Page 70 of Devil In A Suit

Her hands slide up my back as she kisses me back urgently. It’s as if she’s trying to pour whatever little care she may feel for me into the kiss, hoping it will reach the parts of me that are too locked away to let her in. I can feel it, but I can’t acknowledge it, not now.

My hands make quick work of the long zip on the back of her dress. One tug and the silky thing falls away to the floor. Underneath she is exactly how I want her: beautifully naked. Her chest heaves as she looks at me, waiting, wanting, knowing exactly where she’s headed.

There is a table pushed up against a wall and I swipe my hand over the odds and ends on it and let it all crash to the floor. She gasps, the wood creaking, as I lay her on her back on it. I part her legs roughly and my mouth is instantly on her. Her fingers tangle desperately in my hair. I eat her wet pussy until she comes, gushing her juices into my mouth, her open mouth screaming silently.

I straighten and look down at her. Pale, naked, her legs wide open on a wooden table in my mother’s summerhouse. I’m losing everything but I still own her. They can take everything else away, but not her. Bending my head, I take one of her delectable pink nipples into my mouth and suck hard. The little kitten sound that escapes her lips is everything I need. It fuels the fire raging inside me, driving me faster, harder.

I work my belt and I free myself. My cock is hard and throbbing with the need for her. Her eyes flick down, taking in the sight of me, and she bites her lip, her body rising slightly, eager, ready. There’s no time for teasing. No time for slow. Grabbing her ankles, I lift her hips right off the table. I position myself at her entrance, and with one ruthless thrust, I’m inside her.

Her body arches as I start to pump, hard and fast. The sound of our bodies colliding fills the room—rough, raw, animalistic. I bury myself in her, each thrust sending waves of pleasure through me, and I can feel her responding to every movement, her breath coming in quick, shallow bursts. Her nails dig into my shoulders, her grip tightening as she pulls me closer, her body meeting mine with every thrust.

“Ivan…” she breathes, her voice trembling with intensity.

I lean down, kissing her again, but this time it’s different. This time, her lips are slower, deeper, pulling me in with a tenderness that doesn’t match the raw intensity of what we’re doing. It’s as if she’s trying to tell me something, trying to reach the part of me that I’ve been keeping locked away.

I drive into her harder, faster, my hands gripping her hips as I lose myself in the heat of her body. Her moans grow louder, her body trembling beneath mine. I push deeper, my release building, the tension coiling tighter and tighter inside me. And then, with one final, shuddering gasp, I explode deep inside her. For a brief few seconds, everything else disappears. There’s only this, only her and me.

But it all comes tumbling back again. The hyenas are waiting outside the door.

As I pull away, adjusting my trousers, Lara sits up and drops her feet to the floor. I watch her bend to pick up her dress with hands that are shaking slightly. She meets my gaze and her lips stretch into a small smile, but there’s something in her eyes, a sadness that wasn’t there before.

She doesn't say anything as she pulls on her dress. I zip her up in silence. The room feels thick with unspoken tension, the weight of what just happened pressing down on both of us. I feel a pang of guilt and want to reach out to her, to tell her what is going on, but the words stick in my throat. Before I can find the words, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I can’t ignore it.

“I have to go,” I tell her.

She nods but doesn’t move.

At the door, I pause for a moment, glancing back at her. "Aren’t you coming?"

"No, Ivan," she says softly. "You go ahead. I’ll come in a minute."

Chapter Forty-Four

LARA

Ireally don’t know why I’m upset. What else was I expecting? That he would suddenly confide in me, spill all his problems like we’re equals in this, like we share more than just passion?

The door clicks shut behind him. Once his footsteps die outside, silence fills the room. The air feels suddenly too suffocating and warm and I feel the need to escape, to breathe. My hands move towards my hair, smoothing it down, but my mind is elsewhere, stuck on the hollowness of our exchange.

Why do I feel this way? Hurt and disappointed. I wanted more than just his body, even though I should know better. After all, this is what I signed up for, right?

Shaking my head, I push those thoughts away and leave the summerhouse. I walk back to the house and see that everyone is still on the terrace. Many lamps have been lit, there is music, and from where I am it looks like everyone is having fun and enjoying themselves. Instead, I grab a glass of wine from the counter, needing something to distract me. I walk towards awaiter holding a tray of champagne flutes. It makes me long for some alcohol.

“May I have a glass?” I ask, making a drinking gesture with my hand.

“Of course,” he says in English.

I walk to the edge of the terrace and hidden away from everyone by a laurel bush, sit on the stone steps to enjoy my drink. I take a sip of the bursting bubbles and gaze out into the gorgeous night sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice asks suddenly.

Startled, I glance up and find Natalia looking down on me.

My throat tightens, and I nearly choke on my drink, but I manage to compose myself just in time. She’s watching me, her eyes sharp but unreadable. I’ve been avoiding her penetrating gaze all evening. And now, here she is, standing over me, wanting to engage in conversation.

“I’m not trying to pry,” she says, her voice smooth, detached, “but I can’t help but wonder why Ivan brought you here. Are you both serious about each other?” She pauses, her eyes scanning me as if I’m something she’s trying to figure out.

Her words hang in the air between us, and for a second, I don’t know how to respond. I stare at her, wondering why there is no love in Ivan’s family. Why deos he seem so distant from the people who should be supporting him in this difficult time?

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