Page 30 of Embrace of the Russian Tiger

I swallowed hard, my pulse racing. “No. But I think I’ve seen enough.”

He stood abruptly, closing the distance between us in a single, swift movement. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating in the best way, and I had to fight the urge to back away. My heart pounded in my chest, but I held my ground, refusing to let him intimidate me.

“You don’t know half of what I’ve done,” he said, his voice hard, though I could see the flicker of pain in his eyes. “The things I’ve done to protect what I built.”

“Tell me. What have you done?” I whispered, my voice shaking with the intensity of the emotions coursing through me. “

His breath hitched, just for a moment, and I knew I had struck something deep. Something he wasn’t ready to face. But I couldn’t stop now.

“You can push me away all you want, Maxim, but it won’t change what’s happening,” I said, my voice gaining strength as I spoke. “It won’t change the fact that I see you. The real you. And I’m not afraid.”

His eyes darkened, and before I could say anything else, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist and pulling me against him. The air between us was electric, charged with a tension that hadbeen building for weeks, and my body reacted to his touch in ways I couldn’t control.

“You should be afraid,” he whispered, his voice low and rough, his breath hot against my skin. “I’m not a good man, Anna. I’ve done things that would make you really hate me. Not the hate you like to say you feel for me right now. Real hate.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse racing. “I won’t hate you.”

His grip on my wrist tightened, his eyes searching mine as if he were looking for something—some sign of fear, of hesitation. But I wasn’t afraid. Not of him. Not anymore.

His other hand moved to my waist, pulling me even closer until our bodies were flush against each other, the heat of him searing through my clothes. I could feel the tension in him, the way he was holding himself back, like he was on the edge of something he couldn’t control.

And then, without warning, his lips crashed down on mine.

The kiss was intense, desperate, like he was claiming me, marking me as his. But beneath the hunger, beneath the need, there was something deeper, something raw and unspoken. I kissed him back with equal fervor, my hands fisting in his shirt as I pulled him closer, needing more. Needing everything.

We stumbled backward, his hands moving to cup my face as he guided me toward the bed. My heart raced, my body igniting with every touch, every kiss. I had been fighting this for so long, fighting the pull between us, but now that it was happening, I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to.

He laid me down gently, his body hovering over mine as his lips trailed down my neck, his hands exploring every inch of me. My breath hitched as his fingers moved beneath my shirt, skimming over my bare skin, igniting a fire inside me that I couldn’t control.

"Maxim..." I whispered, my voice trembling with desire.

He didn’t respond with words. Instead, his lips found mine again, his kiss demanding and consuming. His hands were everywhere, setting my skin on fire as they moved over my body, exploring, claiming.

I arched into him, my breath coming in ragged gasps as his hands moved lower, his touch sending shivers down my spine. I felt like I was losing myself, losing all sense of control, and I didn’t care. Not in that moment.

His hands dipped lower, his fingers teasing the waistband of my pants before slipping beneath, and I let out a soft gasp as he found exactly what I needed. His touch was rough, urgent, but there was something else there too—something tender, something vulnerable.

I moaned his name, my body arching against him as he continued to work me, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as I kissed him, desperate for more, for everything.

And then, just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, just when I was teetering on the edge of release, he pulled back, his lips hovering over mine, his breath ragged.

"You don’t know what you’re doing to me," he whispered, his voice rough with desire.

I reached up, cupping his face in my hands as I pulled him down for another kiss. "Then show me."

His hands gripped my thighs with a bruising force, spreading them wide as his mouth descended on me like a predator closing in on its prey. There was no hesitation, no gentleness—only raw hunger and need. His lips trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, igniting a fire that burned hotter with every touch. I could feel the heat of his breath against me, so close yet agonizingly teasing.

"God, you taste so fucking good," he growled against me, his voice rough, dripping with desire. His fingers dug into my skin,keeping me pinned in place, spreading me wider as his mouth inched closer, deliberately taking his time, driving me insane. I gasped for air, my hips bucking involuntarily, but he held me down, his strength overpowering any movement I tried to make.

"You’re not going anywhere," Maxim’s voice was dark, commanding, sending a shiver straight down my spine. "You’re going to stay right here until I’ve had every inch of you. Until I’ve made you scream my name."

I whimpered, clawing at the sheets beneath me, desperate for more, for his mouth, his touch, anything to relieve the aching need that pulsed through me. My body tensed under the skilled assault of his tongue as it finally found me, circling my most sensitive spot with such precision that I thought I might lose my mind. Every flick, every stroke drove me higher, pushing me closer to the edge, and I couldn’t stop the soft cries that escaped my lips.

"Fuck, you’re already soaking for me," he muttered, his mouth never leaving me as he devoured me with an intensity that bordered on brutal. "You want me so bad, don’t you? I can feel how much you want it."

His words sent a shockwave of arousal through me, and I couldn’t help but moan his name, lost in the sensations that consumed me. "Maxim... please... I?—"

He cut me off, his grip on my thighs tightening, pulling me even closer as his tongue moved faster, teasing, torturing. "You don’t get to beg yet," he growled, his voice vibrating against me, sending jolts of pleasure deep into my core. "Not until I’ve decided you’ve earned it."

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