Did she realize she leaned forward, that she was so close only a slip of paper could slip between our mouths?
“And you want to give yourself to me, don’t you?” Her eyes fluttered closed and I groaned. “Yeah, my sweet girl wants it all. But only from me, isn’t that right?”
Her breathing was rushed as she nodded, agreeing with me.
“You’re my good girl. My perfect, malehnkaya ptichka.”
I let go of her wrist and slid my hand along her arm, over her shoulder, and up her neck. I circled her throat lightly, wanting to add pressure but not wanting to scare her with the possessiveness I felt.
“It makes me so fucking crazy how hot you are.” My focus was on her lips, and I felt my dick twitch at the sight of her tugging at the bottom one. With a slip of my thumb, I pulled the flesh free. “If you think I won’t do inappropriate things to you with all these people around… try me, kotenok.”
I gave her neck a gentle squeeze, heard her sharp intake of breath, and nearly fucking groaned in pleasure at the sound. I forced myself to move back and sit like a respectable man, giving her space.
For long seconds Claudia didn’t move. She still leaned across the table as if she wanted more. And my entire body tightened at that idea.
“I’m going to make this really easy, Claudia.” I loved the way her name rolled off my tongue, like it was always supposed to be part of my vocabulary.
She blinked a few times, as if coming back into focus, and slowly leaned back in her chair. God, her modest fucking outfit made me so hard.
I reached down and shamelessly adjusted my cock. I heard someone gasp in outrage and smirked but kept my focus on my girl.
“I’m going to spell it out all nice and easy and put a little bow on it, just like I did when I gave you those presents.” I pointedly looked at the box still sitting between us. “For the last two years you’re all I’ve wanted. And as soon as I was released, I came hunting for you, sweetheart.”
Her pulse was beating so hard at the base of her neck. I wanted to drag my tongue across it.
“Nothing and no one will keep you from me, not even you and your fear of the unknown for what I have planned.”
“What you have planned?” she whispered.
“I’d scare the shit out of you if I told you all my secrets.” I grinned but it wasn’t a friendly one. It was a smile full of dark promise and unrequited sexual threats.
Her pupils were so big I could only see a thin circle of brilliant blue around the blackness. She bit at her bottom lip again, something I noticed was a nervous habit for her.
It also made her look innocent and vulnerable, and made me fucking feral.
I didn’t—couldn’t—stop myself from reaching out again and pulling her lip free from her teeth. “Don’t tempt me, malehnkaya ptichka.” Before I delivered on all the promises I’d told her, I stood. We had solved nothing in this brief interaction, but we didn’t need to.
She was mine no matter what. I’d come here so I could stare at her, so I could hear her voice and take in her scent. I smoothed a hand over the lapels of my jacket, and her focus went to my tattooed hands.
“Oh,” I said and waited for her to lift her eyes back to me. “Don’t let that little fucker who works with you in the soup kitchen touch you again. If he does, I’ll break his wrists.” Her eyes widened and her lips parted. “I’m the only one who touches you, Claudia.”
And with those as my parting words, I turned and left, knowing I couldn’t stay away for very long.
Chapter 32
Dmitry
I’d gone back to the shitty little motel I’d been staying at while in Vermont. I’d showered, tried to sleep for a few hours, but had tossed and turned more than anything else.
I was obsessed. Good and fucked where Claudia was concerned, and I didn’t even care how crazy it all was.
She was so young, only twenty to my mid-thirties. So inexperienced. I knew I’d been her first kiss up against that tree. I knew my hard cock had been the only one she’d ever felt. I knew all of that because as I’d admitted to her, I’d had her watched.
I felt no shame in the matter either.
But even before that, being part of the Cosa Nostra, she’d been sheltered and protected. Her father and then Gio had made sure she was kept away from anything that could corrupt her.
Because to them, her hymen made her valuable. A fucked-up and archaic belief, but I knew parts of the Bratva held on to that same culture for their women.