Page 36 of Reign of Four

“I’ve missed you, malyshka.” Mikhail’s hands travel lower, beneath the edge of my skirt to touch my skin. He’s warm all over, radiating body heat through my dress and into my skin, hotter than any fire. “I’ve been going crazy thinking about you. We all have.”

Even though I can’t feel Ezra or Andrei nearby, I have no doubt that they’re watching, listening. “I’ve missed you, too. So much.” My heart aches at how much I’ve missed the three of them. Part of me believed I’d see them again, but another deeper, darker part didn’t. My throat aches as I swallow a sudden wave of sorrow despite knowing that the feeling of abandonment shouldn’t matter anymore. They are here. They chose to find me, despite the risks. Despite how much it cost them. Despite how much it hurt them.

I draw a breath as Mikhail unzips my dress from behind. The air is still chilled, pebbling my nipples, and I bite my bottom lip as a needy ache blooms deep inside my body, starting in my chest and spreading between my legs, as both my heart and my body crave to be filled.

I need their love. Their touch. Their everything.

As my dress falls to the hardwood floor, I step out and turn around. Andrei’s eyes reflect the flames, his gaze burning as he reclines in an armchair a few feet away. Ezra sits back on a couch facing the fireplace, his muscled arms thrown across its back. Both of them have shed most of their clothes, suddenly wearing nothing but matching black boxers and t-shirts. Like Andrei, Ezra’s eyes are wide open as he drinks in my body.

Mikhail hums in approval. “That’s right, love, keep your eyes on Ezra. Make sure he stays awake.” His thumbs trace circles along my waist as he sucks on my neck, creating a twin hickey beside Andrei’s from earlier. Another zing goes straight to my clit as he nips with his teeth, making me gasp.

Andrei leans forward, resting his forearms over his knees. “Show us how much you missed us, baby. Let us hear it.”

As Mikhail’s hands cup my breasts and he flicks his thumbs against my nipples, I can’t stop the moan that breaks free. All three of my men groan in unison, and it’s one of the sexiest fucking sounds I’ve ever heard.

“Do that again,” Ezra rasps, “and I will stay up all night to hear.”

Chapter 12

Valentina

Mikhail hums against my throat, the vibrations sending electric tingles through my body. My nipples tighten, and I catch Andrei licking his lips.

“Suck her tits, Mikhail.” He cups the bulge inside his boxers, giving it a squeeze. “She needs more than you’re giving her.”

“I’m taking my time,” Mikhail murmurs, laving his tongue against the fresh bruise on my neck. He hums again, cupping my breasts in his hands and giving them a squeeze. They spill out around his fingers, too heavy for one hand each. His lips brush my ear as he whispers, “I want you dripping down your thighs before I touch you, malyshka.”

My core clenches around nothing, painfully empty, as the ache for more doubles in its intensity. “Please.” The word is little more than a pathetic whimper, but Mikhail’s entire body shudders.

“Fuck, Valentina. Fuck.” He sucks in a breath. “If you beg for it, baby, you’re gonna make me come.” He clicks his tongue against his teeth. “And I’m not coming until I’m buried inside you, understand?”

I nod, but his attention has shifted to my chest. He lifts my tit, angling my nipple closer to his mouth, and swirls his tongue around its peak. My back arches, giving him better access, and he finally takes me into his mouth, sucking hard enough that my eyes slam shut. Oh. Holy shit. His tongue does wicked things with words, but now I realize how dextrous it really is as he plays with me, drawing out my pleasure with measured strokes and scrapes of his teeth. He pops off with a smirk, then switches his attention to the other side, groaning as I dig my nails into his scalp.

My eyes meet Ezra’s, and my body flushes hotter as he grips his naked cock over the waistband of his boxers. He rubs his thumb over the swollen tip in slow, steady strokes. His jaw clenches tight, dark eyes narrowed, as he watches our lewd display. On the armchair next to him, Andrei is thrusting slowly into his palm, suddenly completely naked from the waist down.

If you’d told me five years ago that I’d be naked in a room with three men—three men that I love—I would have said it’s impossible. Bratva brides aren’t shared. They’re possessions, meant only to please the man holding their leash in his iron-tight fist, and nothing more.

But the way Andrei, Mikhail, and Ezra look at me, touch me, love me . . . I’m more than their possession or plaything. Much more.

Mikhail’s attention wanders, the tug of his lips and teeth slowing as he eyes the valley between my breasts . . . and sees the marks Liam’s knife left on my skin.

A sudden rush of anxiety cools my desire, backtracking nearly all of the progress we’ve made towards my pending O. I pull his hair in a desperate attempt to get him off of me, but he pays the pain no mind and forces his face between my tits.

I shut my eyes and prepare for the worst. The ugly feeling of being marked by another man rears its head, stealing the breath from my lungs. I’m damaged goods. Touched by another. They’re not going to want me, after all, not like this?—

The flat press of Mikhail’s tongue against the lowest scar makes my knees buckle. He grabs my hips and holds me steady, swiping his tongue higher to cover every single shallow scar from the night Liam carved my wedding dress from my body. They’ve mostly healed, but the skin remains sensitive, especially when Mikhail slides the pointed tip of his tongue against them. “S-stop,” I whimper, gripping his shoulders tight. “Please.”

He flicks his molten eyes up to mine as he reaches the deepest scar, the ugliest one, and presses a tender kiss over it. “These are mine now, Valentina. You can ask me to stop, or beg with the sweetest words, or scream at me all you like. It won’t matter, because I won’t listen. Not about this.” He licks another stripe along the scars to emphasize his point, then stands at his full height. The fire behind us casts a warm glow over his features, accentuating the sharp cut of his jawline, his perfect, high cheekbones, and the seriousness of his gaze. He brushes his fingertips against my cheek, then gently cups my face in his palm. “There are few things in life I treasure, Valentina, but you are one of them. The most important one. And the things I treasure, I take care of.” He leans in close and sighs against my lips. “Let me take care of your demons, malyshka, so that you only have room for me.”

My scars itch at the memory of Liam, the demon who carved them.

I wrap my arms around Mikhail’s neck and cling to him—to the promise of leaving the pain of my past behind. The past seven days, the past seven years, all of it. The betrayal and heartbreak and death lurking around every corner. I want something new. Something brighter and warmer that glitters in the sunlight like gold.

I want to be treasured.

I want to be loved.

“Please,” I whisper, molding my body against his, feeling his warmth seep into my soul, “take me, Mikhail. I want to be yours?—”

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