Page 95 of Born into Darkness

“She did.”

I run my thumb over it again, mesmerized with this man’s forearms. I know he and Sveta aren’t related by blood. They were raised as cousins, but I also know that Val and Yelena chose to marry and they were raised the same way. The truth is I’d be green with envy if I didn’t see the way Sveta looks at her husband. She’s beautiful and talented and she’s known Max her entire life, and before my thoughts can run away with me, he hooks a finger under my chin and forces my eyes to his.

“Tell me what you were just thinking. You looked sad, and that’s the last thing I want you to be feeling right now.”

“It’s stupid,” I say, forcing a laugh. “I’m fine.”

“Tell me,” he says, and I know he won’t let this go until I tell him.

Feeling like an idiot, I admit to what I’d been thinking. He gives an easy laugh, relief washing over him, but I can tell he’s not laughing at me for feeling insecure.

“Sveta has always felt like a sister to me, Talia. I’ve never once looked at her as anything other than family. You’re not blood-related to Bran,” he reminds me.

The thought has me scrunching up my face, because thinking about my brother like that feels gross and wrong on every level. Every part of my body and mind rebels against it.

“Exactly,” he says, reading my every thought. “That’s how I feel about Sveta and every other woman in my family, related by blood or not.” He lazily drags his fingers along my hip and across my stomach. “You have nothing to be jealous of, and you never will have any reason to be jealous in the future. I’m a very loyal man, Talia, and I’ve given every part of myself to you. It’s yours for as long as I’m breathing, and it’ll be yours long after I’ve stopped.”

I smile at his words and lean in closer, pressing my lips to his. He groans when I unhook my bra, letting it drop to the floor and then slide my hands down to unbutton his jeans.

“You haven’t given me every part,” I say with a grin.

“Not yet, I haven’t, but I’m about to.” He watches as I unzip his jeans and then drags his eyes up my body until he’s meeting my eyes. “I’m going to fuck you on the bed, sweetheart, but we’re both losing our virginity right here. Every time I play this piano, I’ll be reminded of our first time.” He leans in close and kisses a line along my neck. “Just think of all the music I’ll be able to create with those images running through my head.”

The idea of Max creating a song from our first time nearly makes me cry. I cup his face and bring my mouth close to his. “This is going to sound crazy, but I’m so glad they took me that day. I never would’ve met you if they hadn’t, and even though it could’ve ended so much worse than it did, I’ll never regret going through that because it brought me to you, and you’re worth everything, Max.”

“I hate that you had to go through it, and I’ll always wish I could’ve done more to protect you, but I’ll never regret meeting you,svetik moy.”

“Done more?” I ask. Confusion and disbelief written all over my face. I lightly rest my fingers on his injured hand. “You sacrificed everything for me, and you saved my life in so many ways. Let go of the guilt, Max, because you have no reason to keep it.”

He gives a slight shrug. “You killed a man for me while I was passed out. You should’ve never had to do that.”

I shake my head and grab onto his shoulders, digging my fingers into his skin. “You’re wrong,” I tell him, ignoring the raised eyebrow he gives me. “You saved my life, sacrificed your hand, and then I accidentally drugged you so you were passed out. None of this is on you, so stop blaming yourself.”

The corner of his mouth lifts up the tiniest bit, letting me know he’s fighting a smirk at my tone.

“Agree to disagree, baby, now stand up and take off your pants.”

It’s obvious he’s not going to be shedding this guilt anytime soon and that it’s pointless to argue about it now, but I’m also not going to just stand up and obey. He must know that because he doesn’t seem all that surprised when I stay in his lap and say, “One day I’ll convince you I’m right.”

“But that day is not today, Talia. Now get your sweet ass up and get naked. Show me the beautiful pussy that I’m about to slide into.”

The dark look in his eyes and the breathtaking sight of him shirtless with his jeans undone is enough to have me sliding off his lap. I can argue with him about this some other time. We have more important things to do right now.

When I start to pull my pants off, he lets out an appreciative groan and says, “Good girl.”

I will never get tired of hearing those two words in his sexy, deep voice, and judging by the slight smirk he’s giving me, he knows it. Sliding my panties off, I toss them aside, facing him when I’m completely naked. He holds out his left hand to me, and I take it, letting him pull me closer until I’m standing between his thighs.

“Svetik moy,” he whispers while wrapping an arm around me and pressing his mouth to my chest. “I hope you weren’t planning on getting a lot of sleep tonight, because once I’m inside you, I may never leave.”

“I don’t need sleep. I just need you.”

He smiles at my answer and gives my chest another kiss before pulling back and saying, “Take me out, sweetheart.”

With shaky hands and a racing heart, I grab the zipper on his jeans and tug it down the rest of the way. Instead of reaching in and pulling him out, I say, “Stand up. I want you naked.”

He grins and does what I ask, standing before me. Our nakedness accentuates the size difference between us, and I’ve never felt so small as I grab his jeans and start to tug them down his powerful thighs. I manage to get them off, and when I grab onto his boxer briefs, I take it slow, not wanting to miss a single second of this show.

When his thick cock springs free, my eyes widen at the sight of him. I already know how big he is, but now that it’s about to be inside me, it looks impossibly large. Sliding the boxers off the rest of the way, I put my focus back on the monster that’s currently pointed right at me. Reaching out, I run my fingers up his length, making his cock jerk at my touch as he lets out a groan and a bead of pre-cum forms at his thick head.

---