Page 55 of Torn Souls

I snort out a laugh and echo mockingly, “Titillating?”

Maxim smirks. “It was live porn. What’s not titillating about that?”

“Live porn?”

The innocently whispered question from behind us has everyone turning sharply. Oaklynn is standing at the edge of the living room entrance in a dress that is the perfect mixture of demure and sexy as fuck. The red silk wraps around her and hugs every curve of her body.

One leg is partially exposed by a slit and the structured top has her breasts pushed up, but most of her cleavage is hidden by delicate lace. The neckline is high, the lace wrapping around her neck. Still, it doesn’t hide nearly enough.

Not for where we’re going.

Maxim stands with fluid grace and moves across the room toward our woman on swift feet. When he’s close enough, he hooks an arm around her waist and tugs her against his chest. She stumbles a little on the high black heels she’s wearing, but I’m not worried. Maxim wouldn’t allow her to fall.

Her hair is up in some sort of style that I couldn’t even begin to identify. The few whisps of hair that surround her face give her an air of effortless grace. The longer I look at her, the more my mouth waters.

“You look stunning,Zolotse,” his voice is low and hypnotic.

Oaklynn blushes slightly as she looks up at him. Her brown eyes pop, ringed in a smokey eye with a sparkle that picks up the light in her eyes. She’s not wearing a necklace, considering the dress she’s wearing, but the earrings she’s wearing are long and dangly, highlighting the length of her elegant neck.

When have I ever thought of a neck as elegant before?

Her eyes are nervous as they flit around to see the reaction from the rest of us. Since Maxim chose her dress, he’s not as stunned as the rest of us. I’m not even sure I can move right now, stuck in place by how fucking good she looks.

I swallow hard, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat along with the sinking feeling in my gut. She looks too good considering where we’re taking her.

“This is a bad idea,” I murmur, not even realizing the words have passed my lips, until our woman reacts.

Oaklynn’s brown eyes meet mine and sadness flashes there before she looks away. Maxim turns on me ands gets in my face with a speed that has me taking a step back.

“I will never allow anyone, including you, to make our woman feel like she’s less than she is,” he snarls in my face.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” I snap.

“But she doesn’t,” his words are low and meant only for me.

When I look back at her, Kirill is standing in front of her, his thumb and forefinger gripping her chin and raising it until she has no other choice but to look into his eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” his tone is a soothing lull, one filled with honesty.

“Fuck,” I whisper.

With long strides, I head toward our woman, shouldering Kirill out of the way. I’m sure he’s glaring at me, but I keep my focus where it belongs—on our woman.

“Little bee,” I coax her to look at me and the fire I see in her eyes has pre-cum coating the tip of my cock. “It’s not you. It’s my fear. I hate the idea of taking you anywhere that I don’t have complete control over your safety. I will always worry. I will always want to protect you.”

“It’s okay, Baker.”

Even though she tries to sound strong, I can hear the uncertainty in the way she tries to placate me. That isn’t going to work for me.

“No,” my voice is firm, “it’s not. You are a vision. I only hope I don’t kill someone tonight for looking at you too long.”

She tries to fight it, but she loses the battle when a smile graces her lips as she lets out a soft giggle. Fuck. How does that make her even more beautiful?

I slide an arm around her waist to hold her, and my palm meets bare skin. My eyes widen in surprise, but our woman only looks up at me with a sly smile.

Making a choked sound, I do a slow walk around our woman. When I see the open back of her dress, I grunt in a mixture of approval and anger.

I glare at Maxim from behind our woman, but he couldn’t possibly get the grin of triumph off her face.

He holds his hand out for our woman who takes it readily. With careful movements, he uses his grip to spin her in front of us slowly.

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