Page 81 of Queen’s Gambit

She looked down at her feet.

“You say that now.”

“No, Ana, not just now. Always.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I looked at the ceiling cursing myself for even saying this.

“I might know someone who would marry me for business only. But I need time to think about it, Ana, because I can’t stand her, and….”

Ana walked toward me, and my heart began pounding with the lustful look in her eyes.

“I want you. Make me yours tonight. No more what-ifs. No more waiting until our wedding night. My father has stolen that from us, but he’s not stealing my first time being with you.”

My whole body ached to rip off our clothes and do what she was suggesting. But I needed to make sure she knew the consequences.

“He’ll know that you’re not a virgin,” I said, unable to even say his name without wanting to put a bullet between his eyes.

“I don’t care. He only wants me for my money. If he wants it, then he’ll have to accept me no matter the condition of the merchandise,” she said with a sneer.

“How long do we have?”

Her smile fell. “Seven hours. Not nearly long enough, but it was the best I could do.”

“Fuck, I hate this,” I growled, running a strand of her long blonde hair through my fingers. “I don’t know how to stop any of this,” I admitted.

I couldn’t defeat the Mikhailovs and Ivankovs on my own. But leaving Russia without her…the thought was killing me.

“Eddie, we should make the most of the time we have. For a few hours, I want to pretend that everything is perfect and that this is our wedding night. I can’t face what awaits me once I leave this room without knowing how it feels to be with you. I….” She sighed and licked her lips. “Whether I live one more day or a hundred years, I want my first time to be with the man I love more than life itself. What happens tonight will fuel me with hope until the next time we’re together. And, there will be a next time. Please make love to me, Eddie.”

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” I said. Ana smiled, and nothing short of a bullet hitting me where I stood would stop me from having her tonight. “Yes, the answer is yes.”

I scooped Ana into my arms as if this was our wedding night and marched for the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind me while she laughed. Sitting her on the bed, I knelt in front of her and ran my hands up her legs and under the long sweater dress she wore. Her skin was like silk under my fingers. She was already breathing heavily as I continued to explore her dips and curves.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment so many times,” I said, loving the passion in Ana’s eyes.

She leaned forward and kissed my lips with such possessiveness that she took my breath away.

“In my heart, you’re already my husband. No matter what, my soul will only ever marry you, Eddie,” Ana said, and I could feel the truth of her words in her touch.

Picking up her hand, I rubbed my thumb over the opal ring I’d given her and hated that I couldn’t give her the diamond I’d gotten for tonight. Things were supposed to be so different for us.

“Make love to me, Eddie. Make me yours forever,” Ana said as she pulled at my clothes.

Lacing my fingers with hers, I kissed her knuckles before peeling my shirt off and tossing it aside. Ana’s eyes roamed over my shoulders and chest, so bright with a need that mirrored everything I felt.

Ana moaned as I caressed her hardened nipple, sending an electrical surge right to my cock. My hand slipped between her legs, and I groaned at finding her wet. She gasped and nibbled on her bottom lip while spreading her legs further apart as I rubbed little circles over her clit.

Gripping the bottom of the dress, Ana took the hint and shifted so I could pull it up and off her body. She wore nothing underneath except a lacy white thong, and my heated blood went wild at the sight of her. I was staring at her like a fool when she reached up and removed the clip from her hair. The long golden strands fell around her shoulders and for as long as I lived, I would never forget this moment or the look of pure love in her eyes.

“Touch yourself. Show me how you find pleasure when we’re on the phone together,” I said, slowly unzipping one tall boot and then the other as Ana’s hands roamed over her body. “Is that all you do,” I asked, my lip curling up.

She blushed a deeper shade of red.

“No,” she said, her voice as shy as the first night we had phone sex.

It was agony not being able to talk to her in the months after she was forced to leave Wayward. Only the recollection of her whimpers as she came got me through those lonely nights. The relief of hearing her voice after so long was indescribable, and the memory was still crystal clear when I closed my eyes.

“Show me,” I encouraged.