Page 40 of Innocently Imprisoned By the Bratva

"Me?" I scoff incredulously. "Why the hell would I want that?"

"Maybe because you're not used to being tied down to one woman," she retorts, her hands crossing defensively over her chest. “I’ve heard the rumors about all the supermodels and secretaries. I’ve seen you around the office, always laughing along with some blonde or skinny redhead.”

"Are you kidding me?" I snap, my patience evaporating. "That's rich coming from someone who just suggested we should see other people."

"Only because I thought it's what you wanted!" she exclaims, her voice cracking slightly.

"Damn it, Pippa!" I slam my palm against the steering wheel in frustration. "You should know by now that you're the only one I want. You've got me wrapped around your finger, for fuck's sake."

"Really?" Her voice is small and vulnerable, and my heart clenches in my chest.

"God, yes." I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling. But the truth is I don’t want to lie to you. In the past, I did sleep with multiple women, dated around, and had a few office affairs. But that’s all in the past now. Don’t you understand?” I lean over and caress her cheek lightly. “There was always this void in my heart with those women. With you, that void doesn’t exist.”

Pippa's gaze flickers away from mine, and she hesitates before confessing, "I don't like the idea of you being with someone else either. I know it's stupid, but it makes me… jealous."

"Jealous?" I repeat, taken aback by her admission. "You have nothing to be jealous of, Pippa. You're it for me, you hear? As for why I didn’t tell that secretary off at work today, I just didn’t want to make things awkward and obvious. When women flirt, I let them down gently. But I will make my boundaries clear, and you will never have to witness anything like what happened today. I promise. Now, I’d rather we take this whole date-other-people bullshit off the table now because I want you, Pippa Anderson.”

"Really?" she asks, her eyes wide and searching.

"Really," I confirm, reaching over to tuck a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear. "You've turned my world upside down in the best possible way."

Her cheeks flush with a pretty pink hue, and I can't resist leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips. The tension between us shifts, our earlier argument is forgotten as desire flares between us.

"Lev," Pippa whispers against my mouth, her hands fisting in my shirt.

“God, Pippa,” I moan, unbuckling my seat belt and leaning closer to her, taking her lips back against mine.

She puts her hands behind my neck and arches into me, pulling me closer. The car gear gets between us.

“Wait, wait, Pippa,” I tell her, pulling away. She looks at me with her lips parted, like I’m depriving her of oxygen, and I quickly readjust her seat to make it recline back in its entirety. The movement takes her by surprise and she giggles nervously as she falls back with the chair, now in a horizontal position.

"Fuck" I groan, unable to hold back any longer. I scramble over and position myself above her, balancing myself with both hands on either side of her. "I want you."

“I want you too,” she whispers, holding her neck up to nibble at my ear.

The way she says it, so soft and husky, makes my cock jerk in response. But I have to be wise.

I press my forehead against hers, trying to control my desire. "I know you do," I murmur, my voice thick with emotion. "And I want you just as much. But we're in a public place."

"I wouldn't mind," Pippa says, her eyes smoldering with desire.

"Neither would I," I admit, my voice rough. "But it's not about us right now, it's about respecting the boundary between us and them. I won't take advantage of you, Pippa."

"You wouldn't," she says, her trust in me shining in her eyes.

“Baby,” I tell her, one hand gently roaming her curves, feeling the heat of her body beneath my fingertips. “Your first time… it should be special.”

She frowns, a flash of anger overcoming her face. “It’s special wherever it is, Lev. With you. Or am I not good enough for you?”

There it is, that same flash of jealousy I’m trying so very hard to eradicate from her. If this is what she needs to know she’s special, then so be it.

“Never, ever ask me that again,” I say ferociously, slamming my lips against hers and pushing her down against the seat. I hold her chin in my hand as I kiss her lips till they swell and part, letting my tongue roam in her mouth.

She moans beneath me, wriggling ever so gently.

I pull apart, checking one final time. "Here? In the car?" I ask, breathless, even as I arch into her touch.

"Unless you don’t want me," she teases, nipping at my lower lip playfully.

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