Page 141 of Merciless Queen

To think, the day I stalked her in this club I was so certain it’d be over. That years of hatred and planning would come to an end. It was such a simple, straightforward plan that took a deep dive off the bridge, drowning me alongside it.

When I saw her on this balcony from across the room, I knew she’d be dangerous. Now, as I kneel in front of her, offering all I am and accepting the bit of herself she’ll grant me, she’s so much more than dangerous. She’s deadly. She’s everything wrong. Everything I need to stay clear of.

Because she’s everything I want.

Vanessa’s dark eyes flick to the balcony railing far behind us, her pupils expanding with what I hope to be excitement. “Sounds like no sweeter ending.”

“I want you, Miss Volkov.” I slide my nose down the line of her jaw, inhaling the sweet scent of peril. Of a fire about to burn me alive. “Any way you’ll let me have you.” My hands slide from the couch toward her arms, cuffing around her wrists but pausing for her reaction.

She licks her bottom lip, and while I want to take that as permission, I know Vanessa’s desire for control. “Signora, how can I serve you?”

She picks up on the parallel immediately. Like that night in her bedroom, when I had her against her door and myself on her knees, I’m a soldier awaiting his next command.

Before she answers, I release her wrists to trail my fingers over her knee and to the edge of her dress. I pause at the material, searching her expression. Her parted lips and stillness as she waits for my next move. Two hunters, both prey.

“I want you to relinquish control,miaregina.”

A strange look comes over her expression and when I assume I’ve fucked up, when the reminder of her past hits me like a brick, she says, “The last man to try to dominate me, I kicked across my room. I couldn’t handle it. When you had me pinned on your lawn, I didn’t mind. It felt—” She cuts off, pressing her mouth together, unwilling to gift me the complete truth.

I imagine the numerous possible endings.

It felt right.

It felt good.

It felt comfortable.

She cups my face again, unveiling my very soul with her intense gaze. “For tonight, I’m yours to command, Zeno.”

It’s no small thing for Vanessa to give up her domination. What she may not realize is she’s still in control. With a single look from her, a muttered command, she’d own me all over.

“Lean back,” I whisper against her mouth, and after a few-second hesitation she obeys. Her legs naturally fall to the side,and with a gentle prod, I have them spread wider, situating myself between them.

With barely-there touches, I trail my hands up her thighs, nudging her dress up to her waist as I go. Her legs are tense, but with a quick pass, she shudders, her sigh unwinding her body.

Between her legs is a small scrap of pink, and the feminine colour strikes me, while it also suits her. Her legs spread wider, inviting me in as my fingers lightly dance over the pink, feeling heat beneath. Her breath hikes and while I long to look at her face, I’m not sure I’m ready to utterly lose myself quite yet.

“I’ve been dreaming of doing this again since the first time I tasted you.”

Then I place my head between her thighs, brushing my mouth on the skin above her knee. She twitches, but my hands stabilize her while I nip up her thigh until reaching her core. I skip over the silk to do the same to her other leg, teasing her senses before completing another lap, this time pressing open-mouthed kisses, nips, and licks until reaching the slim expanse of skin at the top of her thighs.

“Z-Zeno.”

“Shh,” I murmur into her skin. “Let me.”

Shockingly, she obeys so I reward her with an open-mouthed kiss over the pink silk. She jerks beneath my mouth, her hands fisting on the couch as a soft sound comes from her. I push my tongue against the silk, tasting and smelling her sweet desire through the thin material, and my cock jumps to attention, eager for what’s to come.

I vow not to be inside her until I kiss every inch of her body because if this is the final time I’ll get to have her, then I’ll imprint myself on every part of her. The next time she fucks a man, it’s me she’ll smell like. Me she’ll think about even as another’s tongue is on her, another cock inside her.

Possessiveness and jealousy surge through my veins and my hands grip her hips tighter as I scrape my teeth over the most sensitive part of her, punishing her for the fact that there will be others after me.

“Zeno,” she sighs, and immediately, my body calms. For now, I’m her entire world. For now, I’ll have to accept that.

“God, you taste good.”

“I’d taste better if you removed the panties.” Amusement chimes in her breathy suggestion.

“I enjoy denying myself.” My mouth waters as I kiss down her leg again and begin tugging the material down. She shifts to help me remove them. When she’s bare, her clit is way too fucking tempting to continue denying myself.

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