I want to believe him, to trust that he can make a plan that won’t end in bloodshed. But I’m not sure that’s even possible at this point.
He cups my face, his eyes smoldering, shadows flickering in their depths. “You’re mine, Sofiya. You’ve been mine since the moment you stepped into that Greek chapel.”
“Tell me there’s no one else,” I whisper. “That I’m the only one.”
I feel so vulnerable asking him this, but I need to know if there are other women, like Eva, still in the picture.
“There’s never been anyone else, and there never will be.”
The raw truth in his tone steals my breath. No one has ever made me feel like this. Seen. Important. Cared for.
His fingers continue their descent, gliding over the curve of my breast and slipping between my legs to ease my shorts aside.
My thighs part, warmth igniting in my core. I can’t resist him, and I’m not going to try anymore. The moment his fingertips brush over my slit, my mouth drops open.
His free hand tangles in my hair, pulling as his fingers slide inside me. The stretch is perfect, the pressure so intoxicating that a low moan escapes me.
“Promise you’ll dance for me soon,” he growls against my skin. “I want to see you just as you were onstage. Free.”
My breath stutters as he teases my clit, giving it a small pinch. My hips jolt forward, but I meet his gaze with a challenge. “And what are you going to do for me?”
His mouth curves into a wicked smile. “Pretty please, moya sladost.” He slides his hands beneath my ass, dragging my shorts off, spreading me wide like I’m his favorite meal.
“I’ll eat your pussy as often as you like.”
“You already do.” I laugh softly, but it quickly dissolves into a sharp inhale as his tongue sweeps through my folds, slow and deliberate at first, before growing more insistent, each flick and stroke making my eyes roll back.
A whine slips from my lips as he tightens his grip on my ass and buries his tongue inside of me. Every nerve in my body sparks to life, tuned to the electricity of his touch.
“Niko.” I draw in a ragged breath, my back arching off the bed. All I can do is clutch the sheet as he devours me. He knows exactly how to make me unravel.
Even if this is all we’ll ever be. Even if this moment is fleeting, something we’ll both look back on when everything falls apart. Even if the future holds nothing but heartbreak, I’ll take this—this feeling of being wanted, of being his, even if it’s temporary.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
NIKOLAI
“This is it,”I announce, removing the blindfold I insisted Sofiya wear, not wanting to ruin a moment of the surprise. I push the door open and step aside, allowing her to walk in first.
She crosses the threshold, her head turning this way and that, soaking up every detail of the studio space around her. It’s pretty basic. A wall of mirrors, a worn wooden floor, and a barre lining the wall. When she turns to face me, her eyes shine, her smile stretching so wide it’s impossible not to feel the pull of it.
“You’re kidding,” she says, shaking her head. “This is my dance school?”
I nod, leaning against the doorframe, as she spins on the spot. “All yours,” I confirm.
She’s wearing a sweet red polka-dotted dress that flutters around her milky thighs, her auburn hair tumbling down her back. But it’s the awe in her expression that makes me feel something—something I didn’t think I was capable of feeling anymore.
I never had Christmas mornings growing up. I didn’t know the thrill of opening presents or watching someone else unwrap the perfect gift. Well, not entirely.
One year, I’d saved everything I had to buy Sergey a teddy bear from Moscow’s most luxurious kid’s toy store. The joy on his face when he opened it was enough to make me forget how much I had skimped and saved for months.
This moment feels like that—only more significant.
She grabs my shirt, her lips finding mine in a lingering kiss. When she pulls back, her voice is breathless. “Take me on the grand tour.”
I chuckle, grazing my knuckles along her cheek. “Where do you want to start? There is a second floor with another small studio, changing rooms, a staff room and an office.”