“Like these?” Mikhail crossed the room in a few steps, diminishing the distance between them until it was nonexistent. He stared at her for a second before reaching down and grabbing his shirt, tugging it off over his head.
Anastasia couldn’t stifle a gasp at the sight in front of her. He was riddled with scars that wrapped around his ribs, his shoulders, his torso… God,he was beautiful.
Every inch of his body seemed to have been carved from stone, and Anastasia couldn’t help herself as she reached her hand towards him.
Mikhail closed the distance between them, grabbing her hand and pulling it to his chest. She almost recoiled at how hot his skin felt underneath her palm.
“Touch them,” he growled, leaning down and brushing his lips against the top of her head. “Go on. Do they feeluglyto you?”
Anastasia sucked in a sharp breath, bringing her other hand up, running her hands over his chest and down his sides, feeling her pulse pounding in her cheeks.
“N-no,” she stuttered, pulling herself back from him and leaning back against the wall.
“Your scars aren’t ugly, Anya,” he leaned in and put his arms on either side of her, caging her in with his body.
He leaned down once more and whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against her and making her go weak in the knees.
“I promise. You’ve seen my scars, Anya… why won’t you let me see yours?”
She knew that he wasn’t talking about the ones on her back.
“Stop it,” she hissed, turning her head away from him and slipping out from underneath his grip. “Don’t say things like that, Mikhail!” She snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration.
“Say things like what?” He turned around to face her. “Say things I mean? Do you think I’m still lying to you?”
“I don’t know what I think,” Anastasia hissed, “We need to keep our distance from one another.”
“Keep ourdistance?”Mikhail scoffed, looking at her in disbelief as he beckoned from the tiny room to his discarded shirt on the floor. “How do you think that’s been going for us?”
“It doesn’t matter —“
“No, I’m curious,” he said, stepping close enough to wrap an arm around her waist and tug her to his naked chest. “What’s the distance like between us, Anya?” He leaned down, whispering in her ear. “Do you think about me when you touch yourself at night? Does thatdistancebetween our rooms get to you?” Anastasia sucked in a sharp gasp, writhing in his hold.
“I think about you,” Mikhail’s voice was a sin. Anastasia let out a rushed breath, her chest heaving as if she wasn’t able to get enough air.
“You’re a bastard.”
“I am a bastard,” he agreed, licking a hot stripe up her neck, “You want me. I want you. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”
“Pig,” she hissed, slapping her hand against his chest, “And you were the one asking me about myscars.”
“I’ll kiss them allmalyshkaif you let me. You want to keep the distance between us… so I’ll take what I can get.”
“This hardly feels like distance,” Anastasia snapped, turning and grinding her hips against him, stuttering back her cry when she felt his erection hot and heavy against her. Mikhail groaned and tossed his head back.
“Tell me that you want this,” he murmured, “Or I’ll walk out that door right now.” Anastasia looked up at him. Both of them barely held onto their restraint, eyeing each other with fury and aggression they seemed to reserve only for each other.
“Say it,” he demanded again, “Or I’m leaving.”
“Fuck you!”
“I will — say it.”
“Fuck… I want it!” Anastasia hissed, throwing her arms around his neck as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Mikhail caught her, crushing them together in a vicious embrace and walking them both over towards the bed.
He dropped Anastasia down onto the edge of the mattress, immediately rucking all of the skirts up around her waist and pulling her undergarments down.
She sat up, chest heaving, pulling at the strings of her corset until her breasts were free. She fussed with the back of it, making sure it stayed on and to cover her scars. Mikhail made a guttural noise, pushing her back onto the bed and biting down on her nipple.
