Page 47 of Dark Embers

She’s trembling. Shaking so hard I feel it in my bones.

I wrap my arms around her, tucking her head beneath my chin, and stroke her hair. She clutches me like a lifeline.

“I couldn’t protect her,” she whispers. “I thought—I thought they’d find us. Elena…”

“She’s fine. She’s asleep.”

“I saw them. In my dream. Those men. And then the woman… in the room. I couldn’t breathe.”

“I’ve got you,” I say into her hair. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not while you’re with me.”

She pulls back slowly, her eyes shining in the moonlight streaming through the window. Her lips part. Her hand comes up to touch my cheek.

Then she kisses me.

It’s not soft. Not tender.

It’s desperate.

It’s a kiss filled with fear, with longing, with the need to feel something other than helpless.

I kiss her back. Hard. Her fingers knot in my hair, and my body responds instantly. But I pull back.

“Sabrina,” I breathe. “If we do this again, it’s not a one night stand. I won’t be able to let you go. Do you understand?”

Her chest rises, her eyes searching mine.

“You’ll belong to me.”

She doesn’t look away. Doesn’t flinch. Her voice, when it comes, is a low rasp of need.

“I understand. And I want this.” Sabrina’s voice is soft and hoarse, her eyes filled with a deep longing. “I want to belong to you,” she admits and those words are all I need to hear. “Teach me,” she whispers. “Please, sir, teach me.”

I exhale like I’ve been holding my breath for days. Then I lean down and take her lips again, slower this time, deeper. She melts into me, her hands pulling at my shirt. I push her back onto the bed, my body covering hers.

“Do you trust me?” I whisper, kissing down her neck.

“Yes.”

I take her wrists and hold them gently above her head, pinning them to the pillow. “Do you remember our safe word?”

Her breath hitches and she nods. “Daffy.”

“I’m going to say this again.” My voice sounds like gravel and my soul screams at me to stop, don’t give her another chanceto back out. But I need her to be clear and understand this time she’sallmine. “There’s no turning back after this—you’re mine and you know what that means.”

“Yes.” Sabrina nods. “I know what that means.”

I kiss her again, this time my lips crushing hers, letting everything I’m feeling pour into her.

CHAPTER 19

Oleksi

Our eyes lock when I peel my lips away from Sabrina’s, and I seize the moment. “Grip the bedpost with both hands,” I command. Releasing her wrist, I watch as she complies with a fluid motion. “When we’re in my room. I’ll restrain you—but not tonight. Tonight, we explore your control and your obedience.”

Sabrina nods in silent acquiescence.

“What was that?” I ask, trailing my hands slowly along her body, over the delicate satin of her nightie. I hear her sharp intake of breath when my fingertips brush her stiffening nipples, pressed against the fabric that clings desperately for contact.

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