Page 124 of Beautiful Cruelty

But I don't.

Because I'm Pyotr's son.

Everything I touch turns to ash eventually.

But I can't help the fierce protectiveness that surges through me as I hold Lacey against my chest. Her soft curves fit perfectly against my body, like she was made to be here. When I press my lips to her forehead, she smiles in her sleep, and my heart clenches.

This feels right. Too right.

I press my lips to her temple, breathing in the citrus-lavender scent of her hair. She deserves better than a man whose love is more dangerous than his hatred.

A warning voice screams in my head, reminding me of the danger.

Sayanaa is still out there, angry and vengeful. The shot that killed Irina was meant for Lacey. I'm sure of it. And more than anything, I'm sure that it was Sayanaa who pulled the trigger herself.

Getting close to Lacey now, letting myself feel this... it's selfish. Dangerous.

But I don't want to let her go. I can't let her go.

Her warm breath fans across my chest, and I memorize every detail, from the silky strands of her hair between my fingers, to the delicate flutter of her eyelashes, and count the gentle rise and fall of her chest against mine as the sky outside grows brighter.

I watch Lacey's eyes flutter open, still heavy with sleep. A soft smile curves her lips as she stretches against me like a contented cat..

"Hi," she whispers, voice husky.

All my dark thoughts evaporate. In this moment, there is only her radiance, her warmth, her inherent goodness that still remains in spite of the violence I've brought into her life.

My chest tightens as she gazes up at me with those amber-flecked eyes that hide nothing.

Her fingertips trace my jaw, feather-light. "You're thinking very loudly."

I capture her hand and press a kiss to her palm. "Not anymore."

She rises up to meet my lips in a gentle kiss that makes my breath catch. Her mouth is soft, yielding, yet there's an underlying heat that makes my blood surge. When her tongue teases the seam of my lips, I groan and pull her closer.

Her hand slides down my chest, leaving trails of fire in its wake. Lower and lower until her fingers wrap around my cock, coaxing it to hardness with practiced strokes. I break the kiss to catch my breath as pleasure ripples through me.

"Lacey..." Her name falls from my lips like a prayer.

Her hand tightens around me, and I groan as she strokes me to full hardness. I can’t help the way my hips buck into her touch,craving more. She shifts, her thighs straddling my hips, and I feel the heat of her against me. My hands grip her waist, but she slaps them away with a smirk.

“I told you last night,” she whispers, her voice low and teasing. She leans down, her lips brushing my ear. “I want to feel something.”

“Haven't you felt enough,zvyozdochka?”

Her teeth sink into my neck, sharp and sudden. When she pulls back, her eyes are dark with desire.

“Not nearly enough."

Before I can respond, she sinks down onto me, taking me in one smooth motion. I groan, my head falling back against the pillow as she starts to move. She rides me fast, her hips rolling with a reckless abandon that leaves me breathless. Her hands brace against my chest, her nails digging into my skin as she leans down to bite my collarbone.

“Lacey,” I growl.

But she doesn’t slow down. Her teeth find my chest next, and I gasp, pain mingling with the pleasure in a way that drives me wild.

She’s relentless, her movements desperate, as if she’s trying to lose herself in this moment.

Her breath comes in short, sharp gasps, and I can feel her tightening around me. My hands move to her hips, and she slaps them away again.

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