Page 59 of Unspoken

His words are measured, but they cut through the air, leaving a void where empathy should reside. I reach out, resting a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tremor that runs beneath his skin. It's a gesture meant to comfort, but what solace can be found in the touch of another when your very existence feels like a crime?

"Sorry," I mutter. I understand now why he’s the way he is.

Sasha shakes his head with a dismissive tilt. "Don't. The arsehole is dead," he says flatly, his green eyes dull like the muted end of day. "It's Vlad who frightens me. My secret... it’s all I have left."

"Your secret's safe with me," I assure him, my words more than a promise—they're an oath etched in the marrow of my bones.

Sasha's response is not in words. He steps forward, closing the space between us, and presses his lips to mine—a collisionof fear and longing. His hands cradle my face with a tenderness that doesn’t match the chaos that’s our lives. The kiss is a conversation, a shared confession of desperate hunger.

I taste the bittersweet tang of his reality, feel the shiver of his hands as they hold onto something forbidden yet undeniably real. With every beat of our entwined pulse, the world shrinks until there's nothing but the heat of his mouth on mine, the urgency of his breath mingling with my own.

Eventually, he pulls away. His eyes search mine, as vulnerable as he is fierce. "I've never let myself have anything," Sasha admits. "Don't know why it needs to be you, but I can't help it. You can't help it either, can you?"

I shake my head, no lies between us, only the raw truth. "No," I rasp, my voice thick with emotions.

I’m in over my head. I don’t know why I’m not able to stop myself. Why does it have to be him? Is it his vulnerability that attracts me so much? Or is it his attitude that’s a challenge? Or is it something else?

God, I need to stop it before it’s too late but my heart refuses to cooperate.

"Sasha, being with me..." I warn, trailing off. A myriad of reasons scream inside me, telling me this is a mistake, but they fall silent under his penetrating gaze. "You have no idea what you’re getting into. First of all, I'm older than you."

"Good," he counters with a defiant lift of his chin. "Then you'll know what to do. I could use a few lessons, luv."

Fuck.

My brain all but shuts down.

Twenty-two years old and he’s better at seduction than any of the men and women I’ve been with in the past ten years.

"Okay," I choke out, trying to tell my cock not to get too happy about this. Because this could be the end of us both if we’re not careful.

CHAPTER 20

SASHA

A right old mess of emotions churns within me as I stand in the dim corridor of the hotel Logan picked for us. It was the spur of the moment after the boat ride. The moment of lingering stares and discreet hand-touching on the way to the car. The moment that led us to making this nerve-racking decision. The moment that brought us to this room’s door.

Logan's intense gray eyes bore into mine as if he’s still looking for confirmation that I want this. Bloody hell, I want this more than he can imagine. I’d never been allowed to choose anything in my life. And finally being able to do so… God, it’s a gut-clenching feeling of freedom. Almost as if I'm a kid again, about to snatch a forbidden candy from a high shelf at my aunt’s house back in Piter, knowing full well the consequences if caught.

Fear and anticipation vie for dominance inside me, their dance making my heart race.

"There's no going back, Sasha," Logan warns.

"Going back isn’t what I want," I reply. "Isn’t it time to move forward?"

"Good." With a soft click, he slides the key card into the lock and pushes the door open.

I linger on the threshold before taking a step into the room. Logan follows behind me, shutting the door. Immediately, the world outside fades away, leaving only Logan and me in this unfamiliar space. Space we’re going to mark as our own. At least for tonight.Hopefully.

It's a nice hotel and the room is clean and generously sized from what I can tell in the darkness. I'm grateful we are not doing it in some questionable low-cost place. Not that I thought Logan would go for anything less than classy. He doesn't seem like that kind of man.

My body hums with anticipation, each beat of my heart echoing in my ears like drums calling us to some ancient ritual.

"Are you sure?" Logan asks, his eyes still searching mine for any hint of doubt. He turns on a single lamp in the corner, just enough light to be able to see each other. He stands close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from him, enveloping me in its warmth and its masculine scent. Something common and at the same time rare—musk and suede and maybe a bit of burnt sand because he’s like the desert himself. Once you’re lost in him, you can’t find your way back anymore.

"More than anything," I murmur, the truth of my need resonating deep in me.

The unspoken desire that fills the air between us is an electric charge, connecting our beings, making them one.

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