The thick broth glides over my tongue, hot and rich. I hum in approval. “Delicious.”
“Glad you like it,” he says with a fond chuckle. Then he proceeds to hand me a spoon and take another for himself. We eat from the same bowl, just like we always do on nights like this, flirting and laughing in between bites.
After dinner, we retire to the living room and sit by the fire with our chessboard between us on the table, a half-full bottle of wine, and two half-empty wine glasses.
“I'm feeling generous tonight. I might even let you win,” I tease, reaching for one of the gleaming white chess pieces. Dmitri always chooses black. I always take white. He says it’s because I’m the light to his dark—his balance.
I always joke about how that sounds corny, but also really cute.
We start to play, and from the slight knit of Dmitri's brows, I can tell he's taking the game seriously.
I have a plan, though…
And the perfect opportunity comes when I capture one of his pawns. I smile, holding his gaze as I slowly tug off my cardigan, tossing it aside.
I have come a long way from the shy virgin I was six months ago, and seeing the flare of hunger in Dmitri's darkened eyes makes my heart surge with pride.
“What are you doing?” His voice is dangerously low and husky.
“Changing the rules,” I say as innocently as I can manage, then I gesture to the board. “Your turn.”
He leans back slowly in his chair, lips curving. “You’re making it hard to focus.”
“Good,” I whisper. “That’s the point.”
He shakes his head with mock disapproval, but there’s a teasing glint in his eyes. “You cheat beautifully.”
“Thank you.”
The game continues, slower now, with more heat than strategy. Every time I take a piece, his focus drifts a little further from the board— I capture his knight and slip out of my blouse. His rook falls, and my bra follows. I can tell he’s letting me win, but I don’t care.
Finally, I slide my queen into position and look up at him with a cheeky grin. “Checkmate.”
Dmitri looks at the board, then at me, that dangerous smile spreading across his face. “You really think you won?”
I fold my arms over my bare chest. “You don’t see the board? That’s definitely a checkmate.”
He leans forward, his eyes roaming my body, lingering on my peaked nipples with deliberate slowness. “No, baby girl. We both won this game.”
My breath hitches at his tone of voice, my body tightening in response.
Dmitri pushes the coffee table away roughly, knocking the chessboard to the floor—but neither of us cares. I lunge into his arms even as he pulls me not-so-gently against his body. He captures my mouth in a deep, toe-curling kiss, teasing my bottom lip with his teeth. I whimper, running my palms over his chest and shoulders like I've been dying to do all evening.
He drags his mouth away from mine, lowering it to my nipple. He suckles gently, rolling his tongue over my aching flesh. I let out another soft moan as pleasure zips through my body. Dmitripushes me gently back onto the rug, trailing his mouth down my chest to my stomach, until his head is buried between my thighs.
“Oh, God…” I breathe, my body jerking involuntarily as his tongue slides over my clit.
“Fuck, you're so wet already, my love,” Dmitri growls, suckling my clit. He drags his beard across my inner thighs, increasing the sensation.
I fist his hair, pulling his head more firmly against me. “Harder.”
He raises his head to look at me with a smirk.
“Bossy, are we?” he teases, his smirk growing wider when I blush. “I like it.”
He lowers his mouth to me again and sucks harder, like I asked.
“Oh, God. Yes!” I cry out, tightening my fists in his hair.
