Page 17 of Savage Reign

“I realize you’re enjoying the show, but our jet’s ready and prepared for takeoff. I’d like to get out of here in case her guards realize she’s not home.”

I finish my whiskey, savoring the burn before setting the glass down. “Doubt it. They won’t realize she’s missing until morning.” I glance back at the dance floor. “We can’t drag her away, not with a crowd this size. We wait for the right moment.”

He checks his watch. “Eventually, they’ll need a bathroom break or to get more drinks. I’ll handle her friends; you focus on your… bride.” His lips twitch.

“Why don’t you make a new friend to pass the time.” With my head, I gesture to the blonde in the corner who hasn’t looked away from Vadim once.

He huffs a laugh and then wanders off, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I’m not ready to break the spell yet. I want to watch her some more, to savor the chemistry between us. Because after tonight, she’s going to hate me. I’d hate me, too. What I’m about to do is nothing short of ruthless—but that’s the price of my endgame, and it’s one I’m willing to pay.

When I catch sight of Sofiya again, she’s talking with her friends. The woman with the dark bob whispers something in her ear, and Sofiya shakes her head in response. Her friend nods, and the two of them turn around, leaving her alone in the crowd.

For a second time tonight, I want to take her over my knee. What the hell is she thinking, splitting off from her friends? She has no idea how vulnerable she is. She’ll learn soon enough.

The DJ drops a popular track, and half the club surges onto the dance floor as a laser show flickers overhead. Sofiya slips from view, swallowed up in the sea of bodies.

I scan the floor again and again, but I can’t find her. My pulse kicks up, and pressure builds beneath my ribs. Damn it. A club like this is full of trouble, and the last thing I need is something happening to her. Against all logic, a fierce urge to protect her flares up, and I’m about to go down there myself to find her when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

Acting on pure instinct, I spin around, seizing the person by the throat and pinning them to the wall. It takes me a second to register who it is. Sofiya. My grip on her throat loosens instantly, her pulse thumping beneath my fingers. Her chest rises and falls, her eyes wide and locked on mine.

Fuck, did I hurt her? But she doesn’t look hurt. She looks… turned on. The air between us is charged, our bodies nearly touching. I try to decipher what she wants from me, but she makes it easy when she wraps her hand around the front of my shirt and pulls me toward her.

Our lips meet in a searing kiss. For a second, I hold back. Is she drunk? Considering I haven’t let her out of my sight, I don’t think that’s it. She hasn’t had anything more to drink.

No, this is something else. The girl who danced her heart out tonight just wants to let loose—with me. And damn if I’ll be the one to stop her.

My tongue plunges into her mouth, tangling with hers, and I can’t help but groan against her lips. She tastes like forbidden fruit, sweet and tempting, with a hint of the shot she had earlier.

A moan releases from her lips, and her palm flattens against my chest, her fingers splaying over my racing heart. I keep my hand loosely clasped around her throat, my thumb caressing the delicate hollow at the base of her neck. My other hand drifts to her waist, hauling her body against mine as I deepen the kiss.

The sharp pop of a champagne bottle, followed by the rowdy cheers of a nearby group, breaks the spell. Fuck. It takes everything in me to pull away because if we continue like this, we’re going to attract some unwanted attention.

“Well, that was unexpected but very fucking welcome,” I grit out, still catching my breath.

Her eyes flicker. “Is there a place where we can be alone?”

I scan her face. She seems fiercer now, bolder than she used to be.

I shouldn’t even be considering it. I should take her and be done with it. Because if I fuck her, even this once, it’s only going to mess with my head. A taste of something I’ll never have again. She rises on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine again. I swear, the way her mouth moves against mine makes my brain short-circuit.

Fuck… this is a terrible idea, but I don’t have the willpower to say no.

“Is that what you want? For us to be alone?” I ask when I pull away.

She nods and bites her full bottom lip. My pulse kicks up a notch. I’ll give her what she wants, but afterward, she won’t go back to her friends and her neatly laid-out life. She’s coming with me.

I push down the contesting voices in my head telling me how fucked-up I am, and I silently grab her hand, moving through the crowd. I spot Vadim at the bar, watching us. He doesn’t move a muscle, his face unreadable, but I know he’s questioning my decision. Hell, I’m questioning myself, but that won’t stop me.

We make our way down a narrow, dimly lit hallway meant for staff that I scoped out earlier. It’s grimy, nothing like the main club, but it leads to the back alley where our car is waiting. I’ll fuck her in the back seat, make her come as many times as she’d like in many different ways before I take her.

But before the exit, she hesitates, stopping us both.

“Where are you taking me?” she demands.

“My car is parked out back.”

Her hands land on her hips. “I can’t leave the club… My friends are here.” She looks away, fidgeting with the strap of her purse. “Isn’t there a bathroom or something?”

I smile, tracing my finger along her jawline. “A nice girl like you doesn’t deserve to be fucked in a bathroom.”

---