“I know that you hate weakness,” Alina whispers to me as her thumb glides past the corner of my mouth. “But being at odds with him is creating that. Your enemies have already heard the rumors. They’re going to take advantage of it.”
When did she become so familiar with our world?
She’s a glowing light in a landscape of pure darkness, and I’m starting to realize more and more every second how unsafe she is here with me.
But I’ll protect her. One way or another. Even from myself.
I press my lips against hers, silencing any more war talk. I don’t want to think about it or my brother any longer. I just want more of her while I have her.
Alina pushes her fingers into the hair on the back of my head eagerly as I slide my hands down her sides and along her thighs. She sucks on my bottom lip, her other hand gliding up the front of my chest under my suit jacket.
A faint groan breaks from me before I can stop it, heat rolling through my body. Ineedmore. More blissful noises from her. More shudders. More pleasure.
I want her to come apart at the seams forme.
“Lie back,” I tell her, my lips grazing hers as I speak. It’s a command but one she could easily refuse.
“What?” Alina asks, looking a mixture of eager and nervous.
A smirk lifts my lips. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to fuck you until you’re begging me for it.”
Her face flushes, but with her eyes on mine, she leans back until she’s resting on my desk with her thighs still around me.
I know exactly how to break her.
This war won’t wait for me to decide what I want.
And neither will she.
31
Alina
Gavriil has lesscontrol over things than I thought, but he’s especially started losing control over me.
Just like we wanted.
I’ve said so many things that deserve punishment in his book, but instead of sending me back to the cage, he’s ready to tear off my clothes while I eagerly lie on his desk.
This is not the same Gavriil who kills people with a silent nod of his head or who forced me to wear lingerie for him on two separate occasions.
But what exactly has changed? It can’t just be me.
Either way, I enjoy having a little control over him. This is what I’ve been working toward for days, what I need to do to convince him to release Dominik. Somehow, I’ve become a weak spot, burrowed my way into his mind, and wreaked havoc.
Unfortunately, I think that he’s done the same thing to me, too.
I don’t know how that happened or why. And if I think about it too long, I’ll hate myself for it.
Dominik gave me permission to do what I need to do, so when Gavriil unlaces my boots and slips them off I don’t feel nearly as guilty as before. He moves with determination, no fumbling around like last night, and he certainly hasn’t repeated anything that he said when he was drunk either.
I doubt he meant any of it, besides admitting that he was jealous. I think he’s always been jealous of Dominik, and the way people admire his quiet strength. His admiration in the Bratva is a threat to Gavriil’s position. Or it was, before Dom’s betrayal.
Still, despite his many flaws, I’ve developed a soft spot for the stubborn, ruthlessPakhan. It grew a little more the night I found out that Dominik’s only alive today because of Gavriil’s selfless sacrifice.
The man I love’s protector slips his hands under my dress to pull off my tights, leaving my panties in place. With hunger in his eyes, he pushes the short skirt of my dress up to my waist, exposing the white lace underneath.
Gavriil mutters something under his breath in Russian. Judging from his tone, it’s either a curse or a compliment.
