Page 79 of Devil In A Suit

After a few moments, she pulls back, breathless, and I feel her hands on my chest. “Ivan,” she whispers. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

I raise an eyebrow, watching her carefully as she hesitates. “What is it?”

She takes a deep breath, her fingers curling against my skin. She looks so vulnerable I want to wrap her in cotton wool and never let the world ever hurt her.

“I want to help,” she says. “I’m offering you the deeds to my apartment and my father’s house. You can remortgage them and use the proceeds. It’s not much compared to what you need, but it’s something. Altogether, you should be able to get at least a million from it.”

I freeze, stunned by her offer.

My mind races, almost unable to believe what she’s just said. Her unexpected offer fills me with shock. I can't believe what she's offering, how far she's willing to go for me. The weight of her gesture leaves me speechless. It’s overwhelming and I can feel it breaking something open inside me.

God! I feel like crying.

Before I can make a complete fool of myself, I pull her into a kiss. It is desperate, raw, and filled with everything I can’t say. My lips press against hers, hard at first, but when she kisses me back, it softens. I need her closer, need to feel her, as if that closeness will keep me from drowning in the chaos of everything else falling apart.

Without breaking the kiss I yank her into the pool with me and she gasps as the cool water envelops her. Her hands slide up my chest, wet and trembling, but there’s nothing uncertain inthe way she pulls me closer. She’s not just offering me an escape from my world—she’s offering everything to me.

I reach for her bikini top, pulling at the straps with a slow intensity. It falls away, revealing her breasts in the moonlight. She shivers and I lower my mouth to her skin, tasting the mix of water and heat. I kiss her breast, sucking hard on her nipple, flicking it with my tongue as she lets out a soft moan, her fingers gripping my hair.

The sound of her breathless gasps fuels something primal inside me. My hands move down her body, pulling her closer, feeling the way her body arches into me. I push her gently against the pool's edge, my fingers sliding lower until they find the thin material of her bikini bottoms. I pull them down with one swift motion, and her legs part as I press against her.

She’s slick, warm, and ready. I slide my fingers inside her, curling them deep, and she gasps, her nails digging into my shoulders as her head falls back. The water ripples around us, echoing the raw need building between us. Her hips move against my hand, desperate for more, and I oblige, moving my fingers faster, deeper, feeling her tighten around me.

“Oh, Ivan...” Her voice is ragged, breathless, and her body shudders against me.

I can feel the tension building inside her. She’s losing control, and I want nothing more than to push her over the edge.

I bite her bottom lip and suck it into my mouth. Her hands slide down my body, reaching for my underwear, pulling them off in one frantic motion. She wraps her legs around me, pulling me toward her, our bodies slick and throbbing.

Without hesitation, I push into her, burying myself deep inside. She moans as her body stretches to take me in. She clings to me, her fingers digging into my back as I start to move, each thrust harder than the last.

Her breath is hot against my neck. Her moans grow louder with each movement. The pool water sloshes wildly, but all I can hear is the sound of her voice, the feeling of her body gripping mine as I plunge into her again and again.

“Oh, God...” she cries out, her body arching into mine as she nears the edge.

“Come for me,” I rasp against her skin, my voice rough with need as I continue to fuck her hard. “I want to feel you.”

“Yes, yes,” she gasps as her body tenses, and then she goes over, her release hitting her in waves as she cries out, her nails raking down my back. The feeling of her pulsing around me, trembling in my arms, sends me over the edge, and I thrust into her one last time, groaning as my own release crashes through me.

We stay tangled together in the water, breathless and raw, the only sound being the soft sloshing of the pool against the tiles and our ragged breathing. I press my forehead against hers, my hands still holding her close, neither of us willing to let go just yet.

For a moment, everything else fades—the business, the house, the mess I’ve made of everything. It’s just her, grounding me, keeping me from falling apart entirely.

My lips gently brush against hers. “No, I don’t need your father’s house or your apartment. I’ll figure this out.”

“We’re going to be okay. You wait and see,” she whispers back, her eyes filled with some deep emotion that I cannot quite name.

Chapter Forty-Nine

LARA

Today is the day.

The ominous words float in my mind, heavy and inevitable as I sit across from Ivan in the conservatory. Sunlight filters through the large windows, bathing the room in warmth, but it does nothing to ease the tension in the air. The simple breakfast before me—fresh fruit, croissants, and tea—sits untouched. I’m too busy watching him, noting the tight line of his mouth, the way his brow furrows as he scrolls through his phone. He barely looks at his plate, hardly touches his coffee.

I know he’s thinking about the $320 million loan that’s set to be pulled today. It’s like a ticking time bomb, and though he hasn’t said it aloud, I can see the strain in every movement. He’s been confiding in me more recently, little glimpses into his life and his struggles, but I’ve been careful not to push. Not to pry. I want to help, but how? What can I possibly do in the face of such a colossal number?

I feel so... useless.

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