All she wanted was him. Sheachedfor him, but the truth was, she didn’t respond to men. She didn’t respond to women. Even during the full moon, when the heat was on the Lycans and they were all crazy for sex, she couldpretend, but she didn’t feel anything. Until Afanasiv had kissed her. She touched her lips. She thought about that kiss way too much. She felt his kiss deep, melting her where she was nothing but a solid glacier of ice. Still, she was terrified she wouldn’t respond, and he would be disappointed in her. She couldn’t bear to see disappointment on his face.
His eyes narrowed and then focused completely on her like a laser beam. He took a step toward her. For some reason, he looked huge to her. Afanasiv was a big man with broad shoulders and a thick chest. He had muscles on his muscles, and they rippled whenever he moved. He was hot. Gorgeous. And somehow he got to her. She felt threatened on a level she’d never felt before. Her entire body went into some kind of excited frenzy. Every single cell was aware of him.
She stood up and backed through the archway into her makeup chamber, which only seemed to invite him to stalk after her. The makeup chamber was smaller than her sitting room and had floor-to-ceiling mirrors on all four walls. There was a marble sink and a long counter and a makeup table with rows of lights. The bench was padded in a soft lavender. Even the ceiling was a mirror so she could view her hair from above.
Afanasiv looked enormous as he entered her very feminine space and closed the door behind him. She looked in the mirrors and saw him surrounding her. Her heart accelerated, and for no reason at all, her panties were suddenly very damp.
“Take your hair down.”
His voice was very low, a soft velvet, but there was no doubt that it was a command he was giving her. She’d spent time putting her hair up. It wasn’t that easy to tame it; she had a lot of hair. She hesitated, sure she wasn’t going to give in, but she wanted to. Her blood pounded through her veins, hot and wild, finding her clit and keeping a beatthere. Her hands went to the pins in her hair, and she pulled them out one by one until the thick dark mass snaked down her back, falling free like a waterfall.
Afanasiv stepped into her, his large hand reaching for a handful of her hair, rubbing the strands between his fingers and thumb. “It’s softer than silk. So beautiful. When you’re lying naked waiting for me, I want to see your hair fanned out on the bed.”
He murmured it as he wrapped a length around his fist and dragged her closer. Leaning down, with his tongue, he flicked the spot where her pulse beat so frantically in her neck. His teeth grazed her skin gently, back and forth, and then his lips brushed kisses over the sting.
Pleasure shot through her, so intense an actual moan escaped before she could stop it. Her entire body trembled, and goose bumps rose on her skin. His palm cupped her chin, lifting her face to his. His lips brushed hers with exquisite gentleness. She leaned into him, unable to help herself. She had to taste him again. Heat rushed through her as his tongue slid along hers, and a million champagne bubbles seemed to explode in her mouth.
He groaned as he deepened the kiss, a sound that made her breasts feel swollen and achy. Her panties were soaked now, and she could barely think straight. He lifted his head, his eyes nearly a dark gold with lust burning over her. He’d never looked at her like that, and it made her feel weaker than ever. She curled her fingers in his shirt to keep upright, her breath coming in ragged pants.
“You’re still determined to keep me out of your head. Why? I wonder.” He released the fistful of hair and ran the pad of his thumb down the curve of her face. “What are you so afraid of, my lady?”
She should just tell him the truth. Get it over with. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her shields.I don’t respond properly to sex. There’s something wrong with me, and you are going to be very disappointed.It shamed her to admit it to him. She could be his partner in all things, but he would learn she was no more than a tease when it came to sex.
“You are my lifemate, Vasilisa. Sworn to my care and happiness.”
Those golden eyes darkened even more with undeniable lust. Her nipples hardened, feeling like twin points of fire rubbing against her bra.
“Turn around. Look at the mirror. I want you to follow my every command.”
Vasilisa couldn’t resist that mesmerizing voice. She wanted to do whatever he said. She had sworn to his care and happiness. She might not be able to be fulfilled, but she could see to his sexual needs. At least that would make her feel like she was worth something. In any case, just the way he was demanding she obey him aroused her for some strange reason. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her skin was flushed and her eyes were bright, almost dazed.
“Remove your robe.”
Her breath hitched. Her eyes met his in the mirror. She wore only her thong underwear and bra beneath her white robe. He was fully dressed. He didn’t command her again, but his eyes did. She found herself wanting to show him her body. Wanting him to see her breasts and hips. She had curves and she liked having them.
She opened the sash and let her robe pool on the floor at her feet, watching him in the mirror the entire time, needing to see his expression. His cock was very large in his trousers, bulging against the material. His golden gaze drifted possessively over her, taking in her curves as if he owned her body, making her feel almost dizzy with excitement.
Afanasiv’s large hands cupped the cheeks of her bottom and began to knead them. His thumbs spread her cheeks apart as he massaged and kneaded, taking his time, as though memorizing the shape and feel of them. She was nearly sobbing with need, her body coiling tighter and tighter, and she didn’t have any understanding why. He paid no attention as she thrust back into his hands, exploring as one might a new toy, his expression serious and yet filled with that same dark lust that aroused her beyond anything she’d imagined.
Then he was on one knee, gripping her soaked panties and ripping them from her body with a quick jerk. The fabric tore easily. The soundnot only made her jump, but fresh liquid teased her entrance, inviting him closer. She heard herself whisper his name in a plea. For what? She didn’t know. Only that her body felt on fire, and that tight spring inside her continued to coil past all sanity.
His hands moved up the outsides of her legs from her calves to her thighs. They were big and calloused and felt sensual on her skin. He pushed her legs farther apart and then kissed his way up her inner thighs, stopping just short of where she needed him to touch her.
She could see him in the mirror, that blond hair sliding over her skin, and she did sob his name, begging him this time. He stood up slowly, trailing his palm up her body, his fingers skimming up to her breasts. Again, his mouth went to the frantically beating pulse in her neck as he undid her bra and tossed it aside, spilling her aching breasts into the cool night air.
“Look at you,sívamet. So beautiful.”
He picked her up and placed her on the marble counter, his hands lifting her breasts as his mouth descended. She expected him to be rough. He barely touched her. He circled her tight nipple with just the tip of his tongue, featherlight, a slow easy burn that felt as if he were igniting a wildfire that had paused. Was on the brink. His finger moved on the other nipple, creating the same slow sensation. It was heaven. It was hell.
Vasilisa dared to look in the mirror. Inallthe mirrors. She’d never seen anything so sexy as looking at herself entirely naked with Afanasiv fully clothed. Her body was flushed, shaking with need. She could see liquid glistening between her legs as she rocked her hips urgently. Hot blood pounded in her clit. In her nipples. Still, that slow burn persisted until she thought she’d go mad. Without warning, he flicked her left nipple hard and bit down on her right one. She nearly exploded. So close. So close. She felt the tidal wave rush at her and then slide away before she captured it.
“Siv.” She gasped his name in desperation.
He murmured something against her breasts, rubbing his face over the curves, between them, and on the sides, so that the bristles on his jaw scraped the soft flesh. It was erotic and added to the burn that kept building and building inside of her. Whatever he said in his own language was murmured low and guttural, as if he were swearing to himself, and she found that also added to her heightened state of arousal.
Seeing him surrounding her in the mirrors, the monster bulging in his trousers, made her want to drop to her knees in front of him and worship his body the way he seemed to be worshiping hers.
He suddenly pressed a hand to her belly so she had to recline back on her elbows on the marble counter. He took each foot, kissed the sole and placed it carefully up by her bottom.