Page 34 of Hostage with Benefits

I tangled my other hand in his hair, tugging lightly.He hummed against me, the vibration sending shocks of pleasure through my body. His hands gripped my thighs, holding me open as he feasted on my pussy with single-minded focus.

It was exquisite torture, being forced to stay silent while he systematically dismantled my control. He slid two fingers in, curling them to hit that perfect spot while his tongue continued its relentless attention to my clit, I had to bite down on my palm to keep from crying out.

He knew exactly how to read my body, when to ease back, when to press harder, how to keep me hovering on the edge of release without quite letting me fall. By the time he finally, finally let me come, I was trembling, sweat-slicked, and desperate.

The orgasm crashed through me in waves, all the more intense for having been delayed. I bit down on my hand hard enough to leave marks as my body convulsed around his fingers and mouth.

He worked me through it gently, easing me down until I was boneless and spent. I lifted myself on my elbows, trying to get a look at him still between my legs.

“Good girl,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my inner thigh. “So quiet and perfect for me.”

He rose, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand in a gesture that should have been crude but somehow wasn't. His eyes were dark with arousal, but he made no move to undress so he could take his own pleasure.

“What about you?” I asked, still breathless.

“Later,” he said, helping me sit up. “This was for you. A proper celebration requires time I don't currently have.”

“Business?”

“Unfortunately.” He gathered my clothes, handing them to me with unexpected tenderness. “I'll be back for dinner. We can continue this then.”

As I dressed, I caught him watching me.

“What?” I asked, putting on my shirt with hands that weren't quite steady still.

“I still can't quite believe this is real,” he admitted. “That you're real. That you said yes.”

I looked down at the ring on my finger, the diamond catching the light. It was heavier than I'd expected, reminding me that this wasn’t a dream or a delusion.

“It's real,” I said softly. “For better or worse.”

“For better,” he insisted, stepping closer to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “Only for the better.”

After he left for his mysterious “business,” I remained in the dining room, the reality of what I'd agreed to settling over me gradually.

I was engaged. To a man I'd known for less than two weeks. A man who had kidnapped me from a parking lot while I was holding frozen dumplings.

What the hell was I doing?

And yet, I couldn't bring myself to regret it. I couldn't imagine taking the ring off, telling him I'd changed my mind. Whatever this was, it felt more real than anything else in my life.

When Mikhail returned that evening,I was waiting in the foyer. When he saw me, his expression brightened with genuine happiness.

“Having second thoughts?” he asked, noticing my serious expression.

“No,” I said honestly.

He crossed to me in three long strides, gathering me against him as if he couldn't bear even today’s brief separation.

“My Natalia,” he whispered against my hair. His arms tightened around me. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For staying. For saying yes. For seeing me as more than what I am.”

I pulled back enough to look up at him, at thisdangerous, complex man who had somehow become essential to me in the span of two weeks.

“I see you exactly as you are,” I corrected. “That's why I said yes.”

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