Page 55 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

I walk toward her, each step slow, deliberate, watching as her breath hitches.Her gaze drops to my hands, and when I reach up, brushing a stray curl from her cheek, I feel the years of distance and hurt vanish like breath on a snowy day.

“Tonight, I want to forget there’s darkness and danger outside this room.Can we do that?”Her voice sounds so soft it barely reaches me, but her intent comes through loud and clear.

“Yes, we can and we will,” I promise, cupping her cheeks in my hands and tracing the line of her jaw with my thumbs.“We’re together now and that is all that matters.”The words come out rough, raw, as if I’m speaking to the lost years as much as to Alexia.

Her lips curve into a gracious smile and she lifts her hands, brushing her fingers over mine.

“When we’re like this, I feel like we’ve never been apart,” she breathes, searching my face, as if looking for a sign of how I feel about her.

The words she wants to hear choke me.I swallow them down and they scorch my chest.I’m not ready to confess my love to Alexia, not when we still have so much to sort out.I don’t want to talk about the future I want for us.First, I will wipe out the horrific past she’s suffered at the hands of Igor.Once I get rid of him, I will make Alexia mine forever.

“I don’t want to role-play tonight,” I whisper.My fingers slide down to her neck, resting just above her pulse, feeling the rapid beat beneath her skin.“I don’t want us to be Dom and sub.I want us to be equals.”

I stop short of confessing I want to make love to her, something I never do.Hell, Alexia is the only woman I’ve ever made love to and that was a lifetime ago.

Her eyes darken, and the electricity between us draws me in, erasing the years and the regrets.I close the distance, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that quickly deepens.Her hands find my shoulders, her fingers tightening, pulling me closer.The taste of her intoxicates my senses.I lose myself in her warmth.

While our mouths explore each other, her hands travel down my chest to the buttons on my shirt.As she deliberately opens them, the last walls within me crumble.

I find the hidden zipper of her dress under the heavy waves of her hair and slide it down to the top of her round ass.My fingers caress her skin as I remove the piece of clothing.

Stepping back, I break the kiss and prevent Alexia from reaching the fly of my pants.Her hands were moving there, but I don’t trust that I can last longer if her fingers touch my aching erection.

I get rid of my clothes while she unhooks her lacy bra and panties.We climb on the bed, kneeling in the center.We lock lips again, our hands kneading and caressing.As our tongues entwine, I reach between her thighs, spreading her with my fingers.She gasps inside my mouth when I enter her with two digits, gauging her readiness.

“So fucking wet,” I grunt, smiling when more of her pleasure floods my hand.“You like it when I say dirty things.”

Alexia moans, as I pinch her hard nub.

“When I do dirty things, too.”

“God, Dave.I need you inside me, now.”The fierce desire in her eyes breaks my resolve.

“Sit on my lap,” I direct her, not like an order this time.

Alexia moves to sheath my throbbing cock with her tight body.We set a slow rhythm to our movements, keeping our stares locked.Each thrust, each groan, each brush of skin against skin sends us back to what we once had, reclaiming what we lost.When ecstasy finally seizes us both, it’s a slow, fierce joining that feels like coming home.

We collapse onto the pillows, coming down from the high of our shared pleasure.She rests her head on my chest, her fingers tracing the patterns of my tattoos.

“I have to leave for Boston early tomorrow.”

“Be careful,” she pleads, her voice thick with worry.

I pull her closer, pressing a kiss to her hair.“Always.”

As she drifts into sleep, I stare into the darkness and vow to myself.No one—not Igor, not the Bratva, not even Alexia’s loyalty to her father will keep me from making her mine again.

22

Dave

The Boston skyline looms through the floor-to-ceiling windows, cold steel and glass standing in sharp contrast to the dark wood and leather warmth of my office.The city stretches beneath us like an empire, vast and sprawling, yet somehow fragile from this height.The expanse of polished marble beneath my feet reflects the light streaming in, while the dark concrete accent wall is dotted with meticulously chosen memorabilia and artifacts—a silent display of our family’s power and influence.The office is a haven, but one where secrets linger and betrayals are dissected under the sharp scrutiny of those who understand what’s truly at stake.

My twin brothers Tommy and Shelby enter, displaying the same steely resolve that defines them.Tommy’s tailored black suit clings to his frame like armor, while Shelby, ever the calm observer with his understated intensity, adjusts his glasses as he sits in the leather chair across from me.It’s only the slight furrow in Shelby’s brow that hints at his concern.I lean back, hands gripping the armrests, trying to still the tension coiling tighter with each second.

Shelby scans me, his gaze unwavering, and finally asks, “So, has Alexia told you anything else about Igor?”His tone hints at an accusation, wrapped in his usual calm delivery.

I am well aware that Shelby and Tommy consider Alexia my distraction, a weakness even.

---