Page 31 of King of Shadows

I shake my head. “No. This is for you.”

I leave him to relax and return to the bedroom, where I take out some lavender massage oil, Kazimir has used it on me a few times, and tonight, I want to return the favor. When he comes out of the bathroom, I gesture toward the bed.

“Lie down.”

He looks at me curiously. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you relax.”

He lies on his stomach, and I pour some oil into my palms before gently massaging it into his shoulders. I work my way from his neck down to his shoulders and back, feeling the tension slowly leave his body.

“Better?” I ask.

“Yes.”

After a while, his breathing becomes slower, and I think he is falling asleep, but when I start to pull away, he suddenly turns over, pulling me beneath him.

I laugh. “I thought you were falling asleep.”

“No, I was enjoying the massage.” He kisses me softly. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me relax.”

I brush his hair away from his face. “It's the least I can do. Do you want to talk about what happened?”

He shakes his head. “Tell me about your day instead.”

“It was fine. Tomorrow is my last day at work.”

“Thank God,” he groans. “I can't afford to have you out there with Vadim moving the way he is.”

I nod, then hesitate. “I was thinking…”

He sits up, pulling me onto his lap so that I straddle him against the headboard. “About what?”

“Since tomorrow is going to be my last day, what if I start a clinic for you and your men?”

His expression immediately changes. “Chloe—”

“Just hear me out.” I place my hands on his shoulders. “Your men are always coming back injured, and some of the things they're dealing with are things I can treat. I wouldn't have to sit around doing nothing, and I could still do something I love while helping you.”

“I don't want you getting involved in my world.”

“This isn't me getting involved in your business. I'm not going out there with you, and I'm not carrying a gun or getting involved in anything dangerous. I'll stay here and take care of you and your men when they need medical attention.”

I lean forward and kiss him softly. “Please don't say no.”

He brushes a strand of hair away from my face and sighs. “You make it very hard for me to ever say no to you.”

I smile. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

I wrap my arms around him, and he pulls me into a deep kiss as I melt into him. Then he’s over me, and I’m already writhing beneath the path of his mouth as it starts down my body.

He slides into me, and I feel all of him at once, neither of us moving for a moment as I breathe against his mouth, stretched around him and already shaking, before he starts to move in long, deep strokes. He pulls almost all the way out before filling me again.