ARIANA
Aleksei hummed in satisfaction at my desperate plea. "Good girl." I could feel his proud smirk against my skin as he went lower, getting dangerously close to my pussy. My core thrummed with anticipation. My body buzzed like a livewire, itching to be set off by him. He knew how much he affected me, and he was having fun milking it. I gritted my teeth, fisting the sheets beside me. "I already begged you, didn't I? Stop teasing," I hissed. And what did the bastard do? He laughed. Laughed. "Retract those claws, tiger." He splayed his hand on my lower stomach, effortlessly pinning my lower half to the mattress. "If it gets too much, tap my shoulders." I stared down at the top of his dark head. "What happened to me using my words?" My tone was slightly mocking. I could practically hear his smirk. "You wouldn't be able to." And then he pressed his tongue flat against my slit, draggingARIANA His cock sprang free from its confinement, slapping against his stomach, hot and erect. My lips parted at the sight, and I swallowed. Tiny, purple veins ran up his long, thick length to the pink, bulbous tip that dripped with pearly white liquid. I'd never gone down on a man, but I now understood the appeal some got from it. My skin itched with the same need, a mix of curiosity and desire. And he wasn't lying when he implied his cock was more than a fistful. At least, now I knew where the cockiness came from. It wasn't just small talk - pun intended. "It doesn't bite." He didn't bother to hide how amused he was. "Who knew my cock could render you speechless?" He curled his fist around his girth, stroking up and down, coating his length with his precum until it glistened under his soft bedroom lights. With his other hand, he wrapped my leg around his waist, propping my ass up on his thighs. "I thought you sa
ALEKSEI I LIED. I remembered every word I said. But, I wasn't lying when I said the Russian had slipped out unconsciously. It was a habit I'd tamed a long time ago - switching between the three languages I spoke whenever I was in a heated conversation with someone or slightly irritated. It wasn't a good look for me because it was tantamount to outwardly losing my cool, and growing up in an environment like mine, it was seen as a sign of weakness, an opening for the predators to prey on you and your emotions. Now, I barely batted an eye when I was heated or irritated, and that was because I'd spent the past decade curbing this bad habit - I succeeded, too - and in just one night, she'd undone all that work. I should've taken it as my sign to disengage and get myself out of the situation before I spiraled, but hours after she'd fallen asleep, I still laid awake next to Ariana, staring down at the soft contours of he
ARIANA I DID IT. I let him touch me and make me come, and I. . . liked it. I liked it. Not only did I like it, I begged for it, too, relinquishing all the control in that bedroom to him. Who are you? I stared at my reflection on my blank phone screen. The woman on the screen looked different. I felt different, too. The last decade wasn't the kindest part of my life, and I'd woven through it not trusting men. And it wasn't for a lack of trying. I did. I went on dates, sometimes I initiated the flirting, and very few times, I'd gone in for a peck. It never went past that, though, because I always withdrew first. My therapist said it was a trauma response --- pulling back before they had the chance to hurt me --- and I couldn't deny that she was right. A person very close to me had hurt me irreparably after putting all my trust in him. What was stopping those men from doing the same? It was probab
ARIANA I COULDN'T GET PAST the appetizer round from how tightly wound my gut was. I wouldn't be able to keep anything down even if I tried. Reina sat across from me, savoring every bite of her lamb ribs while I stared at her. Never in a million years did I think she would seek me out after the hostile welcome I got from her when we visited, and my instincts told me to prepare for the worst. She couldn't have come for a good reason. I reached for my glass of water to busy myself with anything, so I didn't appear unnerved in front of her. I cleared my throat to get her attention. "So, are you going to say what you came here for, or are you going to make me watch you eat before we begin?" "The latter," she answered easily, going for another bite of food. I glared at her over the rim of my glass. "I have better things to do than to sit here and watch you eat. You know, a real job." "And you assume I'm not fa
ARIANA I was glued to my chair, unable to move a limb long after Reina excused herself to use the bathroom. My head pounded, and it threatened to burst from all the new information it had just gotten. "Get them to talk to their father," Reina had pleaded after she explained her side of the story. For once, I didn't see her as the heartless robot that pranced around with a chip on her shoulder. I'd seen the softer side of her, and it was all directed toward that asshole husband of hers. She cared about Igor and was a ride-or-die for him. With the way she spoke about him, I wouldn't be surprised if she actively put herself in harm's way to protect his life. That thought was further cemented when I asked her why she hated me when we'd only just met at the party. "I don't hate you." My mouth hung open. "And what do you call how you treated me at your house? That was unkind, and not how to treat people you cl
ALEKSEI Bravery and stupidity are the same things; the outcome determines your label. My father had drilled that saying into my head when I was eleven. It all started when I went up against a bigger kid at school for bullying Mikhail, and I got my ass handed to me. I was still just a skinny kid, and he had a group of friends just as beefed up as him. When I told my father, he'd just shaken his head at me and called me a fool. Eleven-year-old me had been furious, and I'd mouthed off to him. Of course, I got my ass handed to me again by Viktor, who my father trained alongside me at the time before Igor finally explained what he meant. "What you did wasn't wrong, Alyosha. It was brave of you to stand up for Misha against a boy like him, but it's foolish to go into wars you know you have no chance of winning. The boy was bigger and he had friends with him. You co
ARIANAI tossed and turned in bed long after the skies had turned black, and everyone in the house had retired to their various quarters.Sleep evaded me, and my pride and stubbornness wouldn't let me seek out what I truly wanted - him.I didn't want it to seem like I was the one making the first move, like I was desperate for him. Who knows? He might have been teasing me when he hinted at something happening tonight, and I'd just make a fool of myself if I approached him.Frustrated and agitated with myself, I climbed off my bed, stepping out onto the balcony to ease my racing mind.Maybe some fresh air would do me good and help calm me down. It was either that or drowning myself under the hot stream of my shower for the third time tonight.I groaned, tugging at my hair. God, I wasn't good with things like this.I looked down at myself.I even wore one of my more provocative silk nightgowns. The dress might as well be nonexistent the way it melted over my body. I bought it impulsivel
ARIANA "STOP!" I jumped out of my seat, taking the tray out of Giselle's hands as she approached me. Her smile faltered. "What? Did I do something wrong?" "Not at all!" I guided her to a chair, waiting until she took her seat before I placed the tray on the coffee table. "I'd rather you not stress yourself because of me. You're pregnant." She huffed out a laugh. "Oh, that. You're just as dramatic as Niko, if not worse. Scratch that. No one is as dramatic as him." She looked down at her stomach. "It's just a tiny bump. I don't get why everyone is freaking out." "Niko is right. You are carrying a human inside of you. You need to rest." "Technically, it's still a fetus. And according to the doctors, doing some cardio here and there doesn't hurt." "How many times did you go over that argument with Niko?" She groaned, throwing her head back against the couch. "Five and still counting. He won't liste
ALEKSEInineteen years ago"Why do you keep coming here?" The slurred words filled my ears as I mopped the dried vomit stuck to the floor. "I tried to kill you before. Do you think I couldn't do it again?"It was ten in the morning, and Mom was already drunk. I couldn't remember the last time she was fully sober. Or nice. Now, she was always so angry and mean."Don't ignore me, you brat!" She snapped, tossing her half-empty bottle of beer at me. The alcohol dulled her aim, and the bottle crashed into pieces at my feet instead of hitting my head like she intended.I sighed, wiping the sweat off my brow. At this rate, I wouldn't be done with cleaning before the nanny dropped Misha off. "I'm here because you're lonely all the time."Dad couldn't care less about her, and he hadn't come to see her since he kicked her out. She would have no one if Misha and I abandoned her, too."Don't pity me, bastard!" She threw another bottle at me. "And don't look at me with those ugly eyes!"I dropped
ALEKSEInineteen years ago"Why do you keep coming here?" The slurred words filled my ears as I mopped the dried vomit stuck to the floor. "I tried to kill you before. Do you think I couldn't do it again?"It was ten in the morning, and Mom was already drunk. I couldn't remember the last time she was fully sober. Or nice. Now, she was always so angry and mean."Don't ignore me, you brat!" She snapped, tossing her half-empty bottle of beer at me. The alcohol dulled her aim, and the bottle crashed into pieces at my feet instead of hitting my head like she intended.I sighed, wiping the sweat off my brow. At this rate, I wouldn't be done with cleaning before the nanny dropped Misha off. "I'm here because you're lonely all the time."Dad couldn't care less about her, and he hadn't come to see her since he kicked her out. She would have no one if Misha and I abandoned her, too."Don't pity me, bastard!" She threw another bottle at me. "And don't look at me with those ugly eyes!"I dropped
ALEKSEINinety minutes later, the pianist had wrapped up her performance, and Ariana was fangirling over her at the side, where they conversed animatedly.I'd accidentally stumbled upon her conversation with her best friend on the phone a while ago. Apparently, they were big fans of the pianist, and they'd missed the opportunity to get tickets to her New York show before they sold out.Deo happened to be hosting an event for a few acquaintances, and I found he'd hired her services for the night. Long story short, I made him kick out a few intended guests to take their spots.How Viktor was one of the few guests in attendance remained a mystery to me, and Deo refused to tell. Speaking of Viktor...I turned slightly in my seat, tearing my gaze off Ariana for a few seconds to find Viktor in the crowd. He stood quietly to the side, nursing a glass of wine—his preferred drink of choice—while he leaned his weight against the walls of the glass dome.I followed the
ALEKSEIOLD ME WOULD BE balking at current me.Not only had I skipped work for forty-eight hours—and counting; I'd also taken a flight out of New York for reasons unrelated to my work. Both choices were unlike me.My entire adult years revolved around work, and it was a conscious decision I had taken because I was avoiding everything else around me.The one thing I feared the most was coming to fruition right before my very eyes, but my brain had completely turned off when it came to dealing with this woman, it seemed.The very thing I made the decision to run away from when I was ten stood in front of me in the form of a frowning, five-foot-nothing woman, who looked at me like she wanted chop my dick off.Maybe losing control wasn't so bad, after all."Tell me!" Ariana whined, grabbing onto my forearm to stop me from moving forward."It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now, would it?""Ugh, you suck." She let go of my arm, turning to walk in
ARIANAHe did scrub me clean, but it didn't end there.He made me sit still while he dried and brushed my hair for me. And color me surprised when I walked into the closet to find clothes all in my size next to his—clothes I was sure I never purchased for myself—and all my care products I didn't remember telling him about.Now I was perched on the couch, watching him frolic around the kitchen because he didn't want me to lift a finger. More than sixty minutes passed with me scrolling through endless movie options on Netflix before he rounded the counter with a tray of food and drinks.I sat up straight, adjusting the pillows around me as he approached the couch.This was my second time seeing him in casual clothing. That one time back in Russia didn't count because he took off the sweatpants almost immediately, and I never got a good look at him because I was trying not to pay attention to him.Big mistake on my part because he looked just as gorgeous in his
ARIANA"Currently my type is a blonde, five-foot-four spitfire. Kind as fuck, too stunning for this world, gets mad for my sake. What's not to love?"My breath hitched in my chest. I didn't miss his less than subtle use of the L-word."Also, her protectiveness turns me the fuck on, and her nonchalance after she gets called out on it is even better. And that smart mouth of hers..." he trailed off."And what about it?""I could listen to it talk about the most mundane things, and I still wouldn't get tired of listening to her sweet voice."I released the shaky breath I was holding. I didn't realize those were the things he thought of me, and I'd be lying if I said I was unaffected by his words. "Currently?""Hm?""You said currently. Are you looking to change your type again?" "Depends. Is she going to dye her hair a different color again?""Maybe?" I hid my smile."Then the list will be updated." His lips hovered over mine seductively. "Do
ARIANAI STIRRED OUT OF my slumber, slowly blinking my eyelids open to take in my surroundings.Where was I?This didn't look like my bedroom, and neither did it look like Aleksei's. For some reason, I was also sore. What the hell happened last night?I pushed my hair out of my face, trying to sit up on my bed, but a thick arm around my waist prevented me from doing so, pulling me closer into a muscular, warm body."Where are you going, baby?" Aleksei's sleepy mumble drifted into my ears as he buried his face in my neck, tightening his grip around my waist."Nowhere."Memories from last night played in my head like a movie.Aleksei picking me up from Niko's house; me asking him to fuck me, and then him bringing us to this penthouse. The remaining details didn't need to be recounted in my head. My body could feel it.I buried my face in my palm, groaning quietly as my words from last night bombarded my head. I couldn't believe I'd said half the thi
ALEKSEI I LET MY EYES briefly fall shut as I slid in to the hilt, burying myself deep in her warm heat. Her walls tightened around my cock despite her not having full control of her body yet, and she whimpered softly, clawing at the sheets. It was hard to tear my eyes off her face. She was flawless in every sense of the word from her long lashes that spilled over high cheekbones to her full lips parted with pleasure, to the slight pinch between her perfectly arched brows. I lowered my lips to her forehead, softly kissing the wrinkle between her brows away. Her cheeks flushed a slight pink, and she tried turning her face away from me. This woman. I just made her come twice, once on my tongue and once around my cock. Yet she still blushed over a little kiss on her forehead, like I didn't have my cock inside of her right now, fucking her to the brink of another orgasm. I smiled to myself. Of course, she got shy over a kiss lik
ARIANAMY BACK ARCHED OFF the bed as he thrust in slowly, filling me inch by excruciating inch until I was sure I'd explode if I took any more of him."Fuck," I cried out, hiding my face in the crook of his neck as pain seared through my body.Aleksei stopped moving. "Don't look away from me, Solnyshko. I want to see your face." His fingers sank into my hair, gently pulling my head back. Worry filled his eyes when they clashed with mine. "Tell me how you feel.""Full," I admitted. "It hurts a little.""That's just the tip, baby. Are you sure we shouldn't stop?"My eyes rounded into saucers. "Just the tip?"I looked down at where we were joined, and my jaw dropped.Oh, fuck. He wasn't lying.God, I knew he was huge - I'd felt it in my palms when I touched him - but I didn't expect him to be that huge that I mistook just a few inches for the entire length of his cock.Nonetheless, I shook my head, even though I damn well knew I was dancing with