Page 6 of Kissed By Shadows

“I’m so close,” I moan, my back arching as my nerve endings tingle.

“Come for me then,Solinishko,” he demands, letting go of my wrists, his hand working between us to pinch my clit hard.

I. Fucking. Shatter.

My body goes completely rigid, my spine bowing as I come so hard my vision wavers. My bound hands grab the pillow above me, my legs shaking and trembling as he keeps pounding into me, his moves becoming uncoordinated and erratic.

“Suka!” he growls, thrusting so deep that I whimper, his body stiffening as he gives little pulses, filling me up with his climax.

A breath huffs out of me when he drops down over my body, covering me with his sweat-slicked skin.

“Shit, Nik, that was…”

Words fail me as even my teeth fucking tingle, and we both groan when he chuckles and my inner walls tighten around him.

“You’re perfect,” he whispers, pressing his lips against mine and kissing me hard, our breaths panting and intermingling until we share the same oxygen. “My beautiful, perfect, Iris.”

He unties my hands, tossing the tie aside and I hold him close, loving the feel of his weight on me, even if he is crushing me into the mattress. It grounds me, lets me know that although my life may have changed irrevocably, I still have Nikolai.

My friend.

My protector.

My soulmate.

CHAPTER THREE

“ELASTIC HEART” BY SAMI ROSE

IRIS

“Let’s run you a bath,” Nikolai says after several moments of lying in each other’s arms. “Do you have any bath salts?”

“I think so.” I stretch when he gets up, my nose wrinkling at the slight throbbing between my thighs and the stickiness that coats the inside of them.

Sitting up, I scoot over to the edge of the bed, the red slash across the sheet capturing my attention. My heart skips a beat as I stare at the stain, at the proof that I am no longer a virgin. I’m torn, a mixture of elation and sadness filling me. I finally know what it’s like to have a man inside me, to be connected so completely to someone else, and it was with my childhood crush, the boy I fell for so many years ago. But it wasn’t after several dates, after reconnecting and taking things at our own pace. Thiswas forced upon both of us, and that mars the pleasure that has loosened my muscles, which is still running through my veins.

“I’ll change them while you soak,Solinishko,” Nikolai says, emerging from my bathroom, the sound of water splashing into the tub drawing my gaze away from the proof of my virginity.

“You don’t have to,” I tell him, a blush staining my cheeks as I get up. I suddenly feel unsure, my arms coming up to wrap around myself as a shiver pebbles my skin in goosebumps.

“But I want to,” he replies, walking over to me and pulling me into his embrace, my arms automatically unwrapping to return the hug. My body immediately relaxes into his, his juniper scent full of a male musk that I’m really loving and can’t help nestling into, the touch of our skin exciting and comforting. “And my father will need to see them.”

I stiffen in his arms, unbidden tears filling my eyes. I fucking hate this, hate that something which was so special is being tainted by that vile man.

“I hate that he’s spoiling this,” I whisper, a single tear slipping down my cheek.

“Me too,Solnishka.” He sighs, my head moving up and down with his deep inhale. “But he can never take away tonight, what we’ve shared. That’s for us alone.”

My chest aches, and I pull away just enough so that I can look into his eyes. They’re not hard like his father’s. They’re full of compassion. I’ve no idea how he’s kept his goodness all these years, lord knows Sergi has tried to beat it out of him. I always knew about the punishments and harsh training, Nikolai could never quite hide the black eyes and bruises, although we never spoke about them. I just patched him up in silence, my heart hurting for the boy who was always kind to me. My lips part as the realisation hits me like a slap to the face.

I love Nikolai, I always have done.

The way he used to play childish games with me, even when I knew he was so much older than me, he’d never complain. The letters he’s been sending me for the past few years, always making me laugh and feel good about myself, even when I complained about how boring my etiquette lessons were, how I longed for something more. He was there, telling me with his written words that I would be exactly who I wanted to be because I was a force to be reckoned with. He made me believe in myself when I thought that all I was worth was what I could bring to a husband. Those letters were almost angry, telling me that I was allowed my own dreams, that I could do whatever I wanted to set my mind to.

“Nikolai, I l—” He presses a finger against my lips, his head shaking sadly.

“Don’t say it,Solinishko,” he sighs, his eyes tormented, and a shudder falls over me, my chest flaring in pain at being denied the need to tell him how I feel. “Not yet, save it for another day.”

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