His words are the final spark.
My internal muscles clench violently around him, triggering a second, blinding orgasm that rips through my entire body. I arch my back, a broken cry tearing from my throat as my climax locks me in place, squeezing him impossibly tight.
At the same time, Leonid lets out a low, feral groan. His pace turns completely reckless for three more desperate thrusts, burying deeper and deeper until I can feel him hit the walls of my cervix.
Then he freezes, his muscles locking tight as a deep shudder racks his frame and he pours himself inside me.
We both remain in that position for a moment, our ragged breaths syncing and our sweaty bodies pressed against each other.
After what seems to be forever passes, Leonid presses a kiss to my spine, and then another to the back of my neck. “Get dressed, baby. I’m taking you home.”
I do as he says, sliding back into my clothes even as my legs are still weak from climaxing twice within a few minutes.
I’m exhausted.
Hungry.
And most of all, a heavy realization settles into my chest. Being able to leave the mansion undetected means I had a chance to get to my family and Audrey, tell them what’s going on, and run from Leonid and his world, but for some reason I’ve chosen not to.
I’m not shackled by chains or a cage. Far from it.
I’m still here because I choose Leonid.
And that realization terrifies me more than anything else ever has.
Chapter Nineteen
Leonid
Elena’s eyes follow the amber swirl of whiskey in my glass.
The sensation of her watching every little move I make has become constant since I picked her up from the yacht three days ago, and each time I catch her staring, she quickly looks away.
Most people avoid looking at me for longer than necessary. My men lower their gazes when I talk to them, and only a few business partners have mustered the balls to look me straight in the eyes when we’re talking money.
The women I’ve been with before Elena were always the same, too afraid to even keep their eyes open when we fucked.
But my little bird has always been different.
I still remember the obvious fear in her eyes the first day we met, along with the fire of defiance. Besides Tatiana, she’s the only person who’s treated me like I’m human and not some two-horned devil who wouldn’t hesitate to destroy everything in its path.
And maybe that’s why I was so drawn to her from the very first day.
I sign the last page of a shipping contract and set the pen aside before finally lifting my head.
Sure enough, she’s sitting across from me on the leather couch, and she doesn’t look away when our eyes meet. Instead, she narrows them as if she’s trying to solve a puzzle.
I lean back in my chair, letting the staring contest go on for a moment too long before breaking the silence. “You can ask if you’re that curious,” I say, taking a sip of my whiskey.The drink travels down my throat, leaving a hot trail that slowly descends to my stomach and simmers there.
She straightens her spine. “Is it that obvious that I have a question to ask?”
I nod. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were planning to kidnap me or something.”
Her lips twitch, but she doesn’t laugh at my joke. Instead she frowns and crosses her arms over her chest. “Thanks, but not everyone has the habit of grabbing unsuspecting people off the street.”
“It was off the docks.”
She rolls her eyes and huffs a sigh. “Same difference.” Then she leans forward, curling one leg beneath the other. “Since you said I could ask…I’ve been curious about you.”
