I can’t stop it.
I don’twantto stop it.
I convulse into him, body trembling as if in the wake of a possession. In that moment, Pavel is the devil; I’m his victim—powerless to stop him from taking full control—and this bed is the sacrificial altar of our ritual.
How many times will it feel like this?
Every time.
Equal parts of hope and fear lash me while my orgasm fades. Before I have time to think, Pavel pushes my face into the sheets and growls. He empties himself inside me, my pussy flexing to milk every last drop from him.
Don’t stop,I beg silently as each twitch pours another splash of warmth against my walls.
Suddenly, his weight disappears. Cold air replaces all the spots where he touched me; goose bumps prick up in response to the sudden shift in temperature. I hear his hard breaths as his clothes rustle. He’s already getting dressed.
Done with me. Just like that.
I turn my head to look at him, still quaking from the abrupt end. “Could you stay with me for a while?”
His tone is cold and impassive, like he’s delivering the sales numbers from his latest business report. “Felix Cardona knows about the wedding. There’s no time to waste.”
“What are you planning?”
“Why?”
The air turns icy between us as I peel myself from the mattress. One arm covers my breasts as I search for a blanket. “Because I want to know, Pavel. It involves me, doesn’t it?”
“Of course it involves you.”
God, it’s like all the heat got sucked out of the room. One minute, he’s a sex god. The next, he’s the ruthless, emotionless Bratva boss. I never know what I’m going to get at any given second.
The scent of sex still tints the air, but it’s stale like a can of soda that has lost all its carbonation. It didn’t take much time for him to lose his hunger for me.
Like I’m more of a whore than a wife.
“If you tell me what you’re planning, maybe I can help.”
“What could you possibly suggest that I can’t think of first?”
“I’m your wife, Pavel. We could get more done if we put our heads together. You said it yourself.” I clear my throat, trying to contain my emotions. “On the altar, you said you would treat me with dignity.” My eyes roam to the bed.So much for that. “And that you would protect me.”
“I did.”
I dare to meet his gaze. Am I actually getting through to him?
But my hope dissolves when he speaks. “And I’m doing just that, Liya. I treated you exactly how I said I would. Keeping you away from the affairs of the Bratvaisprotecting you.”
“But I don’t see—”
He marches toward the bed, causing me to retreat back on the bed, my palm brushing against the dampness my orgasm left on the sheets.
“You don’t need toseeanything,” Pavel says. “Your place is here in our home, in this bed. Get pregnant; spit out a kid. It’s the easiest job in the world. You don’t even have tothinkduring any of it.”
I bow my head.
“Stop complicating this so much, Liya. I’ll fight the war and keep you safe. I’m a man of my word.” He pulls back up. “So long as you do exactly as I say.”
The blanket drifts from my fingers. Why bother covering myself anymore? He’s already stripped me of everything. “Okay.”