Her face flushes, and she looks away. “I wasn’t going to betray you again,” she mutters.

“Why not? I told you that shit about the nightclub because you were supposed to take it to the feds. But you didn’t. Why not?”

She throws her hands in the air and looks at me. “I don’t know. Maybe because I knew that if you got arrested, they’d take Nikolas and he’d be under the state’s control. I don’t want that. I don’t want him to lose the only person he has left.”

“Bullshit. What else?”

“There’s nothing else,” she insists.

I take a step closer, moving around the corner of the island. “Don’t lie to me again,” I warn her.

Her eyes flick to mine, and I can see a warm blush spreading across her cheeks. It could be from the drink in her hands, but something tells me it’s more than that. I inch closer yet, and I can hear the shaky breaths that she’s letting out.

“Why didn’t you turn me in, Victoria?” I ask one last time.

She doesn’t answer me. Instead, she steps towards me and wraps her arms around my shoulders, pressing her lips to mine.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to what it feels like to be this close to her. She makes me forget all the drama that landed us together, filling me solely with an ache to claim her. That’s exactly what I’ll do.

I spin her around and lean in to bury my face between her neck and her shoulder. “Is this what you want?” I ask her, close to her ear.

She rolls her hips backwards against me, and I know she can feel the hardness growing in my slacks. “Yes. Will you give it to me?”

She doesn’t have to ask twice.

In a frenzy, I undo the button on her pants and push them down to her knees. Almost moving in sync, she bends over the counter and I can see her body perfectly. The smooth curve of her lower back and the roundness of her ass is a sight to behold.

I make quick work of my belt and zipper, undoing my pants so that I can free my aching erection. Her breathing grows shorter, and I consider teasing her by pressing the head between the lips of her pussy. The moment I get there, though, it’s too hard to resist. I ease myself forward, relishing in the sound of her moans.

“Yes,” she whispers, placing her forehead on the cold counter. With one fluid motion, I bury myself inside of her, shuddering at just how warm she is. She squeezes me like a vise, and I don’t even want to move. If I could, I’d stay here and take this all in. Fortunately for both of us, I have better ideas.

I grab her hips and thrust forward slowly at first, watching as her back arches for me. Her palms flatten against the counter and she begins rocking back against me, matching my speed. “That’s it,” I groan. “Take me, Victoria. Every last inch.”

She’s impossibly tight, even warmer than I could’ve ever imagined, and I savor every last second inside her. We work like two parts of a machine, her grinding back against me and me snapping my hips forward to meet her in the middle.

When she pushes up from the counter and tugs me down over her shoulder to capture a kiss, I let her, stroking her tongue with mine. She tastes of soda and rum, a delicious combo that tastes even better coming from her.

“Tell me you’re mine,” I purr against her lips.

“I’m yours, Matvei,” she gasps. I thrust harder, making her breath catch in her throat. “All yours.”

I chuckle and bite down on her shoulder. “That’s right. You’re mine.”

I fold Victoria over the counter again and increase my speed, chasing after that feeling that I know is just around the corner. It’s a sensory overload almost immediately. The sound of our bodies connecting. The friction between the two of us. The way her moans grow higher and higher in pitch, reaching decibels that mean she’s close.

I wrap a hand around her and massage her clit, prepared to get her there with me. Victoria doesn’t oppose in the slightest.

“Fuck yes,” I grunt, my stomach tightening. I can feel it building, the pressure growing even harder. Finally, I release, moaning as I fill her. Victoria joins me a moment later, our voices becoming one.

I ride out my orgasm hard and fast until every last drop has been drained. Only then do I pull out. Victoria lies still on the counter, catching her breath, a lazy smile on her lips. She pulls up her pants and buttons them.

I can see that she wants to say something, but I can’t do pillow talk right now. I have things to do, and basking in the glow of sex with Victoria isn’t one of them. Instead, I straighten up and mutter, “I’ll be back later.”

“Okay, Matvei,” is all she says.

I try not to let her see me shiver as I stride away. The way she says my name just does something to me.

* * *