He’s standing by the window, flipping through a photo album, and glances up when I enter, his smile guarded.

“How’s your father bearing up?” he asks.

“Sleeping it off. He’ll be okay.”

“Glad to hear it,” he says, holding up the album. “That’s good.” He closes the album, holding it up briefly. “You look like your mother. Beautiful.”

I take the book and close it, tossing it onto my bed. “Do you have to invade every part of my life?” I snap. “Can’t you leave anything untouched?”

“I want to know you,” Leon replies, voice low but steady. “I lied to you, and because of it, you almost died. Tell me—how do I move past that?”

He searches my face, his gaze as dark and intense as ever. “You don’t want my love? Fine. I don’t blame you if you hate me, but it won’t make any difference to how I feel. Hit me, spit in my eye, stab me in the heart—I’ll die at your feet if that’s what it takes to prove myself.”

He takes a step closer. “I’m a bratva pakhan, and I never back down, but for you, I’ll break every rule I’ve ever made. There’s no doubt about it—you own me.”

He strokes my lower lip with his finger. “I’m down bad for you,val’kiriya. Have mercy on your man, huh?”

I should ask what’s going on. But adrenaline still spikes my blood, and for an aphrodisiac, there’s nothing quite as potent as fear.

No wonder I’m so attracted to him.

The look on Leon’s face is pure, concentrated adoration. Even as his eyes pull me in, I feel my own power surging.

This savage creature commands armies. His name strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies.

But for me and me alone, he would beg like a dog.

Before I can stop it, my tongue darts out and licks Leon’s fingertip. He jolts like he’s been electrocuted, his other hand wrapping my throat as he pushes his finger between my lips.

He turns and moves me toward the bed, pushing me onto my back and flattening my body with his.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he murmurs hotly into my ear. “God fucking damn, Emery. You’ll never walk away from me again, but not because I’ll stop you.”

He grinds his hips, his hard cock pressed up against my core. “I’m gonna make you come so hard that you’ll be addicted to my touch for life. You won’t be able to so much as think of leaving.”

My head is spinning already, and every nerve is alight. Leon is so physically overwhelming; his weight, the heat of his skin, his strength as he cinches my delicate throat.

My pussy clutches and spasms, my clit already throbbing, and I can’t resist pushing against him, looking for relief.

“Fuck yeah,” Leon says. His fingers slide in and out of my mouth, choking me on the deeper strokes, and he rewards my gagging with a gentle bite of my earlobe. “That’s my good slut.”

He releases my neck and pulls his fingers free of my mouth. I draw a deep, gasping breath as he flips up my dress, tugging it over my head and throwing it on the floor.

He removes my bra in an instant, and then his lips are on my breasts, his teeth tugging at one stiff nipple.

The sensation draws a cry of pleasure from me, and Leon stops it with his fingers, reaching up to shove them in my mouth again.

“Shhh,” he whispers, lashing my tight peak with the tip of his tongue. “You gotta be quiet, Emery. Pretend I’m the boyfriend you sneaked in through the window, and you don’t want your father to hear.”

Ohhh, that’s hot. I never dared to dream about having a man as sexy as Leon dry-hump me into a desperate, pleading mess.

Imagine if those mean girls at school could see me now.

My panties are getting damp, the fabric rubbing against my clit and making my pussy juicier by the second.

“I feel that, you needy girl.” Leon chuckles and trails his soaking fingers down my body, slipping them over my panties. “You made a wet patch on my pants. I thought you’d need to get my fingers good and slippery so I can fuck them into you, but that hungry little cunt of yours doesn’t need any help, does it?”

Does he think I can respond?