Page 229 of Ruins
Her breath hitches as my lips linger on her skin, and I feel her heartbeat quicken against me. The warm water ripples softly around us, but the air between us crackles with something far more potent. Her hands come up to grip my forearms, her fingers tracing the veins there as if grounding herself.
“Always safe?” she whispers, her voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the water.
“Always,” I murmur, pressing my lips to the shell of her ear. My arms tighten around her, holding her flush against me. “Do you trust me, Dea?”
Her head tilts back slightly, resting against my shoulder as she looks up at me with those luminous eyes. “With my life,” she breathes.
Her words ignite something primal in me, a fire that I can’t contain. I turn her in my arms, her body gliding effortlessly through the water until she’s facing me. My hands find her waist, fingers splayed against her warm, slick skin as her legs brush against mine.
“You shouldn’t say things like that, Dea,” I murmur, my voice dark. My thumb strokes slow, torturous circles over her hipbone, watching the way her breath hitches. The way she feels me.
“Why not?” she challenges, her gaze steady, unflinching. She’s bold right now and it’s maddening.
“Because I’llneverletting you go,” I confess, my forehead resting against hers.
“Good.” Her voice is steady but tinged with a softness that breaks me. Her hands slide up my chest before wrapping around my neck.
I can’t hold back anymore. My mouth claims hers, urgent, starved, pouring every unspoken promise, every ounce of devotion, every wicked thing I want to do to her into this single kiss. Her lips part for me, and the kiss deepens, the taste of her driving me wild.
The water swirls around us as I lift her, her legs instinctively wrapping around my waist. I carry her to the edge of the pool, her back pressing against the cool tiles. The contrast of the cold against her warm skin makes her shiver, and I take advantage, trailing my lips down her jawline, her throat, and lower.
“Santo,” she breathes, her voice trembling with anticipation. My name on her lips is a prayer, a plea, and I’ll worship her the only way I know how.
“You’re mine, Vasilisa,” I murmur against her collarbone, my hands exploring her body that have been driving me insane. “Every inch of you.”
She arches against me, her nails digging into my shoulders as a soft moan escapes her lips. The sound is intoxicating, and I know there’s no going back now.
“Say it,” I growl, my tone razor-sharp, my control snapping as Scythe claws his way to the surface. “Tell me who you belong to.”
Her luscious, wet lips part in a shaky sigh, her voice coming out as a sweet whisper of surrender. “I’m yours, Santo.”
Those three words are my damnation and salvation all at once. They strip me bare, leaving me raw and exposed to this woman who has managed to weave herself into the very fabric of my being.
I kiss her again with a ferocity that leaves us both breathless. Her hold on me tightens as she loses herself in the kiss, matching my urgency with her own. My fingers trailing down her body between us, gently tugging at the hem of her bikini, her gasp swallowed by my lips.
My skin is on fire where it touches hers. I want her, but not in here.
In one swift motion, I lift from the water, cradling her in my arms, her legs still wrapped around my hips, the cold air hitting our skin making her shiver. I move quickly, carrying her out of the pool, but Vasilisa has other ideas as her nails rake across my back and her lips kiss down my jaw.
“I don’t want to wait,” she whimpers.
My eyes lock onto the nearest wall, my instincts taking over. The smooth surface will anchor us, but it’sherI need to ground me. I stride toward it, her body melting against mine, her lips trailing fire down my neck.
“Ican’twait,” I growl against her skin, my voice raw and unsteady. I press her against the wall, pinning her there, my grip firm on her hips, her warmth searing through me like a brand. My mouth crashes into hers, claiming, consuming, leaving no space for anything but me.
Her fingers weave into my hair, anchoring herself to me. Her lips part beneath mine and our tongues dance together in a kiss so intense that it feels like a lightning bolt has struck between us. I press her harder against the wall, my hands roaming freely along her body - every inch of exposed skin, I pull away resting my forehead on hers.
“Hold on tight,” I warn, my voice rough, teetering on the edge of restraint. My fingers pull at the strings of her bottoms, letting them fall between us. I press her harder against the wall. “Because I’m not going to be gentle.”
She nods, her breaths coming in faster, her pupils swallowing up her irises. “I don’t want you to be.”
The raw need in her voice shatters any last vestige of restraint within me. I hoist her higher against the wall, freeing my hardened cock I position the head at her entrance and lower her on to me slowly, the sensation of her warm, wet tightness enveloping me causing me to let out a guttural groan.
“Santo,” she gasps, her body seizing up for a moment as she adjusts. Her fingernails dig into my shoulders.
I groan into her neck, my hands splayed across her lower back to keep her pressed against the cold wall. The contrast of temperatures, the hot and the cold, is dizzying.
“I need...” she starts, but is interrupted by a whimper as I shift within her. Her eyes flutter shut and she rotates her hips slightly, urging me deeper inside her.
