Page 59 of Beautiful Agony

I feel him throb inside me, his movements becoming more erratic. His fingers dig into my flesh as he drives up into me one final time.

"Lacey," he groans, and then I feel him coming apart as his release floods me and pushes me over the edge again.

I clench around him as my second orgasm crashes through me, wave after wave of pleasure making my body shake. I feel him pulsing inside me, sending thick ropes surging within me as we come together.

"Vadim!" I cry out, my nails digging into his chest. My inner walls ripple around his length, milking every last drop from him.

Stars explode behind my eyes as the sensations overwhelm me.

Our bodies move together through the aftershocks, his cock still twitching inside me as my muscles flutter around him. His chest heaves against mine, our sweat-slicked skin sliding together as we both try to catch our breath.

My heart pounds against my ribs, matching the thundering rhythm I feel beneath my palm on his chest. I collapse into him again, completely spent, feeling the solid warmth of his body beneath mine.

His arms wrap around me, holding me close as we both come down from our shared high.

19

VADIM

I hold Lacey close,our sweat-slicked bodies tangled together as our breathing slows. Her head rests against my chest, right over my thundering heart. The way she took control, pinned my hands above my head—it awakens something primal in me.

Not the darkness I feared would consume me, but something different. Something better.

"That was incredible," I whisper into her hair, breathing in her familiar scent of citrus and lavender. "I love when you take control like that."

She shifts to look up at me, those amber-flecked eyes sparkling with mischief and something deeper. "I know you'd never truly hurt me, Vadim." Her fingers trace lazy patterns on my chest. "Even when I begged you to on the stairs that day."

The memory of her pleading with me to hurt her, to punish her, flashes through my mind. But this time, it doesn't fill me with the same self-loathing. She sees the change in my expression and presses a gentle kiss to my jaw.

"You held back then because you care too much," she continues. "Just like you held back tonight until I gave you permission. That's what makes you."

For the first time, I start to believe her words. Maybe she's right—maybe I'm not destined to become the monster that haunts my nightmares. Her complete trust in me, even after everything we've been through, begins to wash away decades of doubt.

I pull her closer, pressing my lips to her forehead.

"My little star," I murmur. "Zvyozdochka."

She snuggles into my embrace with a contented sigh, and I feel another piece of the wall between us crumble away.

I stroke Lacey's hair as her breathing steadies against my chest. The peace of the moment shatters when she props herself up on an elbow, concern clouding those amber-flecked eyes.

"Something's still bothering me," she says. "How did Freddy know you were Russian? What gave it away?"

My jaw tightens. But there's no point in keeping the truth from her. "Because his debts are owed to Kirsan's casinos."

"What?" She sits up fully now, pulling the sheet around her. "Kirsan owns casinos here?"

"Several. All illegal operations running out of basements and warehouses." I trace my finger along her spine, trying to soothe her rising tension. "Freddy's in deep—half a million dollars. That's why he's been stealing from your father."

"And pawning Mom's jewelry," she whispers, her hand going to Mom’s necklace.

"The collectors who visit him work for Kirsan. That's why he recognized what I am the moment he saw me." My lip curls in disgust. "He must've assumed I was there to collect from him, instead of keeping you safe."

Lacey's shoulders slump. "No wonder he pissed himself when you confronted him."

I run my fingers along Lacey's spine as she processes what I've told her about Freddy's gambling debts. Her amber-flecked eyes search mine with that mix of concern and fierce protectiveness I've come to cherish.

"Will you still protect him?" she asks softly. "Even after everything he's done?"

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