“Open your eyes, Gwen,” he says, his voice firm yet gentle. “I want to see your reaction.”

I obey, despite the pleasure building. All I want to do is buck against his hand and throw my head back, eyes closed, but I obey. I can’t say no to him when he says things in that tone. I can’t say no when he has me in a position I’ve never been in before. My eyes flutter open to meet his gaze.

His eyes almost look midnight under his scorching gaze, and my breath comes in short, ragged gasps as I feel his two fingers slide inside of me. He fills me completely, and I moan, my head falling back as I surrender to his will. His fingers stroke my insides, pushingme closer to the edge.

“Please,” I beg, and I never fucking beg for anything, but when he slowly fucks me with one finger inside of me and his thumb drawing small circles on my already overly sensitive clit, I can’t do anything else but beg for him. For release. For more. “Don't tease me. I need to…I need to…”

“What, baby?” His deep baritone rolls over the shell of my ear, making me shudder. “What do you need to do?”

“I need you,” I whimper, my nerves killing my need to ask for my release.

Nikolai's eyes darken with lust as he leans closer, his lips brushing against my ear once more. “You have me.”

With the flick of my clit, the dam breaks. My body convulses under the crashing orgasm, rolling over me like a tidal wave. I bite down on my lip to muffle the sounds, but it is futile. The pleasure is too intense, too all-consuming. I have never given myself an orgasm like this, never crashed into a thousand pieces like this before. Nik holds me up so I can make eye contact with him.

“Good girl,” he praises softly, a wide smile on his face. Nik lazily fingers me through as I come down.

Once my body stops trembling, his fingers withdraw, and he quickly shoves them both in his mouth, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Mmm, you taste even sweeter after you’ve cum.” Nik leans over and smooths my dress back down, and without missing a beat, he snaps his fingers twice to get our waiter’s attention. "Now, let's finish our dinner."

For the rest of dinner, Nik feeds me after he leaves me too dazed to eat the most amazing bolognese I have tried, and he laughs when I timidly say thank you. It unnerves me howeagerly I accept each bite from Nik's fork. I've never allowed anyone to feed me before, yet here I am, demurely opening my mouth like some lovestruck teenager. I could almost scream at myself for how stupid I must look.

When dessert is served, I finally regain my ability to breathe evenly, and I grab my own fork and gasp, “Tiramisu? How did you know all my favorites tonight?”

“A little research does wonders, don’t you think?” Nik winks, lifting his glass of whiskey to his lips.

I pause mid-cut of my tiramisu, eyeing Nik suspiciously. "You did research on me?"

His lips curl into a smirk. “I told you I'd show you the life you deserve. Had to know what I'm working with, didn't I?” He leans back, swirling his whiskey. “Come on, don't tell me you didn't try to dig up dirt on me.”

“Oh, I had to,” I retort, savoring a bite of dessert. “I met you in an alley. For all I knew, you could've been a serial killer with great hair.”

Nik's laugh is rich and deep, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. He licks a spot of cream from the corner of his mouth, and I catch myself staring. "So," he says, leaning forward on his elbows, eyes glinting mischievously, "what did you find?"

I tap my fork against my lips, feigning nonchalance. "Well, you have one sister - gorgeous, by the way - and a brother. Though weird, I couldn't find any pictures of him after age five."

“It means he's doing his job.” Nik winks when I raise an eyebrow. “What else did you uncover?”

“Nothing,” I admit with a shrug. “You're a ghost.”

“Or,” he counters, “you don't know where to look.”

I lean in closer, unable to resist the challenge sparkling in his eyes. “Oh? And where should I be looking?”

“That’s not fair if I tell you. Besides, a man needs his secrets.”

“So does a woman, but clearly, you know where to find all my secrets. So spill."

“I learned you were raised by your father, Randolph, and Nana Rose. Riverside High valedictorian, top of your class at Georgetown in criminal law until…” He pauses, his tone softening slightly. “Your father disappeared. Now you're at the Midnight Howl, paying off…something.”

I whistle, impressed and unsettled. "Wow, you've got my whole transcript. Should I be flattered or creeped out?"

“Both?” He winks. “I also know your best friend is Kelsey - pre-K buddies, cute - and your last boyfriend was that sleazeball Jacob. Gotta say, dumping Fireball on his head? Brutal, but brilliant.”

I can't help but laugh at the memory. “He had it coming. So, I'm guessing you also discovered my love for Italian cuisine?”

Nik's smile turns softer. “That was a hunch. Your grandmother went to culinary school, specializing in Italian. I figured some of that passion might have rubbed off.”