Page 47 of Savage Beauty

The moment passes for everyone but us. As the party resumes in a happy blur of music and smiling faces, Josie and I remain close, lost in our own world.

“You’re a hero after all,” she murmurs.

I’m suddenly consumed by desire. All that exists is Josie—her beautiful face, her soft skin. Her strong yet gentle heart grieves as mine does. I want to heal her, hold her bruised soul, and guard it with my life. Everything I swore in our vows, I meant. The words are inadequate to express my feelings; I speak three languages, and none could ever say enough.

I take her hand, leading her silently up the stairs to the library mezzanine.

32

Josie

Iwanted to be safe, but I never guessed I’d meet someone like Sasha, let alone have his protection. The man who speaks sweet words of love to me just snuffed out the life of my worst tormentor.

I know it’s wrong. Yet deep down, I know the truth - justice is a blunted weapon, but Sasha is an engine of bloody payback. My husband is a man who would obliterate worlds and burn empires for my honor, like a king in some mystical epic. His vengeance has teeth and claws, and the heady mix of danger and passion keeps me burning for him.

No one seems to notice as we steal up the stairs and between the bookshelves. It’s dark up here, a million dust motes suspended in the still air like a galaxy. Despite the hubbub below, it feels like the universe has been shrunk down, and there’s only us in it.

Sasha is already breathing heavily. He pulls me into a narrow alley between the shelves and pins me between his arms. Then his lips are on mine, his kisses feverish.

“You belong to me,” he says, his breath hot on my neck. “No other man will dare touch you. And those who hurt you in the past are on borrowed time. You need only point them out to me, and it’s all over. I’ll build you a palace out of their fucking bones if that’s what you want.”

“What I want isyou,” I murmur. I grab his hips, pulling him closer. “Here, now.”

“Can you stay quiet,zolotse?” He slides a hand behind me and plucks at the buttons, undoing them expertly. “Because if not, I have ways to help.”

Sasha’s hand nudges the small of my back, making me arch toward him. He bites my neck gently, and I stifle a moan.

“You’re having trouble already.” He wraps his strong fingers around my throat, my pulse hammering against his palm. “Is my hand enough to choke you into silence? Or do I need to shove your mouth onto my cock and shut you up that way?”

What a choice.I’m about to tell him either way works for me when he tugs my dress, exposing my breasts. I gasp as the chilly air covers my skin in goosebumps. Sasha holds my gaze as he grips my neck tighter. He pinches my nipple firmly, and his hold on my windpipe reduces my response to a wheezing squeak.

I should hate this, but I don’t. He knows damn well I’m hot for him, not just because we had a beautiful, emotional wedding ceremony but because he killed an evil man with his bare hands. I want a bit of that ruthlessness for myself.

Sasha chuckles. His hips are crushed to mine, the bookcase unyielding at my back. He’s hard against me, and as he continues to play with my tight nipples, my pussy throbs in response. He takes a step back, staring hungrily at my breasts before leaning forward to lick one little pink bud. His tongue moves with an intensity that sends sparks of arousal shooting through me, but although I’m squirming against him, he never lets up his hold on my neck.

“You’re perfect,” he whispers against my skin. “How did a guy like me get lucky enough to meet a fucking angel like you?”

I don’t reply; I can’t, not with his vice-like grip cutting off my words. He releases my neck suddenly and grabs my dress, lifting it to my waist. I gasp, and he lifts me off the ground, nuzzling my sore neck before capturing my lips in a deep, passionate kiss. He gives a tortured growl as I wrap my legs around his waist, grinding against his erection.

“That does it,” he says. “I need to get at you,moya zhena. I’m hard as fuck, and your slutty little pussy deserves to be ruined. God knows that’s what’s gonna happen.”

Sasha sits me down on a nearby desk and moves between my thighs, pushing them apart. I shudder as he finds my damp panties, and when he nudges his finger against my clit, I almost cry out. The tiny button is hopelessly over-sensitive, primed by his attention on my nipples, and my pussy is so juicy and ready for him. He knows it, too. A smirk of satisfaction curls his lip, and he pulls my panties down and off, tucking them in his pants pocket.

“I’m keeping those,” he says. “You’re not getting them back tonight. When we return to the party, I’ll enjoy knowing my beautiful wife is a mess under her wedding dress.”

“You filthy bastard,” I hiss as he slips a finger inside me. “What if I refuse?”

“Refuse what?” Sasha presses deeper, and I drop my head back as his thumb settles on my clit. “My cock? My come? Or to do what I tell you?” He curls his finger, finding the sweet spot, and I bite my lip hard, trying not to cry out. “I can only assume youmeanto make me mad. Because you want what I’ve got, and you’ll take it all like a good little girl.”

His face is suddenly right in front of me. I stare, my mouth hanging open as his heavy-lidded eyes pierce me.

“Look at me.” He picks up his rhythm, his fingers surging in and out of my slick pussy, the pad of his thumb still massaging my swollen clit. “Tell me you want my cock inside you.”

I don’t even bother to argue. I’m desperate to feel that hot, relentless stretch that only my husband’s girth can provide. He’s right—I want everything, and although I love resisting him, I can’t do it for long.

“I want you inside me,” I gasp. “Just give me your cock, Sasha. I can’t wait any more. You’re driving me out of my damn mind.”

Without another word, Sasha withdraws his hand, and I moan with frustration. He undoes his zipper, freeing his erection, and I think he’s gonna plunge straight inside me. But he doesn’t.

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