I must’ve fallen asleep on the chair next to Cillian’s bed because I’m woken by Damien as he lifts me to his chest.
He carries me to our bed and lays me down. Without a word, he pulls my shirt over my head. His fingers curl into the waistband of my sweatpants, and he tugs the fabric off, along with my panties.
I watch as he throws the clothes in the laundry basket before taking off his own. He turns off the lights then comes to climb into bed. When his hand grips hold of my hip, I snuggle closer until I’m pressed against his chest.
Silence fills the room. I rest my hand on his bare skin and press a kiss to his throat.
“The first time I saw you, I never could’ve imagined this would be our future,” I murmur.
“A lot has happened in five weeks.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you never thought you’d love me,” I tease him, not wanting the incident from this afternoon to affect our relationship. Honestly, I haven’t thought about Petro or Damien finding out. It was the last thing on my mind.
“It was hard pushing my feelings for you aside,” he admits.
I lift my head and meet his eyes. “Do you regret not being auctioned off to Carson?”
Damien brings his hand to my face and draws a line from my temple to my lips. “At first, I was angry, but then I was made an offer I couldn’t resist.”
“Marrying me?” Keeping my palm flat on his skin, I move my hand down until I reach his cock. I wrap my fingers around his length and begin to slowly stroke him.
Damien nods as he rolls me onto my back. “Claiming you.” He positions himself between my legs and begins to rub his hardness against my clit. Lowering his head, his teeth tug at my bottom lip, and then he leaves a trail of kisses and bites down my throat before coming back to my mouth.
I feel his hand between us, his knuckles brushing over my clit, as he positions his cock by my opening. He thrusts inside me, and I gasp against his lips. I expect him to take me hard, but instead, he keeps still as he begins to deepen the kiss.
It’s different from the ones before. It feels as if Damien’s making love to my mouth, his tongue caressing me with strong strokes, and his lips kneading mine until I moan against him.
He pulls out of me before slowly entering me, filling me with every inch of him. When he keeps the pace agonizingly slow, I whimper into his mouth.
Damien breaks the kiss, and lifting his head, he locks eyes with me.
He pulls out again, and this time when he slowly enters me, he asks, “Do you feel me?”
“Every inch,” I breathe.
The moment becomes loaded with intensity as he keeps my gaze imprisoned. Emotion begins to build in my chest as he pushes inside me again.
Damien’s making love to me. For the first time.
My breaths begin to rush over my lips, and overwhelmed by the realization, I blink fast to keep the tears back.
He pushes his arm under my body and gripping me tightly to him, his mouth finds mine again. He sweeps me away from this world to a place where only we exist.
I fall so hard, so unbelievably fast, from how passionately he’s kissing me. I savor every stroke as he fills me. I inhale his breaths. My arms wrap tightly around his broad back, and I cling to the man who’s become my life.
“You own me,” I whimper, and it’s all it takes for Damien to lose control.
He begins to drive into me, harder and faster with every thrust until my body bows against his. Pleasure rips through me like a devasting tornado.
Panting against his mouth, I breathe in his growl as he finds his own release. His muscled body jerks against mine, and then I take his weight as he collapses on top of me.
For a long moment, our breathing is all that fills the air as we cling to each other.
Damien is the first to move, lifting his head so he can look at me. Our eyes meet, and then he murmurs, “Slava ne mogut apisat’ mayu lyubof’ k tebe.”
My lips curve up at hearing the Russian words. “What does it mean?”
“Words can’t describe my love for you.”
Lifting my head, I press a tender kiss to his mouth.
DAMIEN
Cillian’s been sleeping on and off for the past three days, but when he’s finally awake enough to sit up in bed, I walk into the room to check on him.
Before I can ask how he’s feeling, Cillian gestures to Winter’s left hand. “What the fuck is that on her finger?”
“Cillian,” Winter begins, but I shake my head at her to keep quiet as I step closer to the bed.
“It’s my ring. Winter’s my wife.”
Cillian stares at me, and I watch as anger tightens his features. “You fucking forced her into a marriage?”
“It was an alliance. No one forced Winter to do anything she didn’t agree to.”
“She lost her family. She thought she lost me. Four fucking days and you take over,” Cillian begins to rage at me.
“She had a choice,” I bite the words out.
“What choice?” he growls. “She’s a young woman up against the Vetrovs and Koslovs. What fucking choice did that leave her?”
I take a calming breath, knowing I can’t lose my temper.
“I love him,” Winter interrupts, her voice soft. Cillian’s gaze snaps to her, and she repeats, “I love, Damien. It was my choice to marry him.”
“How? You barely know him. A month at St. Monarch’s while you were supposed to focus on your training. When did you have time to fall in love?”
Winter holds Cillian’s gaze as she admits, “The moment I laid eyes on him.”
“Come on, poppet,” he scoffs. “Love at first sight? That’s nothing but a fairytale.”
“Not to me, it isn’t,” she begins to argue, and it makes the corner of my mouth lift. “Damien’s everything I want in a man. You said it yourself when you told me stories of the Vetrovs. He’s merciless, unkillable, with a devastating potency no one can escape. That’s what I wanted, what I needed to survive in this world, and he was able to give it to me.”
Even though Winter knew that about me, she never backed down.
Cillian turns his attention back to me. “And you? Was it only for the business?”
I shake my head. “It was for her fiery spirit.”
I watch as the anger retreats from his face as my words sink in.
“I love her.”
Cillian takes a deep breath, a twinge of pain on his face, then he leans back against the pillows. He’s quiet for a moment before he says, “You can be glad I’m stuck in this bed, or it would be you and me in the barn.”
Unable to keep a straight face, I begin to smile. “We’ll wait until you’re back on your feet.”
His eyes move between Winter and me. “Christ, poppet. Only you would marry a Vetrov.”
She lets out a chuckle. “You know me, I always wanted the best.”
He pins me with a look of warning. “Don’t hurt her.”
“I won’t.”
“What about the business?” Cillian asks.
God, here we go for round two.
Squaring my shoulders, I say, “Alexei gets fifty percent.”
Cillian blinks at me, then he mutters, “Say that again.”
“Alexei will arrange the buyers.”
Cillian’s eyes dart between Winter and me. “Fifty percent?”
“For his protection and support, yes,” I answer.
I’m surprised when Cillian doesn’t burst a vein but instead thinks about it, then he mutters, “Christ. Four days and the Vetrovs and Koslovs take over. You people don’t waste any time.”
“Time is money,” I shrug.
“Who will do the runs and negotiations with the rebels?”
“I will.”
“We will,” Winter interrupts.
My gaze snaps to hers. “We’re not having that conversation now.” I turn my attention back to Cillian. “I’ll take care of the business with Alexei’s help.”
“Good luck trying to keep this one away from the business,” he mutters.
Again the corner of my mouth lifts and considering the conversation over, I say, “Time for dinner.”
When Dana moves to get up from where she’s sitting on the side of the bed, Winter says, “Don’t worry. I’ll plate the food and bring it to you.”
Before we leave the room, Cillian mutters, “She might love you, but you’ll have to prove yourself to me.”
“Of course,” I chuckle as I take hold of Winter’s hand.
Leaving the room, Winter’s quiet until we reach the kitchen. I take a seat at the island and watch as she begins to plate the lamb and vegetables Dana prepared.
“I will go with you on the runs,” she grumbles, giving me a glare.
“It’s not safe,” I state the obvious. “I won’t be able to focus on the job with you there.”
“Damien,” she snaps, her hands stilling. “I did everything right during the attack on the Blancos. I can hold my own. Stop trying to keep me locked away on the island. I won’t stand for it.”
Seeing the fire in her eyes, I begin to grow hard. “I’ll fuck you on this table. I don’t care if Dana walks in on us.”
She makes a disgruntled sound through her nose. “Don’t change the subject.”
Rising to my feet, I go to stand behind Winter. I wrap my arms around her and slip a hand between her legs. “You know it’s a turn-on when you fight me.” I press a kiss to the scar on her neck and then suck hard as I begin to rub her through the clothes. “Still, you defy me every chance you get.” Moving my hand up, I slip it under the fabric, and then my middle finger brushes over her sensitive nerves.
“I will go with,” she breathes as she braces her hands on the table and tilts her head back.
With my free hand, I grab hold of her hair as I begin to rub her harder, only skimming over her opening.
“Damien,” she gasps as she begins to ride my hand. “Please take me with.” Her hips move in sync with my hand. “Please. Please. Please.”
My lips curve up into a satisfied smirk as I make her orgasm, and then I murmur in her ear, “You don’t leave my side during a run.”
“I won’t,” she breathlessly agrees.
I pull my hand free from her pants and bring my middle finger to her mouth. “Suck, Princess.”
Her lips open for me, and then her tongue swirls around my finger as she tastes herself.
“Feed Dana and Cillian and get food in your stomach so I can take you to bed,” I order as I take a seat at the island again.
Winter gives me an alluring smile as she continues to plate the food.
God, this woman. I wonder if she knows what power she holds over me?
