V stands up and shucks his pants as I rip at my shirt. He takes it from me and tosses it to the side, climbing onto the bed with me as I back up. The crinkle of the photo paper under me is barely there. I’m too busy charting all of Vasily’s injuries. There are so many. A soft sound leaves my throat as I touch his side.
“Don’t feel pity for me,” he orders me.
“Be faster. I don’t like you hurt,” I say instead. “It makes me want to take care of you instead of fucking you.”
He groans and shakes his head as his cock rubs against me. V kisses my neck and shoulders. His arms shake as he hovers above me.
“You’re too hurt, Love. We can wait,” I whisper.
His eyes flick to mine. He moves up further and steals a kiss that might sway my thinking. He might be the devil. How else can I explain why I’m hot all over, feel so untouchable, perfect, turned on, loved, all from one kiss as it scorches through my entire body and reverberates through me?
V cups the back of my head, slipping his hand under my head and gripping my hair tight as he rolls his hips against me. It’s overwhelming. Holding a man capable of so much violence while he’s being so sweet has me high.
“Say it again.”
“We can wait?” I guess.
He shakes his head. “One word. Four letters,” he kisses down my neck. “I like the nickname.”
“Love, please,” I pant.
He groans and sucks my nipple between his lips. He’s so soft with me, no hint of the roughness I’m used to. V adjusts me and keeps stroking through my hair as he slides himself inside me, inch by precious inch, filling me and stretching me around him.
My lips part and I arch up, trying to kiss him, at the same time he fills me. We moan together and V strokes down my leg, pulling it around his hip as he kisses me. He takes his time, thrusting into me. I tremble as I stroke over his muscular shoulders, play with his dark hair, follow the path of the scar on his face with my lips.
He presses his lips to my jaw, my neck, nibbles my ear. “I’m crazy about you, Sólnyshka.”
“There’s only been you, V,” I answer honestly. “I’ve always wanted you.”
“Mine,” he pants as he increases the pace.
V kisses me again and again, layering pleasure on pleasure. His body moving against mine, his cock buried deep inside me, his lips on mine. It’s so much more than our relentless fucking. He pulls me on top of him and continues thrusting. I ride him, trying to match his pace even though I’m shaking.
“Come with me, Sienna,” he pants. “Please.”
It’s such a flip that I can’t keep control over myself. I increase the pace, gripping the nape of his neck as I kiss him hungrily, until my moans take control. My back arches and I give myself over to ecstasy. It washes through me, dragging me down into complete bliss.
V lays me back and continues, hard and fast, like we both need. My orgasm draws out until I’m afraid I’m going to break. Then he lets out a low groan. “Fuck, Sólnyshka!”
After another second, he collapses on top of me. Every puff of breath across my skin makes me shiver.
“I’ll get you a pill,” he sighs. “I couldn’t pull out in time.”
“I’m on the pill,” I answer simply, stroking through his hair. “I’d offer the bathroom, but you said you don’t want to see it.”
“Let me take you home,” V murmurs. “The woman I love shouldn’t be living like this. I want you to have everything I can give you.”
“That’s fast,” I answer.
“What part?”
Of course, I heard he loves me. I have a feeling he’s thought about it plenty without saying it, but V also says whatever he thinks with minimal processing. I touch his face gently, turning his face to meet mine. “Living together. I like your house, I do. And I enjoyed being with you, but I also like having my space.”
His brow furrows. “You don’t want me to take care of you?”
“Let’s work up to that. It’s been like two weeks,” I tease.
“It’s been a lot more than that,” he disagrees, despite rolling to the side.
“I know we’ve known each other, but we went a long time without talking, Vasily. So let’s enjoy getting to know each other again. Dates when you can, time together where neither of us are in danger, and see where it takes us,” I suggest.
A part of me is still sure that the magic will wear off and he’ll realize I’m just some awkward photographer who wants a lot more than she deserves. I’m worried he’ll remember every single reason he pushed me to the side in high school. Or that I won’t be good enough now that the stakes aren’t there. He’s not about to lose me, so what will keep him around?
“Okay,” he agrees, playing with my fingers. “Show me your bathroom and I promise I’ll keep all opinions to myself.”
I roll my eyes, but we clean up together. I take inventory of every wound on his body. I hate each of them. I get out of the shower first and walk away. I keep the towel tight around me as I look at some of the ruined photos. Not that we were aggressive, but the creases and tears on some of them prove that V doesn’t do anything halfway.
“Are you upset?” he asks, wrapping his arms around me.
“You’re hurt. I’m kind of ... angry, I guess?” I can barely figure out what I feel.
There are too many emotions coursing through me. I love him; I know that. I’m happy he’s here. I’m shocked that he loves my photos the way he does. I’m angry someone hurt him. I’m angry that he was put in a position where he had to hurt others. I’m upset he’s harmed. I’m confused because I should be afraid. It’s just too much.
“Next time someone hurts me, want me to drag them back so you can slap them? I’ll leave them alive for you,” he offers.
I laugh. I can’t help it. It’s so ridiculous. “That would hurt your reputation.”
“They’ll never leave, but you’ll get some satisfaction,” he murmurs in my ear.
I turn in his arms and shake my head. “You have weird ways of showing affection. Kidnapping, fighting, offering to let me slap someone before you kill them.”
He grins and kisses me. “I’ll be as weird as you let me. If you want flowers and all that, I suppose I can do that.”
I roll my eyes and nudge him. “Choose some photos.”
We go through the photos on my laptop and he chooses some I didn’t expect and others I expected. He loves the gator staring at the camera. He likes the iguana and bird fighting (in black and white specifically), and a crab waiting for the waves to come in.
“These are for upstairs, but for downstairs, I want the one with the graffiti and smoking man. I want the profile of the man playing chess, and the fountain–that one in color so all the tiles show, plus the way the light catches the water,” he decides.
I lean back against him. “What size?”
He grins and kisses my temple, my cheek, and my jaw. “Big.”
I laugh and we tease one another. I ask him to order from his favorite place and we go through other photos since he’s insistent on showing me in his gallery to prove that I’m as good as he thinks I am.
Lindsey comes home, shows us the food that’s been waiting, and looks at V, wearing one of my shirts and my favorite oversized sweats. She looks at the way he’s injured, shrugs and comes over to see what we’re doing.
She accepts he gets into fights that easily.
“So, what are your favorites, Vasily?” Lindsey asks him.
V picks me up and takes my seat, setting me on his lap. “I chose these for my house, but I’m afraid I’m skewing things for the gallery. What do you think?”
I gawk at him. I can’t believe he’s letting Lindsey have some control. He shrugs and whispers in my ear. “She’s important to you. She’s important to me. You trust her opinion more than mine, too.”
“It’s equal,” I answer.
He kisses the corner of my mouth and we keep going over things with Lindsey until V’s phone rings. He sighs. “Work.”
“What kind of work?” I demand.
He chuckles softly. “I won’t add to my collection of bruises, Sólnyshka. Remember the offer I made you and let me know what you think.”
I roll my eyes. I don’t need to slap anyone. I know my man can take care of himself.
Lindsey giggles and squeals with me. The power comes back on a bit later and she insists on knowing what’s going on, if we’re still together, if I’m done moping, then tells me that we clearly need to go shopping since I’m going to be in a gallery.
The next day, V texts me to tell me to put whatever we want under his name and he’ll take care of it. So we go shopping and, despite my nervousness, Lindsey convinces me to go for a deep red dress that is nearly backless, but has little crosses of string across the back to hold the dress together. It’s not too long, it’s not too sexy, but it fits me perfectly.
She gets something in shimmering gold–since she’s on a gold kick–and then we head home. Of course, when we get there, the room is covered in flowers. Sunflowers and daisies, lavender, orchids, and more I have never even seen before.
“How the hell did ...” Lindsey shakes her head. “Rich people, man.”
I laugh. “I didn’t think he’d actually get me flowers.”
We laugh and the next two weeks are flawless. V takes me out three times a week, texts and calls on the nights he doesn’t see me, and never wants to let me leave. He always lingers by my door, telling me I can spend the night with him, that he wants to spend the night with me.
I giggle and poke his chest. “You sound shockingly codependent, V.”
“In my world, you don’t let the most important things in your life walk away for even a few hours.”
God, he makes me powerless. I kiss him hungrily, wrap my arms around him, and nod against him. “Take me to your house, Love. Have me all night.”
V groans and carries me back to the car. I squeal and argue that I can walk, that I’m too heavy, but he just laughs. Karik inclines his head to me. “Ms. Sienna.”
“Drive safely, Karik. Thank you for keeping Vasily out of harm,” I say.
V dumps me in the back seat and kisses me with so much passion, devouring my mouth. “I don’t ever want to let you go.”
“Barely a month, V.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’ve been building up to this for years and I don’t want to think that any moment of my life won’t have you in it.”
I swallow hard. How can he make me feel so much all the time? It’s not fair. I stroke his cheek, finally empty of bruises. “Are you sure? You’re not jumping the gun and committing so much because ...”
“Because of what? Because I love you?” He asks bluntly. “I think that’s a damn good reason to jump the gun.”
My heart flutters as our gazes meet, and I lean in to kiss him. The words escape my lips in a whisper, “I love you too, V.”