Page 109 of Voracious

Inessa’s breathing escalates and she pales as she forces her voice to be normal. “Go with Viktor, little wriggler, your papa is training.” She lowers her voice, and her chin, begging him, “Vlad, not now.”

He holds his hands up then brushes his brothers off him before he turns to pick up his daughter. There’s pen all over her face and dress that she holds out to him. “Papa fix?”

Ana threads her fingers through mine and tugs, needing to leave.

One fucking day that’s all I wanted. One day where she isn’t constantly dealt shit to navigate and try to make sense of. Where her feet are on the ground and her head isn’t trying to escape above the clouds.

Once we’re in the car, I press my lips against her knuckles and she blows out a shaky breath with her accusation.

“Did he tell you?”

“Tell me what, lisichka?”

She shakes the thoughts away and relaxes. “He’s such a lying prick, I knew that before, and I hate him. Val and Tali are better brothers and they’re both annoying.”

Her head slowly drops back as she closes her eyes, doing her meditation thing again on the drive. I need to hear her voice though and I press my thumb to her pulse point as I ask, “That’s because they’re both childish, so you don’t feel like you’ve missed out on anything.”

“No,” she snaps. “It’s because they’re not liars like that fucking dickhead. Marlo used to do the same thing, always lie to me, he’d wait until I wasn’t confused anymore then laugh, just like Vlad.”

I’m taking her away from the world, no one deserves her, and they keep making her life harder. She was happy earlier; she fucking hugged me and wouldn’t stop smiling. Now she’s reverting back into the psycho she needed to be in order to protect herself because she didn’t have anyone.

Her eyes are still closed when I pull up outside the house. They don’t open until I gently pick her up and they’re lost again. I’ll keep her with me like this, like I should have. I kiss her temple and don’t remove my lips as I walk us into the house. She doesn’t speak or smile as I sit her on the sofa and pull a blanket over her thighs because she’s colder.

Her blankness shows that I’m useless and I don’t know what will fix it, but her knuckles are bloody. The most haunting melody flows through the space as I go to get her water or anything I can think of to help. Ana doesn’t ever play the piano with her own emotions, it’s always someone else’s song sheetwhen she doesn’t know I can hear her in the gym, this is fucking heartbreaking.

Fitting myself around her on the bench, I wrap my arms around her middle and my lips on her crown. The tune comes to an abrupt end, and she whispers to herself. “I don’t know who I am again.”

Keeping my promise is easy when I’ll always know who she is.

“You are sweet, kind, and polite.” I press my lips to her shoulder before I continue. “You’re also murderous and a little psychotic.”

Her smile is slow but it’s there.

“You care so much about people that you hide it because it’s terrifying.” She looks up at me and hugs my forearms as I kiss her forehead. “You’re good and so fucking strong it inspires me. Everything that you are is pure good.” My voice drops with the emotion weighing it down as I stroke her cheek with the back of my knuckles. “You’re my everything, my woman, and the only thing I believe in.”

Leaning forward, I press a chaste kiss to the corner of her lips. “Zhizn moya,” and go to the other side, “dusha moya.”

My sweet hellion smiles and all is right in the world. Her hand comes up, cupping my cheek as she whispers her request. “Dima, can you make me forget, please?”

I don’t answer. I’m not going to fuck her when she’s vulnerable and it will only push her further into her head. At my hesitance she twists until she’s straddling my thighs and the gratitude in her voice is misplaced.

“You’re my lock, everything stays away when I’m with you.” Kissing my cheek, she fits her lips next to my ear, snapping at my control. “I want you to make me feel powerful again.”

She wants to get on her knees.I don’t hesitate due to my body, I’m always hard around her, it’s deeper because thethought of being the person who pushes her deeper into her psychotic tendencies is enough to have me breaking out in a sweat.

But one of the things I love about my woman is the fact she isn’t shy and that she tells me her thoughts. I know she loved having control over me and I’d tie myself up in knots, so she sees herself the way I do. She’s using her words more too. Fucking wrecking me at every chance she gets as she whispers, “You’re my favorite person, and I trust you.”

It’s the same mantra she always says randomly, as though she needs the reminder of me on her tongue.

The hard floor will bite into her knees, so I pick her up, taking her back to the sofa. But my hellion slinks down, missing the soft rug and sits with her hands on her thighs, waiting for me to try and move her. It’s not obedience or submissive, she’s pushing all her weight down to counteract me dragging her up. Stroking her jaw with my thumb, I tilt her face up and give her what we both want.

“Just a taste then I’m filling my pussy?”

Her eager nod makes my knees go weak.

It’s worse when her fingers pull on my belt and she swiftly gets my dick free. I pull my t-shirt over my head and tighten my hold on her jaw then flick down pointedly.

“Everything off, lisichka.”

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