I am going to work. Will be back soon. Stay inside.”
I roll my eyes, muttering under my breath. Stay inside. He couldn’t have waited for me to wake like he usually does. What could possibly be so urgent that he left before me? After everything last night, after hours spent tangled together, does the world really demand that I be abandoned at dawn?
I let the sheets slide off me and pad barefoot toward the bathroom. The floor is cold against my toes, and I shiver. My reflection greets me from the mirror: messy hair sticking to my forehead, eyes half-lidded and still heavy with sleep, lips faintly swollen. I frown at the tired version of myself staring back.
The shower is hot, the water scalding at first, and I let it cascade over me. Steam curls around my face as I close my eyes, letting it wash away some of the panic. But I can’t fully shake the nagging thought: Why didn’t he wait? It isn’t just the timing. It’s that persistent pull, the knowing that Dimitri’s life is a whirlwindI’m always trying to catch up to—and that sometimes I’ll never keep pace.
