Page 42 of Owned By the Russian

“I was thinking about getting the hell away from you, you stupid fuck!” she shot back, even as her voice wavered, betraying her lingering concern. Her eyes flickered over him, taking in the soaked clothes, the exhausted tension in his stance, and she felt her chest tighten. “You could’ve gotten hurt. You could’ve?”

“Oh, now you’re worried about me?” he interrupted, his bitter laugh cutting through the air like a blade as the rain pelted heavily outside. “You didn’t seem to care when you took off and left me with no way to contact anyone.”

Her cheeks flushed with anger?and something else?as she crossed her arms defensively. “I didn’t ask you to come looking for me.”

“No, but I did anyway,” he growled, taking another step closer, his eyes burning into hers. “Because, unlike you, I don’t leave people behind.”

Her breath hitched, the heat of his words washing over her like a tidal wave. She opened her mouth to retort but couldn’t find the words; her emotions tangled between anger, guilt, and the maddening attraction that simmered just beneath the surface.

The tension between them was suffocating, the storm outside an eerie echo of the one building inside the lodge. Valentina clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms as she glared at Ilya, her breath coming in short, furious bursts. She didn’t know what to do with the knot of emotions twisting inside her.

“You’re such a self-righteous bastard,” she snapped, her voice sharp, desperate to provoke him. “Do you ever stop acting like you know everything? Like you’re better than me?”

Ilya tilted his head, his lips twitching in what could’ve been a smirk or a sneer?it only infuriated her further. “Better than you?” His voice was quiet, dangerously so, as he stepped closer. “No, Valentina. But Idoknow you.”

“Bullshit,” she spat, taking a step back, trying to keep the distance between them. But he followed, his movements unhurried, deliberate, as if he had all the time in the world to unravel her. “You don’t know shit about me.”

“Don’t I?” His voice dipped lower, his words brushing over her skin like the stroke of a paintbrush. “You had the opportunity, Val. You had the car, you had the phone, you could easily go back home. But you didn’t. You came back tome. And you didn’t do it because you were lost. You came back to me because you wanted to.”

Her jaw clenched, her heart hammering in her chest as he gradually cornered her. “Get your head out of your ass, Ilya. You mean nothing to me.”

Ilya took another step forward, and this time, her back hit the wall. He loomed over her, the heat radiating off him, making her skin tingle despite the damp chill of the room. “Tell me, Valentina,” he said softly, his voice laced with something dark and tempting, “what is it you want? Really?”

Valentina hated him for being so calm when she was visibly unraveling at the seams. Hated him for seeing right through her when she couldn’t even figure herself out. Hated him for forcing himself past her defenses and shattering all the walls she had built around her emotions.

“I want you to shut the fuck up,” she hissed through gritted teeth, shoving at his chest. But he didn’t budge.

“Do you?” He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear, and she shivered despite herself. “Or do you want what only I can give you?”

Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing with fury and undeniable desire. “You’re so fucking full of yourself?”

“Maybe,” he interrupted, his gaze dropping to her plump lips. “But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

The air between them crackled, the tension so thick she could barely breathe. She opened her mouth to argue, to push him away, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, the anger, frustration, and unbearable attraction boiled over, crashing through her like a tidal wave.

“Fuck you, Ilya,” she said, her voice trembling, her fists pounding weakly against his chest. “I should have gotten away when I had the chance.”

“But you didn’t, and you’re here now. So, go ahead,” he murmured, his lips quirking into a smug, infuriating smile. “Give in, Valentina.”

And then she did. She surged forward, grabbing the back of his neck and crushing her lips to his in a kiss that was all fire and fury. Their mouths collided, teeth clashing, tongues battling for dominance, and she hated how much she wanted him, how good it felt to finally give in.

Ilya groaned into her mouth, his hands gripping her hips like he was afraid she’d disappear again. But she wasn’t going anywhere, not now, not with the way he was kissing her like he wanted to devour her whole. Her resentment, her defiance, everything melted away in the heat of their kiss, leaving only raw, unrelenting desire.

The storm outside was nothing compared to the fiery chaos between them. Valentina melted against him, her willpower crumbling at her feet as she gave herself up entirely, her body and mind surrendering to Ilya’s relentless touch.

His hands roamed her body, gripping, kneading, claiming every inch of her as if it had always belonged to him. He pulled away from her lips, dragging her swollen bottom lip between his teeth before letting it snap back, leaving her gasping.

His mouth moved to her neck, his tongue tracing a slow, deliberate path along the curve of her throat, tasting the salt of her skin. She whimpered, her knees threatening to give way, her body weak and trembling in his possessive hold.

His voice was a dark growl against her ear, low and commanding. “What do you want,moya koroleva?”

Valentina sighed shakily, arching into him as his hardened length pressed insistently against her stomach. He was calling her his queen. Her answer was a soft murmur, too quiet for him to accept.

Ilya’s hand wrapped firmly around her throat, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to make her gasp and meet his searing gaze. “Words, Valentina,” he ordered, his voice rough with barely restrained need. “What. Do. You. Want?”

Her lips parted, and this time, her answer was clear, trembling on the edge of desperation. “You,” she whimpered, her eyes falling to his mouth before her hand slid down his chest, fingers curling greedily around the bulge in his jeans. “This.”

His entire body tensed beneath her touch, a low growl vibrating in his throat. “You have no idea what you’re asking for,” he muttered darkly, his resolve snapping as his hand abandoned her throat to tear at his belt.

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