Page 86 of The Pucking Arrangement

I nod again, and his eyes flash. “Then why didn’t you run?”

The question dangles between us. The air pulses. I don’t have an answer that makes sense.

So, I settle for the truth.

“Because I need to know,” I whisper, “how it feels to be with you.”

The weight of his gaze has my entire body vibrating like a string. As if he’s trying to light me on fire with his glare.

And then he’s standing in front of me, reaching out a hand. I take it, and he pulls me up to him. My feet are shaky as he drags his fingers along my jaw, his palm warm and rough against my cheek. The simple touch is enough to make me combust. Before I can stop myself, I lean into it, my skin tingling in the wake of his tender, almost reverent caress.

“You were incredible tonight,” he whispers, his breath hot and close. “The way you played. The way you owned that stage.”

“You liked it?” I tilt my head, and another strand of my hair falls loose. “The Shostakovich is all about...control.”

His hand moves, catching that wayward strand.

“Speaking of control.” He lets his fingers graze my neck. “You’ve been testing mine all day.”

“Have I?” But my voice shakes.

“The dress.” I shiver from the edge in his voice. “The way you played.” I can barely breathe. “You had my cock stiff as a brick, having to watch you in that ruinous dress from afar. Without being able to reach for you.”

I swallow hard, my heart roaring, my femininity clenching. But then I decide to be reckless and dare him.

“So, are you going to do something about it?”

The words come out barely above a whisper. They’re meant to be challenging and brave, but they come out shaky. He doesn’t even blink, smiling lazily. Taking his time.

“So impatient,” he rasps slowly, his breath tickling my ear, hot and still way too far. His voice is like velvet dragging across my skin. “We are in no rush.”

My lips part, gasping for breath. “I assumed…” I stammer. “I assumed you would swallow me. Consume me.” My voice is barely there, a breath between us. “But here you are. Slow burning this.”

His lips curl. “Is that what you want,solnyshko?” he murmurs, his thumb gently tracing my lower lip, causing a tremor to ripple down my spine. “For me to consume you?”

I shake my head, or maybe I nod. I don’t know anymore. My thoughts are scrambled, my pulse hammering. He’s so close I can feel the heat of his breath against my skin.

“Let me show you what you want,” he breathes, fisting my hair and pulling my head back. A firm, commanding touch, holding my head in place, unrelenting, so different from his soft lips patiently brushing mine.

It’s barely a kiss. Just a graze, a teasing drag that leaves my whole body shaking. But he’s holding me in place possessively. The juxtaposition is jarring and exhilarating. As if he wanted to show me that I’m safe with him. No matter what.

I exhale sharply, grasping his shirt, desperate for more, but he sets the pace, his mouth moving over mine with agonizing patience, all the while holding my hair as his reins, making it impossible to move. And then our tongues slide together, a tangle of silk and promise. He sweeps in, gently tasting and coaxing, wrecking me with every slow stroke.

A whimper escapes me, my body pressing against his like instinct.

He pulls back just enough to let me breathe, his forehead resting against mine. His breath is unsteady, his hand sliding down to hold my waist.

“Are you ready, Erin?” he asks, his voice rough, filled with something dark and deep and inevitable.

“Yes.”

His eyes blaze, a flash. And then finally, finally, Dmitri Sokolov is done holding back. His mouth crashes into mine, and holy hell, this man kisses like he plays hockey. Power, precision, perfect control. Until suddenly, there isn’t any control at all.

His hands frame my face, thumbs stroking over my jaw as he angles my head exactly where he wants it. When I gasp, he takes full advantage, deepening the kiss until my knees actually give out. But he’s there, one arm banding around my waist, pressing into me harder. The solid wall of his chest pins me in place, andGod, this is what I’ve been waiting for. This is what I’ve been dreaming about since the first time I saw him.

“Still testing me?” He breathes the words against my lips.

I nip his bottom lip in response. “Still holding back?”

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