It’s a nice thought, but Vladimir treats Daniil like he’s nothing more than some stray mongrel on the side of the road. I’m not sure Daniil would survive a confrontation with him and his guards.
“Aren’t you sweet?” Sliding onto the stool, I prop myself up on one upturned palm. “Fyodor will be back in a couple of days, right? We can last until then.”
“Sure.” The subtle clattering of metal brings my attention back to Daniil, but before I can see what he’s doing, he leans in and presses his lips to the side of my neck. “Until then, we can keep each other company.”
Warmth bleeds across my skin from that point of contact. With the vodka giving me a very subtle buzz and my attraction to Daniil being so strong, I give in almost instantaneously.
“I’d like that.” My words curl past my lips with a gentle hum.
Daniil places a series of slow kisses down my neck and across my shoulder, slowly pushing the strap of my top away as he does so. Suddenly, a sharp shock of cold stabs into my skin and as I gasp, it’s immediately soothed by Daniil’s hot tongue in contrast.
“What … ?”
Daniil doesn’t reply, and three bursts of cold later, it clicks. There’s an ice cube in Daniil’s mouth, and he lets it fall past his lips to touch my skin every so often. The constant mix of hot and cold sends enticing shivers all through me. They sweep up my spine, down my limbs, and nestle together in the heat between my legs.
“Good girl,” Daniil murmurs as the touch of the ice grows smaller and smaller while it melts in his mouth.
It takes all my effort to remain seated. I ache to touch him, to kiss him, and give in to the wild pleasure building inside me, but he’s playing a game and I’m here for it.
Until he winds his hand into my hair and pulls my head back.
Our lips meet, a mix of hot and cold, and Daniil feeds the remainder of the ice cube to me with his tongue. It melts in my mouth in seconds, trapped between our dancing tongues. Then he pulls me up and lifts me onto the bar.
“Fuck,” I whimper, cupping the sides of his neck to keep him in the kiss with me for as long as I can.
Eventually, he dips away and disappears underneath my skirt. Glasses clatter and roll as they’re pushed out of the way by my body when I lie down on the bar. My focus is completely on Daniil as he delicately removes my panties and then his ice-chilled tongue presses against my aching pussy.
It’s surreal. Hot and cold mingle together and my eyes roll back in my head. His tongue laps quickly against me, stroking through my folds and then forming a pointed tip to press against my clit. I bundle my hands into my skirt and manage to lift one leg onto the bar before my mind becomes mush.
He licks me everywhere, never pausing even for a breath. The pressure of his mouth combined with the insistence of his tongue is so erotic that my core pulses rhythmically, and my orgasm begins to crest far too quickly.
I try to control myself. I want to savor this moment. Daniil moans between my legs and the chill from his tongue fades as he slides it inside me and tastes my deepest place. My grip tightens so firmly on my skirt that the fabric begins to burn and nothing, not even my own determination, can keep the pleasure rising out of my throat as I come.
Daniil drinks me down, licking every sensitive inch that he can reach while his hands stroke over my calves and thighs.
“Fuck,” I gasp, panting heavily as my arched back eases down onto the bar.
“Is there more ice?” Daniil asks, pulling back from me while keeping one hand slowly stroking my inner thigh.
Rolling my head to the side, I glimpse the ice bucket and nod. “Yeah.”
“Excellent.” Sunglasses abandoned, Daniil hops up onto the bar and hovers over me. I stare up into his gorgeous honey-brown eyes and smile softly. It’s so rare to see his actual eyes that I give no thought to the deep scarring. I want to savor the sultry lust in his eyes and the pretty color.
“You know, if we?—”
The door to the bar suddenly crashes open with such force that part of the wood splinters with a sharp snap, silencing my words. Men pour in, and the ear-splitting crack of gunfire fills the air. As the bullets smash into the alcohol behind the bar, Daniil grabs my waist and throws me onto the floor, rolling on top of me.
Several more shots fire above us, tearing a scream of fright out of me even as Daniil shields me with his own body. One bullet lands in the floor a foot away with such force that the vibrations reach my palms flat against the paneling.
What the fuck is going on?
“I knew it.” The clack of Vladimir’s cane follows that croaky voice as he limps into the room after his guards. Daniil, still covering me with his own body, slowly pushes himself up.
“Vladimir, what the fuck are you playing at?”
“Me?” Vladimir stops a few feet away, and the guards flanking him keep their weapons trained on where we’re crumpled on the floor.
My heart pounds so loud I’m certain everyone can hear it and iron tinges the back of my tongue while I peer through my hair.