Page 54 of Broken Embers

Why are these stashed with his underwear? I glance toward the bathroom. The water’s still running. Curiosity claws at me, but something deeper—instinct maybe—tells me not to ask yet. I shove everything back into the duffel and slip the SD cards into the pocket of my jeans, then pull the socks up to my knees. They’re massive, but warm. My toes immediately thank me.

The shower shuts off. A beat later, the door swings open, and Oleksi emerges, towel slung low around his hips. Water beads on his chest and shoulders. He looks like a fucking Greek god, and the tension inside me shifts from panic to something far more primal.

His eyes flick to my legs, and a grin spreads across his mouth. “Those are my favorite socks.”

“They’re mine now.”

His gaze darkens as it drags over me. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

A jolt of heat coils in my belly. Without breaking eye contact, I rise to my feet. My fingers move quickly—shirt, fleece, bra, jeans, socks, panties—each item folded and tossed neatly on the chair beside the bed.

By the time I take the eight steps toward him, I’m naked. Every nerve in my body buzzes with anticipation.

His mouth curves in approval, but he doesn’t touch me yet. He lets me come to him.

I place my hands on his chest, then trail them slowly down his abs. I follow with my lips and tongue, tasting the soap on his skin. When I reach his hips, I drop to my knees.

He sucks in a breath as I wrap one hand around his cock and the other gently cups his balls. My tongue flicks over the tip, swirling, tasting the bead of arousal there.

“Fuck,” he mutters, threading his hands through my hair.

I take him into my mouth, working him slowly, teasing, licking, sucking, until he’s groaning and flexing his hips.

Just before he comes, he pulls me off with a growl, hauls me up, and tosses me backward onto the bed. My back hits the mattress with my legs dangling over the edge.

He kneels between my thighs, trailing kisses from my breasts to my belly, his fingers stroking upward along my thighs until they’re gliding between my folds at the apex of my legs.

“God, you’re already so wet.”

“For you,” I whisper.

His mouth replaces his fingers. He licks and sucks until my hips are bucking, my breath ragged. When he knows I’m close—right at the edge—he flips me over.

I brace on my elbows, and he drives into me from behind.

The stretch, the heat, the burn—it’s everything. At this angle, he’s so deep inside me, it’s like he’s touching my soul.

He fucks me hard and fast, his hips slapping against mine. His hand wraps around to stroke my clit again, and I break apart with a scream, shaking as the orgasm hits me like a tidal wave..

He follows me seconds later, groaning my name as he pulses inside me.

We collapse into a tangled heap on the bed, limbs entwined, panting as we ride those tiny waves of pleasure to the end.

My breath slows—my heartbeat steadies. But my mind doesn’t. Oleksi pulls out of me and then rolls us onto the bed, pulling me against his chest and gently tickling me with his thumb.

“What are we going to do about my mom?” I whisper, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Oleksi exhales, rolling onto his side to face me. “My team and I are working on it. Nikolas gets back tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”

I sit up abruptly. “We can’t just erase her again. I’m so fucking tired of this cloak and dagger shit. My parents spent their lives hiding. I won’t do it. Not for me. Not for our child.”

His brows lift. “I agree. But we have to be smart. This isn’t just a rival crime family or a crazy aunt—okay, maybe it is—but it’s also the RMSAD. That’s not a game we win with brute force.”

I groan and fall back against the pillows. “I wish we had leverage... something to bargain with.”

He pauses. “You think the General knows his son is dead yet?”

“I hope not,” I mutter.

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