Page 45 of Scarred Hearts

A single tear escaped from my eye and trailed down my cheek, but he gently brushed it away with the soft pad of his thumb. His words echoed in my mind, stirring up a mix of emotions that I couldn’t quite name. The reality of our situation stung, but his confession made me smile despite it.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you after I left Penthouse that night,” he sighed. “I went back to try to see you. The bouncer let me in, but when I got upstairs and asked to see you, Ivan threatened to have me killed if I ever showed back up again.”

My heart raced as I processed his words, disbelief flooding through me. “What? That’s insane,” I whispered, my lips slightly parted in shock. I blinked rapidly, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying. “I had no idea. If only I’d known.”

He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I stayed in L.A. an extra week, watching the building in case you came out so I could talk to you.”

My stomach churned at the thought of him risking everything just to see me again. “They would’ve killed you,” I breathed out, feeling a sense of guilt wash over me. “I was always heavily guarded. All the staff were.”

“I didn’t give a shit,” he said firmly, placing a hand on my cheek and caressing my jaw with his thumb. “That one amazing night was worth any risk.”

As I peered deep into his eyes, I knew I needed to come clean with him about some things. But the fear of causing more worry and stress in his already troubled life held me back. His face was tense, lines forming on his forehead as he spoke.

“I’m sure many of your clients have been delusional enough to think you’d run away with them,” he said, his hand gently clasping mine in a reassuring gesture, “but that night, all I wanted was to take you and run.”

I snickered. “You wanted to kidnap me?”

A grin pulled at the side of his mouth. “No, but I’m into the thought now that you ask.” He became serious once again. “Now, I want what I can’t have, and I’m okay with that as long as you’re safe.”

I puffed out a huge breath. “I’m not datable, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Guys like the fantasy of being with someone like me,” I explained with the lazy wave of my hand, “but when it comes down to reality, they assume I would cheat on them. So, it always ends in disaster.” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “No man has ever trusted me enough to enter into a relationship with me, so I bail before we even share our first kiss. And let’s face it, stripping is one thing, but when you’re sleeping with strangers for money, it’s a completely different story.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “If you were in a relationship, though, would you still sleep with other men?”

“Absolutely not,” I replied with zero hesitation. “I mean, something like that works for some couples, and I support their decision to do so, but when I’m with a guy, I’m only with him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll dance and make other men think I want them but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. But at the end of the night, I’d go home with my man and play house and be the best wifey—” My voice trailed off when I realized he was staring at me. “Anyway, sorry.”

He lifted his hand again, tenderly caressing my cheek. “Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“Fine.” With a resigned sigh, I unbuckled my seatbelt and repositioned myself, getting on my knees in the seat.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I swung my leg over to the driver’s side and climbed into the snug space on his lap, straddling him. Rising slightly onto my knees again, I unfastened his pants, freeing his hardening cock. “No relationship, but you can still have part of me.”

“You deserve more than to be used for sex,” he murmured, his hands firmly gripping my hips as he brushed his lips against mine before placing a gentle kiss there.

“And what if I don’t want more than that?” I whispered against his mouth with a mischievous grin. Hovering above the tip of his cock, I pulled my panties to the side, tempting him with a daring look.

“Then, I suppose we’re just using each other for sex.” His voice was a low rumble, vibrating through the small space between us.

“Do you think your enemies will want to kill me just for fucking you?” I teased, my lips curling into a playful smirk.

“No,” he murmured against my skin, his hot breath grazing my neck as he pulled my bottom lip into his mouth and released it with agonizing slowness. “But they will want to kill you for stabbing one of their own in the neck.”

I eased down a bit on his rigid shaft, letting out a whimper with a coy pout. “I told you, sir, I have a temper.”

He rolled his tongue over his bottom lip, his eyes darkening with desire. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“No,” I replied, sinking down further and moaning softly, “I’m going to be your guilty pleasure and naughty little secret obsession.”

“You already are.” With those words, he crashed his lips into mine, his hands gripping my hips with possessive need.

My pussy throbbed and stretched around him, taking every inch of his thickness as he thrust me down onto it. His grunts mingling with my desperate moans caused my skin to prickle with goosebumps.

“Fuck, you feel unbelievable,” he growled, his eyes boring into mine with such intensity that it felt like I held his soul hostage. “So fucking perfect.”

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